CFB51 College Football Fan Community
The Power Four => Big Ten => Topic started by: SFBadger96 on August 18, 2025, 01:29:12 PM
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The games you are going to thread got me thinking: what stadiums have you seen a game in, and what was your impression (in 10 words or less)?
1) Camp Randall: loud, fun, students border on obnoxious.
2) Stanford: (a) old: cavernous and sparsely populated; (b) new: nice atmosphere for fans of opposing teams.
3) San Jose State: small.
4) Cal: Pac-whatever football is not Big Ten football, but a decent effort.
5) Rose Bowl: home game for Wisconsin. Amazing atmosphere and tradition.
6) Fresno State: small, but enthusiastic.
7) UNLV: Power 5 programs should never lose to non-power 5 programs.
8) Air Force Academy: cool spot next to the mountains.
9) UTEP: decent backdrop in the high desert, mediocre football (see UNLV).
10) Metrodome (UMN): stale, aging badly, weird (this was 1993).
11) Notre Dame: (a) old: classic, smallish, fired up, but friendly; (b) new: still classic, a little corporate, still fired up, still friendly.
12) Ohio State: cool facade, great atmosphere and tradition, steep.
13) Penn State: Giant; architecturally basic, rabid fans. (Was fun shutting them up.)
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1993 in the Metrodump had to have been super-shitty.
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I saw a Vikings game in the Metrodump in 1994. It was pretty shitty.
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The Badgers lost one f'ing game in 1993, and it had to be to that shitbag team.
Still pissed, 32 years later.
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It was. Started with a poor stadium, ended with a bazillion INTs.
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E-W:
- SHI Stadium (Rutgers): small but fun and friendly, this was right after they joined
- SECU Stadium (Maryland): small but fun, they are REALLY proud of Alum Jim Henson
- Beaver Stadium: loud and feels much larger than tOSU or M because that upper section towers, looks like an erector set
- Ohio Stadium: huge and loud
- Michigan Stadium (before renovation/addition) the world's quietest 100,000 people - partially this was that the home team lost but a lot of it was architectural
- Spartan Stadium: small but spirited especially giving them credit for the fact that it was a terrible year for them
- Memorial Stadium (Indiana): more tailgates than actual fans, when does BB season start?
- Ross-Aide: smallish but spirited
- Ryan Field: looked like a HS Stadium
- Memorial Stadium (Illinois): 🥶 🧊 ☃️ COLD 🥶 I was there for a late season game in a cold snap
- Camp Randall: great atmosphere, loved jump around
- Kinnick Stadium: loved the Kinnick Statue and story, friendly fans, great time
- TCF Bank (then name of Minnesota's brand new stadium): Sparkling new (we went the first or second year), great time
- Memorial Stadium (Nebraska): friendly and knowledgeable fans, great host (thanks again @FearlessF (https://www.cfb51.com/index.php?action=profile;u=10) ), lots of tradition
- Rose Bowl (1997 tOSU V ASU): spectacular setting, so much tradition, history, and pagentry
Outside of the B1G
- Lane Stadium (VaTech): highly recommended, great setting, environment, and GameDay experience, Enterent Sandman Stadium entrance is cool
- Hard Rock Stadium (Orange Bowl): very bland
- Superdome (Sugar Bowl): NOLA should host all bowls
- Sun Devil Stadium: awesome college environment
- University of Phoenix Stadium (former name of PHX NFL Stadium, Fiesta Bowl): more bland than Hard Rock
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1. UGA Sanford Stadium, situated E-W which is fairly rare.
2. Kentucky - Nice stadium, for visiting teams.
3. Cincinnati - Surprisingly loud for such a small venue.
4. Neyland - Surprisingly loud for such a large venue.
5. MB Stadium - Weird, but cheap hotdogs.
6. Ole Miss - Nice stadium, nice tailgating, not so nice for the visiting team that day.
7. Wisconsin - Nice stadium.
8. Georgia Tech - Really old stadium, interesting siting. I hear they did some upgrades.
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- Beaver Stadium: loud and feels much larger than tOSU or M because that upper section towers, looks like an erector set
Perfectly described. I was thinking of how to describe it, but couldn't come up with it. You nailed it.
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Perfectly described. I was thinking of how to describe it, but couldn't come up with it. You nailed it.
That is compliments of my late father. When we walked up to it, my dad said "That looks like an Erector Set".
(https://i.imgur.com/ptaUy9w.png)
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That was my first thought too. I played with a lot of erectors as a kid.
(https://i.imgur.com/DNpfK31.jpeg)
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Yes, the Metro-Bowel of Horrors was every bit as shitty as advertised.
https://youtu.be/RJnQB1pG_YM?si=jxrgNI1HpEWYT0Bw
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well, I can't really remember all the different stadiums and especially can't remember many details
all stadiums are similar to me, a seat with a view of the field
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I haven’t been to very many.
WVU- Unremarkable. At 60k it isn’t big but it isn’t small. Nothing from an architecture perspective stands out to me. It can have a good atmosphere for big games but most stadiums do. It isn’t consistently loud though.
VT- Loud. Really good atmosphere. Enter Sandman is really cool. Good place to watch a game.
Cincinnati- small, but surprisingly loud. Holds 35k but it was packed when I was there and I thought it had a good atmosphere.
