(12-05-2014 09:33 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  With UAB dropping FB, it's hard to imagine that Birmingham's Legion field will be maintained for much longer.

I'd guess the Birmingham Bowl's on borrowed time. One year more at max...

My guess would be 5 more years for Birmingham game until the next round of bowl contracts cycles through.

(12-05-2014 04:03 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 02:36 PM)msm96wolf Wrote:  If you take Ga Southern, App St and ODU there appears to be at lest six teams that will be left home. How much money the LA Christmas bowl with the P12 vs at-large P5 and another G5 Bowl created next year?

Little Rock is in active negotiation with CUSA and MAC, both interested but neither wild about playing vs. Sun Belt (I suppose they are presuming that Arkansas State would camp out there).

Yuck.

(12-05-2014 09:43 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 09:33 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  With UAB dropping FB, it's hard to imagine that Birmingham's Legion field will be maintained for much longer.

I'd guess the Birmingham Bowl's on borrowed time. One year more at max...

My guess would be 5 more years for Birmingham game until the next round of bowl contracts cycles through.

The facility is already in tough shape. And without UAB paying rent, I really am skeptical how even basic maintenance gets accomplished.

Can't play a game without a stadium.

(12-05-2014 09:50 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 09:43 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 09:33 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  With UAB dropping FB, it's hard to imagine that Birmingham's Legion field will be maintained for much longer.

I'd guess the Birmingham Bowl's on borrowed time. One year more at max...

My guess would be 5 more years for Birmingham game until the next round of bowl contracts cycles through.

The facility is already in tough shape. And without UAB paying rent, I really am skeptical how even basic maintenance gets accomplished.

Can't play a game without a stadium.

Ok.

Move the game to Little Rock and with the SEC involved it takes off...

(12-05-2014 06:07 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 05:46 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 04:03 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 02:36 PM)msm96wolf Wrote:  If you take Ga Southern, App St and ODU there appears to be at lest six teams that will be left home. How much money the LA Christmas bowl with the P12 vs at-large P5 and another G5 Bowl created next year?

Little Rock is in active negotiation with CUSA and MAC, both interested but neither wild about playing vs. Sun Belt (I suppose they are presuming that Arkansas State would camp out there).

Little Rock had a title sponsor lined up last year (Arkansas Rice Federation and Riceland Foods) but the contract fell apart because Little Rock wanted a post-Christmas game and ESPN wouldn't give them an agreeable date there so Sun Belt and MAC signed with ESPN owned Montgomery.

Funding is in place for Little Rock if they can get two conferences and a TV agreement. Cure signed with NBC Sports and Fox has expressed interest in picking up bowl games.

From talking to the folks involved the only way they would do the deal is if they have either Sun Belt or AAC on one side vs either MAC or CUSA. They believe the game has to have the hook of Arkansas State, Memphis, SMU, or Tulsa (he specifically stated those four) as potential host teams to be viable during the early years.

The AAC already has between 7-8 slots a year once the Cure comes on line. I don't think the AAC is an option for Little Rock. Frankly, I'm surprised they were able to sponsor the Cure. I thought a conference had to show a history of having a certain number of bowl teams before being a legitimate tie. We are adding a team, but right now we only have 5 bowl teams with a possible 6th in Temple. Last year we had 5. Granted, we won't have a full 12 teams until next year---but we don't appear to be establishing the track record to support 8 bowls.

With the dereg I think all you need now is a TV contract and two willing conferences.

But unless CUSA or MAC adds Arkansas State, I don't see Little Rock getting off the ground if neither wants to work with the Sun Belt because Little Rock wants AState and if they can't get AState they want Memphis/Tulsa/SMU.

That seems to be a consistent problem with the Sunbelt bowls. They are all seem to be preordained destinations for just one team. The G5 pool bowls might be the best thing to ever happen to the Sunbelt teams that don't have a bowl in thier backyard. Kinda feel bad for Tx St. I hope they land a bowl.

(12-05-2014 09:43 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 09:33 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  With UAB dropping FB, it's hard to imagine that Birmingham's Legion field will be maintained for much longer.

I'd guess the Birmingham Bowl's on borrowed time. One year more at max...

My guess would be 5 more years for Birmingham game until the next round of bowl contracts cycles through.

