ESPN game

[Lehigh Football Nation]

ESPN already chose UNI @ NDSU for their quarterfinal game.

This seems to me to be the absolute worst game to choose for the ESPN game.

* Rematch
* MVFC specific
* Tiny metro areas

The game they should have chosen was Richmond at Illinois State

* Should have good crowd
* Would get good viewership from both midwest AND Virginia
* Interest from diehards, CAA people (perhaps), MVFC folks

SHSU/Colgate would also have been a decent choice

* Assuming SHSU hosts they would have some East Coast viewership plus Texas

Jacksonville State/Chuck South is not the best in terms of TV markets but it would involve two regions

In conclusion, terrible choice by ESPN

[BisonFan02]

ESPN already chose UNI @ NDSU for their quarterfinal game.

This seems to me to be the absolute worst game to choose for the ESPN game.

* Rematch
* MVFC specific
* Tiny metro areas

The game they should have chosen was Richmond at Illinois State

* Should have good crowd
* Would get good viewership from both midwest AND Virginia
* Interest from diehards, CAA people (perhaps), MVFC folks

SHSU/Colgate would also have been a decent choice

* Assuming SHSU hosts they would have some East Coast viewership plus Texas

Jacksonville State/Chuck South is not the best in terms of TV markets but it would involve two regions

In conclusion, terrible choice by ESPN

Bull****.

[FargoBison]

You do realize there are two ESPN games, the other is on Friday night on the duece. This absolutely should have been one of them, the two teams played an epic game already this year.

[clenz]

Terrible choice by ESPN?

This is the game between the two biggest names left in the playoffs. It's the most heated game in the FCS. It's the most physical game in the FCS. The winner may likely move to the odds on/even money favorite for the title. Fargodome is going to be 100% packed, loud as all ****, and rowdy.

Illinois State is going to be 35% empty and no atmopshere.

SHSU/Colgate? Please. Colgate brings zero TV audience. SHSU brings very...very...little and the game will be 50% empty

JSU/CSU is just a no

[FargoBison]

I bet CSU-JSU will be the Friday night game.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

I bet CSU-JSU will be the Friday night game.

Wouldn't surprise me one iota.

[BisonTru]

As others have said UNI/NDSU is an obvious pick.

Now, who gets the friday night game? I'd say CSU@JSU just because of JSU's attendance and support.

[mvemjsunpx]

Bull****.

Pretty much. Absolutely none of that was in the realm of reality.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Two weeks ago: "Whine! Rematches suck!"

This week: "Wow! A rematch is the game of the year!"

[BisonFan02]

Pretty much. Absolutely none of that was in the realm of reality.

I was dumbfounded when I read it.....didn't even know where to start.

[FargoBison]

Rematches do suck but if they happen you may as well make the most of them. Not like NDSU-UNI has ever been broadcast on a major sports network before, it has turned into a great rivalry. Glad it is showcased for once.

[FargoBison]

CSU-Jax State gets the Friday night game as expected.

Richmond-ISUR 6:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN3. Colgate-SHSU 7 p.m. ESPN3

[clenz]

Two weeks ago: "Whine! Rematches suck!"

This week: "Wow! A rematch is the game of the year!"
The fact UNI/NDSU play this week sucks in every way possible for us as fans and programs.

For TV though?

It's ****ing FCS gold. Only Montana/NDSU would draw a better TV rating...

[Professor Chaos]

Dom Izzo is tweeting that JSU/CSU is the Friday night game on ESPN2 but he's also saying Illinois St and Richmond are playing Friday (only on ESPN3). Not sure why they have the 2nd Friday game. Perhaps finals week for ISU so they want try to get some students in the crowd before they all head home for the holidays?

[centennial]

Two weeks ago: "Whine! Rematches suck!"

This week: "Wow! A rematch is the game of the year!"

They suck. The best game however is UNI-NDSU.

[clenz]

Dom Izzo is tweeting that JSU/CSU is the Friday night game on ESPN2 but he's also saying Illinois St and Richmond are playing Friday (only on ESPN3). Not sure why they have the 2nd Friday game. Perhaps finals week for ISU so they wan try to get some students in the crowd before they all head home for the holidays?
It's always been split 2 Friday/2 Saturday

[BisonFan02]

Two weeks ago: "Whine! Rematches suck!"

This week: "Wow! A rematch is the game of the year!"

Don't get me wrong...I think having 3 of the final 4 teams on one side of the quarterfinal bracket being out of the MVFC is a ****ing travesty considering the other side includes Colgate, SHSU, and CSU. But of the 4 quarter final games, the NDSU/UNI game is the best for TV, and it isn't even close.

NDSU hits a 60 share on statewide NBC in ND and a good chunk of MN...has been on College Gameday TWICE. You act like the locals in the requisite locales give two ****s about the games. Think the state of TX is going to be glued into the SHSU game outside of the vested fans/alums? Get a clue...

[Professor Chaos]

It's always been split 2 Friday/2 Saturday
Not for the last three years at least. Its been one on Friday and 3 on Saturday.

[Winterborn]

Can guarantee some people in Frisco, TX will be watching the outcome NDSU vs UNI game.

[clenz]

The people in Frisco would be happily shocked at how many UNI fans would make that trip.

UNI fans are starved for something like that. The basketball team has a huge following in NCAA tournaments - the title game would be very large. Not NDSU large, but probably the second largest fan invasion Frisco has ever seen

[FargoBison]

The Frisco people are just praying that Colgate, CSU or Richmond don't make it.

[Winterborn]

The people in Frisco would be happily shocked at how many UNI fans would make that trip.

But the real question is not how many fans show up, but can you drink the city dry? ;)

[clenz]

But the real question is not how many fans show up, but can you drink the city dry? ;)
I went beer for beer with everyone in Fargo when I was there.....I'm not a heavy drinker by UNI standards.

[seattlespider]

The Frisco people are just praying that Colgate, CSU or Richmond don't make it.

Ironic, given that most us were praying that Frisco didn't get the FCS game in the first place.

- - - Updated - - -


But the real question is not how many fans show up, but can you drink the city dry? ;)

Shouldn't be to hard; there's like one bar in the city.

[Twentysix]

Shouldn't be to hard; there's like one bar in the city.

You think there is one bar in Fargo? xthumbsupx There is a bar for every 1,580 people in North Dakota. The highest per capita density in the entire US. (Washington has one bar for ever 7.8k people)

http://assets.theatlantic.com/static/sullivan/6a00d83451c45669e20147e069cd8a970b-550wi

[TheRevSFA]

You think there is one bar in Fargo? xthumbsupx There is a bar for every 1,580 people in North Dakota. The highest per capita density in the entire US. (Washington has one bar for ever 7.8k people)

http://assets.theatlantic.com/static/sullivan/6a00d83451c45669e20147e069cd8a970b-550wi

There's also like 27 people who live in North Dakota :) not hard to skew those numbers

uni and ndsu is the best match and one I'll be watching from the Texas coast

[NDB]

Two weeks ago: "Whine! Rematches suck!"

This week: "Wow! A rematch is the game of the year!"

The game in the Fargodome has by far the makings of the best television.

[ISUMatt]

Illinois State is going to be 35% empty and no atmopshere.



35%??? More like 60%!!! I disagree on atmosphere, the place has been jumping since the remodeling of Hancock 2.0



ISUMatt

[ISUMatt]

Word on the street is a Friday game: Richmond @ Illinois State 6:30 pm. A Saturday game would be a mess with 2 graduation ceremonies at 9am & 1pm


ISUMatt

[dgtw]

I hate being on Friday night. It will be cold and TV will hurt attendance. At least there is no Alabama game next week.


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[Lehigh'98]

For a fan of FCS, NDSU-UNI is the most compelling game by far. For the general football fan, it's still the best game because if they have heard of one of the eight teams left, it's NDSU.

[Professor Chaos]

NDSU/UNI is akin to the Baltimore/Pittsburgh NFL rivalry in its heyday of the early 2010s with Polamalu, Harrison, and Lewis. It will be one physical game. As much as I would've preferred to see UNI in a different quadrant of the bracket I'm excited for this game and excited that it'll be showcased on ESPN's flagship network.

[kdinva]

http://espn.go.com/college-football/scoreboard/_/group/81/year/2015/seasontype/2/week/15

http://i.turner.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/external/gametool/brackets/football_fcs_2015.pdf

[IBleedYellow]

You guys are all seeing this wrong. LFN is obviously correct... Because it's LFN.

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[Cocky]

You think there is one bar in Fargo? xthumbsupx There is a bar for every 1,580 people in North Dakota. The highest per capita density in the entire US. (Washington has one bar for ever 7.8k people)

http://assets.theatlantic.com/static/sullivan/6a00d83451c45669e20147e069cd8a970b-550wi
Never knew there was a Beer Belt.

[Cocky]

JSU will have a tough time getting the Saturday crowd back but at least our brand will get exposure.

[Cocky]

ESPN already chose UNI @ NDSU for their quarterfinal game.

This seems to me to be the absolute worst game to choose for the ESPN game.

* Rematch
* MVFC specific
* Tiny metro areas

The game they should have chosen was Richmond at Illinois State

* Should have good crowd
* Would get good viewership from both midwest AND Virginia
* Interest from diehards, CAA people (perhaps), MVFC folks

SHSU/Colgate would also have been a decent choice

* Assuming SHSU hosts they would have some East Coast viewership plus Texas

Jacksonville State/Chuck South is not the best in terms of TV markets but it would involve two regions

In conclusion, terrible choice by ESPN

JSU is in a top 50 market and I believe the no. 1 college football market.

[dgtw]

The QF games that are paired should be playing on the same day.


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[unigriff]

There's also like 27 people who live in North Dakota :) not hard to skew those numbers

uni and ndsu is the best match and one I'll be watching from the Texas coast

Come over to the hill country and watch with me Rev :)

[MacThor]

ESPN already chose UNI @ NDSU for their quarterfinal game.

This seems to me to be the absolute worst game to choose for the ESPN game.

* Rematch
* MVFC specific
* Tiny metro areas

The game they should have chosen was Richmond at Illinois State

* Should have good crowd
* Would get good viewership from both midwest AND Virginia
* Interest from diehards, CAA people (perhaps), MVFC folks

But...but...Richmond is only there because someone had to come out of the weakest pod of the bracket.

[TheRevSFA]

Come over to the hill country and watch with me Rev :)

Damn I love the hill country.

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

Richmond has some name recognition in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic do to their hoops team and academic clout. UNI has more of a national name imo do to their more recent success in hoops. NDSU is about as big as it gets right in terms of FCS exposure. If I'm ESPN NDSU-UNI and Illinois State-Richmond are both attractive matchups. But at the end of the day you got to go with the game in Fargo featuring the 4x defending champs....

[JSUSoutherner]

We likely won't have the same crowd we pulled in for UTC yesterday so it may not look as good on TV since our stadium is really big and looks really really empty with anything less than 20,000.
Cons:
-It's the end of finals week so it would be really surprising to me if our students turn out in the same amount they did yesterday.
-I doubt CSU will bring nearly as many fans as UTC did.
-It's going to be a cold Friday night game.

Pro's:
-We have really good equipment and ESPN likes our stadium so it's easy to broadcast and always turns out really well.
-Bama and Auburn won't be playing and high schools are done so that may help with attendance.

