(07-07-2015 03:50 PM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:33 PM)salukiblue Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:06 PM)Stammers Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 02:47 PM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 02:33 PM)salukiblue Wrote:  It's just not fair to compare Memphis to a college town program. Wisky is the only game in town in Madison, there aren't tons of ways to spend one's entertainment dollar and there aren't other pro sporting options in the city. Add to that the regional attraction of other college programs and Memphis is in a tough spot.

Look at the hick towns that dominate the SEC...Auburn, Tuscaloosa, Starkville, Fayetteville, Gainesville, Oxford...they are the only thing going for those cities. There really is nothing else to do.

I always thought that Louisville and Cincinnati were good measuring sticks. Considering that the Bearcats have competition in the Bengals, I think they do very well.

Obviously, Louisville is the roadmap for football. It's pretty impressive what they've been able to do with football attendance, but they wouldn't have done it without on field success.

I still believe that Memphis could do amazing things (from an attendance standpoint) if we could ever have an EXTENDED run of success like Louisville, Boise, Cincy and TCU have had.

Poor performance has been a major problem, but the size of the stadium is an even bigger problem. If all these years we had a stadium with a capacity of 35,000 and a decent atmosphere for tailgating, the program would be in infinitely better shape.

I bet that in the last 10 years, at least half of the games have had less than 30k in the stadium. Even if the product is entertaining, there is no way that the game day atmosphere is anything special.

25,000 with fun tailgating is a fun experience in a 35,000 seat stadium. In a 60,000 seat stadium, you spend half the time noticing all the empty seats.

...and that will forever be the elephant in the room when the powers that be gnash their teeth on how to increase football attendance.

No matter what is done on the field and off the field, Memphis simply can't put 50K a game in the LB. And even if they put 50k in the stadium, there are still open seats and leftover tickets, so tickets never come at a premium.

I guess the other thing is to quit trying to "be" an SEC school.

Look at other FBS schools like Pitt, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Stanford, Cal, Oregon State--they all averaged between 39K and 47K a game.

I find it hard to believe that if we run off three or four straight 10 win seasons (ala Boise or Louisville) then we won't average near 50k per game (with similar ticket pricing).

I'd love the opportunity to prove that theory one way or the other.

I agree, provided we keep an SEC or a select B12 school on the home schedule annually. But if someone attempts to protect the record like TW & RC did by dumbing down the schedule, folks will see through it & not attend.

(07-07-2015 03:53 PM)Atlanta Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:50 PM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:33 PM)salukiblue Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:06 PM)Stammers Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 02:47 PM)3601 Wrote:  I always thought that Louisville and Cincinnati were good measuring sticks. Considering that the Bearcats have competition in the Bengals, I think they do very well.

Obviously, Louisville is the roadmap for football. It's pretty impressive what they've been able to do with football attendance, but they wouldn't have done it without on field success.

I still believe that Memphis could do amazing things (from an attendance standpoint) if we could ever have an EXTENDED run of success like Louisville, Boise, Cincy and TCU have had.

Poor performance has been a major problem, but the size of the stadium is an even bigger problem. If all these years we had a stadium with a capacity of 35,000 and a decent atmosphere for tailgating, the program would be in infinitely better shape.

I bet that in the last 10 years, at least half of the games have had less than 30k in the stadium. Even if the product is entertaining, there is no way that the game day atmosphere is anything special.

25,000 with fun tailgating is a fun experience in a 35,000 seat stadium. In a 60,000 seat stadium, you spend half the time noticing all the empty seats.

...and that will forever be the elephant in the room when the powers that be gnash their teeth on how to increase football attendance.

No matter what is done on the field and off the field, Memphis simply can't put 50K a game in the LB. And even if they put 50k in the stadium, there are still open seats and leftover tickets, so tickets never come at a premium.

I guess the other thing is to quit trying to "be" an SEC school.

Look at other FBS schools like Pitt, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Stanford, Cal, Oregon State--they all averaged between 39K and 47K a game.

I find it hard to believe that if we run off three or four straight 10 win seasons (ala Boise or Louisville) then we won't average near 50k per game (with similar ticket pricing).

I'd love the opportunity to prove that theory one way or the other.

