With the NBA pulling out of Charlotte for the All Star game there is some talk that the ACC might move the ACC championship game out of Charlotte. Without getting into the why, what other cities do people think could host it, where would you like to see it be hosted. Personally I'd like to see them in Charleston, Jacksonville and I can't think of another city honestly. I've seen some pundits talking about NYC, DC, Philly as possibilities but a game outside in mid Dec in those places doesn't appeal to me. Thoughts?
Forums:
DISCLAIMER: Forum topics may not have been written or edited by The Key Play staff.
Comments
I like having it in Charlotte. I think it's a good, reasonable location for most ACC teams. But I suppose if it has to move, Blacksburg wouldn't be a bad alternative
Wonder if some centrally located pro stadium with a roof would be available ? Does such a thing exist ?
Thinking of the NFL stadiums on the east coast, the only dome is in Atlanta, and that's always booked the first Saturday of December.
All three Florida teams play outside. Carolina is outside. All of the NFC East teams actually on the east coast are outside. The AFC North teams are outside. Patriots and Bills are outside. Titans play outside.
Only other close dome would be Indy, which hosts the Big Ten.
Now that I have time for full research, the only current NFL stadiums with roofs are Dallas, New Orleans, Houston, Atlanta, Indy, Minnesota, Detroit, and Arizona. As I mentioned above, the only one within the ACC footprint is Atlanta, which is used by the SEC, and the only other one close is Indy, used by the B1G.
There's always Syracuse, although not an NFL stadium
They wouldn't have to worry about the participants having home field advantage.
/s
There's probably some basketball conflict up there anyway.
Good to know, appreciate the research.
Don't move to be PC!!
Atlanta, D.C., Orlando, would all be reasonable destinations
SEC has Atlanta locked up. I just think DC would be so cold.
Not much statistical difference on any given early Dec night between Charlotte and DC. 5 degrees maybe?
Average high in Charlotte is 45 high and 34 low. DC is 49 and 31.
Washington DC has a lot more damp, dreary winter days than Charlotte.
The Wire?
If and when ODU expands their stadium and/or Virginia Beach builds something then Norfolk or VA Beach would be pretty awesome.
ODU stadium expansion will get to approximately 30,000 seats which isn't enough. I just don't see anything big enough coming up in the 757 to house the game.
That may be enough to have a full stadium, though. Turn out has not always been great, and it looks pitiful to see so many empty seats in a stadium hosting a P5 championship game.
Do you honestly believe the ACC would even consider a 30,000 seat stadium? What would look pitiful is having a championship game in a tiny stadium. There is no logic behind shrinking the size of the venue to get a sellout just so it looks better on TV.
No, I don't think they would go to a 30,000 seat stadium. But if there were one in the 50-60,000 seat range, that might be a possibility. BoA is 75,412. FedEx is 82,000. Georgia Dome is 74,228. Only having 50-55,000 seats filled in these stadia, or less if BC plays, looks horrible on TV. That makes the ACC, a P5 conference, look horrible to people watching on TV. It makes the ACC look like a G5 conference to the casual observer, which decreases the perception of the programs not named FSU or Clemson.
What I was implying in my post is that the average size of an ACC stadium is much smaller than the stadia the championship games are played in. EverBank is 67,246, so it is closer to the average in the ACC (about 59,000). Having a full stadium would definitely look better on TV and improve the image of the conference.
Everbank is also in a worse location which would hamper ticket sales. The bottom line is selling tickets and you aren't going to choose a smaller stadium in a worse location just so the stadium looks more full. Over the five years in Charlotte the ACC championship game has sold out 3 times, and has an average attendance of 68,677. That includes the slump sales from 2012 which aren't really applicable because of the extenuating circumstances.
I used Everbank as an example for size and it was a former location used. I think the proper location, even with a smaller stadium, could be a viable option. Casual perception is important to the TV folks, which is important to the conference.
~69,000 looks pretty good in a 75,000 seat stadium.
Norfolk would be very convenient for me
If we go to a 9 game league schedule we could just do the championship game at the home stadium of the highest ranked team
Honestly I hate that idea. Only 2 stadiums hold more than 70,000 and 3 hold less than 40,000. The PAC has seen some bad attendance numbers and TV numbers with their setup.
Well I was at the championship game in Tampa when we beat BC. The attendance was pretty poor. I doubt if having it at the better team's home venue is that much of a loss. Pretty much anywhere other than Charlotte is going to be poor turnout. We won't get Atlanta, which I think would be the only chance to fill a neutral site outside of Charlotte
BC never travels.
My friends and I went to that game. We left blacksburg drove straight down watched the game and came straight back (had to take finals). Blew my mind that we were wearing shorts in Dec in tampa, then we pull back in to bb that night and its snowing. Ahh, good times. And what a solid game we played too. Well worth the trip.
I do like the idea of having the team with the best conference record host the game as an alternative to Charlotte. I don't think attendance would ever be a problem, except maybe at BC. I think most years it would sell out with no problem. What fans wouldn't want to go to an ACC championship in their home stadium?