[Professor Chaos]

We likely won't have the same crowd we pulled in for UTC yesterday so it may not look as good on TV since our stadium is really big and looks really really empty with anything less than 20,000.
Cons:
-It's the end of finals week so it would be really surprising to me if our students turn out in the same amount they did yesterday.
-I doubt CSU will bring nearly as many fans as UTC did.
-It's going to be a cold Friday night game.

Pro's:
-We have really good equipment and ESPN likes our stadium so it's easy to broadcast and always turns out really well.
-Bama and Auburn won't be playing and high schools are done so that may help with attendance.
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/l/USAL0296:1:US

High of 70 and low of 57 next Friday in Jacksonville, AL. You poor poor people. :p

[Cocky]

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/l/USAL0296:1:US

High of 70 and low of 57 next Friday in Jacksonville, AL. You poor poor people. :p

Our cold is a little different than ND cold. To me 57 isnt real cold just cool.

[clenz]

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/l/USAL0296:1:US

High of 70 and low of 57 next Friday in Jacksonville, AL. You poor poor people. :p

Almost need a light wind jacket and jeans in weather like that

How does anyone stand to be at a game in weather like that?

[JSUSoutherner]

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/l/USAL0296:1:US

High of 70 and low of 57 next Friday in Jacksonville, AL. You poor poor people. :p
We live in the south. When I was in high school we would have school cancellations because of frost. It's stupid but that's how people work down here.

And I'll be shocked if it's actually that warm come next weekend. I'm not saying I think it's cold. It's nothing compared to when I lived on lake Erie. If it could be that temperature year round I would take it but people down here are pansies when the temperature drops below 65.

[TheRevSFA]

I have my heat on. The low was 50.

I also have palm trees in my yard as well as citrus trees.

But the same people making fun of cold drop dead in the streets when it's 85

[IBleedYellow]

I have my heat on. The low was 50.

I also have palm trees in my yard as well as citrus trees.

But the same people making fun of cold drop dead in the streets when it's 85
Lol...

In the Midwest we get 100 degree days and -20 degree days.

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[clenz]

I have my heat on. The low was 50.

I also have palm trees in my yard as well as citrus trees.

But the same people making fun of cold drop dead in the streets when it's 85

False

The upper Midwest is regularly 90+ with 90%+ humidity in the summer

The only time that may even be close to true is the if we get real hot early in the shoulder season as we need to thin our blood

[JSUSoutherner]

Agreed, my grandparents live in Missouri and that place has some temperature extremes to it. It gets just as hot there as is does in the south, if not hotter sometimes.

[clenz]

Agreed, my grandparents live in Missouri and that place has some temperature extremes to it.

Hell, in the last two weeks in Iowa we've seen temps near 60, 17 inches of snow, 2 inches of rain, temps below zero, another snow storm of 12 inches and temps pushing 60 again this week

[Bison56]

Terrible choice by ESPN?

This is the game between the two biggest names left in the playoffs. It's the most heated game in the FCS. It's the most physical game in the FCS. The winner may likely move to the odds on/even money favorite for the title. Fargodome is going to be 100% packed, loud as all ****, and rowdy.

Illinois State is going to be 35% empty and no atmopshere.

SHSU/Colgate? Please. Colgate brings zero TV audience. SHSU brings very...very...little and the game will be 50% empty

JSU/CSU is just a no

^This is all 100% correct.

[JSUSoutherner]

Hell, in the last two weeks in Iowa we've seen temps near 60, 17 inches of snow, 2 inches of rain, temps below zero, another snow storm of 12 inches and temps pushing 60 again this week
I know, my aunt lives in Iowa and my dad spent last week in northern Missouri helping out my grandparents. The wind up there is the worst part in my opinion, it just goes right through you.

[PantherRob82]

We live in the south. When I was in high school we would have school cancellations because of frost. It's stupid but that's how people work down here.

And I'll be shocked if it's actually that warm come next weekend. I'm not saying I think it's cold. It's nothing compared to when I lived on lake Erie. If it could be that temperature year round I would take it but people down here are pansies when the temperature drops below 65.

Do you guys get frost at 57?

[clenz]

Do you guys get frost at 57?

Seems scientifically impossible, what what do I know

[Cocky]

Do you guys get frost at 57?
No, but it does chap my ass sometimes.

[TheRevSFA]

I remember being in Chicago (i know, not Iowa) in July. It was 85 degrees and my wife and I were sitting on a patio at a restaurant on Michigan Ave and people were complaining of the heat. We had just left Houston where it was 105 with 85 percent humidity. Sorry you upper Midwest folk, you don't know heat and humidity like Texas and the deep south

[Hammerhead]

The vast majority of college football fans don't care who is on TV next weekend. They are just going to flip to ESPN or ESPN2 to see if there is any football on TV. A full house in the Fargodome is an excellent crowd for TV and they have lots of choices for camera angles. I think they have even used cameras up in the rafters over the goal lines for unique views of the action.


ESPN already chose UNI @ NDSU for their quarterfinal game.

This seems to me to be the absolute worst game to choose for the ESPN game.

* Rematch
* MVFC specific
* Tiny metro areas

The game they should have chosen was Richmond at Illinois State

* Should have good crowd
* Would get good viewership from both midwest AND Virginia
* Interest from diehards, CAA people (perhaps), MVFC folks

SHSU/Colgate would also have been a decent choice

* Assuming SHSU hosts they would have some East Coast viewership plus Texas

Jacksonville State/Chuck South is not the best in terms of TV markets but it would involve two regions

In conclusion, terrible choice by ESPN

[IBleedYellow]

I remember being in Chicago (i know, not Iowa) in July. It was 85 degrees and my wife and I were sitting on a patio at a restaurant on Michigan Ave and people were complaining of the heat. We had just left Houston where it was 105 with 85 percent humidity. Sorry you upper Midwest folk, you don't know heat and humidity like Texas and the deep south
I was in basic training in the middle of the summer at Lackland AFB. **** that.

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[NoDak 4 Ever]

I remember being in Chicago (i know, not Iowa) in July. It was 85 degrees and my wife and I were sitting on a patio at a restaurant on Michigan Ave and people were complaining of the heat. We had just left Houston where it was 105 with 85 percent humidity. Sorry you upper Midwest folk, you don't know heat and humidity like Texas and the deep south

You don't even need to get that far south. I moved here almost 3 years ago and still am not used to how oppressively hot and humid it gets. Sure it's like that for a few stretches in the summer up north and maybe 100 once or twice but to have 100 degrees for a week and dewpoints in the 80's, it's just gross.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Word on the street is a Friday game: Richmond @ Illinois State 6:30 pm. A Saturday game would be a mess with 2 graduation ceremonies at 9am & 1pm


ISUMatt

So... they are purposely screwing Illinois State, then? They were going to have the game on Friday ANYWAY?

[Lehigh Football Nation]

You guys are all seeing this wrong. LFN is obviously correct... Because it's LFN.

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Reps

[MTfan4life]

To me, it's always annoying when an fcs tv game is at a crappy poor attended stadium. It makes us look no different than D2 or D3. Having it at the guaranteed to be sold out fargodome just makes sense. Plus if you lived in Fargo, you'd know that ESPN "thinks fargo is the greatest atmosphere on the planet" and they're not just saying the same thing a rock band says in every city they go to. :P

Seriously, though, it just looks better with a sold out atmosphere in a Fcs big stadium. In the 75% full, bleachers on just two sides stadium, it feels not much different than West georgia @ Northwest Missouri State.. At least in my opinion.

[Christiank22]

To me, it's always annoying when an fcs tv game is at a crappy poor attended stadium. It makes us look no different than D2 or D3. Having it at the guaranteed to be sold out fargodome just makes sense. Plus if you lived in Fargo, you'd know that ESPN "thinks fargo is the greatest atmosphere on the planet" and they're not just saying the same thing a rock band says in every city they go to. :P

Seriously, though, it just looks better with a sold out atmosphere in a Fcs big stadium. In the 75% full, bleachers on just two sides stadium, it feels not much different than West georgia @ Northwest Missouri State.. At least in my opinion.
They aren't just saying that! Did they say that at Gameday in Missoula.... Oh wait ;)

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[Bisonoline]

ESPN already chose UNI @ NDSU for their quarterfinal game.

This seems to me to be the absolute worst game to choose for the ESPN game.

* Rematch
* MVFC specific
* Tiny metro areas

The game they should have chosen was Richmond at Illinois State

* Should have good crowd
* Would get good viewership from both midwest AND Virginia
* Interest from diehards, CAA people (perhaps), MVFC folks

SHSU/Colgate would also have been a decent choice

* Assuming SHSU hosts they would have some East Coast viewership plus Texas

Jacksonville State/Chuck South is not the best in terms of TV markets but it would involve two regions

In conclusion, terrible choice by ESPN

Dont drink excessively before you post. If that isnt the reason for the idiotic post then you must be trolling.

[andthehomeofthe-BIZON-]

The people in Frisco would be happily shocked at how many UNI fans would make that trip.

UNI fans are starved for something like that. The basketball team has a huge following in NCAA tournaments - the title game would be very large. Not NDSU large, but probably the second largest fan invasion Frisco has ever seen

Random---- Despite my inner UNI hatred I would actually consider going to the Natty if the Bizon lose and UNI win just to cheer on the MVFC! Ain't no natty like a mvfc natty and the mvfc natty just don't stop.

[andthehomeofthe-BIZON-]

But...but...Richmond is only there because someone had to come out of the weakest pod of the bracket.

Preach

Richmond will get their poop pushed in by Illinois state. IMO......

[CHIP72]

ESPN already chose UNI @ NDSU for their quarterfinal game.

This seems to me to be the absolute worst game to choose for the ESPN game.

* Rematch
* MVFC specific
* Tiny metro areas

The game they should have chosen was Richmond at Illinois State

* Should have good crowd
* Would get good viewership from both midwest AND Virginia
* Interest from diehards, CAA people (perhaps), MVFC folks

SHSU/Colgate would also have been a decent choice

* Assuming SHSU hosts they would have some East Coast viewership plus Texas

Jacksonville State/Chuck South is not the best in terms of TV markets but it would involve two regions

In conclusion, terrible choice by ESPN

In all honesty LFN, Division I-AA/FCS football doesn't move the needle ratings-wise, outside of small pockets of people (like on AGS). With that being the case, televising the game with a 4-time defending national champions, who probably are a little higher profile than the other FCS playoff teams, in the Saturday afternoon, pre-Army/Navy game time slot makes the most sense. (On top of that, Northern Iowa is probably one of the two most prominent Division I basketball programs, along with Richmond, remaining in the field, so UNI has a little more name recognition than most of the other remaining teams.) Additionally, people remember that Jacksonville State almost upset (and should have upset) Auburn, so they have a little more name recognition than most of the other remaining teams too, hence their ESPN2 appearance on Friday night.

[Cocky]

To me, it's always annoying when an fcs tv game is at a crappy poor attended stadium. It makes us look no different than D2 or D3. Having it at the guaranteed to be sold out fargodome just makes sense. Plus if you lived in Fargo, you'd know that ESPN "thinks fargo is the greatest atmosphere on the planet" and they're not just saying the same thing a rock band says in every city they go to. :P

Seriously, though, it just looks better with a sold out atmosphere in a Fcs big stadium. In the 75% full, bleachers on just two sides stadium, it feels not much different than West georgia @ Northwest Missouri State.. At least in my opinion.
Why would it not look like a SunBelt, MAC, CUSA, American or MWC game on ESPN? Or even add in most of the ACC or PAC as those stadiums or normally not sold out.

