Why are we playing in RUSTON?

[jmp419]

<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">We will be the first SEC team to ever play there. Their 'stadium' is one step removed from a decent high school stadium.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"></p>

</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">We are validating mediocre football and a mediocre conference by taking this trip.</p>

 

[jmp419]

<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">We will be the first SEC team to ever play there. Their 'stadium' is one step removed from a decent high school stadium.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"></p>

</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">We are validating mediocre football and a mediocre conference by taking this trip.</p>

 

[saddawg]

only reason I can think of. It would be funny if it weren't so damn sad.

 

[Solid Snave]

YUKU!

 

[Croomp]

to play at Middle Tennessee State next year as well for SEC schools?

 

[Solid Snave]

but I'm too lazy to check it. I'm glad LT is gone.

 

[HD6]

Last year called, it said don't fire Croom, we may be better in 2007.

 

[vhdawg]

....he would know for sure.

</p>

 

[DAWGS1.sixpack]

as much also, .....say we tell La. Tech we will pay them 750K this yr to come to SVegas and 850K for year 2 and 3.
Well, use to that was a good payday for La Tech and they would jump on that in a heartbeat.
Well now, .... Florida, Mich. UGA, Texas, these big $$ schools call La Tech and say we will give you 1 million this year and 1.5 million in year 2 and 3. La Tech AD gets on the phone to Byrne (or LT) and says either match that or come to Ruston in one of those years. Basically we will give you a 2 and 1 or you will be left scrambling to find another oponent on Aug. 30.
So because we cant afford 4 million $$ for games, we are packing our **** up and going to Ruston, LA.

 

[gptdawg]

Thank you DAWGS1 for giving a rational answer to the question.

 

[Xenomorph]

...lots of fans stopped buying season tickets. BC donations dropped off severely. The AD failed to find new revenue streams.

10K season football tickets = ~ $2M = not having to travel to places like Ruston.

 

[vhdawg]

....is that we had an agreement with Central Michigan for a home-and-home to be played this year in Starkville and next year in lovely Wherever The Hell Central Michigan Is, MI.

Lo and behold, Georgia comes up and offers CMU $750,000 for a one-and-done in Athens. This is the same amount of money CMU made for its appearance in the 2006 Motor City Bowl. We can't match that type of money on a one-and-done guarantee, so obviously CMU bolts for a date with Georgia.

That's one of the main reasons we were left looking for two opponents to fill out the 2008 schedule so late into 2007.

The real difference is with 12 games on the schedule, those lower tier schools know they can get a big paycheck from somebody, and if you don't want to give it to them, they'll go find someone who will, or if you really want to play them, you're going to have to go play at their house too. At this point, Georgia sells a lot more regular-price full season tickets than MSU does, and they also get a lot more revenue per ticket off the required donations, so Georgia (Auburn, LSU, etc....) has a lot more disposable revenue to spend than MSU to get these teams to come in for the no-return-game guarantee.

We can't do that yet.

When we start selling enough full-price season tickets to be able to eliminate the Maroon Plans and the mini-packs, we'll be getting closer to being able to play with the big boys and buy those single game matchups, and guarantee them with enough money that we won't get bought out by a Nebraska or Georgia. Until then, it's probably a good idea to get used to the idea of having to play at La Tech or UAB or MTSU.

What I hope is that we can manage to not get caught up in a short-time frame situation like we did last year, and be able to schedule some of these as 2-for-1s. Of the deals I'm aware of that we have right now, everything is a one-for-one or two-for-two situation. It's hard to line up seven home games when you have to play everybody home and away evenly.

But that's the economics of college football scheduling as it stands now.

 

[Shmuley]

you'll see Miss. Southern back on the schedule before long. If we can be held hostage by the likes of La Tech and Middle Tenn St, it makes a deal with Teacher's College look more attractive.

 

[patdog]

There is now a huge increase in demand for buy games and a much smaller increase in supply. Simple economics dictates that the price for buy games will go up, and it has dramatically. Unless the major conferences either add a 9th conference game (like the PAC 10 has) or create scheduling arrangements (like say the SEC and ACC agree that each school will play at least one non-conference game against the other conference), we're going to see the mid to lower level BCS teams going on the road to placed like LA Tech and MTSU on a regular basis. My one complaint about Templeton is that he didn't get 2 for 1 deals on those series.

And as for the embarrassment of playing at LA Tech, if it was good enough for Miami (FL) and Texas A&M, I don't see why it would be below us. Granted though, that both of those games were played in Shreveport, but they were both LA Tech home games that LA Tech could have played in Ruston if they wanted to.

 

[Todd4State]

who buttons the top button of a golf shirt?

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

It's sort of a running joke amongst some of us to button our top buttons in the morning.

 

[Todd4State]

Despite all of the economics and rational discussion, I'm going to be arrogant and say that we should NEVER have to play a team like La Tech on the road.

Here's how our scheduling should go:

I-AA homecoming opponent or season opening opponent
Bi-annual alumni road game special- Tulane for two years, Memphis for two years home/home.
Sun Belt special- ULM, ULL, North Texas, etc.
C-USA or comparable BCS school home/home- Virginia to throw a random name out there as an example.

 

[Leibniz]

Basically we will give you a 2 and 1 or you will be left scrambling to find another oponent on Aug. 30.

