Made for TV/ Neutral Site Games

[Goose85]

Made for TV neutral site games. Seems more and more of these are popping up all the time.
I get the money involved, just don't like them as a season ticket holder.

MU v. Ohio State on a ship (ok, cool idea).
Duke played 6 of 13 non conference games at neutral sites last season. Duke has had trouble selling tickets to students, any guesses why half of student tickets were not sold to students last year?

We still want you to pay a seat license fee for your tickets, but we plan to play the good games at neutral sites.

College basketball does it, college football does it, everyone is doing it.

Take the Badgers for example. Talking neutral site games with LSU and have one scheduled with Alabama.

I have many friends with Badger season tix who are not excited to pay for tix and seat license for this 2014 home slate - Western Ill, Bowling Green, USF, Ill, Maryland, Nebraska and Minn.

Don't complain about our schedule, we are going to play LSU at a neutral site in 2014 and Alabama the following year in Dallas. Well don't complain when students and alum decide to spend their money to fly to the state of Texas and then to a Bowl game instead of paying for season tickets.

As good as TV viewing of sporting events is becoming, and as much as tickets to Big Time football / basketball games cost, it might not be long before stadiums / arenas see the affect of playing the good games at neutral sites. Just ask the Duke students.

[IWB]

Agree Goo - another problem is this - you aren't just losing one of the "good games", you are losing a game and paying the same for your season tickets.

18 home games? $1,000
17 home games? $1,000
16 home games? $1,000

I know it is needed by the schools to fund the athletic departments, but 'it just ain't right'!

[Hamostradamus]

I have many friends with Badger season tix who are not excited to pay for tix and seat license for this 2014 home slate - Western Ill, Bowling Green, USF, Ill, Maryland, Nebraska and Minn.

I had to double check that home schedule. Wow, I would never pay actual money for that trainwreck of an offering.

[MayorBeluga]

I had to double check that home schedule. Wow, I would never pay actual money for that trainwreck of an offering.

Well, but football is different. Everyone knows that.

[Gato78]

Badger fans are generally so loaded it really doesn't matter.

[MayorBeluga]

Duke doesn't play non-confernece games at true road venues unless they are forced to (See also, ACC - Big Ten Network Challenge). Other schools have started to do this and it's a major disservice to the fans who actually attend games as compared to those who watch on tv. If one didn't know better, one might think that college sports was about maximizing television revenue. Thankfully we all know that's not true.

[TheSultan]

This is one of the reasons I think you are going to see football move to nine conference games like the Big Ten is doing.

[CaribouJim]

This is one of the reasons I think you are going to see football move to nine conference games like the Big Ten is doing.

That's what Saban is pushing for right?

[TheSultan]

That's what Saban is pushing for right?


Yeah. I love how the coaches voted 13-1 to keep the SEC schedule at 8 conference games...and the one that voted for nine games was Saban.

[Goose85]

This is one of the reasons I think you are going to see football move to nine conference games like the Big Ten is doing.

Slippery slope going to nine games. In the attempt to improve the overall strength of schedule in hopes of getting a team in the 4 team playoff, some conferences may hurt themselves by replacing a 'buy' game with a potential league loss.

The Big 10 have a hard time meeting all their bowl tie-ins now, add 7 more sure losses to Big 10 teams and those .500 bowl elligible teams may not be going bowling which also hurts the conference.

[Hamostradamus]

2014 Badger home schedule:
Sept. 6 Western Illinois
Sept. 20 Bowling Green
Sept. 27 USF
Oct. 11 Illinois
Oct. 25 Maryland
Nov. 15 Nebraska
Nov. 29 Minnesota

Ok, that was bad enough. Here is 2015 schedule, tell me if you'd pony up for this slate:
2015 Home Schedule
Sept. 19 Washington State
Oct. 3 Iowa
Oct. 17 Purdue
Oct. 31 Rutgers
Nov. 21 Northwestern

[Goose85]

I saw that too. No Michigan / Mich State / Ohio State / Penn State on the schedule at all for 2014 and 2015.

I love the non conference games with LSU / Alabama, but give the Camp Randall fans at least a non conference game to get excited about so buying the tickets and paying the seat donations is palatable.

When your best home game is Northwestern, and that is by a long shot, ouch.

Great for the W's, but expect half empty student sections.

[TheSultan]

The 2015 schedule still has a couple openings...but I bet both are going to be "guaranty game" type opponents.

[Goose85]

My son has a lot of kids from his class going to Madison next year.

After their four years is done they will likely be able to say - I had season football tickets, but never saw Michigan, Michigan State or Ohio State. That is really too bad.

[Goose85]

The 2015 schedule still has a couple openings...but I bet both are going to be "guaranty game" type opponents.

Especially with Alabama on the non conference slate at a neutral site. Not going to chance another top ranked team.

[MUMac]

Especially with Alabama on the non conference slate at a neutral site. Not going to chance another top ranked team.

There was a column in the Wisconsin State Journal a week or so ago by Oates, I believe. He said the fans are the one's getting punked (my words). Said UW needed to fill in the other games with "buy" games, as they need a certain amount of home games to pay for the program. That is the biggest driver in playing a lesser program. He also said the neutral site games were likely the thing of the future with the new BCS (or whatever they call that disgusting organization).

[MU/Panther]

There is no reason to play a h/h in back to back years from the other division.