(09-23-2013 12:29 PM)exCincy Kid Wrote: Wouldn't it be pretty easy to add 3,000 seats to Peden? All you need to administration agreement that it's needed and have a capital campaign to fund it...maybe one big shot will "cough up" a mil or something...it shouldn't cost that much to add 3,000 seats if that's the desired number. I would think 24K (if that is what Peden now actually seats) is probably fine 90% plus of the time.....and although it may be a nice goal to have a top 25 program out of the MAC, to think that with our limited resources you can have a "periennally" ranked team is probably a stretch. How many times has OU been ranked in the final polls, even during this nice run they've had the last 4-5 years?
A) Ohio has votes in one of the major polls for 5 consecutive seasons. Basically Ohio's had a Top 40-50 program on the field for 5 seasons. Ohio's budget is over 30 million and in the range of program like Fresno State so I don't see a resource gap here. Interestingly the HC of Fresno was an assistant under Jim Grobe at Ohio and the Fresno State AD Tom Boeh was Ohio's AD when Grobe was coaching.
Tom Boeh while at Ohio thought that once the facilities and budget came into place that Ohio could be a regular Top 40 to Top 25 team and I think he was right on that prediction. Big time football has finally arrived in Athens after a gradual 15-20 year process.
B) Last season Ohio averaged 21,800 in a 21,000 seat stadium on a 6 game schedule. That to me says the capacity is "unacceptable" in the words of Chuck Landon. That was on a schedule where the best home opponents were New Mexico State and Akron, both games over 25k. Ohio has Cincinnati coming in a few years and wants to get BCS programs at home you really need a bigger stadium.
On the idea of 3,000 additional seats, I want to see it done ASAP but Ohio's administration (president and AD) has said no to more seats in Peden. I do kind of see it though because only 4-5 years ago Ohio was struggling to average 15,000 and Peden's capacity felt like an Ocean. That was before family packs and some of the new seating initiatives. The main reason I have posted the season ticket sales on here is I'm trying to see whether its time to expand Peden yet or not. I don't think season ticket sales (10,000ish) are quite there yet but with another year of price increases and growth in numbers its time to get serious about it.
I don't really care if its 3,000 seats, 6,000 seats, 9,000 seats and where they are placed. The stadium is undersized by MAC standards. Unacceptable.