Article: "C-USA, Liberty Bowl Relationship Tenuous"

[NavyCrimson]

I don't know what it's going to take for the non-bcs teams to start fighting the cartel! But then again, I would be willing to bet that the non-bcs players (AKA - prof eggheads & administrators) probably prefer this any way -

This way, they can blame everybody else but themselves -

If the Liberty Bowl is lost, figure it out for yourselves!

Like maggie said, "Consensus is the negation of leadership."

C-USA, Liberty Bowl relationship tenuous
League hopes deal can be worked out; bowl seeks SEC tie-in
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
By Ted Lewis
Staff writer

MEMPHIS, TENN. -- Since its inception in 1996, Conference USA has sent its champion to the Liberty Bowl. But that won't necessarily happen in 2005, and the league's ties with the Memphis game may not continue past this season.

Liberty Bowl officials have made no bones about wanting to be affiliated with the SEC, but SEC commissioner Mike Slive said his league has no desire to play an opponent other than one from a BCS league.

"All of our other games are against the original BCS conferences," Slive said. "We just want to be consistent."

That doesn't sit well with C-USA, which wants to hang on to the biggest payout bowl ($1.5 million) in the stadium where one of its original members plays.

"We want to continue our relationship," said Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson. "The Liberty Bowl has been good for Conference USA and vice versa. We've also reminded the Liberty Bowl that the Pac-10, the Big 10 and the Big 12 don't mind playing games against the Coalition conferences. But we also know there are a lot of other factors involved."

The league isn't adamant about its champion being in the game, however. "Year-in and year-out it might be better for our champion to play in one of our other bowls," C-USA commissioner Britton Banowsky said. "Bowls come down to matchups, and some cases, travel consideration for our fans."

Tulane coach Chris Scelfo said he sees winning the conference championship game, which debuts this year, becoming bigger than which bowl game that team winds up in.

"That championship game is going to become every team's goal," he said. "After that, it's not our call and something I don't think will bother our players either way."

Banowsky said he sees C-USA staying at five bowl tie-ins after this season, including the Wyndham New Orleans Bowl. If the league loses the Liberty, the Houston Bowl is the most likely alternative.

This season, the final one of the current contract, the Liberty Bowl is not obligated to take the winner of the championship game, but will have first pick among any bowl-eligible team from the league.

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