[miaht82]

Guess it's official. We'll see what the next move is.

from bizjournals.com
San Antonio Business Journal - by W. Scott Bailey

The Valero Alamo Bowl has inked a deal with the Pac-10 Conference.

Under the arrangement, the Alamo Bowl will get the second overall pick from the Pac-10 beginning after the 2010 season.

The Pac-10 will face a Big 12 opponent in the new deal.

In January, the Alamo Bowl will feature its final Big Ten vs. Big 12 match-up, ending the current four-year pact with the two conferences. The new deal will also include the Big 12 Conference and will run through the 2013 post-season game.

The inaugural Alamo Bowl in 1993 included a Pac-10 team — the California Bears.

Jim Muldoon is associate commissioner of communications and football administration for the Pac-10. Last week he told the Business Journal: “There is definitely an interest in San Antonio and the Alamo Bowl.”

Muldoon said the Alamo Bowl has “grown into one of the better bowls in the country” and that it “can certainly compete on that level.”

Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott says he views this new deal “as a significant enhancement to the conference bowl lineup.”

Scott adds, “San Antonio is a marvelous post-season destination and the Valero Alamo Bowl has positioned itself as one of the elite bowl games. We anticipate providing exciting and deserving Pac-10 teams that will provide great match-ups for the game, and believe the Valero Alamo Bowl will be a great experience for our football teams and the fans who follow them.”

The Pac-10 has the best winning percentage all-time in bowl games of any conference (.535), highlighted by a perfect 5-0 record in last season’s bowl games.

“We are excited to partner with the Pac-10 and welcome the conference back to San Antonio,” says Alamo Bowl Chairman Gene Dawson. “This partnership, along with our upcoming announcement regarding the Big 12, will add to our growing track record of exciting games between ranked opponents that deliver top ESPN ratings and capacity crowds.”

Since its inception in 1993, the Valero Alamo Bowl has hosted 1,131,739 spectators at 16 bowl games and three Big 12 Football Championships. Factoring in the out-of-town fans, the games have generated a direct economic impact of more than $260 million, and another $23 million in measurable media exposure from the 137 million viewers watching the national television broadcasts, say Alamo Bowl officials.

Under the new deal, the Pac-10 would send its top team to a Bowl Championship Series game. The Alamo Bowl would then select second, taking the Pac-10’s next-best team.

“We are ecstatic with this Pac-10 Conference partnership,” says Alamo Bowl President and CEO Derrick Fox. “Based on recent history, this pick will provide an outstanding team for the game as the selection has averaged 10 wins and a Top 15 ranking.”

For the first time in its 17-year history, the Alamo Bowl will be played outside the month of December — on Jan. 2 at the Alamodome.

On Oct. 31, the Alamo Bowl will host a neutral-site game featuring Notre Dame vs. Washington State.