In terms of bowl affiliations, the Big East could lose its automatic qualification status into a high-tier bowl game when the BCS contract expires in 2013. In July, the ACC reached a 12-year agreement with the Orange Bowl for a tie-in beginning with the 2014 season. The contract runs through 2025. Swarbrick indicated Wednesday that Notre Dame could be included in a pool, along with the SEC and the Big Ten, to face an ACC opponent in the Orange Bowl. There are no indications that the Big East champion will be included in the pool. “I concluded that our bowl options would be better with the new affiliation,†Swarbrick said. Larry Wahl, the vice president of communications for the Orange Bowl, said Wednesday that he was unaware of the developments.
