FCS/Colgate Scheduling

[SWC75]

The ACC Network will dictate a different schedule. Colgate every year would not be good. Any non-top FCS/Yukon type would do (Maine, Rhode Island, Wagner, Stony Brook, etc.).

Nobody cares about those teams.

 

[MSOrange]

Nobody cares about those teams.

When you are scheduling that type of game, I don't think it makes that much difference. Fans that come to those games are coming to see Syracuse play.

 

[SWC75]

When you are scheduling that type of game, I don't think it makes that much difference. Fans that come to those games are coming to see Syracuse play.

But Colgate fans will come to the Dome more than Maine fans and the game would mean more to Syracuse fans as well.

 

[orange79]

But Colgate fans will come to the Dome more than Maine fans and the game would mean more to Syracuse fans as well.

Maybe back in the day, but I don't think beating Colgate in football means anything more than beating Maine today.

HooDoo is over.

 

[sutomcat]

I wonder if Colgate even wants to play the game any longer?

They have a good little program at the FCS level and might still want to entertain fantasies that they could maybe, just possibly beat Syracuse, like in the old days, when they would ride their carriages to Archbold to cheer on Dear Ole Maroon.

 

[OttoMets]

I wonder if Colgate even wants to play the game any longer?
...

My sense is that the administration does, while the football program is less enthusiastic about it.

Colgate's got a ridiculously high donation rate, in large part because they actively engage their alumni. Getting the football team in front of what's still (I think) one of its ten largest concentrations of alumni in Onondaga County every couple years is a big deal. They think it's helpful in recruiting, too. The perk of "playing at places like Syracuse" comes up time and again in their literature.

 

[sutomcat]

My sense is that the administration does, while the football program is less enthusiastic about it.

Colgate's got a ridiculously high donation rate, in large part because they actively engage their alumni. Getting the football team in front of what's still (I think) one of its ten largest concentrations of alumni in Onondaga County every couple years is a big deal. They think it's helpful in recruiting, too. The perk of "playing at places like Syracuse" comes up time and again in their literature.

Personally, if Syracuse has to pay $300K (or whatever the number is) to a BCS school to pay them in the Dome, I would rather it still in the local economy.

That Syracuse and Colgate have a long and storied history in football, basketball and other sports just makes it more attractive.

If Colgate wants to play, I am all in favor of scheduling them.

If I were the SU schedule czar, they would get first dibs on the annual home FCS game every season. Seems like a win-win situation. That kind of thing doesn't happen a lot.

The same applies to playing Colgate and Cornell in basketball. Heck, I think it would be neat to play Cornell in football once in a blue moon too, if only for old times sake.

 

[Moontan]

If Colgate wants to play, I am all in favor of scheduling them.

If I were the SU schedule czar, they would get first dibs on the annual home FCS game every season. Seems like a win-win situation. That kind of thing doesn't happen a lot.

I’m fine with scheduling them. But, every year? Uhhh, no.
Every 3-4 years is fine, hence I listed some other schools that we’ve played in the recent past and added Yukon to that pool.

 

[SU68]

Unless they bring enough $$ to justify a 1-1 (they don’t), nothing against the military or service academies, but let some other school be patriotic.

There’s almost no upside to playing Army as an equal. Winning is expected. Losing is a big letdown. And, I don’t know what their offense is like, but I’m guessing it’s option-based, making them an injury liability.

An Army game at the Dome should be a sellout. They would bus up the entire Corps of Cadets.

 

[nzm136]

An Army game at the Dome should be a sellout. They would bus up the entire Corps of Cadets.

Weird. It wasn’t the last 2 times.

 

[FloridaFan]

I’m fine with scheduling them. But, every year? Uhhh, no.
Every 3-4 years is fine, hence I listed some other schools that we’ve played in the recent past and added Yukon to that pool.

What’s wrong with scheduling a tin can every year if it can actually bring fans to the dome and help the local economy like Tomcat said?

 

[nzm136]

Maybe back in the day, but I don't think beating Colgate in football means anything more than beating Maine today.

HooDoo is over.

If that was true, why isn’t there a SU-Maine thread.

Colgate isn’t going to be a hot ticket, and it hasn’t been in a long time. Don’t get me wrong. It’s better than the other fcs schools in my eyes.

It will be interesting to see how UConn compares in a decade or two.

 

[SWC75]

Weird. It wasn’t the last 2 times.

The last two times were 9/16/89 when the attendance was 48,331 and 11/16/96 when it was 49,257. Sounds like a good deal to me, especially if it became a rivalry. The two most historically prominent football schools in New York State, (who haven't played each other in 23 years!).

 

[SU68]

Weird. It wasn’t the last 2 times.

Sorry. It would be more accurate to call them near sellouts.

 

[nzm136]

The last two times were 9/16/89 when the attendance was 48,331 and 11/16/96 when it was 49,257. Sounds like a good deal to me, especially if it became a rivalry. The two most historically prominent football schools in New York State, (who haven't played each other in 23 years!).

Good Lord, we don’t need a rivalry with a G5 team. The Rutgers thread is bad enough.

And I was looking at the wrong years (‘90 and ‘86). But still both games you listed were pretty in line with every other home game those years (look at the attendance @Temple in ‘89! LOL! Also, I’d kill for those attendance numbers again).

We should absolutely occasionally play Army. Don’t get me wrong. But playing Army every year is dumb (which is why we don’t do it). Playing them 1 for 1 is also dumb, which is why we shouldn’t do it. We have nothing to gain. 1-1 G5 series should be played against schools where we want to recruit/exposure. We can make more playing in NYC via a neutral site game, which is the avenue that we should pursue.