However, what happens if a North Carolina school earns the right to host the championship? Kinda defeats the purpose of moving it from Charlotte if it ends up in Chapel Hill, although it would take some responsibility off the ACC's shoulders by not making a conscious decision to host the championship in NC.
Regardless, I hope it just stays in Charlotte. I won't get into the issue in North Carolina, but to be honest I had sort of forgotten about it until the NBA news, with all the other fucked up shit going on in the world.
I think attendance would be a major problem for all but Clemson and maybe FSU. The PAC12 has horrible attendance for their game.
I looked it up, and really, two of the games have had objectively horrible attendance (2012 and 2014), and that's partly due to the games being played during the local rush hour on a Friday. And that 2014 game was at a neutral site.
Those are the announced attendances. But watching the games there have been a lot of empty seats, that's one of the reasons why they went to neutral site game.
One of those games was at Stanford and they don't draw large crowds anyway.
If FSU, Clem, VT, UNC, NC State, Loserville, even UVa hosted the game because they were the highest ranked ACC team it would sell out. I would guess that GT (if they played Clem FSU or LVille) would sell out as well.
Most of those places don't sell out games, have a hard time believing with 5-7 days notice they will sell out with those fans looking at tickets for possibly playoffs/bowl game to buy and travel to.
I disagree. FSU and Clemson sell out every week. We sell out the big games, and come close when we don't. UNC I'll give you. NC State and Louisville have a good crowd almost every week, and sell out the big ones as well.
Most importantly, if you're at the top of the ACC with a potential play-in game for the College Football Playoff on your home field, you're not going to have trouble selling tickets. We'd all be fighting over tickets if we had a game like that in Lane, and even schools with historically bad attendance like UVA and UNC would be able to fill seats after such a successful season.
Again that's what the PAC thought but it didn't happen unless they went to Oregon. Just have to agree to disagree since the ACC will never go that route.
Edit: it's also been awhile since Tech had a sellout and FSU was down 11% in Attendance this past season about 11,000 a game average fewer than a sellout.
We haven't had a sellout (besides OSU last year and technically Miami in 14) because of lackluster seasons. If we had the type of season where we represented the Coastal AND we had he record or ranking to host, we would sell that out fairly easily,
OSU game was not a ticket selloutand not even close to actually being full. So many empty seats even for that big a game is an issue.OSU was a sellout. The school announced it. Probably not 100% of the tickets were used, but the "emptiness" of the stadium is often overstated. The North Endzone was well over max capacity, which leaves upper areas in the East and South stands empty. Constant problem over the last decade. Those spots were empty even in sellout years with near-100% ticket redemption.
The announced attendance which Tech has always used tickets sales as was only 65,632, capacity of Lane is 66,233.As for how many empty seats there were, in East stands the entire row I was sitting in had 3 people in it. The top 5-6 rows were half full at best. Home field conference championships don't do well hell neutral field games don't have massive attendance except for SEC. The reasons are many and varied, but just placing the game at home fields won't solve the attendance problems. Only one ACC school regularly sell out anymore, Clemson.Incorrect. Lane has a capacity of 65,632 following the recent upgrades.
http://www.hokiesports.com/football/lanestadium.html
Then I stand corrected for ticket sellout.
see for yourself
I was there.
as was I, but I don't remember looking around for empty seats so it's nice to have a refresher.
All the empty seats around me at the top of East Stands really stood out to me that night. It was my first time in Lane since '96 and I was shocked at him many empty seats there was. It really stood out to me.
Some of that may have been due to people leaving their assigned seats to go to NE (which blows my mind. As a student I always snuck out of North so I could go to east and actually tell what was going on). I suspect some of that was also some ticket buying shenanigans where folks bought tickets just so we could say it was as sellout. And some of that was probably tickets left unsold on stubhub or something. Guess we'll never know.
Our section low in the east during the early 2000s was constantly at about 1.5 x capacity due to people moving closer to the field. Probably something similar going on that night.
Jacksonville is flat out lame in my opinion. I went there for the Florida-Georgia game this past year and came away less than impressed.
Raleigh would be a good pick. I love having it in CLT, hope they don't leave over all of this.
How about Nashville?
What didn't you like about Jville? I enjoyed the final Vick bowl game there.
you obviously didn't go fishing. it's typically prime redfish time here
Blacksburg
Since I live in Northern Virginia these days I would say DC. I honestly don't see a better city that isn't already taken other than Charlotte. It would be a great shame to to move it.
If they are moving it from Charlotte they aren't going to another North Carolina city....
I don't think moving it back to Florida will do anything but hurt attendance to the game.
Nothing North of DC will be acceptable to the southern members, and I can almost see GT, Clemson, FSU, and Miami vetoing DC as too far away.
If Charlotte is out, all of NC is out. That effectively leaves SC, GA, FL or a non-ACC affiliated state.
