First choice for Bowl game opponent

[SpeedkingATL]

I don't understand why everyone is against the Camellia Bowl. It's the closest game to App fans, the city rolled out the red carpet to us, and the stadium while old is a good setting and a good size for our crowd. I know we went last year, but nobody seemed to mind going to Chattanooga 3 years in a row. Both cities are very similar IMO.

Some have mentioned having a designated game for the conference champ (I agree to some extend but understand why there isn't), but if that were so and we won the conference back to back years would people complain about traveling to the same city two years in a row for that game?

Not if it were to New Orleans...

+1 on both of these!

[Saint3333]

If we win the SBC I truly believe NO or DG take us.

If we don't win the SBC and USA is bowl eligible I think we're headed to the Cure.

If we don't win the SBC and GS is bowl eligible, but USA isn't then we're headed to the Camellia.

[Boone Goon]

Loved the Camilla Bowl last year! App and Montgomery did a great job. I would prefer going back even over New Orleans.

My only hope is to have a different opponent from last year.

[MtnMan09]

I don't understand why everyone is against the Camellia Bowl. It's the closest game to App fans, the city rolled out the red carpet to us, and the stadium while old is a good setting and a good size for our crowd. I know we went last year, but nobody seemed to mind going to Chattanooga 3 years in a row. Both cities are very similar IMO.

Some have mentioned having a designated game for the conference champ (I agree to some extend but understand why there isn't), but if that were so and we won the conference back to back years would people complain about traveling to the same city two years in a row for that game?

Not if it were to New Orleans...

+1 on both of these!

Bottom line if you win the conference you should automatically get the best bowl destination. It should be a reward for both the program and the fans. It should be NO. That model has worked extremely well for SEC fan bases for decades. If the SBC bowl bound teams truly are going to be confined to just the conference tie-ins or the long shot Access Bowl bid then I think they should start letting the top 3 teams choose where they want to go so it creates at least a little excitement and allure of different destinations and experiences. I understand the way the contracts are written now it allows the Bowls to pick but its something that should be discussed in the next round of negotiations.

[EastHallApp]

I don't understand why everyone is against the Camellia Bowl. It's the closest game to App fans, the city rolled out the red carpet to us, and the stadium while old is a good setting and a good size for our crowd. I know we went last year, but nobody seemed to mind going to Chattanooga 3 years in a row. Both cities are very similar IMO.

Some have mentioned having a designated game for the conference champ (I agree to some extend but understand why there isn't), but if that were so and we won the conference back to back years would people complain about traveling to the same city two years in a row for that game?

Before last year I felt like the Camellia Bowl was the worst-case scenario, between location, opponent, etc. After going, I would have no problem going back there again. Now I think worst case, at least in terms of potential attendance (besides Arizona of course) would be Mobile due to the date.

I'd be happy with NOLA, Montgomery or Orlando. If it's Mobile, it will be a good opponent and good TV slot, I just won't be able to attend.

[Yosef84]

As we can all see, the "Best" Bowl is a subjective decision. That said, I do think it's time for the Sun Belt to tighten up the bowl alignments for our conference. It makes sense to have our conference champion going to a consistent bowl with a consistent matchup. The SBC Champ should go to a strong bowl, which New Orleans fits, but I think the champ should also be matched against the champion for a rival G5 conference. Right now, the MAC is the only conference where we pull in the top team, but it's not in New Orleans. Where to send the conference champion isn't all about the destination. It's about the match up.

New Orleans should only be our ongoing championship destination if they negotiate a better matchup. Having the conference champion being matched up against the third or fourth best CUSA champion isn't much of a reward. It would be great to get the MAC champion (currently the Dollar General Bowl) consistently matched against our champ...or a matchup with the CUSA champ (currently they pick their own bowl from their tie-ins). Working that out is probably a long term goal but we do currently have a nice working arrangement with the MAC which is fine by me.

