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Message: [QUOTE="HtownOrange, post: 1776931, member: 622"] Respectfully, I disagree. When Rutgers needed exposure and money back in the Big East days and Notre Dame was seeking to help the Big East by verbal agreement to schedule three games annually against the Big East, Rutgers (and UConn) flatly rejected ND's offer. There was little to no negotiation effort made. ND moved on to other Big East schools. USF hosted ND at home Syracuse agreed to the Meadowlands because the money and NYC exposure were within the marketing plan, other schools were scheduled. ND made an opening offer, not a carved in stone demand, take it or leave it deal. Rutgers overestimated their value and lost on the deal (as did UConn). Rutgers could have agreed to the deal, bargained for home and home status though the venue was changed or any number of variations, possibly even a true home game. Negotiations have to start somewhere, ND was going to propose what was in their best interest but would negotiate down to what they could accept. When the ACC grabbed Syracuse and Pitt, Rutgers was reeling. Then off go ND and then Louisville. Now Rutgers is left with less income, a program coming off its plateau and was begging for a conference. The B1G came calling and Rutger agreed to any and all demands. This is shown by the-buy in deal compared to Maryland, the moving of a home game to a much smaller venue with a much less appealing opponent. Playing in NYC is not likely to be limited to just one game. You may soon be expected to play Michigan, tOSU or PSU, possibly even UNL in the Meadowlands or Yankee Stadium, once they can verify whether they have sufficient fans in the region to support a demand. Remember, B1G schools share the gate from ticket sales (which puffs up their annual payout!) and if Rutgers refuses, that would diminish returns for all schools, opening a door for claims against Rutgers or, if Rutgers fails to provide something more significant than a body bag game, the boot. No one denies Rutgers was brought in to the B1G for cable boxes, but it has already been proved that the cable boxes are not as lucrative as dreamed of, even with the crafty fake accounting, cord cutters are cutting into that plan as well as the millennials who rarely get cable to start with. Essentially, the sole purpose for bringing Rutgers is dying a slow death, measured in decades. Rutgers will have to prove itself between now and then to be of more value than simply cable boxes. Even Rutger's attendance shows that they are completely dependent on the B1G as the boost in ticket sales is not from Rutgers fans buying tickets but from B1G school fans buying tickets to see their team. In Year 1, the sales came from the eastern schools which travel well. The drop off in year 2 was due to the opponents the B1G sent to Rutgers, fan bases that do not travel as well (though respectably). Unless Rutgers starts winning and continues to do so in the B1G (not cheesy OOC games) and against the big boys for a couple decades, Rutgers will remain a means for B1G fans in NYC to see their team play, essentially a home away from home. Remember, you are talking to Syracuse Hoops fans as well as Syracuse football fans. Our hoops fans often dominate home fans if they are not banned from buying tickets (See Georgetown, NYC, USF, et al.). So much so that commentators claimed anything within several hundred miles is a home game for Syracuse (it is now a running gag). We understand how traveling fan bases and how playing games in heavy fan based areas works. [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?