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SMU a prized get for the Pac-12. Just what they want - a team that has more players on the field than fans in the stands. SMU is going to be a revenue generating monster for the conference.

geezerdonk wrote:SMU a prized get for the Pac-12. Just what they want - a team that has more players on the field than fans in the stands. SMU is going to be a revenue generating monster for the conference.

You have to have consistent 9/10 win seasons to keep fans going. Thanksgiving week is always a bomb especially throw in weather. School needs to do a better job getting people to the game. TCU game shows we can draw a crowd and that GDE was awful. Everyone involved needs to make sure the infrastructure is strong enough to make it fun. I will tell you as a long time fan that was the most embarrassing performance by an admin I've ever seen. It was amazing people even came back for subsequent games.

Coach of team wearing red and blue, not happy with fan attendance at games this season: https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/ole-m ... ec-opener/

perhaps our pres. brought those attendance issues with him from Ol Miss. We seem to have the same attendance issues.

Paladin wrote:Coach of team wearing red and blue, not happy with fan attendance at games this season: https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/ole-m ... ec-opener/

Thanks for sharing

The average duration of a CF game is over 3 hours & 20 minutes
The average actual time the ball is in play is under 15 minutes

These attendance issues are not going away and will only magnify over time

SMU would be wise in understanding this in regards to its Ford expansion

SoCal_Pony wrote:The average duration of a CF game is over 3 hours & 20 minutes
The average actual time the ball is in play is under 15 minutes

So ... triple (or more?) the time a baseball is in play.

Forgive me if I feel no sympathy for Kiffin. He hates the environment at Ole Miss so much he just re-upped for something like $9 million/year. Somehow I think he'll endure the shame of the fans leaving early.

I’ve been to games in Alabama where the students (and season ticket holders) never show up or are long gone by halftime. In fact, I’ve also read the emails from Coach Saban that ask students to come to the game, cheer, and stay until the end. It’s just not us!

People show up for:

1) winners
2) closers
3) relevant competition

100% correct

300% correct

The question is will more fans show up to see UTSA or Cal? Rice or Stanford? USF or Ore. St? ECU or WSU? UNCC or SDS? UAB or Utah? Temple or Colorado? Navy or Oregon? Memphis or Washington? Tulsa or ASU? AU or Tulane. Our newly designed conference will be an attendance killer. The only close call might be Navy and Oregon on that list.

EastStang wrote:The question is will more fans show up to see UTSA or Cal? Rice or Stanford? USF or Ore. St? ECU or WSU? UNCC or SDS? UAB or Utah? Temple or Colorado? Navy or Oregon? Memphis or Washington? Tulsa omASU? AU or Tulane. Our newly designed conference will be an attendance killer. The only close call might be Navy and Oregon on that list.

EastStang, Gr8 observation. I believe nationally ranked brands will draw more Dallas fans. Plus, large Pac12 school fans may travel to DFW (good, non-stop flights). Perhaps more than most AAC fans with the exception of Texas schools like NT, Rice, and UTSA.

If we join the PAC, for historic and cost reasons, i could see WA-WA St-Oregon-Oregon St all playing each other annually.

I could then see SMU playing Arizona, Arizona St, Colorado & Utah. Large state schools, 3 with non-stop flights to Love Field. That + us being in a P5 will improve attendance, the question being how much.

I go back to Northwestern. Private school located in large city, but with almost 2x our enrollment and playing large regional state schools including Ohio St, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan & Michigan St. Yet their new $800M stadium will only seat 35k.

Improve Ford, but no reason whatsoever to increase capacity by more than 1 or 2k. If we could, i prefer the improvements done on the north side with the horseshoe remaining open, thus reducing seating.

Spot-on SoCal Pony,

As a Chicagoan, your comment about the new $850M, reduced capacity (35K) Northwestern Stadium in Evanston is a great analogy. Their new stadium will maximize the fan experience (outdoor, full canopy over stands, designed as an entertainment venue, and intimate) will be a great destination for locals (whether NU fans or not) and visitors.

Imagine Ford reimagined this way? It becomes a great outdoor entertainment center and one that would be a draw for casual fans of football, e.g., worth attending.

SoCal you are probably right to be concerned and I could agree that attendance might not bump up that much given no regional rival. I agree we should improve but not expand but put in a design that could be easily added with space and structural support at the foundation for a deck on the east side. This is only if we had 3 years of solid attendance and tickets on reserve kind of thing.

Comparing with northwestern, while I don't know much about them, I think they're more comparable to a P5 Tulane. No history. No real rivals to point to. We had at least a legacy in SWC and those Big 12 teams enjoy playing us and draws a crowd. Just my $.02.