(11-20-2013 04:19 PM)MemTGRS Wrote:  I will admit that I am a college football junkie.

I've never placed a bet on a football game, but for some reason every time I turn on MACtion, I feel like a degenerate gambler.

(11-20-2013 04:37 PM)SublimeKnight Wrote:  

(11-20-2013 04:19 PM)MemTGRS Wrote:  I will admit that I am a college football junkie.

I've never placed a bet on a football game, but for some reason every time I turn on MACtion, I feel like a degenerate gambler.

No you are just a fan, degenerate gamblers bet on pre-season nfl games and spring training.

(11-20-2013 04:37 PM)SublimeKnight Wrote:  

(11-20-2013 04:19 PM)MemTGRS Wrote:  I will admit that I am a college football junkie.

I've never placed a bet on a football game, but for some reason every time I turn on MACtion, I feel like a degenerate gambler.

Ha. I know what you mean. Whenever I see one of those Saturday late-late night games at Hawai'i, I imagine diehards sitting in a sports book in Vegas placing big bets in the hope of getting even for all of their losses that day.

I wonder if Fox and the MAC would be interested in placing the MAC on Fox Sports 2 for Thursday night games - unless if there's a conflict with NASCAR or some of Fox's international soccer inventory, Thursday night would be wide open on Fox Sports 2. The downside is that Fox Sports 2 is only in 37 Million homes, but Fox could make up for that with a simulcast on Fox Sports Ohio (or Sports Time Ohio) and Fox Sports Midwest. Live college football on a weeknight would greatly enhance the value of Fox Sports 2 and/or the RSNs.

Saturday could also be an option for Fox Sports 2, although the available inventory would vary due to NASCAR. The MAC Championship Game could probably clear on Fox Sports 1 since NASCAR is over by December 1 - the only competition would be some college basketball and possibly the Conference USA Championship Game (although another network may have that game).

Even CBS Sports Network could be an option, especially now that CBS has made peace with Time Warner by getting greater coverage for CBS Sports Network.

(11-20-2013 06:50 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  I wonder if Fox and the MAC would be interested in placing the MAC on Fox Sports 2 for Thursday night games - unless if there's a conflict with NASCAR or some of Fox's international soccer inventory, Thursday night would be wide open on Fox Sports 2. The downside is that Fox Sports 2 is only in 37 Million homes, but Fox could make up for that with a simulcast on Fox Sports Ohio (or Sports Time Ohio) and Fox Sports Midwest. Live college football on a weeknight would greatly enhance the value of Fox Sports 2 and/or the RSNs.

Saturday could also be an option for Fox Sports 2, although the available inventory would vary due to NASCAR. The MAC Championship Game could probably clear on Fox Sports 1 since NASCAR is over by December 1 - the only competition would be some college basketball and possibly the Conference USA Championship Game (although another network may have that game).

Even CBS Sports Network could be an option, especially now that CBS has made peace with Time Warner by getting greater coverage for CBS Sports Network.

It'd be great if we could double dip by having weeknight games on FS1/FS2/regional Fox Sports stations with weekend games on ESPN3, but the Worldwide Leader wouldn't go for that. Hitching our wagon to ESPN might be a necessary evil even we don't get a ton in return. We're in a position to really up our payday for the next TV contract, and having a lot of ties to ESPN-owned bowls is nice. Jumping to Fox for weeknight games, our biggest niche, would mean that all of those ESPN2/ESPNU games would just be going to the Sun Belt or another G5 conference.

Yep, forget FS2. This season even ESPN2 games > FS1 games

The NIU/Ball St game last week on ESPN2 drew an average of slightly over 1M viewers. Many ESPN2 games have drawn over 1M. Only 3 FS1 games this season have drawn over 1M.

this is cherry picking to call out the one weeknight MACtion game hosted by a woeful, winless program on a freezing Tuesday night. How about Ball State at Northern Illinois last week? or NIU at Toledo right now? These are fun, MACtion packed games with good crowds, exciting play and a good sized crowd. And for those of you that follow twitter, national sports media types are all about watching and commenting on MACtion.

