Bowl Projections

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aeroclone

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Oct 30, 2006
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I went to High School in Orlando. We used to wear board shorts, t-shirts and flip flops to school and skip to go to the beach after 2nd period (Mr. Davis gave bonus points for perfect attendance). Of course, that was in May and June. December in Orlando can dip down into the 60s and 70s and get down right cold!

Cold compared to what though? A quick Google tells me average Orlando temperatures in December are 6 to 8 degrees warmer than Phoenix, New Orleans, or San Antonio. Our Camping World trip notwithstanding, Orlando on average is the warmest B12 bowl destination.

Best weather, affordable flights and hotels, world class theme parks, you can drive to the beach if that is your thing. I'm always up for a trip to Orlando in the winter.
 

jctisu

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Jun 11, 2017
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Cheese-it and above are usually solid options. That said bowl tie-ins are dumb. Done right no fans would ever be going back to the same bowl within 5 years, unless going to the playoffs frequently.
So much this! If any of these bowls want even a prayer of surviving they need to all get on board with a draft system where there are no conference tie-ins. That way you will get new and fresh matchups and fans coming to your city. Feels like certain teams rotate between the same two bowls every year.

You would have to tier the bowls like you do now, but other than CFP matchups I would even have the NY6 not have tie ins (Rose would never go for it though). If you are a P5 champion NOT in the playoff you have to be selected by a NY6 bowl, but you don't know which one. Same with the rest of the bowls after the NY6. Put the Alamo, Citrus, etc. in one pot and they pick next from the remaining 2nd-place and 3rd-place finishers of any conference they want.

It would have to be more structured than this, but that's the general idea. I am sure Iowa fans would gladly swap going to the Outback Bowl for the 8th time in 12 years (or whatever it is) for something else. Even a simple switch of a city like Memphis (Liberty) for Nashville (Music City) if you are Iowa State is something different even if in the same state of Tennessee.
 

cyclones500

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So much this! If any of these bowls want even a prayer of surviving they need to all get on board with a draft system where there are no conference tie-ins. That way you will get new and fresh matchups and fans coming to your city. Feels like certain teams rotate between the same two bowls every year. (etc)

Agree with most of your assessment. I've thought for quite some time the bowl selection should be based MOSTLY on how teams ranked after the playoff field and the NY6 is set, using the CFP ranking (which could extend below 25th for bowl purposes).

For example, in current 4-team format + 8 NY6 (or so) ... then 13 vs. 14, 15 vs. 16 (with exception of the "NY6 G5 guarantee)

There would be some exceptions -- avoiding regular season rematches/intraconference matchups; striving to avoid back-to-back appearances in a specific bowl.

The number of bowl slots available to leagues could remain intact, for the most part, and there should be a balance among P5's for "overall bowl quality," but it doesn't lock it in for years on end.
 
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IASTATE07

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I'm not opposed to Orlando, but that stadium and area was dumpy.
 
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Hoggins

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Pay $250 per person to go to Disney world, other than that, what else is there?

Beach is an easy drive. Kennedy Space Center is amazing. Golf. Magic game to see ISU NBA players. Drink around the world at Epcot.

If you can’t enjoy Orlando, you likely suck
 

RonBurgundy

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We brought our two teenage daughters and stayed an extra four days for Disney, etc. A few of us dads drove to Tampa Bay one night and caught a Lightning game that was a lot of fun. Except for the game day weather and the poor play of our team, the Orlando trip was B+.

I would love to either win the CCG and get the Sugar in New Orleans, or finish second and have OU go to the CFP, also a path to New Orleans.
 

cyIclSoneU

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Apr 7, 2016
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If we aren't going to a NY6 then Clemson in Orlando is about as good as it gets. I suppose the best non-NY6 would be another crack at the Alamo Bowl, but playing this Clemson team would be fun too.

I think my realistic best case scenario here is Kentucky in the Sugar Bowl.
 
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BeneventiCy28

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I went to the camping world bowl. It's fine. Give me Orlando over Memphis any time. I've been there twice and had a WAAAAY better time in Orlando.
I’ll never forget sitting on the patio of a bar in late December in Orlando in a t shirt and shorts in 82 degree weather. Sure the game was rainy and not super warm, but Orlando is nowhere near a bad destination. Sucks it’s such a sprawling city so there is no focal point for fans to stay and invade (like power and light for basketball or river walk in San Antonio), but saying Orlando is a bad destination around Christmas is crazy talk. Weather can be a crapshoot anywhere in winter time, but I’m biased because I live Florida. Still a lot of season left to play so we’ll see how the guys finish and hopefully we’re all booking hotels to New Orleans when all is said and done. Bowl trips are fantastic
 

cyfanatic13

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I hope we get to a Sugar Bowl soon. ISU fans would take over New Orleans
 
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JStanz51

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This is a weird take to me. @JStanz51 agrees though (according to his twitter account). I haven't been to Orlando in about 15 years, but what happened to it that makes it so horrible? Last I checked there were palm trees, golf courses and disney world...

In fairness, I was there for probably twice as long as most Iowa Staters when we went for the Camping World so I had more time to develop a dislike and get tired of it. Spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day there basically by myself 90-95% of the time because I was the only media guy in the area we stayed while everyone else stayed downtown. The highlight was having Christmas dinner at a tiny dive bar that I could probably never find again with Randy Peterson, Alex Halsted and Dylan Montz. Went to Universal the day after Christmas and went on one ride in the almost 10 hours we were there because the lines were so insane but the admission price (which was already well over $200) would have doubled if I'd gotten the fast pass. That experience soured me. As a whole, the entire city just felt really fake and lacked character. Too much of a tourist trap for my liking but that's why I'm not a huge Vegas guy either. I have nothing against the folks in Orlando. Most of the natives I met were really, really nice. I just think their city sucks.
 

Hoggins

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Everyone talking about the Sugar Bowl, but I did see Orange Bowl reps walking around Vegas. Let’s do that
 
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drmwevr08

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Nov 25, 2006
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I've never been to Orlando, but live in Phoenix. I'm curious as to why anyone thinks PHX is far superior to Orlando?
Anyway, I wasn't really crapping on the bowl (didn't even know it had changed) but rather the silly sponsor and the opponent, who, if you listen to folks could start losing a lot of games any time now anyway. Clemson at least sounds good. Just win though and let the rest work itself out!