Thanksgiving Game

[Davharjac]

Okay since it appears that our break up with Aggy is going to be going on for a while (they are dating the Bayou Bengals , at least for the short term), should we continue to rotate between TCU and Tech..I mean..maybe it's just me, but I get a certain meh feeling. I would like to see us rekindle our relationship with Arkansas. I think that would be a pretty cool Thanksgiving day opponent. It's further than College Station, Ft Worth, and Lubbock so there's an issues, but as far as playing a game that could be interesting I think it would be pretty good. What say you?

[Sirhornsalot]

There was once talk of playing Notre Dame on Thanksgiving. IMO, that would be a huge game, huge draw, just huge all around. But I don't think ND was cool with doing it every year.

 

I don't want Arkansas because I don't want to help them get exposure in Texas. They were once a big factor in recruiting here. Not any more and that's how I would prefer it. IMO, we gain little by playing them.

 

Maybe we can pay Nebraska to play us on T-day. Just for shits and grins.

 

Neither Tech or TCU do anything for me as a T-Day opponent. Baylor, however, could be if they can maintain their level of play.

[texasdobbs]

I think a Notre Dame thanksgiving day game would be awsome...

[Davharjac]

I like the idea of playing Baylor on T Day Sirhornsalot. ND would be awesome for us, but I don't think I would want to do the to the young men..it's just so darn far away from their families (most of them anyway). I know Arkansa is not the closest, but it's not terribly far, although I think their stadium is kind of tough to get to, not sure though. I for sure could be sold on an annual TDay game vs the Bears, maybe at Jerry world??

[texasdobbs]

No more neutral cite games

[Randolph Duke]

Okay since it appears that our break up with Aggy is going to be going on for a while (they are dating the Bayou Bengals , at least for the short term), should we continue to rotate between TCU and Tech..I mean..maybe it's just me, but I get a certain meh feeling. I would like to see us rekindle our relationship with Arkansas. I think that would be a pretty cool Thanksgiving day opponent. It's further than College Station, Ft Worth, and Lubbock so there's an issues, but as far as playing a game that could be interesting I think it would be pretty good. What say you?

 

The game on thanksgiving doesn't work unless its either in Austin and develops into a traditional home game for us or it is against a team whose fans can day-trip to the game. Aggy is trying to force a game on Thanksgiving and SEC teams are saying "Hell No" because its not their tradition to give up Thanksgiving every other year, travel on one of the busiest travel days of the year (The Wed before Thanksgiving) or Thanksgiving Day for a football game. Because the students are not on campus, restaurants where the kids are working will be closed, so travelers will have a tough time finding places to eat (Surprisingly, Thanksgiving isn't a big restaurant day).

 

Either the city where the game is located has to be a large one like Austin that will still have enough restaurants and hotels for visitors, or the two schools need to have sizable fan bases that are within a two hour drive.

 

On a humorous note, the ags wanting a home and away with LSU like they are forcing next year will be great entertainment for us. The LSU fans are going to have a miserable time having to make the 350 mile drive on game day or fighting the traffic on the Wed to end up on Houston, drive up and back for the game and then drive home on the Friday for a game that means little to them. If the ags get the return game on Thanksgiving Friday/Sat against LSU, I don't think any of them realize that the French Quarter will be packed with fans attending the annual Bayou Classic between Grambling and Southern, so if they plan on flying to New Orleans and day tripping to Baton Rouge, their Friday and Saturday night in the quarter will be quite a cultural experience for them.

 

The factors that made the UT/aggy Thanksgiving Day game what it was were unique, which is one reason it has been so difficult to try to make it work with other schools for both Texas and aggy. Probably whatever we try to do to fill that weekend will be meh to most of us. That being said, I hope we do not put the ags back on the schedule in my lifetime.

Edited January 19, 2014 by Randolph Duke

[Pancho Negro]

Just get rid of the Thanksgiving day game all together and go back to T+1 or that Saturday. (Especially in light of the NFL increasing their coverage on T-day.)

