Could the Chick-fil-A Bowl replace the Fiesta in the BCS?
BCS-wise, I'm pretty sure I know how the cow would vote. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
A column back in 2004 prompted the Chick-fil-A Bowl’s president to threaten never to offer this correspondent a game credential again. The threat, never carried through, was a response to this writer’s claim that the game was third-tier — not to say third-rate, I stipulated then and stipulate now — and therefore would not find a place in the BCS rotation, which was due to expand by one.
(My definition of tiers: First were the BCS games themselves; second were the New Year’s Day games [Cotton, Capital One, Outback, et cetera]; third was the Chick-fil-A and its ilk. The Independence Bowl would be 10th-tier.)
But now it’s 2011 and Gary Stokan and I have since actually exchanged something approaching pleasantries, and now I’m posing the question I dismissed back when: Might Atlanta’s bowl actually make the leap to Tier 1?
I ask because the BCS is the process of distancing itself from the Fiesta Bowl, which just jettisoned president John Junker — full disclosure: I’ve met John Junker — due to revelations involving reimbursement to bowl staffers for political contributions. (That’s illegal, FYI.) And if the Fiesta falls completely out of BCS favor, some bowl would have to replace it. Could the Chick-fil-A be that bowl?
Ryan McGee of ESPN The Magazine offers a list of five possibilities. One of the names on the list is the Fiesta itself, coming in at No. 3. (McGee’s take: The Fiesta could still hold its spot.) No. 1 is the Cotton Bowl, which has moved to Jerry Jones’ new stadium. No. 2 is the Capital One, which is played in a nice city (Orlando) but in an ancient stadium. No. 5 is the Outback, which is staged in Tampa and has a pirate ship in the end zone.
No. 4 is the Chick-fil-A Bowl, of which McGee writes:
Anyone who has ever been to the game formerly known as the Peach Bowl knows that its atmosphere is one of the most electric of the entire bowl season. Again, it has plenty of cash, a big league infrastructure, a city that makes its living hosting gigantic events, and an ESPN TV deal. But of all the games listed here, this bowl might be the least interested in messing with its current formula, an SEC versus ACC showdown that has enjoyed 14 consecutive sellouts. Then again, all the factors that I listed above might allow the Chick-fil-A Bowl organizers to keep their current game and add one more, two in the years they host the BCS Championship Game. Hey, the Fiesta Bowl staff has been pulling that off for years.
Here I would add only this: Unless I’ve been completely off in my reading of Stokan and Co. over time, they would be very much interested in moving up to the Big(ger) Time.
Do I think it’s apt to happen? Not really. That game in Arlington and the outsize presence of Mr. Jones would be tough to trump. But as president of the Atlanta Sports Council, Stokan spent years lobbying for big events to come here, and he created the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, which began in 2008 and is already a major deal, from nothing at all. Were a BCS slot to come open, I’m guessing he could find it within himself to make another pitch.
By Mark Bradley
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195 comments Add your comment
Hank Kimball
March 30th, 2011
8:03 pm
Mark Bradley’s a great columnist. Well, maybe not great, but he is a columnist.
I’ve placed many a bet on his predictions. Well, not so much lately since the foreclosure letters starting coming in the mail.
Bradley’s the first thing I look for in the AJC. Well, not really the first. The first thing I look for is Nathan Deal’s name in the local crime report.
The other day the paper boy threw the AJC through the living room window. “Nice toss” I yelled. He nicely apologized and explained the only reason it broke the glass was Bradley tossed another brick at Paul Hewiit.
moorman
March 30th, 2011
8:04 pm
man, i BEEN SAYING the peach bowl, i meant chick fil a bowl should be in the bcs. its more exciting than most of the bowls…………….
bamaguy
March 30th, 2011
8:04 pm
jumbeaux: Which will be much more interesting and draw a much larger national TV audience than the UGA/Boise game. If Atlanta/Chick isn’t careful, Dallas will trump them on pre-season events.
