Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 7, 1992 TAG: 9201070014
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL BRILL SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: ANAHEIM, CALIF. LENGTH: Medium
LEAGUES STUDY BLOCKBUSTER DEAL
The Atlantic Coast and the Big East conferences will decide whether to accept a megabucks offer from the Blockbuster Bowl next week, ACC commissioner Gene Corrigan said Monday.The 2-year-old Blockbuster has made an offer to pay the champions of the ACC and Big East a minimum of $4.3 million for the next 10 years, but the league commissioners said the actual figure would be much more than that.
"There would be a year-round involvement with the Blockbuster [in corporate business] that could be that much again," Corrigan said.
Over a decade, the offer could reach $200 million.
Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said the bowl coalition, involving the champions of five conferences, had agreed on an arrangement that would place the runners-up from those leagues, plus the Pacific-10, in bowls.
The coalition had been threatened, "but I'm now confident we can get it done," Tranghese said.
If the Blockbuster deal comes off, the coalition would be dead.
The ACC and Big East appear to be leaning in different directions.
Corrigan has concerns about the coalition because he doesn't want his champion to play in the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona.
"What kind of a reward would that be for our people?" he said.
Tranghese is concerned that if the Big East accepts the Blockbuster offer, Miami will have been perceived to have mortally wounded the Orange Bowl.
"It is very, very important to Miami. Some of the members of their board are on the board of the Orange Bowl," Tranghese said.
Coalition members planned to have an information-gathering meeting today to discuss the proposals.
This is the situation:
If the ACC and Big East accept the Blockbuster offer, their champions will play in the game at Joe Robbie Stadium every year.
"It's simple," Corrigan said. "The Blockbuster is an aggressive concern. They can do a lot of things that can help you. Their agreement to back our Outreach program is very important."
The coalition, initially proposed by the two leagues, would set up a bowl system involving the Orange, Cotton, Sugar and Fiesta bowls. Also joining the group, Landmark News Service learned, were the John Hancock Bowl [formerly the Sun Bowl] and the Gator Bowl.
"We now have an agreement that would place the six runners-up in games," Tranghese said.
The leagues are the ACC, Big East, Southeastern, Big Eight and Southwest, plus the Pacific-10, which sends its champion to the Rose Bowl. The Big Ten has an agreement to place its No. 2 team in the Citrus Bowl.
If the coalition works, the champions of ACC, Big East and Notre Dame would be assured of playing on Jan. 1 in one of four bowls. If the ACC and Big East teams are rated Nos. 1-2, they would have to play in the Fiesta.
But the ACC concern is that a lower-rated Notre Dame team would be selected because of its TV impact, a fact further confirmed in the Sugar Bowl against Florida, which beat the Orange in the ratings.
On the other hand, Tranghese said, Miami worries that if the Blockbuster deal was struck, Florida State would drop the Hurricanes from the regular-season schedule.
For the ACC, the decision is easier. The financial deal is enormous, and the geography is good.
Virginia Tech athletic director Dave Braine said he favors the Blockbuster proposal "unless I hear something I don't know" at today's meeting.
"No matter what we do, when it's done, I'm not sure we'll jump for joy," Tranghese said. "We'll either walk away from an incredible financial situation, or we'll hurt some real friends."
Keywords:
FOOTBALL