Not only is the Capital One a more prestigious bowl, it pays out a lot more money than the Cotton. Another thing to consider is that LSU would probably be about a 3 point favorite over Iowa but probably about a 3 point underdog against Texas.
Yep, after taking out money for expenses the rest is sent to the SEC. So it doesn't really matter finacially a whole lot what Bowl we go to as an SEC team will be in the Cap One, Outback, Peach and Cotton no matter what. I guess LSU just gets to spend a little less depending on the payout, meaning maybe less frills for the admin, boosters and legislature for a lower paying bowl.
One important factor to look at is that the Cotton Bowl starts 2 hours before the Capital One Bowl does.. this can greatly effect the number of people who are watching the game, especially on the left coast.. This is always important for recruiting and rankings.
This can also greatly affect the play of the team. LSU has not had a sterling record when kicking off in the AM hours...and we all know that the early, EARLY AM kickoff of the Cotton Bowl is the most dreaded in all of CFB... LSU has gotten enough exposure since Saban's arrival that we're not dependent on the early kickoff or "media exposure" is going to help or hinder us all that much. Nick Saban and his recruiting efforts are the main reasons we do what we do in recruiting.
From the mere aspect of winning the game, LSU stands a much greater chance at beating Iowa than Texas. We could struggle somewhat at QB play and still beat Iowa. To beat Texas, Randall would have to play like he did against Arkansas. Big difference.
I want to see Marcus and LSU get a little revenge against a roy williams - less Texas team. Beating Texas in Dallas would leave us with a probable top 7 ranking, while beating Iowa in orlando may not get us into the top ten. I despise Un. of Texas athletics. I want us to beat them this year so my uncle in austin will leave me alone. Plus it would be a tougher opponent. I would enjoy seeing LSU as the underdog. But F*** the 10 a.m. kick-off.
Trust me LSU gets a top 10 with a win over Iowa, probably end up 8th. A win over Texas could get us as high as 6th however.
Like 2 years ago, an 8AM PST kickoff for the Cotton would SUCK. Drunk at 7:30AM makes for a RUGGED afternoon.... o:
