Wanted... Northern Bowl Games

The fault for being home lies with three parties.

1 - The team for not winning a seventh game.

Don’t get me wrong, they over came a lot of injuries and a many setbacks early in the year. I don’t think the team should feel any shame for finishing 6-6.

2 - The Conference for not being strict about getting the MAC it’s four bids AND two backup bowl agreement slots this season.

UB may still have been left out in favor of WMU but it leaves a damn sour taste in my mouth to see that somehow we “traded” for Boca when we were already entitled to Boca.

3 - College Football Bowl Game Placement

This is going to be a hard nut to crack but I wish the NCAA would try to do something about this. Does the state of Alabama really need three bowl games?

The only bowls north of the Mason Dixie line are the Potato Bowl, the Pin Stripe Bowl, The Quick Lane Bowl, and the Military Bowl.

For a Bowl to work it needs to be a decent destination and it needs to not completely bankrupt teams and fans.

• It costs a fortune to get to the Potato Bowl on short notice, a lot of UB fans found that out the hard way in 2013.
• Getting to the Pinstripe Bowl is not expensive but everything else in New York City is.
• The Quick lane is a good example of a bowl that you can get to, and not spend an arm and a leg attending
• The Military Bowl is another good example.

It would behoove the MAC, the American, and perhaps even the Big Ten and AAC to try and shift a couple of the bowls up north. No new Bowls need to be added but if someone lined up a couple of Bowl Destinations for the next time a bowls certification period ends.

Some ideas?

Minneapolis:

• It’s a Delta Hub: flying to Minneapolis is not bank braking even on a few days notice
• It’s a tourist destination: It’s not Orlando but it’s certainly more tourstiy than Montgomery Alabama
• It has a Dome or an outdoor field depending on which way you want to go.
• Suggested Sponsor / Conference(s) : Target / B1G + MWC (CUSA Backup)

Indianapolis:

• Getting there: It’s not a hub but it is not an expensive city to fly into.
• It’s also a tourist destination: A lot of people like to visit the Motor Speedway Museum
• It’s got an NFL dome
• Suggested Sponsor / Conference(s) : Anthem / MAC + CUSA (AAC Backup)

Buffalo: (I was going to go Syracuse for the dome until I looked at airfare)

• Getting there: Right now it would cost me 350 to get from my Delta Hub to Buffalo on the 26th. It’s not as cheap as some cities but it’s not breaking the bank like Boise either.
• Tourist destination: It used to be 100% Niagara falls but Buffalo has turned it’s waterfront into a winter wonder land.
• It would be an outdoor bowl, at Ralph Wilson Stadium but the world needs more than two out door winter college games
• Suggested Sponsor / Conference(s) : M&T Bank / MAC + AAC (SB Backup)

That would put six of the 40 bowls in and around states which make up a huge portion of the US population. It would make several bowls far more economically feasible for northern and midwestern teams and their fans.

So... Thoughts?