[Thundar]

ESPN already chose UNI @ NDSU for their quarterfinal game.

This seems to me to be the absolute worst game to choose for the ESPN game.

* Rematch
* MVFC specific
* Tiny metro areas

The game they should have chosen was Richmond at Illinois State

* Should have good crowd
* Would get good viewership from both midwest AND Virginia
* Interest from diehards, CAA people (perhaps), MVFC folks

SHSU/Colgate would also have been a decent choice

* Assuming SHSU hosts they would have some East Coast viewership plus Texas

Jacksonville State/Chuck South is not the best in terms of TV markets but it would involve two regions

In conclusion, terrible choice by ESPN

thisis the dumbest thing I have read in a long time

[Sycamore62]

If I were picking, Id pick places where weather was less likely to suck. Fargo....winner in this case ironically.

I cant ever decide who to root for when MVFC schools are playing in the playoffs. At this point, I think the conference being tough outweighs the fact that we are competing with those teams for players. I think it gives my team a better chance to get a bid with a questionable record.

[Thundar]

If I were picking, Id pick places where weather was less likely to suck. Fargo....winner in this case ironically.

I cant ever decide who to root for when MVFC schools are playing in the playoffs. At this point, I think the conference being tough outweighs the fact that we are competing with those teams for players. I think it gives my team a better chance to get a bid with a questionable record.

i don't think NDSU competes with ISUb for recruits that much, UNI yes, but we don't recruite Indiana, Ohio, ect...we do hit Chicago but I don't remember ever seeing a recruit with offers from both schools.

i could be wrong though

[Lehigh Football Nation]

How much does existing ESPN contracts play into game selection, I wonder?

Missouri Valley pretty much 100% ESPN shop nationally with some regional sprinkled in

Richmond is A-10 in most sports, CAA in football. A-10 televises games on ESPN and other outlets. CAA is basically a NBC/Comcast shop.

Colgate is PL, they are CBS

Big South is basically ESPN + regional outlets

OVC same

[gotts]

How much does existing ESPN contracts play into game selection, I wonder?

Missouri Valley pretty much 100% ESPN shop nationally with some regional sprinkled in

Richmond is A-10 in most sports, CAA in football. A-10 televises games on ESPN and other outlets. CAA is basically a NBC/Comcast shop.

Colgate is PL, they are CBS

Big South is basically ESPN + regional outlets

OVC same

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say slim to none.

[Bisonoline]

Two weeks ago: "Whine! Rematches suck!"

This week: "Wow! A rematch is the game of the year!"

Do you have a lick of common sense?

[RootinFerDukes]

Well my question of "does the top two seeds always get the tv games" has been answered. I do agree with espn for picking the two games with the best potential atmosphere more than two best teams "on paper". when the atmosphere is tit for tat or negligible, then they default to giving it to the top 2 seeds.

we need to showcase the best remaining in FCS each year, not some sad 5k turnout.

[RootinFerDukes]

ESPN already chose UNI @ NDSU for their quarterfinal game.

This seems to me to be the absolute worst game to choose for the ESPN game.

* Rematch - who cares? shouldn't even be a factor, plus a casual viewer would have no clue.
* MVFC specific - see above
* Tiny metro areas - it's fcs. don't act like fordham near ny will have better viewership potential than ndsu. richmond is also only a "large city" but not a major area. it's probably tit for tat in size compared to fargo, nd.

The game they should have chosen was Richmond at Illinois State

* Should have good crowd - first thing that is likely correct.
* Would get good viewership from both midwest AND Virginia - i can't speak for ISU's viewership, but seeing as how UR only average 8.1k in attendance this year, I really doubt their viewership potential is very high. I live near Richmond and they're not that big of a deal here. It's all about VT, UVA and then VCU if anyone follows college sports in Richmond.
* Interest from diehards, CAA people (perhaps), MVFC folks - we're a few hundred people, maybe a thousand nationwide that would sit down and watch it live. It'll be almost exclusively interest from the immediate fan bases only.

SHSU/Colgate would also have been a decent choice - Worst choice of the remaining games IMO. No chance at a TV game with what remained.

* Assuming SHSU hosts they would have some East Coast viewership plus Texas

Jacksonville State/Chuck South is not the best in terms of TV markets but it would involve two regions - chosen because they were the #1 seed.

In conclusion, terrible choice by ESPN - Nope, great choice by ESPN.


See bolded.

[CHIP72]

Just one point of clarification regarding the post above this one - Richmond is much, much larger than Fargo. (In fact, the Richmond metro area is considerably larger in population than all of North Dakota.) I'd add that in the Richmond area, the Washington Redskins may rank ahead of Virginia Tech and Virginia, much less Richmond, in football interest.

I generally agree with the other bolded points.

[RootinFerDukes]

Yes you're right. I was guessing and didn't realize the Richmond metro was 1.2M. With that being said, UR is pretty far down the list in most sports fans in the area.

[clenz]

Yes you're right. I was guessing and didn't realize the Richmond metro was 1.2M. With that being said, UR is pretty far down the list in most sports fans in the area.
It's where UR falls on that list.

Loyola has the largest metro in the MVC - Chicago. They have the smallest arena and smallest crowds in the MVC. Turns out no one in Chicago really cares about Loyola

Turns out 99.8% of Fargo cares about NDSU. That's about 224k of the 228k metro. So unless 19% of the Richmond metro is going to tune in to watch the game the metro argument is silly

[BisonFan02]

It's where UR falls on that list.

Loyola has the largest metro in the MVC - Chicago. They have the smallest arena and smallest crowds in the MVC. Turns out no one in Chicago really cares about Loyola

Turns out 99.8% of Fargo cares about NDSU. That's about 224k of the 228k metro. So unless 19% of the Richmond metro is going to tune in to watch the game the metro argument is silly

You also forgot the lionshare of ND as well....might as well double your number.

[clenz]

You also forgot the lionshare of ND as well....might as well double your number.
I was just taking the "metro" since that was what was talked about.

I don't think people from the coasts understand the type of support NDSU and Montana have.

UNI fans complain about the support we get, and I'd bet we are still top 5-10 in the nation for support

[Lehigh Football Nation]

So unless 19% of the Richmond metro is going to tune in to watch the game the metro argument is silly

Is that unreasonable?

There's one FBS game on TV (Army/Navy), VA doesn't play in hoops, VA Tech doesn't play in hoops, Redskins are off. Richmond plays hoops at 6:30 on Saturday.

On Friday there's even less competition.

19% is a little high but you can get a pretty big slice

[clenz]

Is that unreasonable?

There's one FBS game on TV (Army/Navy), VA doesn't play in hoops, VA Tech doesn't play in hoops, Redskins are off. Richmond plays hoops at 6:30 on Saturday.

On Friday there's even less competition.

19% is a little high but you can get a pretty big slice
19% is equal to the 98% of the Fargo market.

If UR could draw 19% market share they would have a MUCH....MUCH....larger stadium.

Richmond has an enrollment of 4K. I can't imagine it's ever been that much larger. That's an average of 1k per class. Let's assume every graduating class from 1970 until now is 100% alive and 100% Richmond only fans. That's still only 45k alumni that are die hard Richmond fans. Given the sob story we hear from those out east about competing with other universities, pro sports, academics, etc... it's far to say that Richmond may average about 50-100 true die hard Richmond fans per alumni class. Throw their kids in (assuming they don't fall victim to anyone else for fandom) and spouses and...well..

You get where I'm going with this yet?

If Richmond could put a 19% market share this weekend they should have a 20-30k seat stadium that's full every weekend.



You say 19% is a pretty big slice...19% only get you to "break even" with the significantly smaller F-M metro area in terms of people interested in the game. Anything less than that and ESPN would instantly have made the wrong choice by picking Richmond/ISUr over UNI/NDSU.

That isn't even taking into account that UNI has a much larger football core of fans than Illinois State to go overtop of that.

I'd be the numbers wouldn't even be close. I wouldn't be shocked if this game was one of the 2 or 3 highest rated FCS games of all time on tv

[Lehigh Football Nation]

I wouldn't be shocked if this game was one of the 2 or 3 highest rated FCS games of all time on tv

Part of that, however, is real estate on the TV dial. Some people will simply go to ESPN because it's ESPN. If you put the same game on ESPN2 the viewership will be smaller simply because fewer people get/will click over to ESPN2. Other factors come into play.

Richmond fans I am willing to bet get some fans in their metro area that are not alumni of the school, that rally behind the school for regional reasons. These are the same types that don't follow Spider basketball all year but choose to tune in during the NCAA tournament. UNI no doubt gets the same types.

I do not feel it will be as highly watched as the App/Montana snow game. It will be more like an App State/Furman rematch which had limited interest outside of the Carolinas.

Also worthy of mention App State/Furman was a semifinal, not a quarterfinal.

[TheRevSFA]

I was just taking the "metro" since that was what was talked about.

I don't think people from the coasts understand the type of support NDSU and Montana have.

UNI fans complain about the support we get, and I'd bet we are still top 5-10 in the nation for support

Because there's nothing else ****ing there. NDSU and Montana have the benefit of no FBS competition in their states along with a tradition of success.

[RootinFerDukes]

I was just taking the "metro" since that was what was talked about.

I don't think people from the coasts understand the type of support NDSU and Montana have.

UNI fans complain about the support we get, and I'd bet we are still top 5-10 in the nation for support

Are you top 10 in attendance? I would say there's no better indicator of your support than that number.
What many of you don't realize is that UM and ndsu are the biggest ticket in their small states. Throw the obstacles in your path that other regions of the country have and then let's see how well supported you really are.
I'm sure you're seeing that this season with Iowa's success.

[CHIP72]

I was just taking the "metro" since that was what was talked about.

I don't think people from the coasts understand the type of support NDSU and Montana have.

UNI fans complain about the support we get, and I'd bet we are still top 5-10 in the nation for support

No, people on the coasts DO understand the level of support that NDSU and Montana have; the difference is that's the kind of support major league pro sports teams have in large markets (especially in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic) and major universities, particularly state-named universities, have in smaller states or portions of states that are more populated than North Dakota or Montana but less populated than major metro areas.

What I'd argue is that people from the more rural areas where a Division I-AA/FCS school has the most prominent program don't understand how many other teams, particularly major league pro sports teams and P5 Division I-A/FBS college teams, rank way ahead of Division I-AA/FCS teams in more populated areas, especially in the very large metropolitan areas.

[RootinFerDukes]

Is that unreasonable?

There's one FBS game on TV (Army/Navy), VA doesn't play in hoops, VA Tech doesn't play in hoops, Redskins are off. Richmond plays hoops at 6:30 on Saturday.

On Friday there's even less competition.

19% is a little high but you can get a pretty big slice

1.9% seems high. There were more JMU, wm and VU games in this market this year than ur. I'm assuming that they take past ratings history into account each season when they determine who gets what TV games.

[Professor Chaos]

What I'd argue is that people from the more rural areas where a Division I-AA/FCS school has the most prominent program don't understand how many other teams, particularly major league pro sports teams and P5 Division I-A/FBS college teams, rank way ahead of Division I-AA/FCS teams in more populated areas, especially in the very large metropolitan areas.
Apparently neither do most conference commishes and school presidents since they continue to value TV market over anything else when it comes to conference realignment even though in most cases the TV market they're grabbing the school from has little to no interest in that school.

