Nick Saban, sloppy wins, the Quad Walk, and Tailgating...

[A Clockwork Orange]

As you might have guessed from the thread title, I'm gonna bounce around here a bit.

1. I thought Nick Saban was great on College Gameday on Saturday. I watched his segments and learned more about the game while also being humbled at how little I actually know. I loved to hate Saban when he was coaching Alabama, but you can see he has a fantastic football mind and is an excellent teacher. One thing he said on Gameday that I hope is appropriate for SU football is that players learn more after sloppy wins or tough losses. He said players have a lot of pride, and when they play poorly, they know it. They lock in because they want to fix the mistakes. He said when you're winning, players may recognize they didn't do something right, but the sense of urgency and pride isn't there because they won. I hope SU players feel that way this week because there were a lot of mistakes and missed assignments (especially on defense).
2. On a side note, I love that Coach Fran brought Jim Tressel back and allowed him to speak with players about the history of this program. I would love to see Coach Fran reach out to Saban as well. I believe he also got his start here at SU as a coach.
3. The Quad Walk sounds like it was a good time, and the players, coaches, and fans all enjoyed it. I would love to see HUGE crowds show up for it, but the number of people who will take the time to get to the hill an hour and a half before the game for the walk is small. Because the Quad is in the middle of campus, tailgaters take at least ten minutes to get there, and then it takes another ten minutes to get back to the tailgate. If they come from South Campus, they'd most likely want to take a bus to and from. That ain't happening. Which brings me to point #4:
4. Open the Quad to tailgaters. Barriers will have to be in place. Firstly, no cars or trucks. Allow people to pull up to the eastern end of the Quad at College Place and set their tailgates up the day before. You can make a lot of money selling spaces on the Quad for gameday tailgating. Let big donors have the first crack, and the Syracusefan tailgate the next shot. Allow drinking to happen, and allow great food to be cooked. Bring the fun and what makes college football great right into the center of campus. You'll need security and police, but you could make enough money off the spots to pay for that extra layer of safety. Look at what Ole Miss does with The Grove. That is not a tradition as old as time by any stretch. It started in the mid-'80s. We could do the same here, improving that Quad gameday atmosphere. I've worked at SU, and my wife has too. The institutional thinking is usually negative. "We can't do that, we've never done that before, etc." It's a conservative way of thinking and stifles the growth of the fan base and the program. If you know you have a good idea, the approach should be, "What do we need to do to make this happen." Make the Quad the EPICENTER of the game day experience.

Look at this scene! SU could have something similar.

 

[FrancoPizza]

As you might have guessed from the thread title, I'm gonna bounce around here a bit.

1. I thought Nick Saban was great on College Gameday on Saturday. I watched his segments and learned more about the game while also being humbled at how little I actually know. I loved to hate Saban when he was coaching Alabama, but you can see he has a fantastic football mind and is an excellent teacher. One thing he said on Gameday that I hope is appropriate for SU football is that players learn more after sloppy wins or tough losses. He said players have a lot of pride, and when they play poorly, they know it. They lock in because they want to fix the mistakes. He said when you're winning, players may recognize they didn't do something right, but the sense of urgency and pride isn't there because they won. I hope SU players feel that way this week because there were a lot of mistakes and missed assignments (especially on defense).
2. On a side note, I love that Coach Fran brought Jim Tressel back and allowed him to speak with players about the history of this program. I would love to see Coach Fran reach out to Saban as well. I believe he also got his start here at SU as a coach.
3. The Quad Walk sounds like it was a good time, and the players, coaches, and fans all enjoyed it. I would love to see HUGE crowds show up for it, but the number of people who will take the time to get to the hill an hour and a half before the game for the walk is small. Because the Quad is in the middle of campus, tailgaters take at least ten minutes to get there, and then it takes another ten minutes to get back to the tailgate. If they come from South Campus, they'd most likely want to take a bus to and from. That ain't happening. Which brings me to point #4:
4. Open the Quad to tailgaters. Barriers will have to be in place. Firstly, no cars or trucks. Allow people to pull up to the eastern end of the Quad at College Place and set their tailgates up the day before. You can make a lot of money selling spaces on the Quad for gameday tailgating. Let big donors have the first crack, and the Syracusefan tailgate the next shot. Allow drinking to happen, and allow great food to be cooked. Bring the fun and what makes college football great right into the center of campus. You'll need security and police, but you could make enough money off the spots to pay for that extra layer of safety. Look at what Ole Miss does with The Grove. That is not a tradition as old as time by any stretch. It started in the mid-'80s. We could do the same here, improving that Quad gameday atmosphere. I've worked at SU, and my wife has too. The institutional thinking is usually negative. "We can't do that, we've never done that before, etc." It's a conservative way of thinking and stifles the growth of the fan base and the program. If you know you have a good idea, the approach should be, "What do we need to do to make this happen." Make the Quad the EPICENTER of the game day experience.

