KnightLight Wrote:

omnicarrier Wrote:[That is with 2 good traveling teams. When there is only 1 good traveling team, which is often the case, the locals account from between 40-50 percent of the attendees.

Cheers,
Neil

Except when UL or WVU is playing a bowl game...as their fans don't understand about "local attendees/sponorship".

They think everyone at their games are from their hometowns. (even though they bring a good number of folks...they always seem to forget about how many tix are sold in advance).

That's a misconception many teams' fans have. It's why some don't understand why the Liberty Bowl is loyal to Memphis - despite the fact that the local college team has yet to play in the game.

Cheers,
Neil

omnicarrier Wrote:

georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:

omnicarrier Wrote:Speaking of spin, spin, spin.

For the second year in a row, the ACC Champ will be the lowest ranked team and this year will be the least desireable. And after the bowls, the ACC will be 1-8 in BCS Bowl games.

Only if Nevada upsets Boise State, and Texas comes back against A&M. And the ACC has done terrific in post-season play... winning the ESPN Bowl Cup 2 out of 3 years.

It's easy to win the Bowl Cup when you play in crappy bowls against crappy competition. The BE won the ESPN Bowl Cup the year of the raid.

When it comes to the real competition against upper echelon BCS teams, the ACC has fallen flat - as evidenced by their 1-7, soon to be 1-8 BCS Bowl record.

Now don't you have an ACC board you can be posting on?

Cheers,
Neil

The ACC board is as dead as the ACC's chance to win a BCS game lmfao

omnicarrier Wrote:Now don't you have an ACC board you can be posting on?

I did until Scout ate it and spat out a piece of crap. And that's how NCAAbbs came into existence -- Scout ate ACCBoards and then ACCbbs was created, and shortly thereafter NCAAbbs.

The Big 12 can forget a 2nd BCS bid, now that Texas has lost. That gives Oklahoma the Big 12 South if they win out, and a 3 loss Big 12 team won't get a BCS bid.

The SEC may be forgetting about a 2nd bid too soon. LSU is currently winning at Arkansas. And no matter who wins the SEC, a 2 loss SEC team won't get a bid over any 11-1 BEast team - especially if WVU and Louisville win out. I figure Arkansas will still beat Florida, even if the end up losing to LSU. Florida's OOC schedule is much worse than the one WVU has been criticized for having.

bitcruncher Wrote:The Big 12 can forget a 2nd BCS bid, now that Texas has lost. That gives Oklahoma the Big 12 South if they win out, and a 3 loss Big 12 team won't get a BCS bid.

The SEC may be forgetting about a 2nd bid too soon. LSU is currently winning at Arkansas. And no matter who wins the SEC, a 2 loss SEC team won't get a bid over any 11-1 BEast team - especially if WVU and Louisville win out. I figure Arkansas will still beat Florida, even if the end up losing to LSU. Florida's OOC schedule is much worse than the one WVU has been criticized for having.

With Texas losing, I agree the B12 can forget any possibility of a second BCS bid, mainly because a three-loss Oklahoma or a 4-loss Nebraska isn't going to finish high enough in the BCS rankings to be considered.

But let's not be naive enough to think that a 2-loss SEC team has no chance over a 1-loss BE team.

The Big East has made strides this year, but we've still got a ways to go.

Cheers,
Neil

1. I'll be shocked if the ACC Championship game isn't sold out.

2. It looks likely that LSU will be getting one of the at large spots.

3601 Wrote:1. I'll be shocked if the ACC Championship game isn't sold out.

2. It looks likely that LSU will be getting one of the at large spots.

Agree. The ACC Champ Game doesn't have to worry about not being soldout. And LSU definitely looks a team that will get a BCS Bowl bid.

HiddenDragon Wrote:

3601 Wrote:1. I'll be shocked if the ACC Championship game isn't sold out.

2. It looks likely that LSU will be getting one of the at large spots.

Agree. The ACC Champ Game doesn't have to worry about not being soldout. And LSU definitely looks a team that will get a BCS Bowl bid.

The ACC championship game wasn't a sell-out last year when FSU played VT. Forgive me my skepticism, but I highly doubt it will be a sell-out with GT vs. Wake Forest.

Cheers,
Neil

njndirish Wrote:Who wants to see Wake Forest-Ga Tech, I don't

No one has a choice in the matter they earned their way to this game. Its not like they got a bid to some bowl they don't deserve. It isn't always a beauty pagent.

omnicarrier Wrote:

KnightLight Wrote:

omnicarrier Wrote:[That is with 2 good traveling teams. When there is only 1 good traveling team, which is often the case, the locals account from between 40-50 percent of the attendees.

Cheers,
Neil

Except when UL or WVU is playing a bowl game...as their fans don't understand about "local attendees/sponorship".

They think everyone at their games are from their hometowns. (even though they bring a good number of folks...they always seem to forget about how many tix are sold in advance).