[CHIP72]

Is that unreasonable?

There's one FBS game on TV (Army/Navy), VA doesn't play in hoops, VA Tech doesn't play in hoops, Redskins are off. Richmond plays hoops at 6:30 on Saturday.

On Friday there's even less competition.

19% is a little high but you can get a pretty big slice

You aren't being serious, are you LFN?!?

Getting 19% of the people in even a reasonably large market like Richmond is an extremely, extremely high percentage of the population.

Even if we assume we're talking about 19% of the sports fans in the Richmond metro area (which is I think what you are referring to LFN), that's still an extremely high percentage, even with circumstances like this weekend. You're familiar with the Lehigh Valley (or Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton area for those of you not familiar with eastern Pennsylvania geography), an area about half the size of Richmond but still sizable, so let's use the ABE area as a frame of reference. Do you think 19% of the sports fans in the Lehigh Valley would watch Lehigh or Lafayette if they played in a FCS quarterfinal playoff game on ESPN or ESPN2? I really, really doubt it; Lehigh or Lafayette would probably be doing very well to get 5% of the sports fans watching their game. There are so many reasons for this:

*Lehigh and Lafayette split the area's alumni and fans who are willing to follow the local school. Some people (like me) will follow both teams, but most people will follow EITHER Lehigh OR Lafayette, not both.

*Both Lehigh and Lafayette, though both receive solid coverage in the local media, are low profile schools compared to other, larger colleges, particularly Penn State. Many people who follow Penn State, whether they are alumni or people who are unaffilitated but want to follow that school's teams, aren't going to be interested in following Lehigh or Lafayette, regardless if there are few other sports events on TV. Keep in mind also that the Lehigh Valley media, much less the Philadelphia media, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre media, and New York media, cover Penn State more than either Lehigh or Lafayette, feeding into the perception that Penn State is more worth following.

*There are many other smaller colleges in and near the Lehigh Valley, like Moravian, Muhlenberg, Kutztown, East Stroudsburg, Albright, and Delaware Valley, just to name a few within 40 miles or so, that people are affiliated with and will follow rather than following Lehigh or Lafayette.

*There are some people who are VERY locally focused and prefer to follow high school sports in their community rather than college sports in their region.

*With the ABE area being so close to both Philadelphia and New York, there are many people who view college sports as the minor leagues and will only follow major league pro sports. Those people are focused on the Eagles, Giants, Jets, or some other NFL team and don't really pay attention to football on Saturdays. Those people may look down on following Penn State, much less pay attention to what Lehigh or Lafayette do.

*There are some people who don't have cable, and couldn't watch Lehigh or Lafayette in the FCS quarterfinals even if they are interested.

*There are people who are big sports fans but also are family-oriented, or community-oriented, or other activities-oriented, and if their teams aren't playing on a given day, they'll do other activities like yard work or shopping or playing with the kids or volunteering or church activities or something else.

I'm sure there are a few other significant reasons that I haven't listed above that are very valid reasons why people in the Lehigh Valley wouldn't watch a Lehigh or Lafayette FCS quarterfinal game, or in the case of the Richmond area, watch a Richmond FCS quarterfinal game. It IS unrealistic to expect 19% of the sports fans in the Richmond area would watch Richmond's football game this weekend if it was on ESPN or ESPN2; in all honesty I think the Richmond football team would be doing well if 1.9% of the sports fans in the Richmond watched their game this weekend if it was televised.

[CHIP72]

Apparently neither do most conference commishes and school presidents since they continue to value TV market over anything else when it comes to conference realignment even though in most cases the TV market they're grabbing the school from has little to no interest in that school.

I think from those conferences' point of view is that there are a much higher pool of casual fans to pull from when a team in one of those markets does well. Temple this season is an excellent example; because the Owls had a great season by their standards, they attracted a lot more attention this year in the Philadelphia area than they have in past seasons. Rutgers had a similar kind of season and impact in north Jersey in 2006. In a smaller market with higher interest, the market ceiling is lower, even if the ratings are much closer to that ceiling a lot of the time. Advertisers, rightfully or wrongfully, focus on the number of potential eyeballs almost as much as the number of actual eyeballs.

I do agree with what you saying to some degree though - I remember reading a few years back that there were as many college football fans in Birmingham, AL as there are in New York City. Does it really make sense for leagues to focus on those larger markets if a large percentage of people in those markets already have their loyalties pointed towards different teams or leagues, or even different classifications (say NFL vs Division I-A/FBS college football) in the same sport?

[Cocky]

I think from those conferences' point of view is that there are a much higher pool of casual fans to pull from when a team in one of those markets does well. Temple this season is an excellent example; because the Owls had a great season by their standards, they attracted a lot more attention this year in the Philadelphia area than they have in past seasons. Rutgers had a similar kind of season and impact in north Jersey in 2006. In a smaller market with higher interest, the market ceiling is lower, even if the ratings are much closer to that ceiling a lot of the time. Advertisers, rightfully or wrongfully, focus on the number of potential eyeballs almost as much as the number of actual eyeballs.

I do agree with what you saying to some degree though - I remember reading a few years back that there were as many college football fans in Birmingham, AL as there are in New York City. Does it really make sense for leagues to focus on those larger markets if a large percentage of people in those markets already have their loyalties pointed towards different teams or leagues, or even different classifications (say NFL vs Division I-A/FBS college football) in the same sport?

Birmingham, which is JSUs market, is the largest college football market. It should read its the largest UAT market with a few Auburn fans and even fewer of other schools.

[Winterborn]

Because there's nothing else ****ing there. NDSU and Montana have the benefit of no FBS competition in their states along with a tradition of success.

Hey! There is the local bar, and we can always talk about who's cows (or sheep for the Montana folks) got into who's corn/wheat field. What the neighbor's kid was doing at last Saturday's dance. Or about whether John Deere is better than IH.......xrolleyesx

[Lehigh Football Nation]

You aren't being serious, are you LFN?!?

Getting 19% of the people in even a reasonably large market like Richmond is an extremely, extremely high percentage of the population.

Even if we assume we're talking about 19% of the sports fans in the Richmond metro area (which is I think what you are referring to LFN), that's still an extremely high percentage, even with circumstances like this weekend. You're familiar with the Lehigh Valley (or Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton area for those of you not familiar with eastern Pennsylvania geography), an area about half the size of Richmond but still sizable, so let's use the ABE area as a frame of reference. Do you think 19% of the sports fans in the Lehigh Valley would watch Lehigh or Lafayette if they played in a FCS quarterfinal playoff game on ESPN or ESPN2? I really, really doubt it; Lehigh or Lafayette would probably be doing very well to get 5% of the sports fans watching their game. There are so many reasons for this:

*Lehigh and Lafayette split the area's alumni and fans who are willing to follow the local school. Some people (like me) will follow both teams, but most people will follow EITHER Lehigh OR Lafayette, not both.

*Both Lehigh and Lafayette, though both receive solid coverage in the local media, are low profile schools compared to other, larger colleges, particularly Penn State. Many people who follow Penn State, whether they are alumni or people who are unaffilitated but want to follow that school's teams, aren't going to be interested in following Lehigh or Lafayette, regardless if there are few other sports events on TV. Keep in mind also that the Lehigh Valley media, much less the Philadelphia media, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre media, and New York media, cover Penn State more than either Lehigh or Lafayette, feeding into the perception that Penn State is more worth following.

*There are many other smaller colleges in and near the Lehigh Valley, like Moravian, Muhlenberg, Kutztown, East Stroudsburg, Albright, and Delaware Valley, just to name a few within 40 miles or so, that people are affiliated with and will follow rather than following Lehigh or Lafayette.

*There are some people who are VERY locally focused and prefer to follow high school sports in their community rather than college sports in their region.

*With the ABE area being so close to both Philadelphia and New York, there are many people who view college sports as the minor leagues and will only follow major league pro sports. Those people are focused on the Eagles, Giants, Jets, or some other NFL team and don't really pay attention to football on Saturdays. Those people may look down on following Penn State, much less pay attention to what Lehigh or Lafayette do.

*There are some people who don't have cable, and couldn't watch Lehigh or Lafayette in the FCS quarterfinals even if they are interested.

*There are people who are big sports fans but also are family-oriented, or community-oriented, or other activities-oriented, and if their teams aren't playing on a given day, they'll do other activities like yard work or shopping or playing with the kids or volunteering or church activities or something else.

I'm sure there are a few other significant reasons that I haven't listed above that are very valid reasons why people in the Lehigh Valley wouldn't watch a Lehigh or Lafayette FCS quarterfinal game, or in the case of the Richmond area, watch a Richmond FCS quarterfinal game. It IS unrealistic to expect 19% of the sports fans in the Richmond area would watch Richmond's football game this weekend if it was on ESPN or ESPN2; in all honesty I think the Richmond football team would be doing well if 1.9% of the sports fans in the Richmond watched their game this weekend if it was televised.

You are missing the point that I am making about competition on that particular day. Not only can people simultaneously be Redskins and Richmond fans, the Redskins aren't playing on Friday or Saturday. More casual fans are willing to say, "hell, Richmond is on ESPN today? Tech isn't playing, why don't we put on the game while we decorate the tree?" than you think.

I admit 19% is a very high percentage of a metro area in this day and age and I didn't say that 19% of the Richmond area would tune into the game. But I don't think it's 1% and I don't think it's an insignificant number.

IF the Redskins or Tech had a huge game on at the same time as Richmond I wouldn't be saying this. I freely admit those would pull a ton of viewers away. But that's not the case on this particular weekend. To your point, how many casual Lehigh fans (or casual Lafayette fans hate-watching, for that matter) would flick on a Lehigh playoff game in the absence of direct competition? A lot more than you'd expect, I think. More than 5%.

[SUPharmacist]

Well shoot, I typed a long response and then my phone ate it. Main points, less options in rural areas to got to a game, but remember that is due to less people. Even in rural areas people can watch whatever major pro teams they want and latch on in addition to major FBS programs. While I live in and grew up in an area with pro franchises in the major sports and now adding an MLS team I watch NDSU every Saturday I am not working, or if it was on an ESPN network when I worked I watch it through WatchESPN after my shift ends. Programs that invest in fan experience do well regardless of where they are, they may carve out a small chunk of a major metro which may still put them on par with all if ND or MT. I have seen Clenz explain in numerous threads the work UNI has done to carve out their own piece of Iowa separate from the hawkeyes and cyclones. Programs need to create their own identity and draw fans. Well dang, my summary attempt just ended up as a big block of text. Mainly this was a response to the BS I see continually about no competition for fans.

[BisonFan02]

No, people on the coasts DO understand the level of support that NDSU and Montana have; the difference is that's the kind of support major league pro sports teams have in large markets (especially in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic) and major universities, particularly state-named universities, have in smaller states or portions of states that are more populated than North Dakota or Montana but less populated than major metro areas.

What I'd argue is that people from the more rural areas where a Division I-AA/FCS school has the most prominent program don't understand how many other teams, particularly major league pro sports teams and P5 Division I-A/FBS college teams, rank way ahead of Division I-AA/FCS teams in more populated areas, especially in the very large metropolitan areas.

