[tomh78]

As for the bowl payouts, aren't those averaged and paid out to all conference teams, per Pac-12 policy?

Thank you, I stand corrected.

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I was personally hoping that we'd sneak into the Holiday Bowl but I'll gladly settle for the Sun Bowl over some of the alternatives, particularly the Redbox Bowl.  As has been discussed on this board ad nauseum, just because Santa Clara is close to Palo Alto doesn't mean that Stanford fans would be more likely to attend the Redbox Bowl considering the alumni base is so spread out.

It is perplexing that we weren't chosen for the Holiday Bowl.  

As for fan attendance, I think it could be higher if there was a concerted campaign by the Athletics Department to get fans out. But, sending a few auto-emails will not do the trick.

Of course, like Pogo once said, as regards fan attendance, "we have met the enemy and he is us."  And our reputation extends to our rivals.  What is the nickname for Stanford Stadium at USC, Cal, Oregon, and UCLA?  The Library.   

Why?  Because we're so quiet.  And we leave early.

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Dude, El Paso is the place to be. 

You can get an early start on some BETO 2020 swag.

Thanks for the tip. I needed a new doormat, and when it's all chewed up, I can use it in the catbox.

---

It should also be noted that the Sun Bowl had to take us: once the Alamo, Holiday and Redbox have picked, the final three bowls (Sun, Vegas, Phoenix) have to pick in order, which was Stanford, ASU, Cal.  There is no wiggle-room here.  And the Cheez-it was stuck with Cal whether they wanted the Bears or not.  

For better bowls in the future, we just have to win more games and eliminate the discussion.  Our 6-3 conference record put us in a pool of teams that were all within one win of each other (Utah 6-3, Stanford 6-3, Oregon 5-4, ASU 5-4), and that gives the choice to the bowl committees.  The Alamo Bowl wanted WSU and Air-Minshew, the Holiday Bowl wanted Utah and the Redbox wanted Oregon (when we played in the Foster Farms bowl back in 2014, we did not exactly light up the attendance numbers, which the bowl organizers were hoping for).  So the Sun Bowl was (once again) our destiny.  Not a lot to grouse about.  We should have beaten UW and WSU and gone to the Rose Bowl.  But, well, that didn't happen.

Nicely put.  So to ask the obvious question -- two Pac-12 teams cannot play in the same bowl game, correct?  That's why our chance of getting in to either the Alamo or Holiday Bowls was close to zero?

Still, with a four loss season, I care more about the venue than the "prestige" of the bowl based on some unknown ranking.  Meaning, I'd rather we were in Las Vegas. Phoenix, San Diego, or Santa Clara.  I'd even go to Albuquerque over El Paso, if there was a bowl game in Albuquerque.

Also, we should have enough clout that the Holiday or Redbox Bowls want us, not any other team, whenever we end the season 8-4.  That might mean better relationships with the bowl committees.  Or a better effort on the part of the Athletic Department to get fans out.

[tomh78]

As for the bowl payouts, aren't those averaged and paid out to all conference teams, per Pac-12 policy?

Thank you, I stand corrected.

---

I was personally hoping that we'd sneak into the Holiday Bowl but I'll gladly settle for the Sun Bowl over some of the alternatives, particularly the Redbox Bowl.  As has been discussed on this board ad nauseum, just because Santa Clara is close to Palo Alto doesn't mean that Stanford fans would be more likely to attend the Redbox Bowl considering the alumni base is so spread out.

It is perplexing that we weren't chosen for the Holiday Bowl.  

As for fan attendance, I think it could be higher if there was a concerted campaign by the Athletics Department to get fans out. But, sending a few auto-emails will not do the trick.

Of course, like Pogo once said, as regards fan attendance, "we have met the enemy and he is us."  And our reputation extends to our rivals.  What is the nickname for Stanford Stadium at USC, Cal, Oregon, and UCLA?  The Library.   

Why?  Because we're so quiet.  And we leave early.

---

Dude, El Paso is the place to be. 

You can get an early start on some BETO 2020 swag.

Thanks for the tip. I needed a new doormat, and when it's all chewed up, I can use it in the catbox.

---

It should also be noted that the Sun Bowl had to take us: once the Alamo, Holiday and Redbox have picked, the final three bowls (Sun, Vegas, Phoenix) have to pick in order, which was Stanford, ASU, Cal.  There is no wiggle-room here.  And the Cheez-it was stuck with Cal whether they wanted the Bears or not.  

For better bowls in the future, we just have to win more games and eliminate the discussion.  Our 6-3 conference record put us in a pool of teams that were all within one win of each other (Utah 6-3, Stanford 6-3, Oregon 5-4, ASU 5-4), and that gives the choice to the bowl committees.  The Alamo Bowl wanted WSU and Air-Minshew, the Holiday Bowl wanted Utah and the Redbox wanted Oregon (when we played in the Foster Farms bowl back in 2014, we did not exactly light up the attendance numbers, which the bowl organizers were hoping for).  So the Sun Bowl was (once again) our destiny.  Not a lot to grouse about.  We should have beaten UW and WSU and gone to the Rose Bowl.  But, well, that didn't happen.

Nicely put.  So to ask the obvious question -- two Pac-12 teams cannot play in the same bowl game, correct?  That's why our chance of getting in to either the Alamo or Holiday Bowls was close to zero?

Still, with a four loss season, I care more about the venue than the "prestige" of the bowl based on some unknown ranking.  Meaning, I'd rather we were in Las Vegas. Phoenix, San Diego, or Santa Clara.  I'd even go to Albuquerque over El Paso, if there was a bowl game in Albuquerque.

Also, we should have enough clout that the Holiday or Redbox Bowls want us, not any other team, whenever we end the season 8-4.  That might mean better relationships with the bowl committees.  Or a better effort on the part of the Athletic Department to get fans out.