ACC in Tampa: big game, little attention

TAMPA - This weekend, Raymond James Stadium will be filled with as many as 50,000 college football fans, but you would be hard pressed to find a local who knows why.

"Are you talking about the USF game?" asked football fan Jack Evans.

No, not USF.

"Who's playing?" asked Jacqueline Daniels, who also had no idea about the game down the street.

This Saturday, Tampa is hosting for the second time the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game, with Clemson and Georgia Tech vying for the conference title.

"So what," said Tampa football fan Greg McCauley. "I'd rather go to Atlanta and see Florida and Alabama."

McCauley sums up nicely how the Gators' Saturday battle with the Crimson Tide for the Southeastern Conference title has completely overshadowed the local ACC Championship, even if it is nationally televised.

"It's going to be one versus two and it's going to be a lot of fun," Florida quarterback Tim Tebow said of the game.

But you can't completely blame Tebow for stealing the spotlight from Tampa.

In 2008, ACC championship attendance was embarrassingly low, with approximately 20,000 of the stadium's nearly 60,000 seats filled. Next year, the game moves to Charlotte in search of a larger crowd.

And yet, Tampa tourism officials and others are looking forward to kickoff.

The Tampa Sports Commission estimates the ACC title game will attract $11 million in fan spending for items such as lodging, dining, transportation, and entertainment.

In addition, TECO energy will capitalize on the nationwide exposure, promoting its ability to completely power the stadium with renewable solar and biomass energy.

"It's a win - win for the Tampa Bay area," said TECO spokesman Rick Morera. "It's really one of the premier sporting events in the Nation."

...even if no one locally seems to know about it.