This is what many of us are concerned about.


Dec 31 1987: Texas 32, (19) Pittsburgh 27 23,282
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many of us are concerned about TopCoog's affinity for young boys.

20 yrs ago, different landscape now. Also wondering if weather was factor, guessing game was in Astro dome. Right now ther counting on FB crazy state & local team for fans, B-E is for TV ratings. If game fails you only have your self to blame & Hous lose. Instead of crying about buy 20 tickets & take friends & family, chances are it will not conflict with any Bowl Hous gets in.

Why did you start a new thread about this sorry bowl? There is another thread about this bowl that is very active and very visible. There was absolutely no reason to start this thread. Moderators ... can we have this unnecessary duplicate troll thread deleted and the comments moved to the other thread about the Lone Star Bowl that is clearly on the front page for everyone to see?

TopCoog Wrote:This is what many of us are concerned about.


Dec 31 1987: Texas 32, (19) Pittsburgh 27 23,282
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You're worried about a game that was played nearly 20 years ago!?

If no one pays attention, history has a way of repeating itself.

maybe we would have a better idea on atendance if he gave us a link to see the attendance figures for that game in same time period

Cubanbull Wrote:maybe we would have a better idea on atendance if he gave us a link to see the attendance figures for that game in same time period

Better yet, just give us the link to the attendance of that bowl over the last few years as well as during that time period.

Dec 31 1980: (13) North Carolina 16, Texas 7 36,667
Dec 31 1981: (16) Michigan 33, (19) UCLA 14 40,309
Dec 31 1982: (14) Arkansas 28, Florida 24 31,557
Dec 31 1983: Oklahoma State 24, (20) Baylor 14 50,090
Dec 31 1984: West Virginia 31, TCU 14 43,260
Dec 31 1985: (10) Air Force 24, Texas 16 42,000
Dec 31 1986: (14) Baylor 21, Colorado 9 40,476
Dec 31 1987: Texas 32, (19) Pittsburgh 27 23,282

This thread does a couple of things. Its shows that the big East will have to work hard to do well in this bowl and it also shows the weakness of college football in Houston. In the early 90's we had a top 10 team and did not draw well. A&M and texas draw 80K in Austin and college Station and yet when they play anyone in Houston over half of their own fans do not show up.

TopCoog Wrote:Dec 31 1980: (13) North Carolina 16, Texas 7 36,667
Dec 31 1981: (16) Michigan 33, (19) UCLA 14 40,309
Dec 31 1982: (14) Arkansas 28, Florida 24 31,557
Dec 31 1983: Oklahoma State 24, (20) Baylor 14 50,090
Dec 31 1984: West Virginia 31, TCU 14 43,260
Dec 31 1985: (10) Air Force 24, Texas 16 42,000
Dec 31 1986: (14) Baylor 21, Colorado 9 40,476
Dec 31 1987: Texas 32, (19) Pittsburgh 27 23,282

This thread does a couple of things. Its shows that the big East will have to work hard to do well in this bowl and it also shows the weakness of college football in Houston. In the early 90's we had a top 10 team and did not draw well. A&M and texas draw 80K in Austin and college Station and yet when they play anyone in Houston over half of their own fans do not show up.

The Astro Bluebonnet Bowl was in disarray by then--it played the 1985/86 games at Rice Stadium. Was there an icestorm that day, did UT get screwed in bowl selection and the fans rebelled?--you only give part of the story. It is more an indictment on Houston fans.

You have 5 million people in Houston Metro--either you can support a bowl or you can't.

I think you are right mark about Houston fans. Some of you guys like to rag on us down here but its a real problem. If you rebuilt the University of texas in Houston they would be drawing 20K in five years. Wheter the big east comes here in 06 or 07 they need to try to bring down at least 15K if possible. If they can do that the attendance will be at least respectable.

TopCoog Wrote:I think you are right mark about Houston fans. Some of you guys like to rag on us down here but its a real problem. If you rebuilt the University of texas in Houston they would be drawing 20K in five years. Wheter the big east comes here in 06 or 07 they need to try to bring down at least 15K if possible. If they can do that the attendance will be at least respectable.

Lemme ask you this? How many teams can travel 1500 miles by air and bring 15k? Not too many--I wouldn't expect more than 3-5k by any team but possibly Louisville (within a long day's drive) and maybe WVU.

Thats probably right. Anything over 30K is a plus for this bowl.

