ESPN czar says GMAC Bowl in good shape

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The most powerful man in college football walked through the press box at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Tuesday night and not a single head turned.

If you're even a casual fan of college football then Dave Brown, the man with the common name but unique position as vice president of programming at ESPN, has had more of an impact on your life than you know.

Fans who have missed an episode of "CSI: Miami" on Monday night because of a UCLA-Tennessee game or had their marital harmony threatened because of watching Auburn against South Carolina on Thursday night instead of "The Office" can thank Brown.

Brown, who has worked at ESPN for 21 of the network's 29 years, is not only the king of the mid-week college football game but also one of the driving forces behind games like the preseason Chick-fil-A College Kickoff game that pitted Alabama and Clemson last year and will match the Crimson Tide against ACC champion Virginia Tech on Sept. 5 to open the 2009 season.

He's also the person to talk to if you want to know if there will ever be a playoff in major college football. The answer, at least for the four-year duration of ESPN's recent agreement to broadcast the BCS bowl games, is a definite no.

"The next four-year cycle is done, so a playoff is not a consideration at this point," Brown said. "I wouldn't want to see the bowls changed because I don't want to create meaningless games during the regular season. I don't think that would be good for college football."

Besides, Brown said, this bowl season has been one of the most successful ever, even if some people complain that 34 games is a few more than necessary.

"This season's bowl results have been great for us," Brown said. "Our ratings on ESPN and ESPN2 have been up, so business continues to be very good."

Although ratings from the Ball State-Tulsa matchup won't be available for a couple of days, Brown believes the GMAC Bowl is on solid footing. The network has an agreement to televise the game for one more year, but Brown said a long-term agreement is expected.

"This bowl has been great for us," Brown said. "We have one more year on our deal then an option for another year, but I expect we'll sit down and make it a longer deal soon. I was here for the first bowl here and it's great to be here for the 10th year and see how it's grown."

While most fans are winding down during this final week of the season, Brown is already putting the finishing touches on next season's schedule. Already, the network has announced a game between BYU and Oklahoma in the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium, similar to the Alabama-Virginia Tech game.

"If we're lucky enough to be the only one snapping the ball on a particular night, that's something we strive for," Brown said. "We try to work around the NFL and the baseball playoffs, but we have certain dates that we know we want to fill and certain teams we know we want. From Conference USA, Southern Miss is a team we'd like to get on next year, and Boise State against Tulsa is obviously a game we'll take a look at."

If those are teams Brown wants to see on TV, then those are the teams that will be on TV. And that makes Brown the most powerful voice in college football.