Back to all of this again. YES....schools, like Richmond/Fordham/pick a fav "metro" area school, play second fiddle to pro teams, higher profile FBS teams, etc. etc. etc......that is the entire point we are trying to make about why NDSU, a state land grant institution with a dedicated fan base, is getting the ESPN nod. Why is this so difficult to understand?

[Go...gate]

NDSU - UNI is a showcase game for the FCS.

[nmatsen]

Even if this wasn't a UNI game I would be in favor of NDSU having the ESPN game. As a fan of an FCS school that battles for name recognition and acknowledgement I want people watching on tv to see the best we have to offer. Games televised at Illinois State make us look no different than a Division 3 playoff broadcast. If there is a game at WaGriz or the Fargo Dome my vote is to put them on TV, I don't care who they are playing!

[clenz]

Well shoot, I typed a long response and then my phone ate it. Main points, less options in rural areas to got to a game, but remember that is due to less people. Even in rural areas people can watch whatever major pro teams they want and latch on in addition to major FBS programs. While I live in and grew up in an area with pro franchises in the major sports and now adding an MLS team I watch NDSU every Saturday I am not working, or if it was on an ESPN network when I worked I watch it through WatchESPN after my shift ends. Programs that invest in fan experience do well regardless of where they are, they may carve out a small chunk of a major metro which may still put them on par with all if ND or MT. I have seen Clenz explain in numerous threads the work UNI has done to carve out their own piece of Iowa separate from the hawkeyes and cyclones. Programs need to create their own identity and draw fans. Well dang, my summary attempt just ended up as a big block of text. Mainly this was a response to the BS I see continually about no competition for fans.
This is exactly right.

UNI has a ways to go, but considering what we are fighting in Iowa, it's not much different than out east. UNI is 90 minutes from Kinnick. As someone pointed out that might hurt attendance in years like this....yeah, it does some. We are 90 minutes from Jack Trice Stadium, where the Cyclones may never be good but god damn they are one delusional fan base and will pack that stadium every single week until the very end of the season. UNI is a state of 3.1 million people - 2.6 million are Hawekey fans, 400K are Iowa State, the other 100K either don't care about college sports or are UNI fans. When you look at playoff conference teams UNI is top 10 in the nation in attendance every single year with a B10 and a B12 team playing 90 minutes from our stadium for schools with 3-4xs the enrollment. UNI has worked for years to carve out it's own piece of Iowa.

A decade or so a map of Iowa fandom looked like this - yellow = Hawkeye, red= Cyclone, purple = Panthers

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=21983&stc=1

At this point, because UNI has put effort into carving out a "Panther Nation" it's starting to change. We are now seeing
http://www.anygivensaturday.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=21984&stc=1

Is it a massive chunk? No. But it's the "home area" of UNI. Iowa State is in Story County and Iowa in Johnson. Considering the size, and budget, UNI has to work with and how long Iowa/Iowa State have had their strangle hold of blind follower in the state of Iowa the fact UNI is making the progress they are is pretty damn amazing.

Couple that with the fact that between Bears, Packers, and Vikings there are about 2 TV sets in the state not on the NFL on Sundays and...well...

We start to see all the east coasters have is excuses for their university not to try to cultivate their own territory. Their own fans. Their own culture.

[IBleedYellow]

Lol, Clenz


Your first map I was starting to get worried since I didn't see purple where I was expecting it to be.

In the end, does it really matter? Two of the best programs are going to be on ESPN to showcase what the best of the FCS has to offer. That can't be any better for the league.

Sure, you can argue "it only benefits NDSU and UNI and they'll move further ahead!" I think they are moving away from some of the current FCS teams anyway, different mind philosophies, etc. Let's be honest, NDSU is ran like a FBS school anyway, and UNI attempts to, but in the end they care more about basketball vs football. That's completely different than some schools in the FCS.

[Big_Fan]

Birmingham, which is JSUs market, is the largest college football market. It should read its the largest UAT market with a few Auburn fans and even fewer of other schools.

Given that Bama has aleady locked up the SEC, there is no more HS football, and we almost beat Auburn, I think a lot of folks might tune in out of curiosity... definitely more than most markets/FCS teams would draw.

[Professor Chaos]

Hey, in North Dakota we have to compete with UND for support...

[clenz]

Given that Bama has aleady locked up the SEC, there is no more HS football, and we almost beat Auburn, I think a lot of folks might tune in out of curiosity... definitely more than most markets/FCS teams would draw.
That line is what is heard from every market on the coasts and in the south. It's why the NCAA/ESPN will always feature NDSU, Montana, Montana State and to a slightly lesser extent South Dakota State and Northern Iowa for quarterfinal and semi final games. Montana KNOWS they will have 25K without question, simply because that's all the stadium holds. NDSU KNOWS they'll have 19k, simply because that's all the stadium holds. Montana State KNOWS they'll have 17k. SDSU in their new stadium KNOWS they'll have 15-16+K for those games. UNI KNOWS they'll have 15-16K+ for those games. That puts all of those stadiums at 98%+ full. That looks, plus that quality of play you'll see from them is way too good to pass up for drawing, and building a potential, audience.

Illinois State has a 29 game home win streak, longest in the nation. Has beaten UNI twice in the last year, #2 seed in the playoffs, future NFL running back in the nation, hosting the #7 seed Richmond Spiders...they'll be lucky to draw 7K to their new stadium. That's 50% capacity. That should be a good game with two teams full of talent, it doesn't show case the FCS.

SHSU/Colgate *should* have a good crowd, but again falls into that "I think we'll have a good crowd".

We can bash the MAC and SBC for the crowds they put in the stands for their Tuesday night games, or the bowl games that are thousands of miles away from their home stadium. The issue is we then, as a brand, can't showcase 50% empty HOME stadiums for playoff games.

It's a FACT that D3 and D2 games are outdrawing FCS games right now. Is that the atmosphere you really want to showcase?

[UNIFanSince1983]

JSU and NDSU are the two best options for ESPN games this weekend. There is no debate about that.

Obviously, I think ISUr vs Richmond will be a better game than CSU vs JSU, but they hardly get anyone in that stadium in Normal. With it being graduation weekend and students leaving town since semester is over that is bad news for attendance. ESPN isn't just taking wild guesses out here either. They know what is best for them and their bottom line. Simple fact they don't care about the best game they care about the game that will get the most people to watch. Plain and simple.

[JSUSoutherner]

That line is what is heard from every market on the coasts and in the south. It's why the NCAA/ESPN will always feature NDSU, Montana, Montana State and to a slightly lesser extent South Dakota State and Northern Iowa for quarterfinal and semi final games. Montana KNOWS they will have 25K without question, simply because that's all the stadium holds. NDSU KNOWS they'll have 19k, simply because that's all the stadium holds. Montana State KNOWS they'll have 17k. SDSU in their new stadium KNOWS they'll have 15-16+K for those games. UNI KNOWS they'll have 15-16K+ for those games. That puts all of those stadiums at 98%+ full. That looks, plus that quality of play you'll see from them is way too good to pass up for drawing, and building a potential, audience.

Illinois State has a 29 game home win streak, longest in the nation. Has beaten UNI twice in the last year, #2 seed in the playoffs, future NFL running back in the nation, hosting the #7 seed Richmond Spiders...they'll be lucky to draw 7K to their new stadium. That's 50% capacity. That should be a good game with two teams full of talent, it doesn't show case the FCS.

SHSU/Colgate *should* have a good crowd, but again falls into that "I think we'll have a good crowd".

We can bash the MAC and SBC for the crowds they put in the stands for their Tuesday night games, or the bowl games that are thousands of miles away from their home stadium. The issue is we then, as a brand, can't showcase 50% empty HOME stadiums for playoff games.

It's a FACT that D3 and D2 games are outdrawing FCS games right now. Is that the atmosphere you really want to showcase?
I think Cocky's point is that the reason our brand isn't as prominent as some Midwestern FCS schools is because I can go out on my back porch and throw a rock at 7 P5 schools. None of whom are playing this weekend. Had the SEC championship not been on Saturday (1 hour and 20 minutes away) our stadium likely would have had a few more butts in the stands. The point is we are smack in the middle of one of the largest football markets in the country, our brand is known, but often overshadowed by the "big schools" and I think the point Cocky is trying to make is that this weekend down here we are second to no one as far as trying to compete for attention. And we do get attention. We have a higher average attendance than any team in the Valley (and I believe 3rd in the FCS behind Montana and JMU, though I'm not sure, but we are definitely up there) even though there isn't a single valley team with as much competition as we have. We have a market down here, it's just often overshadowed and it's easy to be seen as "not as prominent".

[IBleedYellow]

I think Cocky's point is that the reason our brand isn't as prominent as some Midwestern FCS schools is because I can go out on my back porch and throw a rock at 7 P5 schools. None of whom are playing this weekend. Had the SEC championship not been on Saturday (1 hour and 20 minutes away) our stadium likely would have had a few more butts in the stands. The point is we are smack in the middle of one of the largest football markets in the country, our brand is known, but often overshadowed by the "big schools" and I think the point Cocky is trying to make is that this weekend down here we are second to no one as far as trying to compete for attention. And we do get attention. We have a higher average attendance than any team in the Valley (and I believe 3rd in the FCS behind Montana and JMU, though I'm not sure, but we are definitely up there) even though there isn't a single valley team with as much competition as we have. We have a market down here, it's just often overshadowed and it's easy to be seen as "not as prominent".

Not to be a dick, but do you think we haven't read this reason 100s of times here on AGS?

[JSUSoutherner]

Not to be a dick, but do you think we haven't read this reason 100s of times here on AGS?
Not to be a dick, but does that mean it holds less validity?

[Big_Fan]

Not to be a dick, but do you think we haven't read this reason 100s of times here on AGS?

Doesn't stop you guys from belching out how wonderful the MVFC is with every other breath. Lord, man... I think you guys have even learned how to say it by breaking wind... either that or you need a tic-tac something fierce.

[clenz]

I think Cocky's point is that the reason our brand isn't as prominent as some Midwestern FCS schools is because I can go out on my back porch and throw a rock at 7 P5 schools. None of whom are playing this weekend. Had the SEC championship not been on Saturday (1 hour and 20 minutes away) our stadium likely would have had a few more butts in the stands. The point is we are smack in the middle of one of the largest football markets in the country, our brand is known, but often overshadowed by the "big schools" and I think the point Cocky is trying to make is that this weekend down here we are second to no one as far as trying to compete for attention. And we do get attention. We have a higher average attendance than any team in the Valley (and I believe 3rd in the FCS behind Montana and JMU, though I'm not sure, but we are definitely up there) even though there isn't a single valley team with as much competition as we have. We have a market down here, it's just often overshadowed and it's easy to be seen as "not as prominent".
I can post the list again if you want, but UNI is 90 minutes from two stadiums that will draw over 130K into their stadium every weekend...plus we can leave our houses at 5AM and make it to about 12 P5 schools 11AM kick off.

There's more competition for MVFC programs than you'd thik

[achrist70]

This is exactly right.

UNI has a ways to go, but considering what we are fighting in Iowa, it's not much different than out east. UNI is 90 minutes from Kinnick. As someone pointed out that might hurt attendance in years like this....yeah, it does some. We are 90 minutes from Jack Trice Stadium, where the Cyclones may never be good but god damn they are one delusional fan base and will pack that stadium every single week until the very end of the season. UNI is a state of 3.1 million people - 2.6 million are Hawekey fans, 400K are Iowa State, the other 100K either don't care about college sports or are UNI fans. When you look at playoff conference teams UNI is top 10 in the nation in attendance every single year with a B10 and a B12 team playing 90 minutes from our stadium for schools with 3-4xs the enrollment. UNI has worked for years to carve out it's own piece of Iowa.