Is there really anywhere in SC worthy of a championship game? Charleston is the best name I can think of for access, and I don't know if there is a decent stadium there.
Georgia is pretty much tied up by the SEC and I don't want to be second fiddle to the SEC.
Florida is a horrible location period. Too far from everybody but FSU and Miami and we shouldn't be trying to accommodate Miami as they are NEVER going to make it to the Coastal championship.
I guess if Charlotte and DC are out, New Orleans. Now that is a fun place to have a bowl.
Columbia SC has a large stadium and is 1 hour from Charlotte.. Orlando offers a lot of other attractions and lots of hotel space.
Not getting into specific politics, the powers that run these leagues/organizations need to realize that sooner or later any one of these southern states (popular destinations in warmer climates) could enact laws that "force" them to move their event again.
"1 hour from Charlotte" made me think of this. SC has made its fair share of (what the media would say are) controversial decisions.
Just play football!
I agree don't try to play politics. Just play the damn game.
Absolutely agree. It was a huge mistake to inject politics in the stadium selection anyway. WIth this precedent there are no end of issues on either side of the aisle that can now be used to wreck any stadium choice at any time. Next somebody will insist we have to drop UNC, Wake Forest, Duke et al from the ACC because they are supported by the evil people of NC. Maybe the SEC will now refuse to host games with ACC opponents. It is absolutely ridiculous for the ACC to pick this fight.
In the past, sporting events have historically united people without any reference to politics. The ACC has really made a boneheaded move to start this mess and divide us politically. Just play football and let people make their own political decisions outside of the ACC. Just play football for gosh sakes.
Agreed that we should stay far away from a political discussion here... just wanted to say that I think Florida is the one place you won't see that happen.
Seriously? I wouldn't put anything past Florida. Florida Man exists for a reason
Subreddit /r/floridaman is AMAZING. Highly recommend.
Georgia also tried to pull the same stunt but when the economic pressure hit they reversed course quickly.
Columbia would be a great location, but I don't see the ACC paying a SEC school to host their championship game.
For anyone that has been to that stadium... Columbia is not a great city and the stadium is out in the middle of nowhere. Not to mention there are a number of terrible seats in that stadium (seems like more than other places I've been to). But from a location standpoint, yes that's a good one.
Considering Tobacco Road runs shit in the ACC, I highly doubt the game would ever get moved. The location is perfect for those 4 schools, plus GT, Clemson, VT and lolUVA to attend the games.
The DC Area has a strong ACC alumni base. That'd be my vote, but old Danny boy needs to let them in. Renting FedEx is a major undertaking legally and financially. It royally sucked having no Copa America games this past summer in the nations capital.
winner winner chicken dinner .... besides, I Uber to/from the game for less than $10 so let's not put any bad Karma out there on the topic.
Even having games at FedEx wouldn't put any of them in the actual capital.
If the ACC was willing to play the ACC Basketball Tourney outside of NC, I wouldn't rule out the ACCCG rotating to other locations in the future. Charlotte would be the anchor location though and get the game more often, which makes sense geographically.
Living in DC, I'd love to have the game closer, but FedExField really sucks. Hopefully their new stadium will resolve some of the problems but until Snyder sells the team, there are going to be challenges renting his stadium.
Shanghai! ok, ok... Hawaii. Split the difference
The PAC12 is looking at playing a game in China.
Really phucking smart if they do. The amount of money that goes to USCw alone is ridiculous. Their alumni events here are outstanding and its a who's who of next gen money.
FedEx field has horrible turf. Get the skins to build a new stadium in DC then move the game here.
Yeah it would be a one and done with the turf conditions. Danny would get tweaked, ACC powers would get tweaked, things would be said, and it wouldn't ever return.
Bmore and Philly flip back and forth with Army-Navy, they prob wouldn't be up for it. And, you're pushing further north with weather and away from ACC alumni bases.
Are there any possible stadiums in Richmond? I don't believe there are but that could be a good north/south compromise.
City stadium but it would need major upgrades.
Major upgrades
Doesn't look like that anymore, but it still is too small, would need better field among other things.
It still looks pretty much like that. The stadium is still that shape and it still holds like 20,000 people
Didn't Kickers build some additions to it and fix up some parts. Not saying it's ready for FBS but that picture clearly says Soiders and they haven't played there in what 8 years.
I was there for a game in the Mid-2000s. They played Enter Sandman as their entrance. Their speaker (singular) needed an upgrade.
I think if there were any good alternatives in RVA, VT would already have looked into it for some neutral site games.
But even UR moved out of City Stadium (partly because it was too big for their needs).
That would be a big NO! We don't have squat. City stadium might hold 12,000 and is an absolute dump the UofR stadium is nice but so small. Richmond never attracts anything because of ...well the city.
Out: Charlotte, Atlanta (SEC), Miami (home field)
In: DC, JAX, ORL.
JAX would be the easy choice considering the ACC history there. DC is more centrally located (BC and SU could theoretically be there!).
