I wish I was traveling to Atlanta instead of Charlotte today. I wouldn’t be sitting in the rain.

(11-30-2023 03:36 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  I’m not surprised. I say this as a Big Ten guy: the SEC has the best championship game atmosphere and setup (which is why it always perplexes me when Greg Sankey always trots out proposals for the CFP to not consider conference champs at all even though it’s typically all posturing) The SEC shouldn’t ever move the CCG - Atlanta is the heart of the league and they’ve proven to put on a great event.

I am not surprised either. IMO Atlanta is the perfect spot for the SEC title game. It has everything you want in a site.

FWIW, I thought conferences like the ACC and B1G hurt their basketball tournaments when they started moving them around to reflect the geographic expansion of the conference.

(12-01-2023 07:30 AM)CardinalJim Wrote:  I wish I was traveling to Atlanta instead of Charlotte today. I wouldn’t be sitting in the rain.

The ACC has been waiting for the SEC to move out of Atlanta for years.

(12-01-2023 07:37 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  FWIW, I thought conferences like the ACC and B1G hurt their basketball tournaments when they started moving them around to reflect the geographic expansion of the conference.

I don't. I think you need variety and you need to let all your conference members feel they are a part of the conference. I remember the CAA was always at Richmond for many years and felt that Drexel was never part of the conference and they always favored the Virginia schools, especially after George Mason got into the NCAA Tournament over Hofstra the year they made the Final Four even though Hofstra swept them. If the Big Ten and ACC care about the Northeast, they need to throw them a bone once in a while. If the Big Ten cares about the West Coast, why not have it in the Staples Center once in a while or the Big Ten Championship in the Rose Bowl or Sofi Stadium or the Coliseum if you can get it? Here in Philly, we'd kill for the Atlantic 10 to come here. I mean I know the answer to this question but why can't the Big East come here once in a while, especially when Villanova was carrying the conference and everyone else was playing for second place? If the ACC stuck to Greensboro and the Big Ten to Indianapolis every year, I'd be PO'ed. Forget us, cities like Chicago, Charlotte, and Washington would be out of luck. The only cities that want permanent sites are the cities that are good enough to get them.

Depending on how you define "infrastructure," downtown Nashville offers a significant number of hotels that could accommodate the fans traveling here for the SEC football title game. Now if the vast majority of those fans drive here (as opposed to fly), sufficient parking for their cars could be a concern (though I think we could handle it).

(12-01-2023 08:05 AM)XLance Wrote:  

(12-01-2023 07:30 AM)CardinalJim Wrote:  I wish I was traveling to Atlanta instead of Charlotte today. I wouldn’t be sitting in the rain.

The ACC has been waiting for the SEC to move out of Atlanta for years.

Probably why the SEC wants to maintain its presence in ATL.

(12-01-2023 08:27 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(12-01-2023 07:37 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  FWIW, I thought conferences like the ACC and B1G hurt their basketball tournaments when they started moving them around to reflect the geographic expansion of the conference.

I don't. I think you need variety and you need to let all your conference members feel they are a part of the conference. I remember the CAA was always at Richmond for many years and felt that Drexel was never part of the conference and they always favored the Virginia schools, especially after George Mason got into the NCAA Tournament over Hofstra the year they made the Final Four even though Hofstra swept them. If the Big Ten and ACC care about the Northeast, they need to throw them a bone once in a while. If the Big Ten cares about the West Coast, why not have it in the Staples Center once in a while or the Big Ten Championship in the Rose Bowl or Sofi Stadium or the Coliseum if you can get it? Here in Philly, we'd kill for the Atlantic 10 to come here. I mean I know the answer to this question but why can't the Big East come here once in a while, especially when Villanova was carrying the conference and everyone else was playing for second place? If the ACC stuck to Greensboro and the Big Ten to Indianapolis every year, I'd be PO'ed. Forget us, cities like Chicago, Charlotte, and Washington would be out of luck. The only cities that want permanent sites are the cities that are good enough to get them.

