May 24, 2004
Ready for a FIFTH BCS Bowl?
As much as everyone hates the Bowl Championship Series (myself included), it is a financial bonanza for the metropolitan areas that host the collegeate football championship. So there is no surprise that there is much jockeying for position among the cities who are vying for the possible fifth game to join the championship rotation (after the Rose, Sugar, Orange & Fiesta Bowls) in January 2006.
SBC COTTON BOWLNo word yet on how soon a decision will be made. Stay tuned... Posted by mhking at May 24, 2004 11:45 AMLocation: Dallas
Upside: Traditional New Year's Day Bowl in a major market....Geographically centered, and as the Big 12's anchor bowl, would be shorter trip than the Fiesta for most. ... A new stadium is coming, probably in Fair Park.
Downside: Unpredictable weather has kept Cotton out of the BCS.... Current stadium is past its time, and the new all-weather stadium won't be built for years. ... Big 12 may not want to relinquish its top-paying bowl to the BCS.
CAPITAL ONE BOWL
Location: Orlando Fla.
Upside: The top-paying non-BCS bowl. ... Disney/ABC connections. ... Great tourism area and accessible to ACC, Big East and SEC fans.
Downside: SEC and Big Ten won't want to give up a $5 million bowl. ... Stadium is below average for a BCS bowl. ... Would be a second BCS bowl in Florida.
TOYOTA GATOR BOWLLocation: Jacksonville, Fla.
Upside: Could serve as the Big East's anchor bowl. ...Good stadium.
Downside: Although it's in Florida, weather is a concern. ... Not the tourist destination Orlando is.
HOUSTON BOWLLocation: Houston
Upside: Great stadium. ... New owners have the resources to make this a much bigger bowl. ... Successfully hosted the last Super Bowl.
Downside: Not much bowl tradition.
CHICK-FIL-A PEACH BOWLLocation: Atlanta
Upside: Domed, Super Bowl-worthy stadium. ... Lots of college football interest in an SEC-ACC market.
Downside: Already hosts the SEC title game. ... Like the Capitol One and Gator bowls, would give the South a third BCS bowl.
ALAMO BOWLLocation: San Antonio
Upside: Great tourism town with momentum from the Final Four. ... More centrally located than other BCS bowls. ... Relatively new, domed stadium.
Downside: Stadium is undersized for a BCS bowl.
INSIGHT BOWLLocation: Phoenix
Upside: Run by the Fiesta Bowl, so the organization is already in place. ... A shorter trip for fans of at-large teams from the Pac-10, Mountain West and WAC.
Downside: Would mean two BCS bowls in the same metro area (Fiesta Bowl is in Tempe). ... Played in a baseball stadium.
HOLIDAY BOWLLocation: San Diego
Upside: Great tourism city. ... Like the Insight Bowl, would be an easier trip for western teams.
Downside: Fans of western teams aren't known for traveling, anyway.
BRAND-NEW BOWLLocation: Most likely St. Louis
Upside: The BCS could opt to create a new bowl in a market that doesn't currently have a bowl. ... New domed stadium that will host 2005 Final Four. ... Central location with good access for the Big 12 and Big Ten.
Downside: Start-up costs and lack of an existing organization. ... St. Louis is a baseball town with little college football tradition. ... Not much to do there in the winter.
I still say the easiest way to end the whole BCS/Playoff/Bowl games fiasco is to require the national championship teams have a minimum of a 75% graduation rate for their players.
That way only a Vanderbilt, Stanford or Penn State would play for the title.
(Gah. I just said Vanderbilt and national championship in the same sentence. I must need some more coffee.....)
Joe Paterno averages 90%+ graduation rates for all of his teams, and they are consistently competitive. I don't believe he is doing something that would be impossible for the rest of the NCAA to do, namely, make the kids GO TO SCHOOL......
Posted by: Tman at May 24, 2004 12:01 PMUnless the organizers can sucker the locals into fronting a few million for a series of parties like they did for the Super Bowl, Houston would be a lousy town for a venue. It's just not a tourist town.
Posted by: Laurence Simon at May 24, 2004 01:04 PMWhat? No Toilet Bowl?
Posted by: Rhesa at May 24, 2004 08:37 PMI think that Northwestern Univ. would also be eligable for this game if you only included those schools with high graduation rates.
Posted by: CoachVelt at May 25, 2004 03:22 AM