You realize SEC's office is in Birmingham. It would not shock me for the SEC try and create a "Neutral Site" game in Legion field every year along with the Bowl if Birmingham will fix up the stadium. I could see them work a deal with the ACC to try and have a game in Charlotte and Birmingham each year or every other year.

(12-06-2014 12:23 PM)msm96wolf Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 09:43 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 09:33 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  With UAB dropping FB, it's hard to imagine that Birmingham's Legion field will be maintained for much longer.

I'd guess the Birmingham Bowl's on borrowed time. One year more at max...

My guess would be 5 more years for Birmingham game until the next round of bowl contracts cycles through.

You realize SEC's office is in Birmingham. It would not shock me for the SEC try and create a "Neutral Site" game in Legion field every year along with the Bowl if Birmingham will fix up the stadium. I could see them work a deal with the ACC to try and have a game in Charlotte and Birmingham each year or every other year.

It'd shock me because the SEC has shown no...absolutely no...indication of doing that up to this point.

Here's the kicker to your thesis:"...if Birmingham will fix up the stadium." (1) Birmingham has shown no desire to "fix up" Legion field beyond the removal of the structurally unsound upper deck that was threatening to collapse and kill masses of people below it, and (2) I don't think Birmingham has the money to rehab the stadium (like Citrus Sports did for the Citrus Bowl), and (3) one additional game will not provide the money to do so.

As a matter of fact, one proposal over the years was to abandon Legion Field and build a brand new, inside field (like the AlamoDome) with attached convention center facilities downtown. That failed, FWIW. But it signals an intent to leave Legion field rather than invest in its restoration. Probably because, despite its historic nature, Legion Field is too expensive to restore and in a neighborhood that would be prohibitive as a commercial property.

My point is merely that nobody seems to have the will nor the ability to renovate Legion Field.

(12-05-2014 09:50 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 09:43 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 09:33 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  With UAB dropping FB, it's hard to imagine that Birmingham's Legion field will be maintained for much longer.

I'd guess the Birmingham Bowl's on borrowed time. One year more at max...

My guess would be 5 more years for Birmingham game until the next round of bowl contracts cycles through.

The facility is already in tough shape. And without UAB paying rent, I really am skeptical how even basic maintenance gets accomplished.

Can't play a game without a stadium.

They will find another stadium with the SEC signed on.

Actually a cool thing would to do what they are doing at Bristol with college football. Create the Talladega bowl and do a regular season game there as well. Just a thought.

(12-05-2014 11:25 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 06:07 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 05:46 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 04:03 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 02:36 PM)msm96wolf Wrote:  If you take Ga Southern, App St and ODU there appears to be at lest six teams that will be left home. How much money the LA Christmas bowl with the P12 vs at-large P5 and another G5 Bowl created next year?

Little Rock is in active negotiation with CUSA and MAC, both interested but neither wild about playing vs. Sun Belt (I suppose they are presuming that Arkansas State would camp out there).

Little Rock had a title sponsor lined up last year (Arkansas Rice Federation and Riceland Foods) but the contract fell apart because Little Rock wanted a post-Christmas game and ESPN wouldn't give them an agreeable date there so Sun Belt and MAC signed with ESPN owned Montgomery.

Funding is in place for Little Rock if they can get two conferences and a TV agreement. Cure signed with NBC Sports and Fox has expressed interest in picking up bowl games.

From talking to the folks involved the only way they would do the deal is if they have either Sun Belt or AAC on one side vs either MAC or CUSA. They believe the game has to have the hook of Arkansas State, Memphis, SMU, or Tulsa (he specifically stated those four) as potential host teams to be viable during the early years.

The AAC already has between 7-8 slots a year once the Cure comes on line. I don't think the AAC is an option for Little Rock. Frankly, I'm surprised they were able to sponsor the Cure. I thought a conference had to show a history of having a certain number of bowl teams before being a legitimate tie. We are adding a team, but right now we only have 5 bowl teams with a possible 6th in Temple. Last year we had 5. Granted, we won't have a full 12 teams until next year---but we don't appear to be establishing the track record to support 8 bowls.

With the dereg I think all you need now is a TV contract and two willing conferences.

But unless CUSA or MAC adds Arkansas State, I don't see Little Rock getting off the ground if neither wants to work with the Sun Belt because Little Rock wants AState and if they can't get AState they want Memphis/Tulsa/SMU.