I agree, provided we keep an SEC or a select B12 school on the home schedule annually. But if someone attempts to protect the record like TW & RC did by dumbing down the schedule, folks will see through it & not attend.

There's nothing wrong with dumbing down the schedule....if you win all of those games.

1. Rudd and Bowen have both recently made statements regarding chairbacks. Maybe they know something we (and Jeb) don't?

2. There is always the possibility of a bigger tarp in the south endzone.

(07-07-2015 03:55 PM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:53 PM)Atlanta Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:50 PM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:33 PM)salukiblue Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:06 PM)Stammers Wrote:  Poor performance has been a major problem, but the size of the stadium is an even bigger problem. If all these years we had a stadium with a capacity of 35,000 and a decent atmosphere for tailgating, the program would be in infinitely better shape.

I bet that in the last 10 years, at least half of the games have had less than 30k in the stadium. Even if the product is entertaining, there is no way that the game day atmosphere is anything special.

25,000 with fun tailgating is a fun experience in a 35,000 seat stadium. In a 60,000 seat stadium, you spend half the time noticing all the empty seats.

...and that will forever be the elephant in the room when the powers that be gnash their teeth on how to increase football attendance.

No matter what is done on the field and off the field, Memphis simply can't put 50K a game in the LB. And even if they put 50k in the stadium, there are still open seats and leftover tickets, so tickets never come at a premium.

I guess the other thing is to quit trying to "be" an SEC school.

Look at other FBS schools like Pitt, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Stanford, Cal, Oregon State--they all averaged between 39K and 47K a game.

I find it hard to believe that if we run off three or four straight 10 win seasons (ala Boise or Louisville) then we won't average near 50k per game (with similar ticket pricing).

I'd love the opportunity to prove that theory one way or the other.

I agree, provided we keep an SEC or a select B12 school on the home schedule annually. But if someone attempts to protect the record like TW & RC did by dumbing down the schedule, folks will see through it & not attend.

There's nothing wrong with dumbing down the schedule....if you win all of those games.

That's the trap. But I disagree, Memphis area folks know competitive FB & they won't pay to watch a dumbed down schedule for long given the alternatives in close proximity & TV choices, recruits won't come & losing begins. It's a self-perpetuating free-fall.

(07-07-2015 04:01 PM)Atlanta Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:55 PM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:53 PM)Atlanta Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:50 PM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:33 PM)salukiblue Wrote:  ...and that will forever be the elephant in the room when the powers that be gnash their teeth on how to increase football attendance.

No matter what is done on the field and off the field, Memphis simply can't put 50K a game in the LB. And even if they put 50k in the stadium, there are still open seats and leftover tickets, so tickets never come at a premium.

I guess the other thing is to quit trying to "be" an SEC school.

Look at other FBS schools like Pitt, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Stanford, Cal, Oregon State--they all averaged between 39K and 47K a game.

I find it hard to believe that if we run off three or four straight 10 win seasons (ala Boise or Louisville) then we won't average near 50k per game (with similar ticket pricing).

I'd love the opportunity to prove that theory one way or the other.

I agree, provided we keep an SEC or a select B12 school on the home schedule annually. But if someone attempts to protect the record like TW & RC did by dumbing down the schedule, folks will see through it & not attend.

There's nothing wrong with dumbing down the schedule....if you win all of those games.

That's the trap. But I disagree, Memphis area folks know competitive FB & they won't pay to watch a dumbed down schedule for long given the alternatives in close proximity & TV choices, recruits won't come & losing begins. It's a self-perpetuating free-fall.

I have no problem bashing RC, but I don't blame RC and Tommy for at least giving it a try. It certainly didn't succeed, but at least they tried something different.

(07-07-2015 04:03 PM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 04:01 PM)Atlanta Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:55 PM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:53 PM)Atlanta Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:50 PM)3601 Wrote:  I find it hard to believe that if we run off three or four straight 10 win seasons (ala Boise or Louisville) then we won't average near 50k per game (with similar ticket pricing).

I'd love the opportunity to prove that theory one way or the other.

I agree, provided we keep an SEC or a select B12 school on the home schedule annually. But if someone attempts to protect the record like TW & RC did by dumbing down the schedule, folks will see through it & not attend.

