And the point was???

[freescooter]

Syracuse drew 39,500 to the Meadowlands for a game with the #2 team in the country. from what I saw on tv,I'd be surprised if all of them were actually present...anyone able to explain the point of moving this game from Syracuse to New Jersey? This is the risk of playing "home" games at these facilities, isn't it?

 

[Husky68]

If Syracuse was NJ's team might have drawn better.

 

[businesslawyer]

Syracuse drew 39,500 to the Meadowlands for a game with the #2 team in the country. from what I saw on tv,I'd be surprised if all of them were actually present...anyone able to explain the point of moving this game from Syracuse to New Jersey? This is the risk of playing "home" games at these facilities, isn't it?

The point:

1. No way of knowing that USC would have actually have done a home and home to play in Syracuse. I have no reason to think they would. There were benefits to them (Jersey recruiting, exposure to NY media market, ability to get east coast alum and fans in the building) to playing in the Meadowlands instead.

2. Reaching out to Syracuse alum in NYC area. Maybe some who don't come to games at the Carrier Dome, and need to be reminded that college football is fun, so they go to games in the Dome and contribute to the athletics funds.

3. More attention in NY media market generally from local NYC media by playing there.

I don't understand the post. You don't want UConn to do it -- that's fine. You are entitled to your opinion. But to pretend there are not good reasons to play in big city, neutral site, NFL stadiums when more and more teams are doing it just seems silly. If more and more schools are doing it, then there are reasons for it.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

The point:

1. No way of knowing that USC would have actually have done a home and home to play in Syracuse. I have no reason to think they would. There were benefits to them (Jersey recruiting, exposure to NY media market, ability to get east coast alum and fans in the building) to playing in the Meadowlands instead.

2. Reaching out to Syracuse alum in NYC area. Maybe some who don't come to games at the Carrier Dome, and need to be reminded that college football is fun, so they go to games in the Dome and contribute to the athletics funds.

3. More attention in NY media market generally from local NYC media by playing there.

I don't understand the post. You don't want UConn to do it -- that's fine. You are entitled to your opinion. But to pretend there are not good reasons to play in big city, neutral site, NFL stadiums when more and more teams are doing it just seems silly. If more and more schools are doing it, then there are reasons for it.

The only way you reap the benefits are if you win the game. Otherwise nobody gives a damn.

I'm not opposed to doing this once in a blue moon for a big time opponent, but I think people overvalue this proposition. By a lot.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

If you can recall the telecast, they kept the tv shots low and the upper deck was washed out in grey.

 

[freescooter]

The point:

1. No way of knowing that USC would have actually have done a home and home to play in Syracuse. I have no reason to think they would. There were benefits to them (Jersey recruiting, exposure to NY media market, ability to get east coast alum and fans in the building) to playing in the Meadowlands instead.

2. Reaching out to Syracuse alum in NYC area. Maybe some who don't come to games at the Carrier Dome, and need to be reminded that college football is fun, so they go to games in the Dome and contribute to the athletics funds.

3. More attention in NY media market generally from local NYC media by playing there.

I don't understand the post. You don't want UConn to do it -- that's fine. You are entitled to your opinion. But to pretend there are not good reasons to play in big city, neutral site, NFL stadiums when more and more teams are doing it just seems silly. If more and more schools are doing it, then there are reasons for it.

My understanding was that USC had previously agreed to play in the Dome but changed its mind (sort of like Michigan has made noises about doing), and Syracuse agreed to move the game. 39000 would have fit comfortably in the Dome, and my guess is that the crowd would have actually been larger had it been a true home game. After all, they drew 39000 for Toledo at the Dome last season...I get why USC would be want to do it, though I'm not sure I buy the "exposure thing...when you're USC, or Notre Dame or Michigan or Alabama or one of a handful of others I'm not so sure you need to play in New Jersey...if you call a Jersey boy, he's answering the phone... if items 2 was a priority it didn't work so well since they didn't appear to go to this game either...And I don't know that you really get any more or any less NY media coverage by playing there than if you play a true home game. Look I don't have a problem with playing a neutral site game. And to a degree I can even buy playing a home game against a major opponent in a local NFL stadium ...Cincy for example, or maryland playing at Fed-X field. But I'm not sure there is much to be gained playing "home" games 250 miles from your actual home. Given the attendance at Giets Stadium, I have to think it was probably a dumb idea...

 

[businesslawyer]

If it only drew 39,000, my guess is that the principals involved would not label the experiment a "success." But just because something doesn't work does not mean it was a bad idea or not worth trying.

