Coronado, Calif. – Contrary to popular belief, the Liberty Bowl has not completely left the Mountain West building.
MWC commissioner Craig Thompson said Tuesday there is a 75 percent chance the league will renew an agreement with the Memphis bowl. Last spring, he placed the odds at 10 percent.
Bowls with a tie-in with the MWC this season include the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego, the Las Vegas Bowl, the San Francisco Emerald Bowl and the Fort Worth Bowl – if the Big 12 doesn’t have eight bowl-eligible teams for the third consecutive year.
For 2006, however, the MWC has a contract with only the Poinsettia Bowl. Thompson is optimistic for renewals in Las Vegas and a new contract in Fort Worth. He thought the league had a chance to reach an agreement with the Insight Bowl, but the Big Ten and Big 12 recently worked out a contract.
“We’ve heard from our nine coaches, and they want nine bowls,” Thompson said. “Our athletic directors are frugal. They don’t want to lose money.”
Schools have not been buying many tickets to bowl games, which hurts the MWC’s cause, Thompson said. Excluding the 30,000-plus Utah fans at the Fiesta Bowl, Thompson said MWC fans have averaged sending 4,800 fans in 17 other bowls.
The Las Vegas and Liberty bowls want first selection rights in the MWC. At issue is the opponent in both bowls. Previously the Liberty Bowl paired the MWC and Conference USA champs, but the bowl is now looking at lower-tier ACC and SEC teams.
“It doesn’t make sense to send a top-25 team from the Mountain West,” Thompson said.
Office shopping
Thompson said Denver and Salt Lake City are candidates for a CSTV regional office. He said he has spoken to Gov. Bill Owens and Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman about possible incentives to attract the office.
When the CSTV contract goes into effect in the fall of 2006, there will be a regional MWC network. Thompson said the office could bring in 60 to 70 employees to start.
Footnotes
Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry is on the mend from knee replacement surgery last spring. DeBerry said he had to take a redshirt year for his golf season. … Colorado State wide receivers coach Marc Lubick is in a sling following shoulder surgery. The newest CSU staff member has had rotator cuff problems since he was a pitcher in junior high school.
