Happy Holiday Bowl Becomes Big Ten Country : Bowls: Agreement puts this season’s Big Ten runner-up in San Diego on Dec. 30.

They were talking about a football game, but the sport was barely noticeable between all the references to the Convention and Visitors Bureau, television market share, alumni associations, hotel occupancy rates and car rentals.

The discussion focused on what Vinnie Vinson called “the biggest convention that hits town on an annual basis.”

He was referring to the Thrifty Car Rental Holiday Bowl, which just got bigger.

The Big Ten Conference runner-up will earn a bid to this season’s Holiday Bowl, and the league’s third-place team will play in the San Diego game in 1992, 1993 and 1994, according to an agreement announced Saturday.

The Big Ten actually announced two agreements, a four-year deal with the Holiday Bowl and a three-year contract with the Florida Citrus Bowl. The deals will virtually guarantee million-dollar payouts to the league’s second- and third-place finishers.

“These arrangements provide substantial financial advantages over what we’ve received for the No. 2 and 3 positions the last four years,” Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said.

The Florida Citrus agreement, which guarantees the Big Ten’s second-place team will accept an invitation, will not kick in until 1992.

So the Holiday Bowl gets first chance at the second-place team for the Dec. 30 game against the Western Athletic Conference champion.

Vinson, chairman of the Holiday Bowl’s team selection committee, and Morris Sievert, bowl president, spent part of Saturday’s news conference at the Stadium detailing some of the nuances in the agreement.

The Holiday Bowl committee negotiated two outs: The Big Ten entry must achieve at least eight victories against Division I schools or a top-20 ranking to ensure a Holiday Bowl invitation. If criteria are not met, the Holiday Bowl can go elsewhere to find an opponent for the WAC champion.

“It’s structured in such a way that it’s a win-win situation for us,” Sievert said.

Said Dr. Joe Kearney, WAC commissioner: “It certainly gives (the Holiday Bowl) the opportunity to grow and continue to develop, because the top three Big 10 teams are pretty good and they are going to be highly ranked. And, one out of every four TVs is in Big 10 country. It will be exciting competition.”

Other aspects of the deal included:

* The game attracts some 30,000 visitors on an annual basis who spend more than $15 million during the four- or five-day stay, according to Vinson. Hopes are those numbers will grow with traditionally strong support of Big Ten alumni.

* The sponsorship agreement with Thrifty Car Rentals and the television deal with ESPN were lengthened one year and will carry through to the end of the bowl’s four-year contract with the Big Ten.

* This year’s payout is expected to reach $1.3 million per team. Because of the new arrangements, Holiday Bowl officials are hopeful the figure will escalate to $2 million per team by 1994.

* The WAC’s agreement with the Holiday Bowl expires in 1992. Sievert said an extension of the deal through 1995 is nearing completion.