PS: Syracuse football mailbag: Will the ACC bring more fans to the Carrier Dome?

[OrangeXtreme]

http://www.syracuse.com/orangefootball/index.ssf/2013/07/syracuse_football_mailbag_will.html

 

[All4SU]

Sister Genevieve's School for the Blind and Directionally Challenged would bring more fans than Buttgers, Uconn, Cincy and Usf.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Sister Genevieve's School for the Blind and Directionally Challenged would bring more fans than Buttgers, Uconn, Cincy and Usf.

Rutgers already has them on the schedule for 2015.

 

[SmilinBob]

As much as I'm excited to join the ACC, I'm not so sure how well they travel for football. Clemson, VT maybe FSU but I don't see a lot of fans making the difference in the corner of the visitor zone. Better than the Big East and hopefully I'm wrong about this.

 

[BlazeOrange]

We often talk about all the SU fans that now live the Carolinas. How about neutral/non-fans CNYers who moved there and adopted the new home team (could be any of the four)? Would they make the trip to their old stomping grounds? Not sure if the numbers will be high enought to make a noticable difference in the stands though.

 

[gbo]

As much as I'm excited to join the ACC, I'm not so sure how well they travel for football. Clemson, VT maybe FSU but I don't see a lot of fans making the difference in the corner of the visitor zone. Better than the Big East and hopefully I'm wrong about this.

No other teams will travel like Clemson, VT, and FSU. The other schools just don't care as much.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

As much as I'm excited to join the ACC, I'm not so sure how well they travel for football. Clemson, VT maybe FSU but I don't see a lot of fans making the difference in the corner of the visitor zone. Better than the Big East and hopefully I'm wrong about this.

Two years ago, Wake brought a couple hundred people to the home opener.

The year before that, I feel like BC brought a pretty decent crowd for Thanksgiving weekend.

Those are my two ACC home game experiences.

 

[All4SU]

Rutgers already has them on the schedule for 2015.

I lob up the straight line for you and you get 4x the "Likes." What's up with that? ;-/

 

[Moontan]

More importantly (to the author) does moving to the AACK bring more people to the runway field?

 

[Texas Otto]

I lob up the straight line for you and you get 4x the "Likes." What's up with that? ;-/

That's turrible just turrible

 

[OttosBestFriend]

As much as I'm excited to join the ACC, I'm not so sure how well they travel for football. Clemson, VT maybe FSU but I don't see a lot of fans making the difference in the corner of the visitor zone. Better than the Big East and hopefully I'm wrong about this.

Forgetting the fan bases that traditionally travel well (noted above) and the nearby rivalries (BC & Pitt) many of the other ACC schools have a decent-sized alumni base in the NY metro area. (Miami, UVA, GA Tech, UNC, NC State, Duke)

This will be the one game a year that said alumni bases can drive to - no problem.

IMO, that will help boost attendance.

Then there's Louisville who seem to travel pretty well.

Not saying throngs will show up, but for those ACC fans who don't live in the South, the Dome will be their best option to watch their favorite team in person.

I don't see Wake ever bringing 5K or more fans, but all other teams definitely have that potential - especially when said teams are near the top of the ACC standings.

 

[All4SU]

Forgetting the fan bases that traditionally travel well (noted above) and the nearby rivalries (BC & Pitt) many of the other ACC schools have a decent-sized alumni base in the NY metro area. (Miami, UVA, GA Tech, UNC, NC State, Duke)

This will be the one game a year that said alumni bases can drive to - no problem.

IMO, that will help boost attendance.

Then there's Louisville who seem to travel pretty well.

Not saying throngs will show up, but for those ACC fans who don't live in the South, the Dome will be their best option to watch games.

I don't see Wake ever bringing 5K or more fans, but all other teams definitely have that potential - especially when said teams are near the top of the ACC standings.

Post 2004, Louisville was the only BE team who pretty consistently brought some fannies to the Dome. Buttgers fans wet their pants if they brought 200 fans. Ditto Yukon. Cincy, um Bueller? Bueller? USF? They would have all fit at the same pee trough.

 

[OttosBestFriend]

Post 2004, Louisville was the only BE team who pretty consistently brought some fannies to the Dome. Buttgers fans wet their pants if they brought 200 fans. Ditto Yukon. Cincy, um Bueller? Bueller? USF? They would have all fit at the same pee trough.

