What did the MWC offer CUSA to place a team in the Arizona Bowl?

[The Historian]

I do know that the New Orleans Bowl was still selling itself to CUSA late in the week last week. There was a belief the game could lose its CUSA representative. Just how far was Craig Thompson willing to go to convince CUSA to place a team in the Arizona Bowl. Was it the cost of the 2 charter flights for the team and travel party? All expenses?

After what Bob Bowlsby said last week about the willingness within the conferences to let some of the bowl games go dark and what Thompson says here, I would say there will be at least some change in the bowl system in the next 12 months.


http://www.rgj.com/story/sports/college/nevada/2015/12/06/mw-commissioner-calls-nevada-csu-matchup-travesty/76895166/

[Russdawg]

Seems like we were fated for New Orleans this year. Whether we ended up 11 - 1 or 6 - 6 was irrelevant in this year's CUSA except for the outcome of our USM game. The time will come though some year when we'll be glad to have the number of bowls available to us. If our team plays to WIN we'll be OK.

[PawDawg]

The time will come though some year when we'll be glad to have the number of bowls available to us. If our team plays to WIN we'll be OK.

We will only have 5 next year (like last year). We will never have as much leverage as we had this year with 7. I'm sure our AD did everything possible to get us the best deal available...assuming he was able to figure out what the best deal was.

The Mountain West explored every possibility for placing the teams in question. We suggested swaps, alternative financial arrangements and creative options. Unfortunately, no one was willing to adjust and those efforts were to no avail.

[inudesu]

The problem here, unlike some other cases we've heard of in the past where trading helps everyone out, is that they had nothing to offer.

Eventually, someone was going to have to play in a barely televised bowl against a lower level MWC team. Who would give up any other bowl for that?

[sportdawg]

They should have given us a home/home with Air Force, then maybe we'd agree to a trade! Plus the free charter flights and stuff

[collinellis]

I believe Tommy thinks NOLA is the best move for Tech vs Arizona. He put fan accessibility 1st and that was the deciding factor. Originally I was not for Arizona because of limited exposure playing on ASN vs ESPN and for the selfish reason that I would not be able to attend. But playing in Tuscon vs Colorado St would have been great for our players/coaches and I would be interested to see how we would have stacked up against that program.

All that is over and I am excited about watching KD one last time.

[domangue]

You see, I looked at this from the Sun Belt angle and why Mr. Peanut didn't jump on it. They can always use a few extra $$. What if they had swapped Ark. St. With Colorado St. In the New Orleans Bowl???

[boxerdog]

Sounds like the MWC commish is trying to deflect criticism to me. Obviously he wasn't shrewd enough to entice a trade and now he has egg on his face.

[PawDawg]

Sounds like the MWC commish is trying to deflect criticism to me. Obviously he wasn't shrewd enough to entice a trade and now he has egg on his face.

No it's not obvious at all.

There were numerous scenarios that had us in Dallas or Ft. Worth.

While I hope our AD and Commissioner did all they could, it certainly looks like they took the easy route.

We need a good relationship with the MWC. It will be strained at best now.

[boxerdog]

He didn't get a trade and now he's whining about it publicly. That's about as obvious as it can be. He has 2 of his teams playing in a "bowl" game in Arizona. MASSIVE fail on his behalf.

[boxerdog]

I'm fairly certain NONE of our teams wanted to go to Arizona. I assume none of AAC or SunBelt or MAC teams wanted to either. The craziest thing to me is Indy got stuck with a 6-6 Tulsa team. I can't believe they could do no better than that!

[Gooddawg]

He didn't get a trade and now he's whining about it publicly. That's about as obvious as it can be. He has 2 of his teams playing in a "bowl" game in Arizona. MASSIVE fail on his behalf.

Exactly, no one wanted to go to a bowl game that is not televised! This is the only bowl game not televised in 20 years so that tells you all you need to know. TM would have been roasted on here if were in Arizona in a bowl game few can attend and no one can watch.

[PawDawg]

He didn't get a trade and now he's whining about it publicly. That's about as obvious as it can be. He has 2 of his teams playing in a "bowl" game in Arizona. MASSIVE fail on his behalf.

He stated that nobody would work with him. The new bowl belongs to C-USA too. C-USA had a responsibility to work with the MWC, but according to him they did not. That's not all on him. Next year when we only have 5 bowls with 7 teams, he will likely remember what we did to them.

I'm fairly certain NONE of our teams wanted to go to Arizona. I assume none of AAC or SunBelt or MAC teams wanted to either. The craziest thing to me is Indy got stuck with a 6-6 Tulsa team. I can't believe they could do no better than that!

California was available to go to Arizona. We could have gone to Ft. Worth. California did not have a choice. They were going where ever they could.

[boxerdog]

No way in the world California would go to Arizona. They made their preferences known to the PAC12 commish and he wouldn't screw them like that. NO WAY!

[Dawg06]

The problem here, unlike some other cases we've heard of in the past where trading helps everyone out, is that they had nothing to offer.

Eventually, someone was going to have to play in a barely televised bowl against a lower level MWC team. Who would give up any other bowl for that?

Exactly, no one wanted to go to a bowl game that is not televised! This is the only bowl game not televised in 20 years so that tells you all you need to know. TM would have been roasted on here if were in Arizona in a bowl game few can attend and no one can watch.

Yes, the MWC did have something to offer: The Armed Forces Bowl, money, and who knows what else.

"Barely" televised or "not" televised? It will be on network TV or one of their sister stations in almost every market. ASN is trying to get deals done for 50 additional markets prior to the game. Who's to say the Arizona Bowl won't provide greater exposure than those on ESPN? It's also a primetime game as opposed to during the workday like several ESPN bowls like the Armed Forces Bowl.

Teams like Arizona, Cal, and Washington really didn't have any leverage because they were all leftovers without a conference tie-in. They were in no position to "give up" a bowl game because they had nothing to give up. The MWC and Pac-12 were the only conferences with leftover teams to place in open spots, and the Cure Bowl in Orlando on CBSSN vs. a 6-6 Belcher was the only other opening.