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SjT: "Home Bowls" Not to Homey?

For Purple Reign
Posted Dec 26, 2008
SjT

In this overstuffed Christmas stocking of coal, er bowl games, I thought I'd look at how the home teams are doing....

Despite the ESPN company line of reason #872 that we should love the bowls being that they are neutral sites and ways to determine conference supremacy (SEC! SEC! SEC! Ah go choke on it and call me when you venture outside Dixie for a game!:) ) ... there seem to be a LOT of home bowl games this year, more than usual.

It's interesting in a couple respects (these half-empty bowl games on TV for one), but for NU fans, we always hear that we're passed over because the Citrus committee or Outback folk want someone who will "fill the hotel rooms" in addition to the stands. So going with a home team is a bit of a risk since they only fill one of those.

Anyway, the 2008 home bowls ...

  • NAVY in Eagle Bowl: Home team lost, attendance 28,777
  • SOUTH FLORIDA in St. Pete Bowl: Win / 25,205 in the stands
  • SOUTHERN MISS in New Orleans Bowl: Win / 30,197 in attendance
  • HAWAII in Hawaii Bowl: Loss / 43,487 officially (a bit generous?)

The non-home bowls aren't doing so well either (34,628 in San Diego for the only decent bowl game so far with Boise State and TCU?), but these are stadiums well more than half empty (except Hawaii, which was just about half empty - for Notre frickin' Dame, mother of all bowl draws if you listen to TV folk) for HOME games.

Other home bowls coming up (all of 'em this weekend!) ...

  • CENTRAL MICHIGAN in the Motor City Bowl
  • NORTH CAROLINA in the Carcare Bowl (may still be outnumbered by WV fans)
  • FLORIDA STATE in the Champpppps Bowl
  • CALIFORNIA in the Walnut Bowl
  • LA TECH in the Independence Bowl
  • RICE in the Texas Bowl
  • VANDERBILT in the Music City Bowl
  • GEORGIA TECH in the Peach Bowl (no home date for the title for LSU this year, and they actually have to go on the road ... a bit)
  • USC in the Rose Bowl (yet again)
  • TEXAS TECH in the Cotton Bowl (a bit of a stretch given the size of Texas)
  • BUFFALO in the International Bowl (hey, if it's home for the Bills ...)
  • FLORIDA in the "Title" Bowl (yet again, a virtual home date for the top prize)

No place like home for the holidays in the grand tradition of bowls, eh?

GO CATS!!!

-SjT


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All Items Copyright 2008 byStephen J. Truog and PurpleWildcats/Purple Reign


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