(06-05-2015 01:48 PM)warhawk09 Wrote:  

(06-05-2015 12:56 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(06-05-2015 12:39 PM)warhawk09 Wrote:  This is better for the schools ... Don't have to keep the players longer during the break

We never had a problem with it.

January bowl games mean you have to bring players on campus during the break ... That costs money, wether it's a big deal or not, still money that doesn't have to be spent if you can crossover when they are still in school.

From hearing what I am hearing, we preferred the January game because it gave us more time to space out practices. (Not to mention a Dec 23rd game will really hurt our attendance) We always sent our players home for 2 weeks anyway, so in reality, we're spending the same amount keeping them in dorms as we were in January.

(06-05-2015 01:59 PM)bullitt_60 Wrote:  

(06-05-2015 01:48 PM)warhawk09 Wrote:  

(06-05-2015 12:56 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(06-05-2015 12:39 PM)warhawk09 Wrote:  This is better for the schools ... Don't have to keep the players longer during the break

We never had a problem with it.

January bowl games mean you have to bring players on campus during the break ... That costs money, wether it's a big deal or not, still money that doesn't have to be spent if you can crossover when they are still in school.

The whole reason we have athletics is for exposure. This date change reduces exposure and therefore is worse for the schools.

Reduces exposure? It's the night before Christmas Eve in an unopposed time slot.

(06-05-2015 02:21 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(06-05-2015 01:48 PM)warhawk09 Wrote:  

(06-05-2015 12:56 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(06-05-2015 12:39 PM)warhawk09 Wrote:  This is better for the schools ... Don't have to keep the players longer during the break

We never had a problem with it.

January bowl games mean you have to bring players on campus during the break ... That costs money, wether it's a big deal or not, still money that doesn't have to be spent if you can crossover when they are still in school.

From hearing what I am hearing, we preferred the January game because it gave us more time to space out practices. (Not to mention a Dec 23rd game will really hurt our attendance) We always sent our players home for 2 weeks anyway, so in reality, we're spending the same amount keeping them in dorms as we were in January.

we are obviously not connecting with each other and frankly I don't have the energy to explain any further.

How many flights are there out of Mobile or even Pensacola on the morning of December 24? This could be a terrible date for visiting fans from the MAC team.

(06-05-2015 07:01 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  How many flights are there out of Mobile or even Pensacola on the morning of December 24? This could be a terrible date for visiting fans from the MAC team.

As a Cajun fan I'd much rather play in December if we are chosen for this bowl game short drive home on Christmas eve doesn't interfere with anything.

(06-05-2015 06:17 PM)warhawk09 Wrote:  

(06-05-2015 02:21 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(06-05-2015 01:48 PM)warhawk09 Wrote:  

(06-05-2015 12:56 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(06-05-2015 12:39 PM)warhawk09 Wrote:  This is better for the schools ... Don't have to keep the players longer during the break

We never had a problem with it.

January bowl games mean you have to bring players on campus during the break ... That costs money, wether it's a big deal or not, still money that doesn't have to be spent if you can crossover when they are still in school.

From hearing what I am hearing, we preferred the January game because it gave us more time to space out practices. (Not to mention a Dec 23rd game will really hurt our attendance) We always sent our players home for 2 weeks anyway, so in reality, we're spending the same amount keeping them in dorms as we were in January.

we are obviously not connecting with each other and frankly I don't have the energy to explain any further.

I know. However, we're spending that money regardless. We let classes out the first weekend in December, We'd be paying for them to stay on campus regardless if we went to New Orleans, or the National Championship Game.

(06-05-2015 07:01 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  How many flights are there out of Mobile or even Pensacola on the morning of December 24? This could be a terrible date for visiting fans from the MAC team.

This date change is going to kill the MAC attendance especially students.

Godaddy bowl itself always seemed a bit pretentious playing in jan. The teams playing were fun though.

To me it was always the oddest of times for a bowl....and it oft was a commercial about the NC game. Always thought there maybe a change in the air......travel will be bad for the away team with Christmas around the corner but still that is a season of anticipation and everyone is getting fired up about bowl season at that time.....so I sort of like the spot....

