As the holidays draw into full swing, the College Bowl Season also kicks into high gear. While ESPN lauds this "As the most wonderful time of the year", not everyone is a fan. I have a particular passion for College Football (Notre Dame!) I do watch quite a few of them. The University of Buffalo plays tonight in the Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise Idaho on the aforementioned ESPN at 5 p.m today, and while not all of us are watching it, it will be important for the area.
The University of Buffalo's enrollment has more than doubled since the early nineties. Enrollment was up 8 percent this year, and will for the first time have more than 30,000 enrolled students. It has invested millions of dollars in Downtown Buffalo for UB 2020, and has purchased large tracts of land up and down Sweet Home Rd. in Amherst NY. That land is now home to there Student Housing Villas, that are quite nice for Student Housing. At least a much better than the accommodations I had when I stayed on Campus (think brick walls painted white, 8x8, you get the idea).
Back to College Football, and how it helps Buffalo and Western New York! College Football is big business, even if you're not a fan. Television exposure brings student enrollment up, which in turn will drive revenue for the school and surrounding area. With that in mind better facilities, stadiums, arena's, am I making sense yet. That attracts better athletes, and with them more TV exposure, and better teams to play against. The Bulls will recieve roughly 325,000 dollars for playing in the Potato Bowl. A game in eiither BCS -Bowl Champioinship Series for non fans, pays out 17-18 million dollars, just for playing in a football game. That money allows for schools to take on more development, which in turn leads to a boost in the surrounding areas Economy. So today when the Bulls take the field in Boise tonight, i'll be rooting for them to win, because everyone wins that way!