 

[mattp]

there are reasons to do a game like this, but at the end of the day I don't think Cuse reaped any kind of benefit from this at all. If they only sold under 40k tickets it's safe to say that things didn't go as well as planned. I guess it's nice that a few thousand NJ based Cuse fans got to watch them nearby, but apparently several thousand more CNY area fans didn't want to make the drive. I think a game like this is worth doing if you can get 60-65k+ fans there. Also, wasn't this game originally scheduled to play be played in Syracuse? I thought they'd originally scheduled a legit home and home before they decided to change it so i think Cuse could have gotten them into the Carrier Dome

previously i was one the side of giving something like this a try, but after seeing these results i don't think we'd even do as well so we should can the idea for a while.

 

[metsfan2323]

It was a failure, the place was dead, they lost the game, and very few noticed or cared.. Hopefully Warde was paying attention.

 

[UConnJim]

UConn can test playing in a pro stadium by doing a 2 for 1 with UMass with the UMass game at Gillette Stadium. See if UConn draws for the game.

From a business standpoint, selling <40k tickets is a failure. When Cuse plays ND at MetLife, they will draw much better as ND will bring most of the fans, so that will be successful from a business standpoint.

Still, how can you move the marquee home game of the year from Syracuse to NJ when you have an apathetic fan base and lackluster attendance? You don't build a program that way.

 

[jbdphi]

UConn can test playing in a pro stadium by doing a 2 for 1 with UMass with the UMass game at Gillette Stadium. See if UConn draws for the game.

From a business standpoint, selling <40k tickets is a failure. When Cuse plays ND at MetLife, they will draw much better as ND will bring most of the fans, so that will be successful from a business standpoint.

Still, how can you move the marquee home game of the year from Syracuse to NJ when you have an apathetic fan base and lackluster attendance? You don't build a program that way.

Doing a game against UMass isn't going to be indicative of anything. They are not a premier opponent and they can't even draw their own fans for a two hour drive from campus. It is something worth considering when setting up a series with one of a very few set of schools that are considered a national draw - not UMass.

 

[UConnDan97]

If it only drew 39,000, my guess is that the principals involved would not label the experiment a "success." But just because something doesn't work does not mean it was a bad idea or not worth trying.

That may be true, but it may mean that it is not worth trying again.

I'm still not sure which side of the fence I'm on as it pertains to the "away" home games, but it should be considered that UConn doing a similar thing may have a similar outcome (or perhaps worse, depending upon "away" location)...

 

[thatguyed]

Doing a game against UMass isn't going to be indicative of anything. They are not a premier opponent and they can't even draw their own fans for a two hour drive from campus. It is something worth considering when setting up a series with one of a very few set of schools that are considered a national draw - not UMass.

Attendance last weekend for the UMass game at Gillette was announced 16,000 (so you know it probably only 12-13K). That's beyond sucking.

 

[UCPusky]

Syracuse drew 39,500 to the Meadowlands for a game with the #2 team in the country. from what I saw on tv,I'd be surprised if all of them were actually present...

I'm curious (concerned) what we will draw for Tennessee Michigan next year based on the relatively poor attendance last Saturday for NC State - arguably our best scheduled opponent this year. I'm glad that next year's Tenn game is at The Rent and not a larger venue!

 

[junglehusky]

Since these things are scheduled ahead of time (I don't know how long in advance this one was done) it's basically a gamble. If you're the AD, you are thinking ahead a few years, hoping that your program will be winning some games, building momentum with the fans and starting to generate media buzz. If you're right, you sell a bunch more tickets and get more eyeballs. And if the gamble really pays off and you win, you look like a genius. On the other hand if the team is mediocre by that time and you lose your fanbase is irritated at having to truck out of state and nobody else cares too much.

 

[cheech63]

Tennessee is not coming to the Rent next year.Michigan next year and I believe Tenn. the following year.

 

[huskymedic]

Tennessee is not coming to the Rent next year.Michigan next year and I believe Tenn. the following year.

Tennessee 2015.

Next year is:

• 08/29 - Towson
• 09/14 - Maryland
• 09/21 - Michigan

http://www.fbschedule
s.com/ncaa/big-east/connecticut-huskies.php

 

[Stinger92860]

Syracuse drew 39,500 to the Meadowlands for a game with the #2 team in the country. from what I saw on tv,I'd be surprised if all of them were actually present...anyone able to explain the point of moving this game from Syracuse to New Jersey? This is the risk of playing "home" games at these facilities, isn't it?

We could do this in Yankee stadium. 40K for football there would look good. In Metlife it looks empty. We should have done this with ND and should offer to other schools. We could sell definitely out Yankee stadium for a marquee matchup, but it would have to wait for the Yanks to finish play I expect.

 

[UCPusky]

Tennessee is not coming to the Rent next year.Michigan next year and I believe Tenn. the following year.

Yep - my bad. My same concern applies for Michigan next year.

 

[UCPusky]

We could do this in Yankee stadium. 40K for football there would look good.