There's nothing wrong with dumbing down the schedule....if you win all of those games.

That's the trap. But I disagree, Memphis area folks know competitive FB & they won't pay to watch a dumbed down schedule for long given the alternatives in close proximity & TV choices, recruits won't come & losing begins. It's a self-perpetuating free-fall.

I have no problem bashing RC, but I don't blame RC and Tommy for at least giving it a try. It certainly didn't succeed, but at least they tried something different.

Rather than recruit, promote, fund & improve the program.

(07-07-2015 04:01 PM)Atlanta Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:55 PM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:53 PM)Atlanta Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:50 PM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:33 PM)salukiblue Wrote:  ...and that will forever be the elephant in the room when the powers that be gnash their teeth on how to increase football attendance.

No matter what is done on the field and off the field, Memphis simply can't put 50K a game in the LB. And even if they put 50k in the stadium, there are still open seats and leftover tickets, so tickets never come at a premium.

I guess the other thing is to quit trying to "be" an SEC school.

Look at other FBS schools like Pitt, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Stanford, Cal, Oregon State--they all averaged between 39K and 47K a game.

I find it hard to believe that if we run off three or four straight 10 win seasons (ala Boise or Louisville) then we won't average near 50k per game (with similar ticket pricing).

I'd love the opportunity to prove that theory one way or the other.

I agree, provided we keep an SEC or a select B12 school on the home schedule annually. But if someone attempts to protect the record like TW & RC did by dumbing down the schedule, folks will see through it & not attend.

There's nothing wrong with dumbing down the schedule....if you win all of those games.

That's the trap. But I disagree, Memphis area folks know competitive FB & they won't pay to watch a dumbed down schedule for long given the alternatives in close proximity & TV choices, recruits won't come & losing begins. It's a self-perpetuating free-fall.

3601 is right. Last season, Marshall came within a field goal of playing in an access bowl. Having said that; TW didn't dumb down the schedule to go 12-0. He dumbed down the schedule because he stopped recruiting, and knew it was his only shot at winning games.

(07-07-2015 03:44 PM)Stammers Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:33 PM)salukiblue Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:06 PM)Stammers Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 02:47 PM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 02:33 PM)salukiblue Wrote:  It's just not fair to compare Memphis to a college town program. Wisky is the only game in town in Madison, there aren't tons of ways to spend one's entertainment dollar and there aren't other pro sporting options in the city. Add to that the regional attraction of other college programs and Memphis is in a tough spot.

Look at the hick towns that dominate the SEC...Auburn, Tuscaloosa, Starkville, Fayetteville, Gainesville, Oxford...they are the only thing going for those cities. There really is nothing else to do.

I always thought that Louisville and Cincinnati were good measuring sticks. Considering that the Bearcats have competition in the Bengals, I think they do very well.

Obviously, Louisville is the roadmap for football. It's pretty impressive what they've been able to do with football attendance, but they wouldn't have done it without on field success.

I still believe that Memphis could do amazing things (from an attendance standpoint) if we could ever have an EXTENDED run of success like Louisville, Boise, Cincy and TCU have had.

Poor performance has been a major problem, but the size of the stadium is an even bigger problem. If all these years we had a stadium with a capacity of 35,000 and a decent atmosphere for tailgating, the program would be in infinitely better shape.

I bet that in the last 10 years, at least half of the games have had less than 30k in the stadium. Even if the product is entertaining, there is no way that the game day atmosphere is anything special.

25,000 with fun tailgating is a fun experience in a 35,000 seat stadium. In a 60,000 seat stadium, you spend half the time noticing all the empty seats.

...and that will forever be the elephant in the room when the powers that be gnash their teeth on how to increase football attendance.

No matter what is done on the field and off the field, Memphis simply can't put 50K a game in the LB. And even if they put 50k in the stadium, there are still open seats and leftover tickets, so tickets never come at a premium.

I guess the other thing is to quit trying to "be" an SEC school.

Look at other FBS schools like Pitt, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Stanford, Cal, Oregon State--they all averaged between 39K and 47K a game.

