Gator Bowl interested in joining SEC bowl lineup

Gator Bowl President Rick Catlett said the Jacksonville game is "very interested" in joining the Southeastern Conference bowl lineup.

His comments to the Birmingham News come a day after Big East commissioner John Marinatto told The Tampa Tribune it was "doubtful" the Big East would remain with the Gator Bowl if the game maintained its hybrid Big East/Big 12 model.

"While that's disappointing the Big East feels that way, the hybrid works very well for us," Catlett told the Birmingham News. "It keeps fans and teams from going back to the same city over and over again."

Catlett had declined to talk to the Tribune about Marinatto's comments the past few days during the Big East Conference media gathering in Newport, R.I.

The Gator Bowl has the second selection from the Big East or Notre Dame and the Big 12. This is the final season of the four-year bowl cycle and, ironically, the Gator must take a Big East team this year because it previously has taken two Big 12 teams.

On Tuesday, Sun Bowl executive director Bernie Olivas told the Tribune his bowl would be interested in the Big East's second selection but "was waiting to see what the Gator Bowl would do."

Besides the Sun Bowl, the Big East also is considering adding the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando to its bowl lineup for 2010 to 2013.

Meantime, the New York Post reported that the Big East may explore adding an Atlantic Coast Conference team as a ninth football member.

The Post reported the Big East will explore "whether there was interest on behalf of Maryland to jump from the ACC and for Boston College to rejoin the league."

Boston College was a previous Big East member before leaving for the ACC in 2005.

Last week, Marinatto told the Tribune that if the right team came along, the Big East would consider growing to 17 members. Marinatto did not specifically name any teams that the league would consider adding.