Wren Baker on Bowl Game Possibilities

[ChristopherRyanWilkes]

The list is: Cure, St. Petersburg, Heart of Dallas, Armed Services, and Las Vegas according to The Wren. Per a tweet by Reece Waddell at NT Daily. On my iPhone or I'd post the tweet. So there you have it. #GMG

[ChristopherRyanWilkes]

ETA:More recent tweets from the interview indicate HoD is his first choice but we will indeed have to wait to see how this weekend pans out. If not local, somewhere fun. Aka Vegas or Florida. Good warm weather destinations and bowl games in my opinion. 

[Army of Dad]

27 minutes ago, ChristopherRyanWilkes said:

The list is: Cure, St. Petersburg, Heart of Dallas, Armed Services, and Las Vegas according to The Wren. Per a tweet by Reece Waddell at NT Daily. On my iPhone or I'd post the tweet. So there you have it. #GMG

And here is the quoted tweet:

 

Edited November 30, 2016 by Army of Dad

[ChristopherRyanWilkes]

6 minutes ago, Army of Dad said:

And here is the quoted tweet:

 

Thanks, those are the ones.

[THOR]

Good...boys need a fun destination for their hardwork this year

[wardly]

We could use some help Saturday.So. Alabama in 5&6, but they beat New Mexico State at home they are penciled in for the Cure Bowl vs CFU in Orlando.ULL is also 5&6 slated for New Orleans Bowl if they beat ULM at home If one or both lose it moves the parts around even more..

[Arkstfan]

ESPN Events manages every one of those games except Cure.

You could end up seeing some very surprising swaps as a result, for example if Navy passes Western Michigan you might see WMU headed to Vegas instead of Mobile (MAC 1) to face MWC 1 with Mobile getting someone like USM in place of the MAC and so on.

All comes down to what the boys and girls in Bristol and Charlotte come up with for ESPN and ESPN Events.

[ChristopherRyanWilkes]

8 minutes ago, Arkstfan said:

ESPN Events manages every one of those games except Cure.

You could end up seeing some very surprising swaps as a result, for example if Navy passes Western Michigan you might see WMU headed to Vegas instead of Mobile (MAC 1) to face MWC 1 with Mobile getting someone like USM in place of the MAC and so on.

All comes down to what the boys and girls in Bristol and Charlotte come up with for ESPN and ESPN Events.

Very interesting observation, I hadn't taken the ESPN effect into account. They are also all games that won't be filled by conference tie-ins, mostly because P5 conferences don't have enough teams for their bowl tie-ins. It seems like ESPN or whoever the powers in charge are make it more and more difficult for a G5 team, even a conference champ, to get a P5 match-up and potentially embarrass the big boys. 

[Ben Gooding]

1 minute ago, ChristopherRyanWilkes said:

Very interesting observation, I hadn't taken the ESPN effect into account. They are also all games that won't be filled by conference tie-ins, mostly because P5 conferences don't have enough teams for their bowl tie-ins. It seems like ESPN or whoever the powers in charge are make it more and more difficult for a G5 team, even a conference champ, to get a P5 match-up and potentially embarrass the big boys. 

It doesn't seem that way, it is that way. They don't want money makers to take season ending blows from "lesser" programs and maybe more importantly, they want to have no doubt high rating games. Both have everything to do with money. I've never, ever been a fan of paying players, but I'm just about all in on it now. I think it's awful for the collegiate sport, but anything to scrape money out of the well lined pockets of old men and well connected up and comers. Entirely different conversation though. GMG

[ChristopherRyanWilkes]

2 minutes ago, Ben Gooding said:

It doesn't seem that way, it is that way. They don't want money makers to take season ending blows from "lesser" programs and maybe more importantly, they want to have no doubt high rating games. Both have everything to do with money. I've never, ever been a fan of paying players, but I'm just about all in on it now. I think it's awful for the collegiate sport, but anything to scrape money out of the well lined pockets of old men and well connected up and comers. Entirely different conversation though. GMG

Yeah well we actually agree on this. It is all about money and only the guys at the top are getting any. They fail to remember that those games can draw good ratings, at least after the fact on the networks. See: Boise State vs. OU.

[Wag Tag]

1 hour ago, Ben Gooding said:

It doesn't seem that way, it is that way. They don't want money makers to take season ending blows from "lesser" programs and maybe more importantly, they want to have no doubt high rating games. Both have everything to do with money. I've never, ever been a fan of paying players, but I'm just about all in on it now. I think it's awful for the collegiate sport, but anything to scrape money out of the well lined pockets of old men and well connected up and comers. Entirely different conversation though. GMG

HOD or Arm Services Bowl wants a crowd which means $, UNT has to be involved. Navy and UNT could be a sell out!

