Despite numerous reports saying he's all but set to become Ohio State's next football coach, Urban Meyer said Wednesday that is not the case.If Urban Meyer becomes the next Ohio State coach, it might be very difficult for the Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl to pass up a chance to match Meyer's future team against his past team.
Gator Bowl Association president Rick Catlett said pitting the Gators against the Buckeyes — if Meyer accepts the job as the next Ohio State coach — wouldn't need the caveat of the Buckeyes (6-5) beating Michigan (9-2) Saturday.
The Gator Bowl can select any bowl-eligible Big Ten team without regard to its won-loss record compared to other available teams. The only restriction is that the Gator Bowl must invite the Big Ten Championship game loser (Michigan State will play Saturday's Wisconsin-Penn State winner), if that team has not yet been selected by the Capital One, Outback or Insight Bowls.
"From a local standpoint, with this year's Gator team and coach Meyer entering the picture for Ohio State ... that would be a very attractive and entertaining matchup," Catlett said Wednesday. "But we're some time from having to make that decision and we don't know yet whether Coach Meyer will take the Ohio State job."
Even if Meyer takes the job, interim coach Luke Fickell would likely remain the coach through the bowl game. But the anticipation of Meyer taking over at Ohio State would put the Gator Bowl in the national spotlight from bowl selection day Dec. 4 through the game, which will be 1 p.m. Jan. 2 at Everbank Field.
Regardless of the Gator Bowl's matchup, ticket sales are going well. The realistic choices are that the Gator Bowl will be able to invite Florida, South Carolina or Auburn against Ohio State, the Penn State-Wisconsin loser, Iowa or Nebraska.
“Ticket sales are already going very well,” said Stephen Tremel, the Gator Bowl Association chairman. “If we’re able to invite Florida, there are a lot of Gator fans in this area who don’t have a chance to buy Florida-Georgia tickets, or Florida season tickets, and I think they’d support a game with Florida in it.”
The Gator Bowl has sold out the past three years, averaging 73,228 in actual attendance.
The only nagging question for the selection committee is how many Florida fans would actually arrive in town, producing room-nights, restaurant meals and other business for the First Coast. Inviting a Big Ten with fans that historically travel well, such as Ohio State, Penn State, Nebraska or Iowa, might make up for a possible lack of early-arriving UF fans, who might have a tendency to arrive on the day of the game.
The Gators aren't a lock for the game. If UF (6-5) beats FSU Saturday, it could spark the interest of the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, which might not want a rematch of the regular-season game between Clemson vs. Auburn (if the Tigers lose in the ACC championship game).
If that happens, Auburn or even South Carolina could fall to the Gator Bowl. Catlett said the association would be happy with either one.
“We’re in very good shape with these last two weekends coming up,” Catlett said. “We know Florida will sell tickets locally. But we also are confident that Auburn and South Carolina fans will be very enthusiastic.”
Plus, the Big Ten appears to be deeper this season than the SEC. The Big Ten has nine bowl-eligible teams and the SEC only seven. Tennessee needs to beat Kentucky, Vanderbilt has to beat Wake Forest and Mississippi State has to beat Mississippi for those teams to become eligible for the post-season.
“The Big Ten will have more available teams in the seven-to-nine victory area for us,” Tremel said. “That’s because we pick higher in the Big Ten [the fourth selection after the BCS] than the SEC [the fifth], Nebraska entered the Big Ten this year to strengthen that league and there’s the possibility that the Big Ten won’t get two teams in the BCS. All of that combines to give us some very good options.”
Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/sports/college/florida-gators/2011-11-23/story/gator-bowl-ponders-ohio-state-florida-matchup#ixzz1edLYqTMG
Gator Bowl Association president Rick Catlett said pitting the Gators against the Buckeyes — if Meyer accepts the job as the next Ohio State coach — wouldn't need the caveat of the Buckeyes (6-5) beating Michigan (9-2) Saturday.
The Gator Bowl can select any bowl-eligible Big Ten team without regard to its won-loss record compared to other available teams. The only restriction is that the Gator Bowl must invite the Big Ten Championship game loser (Michigan State will play Saturday's Wisconsin-Penn State winner), if that team has not yet been selected by the Capital One, Outback or Insight Bowls.
"From a local standpoint, with this year's Gator team and coach Meyer entering the picture for Ohio State ... that would be a very attractive and entertaining matchup," Catlett said Wednesday. "But we're some time from having to make that decision and we don't know yet whether Coach Meyer will take the Ohio State job."
Even if Meyer takes the job, interim coach Luke Fickell would likely remain the coach through the bowl game. But the anticipation of Meyer taking over at Ohio State would put the Gator Bowl in the national spotlight from bowl selection day Dec. 4 through the game, which will be 1 p.m. Jan. 2 at Everbank Field.
Regardless of the Gator Bowl's matchup, ticket sales are going well. The realistic choices are that the Gator Bowl will be able to invite Florida, South Carolina or Auburn against Ohio State, the Penn State-Wisconsin loser, Iowa or Nebraska.
“Ticket sales are already going very well,” said Stephen Tremel, the Gator Bowl Association chairman. “If we’re able to invite Florida, there are a lot of Gator fans in this area who don’t have a chance to buy Florida-Georgia tickets, or Florida season tickets, and I think they’d support a game with Florida in it.”
The Gator Bowl has sold out the past three years, averaging 73,228 in actual attendance.
The only nagging question for the selection committee is how many Florida fans would actually arrive in town, producing room-nights, restaurant meals and other business for the First Coast. Inviting a Big Ten with fans that historically travel well, such as Ohio State, Penn State, Nebraska or Iowa, might make up for a possible lack of early-arriving UF fans, who might have a tendency to arrive on the day of the game.
The Gators aren't a lock for the game. If UF (6-5) beats FSU Saturday, it could spark the interest of the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, which might not want a rematch of the regular-season game between Clemson vs. Auburn (if the Tigers lose in the ACC championship game).
If that happens, Auburn or even South Carolina could fall to the Gator Bowl. Catlett said the association would be happy with either one.
“We’re in very good shape with these last two weekends coming up,” Catlett said. “We know Florida will sell tickets locally. But we also are confident that Auburn and South Carolina fans will be very enthusiastic.”
Plus, the Big Ten appears to be deeper this season than the SEC. The Big Ten has nine bowl-eligible teams and the SEC only seven. Tennessee needs to beat Kentucky, Vanderbilt has to beat Wake Forest and Mississippi State has to beat Mississippi for those teams to become eligible for the post-season.
“The Big Ten will have more available teams in the seven-to-nine victory area for us,” Tremel said. “That’s because we pick higher in the Big Ten [the fourth selection after the BCS] than the SEC [the fifth], Nebraska entered the Big Ten this year to strengthen that league and there’s the possibility that the Big Ten won’t get two teams in the BCS. All of that combines to give us some very good options.”
Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/sports/college/florida-gators/2011-11-23/story/gator-bowl-ponders-ohio-state-florida-matchup#ixzz1edLYqTMG
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