Gator Bowl picks Clemson over FSU

[Southbanker]

ACC teams can hang with anyone in the country except maybe the 5 or so elite teams at the top of the BCS standings.  The ACC is missing a truly elite team.

But the ACCCG belongs in Charlotte.  The weather in CLT the 1st week of December is not much different than Jax MOST of the time so I do not buy the weather argument. 

If VT-BC was in Charlotte yesterday it would have been close to a sellout because there would have been 50,000+ Hokie fans there.  Almost all possible matchups that could occur would draw better in CLT.  And Uptown Charlotte has more to offer fans than downtown Jax any day!

[tufsu1]

And Uptown Charlotte has more to offer fans than downtown Jax any day!

I hear their river and beach are also better 

[aj_fresh]

Yeah, unlike the SEC and Big 12, the ACC is still a basketball conference. [/quote]

Why not try to lure the ACC basketball tourny from NC to JAX. IF they won't travel for football, maybe we can steal them for basketball...

[thelakelander]

ACC can't blame Jacksonville for this one

Submitted by Garry Smits

The second and third years of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship football game in Jacksonville resulted in low ticket sales for games matching Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech and Virgnia Tech vs. Boston College.

And somehow, ACC officials made the implication that it was the fault of the Jacksonville area football fans ... or else they wouldn't have moved the game to Tampa. At the very least, the national media buzz was that Jacksonville couldn't get it done when it came to supporting the game.

Well, now we know ... it's the overall mediocre quality of ACC football and lacklauster championship games that are at fault.

Saturday's rematch between Virginia Tech and Boston College (won by the Hokies 30-12), resulted in ticket sales only a fraction more than last year's game in Jacksonville (53,927 ticket distributed in Tampa, only 715 more than last year). The Associated Press estimated the actual attendance to be less than 30,000. Gator Bowl officials said a bit more than 40,000 people actually were in the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium for last year's game.

Not only was the upper bowl of Raymond James Stadium bare, but many seats on the 50 were clearly unoccupied when the cameras panned the seats during the telecast.

Here's the kicker: ACC officials said Tech and Boston College combined for 4,800 tickets sold. The amazing stat is that perhaps Virginia Tech's reputation for fan support has either dropped off, or they expected to win, and decided to sit out the ACC title game in Tampa since they believed they'd be playing in the Orange Bowl in Miami less than a month later.

The mistake apparently is the ACC's for believing that the game could work in Florida -- or it could work if Florida State played Miami every year, as was the rather arrogant expectation. Maybe hard-core ACC fans were right when they believed the game should have been put in Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium from the beginning, but here's my question: will people in Charlotte buy more tickets than Jacksonville or Tampa fans for a Virginia Tech vs. Boston College game?

Either way, it's now clear support of ACC title games can't be blamed on Jacksonville football fans. The ACC has a few decisions to make. Either move the game to Charlotte and hope a North Carolina team makes it, or impress upon their member schools and alunni base that they need to start supporting this game by purchasing tickets when their team is in it. It's embarrassing, for example, that Boston College has sold a combined 5,000 tickets or so in the last two years for the title game, the first attempts it ever had to win a conference title.

http://www.jacksonville.com/interact/blog/2008-12-07/acc_cant_blame_jacksonville_for_this_one

[Southbanker]

And Uptown Charlotte has more to offer fans than downtown Jax any day!

I hear their river and beach are also better 

Plus you can go whitewater rafting in CLT at the US National Whitewater Center.

[ProjectMaximus]

Yeah, unlike the SEC and Big 12, the ACC is still a basketball conference.

Why not try to lure the ACC basketball tourny from NC to JAX. IF they won't travel for football, maybe we can steal them for basketball...
[/quote]

I mentioned this in another thread (or maybe in this one...) and it was shown to me that our arena's capacity is about 5 thousand less than all the stadiums that have hosted the ACC tourney this century.

By the way, I really like your pic. It's an angle of our skyline that you dont see very often...almost always from across the river.

[aj_fresh]

Thanks Maximus. It was taken from one of the higher floors of the Hyatt during my wedding weekend.

IMO opinion, if we could host the 1st & 2nd rounds of the NCAA tourny, we could take a shot at the ACC tourny.

[copperfiend]

Since we're sort of on the topic, I was curious if anyone could offer some insight...

Why doesn't Jacksonville try to establish a second bowl game? San Diego, New Orleans, and Orlando all host twice in the same stadium. Would it simply be too costly? Would the economic benefits not make up for that? Just wondering...any thoughts?

I don't think there is the market for it. You would also to have a host committee, corporate support and a stadium.

[GatorShane]

Yeah, unlike the SEC and Big 12, the ACC is still a basketball conference.

