January 28, 2013 · 7:08 AM

“I want to make sure we keep the bowls relevant.”

One thing that puzzles me about this new “diversity” approach Big Ten ADs are talking up as a solution to dwindling fan interest:  if you’re from, say, Nebraska or Wisconsin, is freezing your ass off in late December at the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium really a more attractive option than some bowl game in sunny Florida?

12 Comments

Filed under Big Ten Football

12 responses to ““I want to make sure we keep the bowls relevant.””

  1. The other Doug
    January 28, 2013 at 7:17 AM

    Maybe they need to go to a televised “bowl draft”. The bowls would pick based on how many tickets they could sell and the quality of the match up.

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  2. The other Doug
    January 28, 2013 at 7:17 AM

    or maybe I have it backwards. Maybe the schools should pick were they go and the draft order is set by the rankings.

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  3. Go Dawgs!
    January 28, 2013 at 8:22 AM

    If there’s no SEC team waiting for them in the Pinstripe Bowl then, yeah, I bet it does look more appealing than a trip to Florida!

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  4. Ubiquitous Ga Alum
    January 28, 2013 at 9:08 AM

    This is a good discussion to have considering the crappy seats schools get … problem will be bowls want predicatable sales & cash upfront (bowl season tix)

    “What we have to do is work with the bowls to take that impact off of the institutions but work closely together on a sales strategy,” Smith said. “Let’s forget about the institution being responsible for X, and the bowl being responsible for X and the local organizing committee being responsible for X. Look at your aggregate sales plan, then come up with a cooperative strategy to make sure we’re selling the bowl out. We’ve just got to think differently than we have in the past, and think about pricing, and [tiers] of pricing and the venues and things of that nature.”

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  5. Cojones
    January 28, 2013 at 10:17 AM

    Will the “pin stipe” venue matter with any group of teams other than the “Legends”? Gosh, I get all spine tingly thinking of the great baseball traditions in Yankee Stad……wait a minute….they are talking about CFB traditions in a baseball stadium? We could call it the “Upper U.S. Bowl”.

    Sorta like going to the forest to get a woody, isn’t it?

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  6. Bulldog Joe
    January 28, 2013 at 10:40 AM

    Translated: “We need to find some post-season opponents we can beat.”

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  7. Bulldog Joe
    January 28, 2013 at 11:10 AM

    Perhaps Delany can start up his own bowl games.

    “The Buckeye Bowl” – Columbus, Ohio; Ohio State vs. the MAC team of their choosing. Guaranteed sellout. It would be just like the regular season.

    “The Nittany Bowl” – State College, Pennsylvania; Penn State vs. The probationary team of their choosing. See how excited Kiffin is for that one.

    “The Baseball Bowl” – Rotating Locations; Fourth place Big Ten team vs. Georgia Tech in the Central Division ballpark of their choosing.

    “The Hoosier Bowl” – Indianapolis, Indiana; Third place Big Ten team vs. The ACC Champ. Double bill. Losing school gets opportunity to atone for football loss on the hardwood.

    “The Gopher Bowl” – Minneapolis, Minnesota; Second place Big Ten vs, Last place SEC team. Double bill. Big Ten team gets opportunity to atone for football loss on the frozen pond.

    “The New College All-Star Game” – Chicago, Illinois; All-Star team of bowl-ineligible Big Ten players vs. Da Bears.

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  8. PTC DAWG
    January 28, 2013 at 2:19 PM

    Honestly, NYC sounds refreshing…..The SEC and the Big 10 have too many matchups against one another, IMHO. Tampa/Orlanda, rinse repeat….it gets old.

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  9. Dawg19
    January 29, 2013 at 2:03 AM

    How about the Toilet Bowl in Flushing, NY…

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