Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

If you read the linked article, it should have answered that question.

Well I took a look, but as you illustrate below, it was pretty stupid and didn't make a compelling point. 

The article asserts among other things that Texas fans would have preferred traveling to Orlando for the Camping World Bowl rather than to San Antonio for the Alamo Bowl.  I don't know if that's true or not, but that's what it says.

Yeah, that's problem #1, because I think it's completely untrue.  Certainly untrue among every single Longhorn fan I know in Austin, Dallas, or Houston.  Just some clickbait here.

It also asserts that Texas-Notre Dame would have been a much bigger, better game than Texas-Utah, because with the latter you get a team coming off a hugely disappointing loss and falling from a potential CFP slot to the Alamo Bowl. (Which is really on the Pac-12, as it has not negotiated any automatic participation in any bowl between the Alamo and the Rose.)  And because Texas-Notre Dame is a sexier matchup just from a helmet status if nothing else.

For TV ad revenue, Texas-Notre Dame is a better matchup than Texas-Utah.  But that's not what the Alamo Bowl promoters care about,  and from a competitive standpoint I'm not sure it would be any more interesting.  Texas would and should be a pretty heavy dog to either team.  More clickbait.

And it asserts that Iowa State-Utah would be a better game than Texas-Utah for reasons that are somewhat fuzzy in my recollection.

Well ISU beat Texas, but lost to two teams Texas beat, and still ended up with the same record, so... maybe?  Seems like a reach.

FTR, The Alamo Bowl has 1st pick of the Big 12 (and of the Pac-12) after the CPP/NY6 teams are taken.  The Camping World Bowl is next to pick from the Big 12, followed in order by the Texas Bowl, the Liberty Bowl, the Cheez-It Bowl, and the First Responder Bowl.

Comments above in red.  Overall just looks like clickbait to me.

The bowl promoters don't give a rat's ass about the TV ratings.  They get their money from the sponsors, ticket sales, stadium ad revenue and promotions, concessions, etc.  The TV revenue for the bowl games are negotiated with the conferences-- as a package-- well in advance.  Since ESPN owns almost all of the bowls now, it's really just a portfolio investment for them.  Some games will be winners, some will be losers, and overall they're making the bet they're going to come out on top.  They keep investing so I suppose it's working for them. . . .

I don't personally know a single Longhorn fan in Austin, Dallas, or Houston, that would spend the money to travel to Orlando to watch an immensely disappointing 7-5 Texas team play football.  Not even against Notre Dame.  But plenty of them would go to San Antonio.

So that part of the article, at least, is just B.S.  That's not surprising.  I was surprised to see that part asserted in the first place.  Fans will travel long distances in great numbers for various reasons.  But going to a medium bowl after a hugely disappointing season is not one of those reasons.

I do buy the argument that Texas-Notre Dame is a much more attractive game than either Texas-Utah or Iowa State-Notre Dame.  If I were running ESPN, I would care about that.  Throwaway bowl games are a dime a dozen.  Matching up two helmet teams, even in disappointing seasons (in different ways) for both of them, in a medium-tier (and presumably medium-cost) bowl is an opportunity not to be casually thrown away.  Or so it seems to me.

If I were king of ESPN, I'd have pulled every lever I had to get a better matchup in the Orange Bowl this year.  I remember that for one Orange Bowl early in this decade tickets were going for $5, and they still had a half-empty stadium.

Not just that, but outside of CFP and NY6 type bowls, the majority of attendance for most bowls comes from locals.  There are TONS of Longhorn "t-shirt fans" in San Antonio that would never bother to come to Austin for a game, but will be delighted to go see a game in their home city.  We've seen that play out every time we've been in the Alamo Bowl-- lots and lots of San Antonio locals that didn't necessarily graduate from UT but still root for the Longhorns.  That's maybe not the best thing for the local hotels and restaurants since many day-trip in (like I have twice), but the Alamo Bowl promoters are not really concerned with that-- they're worried about gate receipts, concessions, etc.

Never drive 80-90 miles to see the Horns?  Those are some T-shirt fans indeed.

guy writing the article was obviously just trying to stir the pot!

Every mainstream sports article does this.  To find prudent, educated sports articles, you have to dig deep.

Hah!

If I wanted to stir the pot to the detriment of UT, I could have found something a lot better than that article.

you sir, are a professional

yer a land thievin Boomer Sooner

It's all in the eyes of the beholder.

One man sees a pot-stirrer.

Another man sees somebody just shooting the breeze while he's whittling on his stick.

so, yer a little slow....

Bowls start tomorrow

2 pm, Bahamas Bowl, Buffalo v. Charlotte, ESPN

If I had unlimited time and money, I would probably go to the Bahamas to watch this game.  Not really based on anything of the teams, but because it seems pretty weird and cool to watch a game in the Bahamas.  In any event, Charlotte has only had football for five years, and Buffalo is making their fourth bowl appearance, and both are are looking for their first win.  BTW, if I'm looking for a head coach I'm giving Buffalo coach Lance Leipold a pretty long look.  His record in Division 3 was nearly perfect, and Buffalo has the look of a consistent winner (which is something, for Buffalo).  When Illinois cans Lovie after next season he would be a pretty solid hire.

7:30, Frisco Bowl, Utah State v. Kent State, ESPN2

Well well, Badge's favorite head coach ever, Gary Anderson, gets the Friday night football spot in Frisco, Texas.  His quarterback, Jordan Love, is being talked about as a potential first round pick, so that's interesting.  Also, he was recently cited for marijuana possession, which always makes me wonder if Utah is just a state full of narcs.  Kent State rattled off three wins at the end of the season to clinch a bowl berth.  Still, they only held one team below 20 points all season, and that was worst in FBS football Akron, so don't expect a defensive battle.