Look at this scene! SU could have something similar.
View attachment 244458

That is a fantastic idea. Have you emailed Wildhack or others who can push this idea? I think there is money to be made so it should at least get their attention.

 

[florange44]

Went to the USC game years ago in LA and they had tailgating on their “quad”. No cars allowed, people carted in their stuff and carted it out just before they went into the game. It was a great set up.

I totally agree we should try that!

 

[orangetrain]

Quad is controlled by Learfield. If they don’t get compensated for others using it, no way they will be in agreement to allowing fans to tailgate in the Quad. It’s all about them and another reason going to a dome game is like listening to an infomercial.

 

[Newhouser]

The Grove is an amazing scene for anyone who is looking for a college football experience. It's even great when Ol Miss stinks.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Quad is controlled by Learfield. If they don’t get compensated for others using it, no way they will be in agreement to allowing fans to tailgate in the Quad. It’s all about them and another reason going to a dome game is like listening to an infomercial.

How long is that contract?

 

[upperdeck]

How does Learfeld control the quad? They have all the tailgates around the quad already in the lots.

 

[kcsu]

Have SU set up the tents, provide grills, make coolers and ice service available and Sell the spaces with the money going to NIL

 

[Jcuse_44]

I would imagine that would destroy the grass on the quad. I personally love that our tailgating is unique. It's spread all over the city. If someone had a drone fly over the campus to show all the different pockets of parties that would be pretty sweet.

 

[DoubleDee]

try 2 hr 15 min. That is hard.

 

[All4SU]

How does Learfeld control the quad? They have all the tailgates around the quad already in the lots.

What is Learfeld, and how do they control tailgates in lots?

 

[CNYGuy]

Quad is controlled by Learfield. If they don’t get compensated for others using it, no way they will be in agreement to allowing fans to tailgate in the Quad. It’s all about them and another reason going to a dome game is like listening to an infomercial.

They do have stuff on the quad for fans. It's not a tailgate, but there's activities for kids and food and drink for the fans that want that stuff but aren't organized tailgaters like many here are.

Problem is, with no parking at all around the quad, how do people get their stuff to and from their tailgates if SU ever made that a tailgating space.

 

[JRHEETER]

The quad idea is great and I will say that the idea has certainly been presented.

marking out and selling spaces would be awesome. But the biggest issue would be would they allow tailgaters to come up and drop stuff off by the quad? Probably not, as they are very anal about that kind of stuff.

If they did this, it would certainly allow for the quad walk to expand.

I really would love to see this idea come to fruition

 

[tep624]

Went to the USC game years ago in LA and they had tailgating on their “quad”. No cars allowed, people carted in their stuff and carted it out just before they went into the game. It was a great set up.

I totally agree we should try that!

I usually go to a USC game every year, with SU out in LV and at Cal this year really no need for that, but USC is a really fun place to tailgate. UCLA actually has more space out in Pasadena, so you can stretch out a bit and tailgate by your car, but the on campus experience with people walking by up to the Coliseum and all the "interesting" things that go along with being in LA in general make the USC experience a lot more memorable.

One year that I went, Kiffen was still there and Gameday was there that day - that was pretty awesome.

 

[florange44]

Have SU set up the tents, provide grills, make coolers and ice service available and Sell the spaces with the money going to NIL

This is exactly what I saw at Tennessee last week. Not sure about the nil part though. They had standard white tents everywhere with coolers and tvs included. Just bring in the food and drink you want.

 

[florange44]

They do have stuff on the quad for fans. It's not a tailgate, but there's activities for kids and food and drink for the fans that want that stuff but aren't organized tailgaters like many here are.

Problem is, with no parking at all around the quad, how do people get their stuff to and from their tailgates if SU ever made that a tailgating space.

Exactly like they do at USC. You buy a parking spot in a nearby garage and you cart your stuff in and out. Not exactly easy but it can be done.

 

[BomberOrange]

I would imagine that would destroy the grass on the quad. I personally love that our tailgating is unique. It's spread all over the city. If someone had a drone fly over the campus to show all the different pockets of parties that would be pretty sweet.

They must have extra tough grass at Ole Miss.

 

[orangetrain]

Many schools such as Alabama and many others outsource their tailgates to outside parties. I believe SU tried this a few years ago, but it was for another area such as South Campus. Its am awesome experience and removes the issue of how to get grills, tents etc... up the hill.

Contact Gameday Done Right, the University of Alabama’s official tailgate services partner, to reserve a season or single game tailgate for your group.
CLICK HERE or call 205-535-4647 for more information regarding reserving a tailgate on The Quad.
Gameday Done Right is a full service, turnkey provider of reserved tailgating equipment & services on Gameday. Visit the website to pick a premium tailgate location & package, add-on catering and other tailgating amenities and let Gameday Done Right take it from there. For your next tailgate, Just Add People!

As for how long Learfield's contract is for, I have no idea. They control much of the SU brand, including the QUAD activities, the media such as Matt Park and Adam Terry, and advertising in the dome.

