Bowl Game rankings by Entertainment...conspiracy

[mike87]

If the Sun Belt is trying to improve their bowl tie-ins, one way not to do it is by pulling your premier team and placing them in a non-affiliated bowl. That one year wind-fall could jeopardize some pending multi-year contracts. We are in a good bowl. NOLA is fun and UAB is a good match-up. They will be as much fun to beat as VT would be.

I'm not sure I understand your premise here. "If a conference member is placed in a larger bowl venue, the conference will not benefit in future negotiations for tie-ins". I'd add a second qualifier here to disprove this and that would be, "if a conference member is placed in a larger bowl and 30,000 fans buy tickets and are in their seats, the conference WILL benefit in future negotiations". What you're neglecting in your view is that Louisiana would've brought more fans on their own than App or UAB will bring collectively to NOLA. If NOLA could've chosen Louisiana Tech to play Louisiana, they may get 45,000 people there. If App is in Belk against Virginia Tech, you're talking 60,000 people.

You also make the assumption that the Sun Belt shorts the Arizona Bowl. An Arizona bowl where a team with poor attendance at home, three time zones away (during summer), is tasked with playing. We are dropping the Arizona Bowl tie-in after 2019 anyway, I believe.

In short, nothing about this situation would've hurt the Sun Belt and would've only helped to serve notice that yes, we do show well for games within driving distance. App filled the Cramton Bowl. App filled Ladd-Peeble. App would've filled Bank of America. If you're looking for games with better tie-ins, especially regionally, that is the best way to do it. You want relatively local bowls saying, "how do we get App State here?". In this situation, you had ESPN, the Sun Belt, the Belk Bowl, and most likely NOLA all trying to pull strings to get the switch. Why? Butts...in....seats. Eyeballs...on...TV

I hear what you’re saying but if I’m a bowl site in negotiations with the league for future tie ins, say for the #2 best team. I’d want to feel secure in getting that #2. I don’t want a track record of the league pulling for any better bowl that comes along.

[AppyVanWinkle]

How the heck does the LendingTree (Mobile) Bowl end up with a payout nearly twice as large as the New Orleans Bowl?

I get that the corporate title sponsor plays a part, but payout is what many use as a rule of thumb when judging bowl "prestige". One would think the Sun Belt would want their premier bowl tie-in (which the conference champ is apparently locked into) to have the highest payout.

2019 bowl payouts: http://www.collegefootballpoll.com/bowl-schedule/2019/

[appstatealum]

How the heck does the LendingTree (Mobile) Bowl end up with a payout nearly twice as large as the New Orleans Bowl?

I get that the corporate title sponsor plays a part, but payout is what many use as a rule of thumb when judging bowl "prestige". One would think the Sun Belt would want their premier bowl tie-in (which the conference champ is apparently locked into) to have the highest payout.

2019 bowl payouts: http://www.collegefootballpoll.com/bowl-schedule/2019/

They just lend you the extra payout money, you have to pay it back at 8.5% interest.

[Rick83]

Do the schools that play in the bowls split those payouts or does the conference get it and it then becomes part of the equal revenue sharing distributions among all of the member schools?

[ericsaid]

If the Sun Belt is trying to improve their bowl tie-ins, one way not to do it is by pulling your premier team and placing them in a non-affiliated bowl. That one year wind-fall could jeopardize some pending multi-year contracts. We are in a good bowl. NOLA is fun and UAB is a good match-up. They will be as much fun to beat as VT would be.

I'm not sure I understand your premise here. "If a conference member is placed in a larger bowl venue, the conference will not benefit in future negotiations for tie-ins". I'd add a second qualifier here to disprove this and that would be, "if a conference member is placed in a larger bowl and 30,000 fans buy tickets and are in their seats, the conference WILL benefit in future negotiations". What you're neglecting in your view is that Louisiana would've brought more fans on their own than App or UAB will bring collectively to NOLA. If NOLA could've chosen Louisiana Tech to play Louisiana, they may get 45,000 people there. If App is in Belk against Virginia Tech, you're talking 60,000 people.

You also make the assumption that the Sun Belt shorts the Arizona Bowl. An Arizona bowl where a team with poor attendance at home, three time zones away (during summer), is tasked with playing. We are dropping the Arizona Bowl tie-in after 2019 anyway, I believe.

