After watching the excitement generated by the UC vs Miami game played Saturday on Octoberfest weekend at PBS it became apparent to me that in order to really make the game mean something it should be played every year during Octoberfest at PBS.

If the game Saturday was played in Oxford it would have maybe drew 20,000 or so but playing at PBS during Octoberfest they drew close to 42,000. The fact that Miami had a 19 game losing streak did not seem to matter to the fans. The UC homecoming got a lot more attention and holding it at the Banks I sure helped draw more alliums. Even Miami fans showed up because it was at PBS and The Banks.

So for me this game needs to be played every year at PBS during Octoberfest and if you add UC or Miami Homecoming , The Banks, great September weather the game takes on more meaning. It can be a way to save the game for Miami and make it worth playing for UC. It may also give UC a chance to play other P5 teams if a Miami won't make a decision. Liken it to Colorado playing Colorado St in Denver.

I like the idea. The only problem is that it creates more pressure for the AD to find another home game every other year. No way we give up a home game.

So call it a home game every other year @ PBS for each team. Miami gets their season ticket holders and student section alternate years and UC still dominates the crowd. It will show up on the UC schedule as a road game with a home game crowd and atmosphere.

UC isn't spending $86 million on Nippert to play future games in PBS.

Yes - it was a great atmosphere and Octoberfest helped the attendance, but people are spending a lot of money for new premium seats at Nippert and I think they will want to get their money's worth out of their investment.

(09-22-2014 07:06 AM)bearcatfan Wrote:  UC isn't spending $86 million on Nippert to play future games in PBS.

Yes - it was a great atmosphere and Octoberfest helped the attendance, but people are spending a lot of money for new premium seats at Nippert and I think they will want to get their money's worth out of their investment.

Completely agree Bearcatfan. Besides, won't that trolley be in by next year, or am I all wet on the matter? If it is, it will be very easy to traverse between the fest and the games.

Besides, I doubt there is a lot of money to be made by renting the stadium from the Brown family every year. If 66K show up, maybe. But that does not seem in play.

(09-22-2014 07:25 AM)BJUnklFkr Wrote:  

(09-22-2014 07:06 AM)bearcatfan Wrote:  UC isn't spending $86 million on Nippert to play future games in PBS.

Yes - it was a great atmosphere and Octoberfest helped the attendance, but people are spending a lot of money for new premium seats at Nippert and I think they will want to get their money's worth out of their investment.

Completely agree Bearcatfan. Besides, won't that trolley be in by next year, or am I all wet on the matter? If it is, it will be very easy to traverse between the fest and the games.

Besides, I doubt there is a lot of money to be made by renting the stadium from the Brown family every year. If 66K show up, maybe. But that does not seem in play.

Ok I get your point . So keep playing in Oxford before 20,000 mostly UC fans anyway. Don't increase fan interest in the game. Don't take give UC exposure at an event that draws 500,000 people down town. UC needs to think more about more regional and state wide recognition.

You're thinking about recognition and that is always nice to increase the awareness of UC football.

But the dollar drives the bus and it costs UC money to play downtown.

UC will not give that up unless they are sure they can get a crowd of 55,000 plus. I think that is the number I heard they need to break even with a sold out game in Nippert. And until Miami can attract a large amount of people, that crowd size is not in the near future.

(09-22-2014 08:30 AM)Bearcat Otto Wrote:  You're thinking about recognition and that is always nice to increase the awareness of UC football.

But the dollar drives the bus and it costs UC money to play downtown.

UC will not give that up unless they are sure they can get a crowd of 55,000 plus. I think that is the number I heard they need to break even with a sold out game in Nippert. And until Miami can attract a large amount of people, that crowd size is not in the near future.

I feel the same way. If Miami could support their team in a meaningful way, you could play it like the TX-OK or FL-GA game. Then it could've a home game every year for both schools.

(09-22-2014 07:06 AM)bearcatfan Wrote:  UC isn't spending $86 million on Nippert to play future games in PBS.

Yes - it was a great atmosphere and Octoberfest helped the attendance, but people are spending a lot of money for new premium seats at Nippert and I think they will want to get their money's worth out of their investment.

Great point my club seats will cost $2,500/year per seat. I can only imagine the suite people's reaction. My take on PBS is:

1. Parking sucks and costs $20 versus great parking I get free at UC
2. Take more time to get in and get out than at UC
3. Dining is much better at Banks. WG is good. Crave was mediocre. Mahogany's is out of business (LOL)
4. My seats were much better at Nippert than PBS.

Why not alternate Nippert one year, PBS the next and never go to Oxford. The PBS year would be a shared revenue year. The only good thing about Yeager is it is the only roadtrip anymore. No more UL, UP, or WVA trips. In future we have road trips to Purdue, The Ohio University, Indiana, Michigan, but no regulars every year.

(09-22-2014 08:43 AM)dossbig Wrote:  Why not alternate Nippert one year, PBS the next and never go to Oxford. The PBS year would be a shared revenue year.

This is what should be done. You might not be able to convince Miami to share the PBS revenue, but UC should not be traveling to MAC campuses for football.

Just sayin'... The storied OSU-UC game at PBS back in 2002 was at the same time as Octoberfest as well. I parked over in Kentucky and walked across the Roebling Bridge (the Reds were playing at the same time...) and after the game wandered up to Octoberfest.