 

[Jcuse_44]

They must have extra tough grass at Ole Miss.

def dryer weather.

 

[upperdeck]

it would be like what peiple do at saratoga but with the ability to cook

 

[NJneer12]

If you get to the quad 2 hours before, you can definitely find ADJW walking around and spike a convo in the tent while watching Georgia destroy Clemson.

Ask me how I know...

 

[NJCuse97]

1. Open the Quad to tailgaters. Barriers will have to be in place. Firstly, no cars or trucks. Allow people to pull up to the eastern end of the Quad at College Place and set their tailgates up the day before. You can make a lot of money selling spaces on the Quad for gameday tailgating. Let big donors have the first crack, and the Syracusefan tailgate the next shot. Allow drinking to happen, and allow great food to be cooked. Bring the fun and what makes college football great right into the center of campus. You'll need security and police, but you could make enough money off the spots to pay for that extra layer of safety. Look at what Ole Miss does with The Grove. That is not a tradition as old as time by any stretch. It started in the mid-'80s. We could do the same here, improving that Quad gameday atmosphere. I've worked at SU, and my wife has too. The institutional thinking is usually negative. "We can't do that, we've never done that before, etc." It's a conservative way of thinking and stifles the growth of the fan base and the program. If you know you have a good idea, the approach should be, "What do we need to do to make this happen." Make the Quad the EPICENTER of the game day experience.

Look at this scene! SU could have something similar.
View attachment 244458

The Grove is not Mississippi's quad (they have one). This would be more like using Hendricks Field in front of Lawrinson (which may still be a fun idea). It would be such a disruption to the normal school operation and I am sure you would have complaints from some students, parents, and professors. That said, I think the school could do something more than they do under the premise of an alumni event or something.

 

[JeremyCuse]

As you might have guessed from the thread title, I'm gonna bounce around here a bit.

1. I thought Nick Saban was great on College Gameday on Saturday. I watched his segments and learned more about the game while also being humbled at how little I actually know. I loved to hate Saban when he was coaching Alabama, but you can see he has a fantastic football mind and is an excellent teacher. One thing he said on Gameday that I hope is appropriate for SU football is that players learn more after sloppy wins or tough losses. He said players have a lot of pride, and when they play poorly, they know it. They lock in because they want to fix the mistakes. He said when you're winning, players may recognize they didn't do something right, but the sense of urgency and pride isn't there because they won. I hope SU players feel that way this week because there were a lot of mistakes and missed assignments (especially on defense).
2. On a side note, I love that Coach Fran brought Jim Tressel back and allowed him to speak with players about the history of this program. I would love to see Coach Fran reach out to Saban as well. I believe he also got his start here at SU as a coach.
3. The Quad Walk sounds like it was a good time, and the players, coaches, and fans all enjoyed it. I would love to see HUGE crowds show up for it, but the number of people who will take the time to get to the hill an hour and a half before the game for the walk is small. Because the Quad is in the middle of campus, tailgaters take at least ten minutes to get there, and then it takes another ten minutes to get back to the tailgate. If they come from South Campus, they'd most likely want to take a bus to and from. That ain't happening. Which brings me to point #4:
4. Open the Quad to tailgaters. Barriers will have to be in place. Firstly, no cars or trucks. Allow people to pull up to the eastern end of the Quad at College Place and set their tailgates up the day before. You can make a lot of money selling spaces on the Quad for gameday tailgating. Let big donors have the first crack, and the Syracusefan tailgate the next shot. Allow drinking to happen, and allow great food to be cooked. Bring the fun and what makes college football great right into the center of campus. You'll need security and police, but you could make enough money off the spots to pay for that extra layer of safety. Look at what Ole Miss does with The Grove. That is not a tradition as old as time by any stretch. It started in the mid-'80s. We could do the same here, improving that Quad gameday atmosphere. I've worked at SU, and my wife has too. The institutional thinking is usually negative. "We can't do that, we've never done that before, etc." It's a conservative way of thinking and stifles the growth of the fan base and the program. If you know you have a good idea, the approach should be, "What do we need to do to make this happen." Make the Quad the EPICENTER of the game day experience.

Look at this scene! SU could have something similar.
View attachment 244458

Hate to be that guy but #4 is never happening.

The Non sports SU Admin isn't going to allow more people on the quad or the surrounding area beyond Cuse on the quad and it's current iteration.

 

[Bayside44]

Hate to be that guy but #4 is never happening.

The Non sports SU Admin isn't going to allow more people on the quad or the surrounding area beyond Cuse on the quad and it's current iteration.

There are sponsored tents, beer and food trucks, etc so it's not exactly dead. I kinda like it, but...

Kids are gonna kid though and considering most are under 21 they're not going to fill the quad for stuff when they can party anywhere else but there.

 

[BigNastyJon]

IMO, Only allow madness in the quad for gameday coming to town.