Houston Bowl

[Stallion]

there's a report from a Houston Radio Station mentioned on the CUSA Board that says that the CUSA Champion has agreed to play probably against the Big 12 No. 7 team in the Houston Bowl. Many in the East are going to be pissed because it means losing the Liberty Bowl after this year but from the West's perspective I bet most fans would rather play a Big 12 (especially South) team in a brand new sometimes covered dome in December than travel to Memphis to play in the often frigid Liberty Bowl. Conference USA will take a financial hit though.

[Mustangs35SMU]

I agree for us for the most part. If we were to ever make it back there, definately would be an advantage for us playing in our home state and playing a Big 12 team.

But definately would see why the East fans would be made. We'll see what happens.

[Hoop Fan]

there's a report from a Houston Radio Station mentioned on the CUSA Board that says that the CUSA Champion has agreed to play probably against the Big 12 No. 7 team in the Houston Bowl. Many in the East are going to be pissed because it means losing the Liberty Bowl after this year but from the West's perspective I bet most fans would rather play a Big 12 (especially South) team in a brand new sometimes covered dome in December than travel to Memphis to play in the often frigid Liberty Bowl. Conference USA will take a financial hit though.

these are the types of things that end a honeymoon real quick if there ever was one in N-CUSA. The only security in this landscape is to win, have people want to show you on tv as a result and draw fans. After all the breakups we have been through, I hope SMU finally realizes its time to compete and there is no free lunch.

[MrMustang1965]

I thought the Houston Bowl had been canned. Seriously.

[SoCal_Pony]

To me, Ford Stadium is the ideal venue for a C-USA sponsored bowl game.

Major city, major airport, probably a closer proximity for both teams, and most importantly, the perfect stadium size.

Reliant holds 70,000. This bowl game will occur during the holiday season. Anybody want to guess as to how many fans make the trip to Houston?

[MrMustang1965]

To me, Ford Stadium is the ideal venue for a C-USA sponsored bowl game.

Major city, major airport, probably a closer proximity for both teams, and most importantly, the perfect stadium size.

Reliant holds 70,000. This bowl game will occur during the holiday season. Anybody want to guess as to how many fans make the trip to Houston?

Well, I would make the trip to Houston. I know Interstate 45 so well I could drive it blindfolded!

And while I would much prefer a bowl game on the SMU campus rather than in Houston, I have to point out that Houston is a 'major city' (I think it's 3rd or 4th largest in the U.S. now), has a 'major airport' (Bush IAH as well as Hobby) and has two C-USA teams in its city limits (Rice & UH).

[abezontar]

While it may seem great that the championship game is so close, as I remember the bowl as a much lower payout than the Liberty Bowl, and it isn't in as central of a location meaning that if our champion is from the east or even UTEP there probably won't be that many fans going. Sure we all would go if SMU was in the game, but what if you are in West Virginia, Florida or North Carolina? That is quite a long haul. I don't know about you guys but I would be much less likely to go if I had to travel that far. Especially if I had to travel to a city that I wasn't all that enthused to visit in the first place. Seriously who all wants to go to the motor city bowl?

[SoCal_Pony]

You are correct MM65, Houston is a big city with a big airport. But unless that Big XII rep is UT or A&M (and they normally don’t finish 7th), the distance to Dallas is less than the distance to Houston for any other team. Same goes with most C-USA teams.

The biggest advantage I see to Ford over Reliant is the stadium size. I think the average fan is turned off by watching any game, especially a bowl game, played in front of mostly empty seats.

[NavyCrimson]

(with total sarcasm)

nothing like our #1, 11-1 team playing against their #7, 6-6 team & being happy!!!

long live the bcs-bs!

i'm so happy & thankful that they have provided me with such a wonderful opportunity to lick the boots of one of their mediocre teams!!!

i am so thankful!!!

oh thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

[MrMustang1965]

The biggest advantage I see to Ford over Reliant is the stadium size. I think the average fan is turned off by watching any game, especially a bowl game, played in front of mostly empty seats.

No argument there, SoCal_Pony. I saw Navy v. Texas Tech in the Houston Bowl at Reliant Stadium in 2003. Only the lower tier of Reliant was occupied...I don't think they even sold seats in the upper decks.

