Flying to a college football game? Take these tips
NCAA Football Betting Lines
09/08/2010 -
NEW YORK (AP) -Smell the tailgate party - it's college football season. But if you're flying in for a game, you might be headed for a headache. Cutbacks at major airlines have made flight choices more difficult this fall, especially to smaller college towns. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when planning your trip:
The pre-game
Here's the rundown if you haven't flown in a while: Planes are fuller and there are fewer flights because of schedule cutbacks across the industry. Fares have gone up, particularly to smaller towns that are often dominated by a single major airline. Airlines have also become more dependent upon fees and surcharges, which means there are plenty more to look out for.
But there's good news, too. Unless you're flying to a game around Thanksgiving, peak day travel surcharges are virtually nonexistent this year. Also, fall fare sales are abundant but you have to know where to look. Expedia and Orbitz will give you a range of options to compare, but don't rule out sites like Travelzoo, which point out the best sales. Fans take note: Deals include one from American Airlines, with flights starting at $59 each way on more than 100 routes, and a nationwide fare sales from AirTran with fares starting at $54.
On the offense
It's important to sign up for fare alerts on sites like Travelzoo or Kayak to keep on top of the latest deals if you want to make it to the big game. Airlines have shifted toward last-minute sales aimed at drumming up attention on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter and getting passengers to book fast. The sales, often only two or three days long, don't leave you much time to decide whether the fare is a good one. That's where research comes in handy. If you know a basic range of fare prices you can feel more confident to book a low price or let a higher one go.
Another important tip to remember for college football fans: Be sure to include several different airports in your search. If you're a fan of the No. 1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, for instance, include flights to Atlanta as well as Birmingham. A few hours in a rental car might be worth a drop in price - especially if you were planning to rent a car once you reached the campus in Tuscaloosa.
University of Florida die-hards can look forward to more choices this year. American Airlines is adding service to Gainesville, Fla., on Oct. 1.
Time out
Experts suggest travelers should book about eight weeks in advance. Still, it's not the end of the world if you don't have that much time. Although ticket prices are higher than last year, there are more fare sales now than during the summer because airlines are anxious to fill seats in one of the weakest periods of the year. The month after Labor Day can be especially bad for the airlines, as summer vacations end and kids go back to school. So if you're looking for a good deal, it's likely still out there. Hotel prices don't sway so quickly, but rooms are also cheaper than last year.
Overtime
There are a number of travel agents who will offer special deals to college football fans. You're really likely to score if your team is headed for a bowl game. Although there are benefits to a face-to-face meeting with a local agent, there are also plenty of options online. Sites like Sportstraveler.net offer package flights, hotel and game tickets to all the major BCS championship games.
Another option fans are sure to remember: ExpressJet, which is based in Houston, has teamed up with Premiere Global Sports to offer 35 different charter flight packages for the college football faithful. The price includes an open bar on the plane and transportation to the game. Some of the packages, which start at $399, also include game tickets and pre-game entertainment.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
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