That's a misconception many teams' fans have. It's why some don't understand why the Liberty Bowl is loyal to Memphis - despite the fact that the local college team has yet to play in the game.

Cheers,
Neil

Liberty Bowl is in Memphis, the UoM has a large economic impact on the city; some folks providing services & hospitality surrounding the game as well as fannies in the seats are Memphis graduates; one of the players running the Liberty Bowl is a Memphis graduate, Memphis is in CUSA, sans the connection.

omnicarrier Wrote:

HiddenDragon Wrote:

3601 Wrote:1. I'll be shocked if the ACC Championship game isn't sold out.

2. It looks likely that LSU will be getting one of the at large spots.

Agree. The ACC Champ Game doesn't have to worry about not being soldout. And LSU definitely looks a team that will get a BCS Bowl bid.

The ACC championship game wasn't a sell-out last year when FSU played VT. Forgive me my skepticism, but I highly doubt it will be a sell-out with GT vs. Wake Forest.

Cheers,
Neil

According to the article they had sold 60,000 tickets at the time this article was written.

According to the article that's 13,000 short of capacity.

60,000 + 13,000 = 73,000 capacity

Accoring to the article the game drew 72,249 fans last year.

Not a sellout, but pretty darn close.

After reading the article I'll revise my prediciton. I'll be shocked if they don't sell 65,000. Not too bad for Georgia Tech vs. Wake Forest in a neutral site. 70,000 is very possible if Wake travels well. I have no idea whatsoever how Wake travels.

Hopefully my rep will carry some weight here.

a) Sadly Georgia Tech does not have the sizable alumni base to suggest they're a given 20k for no matter where they go. And like many schools the enthusiasm of the fans is subject to the level of play at the time. If Tech had been able to make the Orange Bowl at 11-2 then I'd wager solid money they'd bring about 20k, and would not be surprised if they brought more. So they're capable of bringing almost as much as anybody, but also capable of bringing the bare minimum as they did last year. So I won't pretend they'll bring 30k if no one pretends they're only good for 2k.

Neil's right about the school's conditions. Modest in size, comparably speaking, with too many folks from out of state or country to count in the rabid, dependable fan base. Doesn't help that Gailey has championed mediocrity under his tenure thus far. If he maintains the success from this year or at least shows improvement in the consistency of play, that support will get back on a growth trend. Also helping that the school will be increasing in size in the next 5 years.

b) Do I expect the ACCCG to sell out? No, but I won't be surprised if it does. I'm simply hoping for close to/more than 70k. And anyone who thinks Wake isn't a great story needs to have their head examined.

c) Debating the attractiveness of a BCS team seems petty to me. Wake and Boise would make great stories and saying "phooey" to them is simply saying you prefer the status quo of mostly B10 and SEC powers. I would hope the BE folks would fight against that given what they've been through. Come to think of it, aren't these and other boards already cranking up the complaints if the BE has an 11-1 side left out of the mix? It should also be safe to say anyone having made it to a BCS game has earned it, and that haggling over the four games not involving the #1 and #2 teams is on par with bickering over the last few spots admitted into the NCAA's: Not really worth the effort.

Let's get to the heart of the reason why the ACC Championship ticket sales are down this year and "call a spade a spade": Wake Forest.

First: I love Wake's story and they are an awesome team this year. I have enjoyed every game I have watched on television.

Wake does not have a large fan base. It is an incredible school but has a small enrollment. Wake has a large endowment but not many alums (relatively speaking vs. North Carolina, NC State, etc...).

I think the ACC should be happy selling 60,000 tickets and having Wake compete in the game. Sometimes the smaller school puts together a great season and the conference needs to suck it up. Be grateful that Wake put together a "once in a lifetime" season and celebrate.

Wake is not going to be in the championship game every year. Most years you are going to have a VPI, UNC, FSU, Clemson, etc... to sell the tickets. It is call "sport" because there is competition. Over a ten year period, corporate sponsors will not be disappointed in the ACC.

GunnerFan Wrote:c) Debating the attractiveness of a BCS team seems petty to me. Wake and Boise would make great stories and saying "phooey" to them is simply saying you prefer the status quo of mostly B10 and SEC powers. I would hope the BE folks would fight against that given what they've been through. Come to think of it, aren't these and other boards already cranking up the complaints if the BE has an 11-1 side left out of the mix? It should also be safe to say anyone having made it to a BCS game has earned it, and that haggling over the four games not involving the #1 and #2 teams is on par with bickering over the last few spots admitted into the NCAA's: Not really worth the effort.

I don't take issue with the whole of that commentary, but I do with the last sentence.

While making the NCAA might be a once in a lifetime moment for a mid-major, it's not for major conference teams. I see a fairly large difference between a basketball team being 64th/65th vs. making a BCS game.

BCS games are a big deal, when you consider the giant payout differences from those games and the Capital One...on down. Also, for a school like UofL who is not a traditional power, the Orange/Sugar could be monumental when it comes to a month of media attention & a night to yourself on a broadcast network. Its hard to put a pricetag on that in terms of recruiting, donors ponying up, program awareness, etc.