[NavyCrimson]

sort of like a well-oiled train wreck getting ready to happen -

[Rayburn]

I was at last year's Houston Bowl (UTEP V Colorado). Terrible attendance although the UTEP fans did make some noise.

Overall, I give the Houston Bowl a thumbs down.

[MrMustang1965]

Story in today's Houston Chronicle about a proposal to convert the Reliant Astrodome into a hotel/convention complex similar to the Gaylord facility in Grapevine.

from the Houston Chronicle:

An investment company has obtained financing for a $450 million project that would transform the Reliant Astrodome into a 1,200-room convention hotel with a winding indoor waterway, county officials said Wednesday.

The county, which owns the 40-year-old landmark that once was called the Eighth Wonder of the World, has yet to greenlight the project. But by obtaining financing and providing renderings and economic studies , the investment company convinced the Harris County Sports & Convention Corp. that its plan is viable.

"If they can get it financed, that goes a long way toward saying that it can work," said Willie Loston, director of the Sports and Convention Corp., which oversees Reliant Park.

The developer's proposal calls for nine acres of the Astrodome's interior to be reserved for trees, walkways, mill wheels and the waterway, which would be plied by tourist boats similar to the ones on San Antonio's River Walk.

Astrodome Redevelopment Corp., the investment company, said the project's theme would be the Best of Texas, and it would feature buildings that evoked the state's past. A building designed to look like a historic Texas courthouse would be at the interior's center.

"It literally would be a village under glass," Loston said.

It won't happen unless Astrodome Redevelopment signs a letter of intent and Commissioners Court approves the project, said Mike Surface, chair of the Sports & Convention Corp. The company and the Sports and Convention Corp., he said, would be unlikely to work out a letter of intent before late this year or next year.

Scott Hanson, president of Astrodome Redevelopment, couldn't be reached Wednesday.

The question of what to do with the Astrodome has lingered since the Astros relocated to Minute Maid Park five years ago.

Many Houstonians are sentimentally attached to the building and took pride in its being the world's first domed stadium. Because of those sentiments, county officials, especially elected ones, are reluctant to become known as the bureaucrats who razed the Dome.

"It just has too much historical significance and emotional ties for the community," Surface has said.

But the building is expensive to maintain and has become a bit of an albatross. The county has been spending about $1.5 million annually to host a few events there.

Even if it were mothballed, the county still would spend $500,000 annually on basic operations.

The county still is paying off bonds issued to pay for Astrodome renovations in the 1980s.

Reinventing the Dome would be extraordinarily expensive. Building from scratch is typically much cheaper than doing a massive renovation, especially of an oddly shaped structure like a domed stadium.

Astrodome Redevelopment's convention hotel would be four times more expensive than the city-owned convention hotel, the Hilton Americas, which opened next to the George R. Brown Convention Center downtown in late 2003.

A number of large, well-known and well-heeled companies are investors in Astrodome Redevelopment. They include Oceaneering International Inc., a publicly traded firm working in engineering, science and technology; URS, a large architectural and design firm; NBGS International, a theme park developer; and Falcon's Treehouse, a Florida-based design firm.

Loston said the hotel would be a boon to Reliant Center, the convention hall next to Reliant Stadium, helping draw conventions and meetings whose planners want a nearby hotel.

The convention hotel would try to mimic the success of Gaylord's luxury convention hotels in Nashville, Tenn., Orlando, Fla., and the Dallas suburb of Grapevine.

Astrodome Redevelopment's renderings show banks of buildings, some rising eight to 12 stories, along the walls of the Dome. The interior would include retail stores, nightclubs, restaurants and possibly a performing arts stage, Surface said.

Astrodome Redevelopment Corp. initially considered building a space-themed amusement park, but rejected that idea for the convention hotel concept.

Surface emphasized that at this stage, there's always the risk a huge project like this could founder.

"While I'm optimistic and excited about the concept, you have to realize there are a lot of moving parts," he said.

[Cat79]

The Houston Bowl raised the payout from $750,000 to $1,000,000. I was on their site yesterday.

I looked at some of the attendance numbers. Last year attendance was the worst. This is probably the reason behind increasing the payout.

[2112]

What were the numbers?