New Bowl for Forth Worth

[SoCal_Pony]

The NCAA today officially added the Fort Worth Bowl, pitting a conference USA team against a BIG 12 opponent.

There are now 28 bowl games, or 56 colleges participating in bowl games this upcoming season.

SMU just completed their most successful recruiting season post-DP. By many accounts, it was the highest ranked non-BCS recruiting class in the country. Yet it still ranks around 60th.

We have a small fan-base and do not travel well. We have our work cut out for us.

Congratulations TCU for securing the bowl.

[Vitale]

Without dipping into the argument about why there's a bowl in FW, how does one secure a bowl in the first place? Is there any feasibility to the notion that we should try to get one in Ford Stadium? Even if the FW Bowl pits some heavyweights like Cincinnati against Iowa State against each other, it is in fact increased exposure for TCU and Fort Worth. If there's going to be addition coverage, it should go to SMU, not TCU. If nothing else, our stadium is infinitely more attractive than the dump the Frogs play in. Their team has done well in recent years - will they take on a Hawaii situation and play a bowl game every year in their home stadium?

Somehow, I think that even if the money/sponsorship could be arranged, the presence of the Cotton Bowl wouldn't allow another bowl in Dallas. Dammit.

[EmeraldCityPony]

Also the size of the stadium. Ford isn't big enough for a bowl game, is it?

[PK]

Not to say that using Ford for a bowl would be a good idea...which I doubt, but it could easily be expanded to 40,000 capacity which is probably more than attended the Mobile bowl game last year. I mean, how many people would Cincinnati and Iowa State bring to Texas for a game anyway????

[Vitale]

Actually, Iowa State travels extremely well, in football, basketball, even wrestling.

The argument that Ford could be expanded is true - if we close off that horseshoe at the south end of the stadium, we'd appease some of the HP natives across Mockingbird by containing the sound a little bit better, and we wouldn't be tempted to light the hill on fire.

As for stadium size, Amon Carter (TCU) seats 44,008, compared to the 32,000 capacity at Ford. EmeraldCityPony's right that it would be too small, if we're talking huge teams that are famous for traveling well (Nebraska, Arkansas, Kansas State, etc.) But if we're talking a lower-end pairing, like the game in Boise usually is, a bowl game in Ford would be beautiful.