[TreeFiddy]

It will be sad if a 2 loss Navy team from a G5 conference passes a ZERO loss WMU team, also from a G5 conference.  

[wardly]

Navy  ranked in top 20. UNT about 150th. I don't see the attraction.

[Wag Tag]

1 minute ago, wardly said:

Navy  ranked in top 20. UNT about 150th. I don't see the attraction.

UNT fans, military fans! 

[greenminer]

The Cure Bowl...had to Google that one.

[wardly]

So how many fans do you think a 5&7  North Texas will draw?

[Wag Tag]

Just now, wardly said:

So how many fans do you think a 5&7  North Texas will draw?

A bowl game for UNT? On a good day at a good time? 33,000 at HOD against UN who? 20,000 to 25,000

[TreeFiddy]

32 minutes ago, greenminer said:

The Cure Bowl...had to Google that one.

I think it was pretty big back in the 80's and 90's and is generally credited with helping start the goth genre of bowls.

[Arkstfan]

1 hour ago, Wag Tag said:

HOD or Arm Services Bowl wants a crowd which means $, UNT has to be involved. Navy and UNT could be a sell out!

HOD and Armed Services are ESPN Events properties with a primary role of providing content to ESPN. They are less ticket driven than locally organized and managed games like Mobile and New Orleans. I was reading articles on Mobile pretty regularly and they have a deal with the city. The city provides the game with $1 million in seed money each year. Whatever the game gets in title sponsorship is paid by the bowl to the city (been running around $750,000) and each year when they go to the city council one of the first stats they whip out is the percentage of hotel rooms room occupied during the bowl game. Mobile only works if the city buys in and that means they have to deliver visitors. Likewise the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation is tasked with bringing visitors. The Sun Belt tournament moved to New Orleans in a combo deal with the contract extension. They want to show visitors and events to keep their flow of money coming.

The ESPN Events games are different because ticket sales are basically just "found" money for them.

Now if I were betting, I'd bet UNT gets one of those two because 5-7 is hard to trade and a G5 to boot makes it worse. So make lemonade and get some tickets sold.

My rank speculation is that ESPN will send UNT to the HOD and swap someone like Boise or MWC title game winner into the Armed Force Bowl to face Navy. They aren't going to have Navy play a 5-7 and they aren't likely to move Navy as long a McDonnell Douglas is lead sponsor of the Armed Forces Bowl unless...

ESPN agrees to move Navy to another site to drive interest and replaces Navy in Fort Worth with Army. If that happens it just increases the chances that UNT goes to HOD

[TreeFiddy]

13 minutes ago, Arkstfan said:

HOD and Armed Services are ESPN Events properties with a primary role of providing content to ESPN. They are less ticket driven than locally organized and managed games like Mobile and New Orleans. I was reading articles on Mobile pretty regularly and they have a deal with the city. The city provides the game with $1 million in seed money each year. Whatever the game gets in title sponsorship is paid by the bowl to the city (been running around $750,000) and each year when they go to the city council one of the first stats they whip out is the percentage of hotel rooms room occupied during the bowl game. Mobile only works if the city buys in and that means they have to deliver visitors. Likewise the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation is tasked with bringing visitors. The Sun Belt tournament moved to New Orleans in a combo deal with the contract extension. They want to show visitors and events to keep their flow of money coming.

The ESPN Events games are different because ticket sales are basically just "found" money for them.

Now if I were betting, I'd bet UNT gets one of those two because 5-7 is hard to trade and a G5 to boot makes it worse. So make lemonade and get some tickets sold.

My rank speculation is that ESPN will send UNT to the HOD and swap someone like Boise or MWC title game winner into the Armed Force Bowl to face Navy. They aren't going to have Navy play a 5-7 and they aren't likely to move Navy as long a McDonnell Douglas is lead sponsor of the Armed Forces Bowl unless...

ESPN agrees to move Navy to another site to drive interest and replaces Navy in Fort Worth with Army. If that happens it just increases the chances that UNT goes to HOD

Where are you sending LaTech in this scenario?

[Wag Tag]

14 minutes ago, Arkstfan said:

HOD and Armed Services are ESPN Events properties with a primary role of providing content to ESPN. They are less ticket driven than locally organized and managed games like Mobile and New Orleans. I was reading articles on Mobile pretty regularly and they have a deal with the city. The city provides the game with $1 million in seed money each year. Whatever the game gets in title sponsorship is paid by the bowl to the city (been running around $750,000) and each year when they go to the city council one of the first stats they whip out is the percentage of hotel rooms room occupied during the bowl game. Mobile only works if the city buys in and that means they have to deliver visitors. Likewise the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation is tasked with bringing visitors. The Sun Belt tournament moved to New Orleans in a combo deal with the contract extension. They want to show visitors and events to keep their flow of money coming.