 

[FloridaFan]

Good Lord, we don’t need a rivalry with a G5 team. The Rutgers thread is bad enough.

And I was looking at the wrong years (‘90 and ‘86). But still both games you listed were pretty in line with every other home game those years (look at the attendance @Temple in ‘89! LOL! Also, I’d kill for those attendance numbers again).

We should absolutely occasionally play Army. Don’t get me wrong. But playing Army every year is dumb (which is why we don’t do it). Playing them 1 for 1 is also dumb, which is why we shouldn’t do it. We have nothing to gain. 1-1 G5 series should be played against schools where we want to recruit/exposure. We can make more playing in NYC via a neutral site game, which is the avenue that we should pursue.

There is nothing wrong with a local G5 rival. It’s arguably good as it’s easy for fans to travel to and it helps lock up the G5 slot every year. Clemson and teams like that are never going to be rivals so we need to take our rivals in Pitt/BC and cultivate a northern rivalry

 

[nzm136]

There is nothing wrong with a local G5 rival. It’s arguably good as it’s easy for fans to travel to and it helps lock up the G5 slot every year. Clemson and teams like that are never going to be rivals so we need to take our rivals in Pitt/BC and cultivate a northern rivalry

To be very clear, I’ve never in my life wanted anything to do with Clemson, let alone for them to be our rival. Feel free to peruse my posting history if you don’t believe me. I’m not sure where that came from.

I’m all in on Pitt/BC, and I’ve never not been. I agree. I’ll even take the next step and throw UMD into the ring while saying beating the cousins and cult feels ever so sweet. But they have nothing to do with Army.

And yes, there absolutely is something wrong with having a G5 rival. That’s why major schools don’t do it.*

*With the exception of Navy-ND, but that’s a special circumstance, and it’s been going on forever.

 

[Moontan]

What’s wrong with scheduling a tin can every year if it can actually bring fans to the dome and help the local economy like Tomcat said?

It’s just weird to have an annual FCS “rival”. Every 3 or 4 years is fine. Variety is the spice of life.

 

[SWC75]

Good Lord, we don’t need a rivalry with a G5 team. The Rutgers thread is bad enough.

And I was looking at the wrong years (‘90 and ‘86). But still both games you listed were pretty in line with every other home game those years (look at the attendance @Temple in ‘89! LOL! Also, I’d kill for those attendance numbers again).

We should absolutely occasionally play Army. Don’t get me wrong. But playing Army every year is dumb (which is why we don’t do it). Playing them 1 for 1 is also dumb, which is why we shouldn’t do it. We have nothing to gain. 1-1 G5 series should be played against schools where we want to recruit/exposure. We can make more playing in NYC via a neutral site game, which is the avenue that we should pursue.

It would be more interesting than what we've had and would make scheduling a snap.

 

[KaiserUEO]

It’s just weird to have an annual FCS “rival”. Every 3 or 4 years is fine. Variety is the spice of life.

Also tell them that Army may actually WANT to not play in NYS quite often.

I believe they recruit nationally.

Fn idiots we have on here...

 

[orange79]

If that was true, why isn’t there a SU-Maine thread.

Colgate isn’t going to be a hot ticket, and it hasn’t been in a long time. Don’t get me wrong. It’s better than the other fcs schools in my eyes.

It will be interesting to see how UConn compares in a decade or two.

My post was in response to a post saying "...the [Colgate] game would mean more to Syracuse fans as well." I was disagreeing with the statement that Colgate would mean more as a 1-AA game than any other 1-AA. Instead of Maine, I could have used James Madison or Stony Brook. I used Maine because the OP mentioned Maine.

 

[Hoo's That]

Maybe back in the day, but I don't think beating Colgate in football means anything more than beating Maine today.

HooDoo is over.

What does our hair style have to do with this?

 

[OttoMets]

The last two times were 9/16/89 when the attendance was 48,331 and 11/16/96 when it was 49,257. Sounds like a good deal to me, especially if it became a rivalry. The two most historically prominent football schools in New York State, (who haven't played each other in 23 years!).

Yup, they brought a ton of cadets to the McNabb salute game in 1996. Full house, for all intents and purposes.

I don't know what drives the decision to bring cadets to the game, but that'd be a bonus. My brother in law went to West Point and he said Navy was mandatory for everyone other than athletes with training/practice obligations.

 

[nzm136]

My post was in response to a post saying "...the [Colgate] game would mean more to Syracuse fans as well." I was disagreeing with the statement that Colgate would mean more as a 1-AA game than any other 1-AA. Instead of Maine, I could have used James Madison or Stony Brook. I used Maine because the OP mentioned Maine. View attachment 167300

Ok. That’s why there isn’t a Maine and/or Stony Brook thread.

 

[nzm136]

Yup, they brought a ton of cadets to the McNabb salute game in 1996. Full house, for all intents and purposes.

I don't know what drives the decision to bring cadets to the game, but that'd be a bonus. My brother in law went to West Point and he said Navy was mandatory for everyone other than athletes with training/practice obligations.

Look at the UConn game attendance. They played in Storrs in ‘15, and attendance wasn’t bad (by UConn standards), but it wasn’t good, either (I want to say ~28k).

The string attendance in ‘96 and ‘89 was driven by SU, not Army. They aren’t some magical pull. They’re just a g5.

And to be exceedingly clear, my point isn’t that we shouldn’t play them. We should. It’s just that we should treat them like other regional mid major programs, like UConn, UMass, and SUNY Buffalo. That treatment means irregular games, 2-1’s, or special occasions (i.e. Yankee Stadium games) vs yearly home and homes.