CyberBull Wrote:UCiF fans keep talking about a potential bowl game in their new stadium. However i don't see the Champs Bowl moving and can Orlando really support three bowl games?
Florida Citrus Sports runs both the Champs Sports Bowl and the Capital One Bowl...and neither of those games will ever be moved to UCF's Stadium other then temporary (if construction time-table closes the Citrus Bowl during rebuilding...Champs Sports bowl could move to UCF...while the Capital One Bowl would probably move up to Gainesville...like the Gator Bowl did when the city was rebuilding that old Gator Bowl into Altell Stadium.
UCF's AD (Keith Tribble, former CEO of the BCS Orange Bowl for 13 years), along with interest from the ACC (who wants desparately to get out of their bowl agreements in San Fran and Boise, ID), along with the Big East and CUSA (would like to add a FLA bowl in the future) are the best-bets to start up a pre-Christmas bowl game in FLA.
Most pre-christmas bowl games are usually attended by 25,000-35,000 fans or so and most of the $$$$ is made off TV and sponsorship.
I could see any 2 of the above 3 conferences noted that might would probably say YES to a bowl game either in St Pete or another in Orlando.
Florida Citrus Sports will not help out UCF/Brighthouse Networks in any bowl bidding...and a different organization would have to run the bowl if it started up at UCF's new stadium.
Can Orlando support 3 bowls?
Tough call.
With the post-Christmas date for the Champs Sports Bowl...that might of helped cement that bowl's best chance at survival...as most fans can travel to post-Christmas bowl games vs bowl games played right before Christmas.
Again, since most pre-christmas bowl games $$$$$ come through TV and sponsorships...one only needs 25,000 plus to show up to make it successful.
Tampa/ACC, which made a very smart agreement for offering MUCH LOWER tix prices for the ACC Champ Game in order to help sell more local tix....UCF would be smart to do the same thing with their own season tix fan base (almost 24,000)...but offering CHEAP Bowl Game tix (say only $20 or so) in their season tix packages...to help sell a ton of local tix months before the bowl game...and hope a regional game between teams either located in the Southeast or with schools with tons of FLA alumni...can bring about 5,000 fans each...one will probably hit the 25,000 plateau without much effort.
However...if marketed wron6 (i.e. tix prices way to high...why would casual fans buy tix in advance?), a bowl game (anywhere) could be set up for failure.