Nov. 3, 2009
IRVING, Texas - Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky announced today that the conference has secured future commitments with seven bowl partners, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, EagleBank Bowl, R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl, the St. Petersburg Bowl, along with the new Dallas Football Classic. These partnerships will include games following the 2010-2013 regular seasons and the agreements with seven bowls feature postseason games against seven different conferences. The Conference USA Board of Directors approved these agreements at its November 2, 2009 meeting.
"Postseason football is amazing and having the right mix of bowl games is important to every conference," said Banowsky. "When we began developing our new bowl agreements we wanted three things: great destinations; quality opponents; and, increased revenues. We are very pleased with our line-up for the 2010-2013 seasons and believe it delivers in every way."
It is important to note that a Conference USA champion may qualify for the Bowl Championship Series if ranked in the BCS final Top 12 or, in the BCS Top 16 and ranked higher than a team which receives automatic qualification.
Since partnering with the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in C-USA's inaugural season in 1996, the conference regular season champion has participated in the Memphis bowl game and posted an 8-6 record against opponents.
The league has partnered with the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, Texas) in all but one year since 2003, the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl each year since 2002, the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl six times in eight years and played in the inaugural St. Petersburg Bowl last December.
C-USA will continue to face a team from the Mountain West Conference in the Armed Forces Bowl, a Sun Belt Conference team in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, a Western Athletic Conference foe in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl and a Big East squad in the St. Petersburg Bowl.
Conference USA began a partnership with the EagleBank Bowl in Washington, D.C. this season and will continue that in future years, facing an opponent from the ACC in 2010 and 2012.
An addition to the C-USA postseason lineup is the new Dallas Football Classic that will debut after the 2010 season. Subject to NCAA Football Issues Committee approval, this bowl will be played at the historic Cotton Bowl in Dallas and will feature's C-USA's first postseason matchup against the Big Ten Conference in 2011 and 2013.
C-USA BOWL PARTNERS
"The AutoZone Liberty Bowl is the seventh- oldest Bowl game in America with a great history and tradition. As we celebrate our 51st anniversary game, we are very proud to extend our partnership with C-USA."
Steve Ehrhart, Executive Director, AutoZone Liberty Bowl
"Conference USA has been a great partner and we look forward to many more great matchups as we continue our relationship."
Brant Ringler, Executive Director, Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
"I am delighted with the Dallas Football Classic's involvement of Conference USA, especially with it being a Dallas-based conference. I have been fortunate to have worked with several Conference USA teams and they always play an exciting brand of football. We are honored to be a part of C-USA's bowl line-up."
Tom Starr, Executive Director, Dallas Football Classic
"For a new bowl, we are thrilled to have partnerships with three great football conferences in the ACC, Big 12 and Conference USA and teams in Navy and Army. All three conferences and both military academies have impressive football programs, fans and tradition. We look forward to compelling matchups each year as well as showcasing the wonderful pageantry and hospitality of the nation's capital to all participating teams."
Steve Beck, Executive Director, EagleBank Bowl
"We are excited about extending our partnership with Conference USA for another four years. The appeal and proximity of New Orleans to the fan bases of Conference USA schools makes this a natural relationship. In addition, the student-athletes, coaches, and administrators from our C-USA participants have all represented themselves, their universities and the conference with a high level of dignity and class."
Billy Ferrante, Executive Director, R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
"Conference USA has been a great partner for the Sheraton Hawai`i Bowl since the bowl's inaugural game. Four of the five games were decided by less than a touchdown, and three of the C-USA/WAC match-ups were decided on the last play of the game."
Dave Matlin, Executive Director, Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl
"The St. Petersburg Bowl is thrilled to continue our relationship with Conference USA. We're excited to provide the St. Petersburg community as well as the teams and their fans with great matchups for the next four years."
Brett Dulaney, Executive Director, St. Petersburg Bowl
"We look forward to continuing with Conference USA in bringing exciting teams and matchups to the communities that host ESPN Regional's bowl games, and we're thrilled to give the teams, coaches and fans a first-class postseason experience."Pete Derzis, Senior Vice President and General Manager of ESPN Regional Television