Gator Bowl picks Clemson over FSU

[tufsu1]

ok Gator boy....let's think about this...

FSU has done very well in attendance over the years given these 2 facts:

1. They were a small woman's college until 1947
2. There are less than 1 million people within 2 hours of Tallahassee

Contrast #2 with UF....where over 5 million are within a 2 hrs. drive,,,,that means that FSU fans have to travel further which was difficult given gas prices this year....and many of them have to find a place to stay overnight which was also made harder because of the economy.

Now I will be the first one to admit that FSU has not put a great product on the field in recnt years and that has also contributed to the attendance decline...so has the constant increase in ticket prices...face value for ACC games this year was $46 and the UF ticket was $56.

oh, and btw...FSU has sold 10,000+ tickets for the Champs Sports Bowl....Clemson has sold about 13,000 for the Gator Bowl...and while they expect about 30,000 Clemson fans here in Jax, the same is expected for FSU in Orlando...so not much difference!

[GatorShane]

ok Gator boy....let's think about this...

FSU has done very well in attendance over the years given these 2 facts:

1. They were a small woman's college until 1947
2. There are less than 1 million people within 2 hours of Tallahassee

Contrast #2 with UF....where over 5 million are within a 2 hrs. drive,,,,that means that FSU fans have to travel further which was difficult given gas prices this year....and many of them have to find a place to stay overnight which was also made harder because of the economy.

Now I will be the first one to admit that FSU has not put a great product on the field in recnt years and that has also contributed to the attendance decline...so has the constant increase in ticket prices...face value for ACC games this year was $46 and the UF ticket was $56.

oh, and btw...FSU has sold 10,000+ tickets for the Champs Sports Bowl....Clemson has sold about 13,000 for the Gator Bowl...and while they expect about 30,000 Clemson fans here in Jax, the same is expected for FSU in Orlando...so not much difference!

So let me get this straight. You are saying that 60 years of being a full coed university isn't enough time to develop a strong enough fan base. This despite the fact that by F.S.U.fans own admission that UF wsa a third wheel in the nineties ti Miami and F.S.U. That is exactly my point. You showed up when you were playing for Natl Championships every year so what is so different now? As far as your notion of a bad economy being a factor, wouldnt that be a factor for all teams? As for the difference in 30k Clemson fans in Jax vs. 30k F.S.U. fans in Orlando for the Champs Sports Bowl, there is a huge difference. Those 30k Clemson fans will travel here and stay overnight. Those 30k F.S.U. fans will drive to Orlanso the day of the game and leave the same day. Not all but most. Thats the whole reason for picking Clemson anyway. Look I am not trying to knock anyone. Just trying to point out that the Gator Bowl wasnt slighting F.S.U. They were just looking out for there bottomline.       

[RiversideGator]

Another plus for Clemson is their fans will likely stay overnight and thus will fill hotel rooms.  FSU fans, on the other hand, in many cases would come from locally or would return to Tallahassee or wherever they came from the same day and would not use as many hotels.  Part of the Gator Bowl's mission is to help out local merchants including hoteliers.

[ProjectMaximus]

Yes, RG, that's the main point. (well, shane and others have mentioned that, too)

If Clemson and Nebraska weren't such good choices, I would agree that FSU has a legit beef, but as it is, these schools should easily bring a terrific crowd. Plus, Clemson hasnt played here since the '01 Gator Bowl (no ACC Championship appearances) while the Noles have the annual River City Showdown now. And this will be Nebraska's first trip...hopefully our city looks nice for all the new visitors!

[tufsu1]

no disagreement from me...Clemson is a great pick.....but let's be real....FSU would have filled the stadium too....the REAL reason for picking Clemson is the hotel rooms and associated spending.

BTW, GatorShane...I love how you only seemed to pay attention to one of my arguments above....the distance/population issue is a major reason why filling the stadium is sometimes very hard at FSU.

[Southbanker]

Your distance argument is a very valid one for FSU fans.  For years we have gotten screwed by hotels in Tallahassee that double (or more) their rates and require a 2 night minimum stay.  This year I noticed that some of the hotels backed off of that 2 night minimum rule.

Our attendance was down this year, but personally I think FSU's attendance numbers in Tallahassee are pretty impressive considering the distance that some of our fans travel and the costs.  I have also always been impressed by how we travel to away games.  I went to 11 of FSU's 12 games this year and there were lots of Noles at the away games...especially GT.

Most of our fans are getting their Champs tickets through other outlets.  After my tickets arrived today I can see why.  I always buy them through FSU to support the school.  And for BCS bowls I always expected lousy seats, but for a lesser bowl I was optimistic that my booster points would get decent seats.  NOPE...I am barely out of the darn end-zone.   

[tufsu1]

just to close the loop...

The Gator Bowl game is just shy of selling out....and it is expected that Clemson will have around 30,000 fans here....clearly the committee made a very good choice in selecting the Tigers....and from a $ spent in the area standpoint, they made the right decision.

But here's a statement from yesterday's Champs Sports Bowl...

"The announced crowd of 52,692 was the largest ever for the Champs Sports Bowl. Roughly 45,000 of those were dressed in garnet and gold."

[thelakelander]

Congrats on the win by FSU.

[ProjectMaximus]

just to close the loop...

The Gator Bowl game is just shy of selling out....and it is expected that Clemson will have around 30,000 fans here....clearly the committee made a very good choice in selecting the Tigers....and from a $ spent in the area standpoint, they made the right decision.

But here's a statement from yesterday's Champs Sports Bowl...

"The announced crowd of 52,692 was the largest ever for the Champs Sports Bowl. Roughly 45,000 of those were dressed in garnet and gold."

No one wanted to escape the dreary Madison winter? I kinda feel bad for northern teams...often coming down south to play what are essentially home games for us southern schools. Anyway...FSU looked very good and Wisconsin looked like the 6th best team in the Big Ten. Oh yeah, they are. Tied for 6th.

[JeffreyS]

As an FSU fan it has been fun to draw Big 10 and Pac 10 teams the last two years.

[tufsu1]

don't forget the Music City Bowl against Kentucky last year...oh wait, on second thought, let's forget it!

[JeffreyS]

I think already did.

[ProjectMaximus]

lol. CAUSE THE SEC RULES!!! YEAHH.

j/k. I'm actually one of the few SEC fans that's not that obnoxious.

[aj_fresh]

I was at the game yesterday. They announced the attendence was 67,282. I was sitting on the Nebraska sideline and could see that the 400 section on the Clemson sideline was more than half full. Guess I could say the same for the sideline I was sitting on. It was a good game with an almost full stadium. I think the city finally put together a great event. 

[copperfiend]

I was at the game also. Great atmosphere. The Nebraska fans were some of the best I've met.