RealDeal Wrote:My problem is not stating all the facts. Yes attendance needs to get better for football. If you're analyzing the impact the BE has had on football how can you not state that according to multiple sources we made either the best or one of the best coaching hires in football. Think that would happen if we were still in CUSA? The article implies that we can't be competitive in football, why don't you ask Rutgers and USF if they think we're competitive? Those two media darlings both took big losses at Nippert last year.

For some reason the Enquirer decided to write an article emphasizing all the negatives while discussing none of the positives. I wish I had the money to start a competitor to the enquirer because when someone does it they're going to make a fortune.

What the problem is it's spring workouts and UC fans are upbeat about football while ridiculously excited about the basketball recruits. So they had to try and add a depressing spend to UC. It didn't work because UC is getting Big East-caliber talent in and that's going to make us a factor on the national scene.

Jackson1011 Wrote:Just out of curiosity....are there some UC fans who wished the school would have stayed in CUSA? The tone of the Memphis article seemed to imply that.

Jackson

Trust me, if you thought UC support was at an all-time low now, imagine how it would be if we were in the revamped C-USA. Even with UC winning at a high level with Huggins there were still the occasional attendance issues because fans didn't want to see Tulane, or St. Louis or East Carolina or TCU when Kentucky was playing Arkansas and Mississippi State and Ohio State was playing Michigan and Wisconsin all around us.

Jackson1011 Wrote:Just out of curiosity....are there some UC fans who wished the school would have stayed in CUSA? The tone of the Memphis article seemed to imply that.

Jackson

Cincinnati had to move... If any C-USA team was offered BCS access, you have to take it. The move possibly determines whether your university remains playing football.

chess Wrote:

Jackson1011 Wrote:Just out of curiosity....are there some UC fans who wished the school would have stayed in CUSA? The tone of the Memphis article seemed to imply that.

Jackson

Cincinnati had to move... If any C-USA team was offered BCS access, you have to take it. The move possibly determines whether your university remains playing football.

Exactly. And it was even more perfect considering it's the perfect conference for Cincinnati (Geographically perfect, urban-style program, recent history with all conference programs in football).

From a financial standpoint BE is better than CUSA or the MAC for UC. From a competitive standpoint UC would win more conference titles today and in the future in CUSA or the MAC. Now a national title might be possible going unbeaten in BE.

The debate is money vs titles. Average programs don't go to the NCAA tournament or reach major bowls. Boise State and Utah have as many BCS bowl trips as any BE team over last three years. 1 for Pitt 1 for WV and 1 for Louisville. UC gives up being a signature program of a weaker conference for being part of a BCS conference.

I'll take the BCS conference and a REAL basketball conference schedule over playing the likes of Tulane, USM, Houston, etc., any day. UC is still a great basketball program and will once again be a top team. Everyone has a down year or two here and there, and after the Huggins fiasco UC has. However, UC is still a top 10 historical basketball program so you know they will be back.

Sam goes for football, no UC fans wanted to see Tulane, USM, Houston, etc, they wanted regional teams. Now UC has a number of them plus the BCS title to go with it. If it weren't for the Huggins fiasco I have no doubt UC would have had record total attendance the last 2 seasons (save maybe the 2002 season when UC hosted OSU at PBS). UC fans are coming back around now, I expect UC attendance to be in the upper 20's this season.

Quote:Sam goes for football, no UC fans wanted to see Tulane, USM, Houston, etc,

No UC fans want to see Pitt, Syracuse, UConn, or USF either.

No doubt that UC is better off financially and geographically C-USA is terrible but be realistic. The City of Cincinnati is not stirring with the exitement of Big East football.

Topcard91 Wrote:

Quote:Sam goes for football, no UC fans wanted to see Tulane, USM, Houston, etc,

No UC fans want to see Pitt, Syracuse, UConn, or USF either.

No doubt that UC is better off financially and geographically C-USA is terrible but be realistic. The City of Cincinnati is not stirring with the exitement of Big East football.

I would imagine that Pitt and Syracuse would garner more attention for Cincy fans than anyone in cusa.

Our local media dumps on UC enough, we don't need any more on here unless it is warranted, which it is not.

UC is going to be just fine. You will see football attendance increase significantly this year. Isn't that what everyone wants - to show improvement? UC will not instantly have 50,000 show up for a football game just because they are in the Big East. The product on the field is getting better but has not been presented to the masses correctly for many reasons.

It is difficult to erase an entire history of UC football apathy in Cincinnati. Cincinnati fans are fickle - with the exception of the Reds - they support winners. Brian Kelly and the team are going to win back old fans and bring in new fans, so don't worry.

I think Pitt can become an excellent rivalry and as Syracuse improves, they will become one as well.