I’d say that basketball tournaments and football CCGs are a little different. Outside of the Big East at Madison Square Garden, it makes a bit more sense to move basketball tournaments around since they inherently involve most or all of the teams in a conference. So, the basketball tournament is always going to be close to *someone* in the league (and hopefully multiple schools in the league).

For football, there are only 2 teams involved, so trying to move the game around can seriously backfire. It sounds cool to have the Big Ten CCG in the Rose Bowl in theory, but if it ends up being two Eastern teams playing in it, that is a real pain no matter how much of an iconic venue it might be. Unlike a bowl game, teams and fans only have a 1-week turnaround to get a trip into place. That’s why I think it makes more sense for football CCGs to be in one stable location that’s accessible and centralized to the greatest number of schools in the conference. It essentially needs to be the “least bad” or “kinda palatable” location for the largest number of schools, particularly with conference expansion.

The one exception that I might grant is a truly uniquely positioned destination like Las Vegas that can handle a lot of visitors making a quick trip decision combined with being a draw for a lot of neutral fans simply for the destination. It’s instructive to me that the Pac-12 shifted their basketball tournament and football CCG from LA and the Bay Area to Las Vegas instead and they have been much better attended despite being physically farther away from the league’s largest markets or even in the league’s actual footprint at all. The Big Ten ought to take note - a lot of fans seem to instinctively think that it now makes sense to bring conference tournaments and championships to LA, yet the Pac-12 eventually figured out that Vegas was actually much better for them even though LA was its largest market and alumni base.

(12-01-2023 09:16 AM)bill dazzle Wrote:  Depending on how you define "infrastructure," downtown Nashville offers a significant number of hotels that could accommodate the fans traveling here for the SEC football title game. Now if the vast majority of those fans drive here (as opposed to fly), sufficient parking for their cars could be a concern (though I think we could handle it).

IMO, Nashville would be a wonderful place to hold the SEC CCG.

But, IMO so is Atlanta, and given the history, I see no reason to move it, even occasionally.

(12-01-2023 09:55 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(12-01-2023 09:16 AM)bill dazzle Wrote:  Depending on how you define "infrastructure," downtown Nashville offers a significant number of hotels that could accommodate the fans traveling here for the SEC football title game. Now if the vast majority of those fans drive here (as opposed to fly), sufficient parking for their cars could be a concern (though I think we could handle it).

IMO, Nashville would be a wonderful place to hold the SEC CCG.

But, IMO so is Atlanta, and given the history, I see no reason to move it, even occasionally.

I would fully understand if the SEC kept the game in ATL. The history is strong. Good point, QV.

Obviously, I would like to see Nashville get the game, say, once every 10 years.

(12-01-2023 10:18 AM)bill dazzle Wrote:  

(12-01-2023 09:55 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(12-01-2023 09:16 AM)bill dazzle Wrote:  Depending on how you define "infrastructure," downtown Nashville offers a significant number of hotels that could accommodate the fans traveling here for the SEC football title game. Now if the vast majority of those fans drive here (as opposed to fly), sufficient parking for their cars could be a concern (though I think we could handle it).

IMO, Nashville would be a wonderful place to hold the SEC CCG.

But, IMO so is Atlanta, and given the history, I see no reason to move it, even occasionally.

I would fully understand if the SEC kept the game in ATL. The history is strong. Good point, QV.

Obviously, I would like to see Nashville get the game, say, once every 10 years.

If/when Nashville gets the dome, I wouldn’t mind the ACC rotating there. It’s a destination and isn't too far away.

(12-01-2023 09:46 AM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(12-01-2023 08:27 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(12-01-2023 07:37 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  FWIW, I thought conferences like the ACC and B1G hurt their basketball tournaments when they started moving them around to reflect the geographic expansion of the conference.

