Fans of Southern University and Grambling State football mayhave to wait a few more days before making arrangements for the 32ndState Farm Bayou Classic on November 26.
Despite published reports the event would be in Houston, adecision still has not been made, said Bayou Classic coordinator RalphSlaughter.
An article released Tuesday on www.nola.com,the Web site of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, said Houston’s Reliant Stadiumwould be the site of the 2005 State Farm Bayou Classic.
“There will be a decision made by early October,” Slaughtersaid.
This is the second time Houston’s has been named prematurelyand incorrectly as the location for the Bayou Classic. Two weeks ago, an e-mailauthored by Texas Southern University’s alumni national president incorrectlyconfirmed the city to be the host site for the game.
“I think it really should be in Houston,” said motivationalspeaker and Southern alumnus Dennis Brown. “The city is very familiar to bothschools and both teams have a strong alumni base here.
“The city is very receptive of both teams and both Southernand Grambling State will receive a first-class welcome.”
If Houston is to be chosen, Southern and Grambling State aretwo of the four black colleges scheduled to play a “classic” there. TexasSouthern and Prairie View A&M are also scheduled to play each other intheir rescheduled Labor Day Classic, on the Friday before the Bayou Classic inthe same stadium. Their original game was cancelled due to Hurricane Katrina.
“I don’t think lodging and accommodations will be a problemfor Bayou Classic fans because most of TSU’s and Prairie View’s fans are alreadyin the area,” Brown said. “No disrespect to those two teams, but there is onlyone Bayou Classic.”
Houston is still a possibility for the game, but othercities, including Jacksonville, Fla., Orlando, Fla. and again Los Angeles havepresented strong proposals to host the only black college football game playedon national television.
Head coaches of both Grambling State and Southern, MelvinSpears and Pete Richardson, respectively, have suggested they want to play indome-style stadiums.
Shreveport, the only instate option, was a strong candidateas a site for the game, but the inability of the city to reserve at least 9,000rooms for the Bayou Classic and its other related events during the weekendmade the city–s chances slim.
Also, there is still the issue of the city not paying a debtof over $100,000 to Southern for two games that were played.
Speculation about the possibility of the game being playedin Baton Rouge, while fans stay in New Orleans – where the related events wouldbe held – came after the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitor’sBureau reported the French Quarter was now running on full electrical power andso were the Convention Center, Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton, Hyatt Regency and Whotels.
“I can see the possibility of that happening,” said JaiMiller of Baton Rouge, who attends the event but not the game itself. “But Ijust can’t see myself having a good time before the entire city can bounceback. I don’t even know if the water is clean enough to drink.”
New Orleans’ recovery efforts were well ahead of schedule,the bureau said, and five airlines had resumed service at ArmstrongInternational Airport.
But having power and planes still may not be enough to helpboarding issues. Crews from FEMA and other recovery teams are staying in theavailable hotel rooms. According to the New Orleans visitor’s bureau, hotelssuch as the Marriott, Omni, Sonesta, Hilton and InterContinental projected Jan.1 as their opening date for visitors.
The Starwood Hotels and Resort Group, whose brand namesinclude Sheraton, W and Westin Hotels, have projected openings no earlier thanApril 1, 2006. Meanwhile, the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, the only Hyattproperty in the state, has projected its opening to be as late as Jan.1, 2007.
While the 2005 Bayou Classic is just under two months away,the 2006 game has also promoted food for thought. The timetable at the Hyatt, ahotel that plays a major role in the Bayou Classic and its activities, hasalready caused speculation about the location of the 2006 Bayou Classic.
The update by the visitor’s bureau in New Orleans saysthough rumors saying about tearing down the Louisiana Superdome are false,baseline analyses for the stadium will not be completed until next month. Ahint on just how long the recovery of the dome will take could be taken fromthe projected time it will take to get the New Orleans Arena online, which isby the second quarter of 2006.
Not worrying about next year, Brown said time is of theessence for the 2005 Bayou Classic.
“People need a decision as soon as possible because theBayou Classic is just that, a ‘classic,’ ” he said. “People use their vacationtime to come to this game. No doubt, the earlier we get a decision, thebetter.”