Topcard91 Wrote:No UC fans want to see Pitt, Syracuse, UConn, or USF either.

No doubt that UC is better off financially and geographically C-USA is terrible but be realistic. The City of Cincinnati is not stirring with the exitement of Big East football.

UC drew about 30K for a game in the late 90's with Syracuse (UC won on a last second FG). Although Syracuse is down, they still have a pretty good name. Same with Pitt. I truly believe UC football has been hurt as bad as basketball by the Huggins fiasco.

I'm not saying Big East football will ever be a huge draw in Cincinnati, but I do think UC can reach 30K per game in the near future.

mlb Wrote:I'm not saying Big East football will ever be a huge draw in Cincinnati, but I do think UC can reach 30K per game in the near future.

"Just win, baby! Win!"

Seriously, all we have to do is look to Louisville and their plan. They created a blueprint of how to create a national championship level program fairly quickly.

I personally feel that Terry Holland is mirroring Jurich's Louisville model at East Carolina. Bob Goin, Cincinnati's former athletic director, got the Bearcats to the show. The new AD now has to deliver.

mlb Wrote:I truly believe UC football has been hurt as bad as basketball by the Huggins fiasco.

Without question. When the boosters pulled thier money and support they didn't just pull it from the basketball program, they pulled it from the entire athletic department.

Besides the actual money aspect of lost revenue their also a lost opportunity. The exitement over entering the BE was lost over the Huggins situation. We had a big weekend to celebrate joining and the thing that comes out of it is Zimpher being booed at Fountain Square. I believe this to be the final nail in Huggins coffin. This showed her it's either him or me.

I believe we would have received a bump in both football and basketball attendance but no one was talking about the BE everyone was talking about Huggins. Instead of positive energy the program had this huge negative cloud over it and nothing else mattered.

cuseroc Wrote:

Topcard91 Wrote:

Quote:Sam goes for football, no UC fans wanted to see Tulane, USM, Houston, etc,

No UC fans want to see Pitt, Syracuse, UConn, or USF either.

No doubt that UC is better off financially and geographically C-USA is terrible but be realistic. The City of Cincinnati is not stirring with the exitement of Big East football.

I would imagine that Pitt and Syracuse would garner more attention for Cincy fans than anyone in cusa.

Well, Bowl winning UC Team hosted both Pitt and Cuse last year:

UC/Pitt attendance: 20,611

UC/'Cuse attendance: 20,146

Believe that was lower than their last year or 2 average while in CUSA.

Obviously you haven't read above... UC fans have been staying away from UC sports due to the Huggins fiasco the last two years. Go back to the game against Syracuse from the late 90's/early 2000's.

mlb Wrote:Obviously you haven't read above... UC fans have been staying away from UC sports due to the Huggins fiasco the last two years. Go back to the game against Syracuse from the late 90's/early 2000's.

I really hope we can stop using that as an excuse from this point forward. I suspect there may be some that were so affected by it they may never come back but there should be plenty of people willing to come to UC football games this season.

I 100% agree, bcfan. However, to act like it didn't have a substantial impact on UC football attendance the past 2 years would be kidding ourselves.

KnightLight Wrote:

cuseroc Wrote:

Topcard91 Wrote:

Quote:Sam goes for football, no UC fans wanted to see Tulane, USM, Houston, etc,

No UC fans want to see Pitt, Syracuse, UConn, or USF either.

No doubt that UC is better off financially and geographically C-USA is terrible but be realistic. The City of Cincinnati is not stirring with the exitement of Big East football.

I would imagine that Pitt and Syracuse would garner more attention for Cincy fans than anyone in cusa.

Well, Bowl winning UC Team hosted both Pitt and Cuse last year:

UC/Pitt attendance: 20,611

UC/'Cuse attendance: 20,146

Believe that was lower than their last year or 2 average while in CUSA.

As mlb pointed out. Those numbers reflect the upheaval that was going on with Cincy sports. Surely your not suggesting that UCF, Rice, Houston, etc..schools that have more losing tradition than winning garners more interest than the the BE schools. Get back to me in 2008 when things have settled down and the numbers will be more indicative of the level of interest.

Cincy needs some fans to get their butts in the stadium. Tell whoever Markets your stuff to get the cincy Logo on every corner, street, and town in Ohio. Cincy has a bright future as a football program but their lack of fan support is killing them. What happens if they have a chance to go to a really good bowl in the future but get shafted cause they have bad fan support?

The new athletic department staff is doing everything they can to advertise UC football. It is much better than in the past, and I fully expect a substantial increase in attendance this season.

A question does your new president really support sports? If, she does not this article is only the tip of the iceberg for Bearcat athletics! And Bearcats fans had better start getting their collective butts to the football games!