Why not try to lure the ACC basketball tourny from NC to JAX. IF they won't travel for football, maybe we can steal them for basketball...

I mentioned this in another thread (or maybe in this one...) and it was shown to me that our arena's capacity is about 5 thousand less than all the stadiums that have hosted the ACC tourney this century.

By the way, I really like your pic. It's an angle of our skyline that you dont see very often...almost always from across the river.
[/quote]Didnt the origiginal plans for the arena leave room for expansion. I have been in the arena several times and I cant figure out if that one open end at the top could be expanded.

[tufsu1]

IMO opinion, if we could host the 1st & 2nd rounds of the NCAA tourny, we could take a shot at the ACC tourny.

1st and 2nd round NCAA tourney games often draw fewer than 15,000 fans...so smaller arenas work

the ACC filled up the arena in Tampa (20,000) a few years ago....but tourney demand could sell 30,000+ tickets in DC, Charlotte, Greensboro, or Atlanta.

[Coolyfett]

On another note, it will be interesting to see what the attendance number will be for this week's ACC championship game in Tampa.  They're getting the same matchup that Jax had last year (BC vs. VT).

HA HA HA HA!!! The irony of Miami & FSU not being in that game.

The game belongs in Charlotte!! The ACC will just have to learn the hard way.

is there a reason you find it funny that FSU and Miami aren't there....and why would the game be better in Charlotte....with teams that hardly ever sell out nearby and the potential for cold weather?

Oh not at all my man. I don't mind either school. Its just Tampa thought they could do a better job and were banking on a FSU v. UM game just like Jax was. They didn't get it...so that's why it was funny to me. They got the same game Jax has last year sold more tickets, BUT the ticket were cheaper. I will say this, and you all can argue if you like, but Jacksonville is the BEST sports city in Florida. Hands down, I been to Joe Robbie, Raymond James, Tropicana Field & the citrus bowl. Jacksonville has the other cities beat when it comes to sports passion. The ACC game should have never went to Tampa as a replacement for Jax. It should have went to Charlotte. But again I like FSU & UM...hate the other florida college team with a fat lizard as it mascot.

Charlotte is the best location because it is in the middle of the conference. Out of all the conference 5 of the 12 teams are in the Carolina area, 3 are in the DC area, 2 in florida, 1 in new england & 1 in GA, The Carolinas have 5 schools. Hey I am all for Jacksonville events!! Trust me. But an ACC championship game should be in Charlotte. The only other place it may work is Fed Ex Field. Being that the ACC is a coastal conference and not a regional conference it makes sense for all 12 schools to have easy access to the field. Hopefully that makes sense dude.

[Coolyfett]

On another note, it will be interesting to see what the attendance number will be for this week's ACC championship game in Tampa.  They're getting the same matchup that Jax had last year (BC vs. VT).

HA HA HA HA!!! The irony of Miami & FSU not being in that game.

The game belongs in Charlotte!! The ACC will just have to learn the hard way.

is there a reason you find it funny that FSU and Miami aren't there....and why would the game be better in Charlotte....with teams that hardly ever sell out nearby and the potential for cold weather?

Looked like the stadium in Tampa was barely a 1/3rd full.  ACC teams just don't travel well regardless of where the game is held.  Acc would be much better off holding the game at the top ranked teams stadium.  And i think its been said before , stop posting in red!

Only said in your mind chump!

[civil42806]

IMO opinion, if we could host the 1st & 2nd rounds of the NCAA tourny, we could take a shot at the ACC tourny.

1st and 2nd round NCAA tourney games often draw fewer than 15,000 fans...so smaller arenas work

the ACC filled up the arena in Tampa (20,000) a few years ago....but tourney demand could sell 30,000+ tickets in DC, Charlotte, Greensboro, or Atlanta.

Didn't we host the first round games a couple of years back?

[Coolyfett]

Since we're sort of on the topic, I was curious if anyone could offer some insight...

Why doesn't Jacksonville try to establish a second bowl game? San Diego, New Orleans, and Orlando all host twice in the same stadium. Would it simply be too costly? Would the economic benefits not make up for that? Just wondering...any thoughts?

I am not against it. That is actually a really good idea ProMax, what bowl game you got in mind?

[aj_fresh]

IMO opinion, if we could host the 1st & 2nd rounds of the NCAA tourny, we could take a shot at the ACC tourny.

1st and 2nd round NCAA tourney games often draw fewer than 15,000 fans...so smaller arenas work

the ACC filled up the arena in Tampa (20,000) a few years ago....but tourney demand could sell 30,000+ tickets in DC, Charlotte, Greensboro, or Atlanta.

Didn't we host the first round games a couple of years back?

Yes, we hosted in 2006 and we will host again in 2010.