Hank Kimball
March 30th, 2011
8:05 pm
I met Mark at a Hawks game once. Well, more than once. I think I mean I read his column just once.
jumbeauxtiger
March 30th, 2011
8:05 pm
bamaguy, You are correct about the Kickoff Classic being in the Meadowlands. There was another one in Anaheim too if I remember correctly. There also was a 3rd one for historic black schools.
These were all extra games that started a week or so before the regular season. The NCAA did away with allowing these extra games.
Tony Geinzer
March 30th, 2011
8:05 pm
Please, pretty please, I want both the Cotton and the Chick Fil A to replace the Fiesta! This is the last hurdle prior to the Playoffs and I want the Chick Fil A Kickoff Classic be done,man!
jumbeauxtiger
March 30th, 2011
8:07 pm
bamaguy, I agree with you that Dallas may trump Atlanta which is why Stokan has been proactive in having 2 games in Atlanta on the same weekend starting in within the next few years.
E
March 30th, 2011
8:09 pm
It’s Jerry’s world. We just live in it. Cotton Bowl…
Oliver Wendell Douglas
March 30th, 2011
8:09 pm
Mr. Bradley,
If you so wish, I will be glad to sue Mr. Kimball for these scurrilous remarks on your behalf.
Lisa Douglas
March 30th, 2011
8:12 pm
Oliva, can I come with you to Atlaanta? I am so tired of Hootersville.
nick fairley
March 30th, 2011
8:12 pm
I meant hell not he’ll
Kanoacaptain
March 30th, 2011
8:15 pm
I ‘d like to see Atlanta and Dallas replace two of the current cities in the rotation.
bamaguy
March 30th, 2011
8:15 pm
If Atlanta wants to stay in the kickoff classic game competition, they need to drop the ACC. And I am sorry but UGA? Quit pandering to the locals. Who outside Georgia cares? The national audience will tune in to see LSU/Oregon and Alabama/Michigan, but UGA/Boise? Not so much.
skydawg
March 30th, 2011
8:15 pm
Whatever! The Cotton Bowl has been irrelevant for more than a decade. Anything Jerry Jones touches turns to hot turd pie anyway. The guy can’t even buy a championship anymore. Atlanta is the “Hub” of college football where college football really matters. It’s a no-brainer for the Chick-Fil-a. If I’m not mistaken, it has the longest sell out of all bowls outside of the Rose Bowl.
Oliver Wendell Douglas
March 30th, 2011
8:16 pm
Mr. Bradley,
I believe we have an open and shut case for libel here. Well, maybe not open and shut, but clearly open.
Well maybe not for libel, but slander. No, I think we do have a case for one or the other. Well, maybe one, not the other.
Has Mr. Kimball taken my name on the blog? Well, not TAKEN my name but using it. That’s forgery in the first degree. Well, maybe not forgery but certainly plagery.
Southern Smell
March 30th, 2011
8:17 pm
A second class city only deserves a second tier bowl. Atlanta, you deserve a third tier bowl.
5150 UOAD
March 30th, 2011
8:20 pm
The things ATLANTA has that the Jerry Jones stadium and Orlando don’t have is the ATL Airport & MARTA.
You can’t get from the Airport to the Hotel district and Stadium in the other mentioned states. A Traveling Fan can LAND. Hop on MARTA. Get to DOWNTOWN and the Game with just a SHORT & CHEAP cab ride. Try that in Dallas or ORLANDO. This Tech fan has been to the games in Orlando and the cab ride is a pain and the airport is small and a Joke.
Football Fan
March 30th, 2011
8:23 pm
I posted on CBS that Chick is the logical choice. It is located in SEC country which rules the football world financially.
Oliver Wendell Douglas
March 30th, 2011
8:23 pm
Southern Smell, that’s libel, and meet me in court.