I'm too lazy to look it up, but it seems that a lot of programs are downsizing. Baylor built a small stadium and I think Stanford took out a bunch of seats when they renovated. Papa John's, which should be the model (as Jurich is) was a 42,000 seat gem.

It's a real pity. Having so many seats also means that the luxury boxes are 7 miles from the field...one more revenue stream lost.

They expanded Papa John to 55K.

(07-08-2015 09:54 AM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:44 PM)Stammers Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:33 PM)salukiblue Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:06 PM)Stammers Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 02:47 PM)3601 Wrote:  I always thought that Louisville and Cincinnati were good measuring sticks. Considering that the Bearcats have competition in the Bengals, I think they do very well.

Obviously, Louisville is the roadmap for football. It's pretty impressive what they've been able to do with football attendance, but they wouldn't have done it without on field success.

I still believe that Memphis could do amazing things (from an attendance standpoint) if we could ever have an EXTENDED run of success like Louisville, Boise, Cincy and TCU have had.

Poor performance has been a major problem, but the size of the stadium is an even bigger problem. If all these years we had a stadium with a capacity of 35,000 and a decent atmosphere for tailgating, the program would be in infinitely better shape.

I bet that in the last 10 years, at least half of the games have had less than 30k in the stadium. Even if the product is entertaining, there is no way that the game day atmosphere is anything special.

25,000 with fun tailgating is a fun experience in a 35,000 seat stadium. In a 60,000 seat stadium, you spend half the time noticing all the empty seats.

...and that will forever be the elephant in the room when the powers that be gnash their teeth on how to increase football attendance.

No matter what is done on the field and off the field, Memphis simply can't put 50K a game in the LB. And even if they put 50k in the stadium, there are still open seats and leftover tickets, so tickets never come at a premium.

I guess the other thing is to quit trying to "be" an SEC school.

Look at other FBS schools like Pitt, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Stanford, Cal, Oregon State--they all averaged between 39K and 47K a game.

I'm too lazy to look it up, but it seems that a lot of programs are downsizing. Baylor built a small stadium and I think Stanford took out a bunch of seats when they renovated. Papa John's, which should be the model (as Jurich is) was a 42,000 seat gem.

It's a real pity. Having so many seats also means that the luxury boxes are 7 miles from the field...one more revenue stream lost.

They expanded Papa John to 55K.

I'm aware of that, but the recent trend is to go the other way. Just saying that when Papa John's was built it was the perfect size for them and would be the perfect size for us. Small enough to create demand for big games, and still create a great atmosphere when there are only 25k in attendance. Big enough to accommodate our fans for 90% of our games.

The horseshoe configuration allowed them to choose between filling in an end zone, or adding a tier in the middle of the field (which is what they ended up doing. Papa John's was the exact perfect size, and perfect price; exactly what we need.

(07-08-2015 09:59 AM)Stammers Wrote:  

(07-08-2015 09:54 AM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:44 PM)Stammers Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:33 PM)salukiblue Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:06 PM)Stammers Wrote:  Poor performance has been a major problem, but the size of the stadium is an even bigger problem. If all these years we had a stadium with a capacity of 35,000 and a decent atmosphere for tailgating, the program would be in infinitely better shape.

I bet that in the last 10 years, at least half of the games have had less than 30k in the stadium. Even if the product is entertaining, there is no way that the game day atmosphere is anything special.

25,000 with fun tailgating is a fun experience in a 35,000 seat stadium. In a 60,000 seat stadium, you spend half the time noticing all the empty seats.

...and that will forever be the elephant in the room when the powers that be gnash their teeth on how to increase football attendance.

No matter what is done on the field and off the field, Memphis simply can't put 50K a game in the LB. And even if they put 50k in the stadium, there are still open seats and leftover tickets, so tickets never come at a premium.

I guess the other thing is to quit trying to "be" an SEC school.

Look at other FBS schools like Pitt, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Stanford, Cal, Oregon State--they all averaged between 39K and 47K a game.

I'm too lazy to look it up, but it seems that a lot of programs are downsizing. Baylor built a small stadium and I think Stanford took out a bunch of seats when they renovated. Papa John's, which should be the model (as Jurich is) was a 42,000 seat gem.