Tennessee- big, and high. The height and steepness stood out to me. I wasn’t blown away by the noise for as many people as were there though. But both games I attended were day games against opponents UT was pretty heavily favored against. Cool venue though
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The Swamp - home....architecture helps with the noise, the north end zone being finished as Spurrier arrived. I like the unique triangles in each corner....the expanded pressbox structure was done well.
Neyland - big and loud...i think they have a brick facade now, but back then it was all khaki painted metal...odd color choice imo
Jordan-Hare & Tiger Stadium - same basic architecture, both Tigers....both loud. Saw AU upset #1 Florida and the fans stormed the field. We blew out LSU and a drunk dude stole my afro wig after a tug-of-war with my friend
Jax Altell Everbank Whatever the Hell it's called WLOCP - great 1/2 and 1/2 seating of rivals, no open-carry drink rules, good times on the St. John's.
Sun Devil Stadium after the renno....it's nice-looking, but western people don't get loud or risk passing out for their team, so it's kinda ho-hum. Looks better than it used to, but at the expense of maybe 10K seats or so.
Williams-Brice - big, full and loud, even if they're not good. They get in a bad mood if your team starts to smoke 'em. Lots of people standing in the corners.
Raymond James (USF) - weird that the Bulls play in a stadium with a pirate ship in it. This was way back, so the upper decks were covered. Small-time G5 game with a smattering of fans. Idk what else to put.
Starkville - idk what the stadium is called....Davis Wade? Wade Davis? It was a high school-level stadium when I went, as they've added a lot on since. Yes, tons of cowbell. It was just so tiny, it felt odd they were a fellow SEC program.
Camping World old Citrus Bowl? Stadium....super steep upper deck. It's a lot of stadium to just be sitting there all year doing nothing. ELA mentioned the game I went to, with Florida lining a 5'8" CB up against Plaxico Burress. Results were predictable. But a good, biggish solid stadium with no tenant.
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I guess that's it.
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I have a lot of work to do to post all the visits here, but I'll post of the Top and Bottom.
The Best College Football Stadium is Kyle Field. I've been there three times (90s, 00s, and 2020s), comment applies to current iteration.
I tell people it's better than their favorite NFL stadium. it is.
Bottom: Yale Bowl: Zillion dollar endowment, and this is what you've got?
if P4 only: tie: Northwestern old, KU old Memorial Stadium and Baylor's old (Floyd Casey). Sorry places, mercifully replaced.
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Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium: Home. Large stadium, pretty quiet wine and cheese crowd, but can get rowdy for big games.
Kyle Field: Large stadium, great crowd for big games, pretty weak crowd for no-namers
Cotton Bowl: For TX-OU, it's the best atmosphere I've ever experienced for a sporting event. Recent renovations have improved it greatly.
JerryWorld: Sterile, soulless, cavernous. Absolutely terrible environment for a college football game. Pretty much the opposite of TX-OU at the Cotton Bowl.
Reliant Stadium or whatever it's called in Houston: Sterile NFL stadium but nice amenities, way better than JerryWorld.
Superdome: Rowdy, lots of fun. I've been to a Sugar Bowl there and a Texas-Tulane game. New Orleans is a great party town.
Alamodome: Surprisingly good venue, seats are all pretty good, easy access, and close to downtown SA and River Walk make it a fun trip.
Floyd Casey (Baylor): Awful dump. Glad it's gone.
McClane Stadium (Baylor): Decent amenities, kind of generic. I mean, it's Baylor.
Amon Carter (TCU): Pretty much a dump the last time I was there but that was 30 years ago. They've done a lot of renovations and the pictures look nice.
Rice Stadium: Old-school bowl-type stadium. It's been 30 years and I don't remember much about it.
Razorback Stadium, FayetteNam, Arkansas: Very rowdy when Texas comes to town. You don't want to be wearing burnt orange in that town.
Jones AT&T Stadium (Texas Tech): Another rowdy crowd when Texas comes to town. Tortillas, everywhere.
Robertson Stadium (University of Houston): Complete dump. Torn down in 2012. It was a mercy killing. Haven't been to their new stadium.
I think that's it for college games. I've also seen pro games at Jerryworld, Texas Stadium, the Metrodome, and Reliant Stadium or whatever it's called in Houston. All were good, as pro stadiums.
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An oddity, only one stadium seats more than 90 K but fewer than 100K.
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I have been to 26 different home stadiums. Three of those don't exist anymore, for Hawaii, San Diego State, and UNLV - interestingly all Mountain West Schools. And I've been to games in all three of their new stadiums too.
26 home stadiums undersells how many others games I've been to such as Bowls, Conference Championships, and Neutral Site games. At some point after the season is over I'll break it all down.
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I have a lot of work to do to post all the visits here, but I'll post of the Top and Bottom.
The Best College Football Stadium is Kyle Field. I've been there three times (90s, 00s, and 2020s), comment applies to current iteration.
I tell people it's better than their favorite NFL stadium. it is.
Bottom: Yale Bowl: Zillion dollar endowment, and this is what you've got?
if P4 only: tie: Northwestern old, KU old Memorial Stadium and Baylor's old (Floyd Casey). Sorry places, mercifully replaced.
I didn't go to a game in Kyle from 2014 to about 2021 or such. I had no idea what the new stadium looked like, it was amazing and so different than what I grew up with (from 1996-2000). What did you think of the renovation, redevelopment, or whatever you want to call it? It's just almost a completely different stadium.
Sadly, I've never attended any games outside of College Station, except for a bowl game in San Antonio in '99. Bad memory.