A decade or so a map of Iowa fandom looked like this - yellow = Hawkeye, red= Cyclone, purple = Panthers

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=21983&stc=1

At this point, because UNI has put effort into carving out a "Panther Nation" it's starting to change. We are now seeing
http://www.anygivensaturday.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=21984&stc=1

Is it a massive chunk? No. But it's the "home area" of UNI. Iowa State is in Story County and Iowa in Johnson. Considering the size, and budget, UNI has to work with and how long Iowa/Iowa State have had their strangle hold of blind follower in the state of Iowa the fact UNI is making the progress they are is pretty damn amazing.

Couple that with the fact that between Bears, Packers, and Vikings there are about 2 TV sets in the state not on the NFL on Sundays and...well...

We start to see all the east coasters have is excuses for their university not to try to cultivate their own territory. Their own fans. Their own culture.

Hey now I live in Floyd County and there are a ton of Panther fans here, I would also say that every county in the state has a decent number of Panther fans, and it is increasing every year.

[clenz]

Hey now I live in Floyd County and there are a ton of Panther fans here, I would also say that every county in the state has a decent number of Panther fans, and it is increasing every year.
Asbolutley.

I was just trying to point out concentration levels.

I live in Linn county and there is a large number of UNI fans down here - the second largest metro in the state is Linn County. There is probably more UNI fans here than any county name named Black Hawk or Polk (where the vast majority of UNI grads seem to live), but being 15 miles north of Kinnick Stadium really hurts the density of it.

Buter, Floyd, Franklin, Buchannan, Delaware Dubuque, Benton, Linn, Tama, Grundy and even part of Jones all have good sized pockets of UNI fans, the issue is Iowa dominates every so much the density isn't there

[BisonFan02]

I think Cocky's point is that the reason our brand isn't as prominent as some Midwestern FCS schools is because I can go out on my back porch and throw a rock at 7 P5 schools. None of whom are playing this weekend. Had the SEC championship not been on Saturday (1 hour and 20 minutes away) our stadium likely would have had a few more butts in the stands. The point is we are smack in the middle of one of the largest football markets in the country, our brand is known, but often overshadowed by the "big schools" and I think the point Cocky is trying to make is that this weekend down here we are second to no one as far as trying to compete for attention. And we do get attention. We have a higher average attendance than any team in the Valley (and I believe 3rd in the FCS behind Montana and JMU, though I'm not sure, but we are definitely up there) even though there isn't a single valley team with as much competition as we have. We have a market down here, it's just often overshadowed and it's easy to be seen as "not as prominent".

Yes.....NDSU is in a better situation than a majority of FCS schools. We are the biggest game in town (state frankly)....We have the fanbase profile of a BCS program on a smaller scale (not just alumni, etc).....and you guys do not. That being said....*insert FCS program here* can't cry poverty about ESPN games when they choose the "big bad wolf" NDSU to air either.

[BisonBacker]

If our idiotic elected leaders back in the day when the dome was originally proposed to seat roughly 5-7k more than it ended up being built to hold our numbers would likely be at or very close to the top of FCS in attendance. We are limited to our capacity of 18-19k unfortunately.

[BISON Thunder]

Hey! There is the local bar, and we can always talk about who's cows (or sheep for the Montana folks) got into who's corn/wheat field. What the neighbor's kid was doing at last Saturday's dance. Or about whether John Deere is better than IH.......xrolleyesx

Hey now...sometimes if I sit up straight in my chair, I can watch out the back window and see my dog run away for a couple days!

[Big_Fan]

I can post the list again if you want, but UNI is 90 minutes from two stadiums that will draw over 130K into their stadium every weekend...plus we can leave our houses at 5AM and make it to about 12 P5 schools 11AM kick off.

There's more competition for MVFC programs than you'd thik

!!!! 6 hour driving distance !!!

If you want to do that, heck... That puts JSU in range of Florida State, and we will arrive at LSU in the 2nd quarter.

We have P5 Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Vandy, and Georgia Tech all within 3 hours drive. Bama and Auburn, and Ga Tech, are 2 hours. Within your 5 hour window (give or take an hour) we have most of the teams with FBS national titles over the past 20 years (FSU and Florida are less than 6 hours away). Sorry, but the level of fanaticism of the Iowa State or Purdue fan bases does not compare with Auburn or Alabama. If you think there is any comparison at all between playing in the shadow of Alabama, and playing in any midwestern state in terms of competing for fans in a FBS market... well...delusional doesn't even begin to cover it. Michigan has UM and MSU (almost comparable)...but UNI is 8 hours from Ann Arbor. Iowa State is a P5 school in name only. Kansas cares more about Basketball, and the MVFC doesn't... there is NO comparison.

[Green1]

What were we arguing about again? xdontknowxxscanxxeyebrowx

[BisonFan02]

!!!! 6 hour driving distance !!!

If you want to do that, heck... That puts JSU in range of Florida State, and we will arrive at LSU in the 2nd quarter.

We have P5 Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Vandy, and Georgia Tech all within 3 hours drive. Bama and Auburn, and Ga Tech, are 2 hours. Within your 5 hour window (give or take an hour) we have most of the teams with FBS national titles over the past 20 years (FSU and Florida are less than 6 hours away). Sorry, but the level of fanaticism of the Iowa State or Purdue fan bases does not compare with Auburn or Alabama. If you think there is any comparison at all between playing in the shadow of Alabama, and playing in any midwestern state in terms of competing for fans in a FBS market... well...delusional doesn't even begin to cover it. Michigan has UM and MSU (almost comparable)...but UNI is 8 hours from Ann Arbor. Iowa State is a P5 school in name only. Kansas cares more about Basketball, and the MVFC doesn't... there is NO comparison.

Haha....the MVC member schools would beg to differ....

EDIT: and you guys keep making the case for why ESPN chooses NDSU over a school that is 8th fiddle in their market...glad we agree.

[Bison56]

What were we arguing about again? xdontknowxxscanxxeyebrowx

That JSU is a small fish in any pond..xcoffeex

[Professor Chaos]

That JSU is a small fish in any pond..xcoffeex
They would be big in Alaska. Anchorage is 42 hours (by car) to the nearest P5 school and no one has tapped that gold mine yet.

[UNIFanSince1983]

They would be big in Alaska. Anchorage is 42 hours (by car) to the nearest P5 school and no one has tapped that gold mine yet.

I've watched Gold Rush and those guys have tapped that gold mine ;)

[Bison56]

!!!! 6 hour driving distance !!!

If you want to do that, heck... That puts JSU in range of Florida State, and we will arrive at LSU in the 2nd quarter.

We have P5 Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Vandy, and Georgia Tech all within 3 hours drive. Bama and Auburn, and Ga Tech, are 2 hours. Within your 5 hour window (give or take an hour) we have most of the teams with FBS national titles over the past 20 years (FSU and Florida are less than 6 hours away). Sorry, but the level of fanaticism of the Iowa State or Purdue fan bases does not compare with Auburn or Alabama. If you think there is any comparison at all between playing in the shadow of Alabama, and playing in any midwestern state in terms of competing for fans in a FBS market... well...delusional doesn't even begin to cover it. Michigan has UM and MSU (almost comparable)...but UNI is 8 hours from Ann Arbor. Iowa State is a P5 school in name only. Kansas cares more about Basketball, and the MVFC doesn't... there is NO comparison.

F is for football.

[JSUSoutherner]

I can post the list again if you want, but UNI is 90 minutes from two stadiums that will draw over 130K into their stadium every weekend...plus we can leave our houses at 5AM and make it to about 12 P5 schools 11AM kick off.

There's more competition for MVFC programs than you'd thik

Well let's compare shall we:

Within 90 Minutes of the University:

Jacksonville State:
Alabama- 101,821
Auburn- 87,451
Georgia Tech- 55,00
Total within radius: 244,772

UNI:
Iowa- 70,585
Iowa State- 55,000
Total within radius: 125,585

Within 4 hours:

Jacksonville State:
Tenn​essee- 102,455
Vanderbilt- 39,790
Georgia- 92,746
South Carolina- 80,250
Mississippi State- 55,082
Clemson- 81,500
Ole Miss- 60,680
Total within radius: 757,177

UNI:
Wisconsin- 80,320
Minnesota- 50,800
Total within radius: 256,706


Within 6 Hours:


Jacksonville State:
Kentucky- 67,606
Florida- 88,548
Louisville- 55,000
LSU- 102,321
Total within radius: 1,070,650

UNI:
Nebraska- 87,000
Kansas- 59,071
Missouri- 71,000
Northwestern- 47,130
Illinois- 60,670
Notre Dame- 80,795
Purdue- 62,500
Total within radius: 724,871

Yeah you guys have a pretty decent amount of competition, more than I thought, but 65% of it is more than 4 hours away. On the other hand we have more competition within 4 hours than UNI has at all. So I think it's pretty safe to say, yes, we do have a heck of a lot more competition than the Valley teams.

[Sycamore62]

I think there is a website that will give you the population density of the distances you guys are talking about. Saying Iowa State is a P5 school in name only is incorrect. IF they go undefeated, they will be in the playoffs. IF a G5 school goes undefeated, they MIGHT be in the playoffs. IF an FCS school goes undefeated, they will play on ESPN2 the 2nd week of January.

No matter how ****ty or great you think a program is, the conference is what makes them P5 or G5

[clenz]

I think there is a website that will give you the population density of the distances you guys are talking about. Saying Iowa State is a P5 school in name only is incorrect. IF they go undefeated, they will be in the playoffs. IF a G5 school goes undefeated, they MIGHT be in the playoffs. IF an FCS school goes undefeated, they will play on ESPN2 the 2nd week of January.

No matter how ****ty or great you think a program is, the conference is what makes them P5 or G5
Again, Iowa State isn't a great team, but their fans are as delusional and ravenous as it gets.

They expanded their stadium to over 61K...and they fill it

http://www.soiowa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/iowa-state-jack-trice-stadium1.jpg

[BisonFan02]

Again, Iowa State isn't a great team, but their fans are as delusional and ravenous as it gets.

They expanded their stadium to over 61K...and they fill it

Yup.....and if NDSU "expanded" their stadium to 30k, they probably fill it....even more watch on TV.... :D

[UNIFanSince1983]

Where did you get that number for Nebraska? I was pretty sure it was over 90k and looking at last year they averaged ~91k.

Not that it matters just living in Lincoln I get to hear about it quite a bit.