That seems to be a consistent problem with the Sunbelt bowls. They are all seem to be preordained destinations for just one team. The G5 pool bowls might be the best thing to ever happen to the Sunbelt teams that don't have a bowl in thier backyard. Kinda feel bad for Tx St. I hope they land a bowl.

Bowl operators want to make money. They want the hospitality industry in their community happy.

GoDaddy as a rule wants champ v champ but that wasn't possible so AState with around 10k traveling trumped South Alabama the local team. New Orleans is going to take the Cajuns unless ESPN throws a fit. Cure Bowl will likely want a lot of Georgia Southern.

That's just a G5 fact of life when bowls are in your footprint and aren't fungible.

(12-06-2014 12:56 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(12-06-2014 12:23 PM)msm96wolf Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 09:43 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 09:33 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  With UAB dropping FB, it's hard to imagine that Birmingham's Legion field will be maintained for much longer.

I'd guess the Birmingham Bowl's on borrowed time. One year more at max...

My guess would be 5 more years for Birmingham game until the next round of bowl contracts cycles through.

You realize SEC's office is in Birmingham. It would not shock me for the SEC try and create a "Neutral Site" game in Legion field every year along with the Bowl if Birmingham will fix up the stadium. I could see them work a deal with the ACC to try and have a game in Charlotte and Birmingham each year or every other year.

It'd shock me because the SEC has shown no...absolutely no...indication of doing that up to this point.

Here's the kicker to your thesis:"...if Birmingham will fix up the stadium." (1) Birmingham has shown no desire to "fix up" Legion field beyond the removal of the structurally unsound upper deck that was threatening to collapse and kill masses of people below it, and (2) I don't think Birmingham has the money to rehab the stadium (like Citrus Sports did for the Citrus Bowl), and (3) one additional game will not provide the money to do so.

As a matter of fact, one proposal over the years was to abandon Legion Field and build a brand new, inside field (like the AlamoDome) with attached convention center facilities downtown. That failed, FWIW. But it signals an intent to leave Legion field rather than invest in its restoration. Probably because, despite its historic nature, Legion Field is too expensive to restore and in a neighborhood that would be prohibitive as a commercial property.

My point is merely that nobody seems to have the will nor the ability to renovate Legion Field.

From a public finance side of the house, I doubt anyone wants to lend to the City of Birmingham. Now it's the county that went bankrupt over the Sewer system and the ill-advised bonds issues to repair the system, but the City of Birmingham is in the middle of the county and the per person debt associated with the sewer system should drive up the cost of borrowing anything, let alone for a public stadium.

The sunbelt cities that "could" support a bowl with the proper facilities (stadium, parking, hotels) and do not have a bowl are Tallahassee, Raleigh, and Louisville.

The problem with Raleigh is that Carolina Hurricanes along with NC State, Duke, and UNC will be playing basketball and competing with ticket sales. Louisville is very likely to have a lot of bad weather. To me that leaves Tallahassee. However, it's easier to get to London or Paris than Tally.

A lot of ACC folks wanted the Citadel and Charleston to upgrade their stadium for a potential small bowl on the SC coast, but the Confederate Flag and the guy with the mustard barbeque derailed that.

(12-05-2014 03:48 PM)CoogNellie Wrote:  They need to relax the bowl standards to 5 wins. It's ridiculous that some 8 win MAC team gets a bowl but some 5 win SEC team has to sit at home.

You're either a master troll or you deserve one of these.

(12-05-2014 02:58 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 02:42 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 02:36 PM)msm96wolf Wrote:  If you take Ga Southern, App St and ODU there appears to be at lest six teams that will be left home. How much money the LA Christmas bowl with the P12 vs at-large P5 and another G5 Bowl created next year?

If the Christmas bowl didn't happen from the start it never will. Not unless the MW expands to 14 teams.

Actually a bowl in Texas would be necessary if the Sunbelt still has Texas St and NMSU in the conference. Texas St could start up a bowl in their stadium.

Where would this Texas Bowl be added? DFW has 3 bowls, Houston has 1, SA has 1, EP has 1.

Austin doesn't have a bowl but UTexas's 101,000 Stadium is too big for a bowlgame but Texas State's 30,000 stadium could look pretty good on TV. Our stadium is 20 minutes from downtown Austin, 45 minutes from downtown San Antonio. ESPN already has presence in Austin-metro due to LHN and we use their team ESPN and ESPN3 games throughout the season.