The ESPN Events games are different because ticket sales are basically just "found" money for them.

Now if I were betting, I'd bet UNT gets one of those two because 5-7 is hard to trade and a G5 to boot makes it worse. So make lemonade and get some tickets sold.

My rank speculation is that ESPN will send UNT to the HOD and swap someone like Boise or MWC title game winner into the Armed Force Bowl to face Navy. They aren't going to have Navy play a 5-7 and they aren't likely to move Navy as long a McDonnell Douglas is lead sponsor of the Armed Forces Bowl unless...

ESPN agrees to move Navy to another site to drive interest and replaces Navy in Fort Worth with Army. If that happens it just increases the chances that UNT goes to HOD

I had thought the HOD was the only bowl where all proceeds go to charity?  May not really matter but I like your insight! Thanks

[MeanMag]

17 minutes ago, Arkstfan said:

HOD and Armed Services are ESPN Events properties with a primary role of providing content to ESPN. They are less ticket driven than locally organized and managed games like Mobile and New Orleans. I was reading articles on Mobile pretty regularly and they have a deal with the city. The city provides the game with $1 million in seed money each year. Whatever the game gets in title sponsorship is paid by the bowl to the city (been running around $750,000) and each year when they go to the city council one of the first stats they whip out is the percentage of hotel rooms room occupied during the bowl game. Mobile only works if the city buys in and that means they have to deliver visitors. Likewise the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation is tasked with bringing visitors. The Sun Belt tournament moved to New Orleans in a combo deal with the contract extension. They want to show visitors and events to keep their flow of money coming.

The ESPN Events games are different because ticket sales are basically just "found" money for them.

Now if I were betting, I'd bet UNT gets one of those two because 5-7 is hard to trade and a G5 to boot makes it worse. So make lemonade and get some tickets sold.

My rank speculation is that ESPN will send UNT to the HOD and swap someone like Boise or MWC title game winner into the Armed Force Bowl to face Navy. They aren't going to have Navy play a 5-7 and they aren't likely to move Navy as long a McDonnell Douglas is lead sponsor of the Armed Forces Bowl unless...

ESPN agrees to move Navy to another site to drive interest and replaces Navy in Fort Worth with Army. If that happens it just increases the chances that UNT goes to HOD

McDonnell Douglas?

[VideoEagle]

1 minute ago, MeanMag said:

McDonnell Douglas?

Forget it. He's rolling. 

[ChristopherRyanWilkes]

32 minutes ago, Arkstfan said:

HOD and Armed Services are ESPN Events properties with a primary role of providing content to ESPN. They are less ticket driven than locally organized and managed games like Mobile and New Orleans. I was reading articles on Mobile pretty regularly and they have a deal with the city. The city provides the game with $1 million in seed money each year. Whatever the game gets in title sponsorship is paid by the bowl to the city (been running around $750,000) and each year when they go to the city council one of the first stats they whip out is the percentage of hotel rooms room occupied during the bowl game. Mobile only works if the city buys in and that means they have to deliver visitors. Likewise the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation is tasked with bringing visitors. The Sun Belt tournament moved to New Orleans in a combo deal with the contract extension. They want to show visitors and events to keep their flow of money coming.

The ESPN Events games are different because ticket sales are basically just "found" money for them.

Now if I were betting, I'd bet UNT gets one of those two because 5-7 is hard to trade and a G5 to boot makes it worse. So make lemonade and get some tickets sold.

My rank speculation is that ESPN will send UNT to the HOD and swap someone like Boise or MWC title game winner into the Armed Force Bowl to face Navy. They aren't going to have Navy play a 5-7 and they aren't likely to move Navy as long a McDonnell Douglas is lead sponsor of the Armed Forces Bowl unless...

ESPN agrees to move Navy to another site to drive interest and replaces Navy in Fort Worth with Army. If that happens it just increases the chances that UNT goes to HOD

Awesome analysis, I'm getting a more and more sneaking suspicion we end up in HoD. Their attendance has been horrendous since we played there. LaTech didn't prove they could travel well to Dallas. If they lose and don't get to select it, I can see them getting into another game as a fill-in to play a better opponent and us in HoD against maybe a Sun Belt team. Hey, I'll take it.

Edited November 30, 2016 by ChristopherRyanWilkes

[Harry]

Great analysis but I'd think the Techsters would cry bloody murder if we got the HOD over them.  They really covet access to DFW metroplex.