Your rejection of my idea doesn't take into account the fact that for many of the last 12 years, Syracuse has been awful.

Why would r!val fans spend $500 to $1K or more on a weekend (travel, lodging, ticket, meals) to see a game that's basically "blah".

In the 90's, lots of opponent fans filled the Dome. I remember Miami in particular bringing tons of people in 1992.

Plus ALL of those former Big East schools you mentioned - save for USF - had several other options for their NY metro area alumni bases to attend games.

In the ACC, we are basically it. ('Cuse and BC)

And there's no denying that, for the most part, fans of ACC schools tend to be more passionate than the UConns, Rutgers, and Cincinnati's of the world.

If Syracuse keeps winning 7,8, and, hopefully, 9+ games a year, you can be sure that our opponents' fans will come up to the Dome.

 

[Moontan]

Forgetting the fan bases that traditionally travel well (noted above) and the nearby rivalries (BC & Pitt) many of the other ACC schools have a decent-sized alumni base in the NY metro area. (Miami, UVA, GA Tech, UNC, NC State, Duke)

This will be the one game a year that said alumni bases can drive to - no problem.

IMO, that will help boost attendance.

Driving times from NYC (according to Google):

Byrd Stadium 3:31
BCU 3:32
Syracuse 3:55
Charlottesville 5:48
VPI 7:25
Duke 7:29
Raleigh 7:44
Chapel Hill 7:44

With Maryland dropping off, the Carrier Dome will be their second closest conference destination. It might impact hoops as well.

 

[Resonator]

No other teams will travel like Clemson, VT, and FSU. The other schools just don't care as much.

This is the truth.

Of the rest, NC State probably travels the best.

 

[All4SU]

Why would r!val fans spend $500 to $1K or more on a weekend (travel, lodging, ticket, meals) to see a game that's basically "blah".

To see THEIR team play. When SU fans went to New Jersey in droves for so many years was it to see SU take on Buttgers? No it was to see SU play on the road. That's what fans do. Wo the other team may be, and how they are doing is secondary.

 

[OttosBestFriend]

To see THEIR team play. When SU fans went to New Jersey in droves for so many years was it to see SU take on Buttgers? No it was to see SU play on the road. That's what fans do. Wo the other team may be, and how they are doing is secondary.

My point was, why would Big East r!val fans spend all that money to come to Syracuse when there were so many other nearby options for them to see a road game against better teams in louder/more exciting venues.

Take Pitt for example. Why would any Pitt fan who could only attend one road game a year choose SU over WVU, Rutgers, or Notre Dame from 2004-2010??? Those teams had packed stadiums and were winning and we neither packed the Dome nor won ball games.

Face it, the Dome was dead during much of the aughts.

As for your point... YES, SU fans did turn out in droves to watch the Orange take on Rutgers in Jersey. Here's why: Because it was the CLOSEST game for the throngs of alumni in the NY metro area. They weren't driving 4-5 hours each way to Syracuse, plunking $100-200 a night on a hotel, and eating 6+ meals in restaurants to see a team that's been mediocre at best when they could simply head over to Rutgers for an afternoon.

And I totally disagree with you on the opponent being secondary when choosing what road game to attend. (Again fans at Rutgers games were NY & NJ residents - essentially locals. They weren't going out of their way to attend that game)

But when people do make an effort to attend road games (long drives and/or flights, hotels, meals, etc.) then the opponent is crucial, IMO.

Over the years, I've gone to my share of road games with a group of friends and we ALWAYS picked the game with the best/most exciting opponent. (Oklahoma, Michigan, Tennessee, and Auburn to name a few)

Not once did we travel to see a MAC team, UCONN, Cincy, or some other "meh" team. We chose awesome programs with cool stadiums so that our experience of watching SU was enhanced that much more.

 

[SUFaninNJ]

Sister Genevieve's School for the Blind and Directionally Challenged would bring more fans than Buttgers, Uconn, Cincy and Usf.

Sister Genevieve plays a much tougher OOC schedule than Rutgers.

 

[Texas Otto]

Sister Genevieve plays a much tougher OOC schedule than Rutgers.

She is one hardnosed nun!

 

[OttoMets]

She is one hardnosed nun!