 

We aren't getting Arkansas to agree to this. Why would they? They can't win as it is now in the SEC and you want them to put another automatic L on their schedule?

 

If we just HAVE to play on T-day, it should be the biggest opponent possible. Considering that scratches off pretty much every big name team that belongs to a conference, the only one left is ND.

 

If ND agrees, then do it. If they don't, get rid of playing on T-day all together. If people keep whining about how they just have to have a game on T-day, well then we are stuck with a flip flip of Tech and TCU.

[Sirhornsalot]

I like the idea of playing Baylor on T Day Sirhornsalot. ND would be awesome for us, but I don't think I would want to do the to the young men..it's just so darn far away from their families (most of them anyway). I know Arkansa is not the closest, but it's not terribly far, although I think their stadium is kind of tough to get to, not sure though. I for sure could be sold on an annual TDay game vs the Bears, maybe at Jerry world??

 

The talks with ND back then, led by Dodds, were targeting Reliant and Jerry World for those games. ND liked the exposure in those two markets, but would not agree to do it every year.

 

I tend to think the poster above is right with regard to unique circumstances making the Texas-Texas A&M game work while others do not. Aggy will make LSU play in CS on Turkey Day, but LSU refuses to play the Baton Rouge game on Turkey Day and will play on that Saturday instead.

 

Baylor-Texas looks good for a few years, but what if Briles bolts for the NFL or other NCAA school and Baylor goes back to being Baylor? I would not want a long-term committment to that game.

[Davharjac]

The game on thanksgiving doesn't work unless its either in Austin and develops into a traditional home game for us or it is against a team whose fans can day-trip to the game. Aggy is trying to force a game on Thanksgiving and SEC teams are saying "Hell No" because its not their tradition to give up Thanksgiving every other year, travel on one of the busiest travel days of the year (The Wed before Thanksgiving) or Thanksgiving Day for a football game. Because the students are not on campus, restaurants where the kids are working will be closed, so travelers will have a tough time finding places to eat (Surprisingly, Thanksgiving isn't a big restaurant day).

 

Either the city where the game is located has to be a large one like Austin that will still have enough restaurants and hotels for visitors, or the two schools need to have sizable fan bases that are within a two hour drive.

 

On a humorous note, the ags wanting a home and away with LSU like they are forcing next year will be great entertainment for us. The LSU fans are going to have a miserable time having to make the 350 mile drive on game day or fighting the traffic on the Wed to end up on Houston, drive up and back for the game and then drive home on the Friday for a game that means little to them. If the ags get the return game on Thanksgiving Friday/Sat against LSU, I don't think any of them realize that the French Quarter will be packed with fans attending the annual Bayou Classic between Grambling and Southern, so if they plan on flying to New Orleans and day tripping to Baton Rouge, their Friday and Saturday night in the quarter will be quite a cultural experience for them.

 

The factors that made the UT/aggy Thanksgiving Day game what it was were unique, which is one reason it has been so difficult to try to make it work with other schools for both Texas and aggy. Probably whatever we try to do to fill that weekend will be meh to most of us. That being said, I hope we do not put the ags back on the schedule in my lifetime.

 

Even though things with Aggy went terrible, with them basically poo pooing the potential move to the Pac 250, then bolting to the SEC..I would like to see us play them again. Aggy has a lot of momentum and beating up on them would slow that down...that and I really enjoy the game.

 

ND would work as a neutral site game. I know people don't like them..but playing a game in Houston would be great! (for me anyway, I live in Cypress).

[Grandpa Zorro]

no way you get a game at Jerry world on T-day...Cowboys play T-day every year. I like Baylor for now...If Briles bolts or they start inhaling forcefully again we can rethink.

[lakeman74]

None of the Big 12 teams tickle my fancy for a staple game on turkey day but an Irish - Longhorns matchup would be amazing. The television ratings would be off the charts.

