We talk a lot about getting passed over by bowl games in the Pac-12 pecking order and while it didn't happen this year (Foster Farms went with Utah over Stanford, sending the Cardinal to the Sun Bowl), I don't think we really helped our case much in bolstering our bowl image.
For starters, as I'm sure everyone is well aware, the Foster Farms Bowl was abysmally attended. It looked like less than 15,000 fans there and in a stadium that seats 68,000, that's not a good good.
Not a good look at all. To be fair, it's not like this is a very well attended bowl game. Outside last year, which had UCLA (local-ish team) and Nebraska (who travels ridiculously well to any game), the games were either not very well attended (2014's game had hometown Stanford, but a small crowd against Maryland, who, like Indiana was at a regional disadvantage) or played at AT&T Ballpark in San Francisco, which, as we saw in 2005, is not built for football.
Of course, most bowls have terrible attendance. Still, of all the Pac-12 bowls, this was the worst attended. Wazzu fans traveled pretty well to San Diego for the Holiday Bowl. The Alamo Bowl was packed and even the Sun Bowl looked mostly full (to be fair, El Paso supports that bow like crazy - as most fans watching are not from either team). It's not a good look for the program and our potential support as fans.
But it's all about TV ratings...right? Sure. Attendance is probably not even half the equation.
Unfortunately, despite the game being on network television (FOX) in primetime, the Foster Farms Bowl had its worst TV rating since 2012's Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, which pulled in 1.1 million viewers (this year's bowl had 2.6 million).
I get some of it is Indiana. They're not a very exciting team to watch. Regardless, though, neither was Maryland in 2014 and yet Stanford drew nearly a million more viewers despite being on ESPN on a Tuesday game that didn't start until 10:00 ET.
One reason Utah didn't get passed over by this bowl, and sent to El Paso, was because of how poorly attended the game was with Stanford a few years ago. Do you think the Foster Farms Bowl is going to remember poor TV ratings and a bad crowd when it's deciding whether to take Utah in future seasons?
Bowl games are a business, fair or not, and I don't think Utah helped its perception much with the FF Bowl.
Here's the TV ratings for all the Pac-12 Bowl games:
1. Peach Bowl (19.8 million)
2. Alamo (4.5 million)
3. Holiday (4 million)
4. Foster Farms (2.6 million)
No totals on the Sun or Rose (obviously). But I'm sure Rose will be much higher and I'd be surprised if the Sun wasn't, either.
For comparisons sake, the Poinsettia Bowl drew 2.4 million viewers.
So, at least Utah can lord that over BYU fans' heads.
Point in all this? I guess we can't get too upset when bowls pass Utah over in the pecking order. We don't travel well outside Las Vegas and we're not much a TV draw, either, apparently.
Thing is, I think we would've done much better had we gone to San Diego for the Holiday. But looking at the crowd we pulled in in the Bay Area, which has a similar distance, I wouldn't be surprised if the Holiday passed on Utah in the future for a more established name. You know, like Wazzu.
For starters, as I'm sure everyone is well aware, the Foster Farms Bowl was abysmally attended. It looked like less than 15,000 fans there and in a stadium that seats 68,000, that's not a good good.
Not a good look at all. To be fair, it's not like this is a very well attended bowl game. Outside last year, which had UCLA (local-ish team) and Nebraska (who travels ridiculously well to any game), the games were either not very well attended (2014's game had hometown Stanford, but a small crowd against Maryland, who, like Indiana was at a regional disadvantage) or played at AT&T Ballpark in San Francisco, which, as we saw in 2005, is not built for football.
Of course, most bowls have terrible attendance. Still, of all the Pac-12 bowls, this was the worst attended. Wazzu fans traveled pretty well to San Diego for the Holiday Bowl. The Alamo Bowl was packed and even the Sun Bowl looked mostly full (to be fair, El Paso supports that bow like crazy - as most fans watching are not from either team). It's not a good look for the program and our potential support as fans.
But it's all about TV ratings...right? Sure. Attendance is probably not even half the equation.
Unfortunately, despite the game being on network television (FOX) in primetime, the Foster Farms Bowl had its worst TV rating since 2012's Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, which pulled in 1.1 million viewers (this year's bowl had 2.6 million).
I get some of it is Indiana. They're not a very exciting team to watch. Regardless, though, neither was Maryland in 2014 and yet Stanford drew nearly a million more viewers despite being on ESPN on a Tuesday game that didn't start until 10:00 ET.
One reason Utah didn't get passed over by this bowl, and sent to El Paso, was because of how poorly attended the game was with Stanford a few years ago. Do you think the Foster Farms Bowl is going to remember poor TV ratings and a bad crowd when it's deciding whether to take Utah in future seasons?
Bowl games are a business, fair or not, and I don't think Utah helped its perception much with the FF Bowl.
Here's the TV ratings for all the Pac-12 Bowl games:
1. Peach Bowl (19.8 million)
2. Alamo (4.5 million)
3. Holiday (4 million)
4. Foster Farms (2.6 million)
No totals on the Sun or Rose (obviously). But I'm sure Rose will be much higher and I'd be surprised if the Sun wasn't, either.
For comparisons sake, the Poinsettia Bowl drew 2.4 million viewers.
So, at least Utah can lord that over BYU fans' heads.
Point in all this? I guess we can't get too upset when bowls pass Utah over in the pecking order. We don't travel well outside Las Vegas and we're not much a TV draw, either, apparently.
Thing is, I think we would've done much better had we gone to San Diego for the Holiday. But looking at the crowd we pulled in in the Bay Area, which has a similar distance, I wouldn't be surprised if the Holiday passed on Utah in the future for a more established name. You know, like Wazzu.
