Teague deserves credit for getting us to Houston

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ruppertflywheel

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Granted, he lost me on the UNC fiasco, but he kept Purdue from jumping over us and moving us to Dallas. 1.5 million
in the expense budget allows the band to travel by air. Payout is bigger. 1.7 million versus 1.2 million. Prime time exposure on ESPN at 8:00 pm on Thursday December 28th. ( projected 1 million more viewers) My wife has a friend in Houston who works for the COC and she told my wife this morning that the U was all over the bowl committee with local alumni, e-mails, projected ticket sales,etc. In my way of thinking, Teague is back batting .500. JMO, but with Maturi at the helm I think our group would be checking on flights to Dallas. Go Gophers! beat Tech
 

Wait, I thought the Heart of Dallas bowl was the better bowl? At least that's what all the Facebook nincompoops on 1500 think. :p The intelligence of this state is overwhelming at times.

Teague does deserve some credit for making sure that we head to Houston instead of Dallas. I saw a tweet last night that said something along the lines of Teague really selling hard on this and that they would have selected Purdue had Teague not been so adamant, so well done sir.
 

I agree that Teague got us to the (objectively) better bowl. I was hoping for Dallas for: a historic venue (Cotton Bowl), the possibility of a more beatable opponent (in the end I think TT is more beatable than T Boone Pickens State) and cheaper flights.

Now Teague's challenge is going to be encouraging a good contingent of Gopher fans. It would be nice to see a promotion to help get students to the game.
 

On a side good for Keanon Cooper and the fans who sent letters. Oh, and you gotta love the Executive Director's name.

"It's the bowl we really wanted and certainly lobbied for the most," Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague said. "I'm proud of what we did there because they said it made a difference. We had a lot of fans send letters to people on the committee."..

"No. 1, we recruit the state of Texas," said Kill, who led the Gophers to a 6-6 record this year that ended their three-year bowl drought. "No. 2, it's a high-profile bowl. ... There's no question that helps you in recruiting. Just the visibility -- the exposure the media gives you helps your program."

That's because the game is an evening kickoff on a Friday, when the ESPN broadcast will be the lone football option on TV. Last year, the game in that exclusive Friday night slot, the Insight Bowl, was the sixth-most-watched non-BCS bowl. That could bring two to three times the number of viewers who will watch the Heart of Dallas Bowl, the Gophers' other possibility...

The Gophers will start preparing for some of that offensive talent this week. First, they want to savor the moment, particularly players like cornerback Troy Stoudermire and linebacker Keanon Cooper, Gophers seniors who get to end their career in their home state.

"I'm very happy. This is special to me," said Cooper, a Dallas native and one of 14 Texans on Minnesota's roster. "My family has never been able to see me play in person. For them to have that opportunity is big."

The invitation comes with a requirement that the Gophers buy 12,000 tickets, priced between $60 and $75 each, but also will pay them $1.7 million, far greater than the $1.2 million Purdue will get from the Heart of Dallas Bowl. The Big Ten, which helps cover costs of unsold tickets (and splits bowl proceeds among all members) allots $1.5 million in travel expenses, allowing, among other things, the Gophers band to fly instead of bus to the game.

But it's ticket-buying fans who might have helped convince Meineke board members which 6-6 Big Ten team to take. "We felt so much energy coming from Minnesota this week. A lot of alumni were lobbying to come down to Houston," said Heather Houston, the bowl's executive director.

"It felt like there is tons of support for the team."

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/181755751.html
 

Heart of Dallas would have been a pretty decent step down in terms of exposure. First of all, you're on ESPNU, going right up against NW and Miss. St. in the Gator Bowl. Then, one hour into the game, most of the audience is going to switch over to Nebraska/Georgia or Michigan/South Carolina.
 


I thought all the payouts were put into one big pot and distributed equally to the Big Ten members?
 

Nate said:
I thought all the payouts were put into one big pot and distributed equally to the Big Ten members?
Click to expand...

They are but teams get an "expenses" allowance depending on what Bowl they go to.
 

Nate said:
I thought all the payouts were put into one big pot and distributed equally to the Big Ten members?
Click to expand...