It's a real pity. Having so many seats also means that the luxury boxes are 7 miles from the field...one more revenue stream lost.

They expanded Papa John to 55K.

I'm aware of that, but the recent trend is to go the other way. Just saying that when Papa John's was built it was the perfect size for them and would be the perfect size for us. Small enough to create demand for big games, and still create a great atmosphere when there are only 25k in attendance. Big enough to accommodate our fans for 90% of our games.

The horseshoe configuration allowed them to choose between filling in an end zone, or adding a tier in the middle of the field (which is what they ended up doing. Papa John's was the exact perfect size, and perfect price; exactly what we need.

It's a moot point unless we build and OCS...and that ain't gonna happen in the next two decades.

(07-07-2015 03:55 PM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:53 PM)Atlanta Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:50 PM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:33 PM)salukiblue Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:06 PM)Stammers Wrote:  Poor performance has been a major problem, but the size of the stadium is an even bigger problem. If all these years we had a stadium with a capacity of 35,000 and a decent atmosphere for tailgating, the program would be in infinitely better shape.

I bet that in the last 10 years, at least half of the games have had less than 30k in the stadium. Even if the product is entertaining, there is no way that the game day atmosphere is anything special.

25,000 with fun tailgating is a fun experience in a 35,000 seat stadium. In a 60,000 seat stadium, you spend half the time noticing all the empty seats.

...and that will forever be the elephant in the room when the powers that be gnash their teeth on how to increase football attendance.

No matter what is done on the field and off the field, Memphis simply can't put 50K a game in the LB. And even if they put 50k in the stadium, there are still open seats and leftover tickets, so tickets never come at a premium.

I guess the other thing is to quit trying to "be" an SEC school.

Look at other FBS schools like Pitt, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Stanford, Cal, Oregon State--they all averaged between 39K and 47K a game.

I find it hard to believe that if we run off three or four straight 10 win seasons (ala Boise or Louisville) then we won't average near 50k per game (with similar ticket pricing).

I'd love the opportunity to prove that theory one way or the other.

I agree, provided we keep an SEC or a select B12 school on the home schedule annually. But if someone attempts to protect the record like TW & RC did by dumbing down the schedule, folks will see through it & not attend.

There's nothing wrong with dumbing down the schedule....if you win all of those games.

We went that route and failed... miserably. Too good of football in the area to try and make money off of cupcakes. We just do not have the fanbase to make such a ploy work. Too, better recruits want to play against better programs. Playing a cupcake schedule, along with Tommy West's ambivalence, set this program back 10 years.

If the program is going to ever make money w/o being scooped up by a P5 conference, it will only happen by building a smaller OCS.

If we had full control of LBMS I would suggest reducing capacity simply by renumbering the seats and making each seat an inch or two wider.

However, the Earhardt group and Fred Jones would fight it. If you could Jones to agree with the University for capacity you might be able to come up with something creative....

Reseat the stadium after the last Tigers home game and before the bowl game. There would be some cost involved, but it is feasible.

You simply pull off the seating number stickers and replace them.

(07-08-2015 11:07 AM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-08-2015 09:59 AM)Stammers Wrote:  

(07-08-2015 09:54 AM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:44 PM)Stammers Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:33 PM)salukiblue Wrote:  ...and that will forever be the elephant in the room when the powers that be gnash their teeth on how to increase football attendance.

No matter what is done on the field and off the field, Memphis simply can't put 50K a game in the LB. And even if they put 50k in the stadium, there are still open seats and leftover tickets, so tickets never come at a premium.

I guess the other thing is to quit trying to "be" an SEC school.

Look at other FBS schools like Pitt, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Stanford, Cal, Oregon State--they all averaged between 39K and 47K a game.

I'm too lazy to look it up, but it seems that a lot of programs are downsizing. Baylor built a small stadium and I think Stanford took out a bunch of seats when they renovated. Papa John's, which should be the model (as Jurich is) was a 42,000 seat gem.

It's a real pity. Having so many seats also means that the luxury boxes are 7 miles from the field...one more revenue stream lost.

They expanded Papa John to 55K.

