Husker fans aren't eager to go to Orlando
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121228/SPORTS0203/212280441/1361/N…’t-such-faithful-followers-for-another-Capital-One-Bowl
Nebraska fans have a reputation for being extremely devoted bowl travelers, but the embarrassment in the B1G title game (perhaps coupled with the fact that this is their second straight trip to Orlando) seems to be keeping them away this time.
Personally, I think the league needs some new bowl sites. Do we really need to send teams to Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville? Going to Florida all the time gets old. I miss the Holiday Bowl.
December 28th, 2012 at 7:29 PM ^
December 28th, 2012 at 7:29 PM ^
December 28th, 2012 at 8:00 PM ^
I never understood why Hawaii never hosted a big bowl game but I would like to see a game in Puerto Rico. I don't think there is a stadium there but PR is much more interesting than Jacksonville.
If everything goes through and LA builds a new stadium, I have to believe they will have a bowl game, unless the Rose Bowl moves there which I don't see happening. Because the stadium will be expensive and new, it probably won't be a lower-tier bowl, either.
December 28th, 2012 at 8:05 PM ^
From what I hear, there will almost certainly be a bowl game at Farmer's Field, but as for the Rose Bowl, that will never move. Farmer's Field won't be as big as the Rose Bowl most likely, but that stadium just has too much history. You don't move the Rose Bowl.
December 28th, 2012 at 8:07 PM ^
Will UCLA play its home games at Farmer's Field?
December 28th, 2012 at 8:08 PM ^
I don't see why they would - they already have one of the best stadiums in the country to play in, with a great tailgating spot. Why would they want to give that up?
December 28th, 2012 at 8:17 PM ^
But isn't it really far to go from Westwood to Pasadena? I'm assuming it's a shorter trip downtown.
December 28th, 2012 at 8:22 PM ^
Eh, not by much. Plus parking and everything else would be a huge pain for the students. Pasadena is a hike from Westwood, but downtown isn't a whole lot better. And for all of the other fans coming from primarily the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys, it's a lot worse.
December 28th, 2012 at 8:43 PM ^
IMO, parking at that golf course is much better than finding a parking spot in downtown.
December 28th, 2012 at 11:30 PM ^
Parking at the golf course is great - it's one of the best built-in taligating spots at any stadium.
December 29th, 2012 at 8:30 AM ^
December 29th, 2012 at 2:32 PM ^
Yeah, that skit is actually pretty accurate, beyond the accents. Most days I take around 5 different freeways to get home, depending on traffic. My wife, for example, takes the 110 to the 5 to the 2 to the 210 to the 5 to get home from work. That's because there's too much traffic to take the 110 to the the 101 to the 170 to the 5.
December 28th, 2012 at 8:21 PM ^
December 29th, 2012 at 7:35 AM ^
The Cotton Bowl had a pretty storied history but it still got moved from...err, the Cotton Bowl to Jerry World. This is a brave new world, my friend. Not a better world, just a braver one.
December 28th, 2012 at 10:21 PM ^
December 28th, 2012 at 8:57 PM ^
having lived there and played at Qualcomm (the 'Murph'), san diego is a very good bowl site. i had my father and brothers out there for super bowl 37 and we had a dandy of a time. historically the holiday bowl has had some of the best bowl games year in and year out. skip LA and anything in northern cal, in case they're thinking of making more bowls up beyond the rose bowl and the 'fight hunger' (worst name ever) bowl.
December 28th, 2012 at 9:22 PM ^
December 28th, 2012 at 11:17 PM ^
there are too many bowls, with too many crappy matchups.
Tough economy in a year Nebraska had long'ish trips to Columbus, State College, East Lansing and Los Angeles, plus the overpriced and depressing appearance in the Big Ten Title game.
December 28th, 2012 at 11:23 PM ^
But this isn't a crappy bowl - it's one of the best non-BCS games. And Georgia is a good matchup.
The problem is that it's a repeat destination and that they don't expect to have much of a chance. It's still a little surprising to see such low ticket demand from the school that has such a huge rep for traveling.
December 29th, 2012 at 8:19 AM ^
Come on! Have you been watching these games? No one is going to any of them. The fans have caught on and they are basically all crappy bowls.
It's the number 1 reason the playoff thing is happening. The TV ratings are starting to get as abysmal as the attendance to these games. The networks weren't going to give out the huge contract to show this stuff for a few more years and demanded more meaningful games. The public at large isn't buying in with this junk anymore. When Nebraska fans fail to show up, you know it's crappy.
December 29th, 2012 at 1:03 PM ^
I don't disagree that there are a lot of pointless bowl games, but that is a separate discussion. All the bowls that have taken place so far are crappy, third-tier ones. They'll never draw well except in extreme circumstances.
The Citrus/CapOne Bowl is actually pretty prestigious and generally draws a decent crowd, if not a sellout.
December 28th, 2012 at 11:40 PM ^
December 29th, 2012 at 10:13 AM ^
While it sucks to see this, it doesn't make sense for a lot of people to go to one location for a game when they can travel wherever they want or stay close to home and watch all of the games in HD. I am surprised that schools can't sell more than 2,000 tickets in some cases, but I think the people know that they will get cheap tickets at the games unless it is a huge matchup.
Also, I think the sponsors are shooting themselves in the foot by plastering their name across the bowl. It is hard to get excited about the "prestige" of the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas or Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.
December 29th, 2012 at 11:23 AM ^
Jacksonville does, indeed, suck, but Orlando and the Tampa Bay area are great bowl venues. Orlando probably has more tourist entertainment than any other city its size, and, while Tampa is a bit of a dump, it isn't all that bad. The players get to go to Busch Gardens and Clearwater Beach, and even the bowling outing is great, because Splitsville is an extremely upscale operation. It's more like a night club that happens to have a few lanes attached to it than traditional bowling centers like Colonial Lanes.
http://www.outbackbowl.com/media/itinerary.pdf
Tampa, and the Tampa Bay area, know how to put on their best face for events. They have hosted so many that the entire area seems like a very efficient hospitality machine. It's no accident that they are always in the mix for Super Bowls, NCAA Basketball Tournament regionals, conference championship games, and even hockey.