They are, but the difference comes in the money each bowl gives its participating teams for expenses. That's where the Gophers benefited from going to Houston - they'll have an extra $300K, so the band can fly rather than drive, staff and administration can bring their families, etc.
 

Well, something is different. I don't recall the Gophers getting picked over anyone in the Big Ten for a bowl game in the last 15 years. I know the Alamo Bowl was always passing on the Gophers.
 



This was decided the minute Purdue fired Hope. Nobody wants a team with a lame-duck coach.

The exposure on ESPN will be nice, however. I think the only game we played that wasn't on BTN this year was on ESPNU or the CBS sports network, which nobody gets.
 

Nate said:
I thought all the payouts were put into one big pot and distributed equally to the Big Ten members?
Click to expand...

The revenue thing is confusing because people see the payouts and assume that means the team gets that money which as you pointed out is not the case at all.

The other perks about this game (time, channel, other games taking place) are all valid reasons why this is the better bowl game to end up in out of the two choices. The bowl payout really doesn't factor into it since the team gets an allowance and the profit is split among the conference. Heck even in the story they don't seem to get it.

The invitation comes with a requirement that the Gophers buy 12,000 tickets, priced between $60 and $75 each, but also will pay them $1.7 million, far greater than the $1.2 million Purdue will get from the Heart of Dallas Bowl. The Big Ten, which helps cover costs of unsold tickets (and splits bowl proceeds among all members) allots $1.5 million in travel expenses, allowing, among other things, the Gophers band to fly instead of bus to the game.

The U of M doesnt' get the 500K difference in bowl payout it all goes into the pot that gets split up after the expenses from each team are deducted.
 

Is nobody going to comment on the fact that the Director of the bowl in Houston's name is Heather Houston?
 

I certainly prefer the Houston Bowl. Good venue. Good date and time. Only game on TV that night. Decent matchup. Yet, all I hear from friends, co-workers, and media is constant belittling of the bowl. :mad:
 



Grant said:
I certainly prefer the Houston Bowl. Good venue. Good date and time. Only game on TV that night. Decent matchup. Yet, all I hear from friends, co-workers, and media is constant belittling of the bowl. :mad:
Click to expand...

I'm afraid we'll have to get used it. It's Rose Bowl or bust for the media. Ironic considering a major team in Minneapolis hasn't been to a championship in this town in over 2 decades so I don't know where these morons have gotten their high expectations.
 


Grant said:
I certainly prefer the Houston Bowl. Good venue. Good date and time. Only game on TV that night. Decent matchup. Yet, all I hear from friends, co-workers, and media is constant belittling of the bowl. :mad:
Click to expand...
Are those people invested in the Gophers? I don't think many fans are upset about the bowl at all. From an outsider's perspective, it's a bowl game named after a muffler company, and they don't care about the things you mentioned.
 

Gopherprof said:
This was decided the minute Purdue fired Hope. Nobody wants a team with a lame-duck coach.

The exposure on ESPN will be nice, however. I think the only game we played that wasn't on BTN this year was on ESPNU or the CBS sports network, which nobody gets.
Click to expand...

Iowa and NW games were on ESPN2.
 


Gopherprof said:
This was decided the minute Purdue fired Hope. Nobody wants a team with a lame-duck coach.

The exposure on ESPN will be nice, however. I think the only game we played that wasn't on BTN this year was on ESPNU or the CBS sports network, which nobody gets.
Click to expand...

Heather Houston said not having a coach in place had nothing to do with the selection process. The bowl is an award for the players and fans that support the team. NIU had not elevated their ass't coach to head coach before they were selected for the Orange Bowl.
 

Is Heather Houston a shirt tail relative of Sam Houston?

Is Houston Minnesota named after the city of Houston, Texas, Heather Houston, or Sam Houston?

Or is Houston Minnesota named after a heavy house, a Ton of House?
 


Dr.Don said:
Or is Houston Minnesota named after a heavy house, a Ton of House?
Click to expand...

I would think that a house weighing a ton would be a pretty light house.