5150 UOAD
March 30th, 2011
8:25 pm
Mark can you let me off the chain for a few months until football actually starts and see how I do Unsupervised Please. I want in the fast blogging back and forth. Please. Thanks for listening. You don’t have to post this just read it.
bamaguy
March 30th, 2011
8:26 pm
I have lived in Atlanta for the last 15 years. The major thing wrong with Atlanta is that it is surrounded by a third class State. Take Atlanta out of Georgia, and what is left is Mississippi but with no casinos.
SAL
March 30th, 2011
8:27 pm
Atlanta has too much PANHANDLER problem!!!
The Original WDE
March 30th, 2011
8:31 pm
Cotton Bowl.
If that doesn’t work out, rename the Chick-fil-A bowl the Peach Bowl with Chick-fil-A in front of it, and make it that.
If you haven’t noticed, the best bowls always have something simply agricultural in their name. Chick-fil-A being on New Years Eve has always been a disservice- it’s matchups are generally New Years Day worthy, no doubt.
But Cotton Bowl is the one with the most history and most geographic relevance to a Big XII-II team
jumbeauxtiger
March 30th, 2011
8:37 pm
@nick fairley
“I meant hell not he’ll”
Okay I got it now. LOL
The Original WDE
March 30th, 2011
8:45 pm
And, hey- let’s not be greedy…. we already get the 2nd biggest football game of the year in the SEC Championship every year
The Original WDE
March 30th, 2011
8:46 pm
BURN: It’s the same as a bowl game economically since it always bring out-of-state fanbases on both sides.
bamaguy
March 30th, 2011
8:46 pm
WDE: Using that logic maybe we should name it the Vidalia Onion bowl (actually, I kinda like that).
PMC
March 30th, 2011
8:47 pm
Ron, absolutely nothing is “wrong” with the GA dome. But in a competition…. it’s not going to win against the new stadium in Dallas.
The Original WDE
March 30th, 2011
8:51 pm
Haha, as a branded name that doesn’t sound bad at all. There’s something charming about a simple agricultural export, you don’t disagree?
But obviously logistically Valdosta is not ideal, no matter how serious the area is about football.
The Original WDE
March 30th, 2011
8:52 pm
@ bamaguy, to your earlier comment- Columbus, Macon, Augusta and especially Savannah are not bad places.
meh
March 30th, 2011
8:54 pm
given that the SEC is always in the national championship I think it would a good move to add the Chick Fil A Bowl to the BCS mix and thus in national championship rotation.
bamaguy
March 30th, 2011
9:03 pm
WDE: There is nothing wrong with Georgia or any of the cities you mention. My point was that Atlanta was being criticized as “third rate” and only Atlanta sets Georgia apart from the other southern states.
Bonus Pop Quiz: Which state is the home of the last two BCS national champions?
Steve
March 30th, 2011
9:04 pm
Bring back the name Peach Bowl …
The Original WDE
March 30th, 2011
9:10 pm
Bama, War Damn Eagle
(you may or may not appreciate the second part)
voss
March 30th, 2011
9:25 pm
I guess the spending habits gives us the reason there is no playoff system in place.
These guys have it made and have the money the grease the right pockets.
WAR EAGLE
March 30th, 2011
9:28 pm
Anyone watch that HBO special about Auburn?
just a fan
March 30th, 2011
9:39 pm
I didn’t think the special came on until 10 tonight on HBO
footballfan49
March 30th, 2011
9:40 pm
The Chic-fil-A Bowl in the BCS is a great idea as long as Tech does not have to play LSU!
just a fan
March 30th, 2011
9:40 pm
I thought the special about Auburn started at 10 on HBO
WAR EAGLE
March 30th, 2011
10:09 pm
Real Sports reporter Andrea Kremer says in the show, “there is no documentation, receipts, letters, emails proving he got the money.”
CNNSI writer Stewart Mandel asks a very important question: HBO confirmed to us they have no proof that any of these claims are true …” So I ask again, why are they running them?