I don't. I think you need variety and you need to let all your conference members feel they are a part of the conference. I remember the CAA was always at Richmond for many years and felt that Drexel was never part of the conference and they always favored the Virginia schools, especially after George Mason got into the NCAA Tournament over Hofstra the year they made the Final Four even though Hofstra swept them. If the Big Ten and ACC care about the Northeast, they need to throw them a bone once in a while. If the Big Ten cares about the West Coast, why not have it in the Staples Center once in a while or the Big Ten Championship in the Rose Bowl or Sofi Stadium or the Coliseum if you can get it? Here in Philly, we'd kill for the Atlantic 10 to come here. I mean I know the answer to this question but why can't the Big East come here once in a while, especially when Villanova was carrying the conference and everyone else was playing for second place? If the ACC stuck to Greensboro and the Big Ten to Indianapolis every year, I'd be PO'ed. Forget us, cities like Chicago, Charlotte, and Washington would be out of luck. The only cities that want permanent sites are the cities that are good enough to get them.

I’d say that basketball tournaments and football CCGs are a little different. Outside of the Big East at Madison Square Garden, it makes a bit more sense to move basketball tournaments around since they inherently involve most or all of the teams in a conference. So, the basketball tournament is always going to be close to *someone* in the league (and hopefully multiple schools in the league).

For football, there are only 2 teams involved, so trying to move the game around can seriously backfire. It sounds cool to have the Big Ten CCG in the Rose Bowl in theory, but if it ends up being two Eastern teams playing in it, that is a real pain no matter how much of an iconic venue it might be. Unlike a bowl game, teams and fans only have a 1-week turnaround to get a trip into place. That’s why I think it makes more sense for football CCGs to be in one stable location that’s accessible and centralized to the greatest number of schools in the conference. It essentially needs to be the “least bad” or “kinda palatable” location for the largest number of schools, particularly with conference expansion.

The one exception that I might grant is a truly uniquely positioned destination like Las Vegas that can handle a lot of visitors making a quick trip decision combined with being a draw for a lot of neutral fans simply for the destination. It’s instructive to me that the Pac-12 shifted their basketball tournament and football CCG from LA and the Bay Area to Las Vegas instead and they have been much better attended despite being physically farther away from the league’s largest markets or even in the league’s actual footprint at all. The Big Ten ought to take note - a lot of fans seem to instinctively think that it now makes sense to bring conference tournaments and championships to LA, yet the Pac-12 eventually figured out that Vegas was actually much better for them even though LA was its largest market and alumni base.

I’ve said this before, Big Ten CCG in Vegas makes sense. It’s an easy place to plan a weekend trip

(12-01-2023 10:22 AM)esayem Wrote:  

(12-01-2023 10:18 AM)bill dazzle Wrote:  

(12-01-2023 09:55 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(12-01-2023 09:16 AM)bill dazzle Wrote:  Depending on how you define "infrastructure," downtown Nashville offers a significant number of hotels that could accommodate the fans traveling here for the SEC football title game. Now if the vast majority of those fans drive here (as opposed to fly), sufficient parking for their cars could be a concern (though I think we could handle it).

IMO, Nashville would be a wonderful place to hold the SEC CCG.

But, IMO so is Atlanta, and given the history, I see no reason to move it, even occasionally.

I would fully understand if the SEC kept the game in ATL. The history is strong. Good point, QV.

Obviously, I would like to see Nashville get the game, say, once every 10 years.

If/when Nashville gets the dome, I wouldn’t mind the ACC rotating there. It’s a destination and isn't too far away.

All government approvals for design/construction/financing of the stadium have been finalized. Preliminary work is underway. Full steam ahead.

If this project eventually stalls and then fizzles for some unforeseen reason, Mr. Dazzle will — in disappointment and frustration, and wearing a Captain Kangaroo outfit/hairstyle/mustache — skydive from a hot-air balloon onto the Nissan Stadium 50-yard-line during a Titans game so as to disrupt the contest and be unceremoniously arrested.