College Confidential

Notre Dame's Kelly envisions future expansion of college FB playoff system

Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly has more experience with national championship games than most of his peers.

He coached in last year’s BCS championship game and won two of his three consecutive appearances in Division II title games at Grand Valley State (2001-03). After a Thursday tour of the place that will host the first championship game played under the new College Football Playoff umbrella, Kelly said Cowboys Stadium offers “an incredible venue” to crown major-college football’s initial champion of the playoff era.

But he made it clear that the four-team playoff following the 2014 regular season is only the start to something bigger, in his estimation.

“I don’t know that four is where we’re going to finish this thing. I think it’s a great entry into where we want to go,” said Kelly, who toured the stadium in preparation for his team’s Oct. 5 matchup in Cowboys Stadium against Arizona State. “Moving forward, I think the focus … will be on whether it’s eight or 16 (teams) or whatever the number is.”

Although Kelly envisions and supports a larger playoff field in the future, administrators with the College Football Playoff have stressed that they will not expand the bracket beyond the four-team model during the 12 years of its inaugural cycle. The initial title game in that 12-year cycle will be played at Cowboys Stadium on Jan. 12, 2015.

Because the Arlington facility also is the site of the 2014 Final Four and will be the venue when the AT&T Cotton Bowl hosts semifinal games in the new playoff format, Kelly said “all eyes are on this geographic area and, in particular, this venue.” To him, that makes the decision for Notre Dame to move one of its 2013 home games to Cowboys Stadium as part of its “Shamrock Series” a case of excellent timing. And a recruiting coup.

“There’s no question that when you talk about playing in Cowboys Stadium, that gets every recruit’s attention. They know that venue and they want to play here,” said Kelly, whose roster includes three Texans expected to contribute this season: RB/KR Cam McDaniel (Coppell), WR Torii Hunter, Jr. (Prosper) and CB Jalen Brown (Irving MacArthur).

_ Jimmy Burch

Coaches support Cowboys Stadium as inaugural playoff venue, although official approval still has yet to surface

Although no official announcement has been made on the status of Cowboys Stadium as the site for college football’s first national championship game of the playoff era, the venue already is drawing favorable responses from coaches whose teams have played in the facility. The stadium is expected to be selected as site of the Jan. 12, 2015 contest today in Pasadena, Calif., where conference commissioners are scheduled to take the formal vote this afternoon, followed by an announcement of the venue chosen between the two finalists: Cowboys Stadium and Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

During today’s conference call with SEC coaches, Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said the Arlington facility would be an appropriate place to being college football’s playoff era following the 2014 regular season.

“Without a doubt, they can handle it,” said Sumlin, whose team defeated Oklahoma 41-13 on Jan. 4 at the 2013 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, played annually at Cowboys Stadium. “The combination of the hospitality … and one of the best venues in the country, Cowboys Stadium is just a fabulous place to play in.”

Baylor coach Art Briles has taken his team to Arlington multiple times for neutral-site contests against Texas Tech. He said the flexible seating configurations inside the dome stadium should be a huge asset for college football administrators seeking to make a positive statement with the first game under the umbrella of the new College Football Playoff, which officially replaced the BCS on Tuesday.

“I don’t know how they’ll configure the seats, but they can hold up to … 100,000 people in there and you’ll never have bad weather,” Briles said. “I’m all for it. I’m all for a national playoff and all for it being in (Cowboys Stadium), because it’s a great stadium.”

_ Jimmy Burch

 

Report: College FB title game headed to Arlington but local officials have yet to hear that

ESPN is reporting that Cowboys Stadium has enough votes among administrators who will make today’s decision to be announced this afternoon as site of the inaugural college football championship game of the playoff era.

The network, citing a source with knowledge of the situation, said the decision between Cowboys Stadium _long considered the prohibitive favorite in the bidding process _ and Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. “was closer than a lot of people thought it would be” but the game will be headed to Arlington on Jan. 12, 2015.

