SFN: ACC should say ‘Goodbye, Boise; Hello, Tampa’
The Big East is in the middle of conversations with city officials in Tampa, FL to potentially play a future bowl game at Tropicana Field.
They will need an opponent for the game. Would/Could the ACC be a natural choice?
Whereas the ACC used to play schools from the Big East in the old Tangerine/Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando and in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, the ACC’s re-alignment of bowl commitments in last year’s offseason left the ACC matched-up with a Big East opponent in only the Meineke Car Bowl in Charlotte. (I believe that the Gator has a split commitment where – in addition to a Notre Dame option – some years they choose a Big 12 team and some years they choose a Big East squad.
In light of the dearth of games against the Big East and the ACC’s natural geographic fit in Tampa, wouldn’t a conference affiliation in a game there be natural to presume? Don’t forget the ACC used to play in Raymond James Stadium in the Outback Bowl when it was known as the Hall of Fame Bowl. The SEC ultimately replaced the ACC in that match-up with the Big 10. We say that it is time for the ACC to say good-bye to playing football in Boise, Idaho in December and hello to Tampa, Florida.
42 Responses to “SFN: ACC should say ‘Goodbye, Boise; Hello, Tampa’”
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- - 07/20/2007
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I don’t think we should pursue any additional Big East tie ins.
*I don’t think we should pursue any additional Big East tie ins.*
I agree. I think that the ACC has a more natural rivalry with the SEC than the Big East, and should pursue a 3rd game with them beyond the Peach Bowl and Music City. ACC 7 vs SEC 7 sounds a lot more enticing than ACC 7 vs Big East 5.
how about we just add an extra game with ECU every year, the purpose would be two fold.
1) Lee could line his pockets and keep his friends down east happy and
2) well, do we really need another reason to continue to play them?
Playing the Big Televen gets more national exposure than either of those other two.
I just don’t see the fans spending the money to go someplace cold for a bowl game. I’m sure we have some skiers but it’s not a big draw and the team playing there may also feel a let down.
“I don’t think we should pursue any additional Big East tie ins.”
I understand the sentiment, in football we want to be considered with the Big-10, Big-12, and SEC, not with the Big East. But if it was a straight swap for Boise the travel advantage would be significant. It would also give teams more visibility in that fertile FL recruiting ground.
At this level the ACC participant – the #6 or #7 team in the conference – is just happy to be playing anywhere. If their fans can realistically travel to the game, and the location is in a vacation spot, who cares who the opponent is?
At this level of the conference participants will probably be below the heavyweights most post-seasons. The teams from both conferences will be teams that do not go automatically bowl year in and year out. So to say that we would rather play the #7 team from one conference, rather than the #5 from another assumes a knowledge of who that opponent might be each year. In any given year it might be a better matchup to play a #5 Syracuse or Rutgers than a #7 Baylor or Vanderbilt.
In some ways the Boise Bowl is a booby prize that nobody wants. It would be nice to not be associated with it every year. I bet BC would vote for it!
I am confused…you guys would rather contine our bowl game in Boise rather than replace it with this oppt?
I agree that it would be more fun to play teams from other conferences rather than the big least…can anyone cite any current opportunities to do so?
Last I checked, everyone was all booked up for a while.
Take improvement in baby-steps whenever you can get it — axe Boise and play in Tamps regardless of the conference affiliation of the opponent.
I was typing this comment before I saw the comment made just before mine. I will quote the following point:
I’m pro Tampa regardless of who we play.
Maybe somebody owns stock in North Face and Timberland…
*I am confused…you guys would rather contine our bowl game in Boise rather than replace it with this oppt?*
Yes and no. A 4th game with the Big East in tropicana field (has this ever been used for football?) sounds just a hair less shitty than a trip to Boise. I still count the Gator as a Big East tie in: last year they could have taken a Big 12 team but picked WVU. Also, you forgot about the Orange Bowl. That would mean the Orange, Gator, Car Care, and then Tropicana games have Big East tie-ins.
Tampa is a more attractive destination than Boise, yes. Would more ACC fans attend: yes. Would I attend if State were selected: yes, but only because I live close by in Orlando. If I had to travel any significant distance to go see a football game in Tropicana field, no thanks. Is it better for recruiting in Tampa than in Boise: yes, of course.
Downsides: Tropicana field Sucks, with a capital S. Having a football game there? ugh, I couldn’t be less interested. Big East is top heavy and likely to remain that way for the near future. The 7th ACC pick would likely be facing a 7-6 or 8-5 Big East team in that game in a potential 4th bowl game vs the Big East. Thats too many. For the ACC to lose that game may damage the ACC’s national perception more than if it were to lose the Boise Bowl vs a decent Boise State team or similar. At least that matchup would pique my interest way more than another Big East game. I was actually very intrigued by the Miami/Nevada matchup last year, and was also interested to see how BC would fare the year before that.
