(12-24-2019 11:54 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(12-24-2019 08:57 AM)esayem Wrote:  

(12-24-2019 08:35 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(12-23-2019 09:50 PM)SuperFlyBCat Wrote:  

(12-23-2019 05:03 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  How did UCF get stuck playing a lousy team in a lousy bowl?

31-7 UCF 3rd Q

You don't understand the bowl arrangements? I thought you were an expert.

I understand them. IMO, these bowl arrangements highlight the weakness of the AAC lineup. UCF was a 9-3 team with a top 30 computer ranking and got stuck in this bowl vs this opponent.

Ditto for Cincy, a #23 computer team being stuck in the Birmingham (toilet) Bowl vs a #66 BC team.

Helps the conference bowl record having these mismatches, but those are very poor bowls for teams that had very good seasons.

And I don't think it would have been any better next year with the new bowl ties. Aresco failed miserably.

It’s basically a crapshoot whether a team shows up or not. Marshall deserved to be there, they just got in a hole early with all those turnovers and couldn’t get out.

SMU (whom I picked to win) got blasted by a different C-USA team.

Marshall did deserve to be *there*, the Gasper Bowl, as that is a fitting bowl for a #62 team. My point was UCF deserved a lot better.

But as someone else said, ESPN probably forced them into the G-Bowl for geographic reasons. And that's why UCF was a 16 point favorite and covered easily.

"Deserved"???

Nowhere in the Bowl/CFP is the concept of "deserving" anything. The bowls are purely about money...not who "deserves" anything. And the CFP is (self admittedly) about the "four, best college football teams," not about "who deserves" to be in there (via CCG or whatever).

Did UCF "deserve" to be in that bowl? That's a completely irrelevant question.

(12-23-2019 05:03 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  How did UCF get stuck playing a lousy team in a lousy bowl?

31-7 UCF 3rd Q

(12-25-2019 08:15 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  

(12-25-2019 08:00 PM)TexanMark Wrote:  

(12-23-2019 07:35 PM)sierrajip Wrote:  

(12-23-2019 06:03 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(12-23-2019 05:03 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  How did UCF get stuck playing a lousy team in a lousy bowl?

31-7 UCF 3rd Q

What do you expect for the 5th place AAC team?

That is what happens when a bowl wants a regional team that may bring more fans. Basically, ESPiN gives them no choice.

Game didn't exactly fill up much.

Rain and bad time slot.

Game should be played in the Trop. Walkable bars and restaurants and guaranteed great weather.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. When Miami played there a few years back it was the last year at the Trop but it was in the middle of a sunny 70 degree day. Move it outside and of course it's a classic Tampa rainstorm. St Pete is close to the beach for fans but the Ray is closer to TPA airport and all the bars on SoHo. If the Outback Bowl is always a thing though it probably makes sense to move it back across the bay.

The area around the Trop has changed so much in the last 3-5 years and for the better mostly. Yeah if sunny and warm it sucks to play indoors but at least you can have a nice pre or post game outdoors.

Maybe If the bowl name and sponsorship change again it will go back there (or to a new Soccer Specific Stadium like the Cure Bowl did.) Having a game sponsored by a lawnmower company and named after a pirate played in a dome while a stadium with a grass field with a freaking pirate ship in it exists 25 minutes away made no freaking sense.

(12-26-2019 07:55 AM)whittx Wrote:  Maybe If the bowl name and sponsorship change again it will go back there (or to a new Soccer Specific Stadium like the Cure Bowl did.) Having a game sponsored by a lawnmower company and named after a pirate played in a dome while a stadium with a grass field with a freaking pirate ship in it exists 25 minutes away made no freaking sense.

Obviously those are huge factor's. As long as the bowl game is named after a lawnmower it will be played on grass.

The thing is it is just a 3rd tiered bowl and 15-20K is about all it will draw in Tampa Bay.

(12-26-2019 09:24 AM)TexanMark Wrote:  

(12-26-2019 07:55 AM)whittx Wrote:  Maybe If the bowl name and sponsorship change again it will go back there (or to a new Soccer Specific Stadium like the Cure Bowl did.) Having a game sponsored by a lawnmower company and named after a pirate played in a dome while a stadium with a grass field with a freaking pirate ship in it exists 25 minutes away made no freaking sense.

