December 8, 201411 yr I think it comes down to $$$. Gaylord Entertainment sponsored the Music City Bowl in their first few years. Franklin American Mortgage Company signed on for a four-year deal to sponsor the bowl from 2010-13. However, the ACC has sent Wake Forest, NC State, and North Carolina to Nashville to face Ole Miss, Vandy, and Tennessee. Not exactly sexy matchups. This year, FAMC re-upped as bowl sponsor for six years and moved up the bowl ladder to secure either an ACC team or Big Ten team. I'm guessing the Music City Bowl people saw a chance to snag Notre Dame and jumped at the chance. I don't think it had anything to do with matchups between SEC and ACC. Nashville is in the middle of a sports period where they hosted the Women's Final Four this year, locked up the SEC men's basketball tournament for 12 straight years, building a new downtown baseball stadium for their AAA team, and will host the 2016 NHL All-Star Game. I think they wanted to add Notre Dame to their bowl to boost their sports business resume. It doesn't matter the W-L record, Notre Dame football is still Notre Dame football and offers a larger regional draw than Louisville does, despite the Cards being three hours up I-65. Bowl people can also secure more secondary sponsors with ND than Louisville. This was a much complex decision to take Notre Dame over Louisville than Xs and Os. Change regional to national, and I 100% agree with you. BTW, I had not heard about the downtown baseball stadium. Where about is it supposed to be built?
December 8, 201411 yr Getslow it is kind of funny how you called these glorified exhibitions which I agree with. I was telling someone the other day, college football is the most ridiculous sport out there. You play 12 games to play a 13th in most cases. How does that make sense to anyone? On the other hand, bowl season is a great time of year, and I do love all the different match ups you don't normally see.
December 8, 201411 yr Change regional to national, and I 100% agree with you. BTW, I had not heard about the downtown baseball stadium. Where about is it supposed to be built? First Tennessee Park is scheduled to open in the Spring. It is located about four blocks to the east of Municipal Stadium downtown at the site of Sulpher Dell, an old ballpark that housed Nashville minor league baseball until 1969. And yes, the large guitar scoreboard will be duplicated at the new venue which will be home to the Oakland A's triple-A team.
December 8, 201411 yr I think it comes down to $$$. Gaylord Entertainment sponsored the Music City Bowl in their first few years. Franklin American Mortgage Company signed on for a four-year deal to sponsor the bowl from 2010-13. However, the ACC has sent Wake Forest, NC State, and North Carolina to Nashville to face Ole Miss, Vandy, and Tennessee. Not exactly sexy matchups. This year, FAMC re-upped as bowl sponsor for six years and moved up the bowl ladder to secure either an ACC team or Big Ten team. I'm guessing the Music City Bowl people saw a chance to snag Notre Dame and jumped at the chance. I don't think it had anything to do with matchups between SEC and ACC. Nashville is in the middle of a sports period where they hosted the Women's Final Four this year, locked up the SEC men's basketball tournament for 12 straight years, building a new downtown baseball stadium for their AAA team, and will host the 2016 NHL All-Star Game. I think they wanted to add Notre Dame to their bowl to boost their sports business resume. It doesn't matter the W-L record, Notre Dame football is still Notre Dame football and offers a larger regional draw than Louisville does, despite the Cards being three hours up I-65. Bowl people can also secure more secondary sponsors with ND than Louisville. This was a much complex decision to take Notre Dame over Louisville than Xs and Os. Do you know if Nashville got the Frozen Four? They were bidding on it recently I remember.
December 8, 201411 yr Do you know if Nashville got the Frozen Four? They were bidding on it recently I remember. They did not. 2015: Boston 2016: Tampa Bay 2017: Chicago 2018: St. Paul
December 8, 201411 yr Based on reading various things here is what I think: LSU is a good name for the Music City Bowl, however they did not want to play a team that is really close to Nashville that would draw boatloads of fans. Easy decision for Music City Bowl folks since they could snag ND giving LSU a "bigger name" match up as well as not someone that is just 3 hours away. My opinion is that LSU was not fearing Lousville the team but did not like the potential fan differential in proximity. Belk Bowl sees Georgia the #13 team in the country available on the board and then gets to match a pretty good Louisville team against them. Belk Bowl is a real winner here getting Georgia and UL although from a name recognition Georgia/ND might have drawn more TV interest.
December 8, 201411 yr Based on reading various things here is what I think: LSU is a good name for the Music City Bowl, however they did not want to play a team that is really close to Nashville that would draw boatloads of fans. Easy decision for Music City Bowl folks since they could snag ND giving LSU a "bigger name" match up as well as not someone that is just 3 hours away. My opinion is that LSU was not fearing Lousville the team but did not like the potential fan differential in proximity. Belk Bowl sees Georgia the #13 team in the country available on the board and then gets to match a pretty good Louisville team against them. Belk Bowl is a real winner here getting Georgia and UL although from a name recognition Georgia/ND might have drawn more TV interest. The end result is why it's tough for me to get worked up about all this (aside from my normal level of worked up about why we bother having bowl games at all). Everything worked out to the Belk Bowl almost certainly having the best matchup (No. 20 Louisville and No. 13 Georgia) of any game before New Year's Eve and among the best bowl games outside the New Year's Six. The Outback Bowl (No. 19 Auburn and No. 18 Wisconsin) and the Alamo Bowl (No. 11 Kansas State and No. 14 UCLA) are the other two I'd put on the short list.
December 8, 201411 yr I would love to see a breakdown of what each player gets from the bowl games and the money gotten vs money spent. IF schools are making money and players getting some nice gifts well I am all for that. But if you are losing money and you are getting a watch and a pair of headphones....well................
December 8, 201411 yr I would love to see a breakdown of what each player gets from the bowl games and the money gotten vs money spent. IF schools are making money and players getting some nice gifts well I am all for that. But if you are losing money and you are getting a watch and a pair of headphones....well................ Players SWAG list normally comes out a little closer to the games. The $$$ amount of gifts is limited so they get maybe one great item or a bunch of decent ones.
December 8, 201411 yr Players SWAG list normally comes out a little closer to the games. The $$$ amount of gifts is limited so they get maybe one great item or a bunch of decent ones. Thats cool I will have to be watching for that list. Is there anywhere that lists the payouts to the schools and school expenses?
December 8, 201411 yr Then just explain it to me... It was reported that the hang up for LSU going to Nashville was the opponent (Louisville was projected to Nashville). Louisville gets moved, LSU goes to Nashville vs Notre Dame. That's just a coincidence? Nothing to see here? nku stated why, at least that's what I think. LSU would have been on the hook for all of their allotted tickets because they wouldn't have traveled to see a game vs Louisville.
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