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Not in order of rank. These are the places I have viewed college football at:
- Camp Randall - A bit rowdy. Iowa is 4-1 in my travels here, and sometimes the visiting fans are rowdy, too, but I hated the disappointment when Iowa lost here. Has the best marching band.
- Kinnick Stadium - The coziest stadium. Most fans are close. Since the cantilevered north endzone seating was built it is louder than ever.
- Arrowhead Stadium (FSU v. Iowa State) -- This was a very good venue. One of the best most enjoyable venues.
- Doak Campbell Stadium - I like that services are readily accessible - i.e. food and refreshments. The seating is comfortable. The fans are mostly in it. The tomahawk chop is great. One of the best marching bands.
- Acrisure Stadium (FSU @ Pitt) -- I was not impressed by the venue, or maybe it was the sparse crowd - 49,641 in a stadium with a 68,400 capacity
- Alamo Bowl (2x) It was okay
- Rose Bowl (Early 1986) It is an okay venue for college football. There are no really bad seats in the house. I don't think it is a great home field advantage for UCLA, though.
- Ryan Field - I wasn't impressed by the stadium, but we had great seats in the second deck between the 45 and 50
- Fulton County Stadium (The worst site for football is in a multipurpose stadium - Was there for a 1980s Peach Bowl)
- Arizona Stadium (Tucson) - I did not care for it. It looks a lot like SECU Stadium (Maryland). We sat in the third tier. I did not like the seating. The tailgating was laid back, but that was good because I was there 16-years ago with my daughter then 14-years old, and nieces and nephews, mom and dad, brother and sisters. It is not like tailgating and watching football in the Midwest. (Where are the bratwursts?)
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Not in order of rank. These are the places I have viewed college football at:
- Camp Randall
- Kinnick Stadium
- Arrowhead Stadium (FSU v. Iowa State) -- This was a very good venue
- Doak Campbell Stadium
- Acrisure Stadium (FSU @ Pitt) -- I was not impressed by the venue, or maybe it was the sparse crowd - 49,641 in a stadium with a 68,400 capacity
- Alamo Bowl (2x) It was okay
- Rose Bowl (Early 1986) It is an okay venue for college football
- Ryan Field - I wasn't impressed by the stadium, but we had great seats in the second deck between the 45 and 50
- Fulton County Stadium (The worst site for football is in a multipurpose stadium - Was there for a 1980s Peach Bowl)
To me that was the ONLY place to sit in that dump.
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The Best College Football Stadium is Kyle Field. I've been there three times (90s, 00s, and 2020s), comment applies to current iteration.
I tell people it's better than their favorite NFL stadium. it is.
Have done a number of the most well known NFL and College Football Stadiums.
Kyle Field is the most impressive. The highlight of my trip to Texas two years ago.
(https://i.imgur.com/20f7QZl.jpeg)
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Ohio Stadium has already been covered up thread.
The two FCS stadia out here in southern Utah aren't much to look at, but the surrounding scenery is outstanding.
(https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/62163a667abbdc26f882a105/653c2b01d2a8c482800a1bcd_DSUStadium-9.jpg)
(https://assets.simpleviewinc.com/simpleview/image/upload/c_limit,h_1200,q_75,w_1200/v1/crm/ironcountyut/Eccles-Coliseum_161C6951-EF9E-B42C-D91EE39189819B51-161c665dfadd3d2_161c73c0-045b-d2c7-84427f830ccd5997.jpg)
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Short summaries of the places I've seen college football games and events:
1. Metrodome. Goodbye. Burn in hell.
2. Kinnick Stadium. Small and loud. Fans better than counterparts in MSP.
3. Camp Randall. Smelled bad. NFL level drunkenness. Bad Gopher games.
4. Husky Stadium, Seattle. Imposing. Glad for partial roof in rain. Fans need attitude adjustment.
5. DKR Texas Memorial. Big. Crowd not into it until late. Meat smokers galore.
6. Vanderbilt Staidum. North wing of the Swamp. Banshee at bar pregame.
7. Farout Field, Mizzou. Shitty turf. Fans didn't care.
8. New Brickhouse. Home sweet home.
9. Big House. Big, yes. Loud? No. Intimidating? No.
10. Nebraska Memorial Stadium. Friendly fans. Stadium ends need much work.
11. Neyland Stadium, Tennessee. Upper deck isn't seats but a giant, steep staircase.
12. Arkansas Memorial Stadium, Fayetteville. Dont remember much but was surprised that someone's name was above Frank Broyles.
13. Rose Bowl. U2. As pretty in person as on TV. Ingress and egress are tough.
14. Lucas Oil, Indianapolis. What the Viking Ship wishes it was. Badly.
15. Folsom Field, Colorado. Hot. Too early for a good fan sample (a 10 AM MDT start in Boulder).
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Denison had a Woody Hayes rock
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4o0AtVWIAAffGY.jpg)
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Agreed on the southern Utah thing. I coached HS on the Navajo Reservation for some years.
This one game, we basically played in front of monument valley...
(https://i.imgur.com/ZfoaOKX.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/b6bGoti.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Q8VBtBA.jpeg)
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Agreed on the southern Utah thing. I coached HS on the Navajo Reservation for some years.
This one game, we basically played in front of monument valley...
(https://i.imgur.com/ZfoaOKX.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/b6bGoti.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Q8VBtBA.jpeg)
Is this a football game or a John Ford Western?
Also, I forgot #16: Ohio Stadium. Big, steps to everywhere, only cared about beating Michigan.
