FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: October 18, 2012
Contact: Al Botta
E: al@collegefootballquest.com
COLLEGE FOOTBALL QUEST: CFQ SET TO VISIT BB&T FIELD @ WAKE FOREST
Trip Is Part of Their Mission to See a Game at Every College Football Stadium in the Country
Beginning with the 2008 season, Jarrett Singer and Al Botta have been on a rather unusual quest: to watch a college football game at every Division I-A (FBS Division) football stadium in the country. They’ve previously started the website www.collegefootballquest.com to keep fans updated on their progress, display pictures and write-ups from each trip, and to track their ever important map of visits. Last year they added www.facebook.com/collegefootballquest as well as Twitter handles @collfballquest and @collegefbquest for Al and Jarrett respectively. “It was due time that we became more involved with social
media for our blogging and posts, plus it’s a great way to meet the local fans prior to our trips!” Al mentions. “It will also help with the documentation for one of the books we are publishing.”
Every season begins with the very complex selection process; which games and which schools will they be visiting. This year’s planning was rather difficult with all the scheduling conflicts we came across. “Fortunately, we have gotten used to travelling to a few mid-week games, and this year the Wake Forest/Clemson matchup was an easy selection,” Al explains. “It’s not too far north where the weather will be an issue, it’s easy to get to considering all travel originates from NYC, Wake is supposed to be a great campus, and Clemson was going to be a highly ranked program this season.”
From some early pre-travel research, it seems like the Demon Deacons have a pretty solid tailgate scene all things considered. “On most game days, Deacon Tailgate Town seems like a nice destination for fans to get food, plays games, participate in giveaways, hear the local sports radio show, as well as welcome their team at the Deacon Walk,” Jarrett explains. “We are always looking to be right in the center of all the action to get an up close view of how each fan base celebrates, tailgates, and parties and Deacon Tailgate Town seems like a great place to start”. Al adds, “These are some of the issues we encounter while planning these trips. Having never been, the research is as only good as information that is provided to us. On top of that, Thursday night games present their own unique challenges. But we are very good at finding our way to the right spots most of the time.”
When the CFQ guys travel, they make sure to get as much out of a city and campus as possible. This being a quick midweek trip, Al and Jarrett will have to squeeze in as much as possible, as quickly as possible. Jarrett comments, “We’ll do the usual campus walk and make sure we see the entire school, which hopefully we will be able to accomplish as we squeeze this trip into one day.” Al adds, “This school was established in the early 1800’s so there is going to be tons of history on the campus.” As for food experiences, these midweek trips do not generally allow the guys a full dining experience and they are generally in a grab something mode. Al adds, “There just isn’t enough time to eat at a restaurant prior to or after a night game, so we are at the mercy of the school’s on-campus eateries….which I can tell you has been very hit or miss as we travel. Hopefully the stadium has good snacks.”
Both Al and Jarrett have bowl game expectations for Wake Forest and at 3-3 this is still very possible. But this game has the potential to get out of control as Clemson will be coming in with an offensive juggernaut and the recent suspensions to players on the Demon Deacons football team do not help. Al comments, “We are hoping for a true underdog performance, a lot of emotion on the field, and a fan base that shows up on a Thursday for an ESPN televised game.”
College Football Quest visited Vanderbilt and Nebraska earlier this season, and have upcoming scheduled trips to Florida on November 3rd, and Ole Miss on November 10th.
Both Botta and Singer are members of the Football Writers Association of America.
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If you’d like more information about College Football Quest, or to schedule an interview with Jarrett Singer or Al Botta, please contact them at al@collegefootballquest.com