[JTApps1]

I don't understand why everyone is against the Camellia Bowl. It's the closest game to App fans, the city rolled out the red carpet to us, and the stadium while old is a good setting and a good size for our crowd. I know we went last year, but nobody seemed to mind going to Chattanooga 3 years in a row. Both cities are very similar IMO.

Some have mentioned having a designated game for the conference champ (I agree to some extend but understand why there isn't), but if that were so and we won the conference back to back years would people complain about traveling to the same city two years in a row for that game?

Not if it were to New Orleans...

+1 on both of these!

Bottom line if you win the conference you should automatically get the best bowl destination. It should be a reward for both the program and the fans. It should be NO. That model has worked extremely well for SEC fan bases for decades. If the SBC bowl bound teams truly are going to be confined to just the conference tie-ins or the long shot Access Bowl bid then I think they should start letting the top 3 teams choose where they want to go so it creates at least a little excitement and allure of different destinations and experiences. I understand the way the contracts are written now it allows the Bowls to pick but its something that should be discussed in the next round of negotiations.

Hard to compare the SBC to the SEC due to the size of the fan bases that will travel. The Sugar Bowl (or Citrus depending on CFP selections) can bank on 30,000+ fans showing up for any SEC school except Vandy. The New Orleans Bowl knows there is likely only one or two teams that will bring 15,000+ fans from the SBC. They don't want to commit to the auto-tie in knowing a team like Georgia State who can barely get 5,000 people to a home game might win the conference. I doubt we could get more than 5-7k fans to New Orleans unless it was the Sugar Bowl.

[EastHallApp]

As we can all see, the "Best" Bowl is a subjective decision. That said, I do think it's time for the Sun Belt to tighten up the bowl alignments for our conference. It makes sense to have our conference champion going to a consistent bowl with a consistent matchup. The SBC Champ should go to a strong bowl, which New Orleans fits, but I think the champ should also be matched against the champion for a rival G5 conference. Right now, the MAC is the only conference where we pull in the top team, but it's not in New Orleans. Where to send the conference champion isn't all about the destination. It's about the match up.

New Orleans should only be our ongoing championship destination if they negotiate a better matchup. Having the conference champion being matched up against the third or fourth best CUSA champion isn't much of a reward. It would be great to get the MAC champion (currently the Dollar General Bowl) consistently matched against our champ...or a matchup with the CUSA champ (currently they pick their own bowl from their tie-ins). Working that out is probably a long term goal but we do currently have a nice working arrangement with the MAC which is fine by me.

Agree. I would think part of negotiating those better tie-ins relates to payout. Right now New Orleans gets first choice in the Sun Belt, but they pay less than Mobile and far less than Orlando.

As much as the Sun Belt and MAC are tied together in bowl games and even regular season scheduling, I think it could make sense to have a Sun Belt champion vs. MAC champion guaranteed bowl game. Alternately, if Orlando could move higher on the AAC pecking order, maybe they could be that first Sun Belt tie-in.

[boonetown1]

Well if we had a tie in to a closer location (Greenville, Charlotte, etc.) we would pull 30k no doubt. I think the SBC needs to find one more geographically fit for us given we're going to be bowl eligible for a while (I hope ).

[SayYesToTheRock]

It's so bogus that the conference champion doesn't get to pick their preferred bowl.

Thanks to the New Orleans Bowl's bias for Louisiana and Arkansas, along with Mobile's clear preference for Georgia Southern over App, we're basically locked out of the Sun Belt's premier bowls and destined for Camilla or Cure from here on out.

I'll happily be proven wrong, however.

[Saint3333]

We really don't have any history to suggest the conference champion would go to the Camellia or Cure bowl. This is the Camellia Bowl's third year and Cure Bowl's second year as bowls.

The conference champions has always been selected by either the NO or at the time GoDaddy Bowl and I expect that to stay the same this year.

I hope we get to find out this year if that trend continues no matter the geography.