It was great.

(09-22-2014 09:29 AM)bearcatdp Wrote:  

(09-22-2014 08:43 AM)dossbig Wrote:  Why not alternate Nippert one year, PBS the next and never go to Oxford. The PBS year would be a shared revenue year.

This is what should be done. You might not be able to convince Miami to share the PBS revenue, but UC should not be traveling to MAC campuses for football.

You could sell it as a neutral site game. What difference would it make to Miami? Yager is mostly UC fans anyway at the games up in Oxford.

The City powers that be had to have LOVED the extra folks the UC game drew to downtown, and vice versa, I think the UC game got a bump from the Oktoberfest crowd. They had one of the City event planners on with Broo on Sunday morning Sports Talk, and he said they even reached out to Tennessee Titan fans telling them of all the things happening in downtown Cincinnati this weekend.

(09-22-2014 10:07 AM)Cat-Man Wrote:  The City powers that be had to have LOVED the extra folks the UC game drew to downtown, and vice versa, I think the UC game got a bump from the Oktoberfest crowd. They had one of the City event planners on with Broo on Sunday morning Sports Talk, and he said they even reached out to Tennessee Titan fans telling them of all the things happening in downtown Cincinnati this weekend.

PBS can be should be at neutral site game for teams that won't play at Nippert
Make the game a quasi 7th home game. Make sure you have at least 6 home games at Nippert every year. That way no P5 team can turn you down because of stadium size. And it could be played during Octoberfest it's a win win Just get done.

(09-22-2014 09:40 AM)JackieTreehorn Wrote:  

(09-22-2014 09:29 AM)bearcatdp Wrote:  

(09-22-2014 08:43 AM)dossbig Wrote:  Why not alternate Nippert one year, PBS the next and never go to Oxford. The PBS year would be a shared revenue year.

This is what should be done. You might not be able to convince Miami to share the PBS revenue, but UC should not be traveling to MAC campuses for football.

You could sell it as a neutral site game. What difference would it make to Miami? Yager is mostly UC fans anyway at the games up in Oxford.

What difference would it make to them? They would be giving up a home game as well as the revenue that comes with it.

(09-22-2014 04:17 PM)subflea Wrote:  

(09-22-2014 09:40 AM)JackieTreehorn Wrote:  

(09-22-2014 09:29 AM)bearcatdp Wrote:  

(09-22-2014 08:43 AM)dossbig Wrote:  Why not alternate Nippert one year, PBS the next and never go to Oxford. The PBS year would be a shared revenue year.

This is what should be done. You might not be able to convince Miami to share the PBS revenue, but UC should not be traveling to MAC campuses for football.

You could sell it as a neutral site game. What difference would it make to Miami? Yager is mostly UC fans anyway at the games up in Oxford.

What difference would it make to them? They would be giving up a home game as well as the revenue that comes with it.

If you split the gate with them, maybe a lot more money. One of the last times we played up there I counted about 12 people in the stands on the Miami bench side(not counting the band) a few minutes before kickoff.

The numbers have been thrown around before for what it takes to break even playing at PBS in a normal year, and the Miami game this weekend was right at about that point. So in splitting the gate, they would probably still lose revenue even if there were 40k plus downtown every year. There is no reason for Miami to agree to give up their home game in this series. It is one of the few games they actually sell a bunch of tickets outside of their season ticket holders.

(09-22-2014 04:53 PM)subflea Wrote:  The numbers have been thrown around before for what it takes to break even playing at PBS in a normal year, and the Miami game this weekend was right at about that point. So in splitting the gate, they would probably still lose revenue even if there were 40k plus downtown every year. There is no reason for Miami to agree to give up their home game in this series. It is one of the few games they actually sell a bunch of tickets outside of their season ticket holders.

I have an idea, let us UC fans boycott the game in Oxford so it gets ended. Yes I have been going to Oxford for over 30 years but let's stop and end this home and home crap.

(09-22-2014 04:53 PM)subflea Wrote:  The numbers have been thrown around before for what it takes to break even playing at PBS in a normal year, and the Miami game this weekend was right at about that point. So in splitting the gate, they would probably still lose revenue even if there were 40k plus downtown every year. There is no reason for Miami to agree to give up their home game in this series. It is one of the few games they actually sell a bunch of tickets outside of their season ticket holders.

Let Miami keep the "off year" as their home game......but refuse to play unless it's scheduled every other year at PBS during Octoberfest under a revenue sharing 'contract' that's closer to a neutral sight game. Unfortunately, it will probably take several more trips to Oxford before this dawns on Tubs...but he won't be around after the current contract runs out. Playing in Oxford is a no win proposition w/ zero benefit to UC. Bohn needs to think ahead and 'act' like a P5 scheduling environment is what we'll be dealing with when the new contract takes hold.

It's not our job to make sure Miami "makes money" on the game.................their pathetic and apathetic fan base is why there weren't 50K+ at the game. It looked like they had fewer fans than Toledo did. If they won't do it because they can't 'sell the game' like UC did........then cancel the series.

The current contract runs through 2020, so we are at least playing for that long under the current arrangement. I fully expect it to continue after that date. In a time where we have enough trouble scheduling OOC, we have a built in series with a road trip that costs our athletic department next to nothing every other year.