Championship-Game Agreement Will Net the Rose Bowl Millions

The Rose Bowl, Ol’ Grandad, has been rejuvenated by ABC and its deep pockets.

Under the new agreement with ABC announced Tuesday, and the formation of the much-talked-about “Super Alliance” that will take effect with the major bowls played in January 1999, the Rose Bowl can now be assured of playing host to a national championship game at least once every four years.

It will also get about $18.5 million a year from ABC, an increase of about $6 million from what the Rose Bowl now gets.

The Rose Bowl, the missing link, joined the rest of college football, and ABC was the driving force.

ABC has agreed to pay about $518 million over seven years, including a three-year option, for the right to televise the Rose Bowl and three other bowl games that will make up the “Super Alliance.”

The four bowls together will make up the new alliance, and all four will be televised by ABC.

The new deal takes effect after CBS’ agreements with the Fiesta and Orange bowls expire after two more seasons.

ABC now also has the rights to the Sugar Bowl. A four-bowl alliance of Rose, Sugar, Fiesta and Orange has not yet been firmed up--only the Rose Bowl is in for sure.

The Sugar, Orange and Fiesta bowls--all members of the existing alliance--will be given 60 days to negotiate their positions, after which any games interested would be considered.

The new agreement marks a major college football victory for ABC over CBS, but it was really never a contest. CBS never had a chance because ABC had the trump card--the Rose Bowl, and the money.

“We think it’s a pretty good deal,” said one ABC executive. “The Lakers will spend $120 million over seven years for one player, with no guaranteed championships. We’re guaranteed a championship every year.”

Steve Bornstein, the president of ESPN who recently also took control of ABC Sports under the Disney umbrella, said he came in on all this at the later stages. He said the key player at ABC was Tony Pititti, the vice president of programming.

“Over the past seven months, it engulfed me,” Pititti said. “I’d say 85% of my time, and that’s 85% of 120%, I spent working on this deal.”

Pititti said it took cooperation and compromise by all parties to make this work.

“It was a two-step project,” Pititti said. “First, we had to convince the Big Ten and the Pac-10 to join the alliance, and then we had to get the alliance to go along with the plan.

“We’ve done our part. Now we step aside and let the conferences determine the other three bowls in the alliance.”

CBS seemed prepared for this defeat.

“We were aware when we helped to create the alliance that the possible entry of the Rose Bowl would change the landscape and we were prepared for this turn of events,” said David Kenin, CBS Sports president.

“Naturally, we would have liked to have participated as broadcasters, but we look forward to our continuing relationship with college football.”

One CBS source said the new deal is really four years plus three option years, and that CBS may have a shot at it after the first four years if ABC decides not to pick up its option.

An ABC spokesman said that is true, but if CBS gets the package back, it would be without the Rose Bowl and it would be back to Square 1.

Besides the Pac-10 and the Big Ten, the newcomers, the “Super Alliance” consists of the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Southeastern and Big 12 conferences.

Roy Kramer, commissioner of the SEC and a key architect in the plan, said the polls produced by the Associated Press and CNN-USA Today will probably still play a role in determining the No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup.

The Rose Bowl is guaranteed the national championship by 2002 with the top-ranked teams regardless of their conferences.

“There will be some people who fuss at us because of what we’ve done,” said Harriman Cronk, chairman of the football committee of the Tournament of Roses. “The year we have to give up somebody [a No. 1 or No. 2 to another bowl], we will get a pick out of the pool of the alliance.

“We’ll get a chance at the Nebraskas, the Notre Dames, Auburns and the Alabamas. So it’ll still wind up being a great day.”