Why do they sign an agreement that says we GUARANTEE 10,000 tickets every time we go to this stupid game?

Seems like UNC can promise that a lot easier than FSU can.

The ACC owns the game and therefore the tickets, so FSU 'owes' their own conference? I don't get it.

ticket sales

Schools stand in line so they can say they went to a bowl - no thought about the true cost.

They had to eat a ton of tickets for their game against Oklahoma.

If there was a rule in place that said you didn't have to purchase X amount of tickets for those games, I think you would see a handful of bowls fold up shop.

from day 1, I can't remember as single one that was compelling and where aerial views of the stadium/crowd weren't embarrassing. On the other hand the SEC championship game has been a big success from day one.

The B12 championship game was also a success, as is the B1G championship game. The Pac12 game is a flop, last year Stanford with an excellent team on their home field didn't even come close to selling out a relatively small stadium.

I imagine UCLA would've sold more seats. Autzen would've been sold out.

Higher ranked team hosts the game

Theoretically, there could be a championship matchup of Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh. If the game was in Charlotte, it would be a miracle if the stadium was even one-third full.

The SEC has a few advantages when it comes to its Championship game that other conferences don't have. For starters, Atlanta is a fairly central location. It's a reasonable drive from South Carolina, northern Florida, as well as most of Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky. So plenty of fans can still make last minute travel plans if the championship game matchup is not determined until the week before the game. There's also no shortage of flights to Atlanta. Weather is unlikely to be an issue... the game is indoors, and most of the SEC states will not have problems with winter weather in early December that would impact travel to the game. The championship game matchup is almost always a good one, and fans will gladly travel to see the game.

Starting this year, the Big Ten Championship game will probably do better. There will probably be a lot more OSU vs. Michigan championship game matchups in the years ahead. Indianapolis is a short drive from southern Michigan and most of Ohio, so fans from both schools can get to the game easily so long as the weather is decent. Also, an OSU vs. Michigan game is far more likely to get people who aren't fans of either team (including Indianapolis-area residents) to come see the game in person, as opposed to a matchup like Wisconsin vs. Nebraska.

ACC just doesn't have the same dynamics. The schools in the conference are spread so far apart geographically, and a last moment trip to somewhere like Charlotte or Jacksonville just isn't feasible for many fans. And of course, football fans at ACC schools just don't have the same enthusiasm for football as fans at SEC or Big Ten schools. Miami has enough trouble getting their fans to come to their home games, let alone trying to get them to go to Charlotte.

Tickets sold.

I seem to remember that teams weren't selling their allotment and that people were being paid to go by the organizers just so there would be bodies in the seats.

Get a picture of the 2012 Little12 championship game next time a Husker tells you about how they "took over" ND Stadium in 2001. Their rose bowl bid was taken over by empty blue chairs.

Among others is the possibility of a 3-loss team playing for the conference's spot in a major bowl.

final four setup, a conference champ who's a shoo-in for the Final Four, could stub their toe and nobody from said conference goes.

In short, it could be high risk for the conferences, and little if any return.

in a bowl season. I think this will pose problems for any playoff format.