Just curious...

[Full_Rebar]

I'd rather be playing Kansas this weekend. Ticket sales would go up if 5-1 or 6-0 Syracuse was playing a home game in October because no you are making it an event that the casual fan wants to buy into.

For the program, I agree with Kaiser. This program needs a series of consecutive bowl appearances for the extra practices and boost on the recruiting trail. Hit 3 or 4 in a row and then go after the big boys. Until then, combine fb with hoops and play 1-1 series w/ Kansas/Indiana/Vandy/Iowa St

 

[Scooch]

I'd rather be playing Kansas this weekend. Ticket sales would go up if 5-1 or 6-0 Syracuse was playing a home game in October because no you are making it an event that the casual fan wants to buy into.

For the program, I agree with Kaiser. This program needs a series of consecutive bowl appearances for the extra practices and boost on the recruiting trail. Hit 3 or 4 in a row and then go after the big boys. Until then, combine fb with hoops and play 1-1 series w/ Kansas/Indiana/Vandy/Iowa St

We made 3 bowls in 4 years and out attendance didn't improve.

Eeking out 6 win seasons won't bring the fans back.

 

[Full_Rebar]

We made 3 bowls in 4 years and out attendance didn't improve.

Eeking out 6 win seasons won't bring the fans back.

I agree. That's why you schedule 4 OOC wins so those seasons become 7 or 8 win years where you sneak into the top 25 and better bowl games.

I'd argue that the previous administration did nothing to try and build momentum from those seasons. Most of the big crowds were season openers that SU lost (and the Fri. night WVU game), so it didn't help to keep people engaged over the season.

If SU loses by 40 this weekend, how does that convince people to come out in November?

 

[Scooch]

I agree. That's why you schedule 4 OOC wins so those seasons become 7 or 8 win years where you sneak into the top 25 and better bowl games.

I'd argue that the previous administration did nothing to try and build momentum from those seasons. Most of the big crowds were season openers that SU lost (and the Fri. night WVU game), so it didn't help to keep people engaged over the season.

If SU loses by 40 this weekend, how does that convince people to come out in November?

So your position is that people are stupid and can be tricked into buying tickets? Fluff up a record and then you'll fill the Dome?

Let's say we were playing Tomato Can State College this weekend, and got to 4-0. Then we beat USF and are 5-0 (instead of 4-1). You think that 45K+ are going to turn out to see us play Pitt? Without a single decent win under our belts? I don't buy it. Not given the current state of the program and the fan base. Maybe in 1998 when we had a great, talented team that could sell itself. Not now.

Now we need to strike the right balance of scheduling for success AND beating a credible opponent or two.

 

[KaiserUEO]

We made 3 bowls in 4 years and out attendance didn't improve.

Eeking out 6 win seasons won't bring the fans back.

scheduling big name opponents who are bringing the Heisman frontrunner doesnt apparently either.

 

[Scooch]

scheduling big name opponents who are bringing the Heisman frontrunner doesnt apparently either.

More than anyone else on our schedule.

 

[Millhouse]

You have to look at the schedule in its entirety and not cherry pick one game. I love the LSU series. But if this schedule had replaced central Michigan with somebody like Penn State, then yeH, I'd rather be playing buffalo this week. Schedule to win, because that will ultimately get more asses in the seats...not games against LSU. Go read the other FB board. #1 demand of fans is wins, not marquee opponents.

In my mind, this year's schedule is perfect.

i don't think schedule to win ultimately gets more @sses in the seats. you have to actually be good. if scheduling to win indirectly makes you better, fine. but casual fans ask themselves, is this team fun to watch? they don't just check the record.

 

[TheCusian]

It's the right schedule this year - and most years. I think this won't be the highest attended game of the season. If we win 2-3 more games prior to Clemson, we'll see a big crowd + traveling Clemson fans.

Especially if Dungey is back and doing what he does.

 

[KaiserUEO]

More than anyone else on our schedule.

not counting LSU's fans??

i do actually think that a 5-0 v a bunch of tomato cans wouldve brought 40k+ out to see our old friend pitt.

they would be thinking they would see a Win.

and not a loss.

big difference mindset wise for the casual fan.

being 8-4 every year and a LSU comes in...theyd be pushing 50k

being 3-9 and LSU comes in and you get 35k.

reason, they think they would see a Win.

team is irrelevent, but the bigger the team...youd see an extra 5-10k.

 

[Scooch]

not counting LSU's fans??

i do actually think that a 5-0 v a bunch of tomato cans wouldve brought 40k+ out to see our old friend pitt.

they would be thinking they would see a Win.

and not a loss.

big difference mindset wise for the casual fan.

being 8-4 every year and a LSU comes in...theyd be pushing 50k

being 3-9 and LSU comes in and you get 35k.

reason, they think they would see a Win.

team is irrelevent, but the bigger the team...youd see an extra 5-10k.