The football setup in Yankee Stadium is horrible.

 

[buckley503]

A few benefits from their performance:

The NY Post doing a dedicated article on them announcing that the cuse is back. Ditto dedicated stories in both the Daily News and the Times talking how they are moving in the right direction. All NYC papers. Andrea Adelson (take it with a grain of salt) calling them the best 0-2 team. I know it burned my Rutgers buddy in NJ's ass that they were getting the attention.

So, exposure was pretty good.

 

[freescooter]

UConnJim, that is my big question, too. Why would you agree to make that move? It is a pretty big slap in the face to your long time fans, students and so forth. Maybe you're trying to appeal to your NYC area alumni, but if so they did a horrible job. If USC decided to buy out the game and you had to replace them with even an FCS team, given that the Orange typically get 37000 for those games, I'm not sure you'd be much worse off. And it isn't like the Meadowlands is 25 miles form Syracuse. It is 250 miles, so the odds of losing a substantial number of your normal base is pretty high.

 

[freescooter]

A few benefits from their performance:

The NY Post doing a dedicated article on them announcing that the cuse is back. Ditto dedicated stories in both the Daily News and the Times talking how they are moving in the right direction. All NYC papers. Andrea Adelson (take it with a grain of salt) calling them the best 0-2 team. I know it burned my Rutgers buddy in NJ's ass that they were getting the attention.

So, exposure was pretty good.

Oh I don't know. They would have gotten that by playing USC to a sold out house (or at least close) at home, too. Not sure the Post or the Daily News really put fannies in the seats...which is what you want from a move like this, I think.

 

[UCername]

I work in the investment industry and didn't get a single call about a ticket from banks so this probably wasnt part of a corporate package for Jets/Gints which didn't help sales. The corp guys are usually obligated to buy off tickets that goes to clients, so 39k doesn't seem that bad.

 

[J187Money]

I'm curious (concerned) what we will draw for Tennessee Michigan next year based on the relatively poor attendance last Saturday for NC State - arguably our best scheduled opponent this year. I'm glad that next year's Tenn game is at The Rent and not a larger venue!

NC State is not a name football school to the average fan.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

The point:

1. No way of knowing that USC would have actually have done a home and home to play in Syracuse. I have no reason to think they would. There were benefits to them (Jersey recruiting, exposure to NY media market, ability to get east coast alum and fans in the building) to playing in the Meadowlands instead.

2. Reaching out to Syracuse alum in NYC area. Maybe some who don't come to games at the Carrier Dome, and need to be reminded that college football is fun, so they go to games in the Dome and contribute to the athletics funds.

3. More attention in NY media market generally from local NYC media by playing there.

I don't understand the post. You don't want UConn to do it -- that's fine. You are entitled to your opinion. But to pretend there are not good reasons to play in big city, neutral site, NFL stadiums when more and more teams are doing it just seems silly. If more and more schools are doing it, then there are reasons for it.

With few exceptions, big time college football is meant to be played on campus. Get alums and fans back to their roots. Make the games accessibe to the student population (build new fans). With few exceptions, that's how it's done. Bad enough Rentscler is not on campus, but an out of state home game that is not "the national game of the week". Little to the gained. And the NYC market, those fans are more concerned with the Yankees, Mets, Giants, Jets, Knicks, Rangers et al. Northeast cities for the most part are "Pro Team Towns". Syracuse was fooling itself or more likely catering to the "Brotherhood of the Communications School", those folks who dominate the broadcast booths.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

If it only drew 39,000, my guess is that the principals involved would not label the experiment a "success." But just because something doesn't work does not mean it was a bad idea or not worth trying.

We better all suscribe to that ideal. Sounds like the gameplan of the UConn offense for the last couple of seasons.

 

[mattp]

A few benefits from their performance:

The NY Post doing a dedicated article on them announcing that the cuse is back. Ditto dedicated stories in both the Daily News and the Times talking how they are moving in the right direction. All NYC papers. Andrea Adelson (take it with a grain of salt) calling them the best 0-2 team. I know it burned my Rutgers buddy in NJ's ass that they were getting the attention.

So, exposure was pretty good.

As someone that lives in NJ and spends most of his free time listening to sports radio and watching college football coverage I can tell you there was very little buzz about this game. I only know a couple people that even went, and they had gotten cheap tickets. USC is not an automatic draw in north Jersey. if they were playing PennState (before this year anyway), Notre Dame, or even an SEC team, there would have been more interest. Cuse is probably a slightly larger draw in the area, but not enough to fill up an 80k stadium

 

[Marty Jackson]

If you can recall the telecast, they kept the tv shots low and the upper deck was washed out in grey.

Definitely looked like the upper sections were completely vacant.
Couldn't tell if my color on the set was off, but the 'orange' looked a lot more 'reddish maroon' as well...