Tulane

[elimunelson]

Does Tulane get to a big bowl game in the ACC?

Syracuse in the ACC is going to be our counter weight to a Tulane season because of the meat grinder. To me the reason for the ACC is money but if we were back in a big east esque football and hoops would that be more palatable for our football depth and betterr long term For
Hoops?

Food for thought where I know it’s irrational

 

[Cusefan95]

Does Tulane get to a big bowl game in the ACC?

Syracuse in the ACC is going to be our counter weight to a Tulane season because of the meat grinder. To me the reason for the ACC is money but if we were back in a big east esque football and hoops would that be more palatable for our football depth and betterr long term For
Hoops?

Food for thought where I know it’s irrational

I think 2018 we would have made the Orange Bowl if it wasn’t a playoff game…I don’t think a major bowl is unattainable in the ACC.

As far as the Cotton Bowl - I think I’d watch three and a half hours of USC and Tulane co-eds in the stands. Wow.

 

[NYCCuse826]

I think 2018 we would have made the Orange Bowl if it wasn’t a playoff game…I don’t think a major bowl is unattainable in the ACC.

As far as the Cotton Bowl - I think I’d watch three and a half hours of USC and Tulane co-eds in the stands. Wow.

To be young again.

 

[Scooch]

Does Tulane get to a big bowl game in the ACC?

Syracuse in the ACC is going to be our counter weight to a Tulane season because of the meat grinder. To me the reason for the ACC is money but if we were back in a big east esque football and hoops would that be more palatable for our football depth and betterr long term For
Hoops?

Food for thought where I know it’s irrational

A problem with being in a G5 conference, among many, is the severe impact it’d have on attendance. We’re not drawing 49K for league games in whatever American-type league we’d be in. And that lack of enthusiasm trickles into alumni/local financial support, which impacts all things, including facility funding.

We’re in the best spot imaginable given the landscape. And with divisions going away in the conference, and the playoffs expanding to 12, we really couldn’t be better positioned for the future.

 

[JRHEETER]

I think 2018 we would have made the Orange Bowl if it wasn’t a playoff game…I don’t think a major bowl is unattainable in the ACC.

As far as the Cotton Bowl - I think I’d watch three and a half hours of USC and Tulane co-eds in the stands. Wow.

Tulane fans….they can show their crowd anytime

 

[orangepassion]

This game reminded me of the huge Boise State upset against Oklahoma in the Bowl game a bunch of years ago. All that was missing was the Tulane RB proposing to his girlfriend on the field after game. This game was a good argument for Cinderella potential in an expanded playoff.

 

[elimunelson]

A problem with being in a G5 conference, among many, is the severe impact it’d have on attendance. We’re not drawing 49K for league games in whatever American-type league we’d be in. And that lack of enthusiasm trickles into alumni/local financial support, which impacts all things, including facility funding.

We’re in the best spot imaginable given the landscape. And with divisions going away in the conference, and the playoffs expanding to 12, we really couldn’t be better positioned for the future.

I offer up the Tulane example hyperbolically but I do think our schedule doesn't provide any leeway to a dream season.

I guess my counter to your counter is would attendance REALLY be impacted? Is attendance correlated to success or a really interesting league opponent. I'd like to know the attendance numbers for NC State, Louisville, FSU type games vs our prior league opponents like WVU, USF and say, Rutgers.

I'm gathering the attendance issues wouldn't be as big an issue as the yearly check we receive to pay coaches who seem to get us to the same place anyway. We're a middle of the road team with very expensive overhead. Tulane seems to be a middle of the road team (with a dream season) with less than expensive overhead.

Again, to what end are we achieving playing wayyyy above our skill set.

Steve

 

[IthacaBarrel]

I offer up the Tulane example hyperbolically but I do think our schedule doesn't provide any leeway to a dream season.

I guess my counter to your counter is would attendance REALLY be impacted? Is attendance correlated to success or a really interesting league opponent. I'd like to know the attendance numbers for NC State, Louisville, FSU type games vs our prior league opponents like WVU, USF and say, Rutgers.

I'm gathering the attendance issues wouldn't be as big an issue as the yearly check we receive to pay coaches who seem to get us to the same place anyway. We're a middle of the road team with very expensive overhead. Tulane seems to be a middle of the road team (with a dream season) with less than expensive overhead.

Again, to what end are we achieving playing wayyyy above our skill set.

Steve

expensive overhead compared to who? other P5 programs are other G5 programs. Tulane won 2 games in 2021. They have been horrible up until this year. They built an on campus stadium a few years ago they were hoping would help, it did not until the team started winning this year. They literally were giving tickets away up until November of this year. I will say that the student body of Tulane is somewhat similar to Syracuse, more kids from the Northeast than you would think who really could care less about college football unless they are good, Lots of bandwagon at the bowl game yesterday for sure which is the norm for most schools

They are very lucky to have retained their head coach who is a bit older and been around the block but GT offered him the job and he turned it down.