[Sycamore62]

Well let's compare shall we:

Within 90 Minutes of the University:

Jacksonville State:
Alabama- 101,821
Auburn- 87,451
Georgia Tech- 55,00
Total within radius: 244,772

UNI:
Iowa- 70,585
Iowa State- 55,000
Total within radius: 125,585

Within 4 hours:

Jacksonville State:
Tenn​essee- 102,455
Vanderbilt- 39,790
Georgia- 92,746
South Carolina- 80,250
Mississippi State- 55,082
Clemson- 81,500
Ole Miss- 60,680
Total within radius: 757,177

UNI:
Wisconsin- 80,320
Minnesota- 50,800
Total within radius: 256,706


Within 6 Hours:


Jacksonville State:
Kentucky- 67,606
Florida- 88,548
Louisville- 55,000
LSU- 102,321
Total within radius: 1,070,650

UNI:
Nebraska- 87,000
Kansas- 59,071
Missouri- 71,000
Northwestern- 47,130
Illinois- 60,670
Notre Dame- 80,795
Purdue- 62,500
Total within radius: 724,871

Yeah you guys have a pretty decent amount of competition, more than I thought, but 65% of it is more than 4 hours away. On the other hand we have more competition within 4 hours than UNI has at all. So I think it's pretty safe to say, yes, we do have a heck of a lot more competition than the Valley teams.

I just did a 126 Kilometer radius population from JSU and UNI
JSU population 4,712,905
UNI population 1,089,380

that probably is a dynamic to throw in your attendance numbers.

https://www.freemaptools.com/find-population.htm

EDIT: I screwed up and did KM. its fixed now i think

[Sycamore62]

Again, Iowa State isn't a great team, but their fans are as delusional and ravenous as it gets.

They expanded their stadium to over 61K...and they fill it

With my sample size of 2 Iowa State grads, clenz is right on this one.

[TheRevSFA]

I'll quickly end this argument with one word: Texas

try competing with UT, a&m tcu Baylor etc

[TheRevSFA]

Also ESPN made the right call. No question

[UNIFanSince1983]

I am curious why we are even arguing this as both JSU and NDSU are getting ESPN games...

[Sycamore62]

I am curious why we are even arguing this as both JSU and NDSU are getting ESPN games...

I swear I thought it was because Richmond felt they deserved one. Im not reading through to find out though

[UNIFanSince1983]

I swear I thought it was because Richmond felt they deserved one. Im not reading through to find out though

Either way LFN is to blame I am pretty sure.

[Cocky]

Attendance for 2015




Attendance Report thru games 12/05/2015


Rank
Institution
Conference
Accum Attendance
Avg Attendance
Stadium Capacity
Pct Capacity
Games


1
Montana
Big Sky
168,975
24,139
25,217
95.73
7


2
James Madison
Colonial
136,483
19,498
24,877
78.38
7


3
North Dakota St.
MVFC
130,326
18,618
18,700
99.56
7


4
Jacksonville St.
OVC
118,292
19,715
24,000
82.15
6


5
Montana St.
Big Sky
115,032
19,172
17,777
107.85
6


6
Delaware
Colonial
94,954
15,826
22,000
71.93
6


7
Liberty
Big South
94,950
18,990
19,200
98.91
5


8
Youngstown St.
MVFC
89,125
14,854
20,630
72.00
6


9
Yale
Ivy League
82,189
20,547
64,269
31.97
4


10
South Carolina St.
Mid-Eastern
78,147
15,629
22,000
71.04
5


11
South Dakota St.
MVFC
77,394
12,899
16,700
77.24
6


12
N.C. A&T
Mid-Eastern
74,940
14,988
21,500
69.71
5


13
Southern U.
Southwestern
73,239
18,310
25,500
71.80
4


14
McNeese St.
Southland
70,150
11,692
17,810
65.65
6


15
UNI
MVFC
69,293
11,549
16,324
70.75
6


16
Jackson St.
Southwestern
66,258
13,252
62,512
21.20
5


17
Mercer
Southern
64,150
10,692
10,200
104.82
6


18
The Citadel
Southern
64,070
10,678
21,000
50.85
6


19
Harvard
Ivy League
63,994
12,799
30,898
41.42
5


20
Coastal Caro.
Big South
61,729
8,818
9,214
95.71
7


21
Chattanooga
Southern
60,910
10,152
20,668
49.12
6


22
Florida A&M
Mid-Eastern
60,240
15,060
25,500
59.06
4


23
Illinois St.
MVFC
59,005
9,834
13,381
73.49
6


24
Tennessee St.
OVC
58,481
14,620
67,500
21.66
4


25
William & Mary
Colonial
53,802

8,967
11,686
76.73

[clenz]

And regular season and post season attendance is a completely different beast

[gotts]

And regular season and post season attendance is a completely different beast

Not sure I understand this statement :)

[JSUSoutherner]

Not sure I understand this statement :)
Same

[Bison56]

Everyone is just scared of JSU here.xrolleyesx

[MarkyMark]

35%??? More like 60%!!! I disagree on atmosphere, the place has been jumping since the remodeling of Hancock 2.0



ISUMatt

Does 60% look that much better on TV than 35%?

[Big_Fan]

F is for football.


See??? You ARE capable of understanding my point.

[MarkyMark]

Does ESPN post numbers for how many are watching FCS playoff games on ESPN3? ESPN has all the information they need right there to help them decide which game will draw the biggest TV audience.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Either way LFN is to blame I am pretty sure.

I am.

Richmond/Illinois State will be the better game, it will showcase 2 conferences in a matchup between teams that don't often play each other.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Does ESPN post numbers for how many are watching FCS playoff games on ESPN3? ESPN has all the information they need right there to help them decide which game will draw the biggest TV audience.

Oddly, they don't. I am not entirely sure why, but my impression is that ESPN spends about 15 seconds deciding who to put on for the ESPN and ESPN2 games. I'm also not at all clear of anyone involved with the FCS conferences or schools have any sort of say in the matter.

[Green1]

I am.

Richmond/Illinois State will be the better game, it will showcase 2 conferences in a matchup between teams that don't often play each other.


Those FOOLS at ESPN!

[BisonFan02]

I am.

Richmond/Illinois State will be the better game, it will showcase 2 conferences in a matchup between teams that don't often play each other.

And the general public wouldn't have a clue that those two don't often play each other....or would they give two ****s.

[Big_Fan]

I will say one last thing, and I am done with the topic.

You can talk about stadium sizes.
You can talk about population densities.
You can pick your Big 12 team or Big 10 team and talk about them.
You can talk about P5 G5 FBS FCS D2, D3, and even NAIA...

...but those who haven't lived in the land of Tide and Tigers have no clue what it is like.

None.

There are no pro sports in Alabama. There is only the Iron Bowl. It is talked about 365 days per year in some corner of the state. I can't explain it. You wouldn't believe it anyway. It is what it is. Their fanbases are beyond rabid. Insane doesn't even begin... They are brainwashed from birth, and the percentage of people in the state who vociferously pull for one or the other is near 100%. People are shot, stabbed, beaten...trees are poisoned... all because of those two teams. Alabama hates Auburn so much that they got UAB football killed... sounds crazy, but it is true.

Explaining it to someone from outside of the area is like trying to teach a fish to talk.

[Sycamore62]

I will say one last thing, and I am done with the topic.

You can talk about stadium sizes.
You can talk about population densities.
You can pick your Big 12 team or Big 10 team and talk about them.
You can talk about P5 G5 FBS FCS D2, D3, and even NAIA...

...but those who haven't lived in the land of Tide and Tigers have no clue what it is like.

None.

There are no pro sports in Alabama. There is only the Iron Bowl. It is talked about 365 days per year in some corner of the state. I can't explain it. You wouldn't believe it anyway. It is what it is. Their fanbases are beyond rabid. Insane doesn't even begin... They are brainwashed from birth, and the percentage of people in the state who vociferously pull for one or the other is near 100%. People are shot, stabbed, beaten...trees are poisoned... all because of those two teams. Alabama hates Auburn so much that they got UAB football killed... sounds crazy, but it is true.

Explaining it to someone from outside of the area is like trying to teach a fish to talk.

That the dumbest ****ing thing i have ever heard. Of course I can have a clue what it's like. Ive heard of all that stuff. That's like me saying since you have never lived in Indiana you cant imagine what its like to have Notre Dame fans in your state.

[JSUSoutherner]

That the dumbest ****ing thing i have ever heard. Of course I can have a clue what it's like. Ive heard of all that stuff. That's like me saying since you have never lived in Indiana you cant imagine what its like to have Notre Dame fans in your state.
I used to live in Fort Wayne, they don't even begin to measure up to Tide fans.

[Bison56]

That the dumbest ****ing thing i have ever heard. Of course I can have a clue what it's like. Ive heard of all that stuff. That's like me saying since you have never lived in Indiana you cant imagine what its like to have Notre Dame fans in your state.

Notre Dame fans are the worst.

- - - Updated - - -


Used to live in Fort Wayne, they don't even begin to measure up to Tide fans.

That's like, your opinion man.

[clenz]

I will say one last thing, and I am done with the topic.

You can talk about stadium sizes.
You can talk about population densities.
You can pick your Big 12 team or Big 10 team and talk about them.
You can talk about P5 G5 FBS FCS D2, D3, and even NAIA...

...but those who haven't lived in the land of Tide and Tigers have no clue what it is like.

None.

There are no pro sports in Alabama. There is only the Iron Bowl. It is talked about 365 days per year in some corner of the state. I can't explain it. You wouldn't believe it anyway. It is what it is. Their fanbases are beyond rabid. Insane doesn't even begin... They are brainwashed from birth, and the percentage of people in the state who vociferously pull for one or the other is near 100%. People are shot, stabbed, beaten...trees are poisoned... all because of those two teams. Alabama hates Auburn so much that they got UAB football killed... sounds crazy, but it is true.

Explaining it to someone from outside of the area is like trying to teach a fish to talk.
Yeah..that sounds like Iowa/Iowa State...only difference is UNI's football program survived that scare a few years ago

You're point?

[Sycamore62]

Used to live in Fort Wayne, they don't even begin to measure up to Tide fans.

Well tell me where you havent lived for this example. Arkansas doesnt have an NFL team, Oklahoma? Oregon, New Mexico, Nevada, South Carolina, Maine

[Bison56]

Well tell me where you havent lived for this example. Arkansas doesnt have an NFL team, Oklahoma? Oregon, New Mexico, Nevada, South Carolina, Maine

North Dakota?

Pointless argument, JSU fans will always try to 1 up ya.

[UNIFanSince1983]

Nebraska is pretty crazy about the Big Red. There are no other teams here. It is only Big Red football.

[JSUSoutherner]

Well tell me where you havent lived for this example. Arkansas doesnt have an NFL team, Oklahoma? Oregon, New Mexico, Nevada, South Carolina, Maine
And how many valley schools are in the same state as those examples?
I think the Iron Bowl is a huge rivalry. I'm not like Big Fan, I've been around the block and lived in several places have HUGE rivalries that can compete with the Iron Bowl for the most crazy. (i.e. Bedlam, OSU-Michigan, GT-UGA, Mizzou-Arkansas) But his point is none of the valley teams live in the firing line of a rivalry as big as the Iron Bowl, we do. No it may not be the craziest but it is one of the largest and as he said, people here are Auburn or Alabama diehards on a completely different level. It's hard to compete with it.

[Bison56]

And how many valley schools are in the same state as those examples?
I think the Iron Bowl is a huge rivalry. I'm not like Big Fan, I've been around the block and lived in several places have HUGE rivalries that can compete with the Iron Bowl for the most crazy. (i.e. Bedlam, OSU-Michigan, GT-UGA, Mizzou-Arkansas) But his point is none of the valley teams live in the firing line of a rivalry as big as the Iron Bowl, we do. No it may not be the craziest but it is one of the largest and as he said, people here are Auburn or Alabama diehards on a completely different level. It's hard to compete with it.

Which one are you?