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Agreed on the southern Utah thing. I coached HS on the Navajo Reservation for some years.
This one game, we basically played in front of monument valley...
(https://i.imgur.com/ZfoaOKX.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/b6bGoti.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Q8VBtBA.jpeg)
Wow. What an awesome view. I need to get out that way and experience that sometime.
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What did you think of the renovation, redevelopment, or whatever you want to call it? It's just almost a completely different stadium.
The current version may as well be a new stadium relative to the 90s era version.
Egress is fantastic.
They show high quality replays right away, they dont shy away from showing tough calls on board.
Thoughtful planning and set up on food and bev.
Quality Markings, signage, lighting etc.
Sound is great. In game production superb.
Super charged atmosphere w fans.
Ive seen 3 high quality games in my visits, so I haven't been there for a 11am vs Sam Houston State.
It has no college peer in my view or nfl for that matter for quality of building and experience.
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It is unique to see folks tailgating in the wild west from their pickup trucks and watching football at the same time.
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wild west like Lincoln, NE??
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The current version may as well be a new stadium relative to the 90s era version.
Egress is fantastic.
They show high quality replays right away, they dont shy away from showing tough calls on board.
Thoughtful planning and set up on food and bev.
Quality Markings, signage, lighting etc.
Sound is great. In game production superb.
Super charged atmosphere w fans.
Ive seen 3 high quality games in my visits, so I haven't been there for a 11am vs Sam Houston State.
It has no college peer in my view or nfl for that matter for quality of building and experience.
Agree overall and they had their ribbon board experience put together well before other stadiums started doing it.
But one thing that my i s c & a aggie wife is increasingly disappointed in about the A&M experience, is that it's starting to head in the way of the corporate amplified music NFL-like experience. Other college stadiums are still worse about it, but I never thought I'd see the day that the Aggie band and yell leaders would be minimized in favor of piped in music and fake amplified cheer stuff. Sign o' the times I guess.
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they gonna do what recruits like
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I think the only sports facilities left in the U.S. which don't deploy an assault on your eardrums with loud music might just be August National and Keeneland (horse track in Lexington). It infests little leagues, kids youth basketball, track meets, tennis....etc.
getting back to this thread. Agree with Utee, Cotton Bowl for the UT/OU game is simply as good as it gets for a U.S. sporting event atmosphere. WLOCP is great and all, I loved it, but it isn't smack in the middle of the biggest State Fair in all of the land.
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I'd really love to go see the WLOCP in person. It looks like a very fun environment.
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Going into a stadium with a bunch of drunk, sweaty knuckleheads no longer appeals to us. We had a good long run at it.
I like my 75, my 55 and my 32.
I like my bathroom.
I like my fridge.
I like my outdoor kitchen.
All of those things, and we no longer have to set any one of them up in a parking lot.
Life is good.
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I'd really love to go see the WLOCP in person. It looks like a very fun environment.
might put that on my bucket list, along with the Red River thingy in the Cotton
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Going into a stadium with a bunch of drunk, sweaty knuckleheads no longer appeals to us. We had a good long run at it.
Life is good.
me too
but, I will suffer for a couple Saturdays a season
for now, while we're young
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might put that on my bucket list, along with the Red River thingy in the Cotton
Don't forget the Alamodome
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been there, done that
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might put that on my bucket list, along with the Red River thingy in the Cotton
You should definitely go see TX-OU at the Cotton Bowl. Two teams you hate, one of them has to lose and their fans will be miserable, it's a win-win for you!
me too
but, I will suffer for a couple Saturdays a season
for now, while we're young
Same here. It's mostly a miserable experience these days, but I still manage to get to one UT home game per season. The gameday experience as far as parking and entrance/egress has changed so much since I dropped my season tickets in 2018, that now I always make sure I'm going with people who know the drill and know how to maneuver around the grounds and the venue. It was an absolute beating the one time I tried to go it alone in 2021 or something.
For some reason though, I don't mind all of that at the Cotton Bowl. I guess it's because I know the drill so well, it hasn't really changed in over 30 years. We always get into the Fair super early to avoid most of the chaos, and I know all of the secret halls and exhibit buildings with air conditioning, cold A/C, and plentiful beer with no lines.
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yup, I'll be in Lincoln this Saturday and next weekend....
this Saturday because my daughter wants to attend a game with me, next weekend because my brother will be in town
if no one coaxes me to make the trip, I stay home near my 65 inch and the golf course
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Yeah, we all kept at it well past graduation.
Die hards.
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Well, I naturally had a reason to avoid the stadium after graduation... It was a little bit far away :57:
But yeah, I don't think I'd have been a season ticket holder and weekly attendee even if I'd ended up in Indy or Chicago. Maybe more of a "attend 1 game / season" fan, and then (assuming Chicago) seeing Purdue for any game @ NU.
I much prefer my living room, and my soon-to-be 75" TV. And I just checked the schedule and Purdue isn't on until 4:30 PM PT on Saturday, so I'll definitely have time to hang and set up the new TV before the game :93:
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@CatsbyAZ (https://www.cfb51.com/index.php?action=profile;u=1532)
What was the UNLV gameday experience like?
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I'm going back to Tiger Stadium (er, Death Valley) this weekend for UF at LSU. It still ranks in my top 5 places, we'll see how things are (9 years later).
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@CatsbyAZ (https://www.cfb51.com/index.php?action=profile;u=1532)
What was the UNLV gameday experience like?