But considering the political reasons for a move, ORL would make a nice gesture to the LGBTQ community. They also don't have an NFL team to schedule around.
Just looked at Orlando Camping World Stadium, I'm impressed with the remodel, it looks great. They also don't have any events scheduled that weekend. So add Orlando to the list of places that would work.
Charlotte is the perfect city for this event. If it has to move DC and Jax could be good and Orlando too- temporarily. Once HB2 is history come back to Charlotte.
If the ACC wants to pull out of Charlotte for this year's game, the only realistic option will be to host it at one of the participating schools. It's too late in the game to work out a contract and logistics with an NFL stadium. Longterm, I could see going to a model like the basketball tourney, with Charlotte being the anchor location and rotating through other locations like DC, Tampa, etc.
If the ACC leaves Charlotte it won't be to return in a cycle.
If they are pulling out of Charlotte because of HB-2, I agree with you that it wouldn't be with a plan already in place to rotate back. My future rotation speculation wasn't meant to be related to that—it is along the same reasons the ACC basketball tourney already rotates. Also, if Notre Dame ever joins the ACC as a football member, I can guarantee part of the deal will be agreement to rotate the game (assuming it's not already rotating by that point).
The ACC has already said they aren't moving the contest this year. They won't move it until their current contract is up at the earliest.
Makes sense. I believe the current contract runs through 2019.
Well isn't this all a waste of digital ink!
Charlotte, Orlando, Norfolk, Jax, Tampa, DC...all Southwest Air destinations, sooo...
you can probably fly for like 89 bucks.
I heart Southwest.
Edit: Just tried to log on to Southwest, hahaha...then I read the news...maybe driving is best.
I like the idea of Baltimore. It's a much better NFL stadium than Snyder's little house of horrors. It's not geographically perfect, but is closer to BC, Cuse, and Pitt (the most likely of the three to actually play in an ACCCG). It's also pretty close to a large amount of ACC alumni.
Best of all, it would be like a huge middle finger to Maryland.
Maryland still owes us a game in that stadium.
My top options, in order from best to worst:
Bmore does have a rail line, and if you aren't grilling before a game, is a great option. Perfect for Ravens games.
Are you thinking of going to RFK stadium in DC and not FedEx field? Because there is NOTHING within walking distance of FedEx. The closest metro station is 1.0 mile walk. Landover is a parking lot wasteland around FedEx.
A lot of people in NC, SC, GA, FL, MA, etc have never been to our nations capitol, which (IMO) makes it a more attractive destination. Fans can spend all day Friday in DC, and still have all day Saturday for football. Yes, FedEx isn't convenient, but it's 2 uber rides, one each way.
I like Baltimore, but there's not as much for out-of-towners to do.
Bmore:
crabs, beer, more beer, aquarium, walking tours, an hour from DC, an hour from Philly. There's even a rail line just outside the stadium.
It's not sexy like some other destinations, but there are things to do. But it's a trbl spot for the ACC champ game.
There's at least a days worth of stuff to do in the Inner Harbor. I remember being able to walk to the stadium from the Inner Harbor in a reasonable amount of time, and you never go close to the areas of Baltimore you don't want to go into.
I grew up 15 minutes from the inner harbor, I like it, but I don't think there's a day's worth of stuff to do there. Frankly, I'd much rather hang out in Fed or Fell's than the Harbor.
All I'm saying is, if I were a college football fan, and someone who had never visited the mid-atlantic region of our country, I would rather travel to an away game in DC or Annapolis over Baltimore. Just my $0.02.
Fed Hill, Fells, Canton, Hampden, Mt. Vernon are all >>>>>>> Inner Harbor. Go see Fort McHenry, eat crabs (or crab cakes).
As was said above, Baltimore is not a "sexy" location and public transit there is a joke.
Sign me up for this one. The ACC never duplicated what the $EC has in Atlanta, so I'm not a fan of neutral sites. Plus, having it in Blacksburg on a regular basis would be fantastic!
We have stadiums in the ACC that are small, too small to really hold a game like this on national TV. Not to mention what kind of championship game only has a single fan base there? No, there is a reason no conference does home site games for a championship.
The PAC-12 went to neutral site? I must have missed that.
Moved to Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara (49ers stadium) in 2014
They pretty much realized they needed a neutral site when only 31k showed up to the title game in 2012 when Stanford hosted
Yeah, I knew that format wasn't going well for them. I'm just an American who doesn't live in the Pacific time zone, and therefore pays zero attention to PAC-12 football.
Oh man, could you imagine (capacity 31,500):
Honestly, if they ever hosted they'd probably sell the place out. Where you would see a problem is if Miami got in during a 'down' year for the ACC and had to host someone like BC or Wake. You might get 10k people in the stadium for that.
How would it look on TV, where the real revenue for the game comes from? How would VT or UNC fans feels about not being able to go to the game?