[JSUSoutherner]

Which one are you?
FBS wise? Ohio State, but not diehard. I'm not an Alabama native.

[Green1]

FBS wise? Ohio State, but not diehard. I'm not an Alabama native.

Shouldn't your screen name be JSUMidwesterner?

[JSUSoutherner]

Shouldn't your screen name be JSUMidwesterner?
The Southerners are JSU's marching band. I'm a member, therefore a Southerner.

[Green1]

The Southerners are JSU's marching band. I'm a member, therefore a Southerner.


Just trying to have a little fun with you. Didn't know that was the name of the marching band. Learn something every day!

[UNIFanSince1983]

Just trying to have a little fun with you. Didn't know that was the name of the marching band. Learn something every day!

I had already learned something today so I am going to have to forget that one. It is unfortunate really. :p

[JSUSoutherner]

I had already learned something today so I am going to have to forget that one. It is unfortunate really. :p
After finishing my finals I learned I didn't learn anything new over the past 90-100 days. xcoolx

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

ESPN already chose UNI @ NDSU for their quarterfinal game.

This seems to me to be the absolute worst game to choose for the ESPN game.

* Rematch
* MVFC specific
* Tiny metro areas

The game they should have chosen was Richmond at Illinois State

* Should have good crowd
* Would get good viewership from both midwest AND Virginia
* Interest from diehards, CAA people (perhaps), MVFC folks

SHSU/Colgate would also have been a decent choice

* Assuming SHSU hosts they would have some East Coast viewership plus Texas

Jacksonville State/Chuck South is not the best in terms of TV markets but it would involve two regions

In conclusion, terrible choice by ESPN

Here's the pertinent facts

NDSU:3rd in the FCS in attendance
UNI: 15th in the FCS in attendance

Illinois State: 23rd in FCS attendance
Richmond: 31st in FCS attendance

It's about what game will get the most eyeballs.

One of the most watched FCS games ever was between Montana and App State in 2009. Missoula and Boone together are smaller than Fargo and Cedar Falls together. The idea that you will get viewers by picking teams in large cities is a myth that only dumb Conference USA presidents believe. There's no way Illinois State and Richmond will get more viewers than UNI and NDSU.

[citdog]

The Southerners are JSU's marching band. I'm a member, therefore a Southerner.

You SURE AS HELL ARE NOT! jsuyankeescum should be your username.

[JSUSoutherner]

You SURE AS HELL ARE NOT! jsuyankeescum should be your username.
I'm sure you'll get over it. xthumbsupx

[BisonFan02]

I'm sure you'll get over it. xthumbsupx

You definitely have not been here long enough.......0.0% chance he will. xlolx

[JSUSoutherner]

You definitely have not been here long enough.......0.0% chance he will. xlolx
0.0% chance I'll care either way.

[Sycamore62]

0.0% chance I'll care either way.
Responding is greater than 0.0

[JSUSoutherner]

Responding is greater than 0.0
Show me the math. xthumbsupx

[gotts]

Show me the math. xthumbsupx

http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/pp311/gotts811/JSUCapture_zpsdtkoxphp.png

[tjamz]

I remember being in Chicago (i know, not Iowa) in July. It was 85 degrees and my wife and I were sitting on a patio at a restaurant on Michigan Ave and people were complaining of the heat. We had just left Houston where it was 105 with 85 percent humidity. Sorry you upper Midwest folk, you don't know heat and humidity like Texas and the deep south

My cousin from Pensacola Florida was back in ND twice in the past two summers for weddings. His reaction both times was "holy crap, it gets hot in Florida but it's nothing like this!" The humidity was high, the heat was in the 100's and there was no wind. Granted, he was here during the heat wave of the summer that lasted all of two weeks, but when you look at the "feels like" temps, few places are as extreme on the summer-to-winner changes as ND with heat indexes over 110° and wind chill indexes at -50°

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[JSUSoutherner]

http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/pp311/gotts811/JSUCapture_zpsdtkoxphp.png

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=21995&stc=1
That awkward moment when you've been somewhere for seven years and haven't made any friends.;)

[gotts]

You asked for the math, just showing it to you :D Don't be so butthurt!

[JSUSoutherner]

You asked for the math, just showing it to you :D Don't be so butthurt!
I'm not being butt hurt, just giving you a hard time. xthumbsupx

[clenz]

19 posts per day? Holy ****. I thought I was on here a lot. I literally work in front of a computer all day

[gotts]

I'm not being butt hurt, just giving you a hard time. xthumbsupx

You Cocks wouldn't know anything about hard*!


*With the OVC and all....

[JSUSoutherner]

19 posts per day? Holy ****. I thought I was on here a lot. I literally work in front of a computer all day
When you have internet access and tests to study for you find any means possible to procrastinate. Plus, I made the mistake of leaving my Xbox at home. xbawlingx

Either way, I'm sure I'll be less active during the off season and the average will balance out.

[Milkman]

I'm not being butt hurt, just giving you a hard time. xthumbsupxYou guys should be friends and then I could be both your friends and then we could have a song about our friendship.http://www.joblo.com/newsimages1/thehangoverboys2.jpg

[NoDak 4 Ever]

19 posts per day? Holy ****. I thought I was on here a lot. I literally work in front of a computer all day

He's got to get his post count up. If he's like all the other JSU posters, he'll only post from November to December every year.

[BisonBacker]

19 posts per day? Holy ****. I thought I was on here a lot. I literally work in front of a computer all day

That's what happens when you have diarrhea of the mouth/keyboard xlolx

[clenz]

When you have internet access and tests to study for you find any means possible to procrastinate.

Just giving you **** on that one. I was part of the mass exodus from AFS back in the day. If not for a roughly 3 year hiatus of not even logging in between 09 and 2012 who knows where I'd be...this is also my second screen name here. Long story short it's part of the reason I was part of the leaker society

[CHIP72]

Back to all of this again. YES....schools, like Richmond/Fordham/pick a fav "metro" area school, play second fiddle to pro teams, higher profile FBS teams, etc. etc. etc......that is the entire point we are trying to make about why NDSU, a state land grant institution with a dedicated fan base, is getting the ESPN nod. Why is this so difficult to understand?

I personally don't think it is - I said back in post #69 why the UNI/NDSU game made the most sense for the most prominent TV spot of the four games, and why the Jacksonville State game IMO ranked 2nd highest.

[TheRevSFA]

19 posts per day? Holy ****. I thought I was on here a lot. I literally work in front of a computer all day

"Work" is such a loose term xlolx xnodx

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

Great choice by ESPN!!

xthumbsupx

[JSUBison]

I personally don't think it is - I said back in post #69 why the UNI/NDSU game made the most sense for the most prominent TV spot of the four games, and why the Jacksonville State game IMO ranked 2nd highest.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bz-9WeHDPV4

[Bisonoline]

You definitely have not been here long enough.......0.0% chance he will. xlolx

""After finishing my finals I learned I didn't learn anything new over the past 90-100 days. xcoolx"""

I dont think longevity will help.

[JSUSoutherner]

""After finishing my finals I learned I didn't learn anything new over the past 90-100 days. xcoolx"""

I dont think longevity will help.

:D

[The Yo Show]

Terrible choice by ESPN?

This is the game between the two biggest names left in the playoffs. It's the most heated game in the FCS. It's the most physical game in the FCS. The winner may likely move to the odds on/even money favorite for the title. Fargodome is going to be 100% packed, loud as all ****, and rowdy.

Illinois State is going to be 35% empty and no atmopshere.

SHSU/Colgate? Please. Colgate brings zero TV audience. SHSU brings very...very...little and the game will be 50% empty

JSU/CSU is just a no

+1

[uni88]

I am.

Richmond/Illinois State will be the better game, it will showcase 2 conferences in a matchup between teams that don't often play each other.

LFN, I get your perspective. For a diehard FCS fan, Rich/ISUr features 2 seeded teams from different conferences. 1 team has been playing extremely well of late while they other while letting teams hang around is talented and dangerous. It is an interesting matchup.

Unfortunately, ESPN isn't looking to appeal to diehard FCS fans. They want as many guaranteed eyeballs as possible and also to catch the casual fan. NDSU/UNI and JSU/CSU have the best potential from that perspective. Based on past games, they should also be great showcases for the best of FCS football which could potentially draw more fans to watch other games in the future. Full & rocking stadiums. Close games featuring good teams. If the NDSU/UNI game is anything like the past few, anyone tuning in for a minute or so is likely to go "holy crap" they're knocking the snot out of each other, this is a great game - and they might watch for longer than they originally planned. These games are an opportunity for FCS to grow its brand.

[uni88]

I'm sure you'll get over it. xthumbsupx

Just tell Citpup that Preston Brooks was a yellow bellied scallywag. That will get him all riled up. :D

[citdog]

Just tell Citpup that Preston Brooks was a yellow bellied scallywag. That will get him all riled up. :D



http://images.slideplayer.com/9/2559448/slides/slide_34.jpg

[Go...gate]

!!!! 6 hour driving distance !!!

If you want to do that, heck... That puts JSU in range of Florida State, and we will arrive at LSU in the 2nd quarter.

We have P5 Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Vandy, and Georgia Tech all within 3 hours drive. Bama and Auburn, and Ga Tech, are 2 hours. Within your 5 hour window (give or take an hour) we have most of the teams with FBS national titles over the past 20 years (FSU and Florida are less than 6 hours away). Sorry, but the level of fanaticism of the Iowa State or Purdue fan bases does not compare with Auburn or Alabama. If you think there is any comparison at all between playing in the shadow of Alabama, and playing in any midwestern state in terms of competing for fans in a FBS market... well...delusional doesn't even begin to cover it. Michigan has UM and MSU (almost comparable)...but UNI is 8 hours from Ann Arbor. Iowa State is a P5 school in name only. Kansas cares more about Basketball, and the MVFC doesn't... there is NO comparison.

That would be pretty good for Colgate: Syracuse, Boston College, Army, Navy, Rutgers, Temple, Penn State, Pittsburgh, UConn, UMass, Maryland, Buffalo, all the Ivies, most of the CAA and NEC.

[Bisonoline]

That's what happens when you have diarrhea of the mouth/keyboard xlolx

Oh so true!

xlmaox

[mango433]

He's got to get his post count up. If he's like all the other JSU posters, he'll only post from November to December every year.


Coming from the guy that disappeared after NDSU lost to Montana only to return when the playoffs started to talk about how great NDSU is?

[TheRevSFA]

Coming from the guy that disappeared after NDSU lost to Montana only to return when the playoffs started to talk about how great NDSU is?

Actually he came back to discuss family issues

[Cocky]

Appears our crowd should at least be decent tonight for ESPN2.

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

Appears our crowd should at least be decent tonight for ESPN2.

Was about to ask that! The 8 pm kickoff should help! Looking forward to watching the game tonight!

[JSUSoutherner]

Was about to ask that! The 8 pm kickoff should help! Looking forward to watching the game tonight!
We have had a record number of sales in advance. Normally most of our ticket sales are from walk ups on game day and we normally sell 7-9,000 in advance. So far we've sold almost 20,000 in advance. The athletic department let it slip that we may have an over-capacity crowd tonight.

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

Coming from the guy that disappeared after NDSU lost to Montana only to return when the playoffs started to talk about how great NDSU is?


Speaking of disappearing and coming out of the woodwork. Did you forget your password?

Some quality work with your #16 post....xrolleyesx