In addition, ESPN also reported that the AT&T Cotton Bowl will be announced as one of six bowls that will be part of the semifinal rotation during the playoff era. The network also cited an unnamed source for that information.

The Associated Press also reported the same information shorly before noon Wednesdsay (Central time), citing a source who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decisive vote had yet to be taken. Conference commissioners were scheduled for a formal vote on the title game Wednesday afternoon, with a formal announcement slated after that.

But officials from Arlington at the meeting in Pasadena, Calif. said Wednesday they are unaware of any updates and expect to learn of their status when today’s vote is concluded and announcements are made in regard to the site of the title game and the Cotton Bowl’s status in the playoff mix.

Since January, multiple industry sources have cited Cowboys Stadium as a prohibitive favorite to land the championship game and the Cotton Bowl as a prohibitive favorite to become a regular part of the playoff rotation.

During a Monday news conference at Valley Ranch, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said: “I’m anxiously awaiting that decision Wednesday. Excited to have the opportunity … We think we have the facility, with our partnership with the Cotton Bowl, we just think we’ve got the tools to make it the best place to have that game.”

In January, an industry sourced told the Star-Telegram that the likelihood of the 2015 championship game coming to Arlington was 95 percent. Arlington’s status as an overwhelming favorite in the bidding process has been reinforced in multiple interviews in the past week but all individuals consulted stressed nothing was a done deal.

Throughout the process, Cotton Bowl officials have expressed optimism about their opportunity and made it clear they will be a regular bidder for championship games, which will be bid out on an annual basis during the era of the College Football Playoff, which officially replaced the BCS brand during Tuesday’s meeting in Pasadena.

Tommy Bain, chairman of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association, has described the group as “cautiously optimistic” about its opportunity to land the 2015 contest.

In January, Bain said: “Our goal is to host the first one. We’re totally optimistic about hosting national championships, and we’re cautiously optimistic about hosting the first one.”

_ Jimmy Burch

 

BCS officials set March 27 deadline for bowls to bid for college FB playoffs; Cotton wil be in mix

The group overseeing the new college football playoff system has established March 27 as the deadline for bowls interested in submitting proposals to host national semifinals and other bowls to be played on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day as part of the reconfigured postseason.

Officials at the AT&T Cotton Bowl in Arlington, considered a leading candidate to host college football’s 2015 national championship game, have expressed plans to bid on being a regular participant in the semifinal matchups.

The Rose and Sugar bowls will host the first national semifinal contests under the playoff format in January, 2015, with the Orange Bowl and a yet-to-be-named bowl slated to host semifinals in 2016, the second year of the playoff system. Two other bowls will host semifinal contests in 2017, creating a six-bowl rotation for semifinal games that could bring a high-profile contest to Cowboys Stadium every third year if the Arlington venue is included in the mix of semifinal locations.

Bowl sites selected to participate in the playoff structure will host non-playoff bowls in years when their venue is not hosting a semifinal contest. National championship games will be bid out on an individual basis, with Cowboys Stadium in the mix to host the initial contest of the playoff era in January, 2015.

Bill Hancock, executive director of the BCS and the future playoff system, said the idea of rotating semifinal contests between stadiums with capacities of at least 65,000 will give “as many fans as possible the opportunity to enjoy the new playoff and the other bowls in person … Because of the criteria, we don’t expect every bowl to proceed with a bid. But we want to extend an offer to all that are part of the college football bowl tradition.”

_ Jimmy Burch

 

Sigmon joins group overseeing new college FB playoff system

Reid Sigmon has been hired as chief financial officer of the group that will oversee college football’s new playoff system and championship game, BCS executive director Bill Hancock announced today. Sigmon, a senior associate athletic director at Kansas State, will join Hancock and Michael Kelly, the group’s chief operating officer, among the leaders in efforts to transition from college football’s current BCS model to a post-season playoff that begins at the conclusion of the 2014 regular season.

