Bowl Distance Traveled- B1G v $EC
- Thread starter B1GR3D
- Start date
bowl games have mostly always been played in the south. and probably always well bacuase of climate and weather.this not new ofcourse..how many orange bowls did we go to playing a florida team? its always been a home or "kinda" home game with with the southern schools... back then, we got a lot of good kids to come here to play from the southern schools cause they wanted to be on tv...we no longer have that advantage, the distance the average division 1 athlete moves to go to school has come down dramatically in the last 20 years...
I have been in Chicago this time of year many times and that wind comes in off the lake and blows throught those streets and right through you...Chicago can be damned cold this time of year. growing up in nebraska and northern iowa in the 70s and 80's when winters were far worse than today , i consider myself pretty hardy. i spend ALOT of time outside in the winter and i still would not be as interested in Chicago as I would be in Orlando or phoenix......all the bowls i have been to have been in warm places. one of the reasons i always thought nebraska fans travelled so well was because it was "a bunch of farmers " wanting to go somewhere warm and get out of the cold...those neraskans show up at the beaches when the locals think its too cold and leave with a terrible sun burns....locals would just shae there head in amazemennt....oh and you would see the same with all the big gold bird heads (hawkeyes) as well...
I have been in Chicago this time of year many times and that wind comes in off the lake and blows throught those streets and right through you...Chicago can be damned cold this time of year. growing up in nebraska and northern iowa in the 70s and 80's when winters were far worse than today , i consider myself pretty hardy. i spend ALOT of time outside in the winter and i still would not be as interested in Chicago as I would be in Orlando or phoenix......all the bowls i have been to have been in warm places. one of the reasons i always thought nebraska fans travelled so well was because it was "a bunch of farmers " wanting to go somewhere warm and get out of the cold...those neraskans show up at the beaches when the locals think its too cold and leave with a terrible sun burns....locals would just shae there head in amazemennt....oh and you would see the same with all the big gold bird heads (hawkeyes) as well...
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Creed
Special Teams Player
Off topic but I grew up in Ohio during this time period and I always remember the winters being much colder and lot more snow than the last 15-20 years. We had the blizzard of 1978 which shut down the area for a week or so. The freezer bowl in 1982 with Bengals vs Chargers. Every year it seemed we had 3-4 snowfalls of 10" or more. Wonder if this has been proven or not or I was just outside more as a kid so it seem a lot worse.
WoodyHayes1951
Starter
It is what it is.
I WOULD however like to know why Indy is a viable option for TWO Super Bowls( Bigger than a college bowl game whether you like it or not) but not a National Title Game or a second tier bowl game.
Big Ten v SEC games in Tampa, Orlando and Indy(instead of JAX) would be awesome.
I WOULD however like to know why Indy is a viable option for TWO Super Bowls( Bigger than a college bowl game whether you like it or not) but not a National Title Game or a second tier bowl game.
Big Ten v SEC games in Tampa, Orlando and Indy(instead of JAX) would be awesome.
VA Husker Fan
All-Conference
From what I understand the championship game under the new format is selected via a bidding process much like the Super Bowl, so Indy and other non-bowl sites will have a chance. Those sites still have to come up with the money--it won't just happen for the sake of "fairness". The first three are in Arlington, Glendale (Phoenix), and Tampa.
Likewise for bowls a city could certainly try to host a new bowl game, like the Pinstripe Bowl in NY. Partly it's economics, but I think the bowl structure is harder to crack. I've never figured out how the major bowls could have such a grip on college football.
In any case, these things are going to happen because someone can make money on it, either directly or tourism revenue from the added exposure. It won't happen just to even things out for the Big Ten and other northern schools.
Likewise for bowls a city could certainly try to host a new bowl game, like the Pinstripe Bowl in NY. Partly it's economics, but I think the bowl structure is harder to crack. I've never figured out how the major bowls could have such a grip on college football.
In any case, these things are going to happen because someone can make money on it, either directly or tourism revenue from the added exposure. It won't happen just to even things out for the Big Ten and other northern schools.
WoodyHayes1951
Starter
I don't think the Big Ten will be fighting for Indy or Detroit bowls anyway.
