Big East wants all-or-nothing deal with Gator Bowl

See you later, Gator Bowl?

Unless the Gator Bowl opts to commit to an agreement with the Big East exclusively and ditches its current hybrid Big East/Big 12 model, it's "doubtful" the league will remain affiliated with the Jacksonville bowl when the new bowl agreements begin in 2010, Big East commissioner John Marinatto said.

"It would be doubtful," Marinatto said. "It's not what we want and not what we're going to try for. It's not on our agenda. We believe [the Big East] has earned that, we don't want the hybrid [model].

"If we have to go somewhere else, so be it."

This year marks the final year for the four-year contracts tying specific conferences to the 34 bowl games, meaning bowls may seek new league affiliations that would take affect for the 2010 regular season.

The Gator Bowl's current deal allows it to select a Big 12 or Big East team, including Notre Dame, with the Sun Bowl required to take a team from the conference the Gator Bowl didn't select. The Big 12/Big East opponent is from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The contract also requires the Gator to select two teams each from the Big East and Big 12 in the four-year span. In the past three years, the Gator selected Nebraska (2008), Texas Tech (2007) and West Virginia (2006), so the Gator is required to select a Big East team, or Notre Dame, this season.

Gator Bowl Association President Rick Catlett said he is aware of the Big East's position, but preferred not to comment at this time.

Whether the Gator remains in the Big East's future bowl plans, Marinatto believes the Big East will emerge with their best bowl lineup when the next wave of affiliations for the 2010-2013 regular seasons are announced in the coming weeks.

"I feel we'll come out in a very good place, ultimately," Marinatto said.

Marinatto also said the league is trying to secure as many bowl opponents from the remaining six major BCS conferences, if possible. The league's primary criteria are destination, geography (within reasonable driving distance for Big East members) and opponent.

Of the Big East's current six bowls, only the St. Pete and International bowls do not provide BCS opponents. St. Pete pits the Big East against Conference USA and the International is Big East versus Mid-American.

"We try to find the best options that fit our criteria," Marinatto said.

Among the bowls that reportedly are looking to change their conference affiliations or selection order within their current conference include the Alamo, Cotton, Champs, Gator and Sun bowls.

The Big East's current bowl lineup is: BCS (champion), Gator/Sun (second selection) and Meineke Car Care (third selection). The Papajohns.com, St. Pete and International bowls work together and share the league's fourth, fifth and sixth selections. The Big East also has a conditional agreement with the Motor City Bowl for a seventh team, if eligible.

In other league news: It's unlikely the league would add a ninth football-only member, Marinatto said. Some Big East coaches are in favor of adding a ninth-member to balance the schedules, giving each team four home and four away league games.

"Only if they brought something to the table," Marinatto said. "A lot of schools could solve the scheduling [issue], but they would have to bring full value as an associate or full member."

Because Navy and Army are independents in football, they have been mentioned in the past as likely candidates to join the Big East as football-only members. Marinatto doesn't believe that would happen.

"I don't think they have any interest," he said.

Also, Marinatto said the Big East is considering changing the format for the men's basketball tournament as soon as this season.

The current format awards two byes to the league's top four seeds and one bye to seeds five through eight. One proposal is a 16-team tournament without any byes.

Marinatto said the coaches brought up the proposal during the league's annual meetings in Ponte Vedra in May.

"We're looking at the format that's best for the 16 teams," Marinatto said. "I'm not sure the double-bye [format] does that."

Marinatto said if there's enough support within the league and from ESPN, the Big East could change the format for the 2009-10 men's tournament. He added if the men's tournament format changes, it doesn't necessarily mean the women's tournament would change.