_ Jimmy Burch

Alabama tabbed as favorite to threepeat in next year's BCS title game; Texas A&M one of top 4 favorites #TAMU, #Bama

Alabama, college football’s two-time defending national champion, already is the early favorite to make it three in a row in next year’s BCS National Championship Game, based on odds released today by Bovada Sports Book (www.Bovada.lv).

The site has installed the Crimson Tide as a 5/1 favorite to claim next year’s title, followed by Oregon (8/1), Ohio State (17/2), Texas A&M (12/1) and LSU (12/1). A&M, which posted an 11-2 record and finished fifth in today’s final AP poll, is given the best odds for a 2013-14 national championship of any college team from Texas or within the region.

Opening odds assigned to other regional or Big 12 schools include: Oklahoma (25/1), Texas (30/1), Oklahoma State (40/1), TCU (66/1), Arkansas (100/1), Kansas State (100/1) and West Virginia (150/1).

Below is a look at the schools that received individual odds to win next years BCS National Championship Game:

 

Odds to win the 2013-2014 BCS National Championship         

Alabama                               5/1

Oregon                             8/1

Ohio State                     17/2

LSU                              12/1

Texas A&M                   12/1

Florida                          14/1

Florida State                  14/1

Clemson                       22/1

Louisville                               22/1

Notre Dame                   22/1

Miami                               25/1

Oklahoma                            25/1

South Carolina                    25/1

Georgia                            28/1

Nebraska                              28/1

Stanford                        30/1

Texas                               30/1

Michigan                               33/1

USC                             33/1

Oklahoma State             40/1

UCLA                            40/1

Mississippi State           50/1

Wisconsin                            50/1

TCU                              66/1

Virginia Tech                 66/1

Boise State                   75/1

Michigan State              75/1

North Carolina                     75/1

Oregon State                 75/1

Arkansas                              100/1

Arizona                            100/1

Kansas State                100/1

Rutgers                         100/1

Tennessee                           100/1

Washington                         100/1

Cincinnati                             125/1

BYU                             150/1

Pittsburgh                            150/1

West Virginia                      150/1

Auburn                          200/1

Georgia Tech                 200/1

Iowa                              200/1

Missouri                                250/1

Boston College                   300/1

California                              300/1

South Florida                      300/1

 _ Jimmy Burch

 

Cowboys Stadium identified as "prohibitive favorite" as venue for 2015 college football title game

Cowboys Stadium has emerged as a “prohibitive favorite” to host college football’s 2015 national championship game, the first of the playoff era, based on an ESPN.com report citing sources with knowledge of the situation.

Today’s report backs up last week’s Star-Telegram report, in which Cotton Bowl officials expressed confidence about landing the contest and one industry source estimated the Arlington venue could have as high as a 95 percent chance of hosting the historic game. In discussing the chances of bringing the game to Arlington at the conclusion of the 2014 regular season, Cotton Bowl Athletic Association chairman Tommy Bain said: “Our goal is to host the first one. We’re totally optimistic about hosting national championships and we’re cautiously optimistic about hosting the first one.”

Monday’s report by ESPN.com should boost that confidence. The site identified the Rose and Sugar bowls as the venues for college football’s first semifinal games, on Jan. 1, 2015. It identified the Cotton Bowl as a “prohibitive favorite” to host the national title game on Jan. 12, 2015.

College football will begin is inaugural four-team playoff after the 2014 regular season as part of a 12-year contract with participating bowls. Six bowls will rotate as host venues for semifinal games, with the Rose, Sugar and Orange bowls already selected. ESPN.com, citing sources, reported that the other three bowls in the mix to host semifinal games would be the Cotton, Fiesta and Chick-fil-A bowls.

Cotton Bowl officials have expressed optimism about being a regular part of the playoff mix but stressed that contracts have yet to be signed to solidify that participation. A formal announcement is expected later this spring.