This was my fourth time to a game in Allegiant stadium, and it's an experience I look forward to.
Tailgating in the surrounding lots is almost nil because the pregame gatherings are absorbed into the Casinos, particularly Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, and New York/New York. Mandalay hosts a number of pregame events, especially for Raiders games. And from Mandalay it's a short walk over the interstate to the stadium.
Stadium itself is great; feels a lot like the Arizona Cardinals stadium where the Fiesta Bowl is played. Only downside is Allegiant Stadium's interior isn't very walkable. Its interior walkways are quite narrow and get very crowded once the foot traffic starts pouring through to their seats.
UNLV home crowd was great; a larger, more vocal bunch than I expected. UCLA had their side of the field but didn't have much to cheer about losing 30-23.
If you're the type that likes Vegas it ends up being a good day of watching the earlier games at one of the casino sportsbooks or in the many sports bars spread along the Strip before getting a real game later in the day.
(https://i.imgur.com/hovoKrS.png)
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Got any interior pictures? My wife really wants to visit that place (Raiders fan...).
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This was my fourth time to a game in Allegiant stadium, and it's an experience I look forward to.
Tailgating in the surrounding lots is almost nil because the pregame gatherings are absorbed into the Casinos, particularly Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, and New York/New York. Mandalay hosts a number of pregame events, especially for Raiders games. And from Mandalay it's a short walk over the interstate to the stadium.
Stadium itself is great; feels a lot like the Arizona Cardinals stadium where the Fiesta Bowl is played. Only downside is Allegiant Stadium's interior isn't very walkable. Its interior walkways are quite narrow and get very crowded once the foot traffic starts pouring through to their seats.
UNLV home crowd was great; a larger, more vocal bunch than I expected. UCLA had their side of the field but didn't have much to cheer about losing 30-23.
If you're the type that likes Vegas it ends up being a good day of watching the earlier games at one of the casino sportsbooks or in the many sports bars spread along the Strip before getting a real game later in the day.
[img width=273.619 height=307]https://i.imgur.com/hovoKrS.png[/img]
With Vegas being such a big tourist destination it seems like they could parlay that and the Stadium being right on the strip into a major Bowl.
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With Vegas being such a big tourist destination it seems like they could parlay that and the Stadium being right on the strip into a major Bowl.
There are only 6 major bowls, and they comprise the CFP quarterfinals and semifinals.
Anything beyond that is, by definition, not even remotely major any more.
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There are only 6 major bowls, and they comprise the CFP quarterfinals and semifinals.
Anything beyond that is, by definition, not even remotely major any more.
The Fiesta Bowl, as I understand it, is very boring. Having been in that area, I'd say that's the story. It was great when it was on the ASU campus, with all the bars and restaurants in Tempe. Now, not so much. That bowl can be displaced eventually.
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I fear the parking would cost more than the ticket in Vegas.
Cleveland had a train that you could catch in the burbs that circumvented all the downtown Browns traffic.
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I fear the parking would cost more than the ticket in Vegas.
Cleveland had a train that you could catch in the burbs that circumvented all the downtown Browns traffic.
Lots of big cities have that.
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Lots of big cities have that.
I don't think Vegas is one of them.
They have the free tram that gets you up and down the strip, but there isn't anywhere to park for under a million dollars on the strip.
My city has a shuttle bus to the Vegas airport, and the airport isn't THAT far from Mandalay Bay. But it's far enough to make a fella think twice.
(https://stgshuttle.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/St-George-Shuttle-map-routes-map.png)
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Got any interior pictures? My wife really wants to visit that place (Raiders fan...).
This is what I'm getting at by the narrow interior walkways (see below). It gets very crowded and slow getting to your seats. A Raiders game will draw a larger crowd, and, IMO, it's worth going at least once.
The bigger headache is how much the Vegas Strip - specifically the Strip - has added or raised prices on everything. No more free parking at the casinos. The house raising blackjack odds from 3:2 to 6:5. Minimal to no more free drink service at the tables and slots.
(https://i.imgur.com/BIGjlxL.png)
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This is what I'm getting at by the narrow interior walkways (see below). It gets very crowded and slow getting to your seats. A Raiders game will draw a larger crowd, and, IMO, it's worth going at least once.
The bigger headache is how much the Vegas Strip - specifically the Strip - has added or raised prices on everything. No more free parking at the casinos. The house raising blackjack odds from 3:2 to 6:5. Minimal to no more free drink service at the tables and slots.
(https://i.imgur.com/BIGjlxL.png)
For a modern stadium to have concourses that narrow is criminal.
One would have thought at least Vegas could get it right.
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Yeah, that's terrible.
I've checked into going to Vegas for a game/long weekend.
I asked her:
"Would you rather go to Vegas or take a luxury Mediterranean Cruise?"
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The Fiesta Bowl, as I understand it, is very boring. Having been in that area, I'd say that's the story. It was great when it was on the ASU campus, with all the bars and restaurants in Tempe. Now, not so much. That bowl can be displaced eventually.
This.
I went the last year it was on the ASU campus and the first year it wasn't and the atmosphere was VASTLY better down on campus.
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Yeah Vegas isn't really my thing. It's been a couple of decades now since the last time I went.
I have a group of friends who make a guys' trip to Vegas every year. They're always trying to get me to come with them and I tell them every time, "Y'all make it a trip to New Orleans and I'm there." I just have no interest in spending any time or money going to Vegas.