It's a 1 for 1...not a 2 for 1.
</p>

 

[patdog]

Those Sun Belt specials are a lot more expensive than they used to be. I think the goal still needs to be 7 home games every year, but the way we'll be able to get there will probably involve some 2 for 1 deals with the LA Tech's of the world (which would substitute for one of the home-and-homes in 2 of the years and for the Sun Belt special in the 3rd year). We should still be able to play a Sun Belt special sometimes, but may not be able to afford it every year. Of course, if we start selling 35,000 full price season tickets per year, it'll be a lot easier to schedule buy games.</p>

 

[muddawgs33]

Basically we will give you a 2 and 1 or you will be left scrambling to find another oponent on Aug. 30.

It's a 1 for 1...not a 2 for 1.
</p>

</p>Anybody?

 

[vhdawg]

.... is "Never trust a guy that buttons a polo shirt all the way up."

I had this rule long before I found out that LT did that, but he validates it completely.

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

It's one of my five fashion rules all men should know. The rest of them are:

-There's no such thing as a short sleeve dress shirt
-Socks and sandals don't mix
-your leathers should match
-your undershirt sleeves should not be longer than the shirt that goes over it

 

[Xenomorph]

"Never trust a guy that buttons a polo shirt all the way up."

...I've got some troubling news for you in regards to our new AD.

 

[HD6]

</p>

 

[vhdawg]

....generally speaking, at least, the I-AA one-shots nowadays cost as much as the Sun Belt Specials used to, and the Sun Belt specials have the stroke to demand home-and-home like the CUSA teams of old.

It's a different ball game now.

And we may have more 6 home game seasons coming up, because we've already got one non-conference road game scheduled a year through 2012.

2009 - at MTSU
2010 - at Houston
2011 - at UAB
2012 - at Tulane

 

[vhdawg]

...that's why Hanes makes undershirts.

 

[RebelBruiser]

Maybe it's just me, but I would think that the rule for a buy game would be pretty simple.

If you have to spend $2M ($1M per game) to get a team to play at your place for 2 years in a row, then as long as you think one of those home games will make more than $2M for your school, you do the buy game.

I don't know what the actual numbers would be, but I would think that it's a pretty simple formula. If you're talking about playing Arkansas State or MTSU, then you have to be able to figure out how much total revenue one of those games would make at home (including tickets, concessions, etc.). If that revenue is more than you would have to spend to get a team to come to your place twice, then you do it.

 

[bonedaddy401]

A fully buttoned polo is as bad as a popped collar polo to me.

Also I like short sleeve dress shirts in the summer. Occasionally....</p>

 

[Shmuley]

Short sleeve dress shirt = copier repairman.

Another rule to which I subscribe: Exposed leg hair = fail.

 

[dawgstudent]

I'm not following.

 

[RaiderDawg24]

$700,000 plus traveling expenses for an one time road game unless you get some sort of TV guarantee on the contract. Kentucky is paying 800,000 plus for the game this year. The going rate now is getting closer to 1 million for a one time road game when a decade ago MTSU would go for around 250,000 to 350,000. Due to good contract negotiations, Virginia played at MTSU and Middle doesn't have to return the trip. Besides MSU and UVA, Maryland, Georgia Tech and Vandy (twice) are coming to M'boro in the near future.

Its the way of the future. More and more BCS schools are going to find themselves going to places like MTSU, Troy, or Florida Atlantic. The only schools that can avoid it are the schools that can afford close to 3 million a year for 3 smaller schools to play with no return game and we can't afford that yet.

 

[Todd4State]

to that UAB road trip.

Assuming that we don't go to the PapaJohns Bowl between now and then.

 

[vhdawg]

We played there in 2005. Roach and I went. The key was to be willing to pay whatever they ask to let you park inside the stadium fence.

 

[Horndawgs]

jmp419[/b]]<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">We are validating mediocre football and a mediocre conference by taking this trip.</p>

I thought State invented mediocre football?</p>

 

[Porkchop.sixpack]

nfm

 

[slickdawg]

....he would know for sure.

</p>

</p>
That would be correct, sir.

 

[croomandwhite]

The amusement will be endless...

It's sort of a running joke amongst some of us to button our top buttons in the morning.

 

[Stansfield]

Another rule to which I subscribe: Exposed leg hair = fail.

What, you mean men should not wear shorts or men who wear shorts should shave their legs??</p>

</p>

</p>

 

[LaTechIsBetter]

<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">We will be the first SEC team to ever play there.</p>

</p>You should feel honored.

 

[Bigdog13]

A&M scheduled us for a 2-1 and just backed out by paying us about $750k. We replaced it with LSU for about $600K. For a non-bcs school that's a nice haul for a weekend of football. It sucks to be in that position but we obviously don't have SEC money so it is what it is. Now normally we wouldn't take $600 but it is a short trip and even though the odds aren't in our favor but the chance to knock off LSU I guess was too tempting for or Admin. to pass up. LSU is one of the few large $$ schools that doesn't pay well.

Tenn, is offering around a million for a one and done and Dawgs1 is pretty much right on target regarding the price going up on these bodybag games and the scheduling in general. No disrespect but the lower level BCS schools are being priced out of the market for the one and done bodybag games by the bigger budget schools. Kansas and Baylor have also both offered 1 and 1's to us recently. Clemson gave us a 2-1 but like A&M also bought out of their away game.

I know for an SEC team coming to Ruston doesn't get you pumped up but all the lower level BCS teams are going through the same thing and if you have to go through it at least your not playing @ Ball St. or @Central Michigan. It's regional, a quick bus trip for your team and an easy trip for you to see your team play.