TexanMark Wrote:

TopCoog Wrote:I think you are right mark about Houston fans. Some of you guys like to rag on us down here but its a real problem. If you rebuilt the University of texas in Houston they would be drawing 20K in five years. Wheter the big east comes here in 06 or 07 they need to try to bring down at least 15K if possible. If they can do that the attendance will be at least respectable.

Lemme ask you this? How many teams can travel 1500 miles by air and bring 15k? Not too many--I wouldn't expect more than 3-5k by any team but possibly Louisville (within a long day's drive) and maybe WVU.

That's why the Big East isn't an ideal confernce for this bowl. Simple geography. That isn't a condemnation of the Big East. It simply is what it is.

3601 Wrote:

TexanMark Wrote:

TopCoog Wrote:I think you are right mark about Houston fans. Some of you guys like to rag on us down here but its a real problem. If you rebuilt the University of texas in Houston they would be drawing 20K in five years. Wheter the big east comes here in 06 or 07 they need to try to bring down at least 15K if possible. If they can do that the attendance will be at least respectable.

Lemme ask you this? How many teams can travel 1500 miles by air and bring 15k? Not too many--I wouldn't expect more than 3-5k by any team but possibly Louisville (within a long day's drive) and maybe WVU.

That's why the Big East isn't an ideal confernce for this bowl. Simple geography. That isn't a condemnation of the Big East. It simply is what it is.

That's right. This is a mediocre bowl game, and if the BEast plays in this calibur bowl game it should be in the east. Put a BEast team a similar bowl game in NYC or NJ and see what the attendance would be like.

TexanMark Wrote:I wouldn't expect more than 3-5k by any team but possibly Louisville (within a long day's drive) and maybe WVU.

Mountaineers always travel well. That's been well documented by bowl games that WVU attends.

bitcruncher Wrote:

3601 Wrote:

TexanMark Wrote:

TopCoog Wrote:I think you are right mark about Houston fans. Some of you guys like to rag on us down here but its a real problem. If you rebuilt the University of texas in Houston they would be drawing 20K in five years. Wheter the big east comes here in 06 or 07 they need to try to bring down at least 15K if possible. If they can do that the attendance will be at least respectable.

Lemme ask you this? How many teams can travel 1500 miles by air and bring 15k? Not too many--I wouldn't expect more than 3-5k by any team but possibly Louisville (within a long day's drive) and maybe WVU.

That's why the Big East isn't an ideal confernce for this bowl. Simple geography. That isn't a condemnation of the Big East. It simply is what it is.

That's right. This is a mediocre bowl game, and if the BEast plays in this calibur bowl game it should be in the east. Put a BEast team a similar bowl game in NYC or NJ and see what the attendance would be like.

TexanMark Wrote:I wouldn't expect more than 3-5k by any team but possibly Louisville (within a long day's drive) and maybe WVU.

Mountaineers always travel well. That's been well documented by bowl games that WVU attends.

Ok say WVU season falls apart this year--they fall to 6-6 or 7-5 and get lined up to play Baylor in Houston. Do you think they'll travel more than 5k? I don't.

TexanMark Wrote:Lemme ask you this? How many teams can travel 1500 miles by air and bring 15k? Not too many--I wouldn't expect more than 3-5k by any team but possibly Louisville (within a long day's drive) and maybe WVU.

Lou. to Houston is more than 1,000 miles. That's a LONG day's drive!

---------------------

As for the Houston Bowl in general, even Coog admits here that previous Houston bowls (on multiple occasions) have failed and this one might, for one reason. Because the city doesn't support college football, not because of who is playing.

I would have to disagree with your attendance figures on that game.

Attendance: 33,122 http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/p...7blue.html

Pittsburgh
7
0
7
13
27

Texas
14
3
3
12
32


And I certainly wouldn't put the onus on Pitt. Anytime Texas can't draw over 50,000 in Texas, one knows there's a problem. In the case of the 1987 season, the Longhorns were coming off a losing season which got Akers fired. They had high hopes for their new coach and a potential Heisman hopeful in Metcalf. The 1987 season started off bad, losing the first 2 to Auburn and BYU. The Horns would go on to lose to OKLA, HOUSTON, AND A&M, despite the fact that they had a talented team. Anyone who lives in Texas knows that the Horns can't lose to those last 3 teams and have good fan backing.

Texas had been getting worse since 1983 and they didn't have near the support thay have now. The bowl itself was also in trouble with a trend of declining support and attendance, finding itself without a sponsor.

In short, the bowl's failure can not be attributed to the appearance of a BIGEAST team. Anytime, UT or A&M can't sell out a bowl in Texas, the eyes have to be on the state of Texas for the shortcoming.

Jim