Alliance Moves Ahead

The Big 12, which along with the Big East questioned the structure of the new alliance, agreed to a format that will allow the proposed seven-year plan to begin as scheduled after the 1998 season.

The bowl alliance will bring the six major conferences and Notre Dame together in a bowl package for the first time. Approval by the other four conferences - ACC, SEC, Big Ten and Pac-10 - is expected at a commissioners meeting next week. On Wednesday, the Big East approved the plan.

“The Big 12 has voted to support the super alliance, pending notification of the chief operating officers of our schools,” Big 12 commissioner Steve Hatchell said Thursday following two days of meetings in Atlanta. “We feel there were enough changes in the meetings in Atlanta last week to make it work.”

ABC and the bowl alliance reached a seven-year agreement in July that brought the Rose Bowl, Big Ten and Pac-10 into the alliance’s postseason package.

The new plan, structured to make it even more likely No. 1 plays No. 2 in a national title game, goes into effect after the 1998 season, with the Fiesta, Orange and Sugar bowls expected to join in with the Rose. The current bowl alliance deal ends after the 1997 postseason.

Once formally approved, here’s how the new alliance will shape up:

The Rose Bowl will be allowed to have the Pac-10 and Big Ten champions as long as the teams are not ranked No. 1 or No. 2.

Each of the other bowls, most likely the Orange, Sugar and Fiesta, will have the option of taking a conference champion as its “anchor team.”

The Big 12 anchor will be the Fiesta, the SEC will be the Sugar and the ACC and Big East will rotate with the Orange.

The Rose Bowl will host the national title game in the fourth year of the deal, January 2002.