The Big Ten may have a different bowl lineup next year.
The key seems to be negotiations between league officials and Capital One Bowl representatives. The Capital One is the top revenue-producing non-BCS bowl, earning $4.25 million for the Big Ten each year.
But the problem is that the huge renovation plan for Orlando's 73-year-old stadium has apparently stalled and could be pushed back indefinitely -- and that matters to the Big Ten, according to a report in The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
All of the Big Ten bowls except for the Rose and the Insight are up for contract renewal after the 2009 season.
"We've been watching it for a long time," said league commissioner Jim Delaney. "We've been encouraging the city, the bowl, the Florida Citrus Association just to make progress, to move forward, because anybody that follows the college game, whether it's in urban areas or on campus, facilities have been improving over the last 10, 15, 20 years. We've been encouraging that.
"That will be a factor. How big a factor? It's to be determined."
Who could take the place of the Capital One, if needed?
Speculation points to the Cotton Bowl, which has the history and now has the lure of a new $1 billion stadium in Arlington, Texas. If Cotton Bowl officials showed interest and increased their bowl payout, the Big Ten almost certainly would listen.
The Gazette report also mentioned how the Outback Bowl or even the Houston Bowl could possibly move past the Capital One as the premier non-BCS game.
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