-Nate <-- not a builder
 

ruppertflywheel said:
Granted, he lost me on the UNC fiasco, but he kept Purdue from jumping over us and moving us to Dallas. 1.5 million
in the expense budget allows the band to travel by air. Payout is bigger. 1.7 million versus 1.2 million. Prime time exposure on ESPN at 8:00 pm on Thursday December 28th. ( projected 1 million more viewers) My wife has a friend in Houston who works for the COC and she told my wife this morning that the U was all over the bowl committee with local alumni, e-mails, projected ticket sales,etc. In my way of thinking, Teague is back batting .500. JMO, but with Maturi at the helm I think our group would be checking on flights to Dallas. Go Gophers! beat Tech
Click to expand...

I hate it when people exaggerate! It’s wrong to suggest that Maturi would not have gotten us to Dallas. Somehow, someway, he would have gotten us to Detroit ;-)
 

ruppertflywheel said:
NIU had not elevated their ass't coach to head coach before they were selected for the Orange Bowl.
Click to expand...

People are seeming to misunderstand and think that the BCS deliberately chose NIU for a spot. They didn't. It's called an auto bid for a reason.
 


Houston, Minnesota is named for Sam Houston. He was a big name at the time they were looking to name the town.
 

ruppertflywheel said:
Heather Houston said not having a coach in place had nothing to do with the selection process.
Click to expand...
A corporate mouthpiece said something? I guess it must be true!

NIU had not elevated their ass't coach to head coach before they were selected for the Orange Bowl.
Click to expand...
I assure you that the Orange Bowl did not "choose" NIU. It was the last straw that they were absolutely forced to take.
 

Dr.Don said:
Is Heather Houston a shirt tail relative of Sam Houston?
Is Houston Minnesota named after the city of Houston, Texas, Heather Houston, or Sam Houston?
Or is Houston Minnesota named after a heavy house, a Ton of House?
Click to expand...

Dr. Don - you have insulted my home town. I demand Satisfaction. Nerf Balls at 20 paces!

Now, courtesy Wikipedia, a few fun facts about Houston MN - population 979!

The community was named after Sam Houston, first president of the Republic of Texas.[8]
In 1852, William McSpadden platted the original site of the Village of Houston. McSpadden had served under the legendary Sam Houston in the Mexican-American War.

Annual cultural events
"Houston Hoedown Days" is the last full weekend in July. The event includes tractor pulls, the Minnesota State Horsepull, dances and flea markets.[9]

The "International Festival of Owls" is held each year in Houston, and is the only full-weekend, all-owl event in North America.[10]

Sports
In November 2008 the Houston Hurricanes won the Minnesota 9-Man Football State Championship. They ended their season with a 14-0 mark. This is the first State Championship in school history, with the exception of five state appearances by the girls track team—which included a state title in 2006.

U.S. News & World Report named Houston High School of Houston, Minnesota one of America’s "Top 100 Schools" in a study published December 8, 2008 entitled “America’s Best High Schools.” http://www.usnews.com/directories/high-schools/.
Houston Public Schools was also ranked #6 in the state of Minnesota by the U.S. News & World Report
(P.S. - my sister is the cirriculum director!)
 

Jike Spingleton said:
They are, but the difference comes in the money each bowl gives its participating teams for expenses. That's where the Gophers benefited from going to Houston - they'll have an extra $300K, so the band can fly rather than drive, staff and administration can bring their families, etc.
Click to expand...

MN Daily: University could lose money in bowl game
The University will likely receive less money from the Big Ten than last year, when it didn’t play in a bowl.

http://www.mndaily.com/2012/12/04/university-could-lose-money-bowl-game

Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
MN Daily: University could lose money in bowl game
The University will likely receive less money from the Big Ten than last year, when it didn’t play in a bowl.

http://www.mndaily.com/2012/12/04/university-could-lose-money-bowl-game

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...

There is more truth to this than we can imagine. A couple of years ago in Sports Illustrated, an article about the Bowl Games had a comment from the Michigan AD, concerning the prior year which was a non-bowl year for Michigan. He said (paraphrased), that Michigan made money that year because they did not have a bowl game.
 

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