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There are only 6 major bowls, and they comprise the CFP quarterfinals and semifinals.
Anything beyond that is, by definition, not even remotely major any more.
I get that but they could put in a bid for the NC.
Also, if I were say, the head of the LV Convention and Visitors Bureau, I'd look to create the top or one of the top second-tier bowls. I'd also specifically want the B1G and maybe the ACC. I'd want colder-weather leagues so that a trip to Vegas in Dec/Jan would be a draw for weather as well as the game and Vegas. I fully realize that with today's mega-conferences this could easily backfire with me getting USC but I'd still shoot for it.
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The bigger headache is how much the Vegas Strip - specifically the Strip - has added or raised prices on everything. No more free parking at the casinos. The house raising blackjack odds from 3:2 to 6:5. Minimal to no more free drink service at the tables and slots.
It is shocking how much this changed. My dad was stationed about half-way between LA and Vegas in the late-1950s and early 1960s. He said that back then he and his buddies almost always chose Vegas over LA when they had leave because they couldn't afford LA. In Vegas everything was cheap.
He took our family in the early 1980s and it was still cheap even then. I remember eating at a buffet that looked to be about a mile long for some insanely low price like maybe $0.25.
Back when gambling was illegal in most of the US, I think that Vegas' bread-and-butter was a middle class generally blue-collar guy who liked to gamble and got a cheap flight and a cheap hotel there every year or two.
Today, those guys maybe go to Vegas once in a lifetime. They don't have to. You can gamble in a LOT of places in the US so why bother with airfare?
Vegas had to completely retune their image and draw and they did.
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I get that but they could put in a bid for the NC.
Also, if I were say, the head of the LV Convention and Visitors Bureau, I'd look to create the top or one of the top second-tier bowls. I'd also specifically want the B1G and maybe the ACC. I'd want colder-weather leagues so that a trip to Vegas in Dec/Jan would be a draw for weather as well as the game and Vegas. I fully realize that with today's mega-conferences this could easily backfire with me getting USC but I'd still shoot for it.
The Las Vegas Bowl has greatly upped its status, pitting the B1G, XII and SEC teams against each other. It used to be MWC, WAC, etc., against maybe a PAC school (maybe).
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I get that but they could put in a bid for the NC.
Also, if I were say, the head of the LV Convention and Visitors Bureau, I'd look to create the top or one of the top second-tier bowls. I'd also specifically want the B1G and maybe the ACC. I'd want colder-weather leagues so that a trip to Vegas in Dec/Jan would be a draw for weather as well as the game and Vegas. I fully realize that with today's mega-conferences this could easily backfire with me getting USC but I'd still shoot for it.
I'm sure they're putting in NC bids annually, and they'll host it eventually... But they (nor anyone else) well never be the annual host... It's going to be rotated like the Super Bowl.
I don't know how you just elbow your way in to "one of the top second-tier bowls"... I feel like there's a certain level of historical momentum that is tough to overcome. It might be a 10+ year process to push that bowl up the priority chain to where fans feel it's a big boy second-tier bowl (talk about an oxymoron), and 10 years from now... I'm not sure anyone will care about bowls. That's what I meant about there no longer being such thing as a "major" bowl. Not to sound like MDot, but if it's not the CFP, it's dog shit.
That said, I do get your point. And honestly, getting USC or UCLA probably isn't THAT bad of a deal. It's an easy drive or a short[/cheap] flight from LA. While it might be a let-down for USC, I'm pretty sure all 7 UCLA fans would take any bowl they could get right now.
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Bowls have bought their way into prominence, like the Peach Bowl has done. It's considered a major, usually, now. It was on the ropes for years back in the day. Then it hit on having the ACC-SEC matchup, usually a decent one, and NYE, and attendance solidified, and then CFA bought in. They paid more to the ACC team than the SEC team because it often was ACC #2 vs SEC #5 or 6.
It also snowed like crazy in one earlier year, it historically had really bad weather back in the day.
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Yeah Vegas isn't really my thing. It's been a couple of decades now since the last time I went.
I have a group of friends who make a guys' trip to Vegas every year. They're always trying to get me to come with them and I tell them every time, "Y'all make it a trip to New Orleans and I'm there." I just have no interest in spending any time or money going to Vegas.
In 2021 I was recruiting a couple guys I knew really well and they really wanted a trip to the Grand Canyon, so we used Vegas as a landing spot for a few days around the area and figured we would use Vegas for good food and good hotel. The good food part and hotel worked out, even though the hotel was insanely priced. Was easy to rent a car and make some awesome drives down through Kingman and then route 66. All that part was awesome.
Walking outside from hotel to hotel in Vegas, which we attempted 2 different days when we first got there and last day before we left was absurd. Couldn't walk one dang block without fury of party bus driving males and barely clothed female telling us we weren't real men unless we went to the men's club they wanted to cart us to. On top of that, the contact high of every human under the sun smoking up on the street was not my cup of tea. Was my third time to Vegas so I knew the underbelly of a lot of what goes on, but when you cant walk in front of the nice hotels any longer without getting high and getting rubbed up on by half clothes females not even half my age, they've pushed the limit a little too far.
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In 2021 I was recruiting a couple guys I knew really well and they really wanted a trip to the Grand Canyon, so we used Vegas as a landing spot for a few days around the area and figured we would use Vegas for good food and good hotel. The good food part and hotel worked out, even though the hotel was insanely priced. Was easy to rent a car and make some awesome drives down through Kingman and then route 66. All that part was awesome.