(06-15-2015 03:41 PM)Buzz Lightyear Lite Wrote:  To me it was always the oddest of times for a bowl....and it oft was a commercial about the NC game. Always thought there maybe a change in the air......travel will be bad for the away team with Christmas around the corner but still that is a season of anticipation and everyone is getting fired up about bowl season at that time.....so I sort of like the spot....

Then you go at it from the other perspective, in which it might be harder for fans to attend now. We'd have far fewer fans at a December 23rd Go Daddy Bowl than we would at an Early January one. Too close to the Christmas Holiday.

Yeah all four Sun Belt dates suck.

Awful close to finals and my wife's family usually does Christmas the third Saturday in December to make it easier to schedule.

(06-15-2015 04:19 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  Yeah all four Sun Belt dates suck.

Awful close to finals and my wife's family usually does Christmas the third Saturday in December to make it easier to schedule.

Maybe for you personally, but tens of thousands of Cajun fans would disagree.

(06-15-2015 04:36 PM)CajunFan3406 Wrote:  

(06-15-2015 04:19 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  Yeah all four Sun Belt dates suck.

Awful close to finals and my wife's family usually does Christmas the third Saturday in December to make it easier to schedule.

Maybe for you personally, but tens of thousands of Cajun fans would disagree.

Okay, they suck for anyone who doesn't have a bowl game just 2 hours away. A December 19th Little Rock Game would be perfect for us, but a Dec 19th New Orleans Bowl would be awful.

Since the goal is to send as many fans as possible to a bowl, we're on record about how much the date change sucks for us. Not that ESPN took our input in the matter. Maybe we'll get the Little Rock Bowl going soon to take some pressure off. If we go to a bowl outside of Mobile, there will be a lot of pressure on our fans to prove we can travel just as well other places, but I don't have the same faith because the January Game was set up perfectly for our fans to travel. It might have made us a walking National Title game commercial, but the 10,000 plus fans who went were not watching the game on TV anyway.

(06-15-2015 05:03 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(06-15-2015 04:36 PM)CajunFan3406 Wrote:  

(06-15-2015 04:19 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  Yeah all four Sun Belt dates suck.

Awful close to finals and my wife's family usually does Christmas the third Saturday in December to make it easier to schedule.

Maybe for you personally, but tens of thousands of Cajun fans would disagree.

Okay, they suck for anyone who doesn't have a bowl game just 2 hours away. A December 19th Little Rock Game would be perfect for us, but a Dec 19th New Orleans Bowl would be awful.

Since the goal is to send as many fans as possible to a bowl, we're on record about how much the date change sucks for us. Not that ESPN took our input in the matter. Maybe we'll get the Little Rock Bowl going soon to take some pressure off. If we go to a bowl outside of Mobile, there will be a lot of pressure on our fans to prove we can travel just as well other places, but I don't have the same faith because the January Game was set up perfectly for our fans to travel. It might have made us a walking National Title game commercial, but the 10,000 plus fans who went were not watching the game on TV anyway.

Hey another post trying to downplay UL's NO Bowl attendance due to proximity.

Shocker.

You're fans are used to travelling to Mobile in early January. They've done it for 4 years. That's the primary reason the date "sucks" for you guys. If the bowl game had always been on the weekend before Christmas and then moved to early January, your fans would probably complain about how much that new date and time sucked. Humans are creatures of habit. You guys will adjust. It'll be OK. Hell, thousands of UL fans find ways to make it to NO days before our game, taking off Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I'm sure many of your fans could do the same for a trip to Mobile.

(06-15-2015 05:22 PM)CajunFan3406 Wrote:  

(06-15-2015 05:03 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(06-15-2015 04:36 PM)CajunFan3406 Wrote:  

(06-15-2015 04:19 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  Yeah all four Sun Belt dates suck.

Awful close to finals and my wife's family usually does Christmas the third Saturday in December to make it easier to schedule.

