Big Ten bowls: May lose Alamo, Champs Sports, gain Gator, Holiday

The Big Ten appears close to extending agreements with the Capital One and Outback bowls but could end a 15-year run with the Alamo Bowl after this football season.

The Alamo Bowl reportedly has offered the Pac-10 Conference $3 million to shift its best non-Bowl Championship Series qualifying team to San Antonio after the 2010-11 bowl season. That would leave the Big Ten out of the Alamo Bowl for the first time since 1994.

“We've told both conferences we have an interest in moving up,” said Rick Hill, the Alamo Bowl's vice president for marketing. “We want to respect the order of the incumbents, but please ask us if there's availability to move up. We feel we can do as well or better with a chance to move up.”

But several bowls are seeking ties with the Big Ten, including the Gator and Holiday.

The San Diego-based Holiday Bowl hosted a Big Ten team from 1986 through 1994, including three Iowa appearances. The Gator Bowl is New Year's Day in Jacksonville, Fla., and Iowa appeared in 1983.

“I would couch the conversations with the Big Ten as serious,” Gator Bowl Executive Director Rick Catlett said Thursday.

The Gator Bowl now pits the Atlantic Coast Conference's best non-BCS team against a top non-BCS team from either the Big East or the Big 12. The Holiday Bowl now hosts the Pac-10's top non-BCS team against the Big 12's second-best non-BCS team.

Five of the Big Ten's seven bowl agreements expire after the 2009-10 bowl cycle. The league has four years left on deals with the Rose and Insight bowls. Along with the Capital One, Outback and Alamo bowls, the Big Ten's deals with the Champs and Motor City bowls also expire.

The Capital One and Champs bowls are Orlando, Fla., and the Capital One boasts the top payout of any non-BCS bowl. Steve Hogan, the executive director for both bowls, said it's likely the Big Ten will continue to send its best non-BCS team to the Capital One Bowl beyond 2010.

“The Big Ten and the SEC have been an unbelievable relationship close to 20 years now. Our primary goal would be to keep that and extend that, and I believe that we will,” Hogan said about the Capital One Bowl. “I don't see any reason why we can't or we won't.”

But it's possible the Big Ten won't renew its relationship with the Champs Sports Bowl. Michigan State has played in Orlando bowls the last two seasons, and Wisconsin has played in Orlando three of the last five years. The potential for bowl fatigue by teams, fans and local population is real, Hogan said.

“We may or may not continue that,” Hogan said. “We'll see. We have to decide what's in our mutual best interest, especially when you look at the New Year's Day product.”

Outback Bowl Executive Director Jim McVay said his bowl is in “deep, deep conversations” to renew with the Big Ten. Iowa has played in three Outback Bowls in the last six years, The Outback Bowl posts the second-highest payout of non-BCS bowls.

Should the Alamo Bowl land the Pac-10's best non-BCS team, the Holiday Bowl could reach for the Big Ten to oppose a lower-tiered Pac-10 team.

“We've had a great run with the Big 12 and we have every intention of pursuing it and keeping that,” said Bruce Binkowski, the Holiday Bowl's executive director. “But we need to leave all of our options open. We certainly wouldn't close the door on the Big Ten if we had a good opportunity there.”