Not trying to be snarky, but the ACC hasn't exactly been filling up the stands in any of the venues that have hosted the game since we joined. So I'm not sure that this is a real issue for anyone except BC, Wake, 'cuse, and maybe dook. And honestly, if any of them end up hosting, the rest of us should STFU. What's worse for TV, a half-full NFL stadium with no energy, or a (potentially) smaller stadium on campus where there's at least the chance of a raucous crowd? From a TV perspective, it might not be such a bad thing if there's a high demand for tickets. At least then the place would be full and you could talk about something other than being able to scalp tickets for $5.
The neutral site selections haven't proven to be a huge hit with fans, the school seat allocations suck, and many years the attendance is held down because a lot of fans can afford to travel to see either the ACCCG or a bowl game, but not both. Charlotte was a decent option in that it's a nice city and the geography works out about as well as possible given the footprint of the league. But if we're forced to make a change for political reasons, I think on-campus hosting is at least no worse than the other options, all of which have significant issues IMO. Fedex is a shithole, b'more and anything further north is likely a no-go for the southern schools, Atlanta is spoken for, FL is far away from everyone but FSU and Miami, and don't forget, the Gator Bowl people were the ones who asked to be removed from consideration the last time around because attendance there sucked.
If we're hell-bent on moving it, which I personally think is stupid, I wouldn't mind seeing a 3-year trial of hosting it on campus to see how it goes. It's probably not worse than a 3-year rotation between Orlando, Jacksonville, and Tampa, which I suspect is what we're likely looking at right now.
On the plus side they do sell beer now.
I think you have to put it in a sexy location to fill it. That way people will spend the money to go. The poor attendance ratings are more then likely due to them being in Charlotte, Tampa, and the shithole known as Jacksonville.
Therefore, I think Miami is the best location. Yes it sucks logistically for any teams up north, but it gives people more incentive to go. It's Miami, the weather is fantastic, and it's a real fun place to go.
Why all the hate for Jville?
Because we've been there...
The usual complaint is there is no party (bars and strip clubs) scene downtown around the stadium.
We love it here. The stadium is excellent and the people who run it are among the best in the business. The airport is easy to get in and out of. They've completed 295 on the east side since those games have been played...the Town Center is very nice. and it's much easier to get to the beach.
Golf, tennis, kayaking, and fishing are perfect at that time of year. You can stay pretty much on the beach at Amelia Island, Jax Beach, Ponte Vedra (the Ocean Club is fantastic), and/or St Augustine and go upscale or budget.
We were just there in June and loved it, looking to relocate there. Wife and kids loved the shopping at St. John's, great outer loop, went to beach.
We lived in Fleming Island from 96 thru 2014 in a gated community next to Eagle Harbor (Pace Island). [ daveinop stands for Dave in Orange Park.] Kids both graduated from FIHS.
Wife and I are now on the south end of St Augustine. Love the vibe here.
Let me know if you ever have any Q's about the area.
depending on the age of your kids...the magnet high schools in Duval are excellent. otherwise steer towards St Johns and Clay counties
Looking north end of St. John's. Nocatee, Pointe Verde, World Golf etc
Nocatee would be high on my list, especially if your kids are younger. The newer developments in that Racetrack/Bartram Park/Old St Augustine road area generally east of the Julington Creek developments warrant a close look as well. Palm Valley east of the ICW has some interesting established neighborhoods. Getting in either the Ponte Vedra or Creekside HS zones wouldn't be bad at all.
World Golf is not really kid territory.
Good fishing in the creeks off the ICW south of Palm Valley. Fall/winter is best.
I have a 1 year old, a 3 year old and a 5 year old and another one due in late Sept/early Oct, all girls. So schools are a must for us. Would also like stuff for them to do so was I impressed by Nocatee.
It's a very nice area. Nocatee was (and probably still is) an investment by the Davis family (Winn-Dixie) and I think it all of it was all part of the old Dee-Dot Ranch.
I'm surprised Nocatee didn't go under when the housing market crashed. This area was one of the hardest hit in the country. They had already made a massive investment in infrastructure and had sold very little. Nocatee was one of the areas where they literally wrapped the partially built houses in weather-proofing and shut down construction for probably a couple of years.
But it is very nice and very well thought out community.
Well I definitely understand why you're trying to get out South Carolina. I'm in Charleston and the public schools here are so bunk. Unless you can fork out the coin for really expensive private schools, it's tough sledding finding a good place for your kids to learn. Growing up in Fairfax County, I took my primary and secondary schooling for granted. Boy how perspectives change.
Yep forking out some money for oldest kindergarten this upcoming school year.
We got great school and low cost of living up here in State College. Very stable economy. Not an island. Unless you count us as an islandin the middle of Pennsyltucky
No beach, high taxes, too much snow and cold. 7 years in Ohio was enough of that.
best part of living in Pennsylvania? It's that much easier to send your kid to VT and pay out of state tuition because it's still cheaper than PSU for Penn. residents.
Wow, really? I had no idea.
to be fair, that's old data. My wife's roommate was from Pittsburgh and a middle child. All three kids ended up at tech because their parents couldn't afford to send them to PSU. The situation could have changed in the past 10 years...
