Maine wants to host playoff School to submit bid to NCAA

There is a renewed sense of urgency and intensity surrounding the University of Maine football team this week.

Coming off Saturday’s disappointing 37-13 home loss to Delaware, coach Jack Cosgrove’s Black Bears find themselves in a four-team battle for the Atlantic 10 championship.

UMaine, now ranked No. 11 in The Sports Network’s Division I-AA poll, needs to build on its nifty 8-2 record in order to remain in contention for one of 16 NCAA playoff berths.

Eight automatic berths are awarded to conference winners, while the other eight teams are at-large selections. The Atlantic 10 champ will earn an automatic, while at least one and possibly two other conference teams are expected to qualify for the postseason.

And while the folks at UMaine certainly aren’t taking anything for granted, they have to think positively in terms of their postseason prospects.

Paul Bubb, UMaine’s interim athletic director, said Tuesday the university will make a bid this week to host an NCAA postseason game.

“We’re going to submit a proposal,” said Bubb, who explained the deadline is Friday.

Last year, UMaine was somewhat unaware of the nuances surrounding the postseason. No teams in the Northeast submitted bids to host a playoff game in 2001.

“The benefit is, it’s a reward to our fans to get to see a playoff game here in Maine and a reward to our team that they get to stay home and play rather than go on the road,” Bubb said.

The main consideration for UMaine is money. The minimum bid for a first-round game is $30,000. That increases to $40,000 for an NCAA quarterfinal and $50,000 for a semifinal.

Bubb is convinced other teams in the Northeast also will submit bids. Massachusetts and Northeastern, two of UMaine’s A-10 rivals, are among the possibilities. He said sites are selected based on several criteria, including the financial guarantees, the quality of the facility, attendance history and potential, and the team’s on-field performance.

The university cannot benefit financially from having a game in Orono, since all money that exceeds expenses goes to the NCAA. Bubb estimates 6,000 people would need to turn out for UMaine to cover the cost of holding an NCAA first-round playoff game in Orono.

UMaine is averaging 6,704 fans at its three Alfond Stadium games this season.

A poor turnout at a playoff game would not only cost the university money, it likely would hinder the chances of hosting a game in the future.

“I’ve always said, if you’re going to host a playoff game, you want it to be a playoff-type atmosphere,” said Bubb, who is hopeful fans would turn out to support the team. “It’s not a reward for the team to play in front of empty stands.”

While bad weather could potentially hold down the crowd number, UMaine believes it is an opportunity worth pursuing.

“I think who we’re matched up against has a lot to say as far of what type of crowd we’d have,” said Bubb, who pointed out the NCAA will not match league opponents in the first round.

“I really believe that if we win the next two games, we’ve got a great opportunity to host here,” he added.

Bubb would not disclose how much UMaine might bid or whether it would bid for more than one game.

“I think the biggest thing is that once you submit a proposal, you get in the mix. We certainly want to get into the mix,” Bubb said.