New Mexico State Aggies QB Tyler Rogers drops back to pass during the second quarter in the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl.
After drawing more than 39,000 for the Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl, in which New Mexico State staged a storybook comeback and left Tucson littered with happy tears, Alan Young, the game’s executive director, is already working on Arizona Bowl IV.
“CBS took a risk on us and signed a three-year contract,” said Young. “They have a choice to put us on the main network, CBS, or keep us on the CBS Sports Network. Either one is a good option for us.”
According to sportsmediawatch.com, the NMSU-Utah State drew a shade under 1 million viewers. By comparison, the Arizona State-North Carolina State Sun Bowl on CBS drew 2.2 million. That’s the difference between a network and cable affiliate. The Sun Bowl is 82 years old, however, and has been CBS’ only bowl telecast for years. Now there is an option in Tucson.
“We’re making a statement,” said Young. “The industry is really proud of us, coming as far as we have in just three years.”
The Arizona Bowl has two years remaining on its contract with the Mountain West and Sun Belt conferences. After that Young and bowl chairman Ali Farhang will have a difficult decision.
“The time will come when we have to decide if we want to get involved with a Power 5 conference,” said Young. “Some say this concept is better. It’s a big step. We’ll spend a lot of thing researching it.”
ESPN operates 14 bowl games and it is all about the TV programming and not, as the Arizona Bowl, about local connection. For example, the Utah-West Virginia game in the Heart of Dallas Bowl didn’t even have a halftime show.
It drew almost 2.5 million viewers, but the actual in-house attendance as close to 8,000. The Arizona Bowl has a better idea.