Maybe for you personally, but tens of thousands of Cajun fans would disagree.

Okay, they suck for anyone who doesn't have a bowl game just 2 hours away. A December 19th Little Rock Game would be perfect for us, but a Dec 19th New Orleans Bowl would be awful.

Since the goal is to send as many fans as possible to a bowl, we're on record about how much the date change sucks for us. Not that ESPN took our input in the matter. Maybe we'll get the Little Rock Bowl going soon to take some pressure off. If we go to a bowl outside of Mobile, there will be a lot of pressure on our fans to prove we can travel just as well other places, but I don't have the same faith because the January Game was set up perfectly for our fans to travel. It might have made us a walking National Title game commercial, but the 10,000 plus fans who went were not watching the game on TV anyway.

Hey another post trying to downplay UL's NO Bowl attendance due to proximity.

Shocker.

You're fans are used to travelling to Mobile in early January. They've done it for 4 years. That's the primary reason the date "sucks" for you guys. If the bowl game had always been on the weekend before Christmas and then moved to early January, your fans would probably complain about how much that new date and time sucked. Humans are creatures of habit. You guys will adjust. It'll be OK. Hell, thousands of UL fans find ways to make it to NO days before our game, taking off Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I'm sure many of your fans could do the same for a trip to Mobile.

I can tell you this, when the bowl situation was discussed last year, it was widely believed we could bring only half of what we could to Mobile to New Orleans because of the date.

Arkansas public schools give major exams the day before Christmas break in many cases, it would be very hard for us to ever send a similar crowd to a 3rd Saturday in December game that's not in Little Rock, and even worse trying to compete with Christmas in Mobile.

(06-15-2015 04:36 PM)CajunFan3406 Wrote:  

(06-15-2015 04:19 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  Yeah all four Sun Belt dates suck.

Awful close to finals and my wife's family usually does Christmas the third Saturday in December to make it easier to schedule.

Maybe for you personally, but tens of thousands of Cajun fans would disagree.

Two or few hour drive. Total commitment of not more than 8 hours if you want. Last year with the brunch kickoff you could even make a family event later in the day.

AState's finals end on December 15, team has to report to New Orleans on December 15, I believe.

I have a real issue with asking players to practice during finals. Game is on graduation day, when we played the bowl in Lafayette we had three players who didn't get to walk in graduation.

It's not me personally, because I'm going, but that's a crap experience for players.

(06-15-2015 05:22 PM)CajunFan3406 Wrote:  

(06-15-2015 05:03 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(06-15-2015 04:36 PM)CajunFan3406 Wrote:  

(06-15-2015 04:19 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  Yeah all four Sun Belt dates suck.

Awful close to finals and my wife's family usually does Christmas the third Saturday in December to make it easier to schedule.

Maybe for you personally, but tens of thousands of Cajun fans would disagree.

Okay, they suck for anyone who doesn't have a bowl game just 2 hours away. A December 19th Little Rock Game would be perfect for us, but a Dec 19th New Orleans Bowl would be awful.

Since the goal is to send as many fans as possible to a bowl, we're on record about how much the date change sucks for us. Not that ESPN took our input in the matter. Maybe we'll get the Little Rock Bowl going soon to take some pressure off. If we go to a bowl outside of Mobile, there will be a lot of pressure on our fans to prove we can travel just as well other places, but I don't have the same faith because the January Game was set up perfectly for our fans to travel. It might have made us a walking National Title game commercial, but the 10,000 plus fans who went were not watching the game on TV anyway.

Hey another post trying to downplay UL's NO Bowl attendance due to proximity.

Shocker.

You're fans are used to travelling to Mobile in early January. They've done it for 4 years. That's the primary reason the date "sucks" for you guys. If the bowl game had always been on the weekend before Christmas and then moved to early January, your fans would probably complain about how much that new date and time sucked. Humans are creatures of habit. You guys will adjust. It'll be OK. Hell, thousands of UL fans find ways to make it to NO days before our game, taking off Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I'm sure many of your fans could do the same for a trip to Mobile.

