Valero Alamo Bowl

While I did not have high expectations for the venue at the Valero Alamo Bowl knowing it is a bit of an older stadium, I was still a bit disappointed in the overall state of the stadium.
Probably the biggest problem with the bowl system as we still have it (the current playoff structure seems only slightly better than its predecessor) is that schools and their respective fanbases are drafted into some 40-​odd bowls scattered across the nation, many at old, substandard facilities like the Alamodome (this is by no means an indictment on the nice people and great city of San Antonio).
Pros: The city of San Antonio has done a good job at making sure you can access the Alamodome fairly easily from the riverwalk. Even staying at the opposite end of the riverwalk, it was a fairly easy jaunt, even in the light rain. They also had some large pavilions set up for each team’s tailgate at sunset station, which I am sure would have been a good time had it not been for the weather.
Cons: As I mentioned, the stadium is a dump. For the seasoned fan, this is all too common throughout the many bowls that teams get selected to each season. Despite many schools having new, impressive stadiums, we are lured away from our great college campuses to metropolitan areas with these old stadiums.
Probably the most annoying was the fact that the jumbo tron is so absurdly small and the resolution so bad, you really cannot make anything out. Also, it seemed that only every third or fourth vendor took credit cards. This isn’t the 1980s, update your facility.
I understand that you cannot just rebuild an entire stadium, especially in a city without an NFL team, but having other facilities that are aged and easily replaceable, such as a jumbo tron, just reeks of pocketing the money, especially with the prices the fan bases pay for tickets.
So why did I go, you ask? Obviously to support my team (who won) and to see a great matchup against a quality opponent in Oregon, all within driving distance.
However the euphoria of a great game won’t make up for the location’s many shortcomings as I would only advocate attending the Alamo bowl for the reasons stated above as I do not believe that pure fanfare alone would justify attending, especially if it warrants a plane ticket.
This sentiment will not change until the purveyors of this bowl actually care about providing a quality experience in a quality setting, not just hoping for such a good game that the fans forget about the inferior surroundings.

How does one review a college bowl game: venue, team, parking, transportation, concessions? All were pretty good. Highly recommend Via Park & Ride over driving and parking downtown. Concession lines were unnecessarily long and service quite slow.