Obviously those are huge factor's. As long as the bowl game is named after a lawnmower it will be played on grass.

The thing is it is just a 3rd tiered bowl and 15-20K is about all it will draw in Tampa Bay.

The Gaspingforair Bowl is obviously a failure. For years people blamed the Trop but the turnout has been just as lousy in Tampa.

There is basically zero on-the-ground interest in this bowl, at this point it is purely a made for TV event. Could be played on a sound lot with CGI fans added in the truck.

(12-26-2019 11:42 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(12-26-2019 09:24 AM)TexanMark Wrote:  

(12-26-2019 07:55 AM)whittx Wrote:  Maybe If the bowl name and sponsorship change again it will go back there (or to a new Soccer Specific Stadium like the Cure Bowl did.) Having a game sponsored by a lawnmower company and named after a pirate played in a dome while a stadium with a grass field with a freaking pirate ship in it exists 25 minutes away made no freaking sense.

Obviously those are huge factor's. As long as the bowl game is named after a lawnmower it will be played on grass.

The thing is it is just a 3rd tiered bowl and 15-20K is about all it will draw in Tampa Bay.

The Gaspingforair Bowl is obviously a failure. For years people blamed the Trop but the turnout has been just as lousy in Tampa.

There is basically zero on-the-ground interest in this bowl, at this point it is purely a made for TV event. Could be played on a sound lot with CGI fans added in the truck.

That comment could be applied to 2/3 of the existing bowls.

(12-25-2019 10:48 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(12-24-2019 11:54 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(12-24-2019 08:57 AM)esayem Wrote:  

(12-24-2019 08:35 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(12-23-2019 09:50 PM)SuperFlyBCat Wrote:  You don't understand the bowl arrangements? I thought you were an expert.

I understand them. IMO, these bowl arrangements highlight the weakness of the AAC lineup. UCF was a 9-3 team with a top 30 computer ranking and got stuck in this bowl vs this opponent.

Ditto for Cincy, a #23 computer team being stuck in the Birmingham (toilet) Bowl vs a #66 BC team.

Helps the conference bowl record having these mismatches, but those are very poor bowls for teams that had very good seasons.

And I don't think it would have been any better next year with the new bowl ties. Aresco failed miserably.

It’s basically a crapshoot whether a team shows up or not. Marshall deserved to be there, they just got in a hole early with all those turnovers and couldn’t get out.

SMU (whom I picked to win) got blasted by a different C-USA team.

Marshall did deserve to be *there*, the Gasper Bowl, as that is a fitting bowl for a #62 team. My point was UCF deserved a lot better.

But as someone else said, ESPN probably forced them into the G-Bowl for geographic reasons. And that's why UCF was a 16 point favorite and covered easily.

"Deserved"???

Nowhere in the Bowl/CFP is the concept of "deserving" anything. The bowls are purely about money...not who "deserves" anything. And the CFP is (self admittedly) about the "four, best college football teams," not about "who deserves" to be in there (via CCG or whatever).

Did UCF "deserve" to be in that bowl? That's a completely irrelevant question.

You're overcomplicating this. All I was trying to say was that IMO, both Cincy and UCF got stuck in lousy bowls relative to the kind of seasons they had. They basically are/were in the lowest-end toilet bowls in terms of location and opponent, despite having top-30 seasons. Probably the two worst cases in all of college football this season.

That's it.

Problem is many of the AAC teams only travel 500-1000 fans more than 4 hours by car. Bowls are hesitant to line up behind that.

(12-26-2019 01:09 PM)TexanMark Wrote:  Problem is many of the AAC teams only travel 500-1000 fans more than 4 hours by car. Bowls are hesitant to line up behind that.

It's hard to build out a bowl lineup with such a wide geographic base yet consistently get your better teams a decent matchup. You can have UCF play near home in Tampa, but against a clearly worse team in a low rung bowl. Can get SMU a good matchup against FAU near the beach, but make them travel out to South Florida. Then again it's very rare that you can get your good teams a good opponent in a convenient yet fun location.