It's close, but no longer true. Taking tuition and additional cost estimates provided by both schools, in-state at PSU is $29-32k, out-of-state at VT is $38k.
Wow that is truly brutal. Each semester I've taken one or two courses, it's about 800$ per credit for less than full time status. Last time I mistakenly signed up as a full time student, it was about 8K for the semester if I remember correctly.
That's still pretty close to true. Direct tuition cost for a year is about $17,500. The additional costs are in room/board, books, fees, etc.
Compare to ~$21,400 in state for Tech. And this is why if your kid isn't living on campus, they sure as heck better be figuring how to get residency. Still pissed at my wife's parents for not making her do this. Three years off campus with her name on all the utilities and still paying out of state tuition.
Tech will never switch a student from out of state to in-state without taking at least one year off. After my freshman year, I bought a condo (it was cheaper paying a mortgage at 9% than rent), voted in a election as VA resident, worked at Bogen's, etc and Tech never switched me despite applying every year for the switch.
I remember when room and board (dorms/dining halls) went above $2,000 at VT (in state) and the outcry that followed.
Only comment I'll make is that I remember chuckling, thinking that I ate my 2 grand, and then some, at that age.
Wait 38k times FOUR kids!
Same, I have one in 2nd grade and one in kindergarten; been paying for private school since pre-k for the oldest. I'm not a fan of it but it's a necessary expense for us.
Because early in the ACCCG history, JAX was unlucky. The 1st ACCCG was successful because it was VT FSU, but then they had WF-GT and that couldn't sell out NC A&T much less JAX. Then they had BC VT and that didn't sell well, then Tampa had BC VT 2.0 and the over head shots of the stadium didn't look very good. CLT has been a stronger location.
Honestly, when I worked for the team we went there. It was the least fun city I have ever been to. I've lived all over the place and been to a ton of spots, but we stayed right at the landing and yes we had a good time, but the amount of atuff you can do there is very limited. I have been back since then and it's still just as miserable as I remembered.
next time come to St Augustine...great beach, downtown is very cool...easy to walk everywhere, lots of bars/live music
1- Charlotte. Its central to all the ACC, pretty much guaranteeing solid attendance.
2- IF the BoB works, and if a football field would fit there, why not Martinsville speedway? Also central location.
3- As far south as it can go and still get solid attendance IMO, Somewhere in SC, likely Columbia or Charleston (is there a stadium big enough?), or Myrtle Beach (no way there's a stadium big enough).
Everybody is all about those southern locations, which might work if only southern teams win, but lets be real, our own attendance to Tampa? Jacksonville? where-ever those first 'ship games were played wasn't great, and we travel in the top 5 teams in the ACC.
Martinsville wouldn't work for one reason, nobody would want to go there. As someone who grew up not fa from the track, I would love to see another event that brings in 75000 people, but most folks who would come to a ACCG would want to stay in Greensboro/WS or Roanoke. I'm not really sure there are any hotels that could handle 2 football teams there either.
It's outside of the "ACC" belt, but I'd say Nashville. Good tourist destination, got an nfl stadium. Could be cold enough for a proper game or reasonably warm.
Baltimore, DC, Miami, highest ranking participant
One thing that is fortunate is that Syracuse is a private school rather than public or imagine the nightmare of scheduling them in every sport against the four tobacco road schools considering New York has banned all non essential travel by state funded organizations because of this law. It affected a Duke basketball game against Albany for this coming basketball season already, game was cancelled. Same rule currently in place for Vermont and Washington state and their travel rules.
Just for shits and giggles, New Giants Stadium or Fenway, give the northern schools a tip of the ole hat
Or Lincoln Financial in Philly. Who cares if Clemson or FSU complain that it's cold. It's no worse than Blacksburg weather-wise
Put it in Charlottesville so there is no chance for a home team bias.
You mean Lane Stadium North?
I don't remember who said it earlier but I do like the idea of Cincinnati being a rotating location. New recruiting grounds, lots of good beer to get fully dipped in, close to Hokieagr's house.
Who is with me people?!
And the Cinci alumni association is back on track and growing! Had about 20 get together for to watch the bowl game last year.
And this is not a bad idea. Bengals stadium, tons of hotels, bars, and parking, and really not much else in town around then.
Nobody mentioned the Championship at Bristol.
The lack of places to stay near Bristol on short notice would be a huge problem.
I think the bigger issue is the cost (and logistics) of making a football field in the infield every year. Bristol would not sell out any ACCCG matchups to recoup those added costs.
Doesn't Richmond have a NASCAR track? Also I would approve Baltimore and Philly, I thought football had elements of toughness in it, but apparently that all goes out the window if there are cold fingers and toes
Race tracks are probably not viable options for football games outside of one off deals. There's going to be a lot of work that has to go into building the field. Even if it was a one-off as part of a rotating championship, I think the racetracks would prefer to have preset opponents, like Bristol does. Would any track really want to go through all of the effort of converting the field to find out at the last minute that they're hosting GT-WF?