Walking outside from hotel to hotel in Vegas, which we attempted 2 different days when we first got there and last day before we left was absurd. Couldn't walk one dang block without fury of party bus driving males and barely clothed female telling us we weren't real men unless we went to the men's club they wanted to cart us to. On top of that, the contact high of every human under the sun smoking up on the street was not my cup of tea. Was my third time to Vegas so I knew the underbelly of a lot of what goes on, but when you cant walk in front of the nice hotels any longer without getting high and getting rubbed up on by half clothes females not even half my age, they've pushed the limit a little too far.
So... where was the complaint in all of this?
:)
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So... where was the complaint in all of this?
:)
lol...now that I have two daughters, my mindset of that category shifted A LOT. I'm Bad Boys 2 motto of fatherhood.
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(https://i.imgur.com/nbWpZO0.jpeg)
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Huh, for some reason I thought El Azteca in Mexico City was over 100K. Googling tells me it's "only" 87K.
And man, Texas Memorial Stadium hasn't looked like that since 2008.
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Wow.. Never realized Beaver stadium was 2nd largest in the country. Honestly thought it was slightly smaller than the Shoe.
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Wow.. Never realized Beaver stadium was 2nd largest in the country. Honestly thought it was slightly smaller than the Shoe.
It can be deceiving because they have that partial upper deck. If you look at the part WITH the upper deck it looks like it would be the largest in the country BY FAR. Then if you look at parts WITHOUT the upper deck it looks like it would barely be top-half in the conference.
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Large stadium with crappy sightlines, for the most part.
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On TV, the scariest two places for me are at LSU and at PSU.
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Sahara, Circus Circus and Treasure Island have free parking.
So I could park there, hop on the free tram to Mandalay Bay, waltz on over to UNLV game, then get the Hell out of there.
Bada bing, Bada boom. Cheap trip to Vegas.
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Bowls have bought their way into prominence, like the FIESTA Peach Bowl has done. It's considered a major, usually, now. It was on the ropes for years back in the day.
FIFY
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FIFY
Yup, sorta anyway. It wasn't so much buying its way into the top, as it was lucking its way into the top. The Fiesta was a minor throwaway bowl, until it was able to host a couple of top-rated independent vs. independent matchups.
The major bowls-- Rose, Cotton, Sugar, and Orange-- were all locked in on at least one side, to conference champs.
The Fiesta did not have that limitation, and so after a few years of getting top ranked matchups between various pairings of Notre Dame and then-independent Miami, Penn State, and Florida State, it elevated its stature.
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As for Las Vegas, I could see the squeeze on during my last visit in 2014. Even then, most of the big casinos were owned by publicly traded companies, and were making everything turn profits instead of using the "cheap" dinners as loss leaders for the gambling floors.
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Yup, sorta anyway. It wasn't so much buying its way into the top, as it was lucking its way into the top. The Fiesta was a minor throwaway bowl, until it was able to host a couple of top-rated independent vs. independent matchups.
The major bowls-- Rose, Cotton, Sugar, and Orange-- were all locked in on at least one side, to conference champs.
The Fiesta did not have that limitation, and so after a few years of getting top ranked matchups between various pairings of Notre Dame and then-independent Miami, Penn State, and Florida State, it elevated its stature.
And again, that's my point... The top second-tier bowls aren't going to cede their conference alignments to Vegas. Which means Vegas needs a concerted multi-year effort to build its name.
But... Why? Who's going to care about bowls in 10 years when we have a 24-team College Football Playoff?
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And again, that's my point... The top second-tier bowls aren't going to cede their conference alignments to Vegas. Which means Vegas needs a concerted multi-year effort to build its name.
But... Why? Who's going to care about bowls in 10 years when we have a 24-team College Football Playoff?
Right, and that's what they are doing. Look at the conference affiliations this decade versus those prior.
History - Las Vegas Bowl
(https://lvbowl.com/history/)In 2020 they signed an agreement with the B1G and SEC. They switch every-other-year and LV grabs another power at-large to fill the game.
In 1992 (first year), they had WAC vs. MAC for the first 5 years.
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Vegas has been struggling and it does not appear to be aberration. Tourist/visitor totals are off by about 12% year over year.
Its never been my cup of tea
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Right, and that's what they are doing. Look at the conference affiliations this decade versus those prior.
History - Las Vegas Bowl
(https://lvbowl.com/history/)In 2020 they signed an agreement with the B1G and SEC. They switch every-other-year and LV grabs another power at-large to fill the game.
In 1992 (first year), they had WAC vs. MAC for the first 5 years.
2020 was when they built the new stadium, so the timeline adds up.
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LV for us is a cheap place to stay and get rental cars to drive around Utah and California. We stay 2-3 days, gamble a bit one night, and avoid the ... unpleasantness, mostly.
We've stayed in the Trump tower a couple times, they have a nice pool.
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Right, and that's what they are doing. Look at the conference affiliations this decade versus those prior.
History - Las Vegas Bowl
(https://lvbowl.com/history/)In 2020 they signed an agreement with the B1G and SEC. They switch every-other-year and LV grabs another power at-large to fill the game.
In 1992 (first year), they had WAC vs. MAC for the first 5 years.
I get all that. But looking at 2023 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bids_to_college_bowl_games) (the last year I can find this info), the selection order for the Las Vegas bowl was after all teams made the NY6 (now CFP), then the Citrus Bowl, then the ReliaQuest Bowl, the Las Vegas Bowl would get to pick said B1G/SEC team.