Eh, we gotta play somebody. We got 3 easy OOC games this year.

 

[KaiserUEO]

Eh, we gotta play somebody. We got 3 easy OOC games this year.

i was all for it.

kinda pissed i cant make it.

but boy was i wrong, figured this would easily be pushing 45k+...and i didnt even realize that it was parents weekend.

things are really, really, really, broke up there, but football isnt going away. so might as well schedule wins for all us TV watching fans who might travel for a bowl game.

to hell with attendance.

and speaking of attendance, im outta here!!!!...

 

[Millhouse]

At worst after this game SU will be 3-1. That gives us 8 more games to find 3 wins. If SU can't find 3 wins amongst the likes of USF, Pitt, BC, NC State and Louisville then I don't know how much easier we can possibly make our schedule. This year's OOC schedule is exactly what we should be doing -- 2 layups (URI, CMU), 1 highly likely win assuming we don't totally suck (USF), and 1 challenging P5 opponent. It's also in the correct order, waiting until game 4 to play the challenging OOC team.

the ACC is better than the Big East but there are still some pretty lame basketball schools on the schedule every year - i think it helps recruiting to have a big time opponent out of conference

 

[Full_Rebar]

So your position is that people are stupid and can be tricked into buying tickets? Fluff up a record and then you'll fill the Dome?

Let's say we were playing Tomato Can State College this weekend, and got to 4-0. Then we beat USF and are 5-0 (instead of 4-1). You think that 45K+ are going to turn out to see us play Pitt? Without a single decent win under our belts? I don't buy it. Not given the current state of the program and the fan base. Maybe in 1998 when we had a great, talented team that could sell itself. Not now.

Now we need to strike the right balance of scheduling for success AND beating a credible opponent or two.

Yes, that is my position w/ this context. You can't beat the tomato can 17-13. However, I believe people would come out and enjoy paying money to watch SU win 31-13 no matter the opponent.

I'm not saying that season tickets will sky rocket, but I'd bet a 5-1 or 6-0 SU team draws 40k for October games. It's not just the record, but suddenly the talk in the media is about the team and how well they are doing.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

but casual fans ask themselves, is this team fun to watch?

Bingo.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Yes, that is my position w/ this context. You can't beat the tomato can 17-13. However, I believe people would come out and enjoy paying money to watch SU win 31-13 no matter the opponent.

I'm not saying that season tickets will sky rocket, but I'd bet a 5-1 or 6-0 SU team draws 40k for October games. It's not just the record, but suddenly the talk in the media is about the team and how well they are doing.

I think that won't happen within season. I think it happens when we string multiple good seasons together.

For example, limping out of the gate in 2013 really hurt the gains made in 2012. They recovered and ended strong, but a lot of the 2012 goodwill was erased, and then took a bullet to the back of the head when we played Nova.

 

[OrangePA]

As a fan I like the LSU series but it is not good for the program. We should be playing no better than mid level P5 teams.

Disagree.

This kind of game is what the modern SU sports fan expects.

That is because of what he or she sees during BB season.

The modern SU sports fan wants to see the best play.

My mom - who has little interest in football - is insisting that I take her to see LSU on Saturday. She's genuinely excited to see a big name team play football in Syracuse. That tells me a lot.

I think the fans and the players and the coaches get excited by these kinds of Dome games.

 

[cuseincincy]

You're not talking to me because I love playing the best teams. I would actually upgrade the schedule and dump the Rhode Island/FCS schools and add another weak Power 5 or other BCS from the AAC, Sunbelt, or C_USA team.

 

[Shenexon]

I'm loving LSU at the dome on Saturday. We'll have the best running back of his type on the field since perhaps Jim Brown. Fournette and Jim Brown are similar players in size, speed, acceleration, and style. He's an impressive player we'll be watching on Sundays. SU needs to play good teams to attract good players, part of the reason the ACC was a good idea. SU has had long streaks with winning records and can again with some continuity and fan support. As for the game, we're at a huge disadvantage but perhaps can make the game exciting. That would mean a lot. Four weeks ago, no one knew how impressive Dungey would be, and Mahoney may do better than most think. The players are going to be pumped and the coaches will go all out to compete. Let's help them. Fans need to do everything they can to disrupt LSU's rhythm. That's been a big advantage at the dome. LSU's fans will make it loud too, but at different times. Let's do our part.

 

[Scooch]

Yes, that is my position w/ this context. You can't beat the tomato can 17-13. However, I believe people would come out and enjoy paying money to watch SU win 31-13 no matter the opponent.

