The news of the day is that Bates is working the back channels to get BC into the Heart of Dallas Bowl instead of the ACC-affiliated Independence Bowl. This makes sense on so many level that I expect something to happen this weekend to screw it up.
Although the game is played in the actual Cotton Bowl, the actual Cotton Bowl game is now played in Jerry's World in Arlington. This game was created to keep the building full and justify its recent renovations. But the bowl has a lot going for it. First it is played in a major city with a decent BC Alumni population. Second it is played on January 1. While it may be the least important January 1 game, it would still allow BC to be part of the biggest day in college football. And 99% of our fans would have the day off and be able to watch it live.
Other than its confusing history and identity, the only real drawback to Dallas game would be the opponent. Due to the Conference USA affiliation, the other team is likely to be Rice or North Texas. However, there is no guarantee that the Independence Bowl will find a better opponent.
In theory the Independence Bowl could pair up its ACC rep with an at large Pac 12 team. That would be ideal, but I don't see it happening. The Independence Bowl needs to sell some tickets and BC vs Oregon State will bring no one to Shreveport. The more likely outcome it that the Independence Bowl backfills with another regional mid-major team that might sell tickets. That would leave BC in an undesirable location in an undesirable timeslot vs an unappealing opponent. Do you think we'd sell any tickets for that? Let Pitt or Syracuse bear the brunt of triple whammy.
Nitpicking aspects of bowls is a nice problem to have again. But if BC is playing Rice on New Year's Day in the Cotton Bowl, I won't complain.
Posts
14 comments:
Love it if it happens! Nice working BBB. The Rice matchup has a nice peer school angle. BC has never played neither Rice or North Texas, which is interesting too.
I agree with all those points.
I would add, the Texas Bowl matchup gives us a better chance of winning the game. Last thing I want to do is travel to Shreveport and end up losing.
Music City Bowl is the CBS Sports projection.
My preference is to play a BCS conference team, but if that's not possible Rice is better than Ark. ST.
"BC has historical ties to the Cotton Bowl. Quarterback Doug Flutie, the 2004 Heisman Trophy winner, led BC to a 45-28 victory over Houston in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1, 2005. The traditional Cotton Bowl game will be at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Jan. 3." Huh? What in the world is the Herald smoking these days?
They must have meant January 1, 1985.
I was there and it was cold ....brrr...really hard to find warm clothes (long underwear) in Dallas. On the day there was a mixture of snow and ice. All of those elevated highways they love in Dallas were like skating rinks and nobody knew how to drive in bad weather. The Dallas snow plows were a couple of garbage trucks with ersatz plows hastily attached.
Great game....since "scalping" was legal at the time, I ended up with Corporate Box No 1, seats 1 and 2 on the 50-yard line.
Lucky to make it back alive to AnFac Hotel at airport.
Greatest mass movement by air from New England since WWII....we traveled well for that game. BC people everywhere...had a wonderful time taking my Dad with me.
I was at the Cotton also. We played Houston, so playing Rice this time would add some symmetry. The weather game day wasn't too bad. The night before was awful. It seemed like summer compared to the Liberty bowl the year before. Even the Tangerine 2 years prior was cold. We had allot of good luck in the Flutie era, but our luck w/ the weather @ Bowls was all bad.
I was at the Cotton also. We played Houston, so playing Rice this time would add some symmetry. The weather game day wasn't too bad. The night before was awful. It seemed like summer compared to the Liberty bowl the year before. Even the Tangerine 2 years prior was cold. We had allot of good luck in the Flutie era, but our luck w/ the weather @ Bowls was all bad.
Rice would draw a lot of fans. That is why no one wants BC. It is a shame. BC has a good product. BC has some "head scratching to do". One connection is that BC is Jesuit. There are Jesuit universities all over the landscape who used to play football. There has to be a way to plug into that. Put Big Jack Krack on the case like Columbo. Some look at things and ask why. Others look at the same thing and say why not.
I actually think that's a good idea, JBQ, and I may have advanced it at one time.
Communicate with and promote BC football to all Jesuit colleges and universities.
BC is your team, etc.
If you are a college football fan, why not support fellow Jesuit Boston College, etc.?
That could be one small part of BC's plan to drum up support. And recruit all Jesuit High Schools.
Lenny and Hoib - thank goodness we won that game, because it was one of the worst games I have ever attended in terms of almost freezing to death.
We didn't have the proper clothes for the miserable weather that descended on Dallas. And immediately after the game it started sleeting.
I am in no hurry to return to Dallas TX (I have been several times on business).
I "ain't" going to Shreveport and I ain't going to Dallas.
I don't know what Rice and it's fans have to do with no one wanting BC, but I put my interpreter's hat on and get the overall point.
How about this?
Go to the conference championship game-plan a trip to Charlotte.
Win the game-plan a trip to Miami.
The decisions are made for you when you win. Total win-win for all.
I think winning would drum up support, but I get the need to feel under-appreciated. Winning in showcase games, were we to get there. You know who southern college football fans admire? Not speedy Oregon. Not plodding Ohio State. Not Michigan, Notre Dame (are you kidding?), not USC.
Stanford.
The Tough Guys out west.
Build the lines and they will come.
That's my homage to JBQ.
JBQ
To your point on Jesuits. In my town, Fairfield CT, allot of kids go down to ST. Joes. A few years ago I remember one of my son's friend's telling me about how they had adopted BC as their team because they didn't have one. They said they brought out big screens on campus and tailgated for the games and the kids had allot of fun w/ it. I think our travel problems stem from distance. If we were in the Pinstripe bowl I'm sure we'd have a good crowd and maybe also some sympathetic Fordham fans.
Let's start a network: "Jesuit Nation!"
Funny, there already is a Jesuit Nation! Jesuit Nation on Linked-In
Post a Comment