[The Tres Leches]

I'm ditching the Thanksgiving Day game and playing on that Friday or Saturday. The atmosphere and attendance at the TCU and Tech games were terrible.

[Randolph Duke]

Even though things with Aggy went terrible, with them basically poo pooing the potential move to the Pac 250, then bolting to the SEC..I would like to see us play them again. Aggy has a lot of momentum and beating up on them would slow that down...that and I really enjoy the game.

 

ND would work as a neutral site game. I know people don't like them..but playing a game in Houston would be great! (for me anyway, I live in Cypress).

 

We already have a neutral site game in Dallas. In 2014 we will have two of them (UCLA in Jerryworld). You want to add even more neutral site games?!? If you live in Cypress and you aren't going to see the Horns play, it isn't because logistical obstacles are keeping you away. We can seat over 100,000 at DKR. Reliant barely seats 70,000. There isn't any reason to give up a home game for yet another neutral site game so fewer people can see us play.

 

Aggy has momentum because of the PR work, not because of their work on the field. They haven't won a conference championship since 1998. This past year, they finished fourth in their division and seventh in their conference. Even if their momentum doesn't slow down, at some point, people are going to start considering finishing seventh in a 14-team conference an average performance. There are kids in high school aggy is recruiting during whose lifetime aggy has never won a conference championship. Aggy has a losing lifetime record against the SEC, the Big 12, the ACC, the Pac 12 and in bowl games. Kansas has more success during the BCS era than aggy did. Aggy has a lot of work to do to build the resume of an elite program. It would be stupid to plan our schedule to try to stop aggy's perceived momentum. We have ND rolling on to our schedule as well as USC in a couple of years. Along with the OU game and hoping one of the other conference teams remains relevant, we will be getting plenty of attention. We just need to worry about getting the team performing at a high level.

 

Aggy is going to be in a situation where the buzz will fade from their program's conference switch. LSU doesn't consider aggy a rivalry game. Neither does Alabama. Aggy has played Alabama a whopping six time in the history of their program. That isn't nearly enough to have a rivalry, although because aggy beat Bama in 2012, aggy tells themselves Alabama considers aggy a rivalry game even more important than Auburn, LSU or Tennessee. Arky doesn't consider aggy a rivalry game, nor does Mizzou. They have a manufactured cross-division "rival" series with So. Carolina coming up, but that is a joke. Aggy needs to either start scheduling quality OOC games or get Texas back on their schedule so they have a rivalry game. Fu@k them. We can play them in a bowl game.

[Topstarr]

Lets not play aggy..........Nothing is good with them boys.

[Tulsahorn]

It's not in our best interests to play a very difficult non conference game for the last game of the season.

[Epictetus]

To me, Baylor makes the most since.

 

Texas and A&M fit in part because of the locations of the two campuses.

 

After the game, a relative distance in to DF/W, San Antonio, Houston, Austin, from College Station, like spokes on a wheel.

Same for Austin to DF/W, Houston, College Station, San Antonio.

 

Playing Baylor, switch the College Station venue to Waco.

 

- With Baylor's new stadium it would be an enjoyable trade of venues.

- The Baylor game could loom significant from a competitive point of view for late-season game determining conf. title.

- OU and Ok-State I think play that same weekend?

 

So I favor Baylor because of the Central-part-of-the-State aspect of it.

Miles from Austin to: ( rounding to nearest 5-mile increment )

160, Austin to Houston

80, San Antonio

195, Dallas

100, Waco

 

Miles from Waco to:

95 Waco to Dallas

185, Houston

100, Austin

180, San Antonio

 

Old Game -- College Station to:

170 College Station to Dallas

105, Austin

170, San Antonio

95, Houston

 

Not sure if sums mean anything, but total of the distances added are:

From Austin, 4 segments total 435 miles

From Waco, 4 segments total 560 miles

From College Station, 4 segments total 540 miles

 

Interesting that Waco and Austin both lie on a major artery between 4 of the cities... DF/W, Waco, Austin, San Antonio.

College Station remains in the middle of nowhere.