Plus, RIR has a giant scoreboard planted into the ground in the middle of where the field would be, which I think was a relatively recent upgrade. I don't think they're in a position like Bristol to get a giant suspended scoreboard.
You KNOW, the Playoff Committee has their eyes on the Bristol game this year. If it goes well, I'm guessing the chances of it becoming a possible permanent host for the College Football National Championship Game would be absurdly high. They could easily sell 160k-180k tickets, at absurdly high price points.
even if it goes well i don't see it becoming a host city or even an option:
a) weather is too crappy for a non-dome city
b)pain in the ass to get to for most people
c) i've never personally been to bristol, but i doubt there's enough going on to host the weekend parties and such; i imagine sponsors would hate it
those are just the top 3 reasons i can think of
Counter argument - 160k-180k fans in one stadium for the game, which is about twice the size of any venue they use now. Considering how they obviously don't give a crap about the fan experience due to the fact they play the Final Four in full size football stadiums with terrible sightlines, I really don't think its that far out of the realm of possibility.
The only, and I mean only, drawback would be the weather.
The lack of hotels, restaurants, nightlife, and proximity to a major airport would be a huge drawback. As someone who goes to a ton of away & neutral site games, I can tell you the amount of time I'm spending on logistics for our Bristol game are a lot more than any game I've been to in the past. I can't imagine trying to plan this in a week like a fan would need to do for a CFP championship game.
I'm also not sure they could actually sell 160k+ tickets. AT&T Stadium can expand to 105,000 but they only sold 85k for the CFP Champ in year 1. The short planning window, the fact that a lot of fans just shelled out money to attend the semi's games, etc. are likely going to drive the ceiling on ticket sales.
I like the PAC-12 model, team with the best conference record gets another home game for the championships.
The PAC 12 abandoned that model and now play at Levi Stadium.
people always want to ruin a good thing...
As much as I'd love to see conference championship games played in Lane, it's a nightmare in every way except for home field advantage. Think of all the fanfare Charlotte puts together for the game. You can't plan that on a week's notice. Then you've got the travel plans of everyone not associated with a specific team. They can all plan on being in Charlotte that weekend, but if we went to home field advantage, it would be a mad scramble to get everything settled in time. Heck, even imagine what goes into your normal every saturday game that would be a hassle if the athletic department had to throw it together in a week. Even if you had a plan in place, vendors would have to guarantee availability that weekend IF you happened to end up hosting.
Nope. We need to have a set location in advance for logistical purposes. So my vote is we make that set location Blacksburg, am I right?
Greenville, NC
*runs*
The game needs to stay in Charlotte. The location just works. If any certain group is offended, they can always just close the gender assigned bathrooms, and install Port-A-Jons throughout the venue. They're unisex, and universal in their appeal... everybody hates them.
Williams-Brice holds more than the Citrus Bowl but either of those could work. No pro teams to deal with. Easy flights to Orlando. More drivable to Columbia.
In a pinch, I think I'd just play it at Clemson, even if they are in the game. Large stadium and centrally located, more so than Tally.
Just bring it back to Jacksonville. Any further south, such as Orlando or Tampa, and it's even more difficult for people to drive from most Universities. But Charlotte really is a more central location.
Because it worked out so well before....
Mrs and I are distinguishable in that photo. She was recovering from serious surgery and couldn't walk much yet. We asked if we could sit in the upper deck and they let us...50 yard line opposite the VT side.
Ah yes, I see your pixel.
lol! that is close to actual size for my wife.
FTFY.
Haha, it's actually pretty close to the truth. Jax is a little more like FL and GA got drunk one night. But honestly I liked the mix when I was there for about 10 years.
Almost no-one wants to go to a destination for a conference championship. If your team has going locked in early you are probably in great shape for a nice bowl game, and maybe the playoffs, and don't want to spend all your vacation and money now. If your team squeaks in, you have to pay for last minute flights, settle for the leftover hotels, and have a good chance of losing the game. I've been to all but one VT played in, and have never done anything touristy or about town, because I want dot save time/money for the holiday's and/or a bowl game. Fly or drive in that morning or late the night before, and home the next day in time to work Monday. For me, and I think most, the best place to play is the closest to me, and for most of the ACC that is Charlotte. Changing venues just because of 3 year old law is going to seem really stupid 3 years from now IMO. Talk about a delayed reaction.
A scheduled rotation of conference teams stadiums could work. Wouldn't be any different than the superbowl rotation.
I like the idea but the whole point of this discussion is not having games in NC and almost a third of the teams in the ACC would then be left off the rotation. That idea won't fly in this league. Especially with Swofford at the helm.
What it comes down to is other than possibly FEDEX, Charlotte is just the best location. The ACC is better off leaving the game there and potentially dealing with possible criticism over a stupid law than moving the game.