In short, nothing about this situation would've hurt the Sun Belt and would've only helped to serve notice that yes, we do show well for games within driving distance. App filled the Cramton Bowl. App filled Ladd-Peeble. App would've filled Bank of America. If you're looking for games with better tie-ins, especially regionally, that is the best way to do it. You want relatively local bowls saying, "how do we get App State here?". In this situation, you had ESPN, the Sun Belt, the Belk Bowl, and most likely NOLA all trying to pull strings to get the switch. Why? Butts...in....seats. Eyeballs...on...TV

I hear what you’re saying but if I’m a bowl site in negotiations with the league for future tie ins, say for the #2 best team. I’d want to feel secure in getting that #2. I don’t want a track record of the league pulling for any better bowl that comes along.

I understand your concerns. However the Belk Bowl would've been better for all parties involved, including both bowls, the conference, ESPN, etc. This would've been a situation where it makes sense. Much of bowl selection for G5 teams has to do with geography. P5 teams with big pockets will push for Florida because they recruit hard there and it's usually a decent destination.

App having the ability to play in Charlotte is similar to Louisiana getting New Orleans. I doubt App being flexed would've impacted negotiations in a negative way.

[AppSt12]

If the Sun Belt is trying to improve their bowl tie-ins, one way not to do it is by pulling your premier team and placing them in a non-affiliated bowl. That one year wind-fall could jeopardize some pending multi-year contracts. We are in a good bowl. NOLA is fun and UAB is a good match-up. They will be as much fun to beat as VT would be.

I liked your optimism....then you said beating UAB would be as much fun as beating VT. Ouch. Not even close. Not even close. You just compared beating UAB in an empty New Orleans Bowl to beating VT in an absolutely wild Belk Bowl.

[goapps93]

I would just about guarantee VT fans would be appalled if we would have been selected for the Belk Bowl. And to the point that many wouldn't have attended.

[ericsaid]

I would just about guarantee VT fans would be appalled if we would have been selected for the Belk Bowl. And to the point that many wouldn't have attended.

Their fans travel well regardless of opponent. Given the way their season started out, I doubt they would've cared much.

Also not sure what use complaining about playing a team ranked 20th would be.

[mike87]

If the Sun Belt is trying to improve their bowl tie-ins, one way not to do it is by pulling your premier team and placing them in a non-affiliated bowl. That one year wind-fall could jeopardize some pending multi-year contracts. We are in a good bowl. NOLA is fun and UAB is a good match-up. They will be as much fun to beat as VT would be.

I liked your optimism....then you said beating UAB would be as much fun as beating VT. Ouch. Not even close. Not even close. You just compared beating UAB in an empty New Orleans Bowl to beating VT in an absolutely wild Belk Bowl.

Belk Bowl would have been great, no doubt. But I don’t get the disrespect of our conferences best bowl. I had a great time there last year. Our side wasn’t empty and it was rocking. I plan to have a great time there again this year. Come on down to the big easy and see. NOLA >Charlotte. I went to the Belk bowl several years back. It was OK.

[dtrain4prez]

I would just about guarantee VT fans would be appalled if we would have been selected for the Belk Bowl. And to the point that many wouldn't have attended.

No way. We are ranked higher than them in the CFP. Saying they would be "appalled" is not realistic. VT vs App State would have drawn 70,000+ and been a great game for all parties involved.

[fjblair]

I would just about guarantee VT fans would be appalled if we would have been selected for the Belk Bowl. And to the point that many wouldn't have attended.

Their fans travel well regardless of opponent. Given the way their season started out, I doubt they would've cared much.

Also not sure what use complaining about playing a team ranked 20th would be.

Right on, playing a higher ranked team is such an outrage, lol.

[goapps93]

I would just about guarantee VT fans would be appalled if we would have been selected for the Belk Bowl. And to the point that many wouldn't have attended.

Their fans travel well regardless of opponent. Given the way their season started out, I doubt they would've cared much.

Also not sure what use complaining about playing a team ranked 20th would be.

Right on, playing a higher ranked team is such an outrage, lol.

Ok, so the ACC runner-up would be excited about playing the lowly Sun Belt champion instead of an SEC team. Reality is they, like many other P5 lovers, don't respect the Sunbelt, ranked or not.

[AppinVA]

I would just about guarantee VT fans would be appalled if we would have been selected for the Belk Bowl. And to the point that many wouldn't have attended.

Their fans travel well regardless of opponent. Given the way their season started out, I doubt they would've cared much.

Also not sure what use complaining about playing a team ranked 20th would be.

Right on, playing a higher ranked team is such an outrage, lol.

Ok, so the ACC runner-up would be excited about playing the lowly Sun Belt champion instead of an SEC team. Reality is they, like many other P5 lovers, don't respect the Sunbelt, ranked or not.