_ Jimmy Burch

 

 

Cotton Bowl officials are optimistic about chances to land 2015 national title game

Tommy Bain, chairman of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association, said today that bowl officials are “cautiously optimistic” about bringing college football’s 2015 national championship game to Cowboys Stadium and hope to get final approval next month.

The contest would be the first in college football’s playoff era, which will include a four-team playoff at the conclusion of the 2014 regular season. Commissioners from the BCS conferences will meet after next week’s BCS National Championship Game for further discussions about the site of the contest, with a decision possible by the end of February.

“Our goal is to host the first one,” said Bain, adding that the Arlington venue is expected to be in the mix for multiple title games in the playoff era. “We’re totally optimistic about hosting national championships and we’re cautiously optimistic about hosting the first one.”

Cowboys Stadium has been gaining steam as a possible venue for the 2015 title game in recent weeks, with multiple reports citing the venue as a likely frontrunner after commissioners discussed the topic in early December. One industry source, who requested anonymity, estimated that Cowboys Stadium could have as high as a 95 percent chance of landing the contest.

But both Bain and Rick Baker, Cotton Bowl president and CEO, stressed there is no deal in place and that additional negotiations must take place before the site is selected. Bain said he anticipates additional discussions later this month and bowl officials are “pretty excited” about pitching the merits of the venue as a revenue-producer and as a place where logistics would be convenient for travelers.

“The way this stadium hosts events and all the events surrounding the game, it’s unsurpassed in the country,” Bain said.

In addition, Cotton Bowl officials will make a pitch to BCS commissioners by the end of April about becoming one of three access bowls in the new playoff format. If granted access bowl status, the Cotton Bowl would host a semifinal game every third year and would hold an annual contest featuring teams ranked between No. 5 and No. 12 in the final BCS standings in the other two years.

_ Jimmy Burch

 

Where is TCU going bowling? My guess is back to San Diego or Houston but final week could alter destination for many

So where is TCU headed bowling? Wish I could tell you. Too much is still riding on the outcome of the final week of games, especially the Horned Frogs’ regular-season finale against No. 11 Oklahoma at 11 a.m. Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
The outcome could affect where the Horned Frogs (7-4, 4-4 in the Big 12) are headed in the postseason. If TCU upsets the Sooners, and incidentally, wins its first Big 12 game at home, Oklahoma's hopes of earning a BCS bowl berth would be dashed. The Sooners (9-2, 7-1) could still win the Big 12 title and earn a Fiesta Bowl appearance with a win and a No. 6 Kansas State loss to No. 18 Texas. If Oklahoma loses, then they’ll likely play in the Cotton Bowl.
If the Frogs lose to Oklahoma, they appear headed to the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. That's if San Diego isn't sick of TCU. The Frogs have played in three Poinsettia Bowls, also in San Diego, since 2006, including last year. The Meineke Car Care Bowl in Houston would likely be attracted to TCU, expecting more Frogs fans to travel to Reliant Stadium for the Dec. 28 game against a Big 10 team. The Frogs have played three bowls in Houston since 2001, the last coming in 2007.
Of course, more than conference finish comes into play when bowl representatives are looking to fill the matchups. If TCU wins Saturday, then the Frogs would finish ahead of Texas Tech (7-5, 4-5) and would seem to be in line for the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl in Tempe, Arizona. And if Baylor wins its third consecutive game by beating Oklahoma State Saturday then the Bears would potentially finish in a four-way tie with TCU, Tech, and West Virginia at 4-5. If that happens, then all bets are off on bowl positioning, at least for the middle-tier bowls.
The bowl matchups will be announced Dec. 2.

