ESPN’s Brett McMurphy reported yesterday that the Russell Athletic Bowl was likely to move up and pick the next available ACC team after the Orange Bowl beginning in 2014 -- the same year as the first College Football Playoff.
Expect the Big 12’s bowl lineup -- and other conferences’ as well -- to be modified in the not-too-distant future too. Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News reports that the Alamo Bowl could pick the next available Big 12 team after the Sugar Bowl since the Cotton Bowl will be part of CFP’s six semifinal site rotation. From the story:
While nothing is finalized, multiple industry sources contacted Monday indicated some key details are coming into focus. Among them:
The Alamo Bowl is the front-runner to replace the College Football Playoff-bound Cotton Bowl for the Big 12’s top team not in the playoff or the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
The Alamo Bowl has been slotted just below the Cotton Bowl and offers a solid management reputation as well as appeal as a three-day destination center.
A final plan should be close to completed, if it’s not completed, by the end of this month at Big 12 spring meetings.
Additionally, though not surprisingly, expect the Big 12 to trade the Holiday Bowl -- the Big Ten should take the Big 12’s spot -- for the Russell Athletic Bowl against the ACC. Also, the Liberty Bowl could become part of the Big 12’s yearly rotation with the conference getting out of the Pinstripe Bowl.