Sort of off and on topic. I just moved to Charlotte and am trying to get in contact with some hokie fans especially for game days and the bar scene. Any tips?
http://charlottehokies.com
http://charlottehokies.com/hokie-club/
I was raised a hokie, not an alum tho. Roanoke College alum. My life just revolves around Buzzketball and foot(Beamer)ball so I was looking for some aficionados.
Neither am I. Both groups are very welcoming. Also if you join the Hokie Club, 100 dollars, you are in their club.
Well folks it looks like we have our answer: Orlando.
https://twitter.com/reneingoglia/status/780821093187715073
Ugh. Terrible choice as far away as possible for all but 2 teams in the entire conference.
Agree. I would have tried to get it in DC. Centrally located, easy to get there. Would guess more alumni (from all schools) are there than any other city (hoops tourney certainly supports that theory).
realistically what were the other options?
Orlando makes sense in terms of weather, availability, size of stadium and money the conference can make. All of those things were talked about constantly on the conference call a couple weeks ago.
Yeah it would be a close trip for Miami and FSU but I don't see either of those teams winning their division.
My guess is it'll be Clemson vs VT..
The ACC could have put a decent football game with 2 real football teams in front of a crowd in Lane Stadium north.
yes, but then LOLUVa wouldn't be able to participate because it could potentially be an unfair home field advantage. /s
Orlando is also a destination outside of the game. You've got Disney and Universal, which are both awesome at Christmastime, tons and tons of lodging, lots of other attractions, and you're a 90 minute drive to Daytona. I'd love to make the ACCCG the cornerstone of a week on Orlando.
I agree. If it's not super close, it may as well be somewhere with plenty of hotel space and some other activities, so you can make a weekend of it.
I hear this all the time about the destination outside of the game, but ticket and travel prices already have killed attendance at major sporting events. Can the average family afford to take a family to the ACCCG and Disney/Universal in the same trip?
I think proximity is the better strategy. Locations and timeslots that allow for a family to drive and not need a hotel would increase the profit and attendance by actually filling the stadium.
How many fan bases are close enough to drive down and back for a night game in Charlotte? Clemson, Wake, UNC and Duke.
Thats why I mentioned timeslot, getting this game in Charlotte at 3:30 and I think you can add GT, UVa (not that it matters), NC State, and Tech. So that brings the total up to over half of the conference, which is pretty good considering how spread out the conference has become. There is not a location that will ever encompass Cuse, BC, Miami, FSU, and Louisville and be convenient to the rest of the conference.
Why would you want the game earlier in the day? The TV numbers would drop heavily.
Then you're competing for TV ratings against the SEC.
I have known a lot of people who have day tripped for the Hokies games in Charlotte. For the ACCCG games, I have typically booked a hotel for after the game, but it isn't a bad drive if you absolutely needed to be back the next morning.
Is there any move to repeal that damn law yet?
Sounds good, but the fan excuse before was having to essentially pay for 2 bowl games in one season.
Is this stadium more attractive than both Jax and Tampa?
The economy is stronger now than it was when we were winning ACC championships. Just speaking personally, I would be able to swing a trip to the game now, when I would have really struggled in the late 2000s. Also, getting to the ACCCG would not be met with the same "ho-hum, this again" attitude that plagued us then. Also, air fare to Orlando can be dirt cheap if you hit it right.
As for facilities, I've never been to any of them. I just know that Orlando has a hell of a lot more appeal to me for a leisure trip than Jacksonville or Tampa.
That's too bad, but better than Jax.
Imagine if they used ACC schools to host the championship game. Rotational would be tough, because you can't really ever have a championship in one of the participants home.
I think the consistent swap between Chestnut Hill and Charlottesville under the pretense that the worst team in the ACC got to host the championship that season. Put the ACC championship off a week and have #6 Coastal vs #6 Atlantic duke it out for the embarrassment of the being crowned the ACC bums. BC vs LolUVA every season.
So the #7s don't get to participate in that (dis)honor? Seems like it would be right up their alley.
You are correct. Somehow I managed to forget about the expansion teams.
Considering that they are Pitt and Syracuse, not necessarily a bad idea.
We don't acknowledge anyone who didn't make the first cut from the Big East.
Orlando makes a much sense as putting the ACC championship at the Meadowlands in Jersey. Far away from the vast majority of the schools in the ACC.
I honestly would much rather have seem them make a deal with Burton and used the BMS again.
I like this. That's good.
Most of the point of going to a game is being able to see the field I can't imagine they'll ever have another game there because no one could see the players
My view at Bristol was much better than I thought it would be. I could read the jersey numbers from the third row from the top of the sidelines seats at about the 30 yd line. My only gripe would be that it didn't feel like the opposing fans were even there (except for the Tenn band being pumped through the speakers for the 100th rendition of Rocky Top [wooh!], do they know how to play any other songs?) since they were like 150 yards away. Not quite the college football atmosphere I was used to.
Yeah, it's disappointing because it makes a trip to the ACCG
beyond driving distance and isn't much of a neutral site.