Virginia was the ACC runner-up, not Tech.

[AppSt12]

If the Sun Belt is trying to improve their bowl tie-ins, one way not to do it is by pulling your premier team and placing them in a non-affiliated bowl. That one year wind-fall could jeopardize some pending multi-year contracts. We are in a good bowl. NOLA is fun and UAB is a good match-up. They will be as much fun to beat as VT would be.

I liked your optimism....then you said beating UAB would be as much fun as beating VT. Ouch. Not even close. Not even close. You just compared beating UAB in an empty New Orleans Bowl to beating VT in an absolutely wild Belk Bowl.

Belk Bowl would have been great, no doubt. But I don’t get the disrespect of our conferences best bowl. I had a great time there last year. Our side wasn’t empty and it was rocking. I plan to have a great time there again this year. Come on down to the big easy and see. NOLA >Charlotte. I went to the Belk bowl several years back. It was OK.

Because bowls are rewards, provide national exposure and hopefully an exciting opponent. Nobody cares if it's in New Orleans. Would you rather play ETSU in New Orleans or Oregon in New Hampshire. The opponent and national exposure make the game. Is the Fiesta Bowl worse than the Pinstripe bowl because it's in a worse city? No. Irrelevant. It comes down to UAB vs ACC opponent. ACC opponent is unequivocally preferred.

[AppSt12]

I would just about guarantee VT fans would be appalled if we would have been selected for the Belk Bowl. And to the point that many wouldn't have attended.

1. No evidence of that, you made that up.

2. We are App fans. We discuss what we feel our team deserved based on accomplishments. The last concern should be 'does the other team want to play us?' If we want to only play opponents who are star struck by us then we should stay in FCS.

[AppStFan1]

I'm thinking ESPN was making a push for App to the Belk Bowl. We know App fans were all over the Belk Bowl Twitter account so it would be pretty obvious but based on the final regular season projection by Bonagura, these comments, the lack of pre-ordering for the Bowl Game, the SBC Championship game not announcing the winner to NOLA, etc. etc. tells me that there was some serious heat about this.

Oh there totally was. That's why Belk Bowl delayed announcing their SEC team until like 5 hours after VT.

SunBelt wouldn't budge.

I know some said the SBC commissioner would likely push for it because it would be good for the league and it would make sense but I never got the sense that our league truly wanted it. I would bet they would rather Troy or Louisiana be the team to get an opportunity for a bigger bowl and not us. The league office does not pull for us at all. I'm pretty sure of that.

[Rekdiver]

It would have been fun to finally play VaTech.....

[ericsaid]

I'm thinking ESPN was making a push for App to the Belk Bowl. We know App fans were all over the Belk Bowl Twitter account so it would be pretty obvious but based on the final regular season projection by Bonagura, these comments, the lack of pre-ordering for the Bowl Game, the SBC Championship game not announcing the winner to NOLA, etc. etc. tells me that there was some serious heat about this.

Oh there totally was. That's why Belk Bowl delayed announcing their SEC team until like 5 hours after VT.

SunBelt wouldn't budge.

I know some said the SBC commissioner would likely push for it because it would be good for the league and it would make sense but I never got the sense that our league truly wanted it. They wanted us to face the CUSA because they feel much better about us beating a team like UAB. I also would bet they would rather Troy or Louisiana be the team to get in the Belk Bowl and not us. The league office does not pull for us at all. I'm pretty sure of that.

Why would the league office desire Troy or Louisiana in the Belk Bowl over App? That makes no sense, at all.

The league and all member schools stood to make more money from App in Belk and dropping Arizona for multiple reasons. The payouts from bowls are collected by the conference and dispursed to member schools after debts are accounted for.

Louisiana to New Orleans and App to Charlotte while dropping travel to Arizona would drop travel expenses. Increasing your bowl payout from Arizona against the Belk would also increase the margins. This was a situation where the league had a chance to reduce expenses (most direct impact to bottom line) and increase revenue. Rarely in a business do you get the opportunity to do both of these things as costs and revenue are generally positively correlated.

I highly doubt the league office cares who goes where in this type of situation.

[ericsaid]

It would have been fun to finally play VaTech.....

Had a dream in 2011 that App played Tech. Was happy to wake up and realize that's all it was.

[hapapp]

It would have been fun to finally play VaTech.....

Had a dream in 2011 that App played Tech. Was happy to wake up and realize that's all it was.

Actually, it was a nightmare.