Bowling Green State University Athletics
Ask The AD -- Nov. 13, 2007
November 13, 2007 | General
Nov. 13, 2007
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -
Each week, Bowling Green State University Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics Greg Christopher answers a few of the many questions that have been submitted to BGSUFalcons.com. Here is the latest installment ...
Q: Is there any movement among non-BCS conferences for forming their own organization for better negotiating strength with the BCS, NCAA and bowls (first step being called something besides non-BCS)?
Doug in Heath
A: A good question that could be an hour conversation by itself. The college bowl system is a flawed structure that favors the large schools and BCS conferences. Performance on the field is one factor, but many other issues play out in bowl selections.
Pressure from the non-BCS conferences forced the power conferences into the current BCS structure - currently, if a non-BCS school is ranked #12 or lower, it automatically receives a BCS bid. The non-BCS conferences also receive a portion of the large BCS paycheck, but the figure is much smaller than the BCS conferences - and the payout is based on the overall strength of the MAC compared to the other non-BCS conferences.
A few important points about bowl games and selections...
- The idea that bowl games are money-makers for schools is a myth. The BCS games have big pay-outs and the top-tier non-BCS bowls (Capital One, AT&T Cotton and Chick-fil-A) have pay-outs large enough for schools to profit, but most of the other bowl games are break even or money-losing ventures. Schools expect to spend close to $1-million at a bowl game. That includes everything from ticket purchases, to team, band and VIP transportation.
- Schools are required to purchase large blocks of tickets. These blocks are typically 1/6 of the stadium size and essentially come out of the game guarantee. If you can't re-sell the tickets to your fans, you eat the cost.
- Bowl selections are often based on off-the-field factors. Which team will travel the best and bring the most fans? Which match-up will generate the highest TV ratings? Do any of the teams have marquee players that will help sell tickets? These and other factors are typically more important than the team records.
Regardless of the above points, the bowl system is college football's largest stage and all of the 119 Division I-A schools want to be in the mix. Even though most bowl games don't make money, the residual exposure and recruiting boosts are critical for programs. Additionally, coaches will say one of the most valuable facets of any bowl experience is the practice time - 15 extra practices, which allow you to give valuable reps to your young players and red-shirts.
