Why We Should All Pray for the Sun Bowl

11 comments so far November 6, 2008 by Brandon Vogel

There was at least one bright spot to come out of Nebraska's defeat at Oklahoma last Saturday and that's this: Should the Huskers beat Kansas this week El Paso and the Sun Bowl is looking like a viable option for Pelini & Co.

Yeah, you read that right, El Paso and "bright spot" in the same sentence and it had nothing to do with that brutal border sun. No, I want Nebraska to go to El Paso. Desperately. I'd take it over any non-BCS bowl and that has nothing to do with perceived prestige and everything to do with the fan experience.

Let's face it, unless you're going to one of the big five bowls you're not making a huge splash on the national scene with your December/January destination. Is the winner of the Cotton Bowl viewed as significantly better than the winner of the Holiday Bowl? Depends on who you play but in general, a bowl victory, any bowl victory, is viewed as valuable momentum for the spring and following year. Lose your bowl game and, well, at least you made it, there's momentum there too.

If you subscribe to that line of thinking where your team goes doesn't mean as much as where you go with them. A bowl game is little more than a cash cow exhibition and an excuse for a vacation so why not hope your team goes someplace you also want to go?

Now, I've never been to El Paso. In fact, after my first visit to Baltimore I told people that "it was the worst city in America" but only accompanied with the disclaimer noting that "I'd never been to El Paso." Because of that, I know what you're probably thinking: "Shreveport and El Paso are neck and neck in the race for places I could care less if I ever visit." I disagree. I like El Paso in theory and, since this is theoretical bowl talk, I think that's enough.

By my count there are at least four very good reasons Nebraska fans should be praying for a Sun Bowl appearance:

1) Mexico is there. Or at least just across the river. Mexico has its fair share of problems but it's also a country known for having a) a vibrant culture that's dead set on having fun, and b) tequila. Of course, San Diego and the Holiday Bowl offer the same benefit with Tijuana, but that's a bit different. San Diego is viewed as a paradise, a place people go to even if they aren't playing football games there, but El Paso? You don't see it on the covers of travel magazines very often, but that just means it's more authentic than most places. As anyone who has ever been to Times Square, the Navy Pier, or the Fisherman's Wharf can tell you, the worst vacation experiences are often had at the places specifically designed for tourism. In that sense, El Paso feels authentic. But more than anything else it comes down to this: You get to go to a bowl game AND Mexico. Only the Las Vegas Bowl has as much potential for debauchery.

2) It's scenic. The Sun City has always been one of my favorite places to watch a televised game. They have mountains, sunsets and giant displays of patriotism. If you don't like those things then you deserve to watch football in the Alamodome.

3) It's sponsored by Brut. This means that you can forget to bring your deodorant, aftershave or cologne and be just fine. In fact you should probably forget your deodorant, aftershave and cologne on purpose so you'll have more room to cart all that sweet, musky smelling swag home. I imagine that the entire area surrounding the stadium smells like your junior high locker room which, if not entirely pleasant, is at least funny.

4) The Village People will be providing halftime entertainment. OK, so I only have three really good reasons, but if you read the press release you'll learn two things: a) Sun Bowl officials have their sights set on breaking the Guinness world record for "largest YMCA dance" and b) the current record for largest YMCA dance was set during an Omaha Spikes game in 2001 at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium.

Nebraskans, are you going to let El Paso just step in and wipe out a record you were instrumental in setting? I guess you probably don't have a choice, they're doing it with or without us, so the way I see it we should just beat Kansas, go happily to El Paso and keep this thing in the family.

If the past 5 or 6 years of Nebraska football have taught us anything it's that broken records hurt a lot more than not being invited to San Antonio.

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