C-USA boss: Realignment over for now

[Harry]

New television negotiations are on the horizon, with the birth of Fox Sports 1 providing a boost this season.

"I am delighted with the way things have turned out," Banowsky said Saturday during his appearance at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. "The group we have is a good group, as we thought it would be. We've got some great programs that are showing up-side potential. We've got schools in Western Kentucky and Middle [Tennessee] that are a nice bridge to Marshall."

With the bowl situation realigning just as radically for 2014 and beyond, C-USA officials saw the need to be proactive. Joining the other four leagues outside the "Power 5," three bowls are being launched.

"Ultimately, we as a conference had to decide whether we were going to put ourselves in a place, year in and year out, where we would hope there would be openings and then try to find bowls for our surplus teams, or whether we just wanted to go out and create our own destiny," Banowsky said. "About a year ago we started thinking, 'Let's do Boca Raton,' and that makes some sense. In the spring, we started thinking about the Bahamas, which is a fantastic opportunity.

"And then we brought the other partner conferences into the conversation and they said, 'Wow, those are good setups you have.' And then Miami [Miami Beach Bowl at Marlins Park] came online, the American Conference brought Miami to us."

Banowsky doesn't expect to see the league putting its champion in one designated bowl, such has been the case with the Liberty Bowl in 16 of 17 years. This is the league's last go-around with the Liberty, assuming there is not an "out" similar to that exercised in 2011. Banowsky didn't give an ironclad guarantee this fall's champ will end up in Memphis.

Read more: http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/201311090081?page=1

[Cerebus]

Banowsky didn't give an ironclad guarantee this fall's champ will end up in Memphis.

Read more: http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/201311090081?page=1

So there is a chance we could win the conference and end up in a Heart of Dallas? Fantastic!

[UNTflyer]

Heart of Dallas may become C-USA's #1 bowl. It is generally decent weather, good travel destination, near Conference HQ, and played in the Cotton Bowl.