8 or 9 wins puts us in the Champs Sports Bowl. Their 4-year window in which to grab us once expires after the 2012 season. I doubt they're willing to risk losing out on us altogether if we make the BCS next year.
So this guy is either projecting a 6-7 win season, or he's an idiot.
The 4 year window is a good point. But so is the Champs Bowl and USF only being 85 miles away in Tampa. (Thank you dshans) This would
essentially be a home game for USF. With a student body approaching 50K they could easily sell out 70K seat Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium. (Thank you again, dshans). Keep in mind bowl games were started to stimulate the local economy.
It's routine for bowls to opt for a "local team" and one that has to "travel".
ND would get more TV sets to turn on and probably would sell more hotel rooms but if USF finishes 2nd in the Big East I don't think the Champs executives could turn them down and keep their jobs. Champs only gets ND if they pass on a BE team.
The Pinstripe can take ND if either conference doesn't fill their slot, BE #4 and Big 12 #7. It's more likely for the Big 12 to miss here as Palm picks OU and A&M to make the BCS so they would need 9 teams to qualify. Palm picks WVU for the BCS so Pinstripe would have to take the BE #5.
Champs has option to take ND if they are within 2 wins of the BE team. Pinstripe can only extend an offer if either conference is short qualifiers.
Payouts are close. Champs $2.25 and Pinstripe $2.0
If there was a choice would ND chose to nuture the relationship with the Yankees, the Pinstrip Sponsor, or opt for the warm weather, a better recruiting market, and another quarter million (would pay for the band)?