You also have to look at the athletic program as a whole. The ACC means something

 

[TheCusian]

I offer up the Tulane example hyperbolically but I do think our schedule doesn't provide any leeway to a dream season.

I guess my counter to your counter is would attendance REALLY be impacted? Is attendance correlated to success or a really interesting league opponent. I'd like to know the attendance numbers for NC State, Louisville, FSU type games vs our prior league opponents like WVU, USF and say, Rutgers.

I'm gathering the attendance issues wouldn't be as big an issue as the yearly check we receive to pay coaches who seem to get us to the same place anyway. We're a middle of the road team with very expensive overhead. Tulane seems to be a middle of the road team (with a dream season) with less than expensive overhead.

Again, to what end are we achieving playing wayyyy above our skill set.

Steve

Way above? Think that’s a bit much.

Also, the division less ACC provides a slightly smaller hill to climb and you can combine that w a 12 team playoff and the path to a better post season is wide open

 

[sutomcat]

Tulane is great story.

They went to bowl games 3 years in a row.

Then last year, the hurricane came and they were forced to move a home against Oklahoma on the road, and then had to live out of a hotel in Birmingham (?) for a month before they could return to campus. And when they did, there were all sorts of problems due to all the damage that had been done.

That all led to a 2-10 record for a team with a lot of experience and talent.

But it also helped drive the team to what happened this year. Those senior leaders did not want to go out that way. A lot of seniors who would ordinarily have left decided to come back because they had something to prove this year. If it sounds familiar, it should.

The team this year was led by seniors. They had a ton of experience and took advantage of it, much like we sometimes see a team from a conference like the MAC get a bunch of 5th year senior starters and make a long run in the NCAA hoops tournament.

Great story. Props to the kids and the coaches for pulling it off.

 

[Scooch]

I offer up the Tulane example hyperbolically but I do think our schedule doesn't provide any leeway to a dream season.

I guess my counter to your counter is would attendance REALLY be impacted? Is attendance correlated to success or a really interesting league opponent. I'd like to know the attendance numbers for NC State, Louisville, FSU type games vs our prior league opponents like WVU, USF and say, Rutgers.

I'm gathering the attendance issues wouldn't be as big an issue as the yearly check we receive to pay coaches who seem to get us to the same place anyway. We're a middle of the road team with very expensive overhead. Tulane seems to be a middle of the road team (with a dream season) with less than expensive overhead.

Again, to what end are we achieving playing wayyyy above our skill set.

Steve

Depends on what you define as a "dream season". Tulane went 12-2 and won the Cotton Bowl. If we had pulled off the Clemson upset in 2018 (or beat Pitt for that matter) we would have been in a very similar position. Heck, I think we may have even ended up in the Orange Bowl had the playoff locations been different that year. If we go, say, 9-3 next season and end up ranked in the top 20 we'll play in a major bowl against a top 20 opponent. That's what Tulane just did. Dreams are in the eye of the beholder.

And I do feel confident that attendance would be greatly impacted if we were in a G5 league. That kind of demotion would demotivate the fan base in a huge way. Tulane's home schedule this season was Southern Miss, East Carolina, Memphis, UCF and SMU. If we played that on the regular I don't think we'd sniff 40K unless were undefeated late in a year.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

The Big East wasn't sustainable having a FB side and a BBall side. I do think for football it would have been nice if the old Big East still existed. Maybe add Army and Navy as FB members to get to 10. Then maybe add Georgetown and St Johns for the other sports. We would be worse off financially but might be better off competitively, while still keeping fan interest.

Football
Miami
VA Tech
WV
Pitt
Temple
SU
UConn
BC
Army
Navy

BBall
Miami
VA Tech
WV
Pitt
Temple
SU
UConn
BC
St Johns
Georgetown


Edit

The ship sailed but if the Big East split a dozen years earlier into the AAC and Big East Basketball, would the football schools have stuck together? Gotta think TV would have paid well for that.

Miami who was still a power
VA Tech who had become a power
SU when we were still thought of highly
BC who was entering their peak
Pitt who had finally turned things around
WV who was about to take off with Rich Rod
Temple who was becoming more competitive and was still a big BBall program
RU who was becoming more competitive

UConn was Indy but on their way as the 9th team
Then add in Army and Navy to get to 11 teams.
As for the 12th team I think ECU is the choice. Back then they were a decent program and they fit best geographically.

So that gives you a 12 team football league (allowing for a conference championship game) and a 10 team BBall league (allowing for a true round robin). The BBall league isn't the greatest but still has SU, UConn, Temple at the top and not far below BC, Pitt, WV. I think all programs would have been better off competitively in football. Maybe even financially. BBall may have dropped though without Georgetown, St Johns, and an MSG conference tournament. So does Miami look to leave that AAC for the ACC?