I'm not saying that season tickets will sky rocket, but I'd bet a 5-1 or 6-0 SU team draws 40k for October games. It's not just the record, but suddenly the talk in the media is about the team and how well they are doing.

Fair enough, we just disagree. I don't believe that this year a 5-0 SU team with a record built on cupcakes would draw 42K+ for Pitt. I suspect that hypothetical team and the 4-1 SU team we're likely to be won't draw much differently.

FWIW, I'm pretty confident in my belief because I've seen it play out over and over again at SU. In 1991 we opened 4-0 (sound familiar), lost to a loaded FSU team down in Tallahassee, and returned home to play East Carolina... in front of 37K fans. Do you think that if we had played Florida A&M and were 5-0 instead of 4-1 we would have drawn 47K? There's no reason to think that. Why?...

In 1998 we opened to a sell-out against Tennessee and then went to Ann Arbor and whomped the defending national champs. We returned home the next week to a crowd of 42K against Rutgers. At that point SU was being hailed as still being a national title contender despite the 1 loss, and had a legit Heisman candidate, and we still had 8K empty seats because we were playing a dog opponent.

These days we haven't been in the top 25 in 14 years and have no starts remotely approaching what we had back then, but we're thinking a 5-0 team would fill the Dome against Pitt? SU fans want wins, but they also want credible wins.

 

[Full_Rebar]

I don't completely disagree with you. I think the years you pointed out are why I think a current SU team doing the same would receive a bigger bump. Not sellout crowds or even 45+, but a consistent crowd around 40k is possible as opposed to the low to mid 30s.

 

[ImperialOrange]

I'm not saying that season tickets will sky rocket, but I'd bet a 5-1 or 6-0 SU team draws 40k for October games. It's not just the record, but suddenly the talk in the media is about the team and how well they are doing.

We'll find out October 24th vs Pitt

 

[Hatchtiger]

From an LSU fans perspective we love the series with Syracuse. SEC schools get criticized for having "cupcakes" on their out of conference schedule. LSU has done its best scheduling wise to avoid that. We've played Oregon, TCU, both season opening games in Dallas and Wisconsin, last year to open the season in Houston, and now have you guys as well. We are traveling to Lambeau field next year to play Wisconsin again. And then we play y'all again in 2017. So from our perspective its a positive thing to have Syracuse on our schedule. If we are lucky enough to win, the powers that be will look on it as a "quality win" at the end of the season in the event we have something else to play for. Of course if you guys win, you are 4-0 and probably make the top 25.

 

[Millhouse]

Since partway through 2008, here's the average attendance along with the winning percentage in the prior 4 games (that's why it's partway in case you're curious)


- 38,251.43
0.25 37,099.36
0.50 38,037.60
0.75 40,449.88

like all slapdash excel dumps from cfbstats, this has a 50% chance of accuracy

edit - i included neutral sites. this is more like it. it doesn't matter much what their record at home has been the prior 4 games

 

[Scooch]

I don't completely disagree with you. I think the years you pointed out are why I think a current SU team doing the same would receive a bigger bump. Not sellout crowds or even 45+, but a consistent crowd around 40k is possible as opposed to the low to mid 30s.

Honestly, attendance really isn't my concern re: the topic of this thread.

I just bristle at the notion that we should avoid playing any P5 OOC opponents, which is what some people seem to be saying. We're in a conference where I think it's proving out that we'll face about 2 teams each year that are fighting in a higher weight class than us, so to speak. That means that we'll have 6 conference games where we should have a reasonable chance, if not expectation, to win. Meanwhile if Coyle sticks to this years OOC schedule approach then 3 of those 4 should also be very winnable. That makes for a lot of chances to win games and, at the very least, make a crappy bowl.

If people would prefer 10 "really winnable" chances to 9 I'm advocating then that's their perspective, but I think there are big advantages to playing that 1 good OOC team. Recruiting, for one. Exposure, another. Fun too. Playing good teams is fun. Of course winning is fun too, but like I said upthread we should be trying to strike the right balance.

 

[Rage4CUSE]

From an LSU fans perspective we love the series with Syracuse. SEC schools get criticized for having "cupcakes" on their out of conference schedule. LSU has done its best scheduling wise to avoid that. We've played Oregon, TCU, both season opening games in Dallas and Wisconsin, last year to open the season in Houston, and now have you guys as well. We are traveling to Lambeau field next year to play Wisconsin again. And then we play y'all again in 2017. So from our perspective its a positive thing to have Syracuse on our schedule. If we are lucky enough to win, the powers that be will look on it as a "quality win" at the end of the season in the event we have something else to play for. Of course if you guys win, you are 4-0 and probably make the top 25.

I don't believe luck is needed.