Longstanding relationship with the people in Los Angeles and they like their Florida bowls considering the state is filled with Big Ten alumni
Longstanding relationship with the people in Los Angeles and they like their Florida bowls considering the state is filled with Big Ten alumni
BigRedBuster
International Man of Mystery
This is exactly why this will never happen. Do you really think Presidents from the south and west coasts will vote to allow championships to be decided by teams traveling north into the cold weather?Creed said:
I have a better chance of getting a date with Halle Berry.
HANC
All-Conference
Being from Iowa, and have traveled to many bowl games (in States of Florida, California, Arizona, Texas)......and also traveled all over country in regular season.. (cold months too)...... I can say that part of attraction for the common fan is the "warm weather". I travel all over and go as a rabid fan, but not going to lie, Spending time in the warm weather in late December and early January is a very nice treat.
I look at it as a 'reward' for the team more than an ideal place for me (the fan)...... Although Jacksonville weather wasn't good this year...... there are many more opportunities for guys to go out and enjoy nice weather and do outdoor activities.....beach parties, amusement parks, outdoor pep rally.........than there would be in Chicago, Indy, etc.... I would be jealous as a player if many teams got the beach and I was stuck at the Navy Pier overlooking a frozen Lake Michigan at 15 degrees.........(note: Chicago is one of my favorite cities in the world).
I have been to many bowl games in the south, when Husker fan outnumbered the "closer" fan...... it all comes down to the type of season an attitude. Teams are alloted same amount of tickets, Huskers have great National following........so really no excuses for crowd........and team travel a full week (at least) in advance, so jet lag nor acclimation is an issue.
Husker fans would out number opponents, when things are going well.... I bet Iowa fans probably came close to LSU fans (just a guess).
I look at it as a 'reward' for the team more than an ideal place for me (the fan)...... Although Jacksonville weather wasn't good this year...... there are many more opportunities for guys to go out and enjoy nice weather and do outdoor activities.....beach parties, amusement parks, outdoor pep rally.........than there would be in Chicago, Indy, etc.... I would be jealous as a player if many teams got the beach and I was stuck at the Navy Pier overlooking a frozen Lake Michigan at 15 degrees.........(note: Chicago is one of my favorite cities in the world).
I have been to many bowl games in the south, when Husker fan outnumbered the "closer" fan...... it all comes down to the type of season an attitude. Teams are alloted same amount of tickets, Huskers have great National following........so really no excuses for crowd........and team travel a full week (at least) in advance, so jet lag nor acclimation is an issue.
Husker fans would out number opponents, when things are going well.... I bet Iowa fans probably came close to LSU fans (just a guess).
irafreak
All-American
It makes you wonder....
If they played the season during the beginning of the year and bowl games were in the summer time would it be as big a draw to go down south? I'd venture to say we'd actually have some folks that wouldn't mind heading north or to the mountains for cooler games...
Kernal
Starter
Good info.B1GR3D said:
I think there's two different issues here: 1) the bowls; and 2) the football games.
Bowl games are vacation destinations with exhibition football games. That's just what they are. That's why they are all in the South and mostly on the coasts. Nobody really wants to sit in the freezing cold of Chicago or wherever in December or January for a vacation.
The other issue is the football itself. The solution there is to do a legitimate playoff like the FCS does. They do 24 teams with the top 8 getting byes for the first round. Several of those games are played on home fields. That does a couple things. It fills the stadium (or at least it would in Lincoln), and it gives Northern teams the potential for a weather advantage just like Southern teams have with bowl games.
husker07
Special Teams Player
Interesting numbers. Obviously it's an unfair advantage to southern teams, but I understand it. I got free tickets to the Big 12 championship game a few years back when it was at Arrowhead. I'm probably just a wuss, but it was freezing cold, snowy, and miserable. Cool memory, but it was zero fun sitting there freezing my butt off. If I'm a southern fan, and not particular used to the cold, I'm going to think real long about traveling 10 hours to a game in Chicago where I'm going to be miserable the whole time.
BigRedBuster
International Man of Mystery
But, you have to ask what is more important to the sport? A nice vacation for fans? Or, equal advantages as far as competitiveness?
No other sport ends their year by deciding where the nicest vacation is going to be for the most fans instead of what makes sense for competition.