Well, it looks like either the Music City Bowl or the Liberty Bowl for Vanderbilt. Here are some questions you may have about Vanderbilt's bowl:
Which bowl is going to take Vanderbilt?
The question may be, which bowl will Vanderbilt choose. Vanderbilt and Kentucky are both 6-6, but Vanderbilt beat Kentucky head-to-head and won twice as many conference games. Maybe Miami-Ohio looks like a cream puff now, but they've got nothing on Kentucky opponents Norfolk State and Western Kentucky. The Liberty and Music City bowls select their teams at the same time and if they pick the same team then the team decides.
Why would the Music City Bowl want Vanderbilt?
Sure, a bowl and its host city want out-of-town fans to stay in hotels and go to area attractions and stuff like that. But most Vanderbilt alumni live out of town, even out of state. And there'd also be plenty of folks in the Nashville community who'd be interested in picking up some tickets and making the game a sellout if wouldn't have been one already. The bowl has had a good experience hosting Kentucky the last couple of years, but may want a change of pace.
Why would Vanderbilt want to go to the Music City Bowl?
For one thing, it wouldn't have to spend so much of the $1 million payout on transportation to Memphis and lodging for staff, though I'm sure the players would still get treated to all the usual amenities of a bowl game. Also, the opponent would be from a better conference (the ACC instead of C-USA), though considering Vanderbilt's losses to Wake and Duke that may not be something the Commodores want. I've got the Commodores projected to play North Carolina, though I've seen Clemson in other projections.
Why would Vanderbilt fans want to go to the Music City Bowl?
The Nashville folks could just hit the game and then be back home to watch the Chcik-Fil-A Bowl or attend a New Year's Eve party. Vanderbilt alumni could return to Nashville for the game, see how the campus and city have changed, go to the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Grand Ole Opry, the Bluebird Café, the Loveless Café, et al. And Nashville would be a pretty good place to spend New Year's Eve. Also, for those of us who haven't just sold a company, tickets to the Music City Bowl start at $15, with the next tier starting at $35, while all Liberty Bowl tickets cost $50. That matters to me, because I'm planning to take my four children to the game.
Why would the Liberty Bowl want Vanderbilt?
Liberty Bowl officials have made no bones about wanting Vanderbilt. I think every SEC team but Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Florida have been to the Liberty Bowl, which wants to collect all 12 teams. Good luck with Florida. But when Vanderbilt is bowl eligible, you'd better jump while you can — or wait another 26 years — and that's probably what the Liberty Bowl folks are thinking.
Why would Vanderbilt want to go to the Liberty Bowl?
With Chris Marve and John Stokes, Bobby Johnson's gotten two-thirds of his starting linebackers from Memphis, and don't be surprised if another one, DeAndre Jones, makes a strong bid to crack the lineup next season. So why not try to get more players from West Tennessee? And Memphis is practically in Mississippi, and the Commodores currently have zero players from the Magnolia State (but three from Pennsylvania). Also, leaving town is supposed to be a part of the bowl experience. Plus, the Commodores would probably rather play Tulsa or East Carolina than anybody from the ACC.
Why would Vanderbilt fans want to go to the Liberty Bowl?
Barbecue. Beale Street. What else do you need? Also, fans would be able to celebrate New Year's Eve in their own city and in their own way and then get to Memphis in time for the Jan. 2 game.
When are the games again?
The Music City Bowl kicks off at 2:30 p.m. CST on New Year's Eve (a Wednesday) at Nashville's LP Field. The Liberty Bowl kicks off at 4 p.m. CST on Friday, Jan. 2, at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis.
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