That's not downplaying, that's not begrudging. It is pointing out it ain't apples to apples.

The three December 19 games all mean AState players have to practice during finals, they all mean leaving Jonesboro during finals, they all require any fan with children to pull the kids from one possibly two days from school. Third Saturday is a big holiday event day. My nephew can never come to our family gathering that day because it is the day his employer has the big Christmas blow out and hands out the year-end bonus checks. My wife used to manage a meeting facility and both big ballrooms were always booked third Saturday and occasionally even double booked tearing down and setting up two events in the same room that day.

It's not whining and it isn't demeaning UL to point out that a lot of **** that isn't football related gets booked at that time and noting that there is a difference in a four hour (or one hour) round-trip and a 10 or 16 hour round-trip when there is so much competing for people's time and interest.

Face it the Belt does not have a large carrot to wag in front of the horse....so we sort of walk behind it.....None of our bowls are great dates and they are early enough in the bowl saga to at least have a few bars and fans starting to watch.....AND THIS IS just my opinion but I always thought the GoDaddy spot was a bit anti-climatic after the News Years Bowls etc.....but when the Belt does produce a team that pushes for that Big New Years Bowl.....things will start to look up........Until then we are at the back of the parade.....after the horses.... watch your step

(06-16-2015 08:16 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(06-15-2015 04:36 PM)CajunFan3406 Wrote:  

(06-15-2015 04:19 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  Yeah all four Sun Belt dates suck.

Awful close to finals and my wife's family usually does Christmas the third Saturday in December to make it easier to schedule.

Maybe for you personally, but tens of thousands of Cajun fans would disagree.

Two or few hour drive. Total commitment of not more than 8 hours if you want. Last year with the brunch kickoff you could even make a family event later in the day.

AState's finals end on December 15, team has to report to New Orleans on December 15, I believe.

I have a real issue with asking players to practice during finals. Game is on graduation day, when we played the bowl in Lafayette we had three players who didn't get to walk in graduation.

It's not me personally, because I'm going, but that's a crap experience for players.

We have done this for 4 years, we have held graduation for the players at the team hotel on the Friday, cap and gown. Players love it by the way.Our graduation has been the day of the game as well. We have practiced during finals. Everyone does except the handful of games after jan 1. Basketball,baseball and softball all deal with finals during the season every year.

(06-16-2015 08:45 AM)Louisiana99 Wrote:  

(06-16-2015 08:16 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(06-15-2015 04:36 PM)CajunFan3406 Wrote:  

(06-15-2015 04:19 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  Yeah all four Sun Belt dates suck.

Awful close to finals and my wife's family usually does Christmas the third Saturday in December to make it easier to schedule.

Maybe for you personally, but tens of thousands of Cajun fans would disagree.

Two or few hour drive. Total commitment of not more than 8 hours if you want. Last year with the brunch kickoff you could even make a family event later in the day.

AState's finals end on December 15, team has to report to New Orleans on December 15, I believe.

I have a real issue with asking players to practice during finals. Game is on graduation day, when we played the bowl in Lafayette we had three players who didn't get to walk in graduation.

It's not me personally, because I'm going, but that's a crap experience for players.

We have done this for 4 years, we have held graduation for the players at the team hotel on the Friday, cap and gown. Players love it by the way.Our graduation has been the day of the game as well. We have practiced during finals. Everyone does except the handful of games after jan 1. Basketball,baseball and softball all deal with finals during the season every year.

We did a similar thing the year we were in the Lafayette Bowl for graduation. That doesn't make it any easier. Two weeks to practice, running straight through finals, leaving during finals. All major inconveniences for us. And that's not even getting into how much that date would kill our attendance, where we're not fortunate enough to have most of our alums within an hour or less of the bowl site.

The date changes are just fine for fans who live nearby the bowl site, probably easier. But for those of us fans who have 6-8 hour drives, they are awful. I've already resigned myself that I'll have to miss our bowl game this year because of the dates. Taking off in January is easy...it's virtually impossible right before Christmas.