(07-24-2013 12:02 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 11:11 AM)perimeterpost Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 10:42 AM)Saint Bulldog Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 10:08 AM)bigblueblindness Wrote:  I won't flame you, but I will wholeheartedly disagree that Southern Miss brings any value to the Big 12. If the Big 12 all came to play in Hattiesburg, of course they would sell tickets! That would be the case in any town south of the Mason/Dixon or on the Plains. You know what would make sense? Ole Miss or Miss. St. moving to the Big 12 so that they have a national brand in a new market, and the SEC gets out of doubling up in the same market (setting historical ties aside for the moment). In terms of conference realignment for financial purposes, that is plausible. Any AAC or C-USA school outside of UConn, Cincinnati, and maybe USF or UCF if somebody becomes desperate does not make financial sense for any P5 conference.

My point was that if Southern Miss had good home games then M. M. Roberts Stadium wouldn't be big enough to hold everyone. This year they play, at home, Texas State, FIU, North Texas, Florida Atlantic & Middle Tennessee. I can't think of one of those that I would like to see. Do I think that the Big XII would invite USM? No. But I believe that a lot of people are selling the Eagles a little short and if given a chance they would surprise people.

105K fans paid $50+ per seat to watch their team host an Eastern Michigan team on a 19 game losing streak. Last year NMSU(1-11) was the visiting team for a game that broke the host school's attendance record. It wasn't homecoming and they aren't rivals. Stop blaming attendance on the other team.

Nearly all of those ticket holders are season ticket buyers. They didn't buy the season tickets to see Eastern Michigan. If the opponent didn't matter then conferences would look a lot different.

ECU has been in the same conference as So Miss for 15 years but draws consistently higher attendance playing the same teams.