Do these negatives outweigh the potential positives? Maybe, depending on your stance. In my mind it does. I’d rather take Boise than Tampa/Tropicana vs yet another Big East team, but your personal mileage may vary.
Average temp for Boise in December—–31 F
Avg for Tampa in Dec———————-62 F
Duuuhhhh!
The Liberty Bowl used to be played in Philadelphia. In fact, I think it was played at JFK Stadium.
There used to be a game in New Jersey as well. The Garden State Bowl. In 1979, State was actually offered a chance to play in it and we turned it down…
There was the Cherry Bowl in Michigan in the early 1980s.
I’ve never understood why anyone thought people would go to these games.
Remember the Sun Bowl? Held in beautiful….El Paso.
Or the Raisin Bowl? No, I’m not kidding. Held in Fresno. I think it briefly got called the California Bowl. And then, of course, the California Raisin Bowl.
San Diego, LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Phoenix, Tuscon, Las Vegas, Dallas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Miami, Tampa-St. Pete, Orlando, Hawaii (maybe)….those all make sense as a destination people would want to travel to from mid-Dec. to early January.
Trying to put a bowl game outside in January in Idaho makes about as much sense as holding an outdoor film fest in Vermont in February.
nobody wants to just arbitrarily(sp?) add another ECU game to the schedule every year? i dont understand this? they are our friends and neighbors, dont you guys want to help them out?
And a bowl game at ECU would be called the [enter your ideas here] Bowl?
I think we have the makings of a fun Thursday afternoon contest here!
The Cherry Bowl in Michigan was played at an indoor stadium so at least the weather for the game was good.
what if we ditch the Boise Bowl for one down in Tampa, and the Big East deal fell through? It would be a pot luck of who gets that spot. Could be SEC(unlikely)… Could be CUSA(they would die for the spot after the Papa Johns bowl last year!)! That very well could have us put up against ECU or Memphis….
some of you would shit a brick over that.
I like the idea of switching bowls to Tampa… but would rather have another opponent then the Big East and I dont think we can line up any other confrences that seem appealing.
I know somebody’s second tier team has to go play the WAC Champion, and it should be a Conference USA or Mountain West team. Their teams would actually appreciate a bowl game wherever it is, and would take the WAC champion seriously. For ACC teams it is like punishment. The point of a bowl is to celebrate a winning season (or 6-6 here lately), and sending a team to a bowl where the climate or atmosphere is inferior to their home field is pointless.
Humanitarian bowl is a good name for it, because an ACC team is going spend money to help the underprivileged and get little/nothing to show for it. Only difference is……no warm fuzzy.
And a bowl game at ECU would be called the [enter your ideas here] Bowl?
The Laugha Bowl
The Unbeara Bowl
The Risi Bowl
The Inconceiva Bowl
The Intolera Bowl
1) This is the last season the ACC has a tie-in with Boise (tentatively to be replaced by a new second bowl in Atlanta).
2) The ACC and Big East played eight times last season — more than any other conference — with the ACC going 3-5 (Wake d. UConn and Syracuse; VT d. Cincy).
Wins for the Big East — Rutgers d. UNC, USF d. UNC, WVa d. Md, Pitt d. UVa, Louisville d. Miami
*This is the last season the ACC has a tie-in with Boise (tentatively to be replaced by a new second bowl in Atlanta).*
Source? not questioning you, just curious, as I hadn’t heard that anywhere.
My earlier point about the potential game in tampa vs the big east would potentially mean 4 bowl games vs the big east, which is 2 too many if you ask me. I could tolerate 3, but 4 is just over the top. The conference already risks being associated too closely with the big east with us having the Orange Bowl vs the Big East forced upon us plus the Gator and Car Care. It would be nice for the ACC to be able to play the Big 12 champion or the SEC champion every so often. But I digress into a rant about the Orange Bowl arrangement.
Anyway, my earlier point centered around having zero interest in a 4th bowl game vs the big east, thinking this would be a bad idea for the conference, even at the benefit of axing Boise.
Playing anyone in Tampa beats playing in Boise. I can’t believe that anyone would reach any other conclusion.
To me, its not so cut and dried.
I bet if we make $1 million to play in Tampa, and we make $2 million to play in Boise, we’re going to Boise…just a guess. But, I do think Tampa is nicer in January, although I like the Blue field.
Yeah, but MPC Computers only pays out 250,000. It probably cost State 30-40% of that just to travel , If it paid out 2 mill, nobody would have a problem going there. And to me the color of football is green (this can be interpreted many ways) and the blue turf just brings it one step closer to whatever game they played in Starship Troopers.
Bob Lee Swagger takes a chunk out of the N&O for their crucial, important “news” coverage of Coach Lowe’s horrible crime of watering his lawn on the wrong day: