Bye Bye Boise
By: Roy Philpott
The Humanitarian Bowl has been reserved for the eighth-place team in the ACC for quite some time, however now the league is seeking to align itself with a new bowl game formed in Washington, D.C. and old one in Mobile, Ala, instead of sending a team out west.
That's right, be sure to hold your breath for the "Congressional Bowl" in our Nation's capital and the GMAC Bowl in Mobile in the coming years.
I guess I understand the desire to move away from the bowl game in Boise, ID. It's more than 2,300 miles away from most schools in the league and not the most attractive location for most fans.
Except for people like me, who want to go on a nice winter vacation to go skiing, of course.
If you think about it, if you are the eighth-place team in the league, your fans probably aren't going to travel in throngs anyway, but why in the world would anybody want to spend a cold December afternoon in Mobile, Ala. of all places?
Washington is more understandable, but teams from around the league already play Maryland, don't they? For every team in the Atlantic Division, they'll be in the D.C. area every two years as it is. Sure, there's an opportunity for touring the city during the week leading up to the game itself and that makes sense, but D.C. is going to be cold and dreary in December- is that really a "big reward?"
Furthermore, this year's Congressional Bowl will pit the ACC's ninth-place team against Paul Johnson-less Navy (if it is bowl eligible).
Who is that going to be - Duke? North Carolina? Duke versus Navy in Washington, D.C. Ugh.
How about South Carolina versus Navy? Ouch, better not go there.
Again, call me crazy, but send the eighth-place team to Boise for a week of fun in the snow and possibly some of the best skiing in the country instead of Ladd-Peoples Stadium in Mobile.
Even it if it's called the Crucial.com Humanitarian Bowl Presented by the Larry Miller Automotive Group (which it was at one point by the way), it still holds more prestige than the previously mentioned option.
And the ninth place team? Just keep whoever that is at home.
Please, for the love of television ratings.
Call me crazy, but is the ACC somewhat crazy too?
The Humanitarian Bowl has been reserved for the eighth-place team in the ACC for quite some time, however now the league is seeking to align itself with a new bowl game formed in Washington, D.C. and old one in Mobile, Ala, instead of sending a team out west.
That's right, be sure to hold your breath for the "Congressional Bowl" in our Nation's capital and the GMAC Bowl in Mobile in the coming years.
I guess I understand the desire to move away from the bowl game in Boise, ID. It's more than 2,300 miles away from most schools in the league and not the most attractive location for most fans.
Except for people like me, who want to go on a nice winter vacation to go skiing, of course.
If you think about it, if you are the eighth-place team in the league, your fans probably aren't going to travel in throngs anyway, but why in the world would anybody want to spend a cold December afternoon in Mobile, Ala. of all places?
Washington is more understandable, but teams from around the league already play Maryland, don't they? For every team in the Atlantic Division, they'll be in the D.C. area every two years as it is. Sure, there's an opportunity for touring the city during the week leading up to the game itself and that makes sense, but D.C. is going to be cold and dreary in December- is that really a "big reward?"
Furthermore, this year's Congressional Bowl will pit the ACC's ninth-place team against Paul Johnson-less Navy (if it is bowl eligible).
Who is that going to be - Duke? North Carolina? Duke versus Navy in Washington, D.C. Ugh.
How about South Carolina versus Navy? Ouch, better not go there.
Again, call me crazy, but send the eighth-place team to Boise for a week of fun in the snow and possibly some of the best skiing in the country instead of Ladd-Peoples Stadium in Mobile.
Even it if it's called the Crucial.com Humanitarian Bowl Presented by the Larry Miller Automotive Group (which it was at one point by the way), it still holds more prestige than the previously mentioned option.
And the ninth place team? Just keep whoever that is at home.
Please, for the love of television ratings.
posted by Roy Philpott @ 12:17 PM
4 Comments
Links to this post
4 Comments:
Conference probably favors DC Bowl, thinking Maryland will finish #8 more often than not....thus assuring cheap travel costs and some cheeks in the seats...
I can understand that, but if you are Maryland player, or a fan of Maryland ... how lame! That would be like Clemson playing at Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg for a bowl game.
Clemson vs. Florida Atlantic in the Palmetto Bowl.
UGGGGGGH.
Wow, Roy. You must have really found a good ski resort out there. Let me ask you, though, do any of the players actually go skiing in Boise? And it may be cold in D.C., but not as cold as Boise, and I have to imagine there's more to do for the players. As for the fans, not all of us get paid to go to our team's bowl game, so I have to think D.C. and Mobile are more desirable from that standpoint. Finally, you mentioned that the Blue Turf Bowl is more prestigious? Who would we be facing in the GMAC Bowl? I think even facing Navy sans Paul Johnson would be better than a LA Tech or Nevada in the Blue Turf Bowl. Come on, Roy. I know you liked the skiing, but do you really think you'd be going out there anytime soon anyway?
Come on "Anonymous!" Ask any of the players that went out there in 2001 and they'll tell you it was one of their favorite trips ever. I've been to Mobile to cover the Senior Bowl ... there's nothing ideal about it. And there's one thing worse than 20 degrees and 10 inches of snow ... 33 degrees and three inches of rain. D.C. in December? No thanks, I'll pass. Mobile? Even worse. Fresno State or Boise State would be much more attractive than Paul Johnson-less Navy. Watch how fast that program fades without him running the ship.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home