The Bowl Experience

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Peter Lillo | Tuesday, January 2, 2007

I have never been to a live bowl game before. Although I always wanted to go, it just never came up and I never had the time or anyone to go with me. Living in the Northeast, it makes it kind of difficult to just up and get in a car and drive to the game and drive back after it’s done.

Well, 47 years later, I finally get my opportunity to attend a bowl game, firsthand. It was the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl in beautiful and historic Nashville, Tennessee. If you’ve never been to Nashville, you must make a point of it, whether you like honky tonk music or not. It is truly a delightful place to go and the people are actually very accomodating (touristy places) and it’s a very clean city. Not to mention, that LP Field, home of the Tennessee Titans is a 10-minute walk from downtown Nashville.

The University of Kentucky Wilcats played the Clemson University Tigers, in a classic ACC-SEC battle. Both schools got to the game in different ways. Clemson was supposed to vie for the national title, or at least an ACC crown, beating Wake Forest and then losing 3 out of their last 4 games to go 8-4. Kentucky was making it’s first bowl appearance since 1999, and had been on probation the last few years. This team went 7-5 and had an impressive win against Georgia and took Tennessee down to the wire, losing 17-12 at UT. At any rate, it was a great matchup of two potentially powerful offenses and suspect defenses at best.

Clemson was the favorite by 10 points and quite frankly, Kentucky seemed happy to be going to a bowl at all. They had not won one in 24 years and the fans were obviously ecstatic about going to Nashville, a short trip from the Bluegrass state by car. The bowl, which had done well in previous years, was a sellout on the first day and had a record crowd of 68,000 screaming blue and white and orange fans. The place was 60% or more Kentucky fans, but the Clemson faithful were to be recognized.

What’s better than attending college events where the pep band plays in your hotel lobby, a battle of the marching bands in the middle of Nashville’s busy club district and a pre-game breakfast at one of the town’s most historic restaurants? How about a 70 degree sunny day at the end of December? How about a great performance by an underdog Kentucky team? I must admit that my wife is an alum of UK and we did our best to wear as much blue and white as possible, sitting 15 rows from the field on the 30-yard line with the other UK fans.

It was, by far, the most exciting college football I have ever attended live. In fact, it was so memorable, I am hoping that UK makes it back to another bowl next year, no matter where it might be. Maybe Florida, New Orleans or who knows, a national championship? Oh well, wishful thinking, but the moral of the story is —- find out where you favorite team is playing (since there are so many bowls), get your buddies or your best guy or gal and hop on in a car, plane, train or whatever floats your boat and enjoy the many days of festivities. It’ll knock your socks off!

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