Well, in the 2024 CFP, 4 B1G teams and 3 SEC teams made the playoff. So the Las Vegas Bowl would get to select either the 7th-place B1G team or the 6th-place SEC team.
The scuttlebutt is *already* active about expanding the playoff to 16 teams and guaranteeing the B1G and SEC 4 each. So that means the Las Vegas bowl would again be at best the 7th-place B1G/SEC team--and possibly lower if somehow a 5th team from either the B1G or SEC made it in.
I mean, the LV bowl could continue trying to move up the pecking order, and try to move up beyond the ReliaQuest Bowl or the Citrus Bowl--and then at best they'd have the 5th-place team from either conference. But I don't see that happening unless either the ReliaQuest or the Citrus decide to stop hosting bowl games...
So yeah, they can get B1G/SEC teams. So far that's been (regular season schedules posted):
- 2021: An 8-4 Wisconsin team
- 2022: A 6-6 Florida team
- 2023: A 7-5 Northwestern team
- 2024: An 8-4 Texas A&M team (facing a now-B1G but legacy PAC 6-6 USC team)
Meaning they're not getting a ton of "power" teams coming off good seasons, the type of games we historically would have associated with the Citrus and Outback (ReliaQuest) bowls. They're getting teams coming off lackluster or disappointing seasons.
And with an expanded CFP, it's only going to get worse.
The bowls are dying, folks. The Las Vegas Bowl can try all they want to elevate themselves within the bowl structure, but even if they do, what have they actually obtained?
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I think LV will replace the Fiesta in the coming 10 years, or less.
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I think LV will replace the Fiesta in the coming 10 years, or less.
That's fair. If you think the endgame is to become one of the CFP bowls, there's obviously value in that.
I was arguing against the idea that being a "top second-tier bowl" was all that desirable--or achievable, since they're currently below said Citrus and ReliaQuest bowls in the pecking order and I don't know how they move up...
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That's fair. If you think the endgame is to become one of the CFP bowls, there's obviously value in that.
I was arguing against the idea that being a "top second-tier bowl" was all that desirable--or achievable, since they're currently below said Citrus and ReliaQuest bowls in the pecking order and I don't know how they move up...
They move up by paying more.
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They move up by paying more.
Yeah, I was going to say the same thing. If LV offers more cash, the B1G will take it. Our #2 has been going to the Citrus for decades but that is also flexible now and it wasn't always that way. Long ago it was the Gator Bowl.
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It would be good to not so have much tied into Florida. For a while we had the Citrus, Outback, Champs, Gator and the random Orange. That's a lot of Florida.
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It would be good to not so have much tied into Florida. For a while we had the Citrus, Outback, Champs, Gator and the random Orange. That's a lot of Florida.
I agree and think that this would help attendance for two reasons:
- People who travel to the games would, I think, be more likely to do so if you gave them variation in destinations. They might look at a Florida Bowl and think "been there, done that" but look at a bowl in Vegas, or SoCal or San Antonio and think "I haven't been there, lets go".
- Fans/Alums living in the area, I think, would be more likely to go if it is once in a while and less likely if they have the opportunity every year.
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It would be good to not so have much tied into Florida. For a while we had the Citrus, Outback, Champs, Gator and the random Orange. That's a lot of Florida.
For the midwest, it's always been a good thing and still easy. Florida is a very easy flight destination. Personally, i have no desire to hit Vegas or SoCal for a bowl game, but I'm sure there's plenty that feel the opposite. I believe most common age demographic is 35-44. No idea if those are single, married, parents, etc as I think that would play a factor.
If all important bowls were in Texas, Arizona or Florida, I'd be good with that.
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They move up by paying more.
Yeah, I was going to say the same thing. If LV offers more cash, the B1G will take it. Our #2 has been going to the Citrus for decades but that is also flexible now and it wasn't always that way. Long ago it was the Gator Bowl.
True. I guess then you ask what is the true return on investment for SRS Distribution, and how willing are ReliaQuest or Cheez-It willing to match to keep their prominence?
I would think Cheez-It, being a consumer brand, is probably deeper pockets for consumer/retail type brand advertising than either of the other two who are more B2B brands*. Not sure SRS would outspend Cheez-It. SRS could maybe outspend ReliaQuest if they really wanted.
I think the answer is that these brands are going to have an upper limit on spending based on what they think the ROI is. Does SRS get enough added exposure getting the 5th-6th place B1G/SEC team vs the 7th place B1G/SEC team to outspend Cheez-It?
* This goes to the golf thing... Some of the biggest golf advertisers are B2B companies, because they know the golf viewership skews older, more professional, and probably in a more likely place to be making decisions that affect a company. So Workday, or SalesForce, etc makes sense. Retail brands are things like Rolex, and of course boner pills for that demographic lol... College football demographics probably trend differently, which is why the companies ponying up for CFP bowl branding are almost all targeted at individual consumers rather than B2B...
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If Squeez-it can be taken down, cheez-it can too.
(https://sporked.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/LISTICLE_EVERYTHING-ABOUT-SQUEEZIT_HEADER.jpg)
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(https://i.imgur.com/CaWL2bA.jpeg)
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Check out SD Mines, where you can watch the game from your car, with three levels of parking.
(https://gorockers.com/images/2022/6/2/Dunham_Field_2022.jpg)