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Gator Bowl seeing Red over Tech selection
By GENE FRENETTE, The Times-Union
You know all about the Florida vs. Michigan debate because it stirred a national public turbulence over the Bowl Championship Series formula.
But here on the banks of the St. Johns River - where Gator Bowl Association beancounters are swimming in red ink over Saturday's revenue-challenged Atlantic Coast Conference championship game - the fallout from a quieter controversy between the bowl's greencoats and the ACC could have long-term implications.
The tension is obvious. The resolution is not.
Gator Bowl representatives are reluctant to discuss the situation publicly, but it's no secret they're livid over the ACC strong-arming them into selecting league runner-up Georgia Tech instead of Clemson to play in the Jan. 1 Toyota Gator Bowl. Tech's selection is causing major flak between a 60-year-old bowl and its dance partner for the past decade.
Which, in turn, could impact whether the ACC renews its two-year option with Jacksonville to bring back the league championship game. But for now, that's a separate hot-button issue.
Here's what has GBA members fuming: league commissioner John Swofford went on television at halftime of Saturday's ACC Championship game and said the Gator Bowl would have options besides taking the ACC runner-up. But after Georgia Tech lost to Wake Forest, the GBA was pressured by conference officials to invite the Yellow Jackets anyway.
At the heart of this dispute is the ACC's "one-loss rule" for non-BCS bowls, which prohibits passing one team for another if there's more than a loss difference in their league records (Georgia Tech was 7-1, Clemson 5-3). The Gator Bowl contended last week that it had verbally agreed on a contract provision to relieve them from taking the ACC runner-up.
Well, with the GBA losing $1 million-plus on the ACC title game because it sold only 62,000 tickets, it loathed the prospect of Georgia Tech's disappointed fan base returning. And potentially, another financial hit on a not-for-profit corporation.
"The communication gap is probably at the root of all the frustration," said Georgia Tech athletic director Dan Radakovich. "We're just trying to protect the interests of our program." Nobody at the Gator Bowl is upset with Georgia Tech. The GBA understands Tech's desire not to be pushed any further down the bowl food chain.
Essentially, it was up to the ACC to resolve this dilemma and it chose to side with a league member over a bowl partner.
Why is the Gator Bowl steaming? Because it guaranteed the ACC and its schools about $8 million between the league title game and the bowl game. And when the GBA took a financial bath on Saturday's poorly attended contest, it hoped the ACC would provide a lift by consenting to a Clemson-Texas bowl matchup (favored by CBS).
When that didn't happen, a blissful relationship between the Gator Bowl and ACC suddenly turned chilly.
The GBA is mum on the subject. Swofford and associate ACC commissioner Mike Finn were in New York Monday and did not return messages.
Nobody knows if this rift will blow over or lead to the ACC taking its title game elsewhere.
But this much is certain: Gator Bowl officials have bigger issues to settle than getting caught up in the BCS controversy. Like making sure a good marriage with the ACC endures an obvious rough patch.
gene.frenette@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4540
____________
Gator Bowl seeing Red over Tech selection
By GENE FRENETTE, The Times-Union
You know all about the Florida vs. Michigan debate because it stirred a national public turbulence over the Bowl Championship Series formula.
But here on the banks of the St. Johns River - where Gator Bowl Association beancounters are swimming in red ink over Saturday's revenue-challenged Atlantic Coast Conference championship game - the fallout from a quieter controversy between the bowl's greencoats and the ACC could have long-term implications.
The tension is obvious. The resolution is not.
Gator Bowl representatives are reluctant to discuss the situation publicly, but it's no secret they're livid over the ACC strong-arming them into selecting league runner-up Georgia Tech instead of Clemson to play in the Jan. 1 Toyota Gator Bowl. Tech's selection is causing major flak between a 60-year-old bowl and its dance partner for the past decade.
Which, in turn, could impact whether the ACC renews its two-year option with Jacksonville to bring back the league championship game. But for now, that's a separate hot-button issue.
Here's what has GBA members fuming: league commissioner John Swofford went on television at halftime of Saturday's ACC Championship game and said the Gator Bowl would have options besides taking the ACC runner-up. But after Georgia Tech lost to Wake Forest, the GBA was pressured by conference officials to invite the Yellow Jackets anyway.
At the heart of this dispute is the ACC's "one-loss rule" for non-BCS bowls, which prohibits passing one team for another if there's more than a loss difference in their league records (Georgia Tech was 7-1, Clemson 5-3). The Gator Bowl contended last week that it had verbally agreed on a contract provision to relieve them from taking the ACC runner-up.
Well, with the GBA losing $1 million-plus on the ACC title game because it sold only 62,000 tickets, it loathed the prospect of Georgia Tech's disappointed fan base returning. And potentially, another financial hit on a not-for-profit corporation.
"The communication gap is probably at the root of all the frustration," said Georgia Tech athletic director Dan Radakovich. "We're just trying to protect the interests of our program." Nobody at the Gator Bowl is upset with Georgia Tech. The GBA understands Tech's desire not to be pushed any further down the bowl food chain.
Essentially, it was up to the ACC to resolve this dilemma and it chose to side with a league member over a bowl partner.
Why is the Gator Bowl steaming? Because it guaranteed the ACC and its schools about $8 million between the league title game and the bowl game. And when the GBA took a financial bath on Saturday's poorly attended contest, it hoped the ACC would provide a lift by consenting to a Clemson-Texas bowl matchup (favored by CBS).
When that didn't happen, a blissful relationship between the Gator Bowl and ACC suddenly turned chilly.
The GBA is mum on the subject. Swofford and associate ACC commissioner Mike Finn were in New York Monday and did not return messages.
Nobody knows if this rift will blow over or lead to the ACC taking its title game elsewhere.
But this much is certain: Gator Bowl officials have bigger issues to settle than getting caught up in the BCS controversy. Like making sure a good marriage with the ACC endures an obvious rough patch.
gene.frenette@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4540
