Navy athletics director Chet Gladchuck doesn?t want a conference affiliation for his football team, but he said he may not have a choice.
Gladchuck said Navy has no bowl agreement beyond this year?s Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego, and the complex tie-in between bowl games and conferences makes it more difficult each year for Navy to schedule a postseason game.
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Joining a conference comes with considerable concessions for Navy, which as an independent, develops its schedule and keeps all the money it generates from broadcast rights, ticket sales and other revenue streams.
“You?ve got to look at it two ways,” Gladchuck said. “Where are we today and is it working? But, you also have to be concerned about down the road. Dynamics can change in short order.
We?re comfortable today because we?re filling up the stadium, we?re playing a quasi-national stadium where we can play whoever we want. We have a great television package and a quality radio network. We have had tie-ins with bowl games and it?s working. Now, will it work tomorrow, I?m not sure.”
Gladchuck said since Navy?s resurgence in football four years ago, it has been fortunate to secure bowl invitations. In 2003, the Southeastern Conference?s University of South Carolina failed to qualify for the Houston Bowl, which opened a spot for Navy because the SEC didn?t have any more bowl eligible teams. In 2004, Gladchuck made a deal to get Navy into the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco.
Then in 2005, the inaugural Poinsettia Bowl wanted Navy because of its large following in San Diego. Finally last year, the Meineke Car Care Bowl made a one-year agreement with Navy to play in Charlotte, N.C., instead of taking its usual Big East team.
“The one area we have been able to manage, but not control, is the bowl structure,” Gladchuck said. “By managing that structure, we?ve been able to find five straightbowl games, but not being able to control it plays into us looking for a conference affiliation or trying to survive as an independent.”
Navy football coach Paul Johnson said a conference affiliation would not impact how he recruits. But he is concerned a wrong move could become a detriment to the program. He cited a rumored quasi-membership into the Big East as an example. Johnson and Gladchuk refused to comment specifically which conference would be most attractive, but the Big East Conference and Conference USA are the closest fits both competitively and geographically. The Atlantic Coast Conference is filled with football teams superior to Navy?s.
“You want to be able to compete and make sure the conference is the right fit,” Johnson said, “The Big East doesn?t make much sense since we don?t have a lot in common with those schools and we don?t recruit the same kind of players.”
One potential short-term answer for Navy is a playing in a new bowl game in Baltimore in December of 2008. The Camden Yards Sports and Entertainment Commission considers Navy a prime candidate for the game, according to Wayne Edwards, the commission?s sports committee chairman.
Edwards said he is dealing with many of the same obstacles as Navy.
“Many conferences have tie-ins going seven teams deep,” Edwards said. “There just aren?t a lot of possibilities right now. Navy is a great fit, but we need an opponent for them and a backup in case they aren?t eligible.”