Now consider that if Rutgers and UofL win, the Cardinals could be playing in El Paso on December 29th for $1.9 mil against PAC-10 #3. That's why a Big East school will be ticked off if 11-1 means you end up there.

CollegeCard Wrote:

GunnerFan Wrote:c) Debating the attractiveness of a BCS team seems petty to me. Wake and Boise would make great stories and saying "phooey" to them is simply saying you prefer the status quo of mostly B10 and SEC powers. I would hope the BE folks would fight against that given what they've been through. Come to think of it, aren't these and other boards already cranking up the complaints if the BE has an 11-1 side left out of the mix? It should also be safe to say anyone having made it to a BCS game has earned it, and that haggling over the four games not involving the #1 and #2 teams is on par with bickering over the last few spots admitted into the NCAA's: Not really worth the effort.

I don't take issue with the whole of that commentary, but I do with the last sentence.

While making the NCAA might be a once in a lifetime moment for a mid-major, it's not for major conference teams. I see a fairly large difference between a basketball team being 64th/65th vs. making a BCS game.

BCS games are a big deal, when you consider the giant payout differences from those games and the Capital One...on down. Also, for a school like UofL who is not a traditional power, the Orange/Sugar could be monumental when it comes to a month of media attention & a night to yourself on a broadcast network. Its hard to put a pricetag on that in terms of recruiting, donors ponying up, program awareness, etc.

Now consider that if Rutgers and UofL win, the Cardinals could be playing in El Paso on December 29th for $1.9 mil against PAC-10 #3. That's why a Big East school will be ticked off if 11-1 means you end up there.

I understand your argument but.... Please note: Last year (when the Big East bowl arrangements were signed) the Big East was being questioned as a BCS conference.

I think last year's West Virginia victory vs Georgia and this year's Rutgers/Louisville/WVU runs have cemented the Big East as a BCS conference.

The challenge now is to create a league known for traveling to their bowl games. Even when Miami, VPI, and Boston College were part of the league, the Big East bowl arrangements kept changing because the could not sell bowl tickets.

The Big East is very lucky Louisville, WVU and Rutgers are winning. I think each of these schools will travel well. This fact should help the Big East secure better secondary bowls in the future.

CollegeCard Wrote:I don't take issue with the whole of that commentary, but I do with the last sentence.

While making the NCAA might be a once in a lifetime moment for a mid-major, it's not for major conference teams. I see a fairly large difference between a basketball team being 64th/65th vs. making a BCS game.

BCS games are a big deal, when you consider the giant payout differences from those games and the Capital One...on down. Also, for a school like UofL who is not a traditional power, the Orange/Sugar could be monumental when it comes to a month of media attention & a night to yourself on a broadcast network. Its hard to put a pricetag on that in terms of recruiting, donors ponying up, program awareness, etc.

Now consider that if Rutgers and UofL win, the Cardinals could be playing in El Paso on December 29th for $1.9 mil against PAC-10 #3. That's why a Big East school will be ticked off if 11-1 means you end up there.

Point taken. I keep forgetting that the BE staggers the payouts of bowl money as compared to equal-share basis of the other BCS conferences. I also agree it can be a bigger deal for certain teams and situations.

To clarify, however, I was referring to the bickering over whether a team merited BCS inclusion rather than over any one conference's pecking order. Clearly the last 1-2 teams chosen will not be chosen on merit alone but also commercial appeal, traveling fan base, etc. And there will always be several schools worthy of the spots no matter who's chosen. So in that since it seemed funny to me to argue the matter so heatedly if there was no national championship involved. The least attractive BCS team is still a good team that earned the right, while there will always be other teams left out that are equally deserving. Just like the fringe of the Big Dance. 'sall I'm saying.

No harm intended.

David Krysakowski Wrote:Oh boy. The ACC is probably regretting they didn't add West Virginia instead of Boston College right now.

No..we're regretting we didn't add Rutgers ;-)

FWIW, the ACCCG should be held in one of two locales... Charlotte or Baltimore. If Charlotte were the host this season, the game would be a sellout.

MongoSlade Wrote:FWIW, the ACCCG should be held in one of two locales... Charlotte or Baltimore. If Charlotte were the host this season, the game would be a sellout.

I always thought Charlotte made more sense. I assume Jacksonville bid more than Charlotte. Altanta makes sense too, but it's obviosly taken.

3601 Wrote:

MongoSlade Wrote:FWIW, the ACCCG should be held in one of two locales... Charlotte or Baltimore. If Charlotte were the host this season, the game would be a sellout.

I always thought Charlotte made more sense. I assume Jacksonville bid more than Charlotte. Altanta makes sense too, but it's obviosly taken.

Jacksonville was chosen in part as a nod to improving the conference's presence within Florida and because the destination is slightly better for tourists than Charlotte.