Holiday Plans - Printable Version

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Holiday Plans - HisKneeWasDown - 11-03-2014

Since I can't wait until Dec 7 to make my holiday plans, I need to do some scenario planning. Where/when do people think Stanford will play their post-season game? (BTW, yes, I'm assuming Stanford will win at least one more against Utah, Cal or UCLA and become bowl eligible... ).

The <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/79447/pac-12-bowl-projections-week-9-3">ESPN Pac-12 Blog</a> painted a pretty bleak prediction for us last week:

College Football Playoff: Oregon
Fiesta Bowl: Arizona
Valero Alamo Bowl: Utah
National University Holiday Bowl: Arizona State
San Francisco Bowl: UCLA
Hyundai Sun Bowl: USC
Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl: Stanford
Cactus Bowl: Washington
Heart of Dallas Bowl*: Cal
* at-large

It does seem like a given that at least four teams will get picked ahead of Stanford: Oregon, Arizona, ASU and USC. If Oregon goes to the playoff, there's a chance the next best Pac-12 school gets an at-large to a "good" bowl. That leaves Stanford "best case" with the "3rd best" Pac-12 tie-in bowl, which is the SF Bowl (after the Alamo and Holiday).

LV Bowl (12/20) certainly seems worst case. I think a win against Cal, plus at least a win against Utah or UCLA, move us to Sun Bowl (12/27) or even SF Bowl (12/30 in Levi Stadium... no need to travel!).

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Re: Holiday Plans - StanFan88 - 11-03-2014

I could see the SF bowl moving down to pick Stanford but the rest of the bowls will likely move down to pick someone else because after four BCS bowls the only way I'm going to a bowl game is if it's less than an hour's drive for me.

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Re: Holiday Plans - DC - 11-03-2014

I might not mind an excuse to go to Vegas...

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Re: Holiday Plans - stupac2 - 11-03-2014

Hmm, a bowl in the Bay Area on the 30th might actually be inconvenient for me, no idea if I'll be back from the holidays by then. Holiday Bowl actually works the best for me since I'll be in San Diego then anyway, but with 4 losses that does seem unlikely. Unless the South implodes.

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Re: Holiday Plans - PrinceLightfoot - 11-03-2014

(11-03-2014, 09:34 AM)garvin link Wrote:Las Vegas at Christmas is a singularly awful proposition. I'd rather go anyplace else. I realize I'm in a minority of one on this, but I'm sorry the Pac-12 broke up with the New Mexico bowl.

As an out-of-towner, the San Francisco Bowl has a lot of appeal -- there's a chance to see both Stanford basketball teams a couple of time around the date of the bowl game.

I lived in Las Vegas for four years and can verify that going there during the holiday season is the worst vacation idea anyone can make unless you enjoy overcrowded casinos and a complete lack of service. Traffic is also terrible.

I will be happy to see the team play in the Sun Bowl only because I will already be there for the holidays. :)

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Re: Holiday Plans - jacketree - 11-03-2014

I plan to watch a lot of football on TV over the holiday.  Stanford has some work to do if they want to be one of the teams I watch. I don't think mere bowl eligibility will cut it. But who knows?

The Pac 12 has 7 bowl tie-ins including the Rose Bowl in non-playoff years, so we all better root for the Ducks to pull down that playoff slot and leave 6 additional slots to fight over, rather than five.

The following Pac 12 teams are already bowl eligible:

1. Oregon
2. Arizona State
3. UCLA
4. Arizona
5. Utah
6. Washington
7. USC

Cal and Stanford are on the cusp of bowl eligibility and haven't played each other yet, so one of them will be bowl eligible. Wazzou and Colorado will never get there, and the Beavers are a game behind Cal and Stanford with losses to both. But the slots are already filled. Assuming it pulls out one more win, but no more, is Stanford more attractive than any of the above in terms of fan travel or entertainment?  Not really, and they only have a win against one of them so far.  "Andrew Luck played there only three years ago" or "watch the two time defending Rose Bowl champion crashing back to earth" isn't going to be much of a draw.

So if Stanford is bowl bound, it is either by winning at least two more games, if not three, or by replacing some other conferences' non-qualifiers. And it doesn't look like the Pac 12 is a backup to anything. Maybe if Navy can't win two of its last three, the Poinsettia Bowl would be interested in a Pac 12 team to face Mountain West #2.  Or maybe there will be some slot open God knows where.

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Re: Holiday Plans - BostonCard - 11-03-2014

There will be at least seven bowl slots, even if Oregon doesn't make the playoff.  When the rose bowl is one of the semifinals, one of the other non-playoff sites (likely the fiesta this year) will take the p12 champ.  If Oregon makes the playoff, the fiesta or whoever likely would take a second pac 12 team, though they are not obligated.

BC

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Re: Holiday Plans - fullmetal - 11-03-2014

The Alamo Bowl will be played on Jan. 2, 2015, which is a push back from their more traditional Dec 20-30ish date.  That's a little bit of a bummer because on Dec. 23rd, the men's basketball team will be in Austin to play Texas.

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Re: Holiday Plans - CowboyIndian - 11-03-2014

Laugh if you must, but Christmas in El Paso can be a lot of fun. Of course it's more fun if you can go into Juarez without body armor.

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Re: Holiday Plans - 61_Shasta - 11-03-2014

The one thng I can contribute from Utah's Mountain West Conference days is an explanation why the LVB exists and why it will always be a pre-Christmas bowl.  Vegas between Christmas and New Years is prime inventory where the hotels can charge what they wish.  Vegas the week before Christmas is pretty much a deserted wasteland.  The last time Utah was there in 2010 we stayed in one of Stratosphere's top floor suites with a view straight down the strip for $29 a night.  Other promotions included Excalibur offering free rooms with the purchase of two shows at 50% off, etc.  Hence the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Bureau created the Las Vegas Bowl.

The Vegas Bowl exists solely to attract people to Las Vegas when people generally don't want to go there.  However, if Stanford does go there and you as a fan want to go with them, you can get major bang for your dollar.  Disclaimer: 2010 was about the lowest of the low for the recession.  Still Vegas is historically cheap the week before Christmas.  As the saying goes, your mileage may vary.

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Re: Holiday Plans - slide - 11-04-2014

Redrum and I have been concerned about you Garvin in case we end up in El Paso.  we thought one of these might be helpful for your mobility.  hopefully you can figure a way to put a cooler on the back so we aren't parched on Death March II.  we can use the front basket for recycling empties.  :)

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Re: Holiday Plans - Trevmiesterj - 11-04-2014

Hey Shasta,

I would greatly like to see a Duck helmet residing here next year.

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Re: Holiday Plans - HisKneeWasDown - 11-04-2014

Well, that escalated quickly....  ;)

FWIW, I went to the Sun Bowl in '09, and I had fond memories. But context was important... it was the first bowl in several years, so we were Happy To Be There.

Fast forward to 4 straight BCS bowls, and Sun Bowl this year would be a huuuuge letdown...

I actually like LV... we went to the recent Pac-12 MBB tournament. I enjoyed it, but I do think it's inappropriate hosting a college event at a place where you're supposed to be 21 and over.

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Re: Holiday Plans - HisKneeWasDown - 11-04-2014

(11-03-2014, 03:43 PM)fullmetal link Wrote:The Alamo Bowl will be played on Jan. 2, 2015, which is a push back from their more traditional Dec 20-30ish date.  That's a little bit of a bummer because on Dec. 23rd, the men's basketball team will be in Austin to play Texas.

Sure, but Alamo Bowl is a bit of a stretch for Stanford this year, imho.

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