[SayYesToTheRock]

Even if we win the Conference, I have no real problem going back to the Camellia Bowl. Shortest drive, nice city, and it's 2 days further away from Christmas (17th) than last year (19th). Plus the name isn't cringeworthy like Dollar General Bowl. However, I think playing Ohio there again would dampen the experience. As others have said - winning the conference gets you the same result as not winning it? That was one of the chief complaints of the "Stay" crowd when we moved up to FBS. Is there any chance we could play Toledo instead of Ohio?

Also this:

The SBC needs to find a bowl more geographically fit for us given we're going to be bowl eligible for a while (I hope ).

With Georgia Southern and ourselves more than pulling our weight in the Sun Belt, there NEEDS to be a Sun Belt tie-in either in Georgia or the Carolinas. The Medal of Honor Bowl (Charleston, SC) was very close to becoming a Sun Belt tie-in before the NCAA put a moratorium on new bowls. It's a shame.

[bcoach]

I don't understand why everyone is against the Camellia Bowl. It's the closest game to App fans, the city rolled out the red carpet to us, and the stadium while old is a good setting and a good size for our crowd. I know we went last year, but nobody seemed to mind going to Chattanooga 3 years in a row. Both cities are very similar IMO.

Some have mentioned having a designated game for the conference champ (I agree to some extend but understand why there isn't), but if that were so and we won the conference back to back years would people complain about traveling to the same city two years in a row for that game?

Not if it were to New Orleans...

+1 on both of these!

Bottom line if you win the conference you should automatically get the best bowl destination. It should be a reward for both the program and the fans. It should be NO. That model has worked extremely well for SEC fan bases for decades. If the SBC bowl bound teams truly are going to be confined to just the conference tie-ins or the long shot Access Bowl bid then I think they should start letting the top 3 teams choose where they want to go so it creates at least a little excitement and allure of different destinations and experiences. I understand the way the contracts are written now it allows the Bowls to pick but its something that should be discussed in the next round of negotiations.

Although I agree I don't know how it is possible. We ( all fans ) seem to think the main intent of bowls is to reward teams for some level of performance. In fact the real reason for bowls is for the promoters to make money. That money in part comes from tickets sold. They are going to pick the teams that they feel will make them the most money. I am afraid they will always do the picking if you want them to continue to exist. Just my humble opinion.

[bcoach]

Even if we win the Conference, I have no real problem going back to the Camellia Bowl. Shortest drive, nice city, and it's 2 days further away from Christmas (17th) than last year (19th). Plus the name isn't cringeworthy like Dollar General Bowl. However, I think playing Ohio there again would dampen the experience. As others have said - winning the conference gets you the same result as not winning it? That was one of the chief complaints of the "Stay" crowd when we moved up to FBS. Is there any chance we could play Toledo instead of Ohio?

Also this:

The SBC needs to find a bowl more geographically fit for us given we're going to be bowl eligible for a while (I hope ).

With Georgia Southern and ourselves more than pulling our weight in the Sun Belt, there NEEDS to be a Sun Belt tie-in either in Georgia or the Carolinas. The Medal of Honor Bowl (Charleston, SC) was very close to becoming a Sun Belt tie-in before the NCAA put a moratorium on new bowls. It's a shame.

That would be great but I would hope it would be replacing a bowl instead of adding one. It is kind of embarrassing to brag about making a bowl when it only takes 5 wins to get there.

[huskie3]

Let NO pick ark St and then we go there to play them for SB championship

[bigdaddyg]

Latest ESPN projection has us possibly playing Akron in the Camellia Bowl? Seriously?

[Saint3333]

They aren't doing any research on the G5 bowls at this time. Give it a couple weeks.

[bigdaddyg]

They aren't doing any research on the G5 bowls at this time. Give it a couple weeks.

I know but it still gets a bit frustrating when it looks like we are so limited in destination and possible opponents