Seems like some washed up ex-Auburn players are angry. HBO refused to air many other ex-Auburn stars who call McClover and the other three a bunch of liars.
Doesn’t make sense that 4 crappy ex-Auburn players would get paid but not stars like Cadillac, Brown, Campbell, Rosegreen etc..
Anyway, McClovers high school coach came out and called McClover a liar. The folks at RollBamaRoll are calling it a bunch of nothing.
ATLER (ramblin wreck)
March 30th, 2011
10:22 pm
Nice try M.B. (Loser). That bid would go to the Cotton Bowl and the 100,000 plus Cowboy Stadium.
Oliver Wendell Douglas
March 30th, 2011
10:22 pm
Enter your comments here
Wonderful-Ohio-On-The-Gulf Dog
March 30th, 2011
10:26 pm
The San Diego County Credit Union Bowl beats out the Poulan Weed Eater Independence Bowl as a hokey bowl name.
SDCCUB’s digs are better, however. Even after last year’s torrential rains in SoCal, December in San Diego beats anytime in Bossier City.
Savannah
March 30th, 2011
10:30 pm
Build a stadium here….best city in the South….as fun as NO, cleaner than ATL…make the new Shrimp Bowl a part of the BCS!
get real
March 30th, 2011
10:47 pm
Come on man. It will be the Cotton Bowl, it has more history and a bigger much better stadium. Just say it out loud….Rose, Orange, Sugar, Chi-fil-a??? First thing they need to do is change that awful name. It sounded much better when it was called the Peach Bowl. Corporate sponsors screw up everything!
Dawg Tired
March 30th, 2011
10:50 pm
Cut $33,000,000,000 hmm…. We are already in debt 14,000,000,000,000 and we are headed for a deficit in just 2011 of 1,200,000,000,000.
Let’s see isn’t that kind of like I’m $14,000 in debt to my car and headed to the shop for a $1,200 repair and I think that skipping my $2.75 morning bagel once a month is going to make a difference. Let’s try to be serious here…
Above comment was posted on ABC website in reference to the sorry lot in Congress debating on how much to reduce borrowing (aka budget deal).
ozzfest
March 30th, 2011
11:02 pm
NOTE NEW LOCATION OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME : ATLANTA
FORMER LOCATION : SOUTH BEND
THE PEACH BOWL SHOULD GET THE BCS GAME.
THE PROXIMITY OF THE DOME TO DOWNTOWN, MARTA, AND CENTENNIAL PARK IS A MUCH BETTER SET UP THAN THE GLENDALE, AZ DOME OR THE COWBOYS STADIUM.
blazerdawg
March 30th, 2011
11:02 pm
I suggest that the NCAA consider rotating the BCS Championship Game to sites beyond the BCS Bowls. I would love to see the CG played in:
Atlanta (center of CFB, great infrastructure and hospitality)
Tampa (great weather and stadium)
Jacksonville (great CFB history)
Los Angeles (in the Coliseum)
San Diego (awesome weather and town)
or even Dallas (just because of the stadium facility).
I would expect it would be great for college football to play the CG in Indianapolis, Denver or NYC.
Why should it be limited to the Rose, Sugar, Orange and Fiesta. If you are going to do that, then just rotate it between the Rose and Orange, where the weather and scene if great for CFB.
I love the history of the Sugar, but without the SEC Champ tie-in it has become a very mediocre bowl.
D Falcons
March 30th, 2011
11:08 pm
It would great to see a BCS game come to Atlanta, considering our history with the SEC Championship the ChickFilA Kickoff Classic, the Sugar Bowl after Katrina, and of course the Peach/ChickFilA bowl; however, don’t forget about that big
amusement parkstadium owned by Jerry Jones and the attraction of its 100,000 suites and suites.D Falcons
March 30th, 2011
11:10 pm
“100,000 seats and suites”