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Buy Capital One Bowl tickets here
Bowl-goers should fly, then drive
Follow Randy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RandyYorkNsider
By Randy York
Let's see here. Nebraska is 9-3 in its first season in the Big Ten Conference and gets to play South Carolina, a Top Ten team from the red-hot Southeastern Conference, in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 2, 2012. I may not always have both oars in the water, but if I were a betting man, I would have said to all relatives and close friends: "Ticket crunch. To get tickets to that bowl game, you better know someone, or, at the very least, know someone who knows someone." I mean, who wouldn't enjoy hugging Mickey one day and cheering for the Huskers the next?
I was surprised when I saw Holly Adam, Nebraska's assistant athletic director for Tickets on Monday, and she told me your beloved Cornhuskers still have more than 4,000 of our 12,500-ticket allotment for sale. The first thought that popped into my mind was a question: Are Nebraska fans more plentiful and more loyal in the West and Southwest than they are in the East and Southeast? Think about it. Two years ago, when Nebraska shut out Arizona in the Holiday Bowl, 35,000 fans wore Big Red gear and helped pack Qualcomm Stadium. I admit Husker fans may yet shock us in Orlando like they did in San Diego, but you have to wonder how many moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas and favorite aunts and uncles will buy bowl tickets now and slip 'em into envelopes three weeks early.
I know what you're thinking: Why? And all I can say is: Why not? Take a couple minutes and read what a University of Nebraska at Omaha professor says: Bowl-goers should fly, then drive to this Capital One Bowl. Don't let airline congestion into American's favorite tourist site keep you from experiencing the Huskers taking on the Gamecocks, especially when you can package a rock-solid matchup with equally compelling entertainment options. I challenge Nebraska fans to get creative and make it happen. Follow the advice of UNO's David Byers and fly into Sarasota, Daytona Beach, Tampa or Fort Lauderdale instead of flying into Orlando. According to Byers, fans can save money doing just that. They can also learn why those who drive from city to city in Florida consider it a piece of cake.
Hey, I can go one better than that. In 1997, when everyone knew the curtain was coming down on Tom Osborne's almost certain Hall-of-Fame coaching career against Peyton Manning-led Tennessee in Miami, I fumbled the ball and didn't transform into a self-appointed travel agent like so many others I knew. By the time my wife and I decided we would take our daughters to this historic Orange Bowl, we couldn't find a flight to any of those other Florida locations. So we flew from Kansas City to Atlanta, rented a car and then drove to Miami. It just might have been the best bowl experience we've ever had. Pure sweetness every day and key lime pie every night. No Mickey leading the band, but when that moon hovered over Miami that night, it was a magical kingdom for Big Red fans everywhere.
What are all you Husker fans that live in or within driving distance of Florida waiting for? Please consider this your engraved invitation from someone that knows how much Nebraska players and coaches would appreciate you showing up in Orlando. Get creative and help the Huskers beat SEC foe South Carolina. The SEC will win its sixth straight national championship next month. That means this game will be a great measuring stick not only for this season, but also the next.
We have one final point to make. Nebraska's all-time bowl record against SEC teams is 12 wins and 5 losses. Check the records and see for yourself. Then buy your tickets, invite your friends and change the oil in your station wagon. Don't worry about flying. We had more fun driving from Atlanta to Miami than we did flying from Kansas City to Atlanta. Bottom line, the only thing that counts here is being able to say the five words you want everyone in your family to hear in a couple weeks: "I'm going to Disney World!"
See you there.