Even Ohio, in the midst of a total collapse gets the fans out for their annual blackout game on a Tuesday night. The Bobcats NEVER appeared on any ESPN channel until Solich's home debut in 2005. Any idea how hard it is to recruit in a state that worships another college football program and yours cant even get on TV?

Weeknight MACtion isn't ideal but the pros far outweigh the cons.

Answer me this if that Miami game is on a Saturday do you really think the crowd would be better enough to make you want to miss the exposure? Remember when you sign this deal you don't know that your team will be terrible or not. Miami can figure they could be having a NIU type season (they have done it before) and by playing this game it could really get their name out there.

MAC schools care more about the exposure (to bring in new students from outside the state) and giving their alumni access to seeing their school play which 20 years ago rarely occurrred. Today I could watch a Kent State game anywhere in the country but 20 years ago I would be almost forced to actually go to the game regardless of the fact that I may be many hundreds of miles away.

Think about that Miami team they were not going to have a good crowd on a Saturday so why not try to get at least some benefit? Schools with large stadiums should care about playing on days that hurt their ability to get fans to the game but places with smaller stadiums can more easily afford to play on a weekday.

Re-watch the NIU vs Ball State last week and the NIU vs Toledo game tonight and tell me the crowds arnt good cold/late night/weeknight games in November.

(11-20-2013 02:18 PM)Aztec Since 88 Wrote:  I understand why teams play a mid-week game to get the exposure, they might not get otherwise. The problem is when you have multiple conference games on the same mid-week night it lessens viewership and thus exposure. Boise was the poster child for playing mid-week games to get exposure, but the WAC rarely scheduled any other conference games the same day to allow the two schools playing to get the maximum exposure. If I were the MAC or any other G5 conference I would limit the number of times a team plays mid-week to no more than two. The best attended football games are on Saturday, and the money goes directly to the athletic budget. Having too many mid-week games limits attendance and revenue to athletic budgets, but an occasional mid-week game will help get smaller schools exposure.

That's not a problem for anyone watching from their favorite recliner or for anyone who streams at their desk.

I doubt most schools who are on mid-week will turn down ESPNs handout or what they get from ticket sales, period. The WAC probably should have tooted the horn for more than just Boise, but that's probably on the WAC for not nudging ESPN into that. I'd have watched a mid-week Hawai'i game, but I'm not having to make it to/from the stadium, either.

You probably have a point about best attendance being on a Saturday, but don't count on it for MAC schools. Especially if you're EMU sort with a big brother just a few miles down the road.

(11-20-2013 12:17 AM)TexanMark Wrote:  I love having the option to enjoy some MACtion on ESPN...but Love and Honor knows the cost.

Attendance tonight: 989.5

Yup looks about right.

fixed

My HS on a rainy night ending a season 2-8 this year drew about the same crowd.

The problem is without this TV exposure they get, these schools would be hiding out in the middle of nowhere.

Ohio gets a lot of exposure, and so does Toledo, Buffalo and several others in their areas, but it is hard to play on Saturdays because of all the Big Ten talk.

darn baseball: MACtion needs to be in September and October. I love watching the games but hate seeing everyone freezing in the stands in November.

(11-20-2013 12:20 AM)Blackhawk-eye Wrote:  Tuesday night football does kind of suck for the programs effected. It's tough to get a good crowd on a school night and how in the world do alumni make the time to travel back to campus, tailgate, etc on a Tuesday?

Take a day or two of vacation, call in sick or whatever else it takes if you are a fan with pride and a sense of responsibility.

(11-21-2013 01:20 PM)Gray Avenger Wrote:  

(11-20-2013 12:20 AM)Blackhawk-eye Wrote:  Tuesday night football does kind of suck for the programs effected. It's tough to get a good crowd on a school night and how in the world do alumni make the time to travel back to campus, tailgate, etc on a Tuesday?

Take a day or two of vacation, call in sick or whatever else it takes if you are a fan with pride and a sense of responsibility.

there's no way, as a Memphis fan, that you typed that without laughing out loud.