College bowl executives had concerns during Big 12 chaos

IOWA CITY - College football's brush with radical realignment concerned - but did not alarm - many bowl executives, who followed the speculation closely the last two weeks.

Our approach was, ‘Let's just step back and see how it all sorts itself out,'” said Bruce Binkowski, executive director of San Diego's Holiday and Poinsettia bowls. The Holiday Bowl selects fourth among Big 12 schools after the Bowl Championship Series. “Certainly we were thinking, ‘OK, what do we do if there's a massive upheaval.' We didn't have any answers, but at least we knew there would be a change in numbers. But when the dust settled ... we're status quo.

“We didn't have an contingency plan.”

The Big 12 Conference nearly disbanded following departures by Nebraska to the Big Ten and Colorado to the Pac-10. Five other Big 12 schools received - and later spurned - invitations to join the Pac-10 or other conferences. Nebraska begins Big Ten football play in 2011, while Colorado is slated for Pac-10 status in 2012. The Big 12 has contracts with eight bowl games.

Other bowl executives with Big 12 ties watched the chaotic scene unfold with similar interest but from different perspectives. John Junker, president of the Fiesta and Insight bowls, hosts the Big 12 in both of his bowl games. The Big 12 champion competes in the Fiesta Bowl unless it is chosen for the BCS title game. The Insight Bowl selects third among Big 12 schools following the BCS.

“We're happy how things turned out well for so many people evidently,” Junker said. “I think any time there's adjustments I guess concern is a proper word. But at the same time we were quite confident. There's no call out there for fewer BCS bowl berths.

“We thought we'd be in good shape. But we knew if things changed radically there might be some work to be done still.”

Rick Baker, president of the Cotton Bowl Classic, has forged a relationship with the Big 12 since its debut in 1996. The bowl selects first among the Big 12's non-BCS schools. Four Texas schools - Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Baylor - were members of the old Southwest Conference, which sent its annual champion to the Cotton Bowl from 1941 through 1996.

Baker believes the downsized Big 12 may improve his Dallas-area bowl game, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this season. The Big 12 likely won't petition the NCAA to stage a conference title game, which means Baker won't have to accept a title game loser.

Five times the Cotton Bowl selected the Big 12 runner-up, but none lost the league title game in the Dallas area, unlike now. Cowboys Stadium, which holds the Cotton Bowl, hosted the Big 12 Championship last year and will this December. The stadium also won the rights to Big 12 title games from 2011 through 2013, should the game continue.

“Never say never but it would be very difficult for us to take the loser of the championship game when they lost the game here in Cowboys Stadium and expect them to be really excited and bring a lot of fans back three or four weeks later,” Baker said. “The fact that the Big 12 does not have a championship game certainly is a positive development for us.

“We're loyal partners and will continue to be. We're certainly not looking for any substitutes.”

The Holiday Bowl has welcomed Nebraska and its renowned fan base twice since 1998. Nebraska's reputation of bringing fans to bowl games may excite potential Big Ten bowl executives. Jim McVay, president of the Outback Bowl, called Nebraska "a perfect fit" because of its passionate fans and football tradition.

"Is it a good thing for the bowls? Absolutely," said McVay, whose bowl has the second selection among Big Ten schools after the BCS. "Because it's another piece of very attractive inventory that will be part of the bowls' relationship with the Big Ten."

Binkowski chooses to look at the positives, such as inviting potential new participants Iowa State, Kansas or Missouri in the future, rather than lament Nebraska's loss from future bowl lineups.

Baker, who won't alter his bowl's relationship with the Big 12 and SEC, said it may be a positive that Nebraska is out of the Big 12 fold.

“We really see minimal, if any, negative points from the loss of Colorado and Nebraska,” Baker said. “Being in the geographical location of where we are, those schools were really on outskirts of our footprint anyway. While both have great fans and certainly are terrific programs, we're certainly very excited about the 10 schools that remain as we move forward.”