Here’s how I project the Big 12 standings finishing, with the favored team (Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and West Virginia) winning Saturday, with bowl destinations and bowl payout (per team) for each bowl:

	Projected standings	Projected bowl	Payout per team (in millions)
Kansas State	11-1, 8-1	BCS Fiesta (Glendale, Ariz.)	$17
Oklahoma	10-2, 8-1	BCS Sugar (New Orleans)	$17
Oklahoma St.	8-4, 6-3	Cotton (Arlington, Tex.)	$3.625
Texas	8-4, 5-4	Alamo (San Antonio, Tex.)	$3.175
Texas Tech	7-5, 4-5	Buffalo Wild Wings (Tempe, Ariz.)	$3.350
TCU	7-5, 4-5	Holiday (San Diego, Calif.)	$2.075
West Virginia	7-5, 4-5	Pinstripe (New York City)	$1.8
Iowa State	6-6, 3-6	Heart of Dallas (Cotton Bowl)	$1.1
Baylor	6-6, 3-6	Meineke Car Care (Houston)	$1.7
Kansas	1-11, 0-9

-- Stefan Stevenson
@FollowtheFrogs 

Las Vegas oddsmaker ranks TCU, Texas among top 15 favorites to win BCS national title

Three weeks into the college football season, four schools with local or Big 12 connections _ TCU, Texas, Oklahoma and West Virginia _ rank among the 15 most likely candidates to win the BCS national championship, based on odds released today by Bovada Sportsbook.

Among that group, Oklahoma (15/1) received the most favorable odds, followed by West Virginia (20/1), Texas (30/1) and TCU (60/1). All four teams remain undefeated heading into this week’s games.

The Las Vegas odds-maker has shifted Alabama into the favorite’s role as the BCS national championship favorite, replacing pre-season choice USC in the wake of the Trojans’ 21-14 loss to Stanford last week. Alabama, the defending national champ, received 19/10 odds, placing the Crimson Tide ahead of LSU (7/2), Florida State (8/1) and Oregon (9/1) on the list of heaviest favorites.

In the Heisman Trophy race, West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith has edged ahead of USC quarterback Matt Barkley in a crowed field. Smith received 5/2 odds, with Barkley at 5/1.

Below is a breakdown:

 

Odds to win the 2012-2013 BCS National Championship         

Alabama                       19/10

LSU                              7/2

Florida State                  8/1

Oregon                          9/1

Georgia                         11/1

USC                             12/1

Oklahoma                     15/1

West Virginia                 20/1

Notre Dame                   25/1

Stanford                        25/1

South Carolina               28/1

Texas                           30/1

Florida                          30/1

Clemson                       40/1

TCU                              60/1

Cincinnati                      75/1

Mississippi State           75/1

Michigan                       80/1

Kansas State                100/1

Michigan State              100/1

Nebraska                      100/1

Oklahoma State             100/1

Oregon State                 100/1

Louisville                       100/1

Arizona                         100/1

Wisconsin                     125/1

Virginia Tech                 150/1

BYU                             150/1

UCLA                            200/1

Missouri                        300/1

Tennessee                    300/1

Arkansas                      500/1

Boise State                   500/1

Georgia Tech                 500/1

Miami (Florida)               500/1

Texas A&M                   500/1

 

Odds to win 2012 Heisman Trophy

Geno Smith - West Virginia - QB             5/2

Matt Barkley - USC - QB                        5/1

De'Anthony Thomas - Oregon – RB         15/2

Landry Jones - Oklahoma - QB               15/1

Collin Klein - Kansas State - QB             15/1

Braxton Miller - Ohio State - QB              15/1

Le'Veon Bell - Michigan State – RB         15/1

EJ Manuel - Florida State - QB                18/1

Denard Robinson - Michigan – QB           20/1

Aaron Murray - Georgia - QB                   20/1

Marcus Lattimore - South Carolina - RB   20/1

Tajh Boyd - Clemson - QB                      20/1

AJ McCarron - Alabama - QB                  28/1 

Montee Ball - Wisconsin - RB                 30/1

Taylor Martinez - Nebraska - QB             30/1

 

Where will Notre Dame finish the Season in the AP Polls?

Over/Under                    15.5

 

_ Jimmy Burch