I'm aware of that, but the recent trend is to go the other way. Just saying that when Papa John's was built it was the perfect size for them and would be the perfect size for us. Small enough to create demand for big games, and still create a great atmosphere when there are only 25k in attendance. Big enough to accommodate our fans for 90% of our games.

The horseshoe configuration allowed them to choose between filling in an end zone, or adding a tier in the middle of the field (which is what they ended up doing. Papa John's was the exact perfect size, and perfect price; exactly what we need.

It's a moot point unless we build and OCS...and that ain't gonna happen in the next two decades.

I would bet almost anything that when we get into a P5, our admin will have one planned within 3-5 years. They are too smart, too forward thinking, and too connected to think otherwise.

(07-08-2015 11:13 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:55 PM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:53 PM)Atlanta Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:50 PM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:33 PM)salukiblue Wrote:  ...and that will forever be the elephant in the room when the powers that be gnash their teeth on how to increase football attendance.

No matter what is done on the field and off the field, Memphis simply can't put 50K a game in the LB. And even if they put 50k in the stadium, there are still open seats and leftover tickets, so tickets never come at a premium.

I guess the other thing is to quit trying to "be" an SEC school.

Look at other FBS schools like Pitt, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Stanford, Cal, Oregon State--they all averaged between 39K and 47K a game.

I find it hard to believe that if we run off three or four straight 10 win seasons (ala Boise or Louisville) then we won't average near 50k per game (with similar ticket pricing).

I'd love the opportunity to prove that theory one way or the other.

I agree, provided we keep an SEC or a select B12 school on the home schedule annually. But if someone attempts to protect the record like TW & RC did by dumbing down the schedule, folks will see through it & not attend.

There's nothing wrong with dumbing down the schedule....if you win all of those games.

We went that route and failed... miserably. Too good of football in the area to try and make money off of cupcakes. We just do not have the fanbase to make such a ploy work. Too, better recruits want to play against better programs. Playing a cupcake schedule, along with Tommy West's ambivalence, set this program back 10 years.

If the program is going to ever make money w/o being scooped up by a P5 conference, it will only happen by building a smaller OCS.

The reason it failed is because we lost the games. If we would have won the games it would have worked.

(07-08-2015 11:15 AM)Stammers Wrote:  

(07-08-2015 11:07 AM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-08-2015 09:59 AM)Stammers Wrote:  

(07-08-2015 09:54 AM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:44 PM)Stammers Wrote:  I'm too lazy to look it up, but it seems that a lot of programs are downsizing. Baylor built a small stadium and I think Stanford took out a bunch of seats when they renovated. Papa John's, which should be the model (as Jurich is) was a 42,000 seat gem.

It's a real pity. Having so many seats also means that the luxury boxes are 7 miles from the field...one more revenue stream lost.

They expanded Papa John to 55K.

I'm aware of that, but the recent trend is to go the other way. Just saying that when Papa John's was built it was the perfect size for them and would be the perfect size for us. Small enough to create demand for big games, and still create a great atmosphere when there are only 25k in attendance. Big enough to accommodate our fans for 90% of our games.

The horseshoe configuration allowed them to choose between filling in an end zone, or adding a tier in the middle of the field (which is what they ended up doing. Papa John's was the exact perfect size, and perfect price; exactly what we need.

It's a moot point unless we build and OCS...and that ain't gonna happen in the next two decades.

I would bet almost anything that when we get into a P5, our admin will have one planned within 3-5 years. They are too smart, too forward thinking, and too connected to think otherwise.

Wow.

(07-08-2015 11:14 AM)3601 Wrote:  If we had full control of LBMS I would suggest reducing capacity simply by renumbering the seats and making each seat an inch or two wider.

However, the Earhardt group and Fred Jones would fight it. If you could Jones to agree with the University for capacity you might be able to come up with something creative....

Reseat the stadium after the last Tigers home game and before the bowl game. There would be some cost involved, but it is feasible.

You simply pull off the seating number stickers and replace them.

You wouldn't have to pull anything off. You could have long strips of tape custom made as long as each section, with the new numbers (and lines separating each spot) put over the old seat numbers, then pull them off after the game.

Much quicker and cost effective.

(07-08-2015 11:20 AM)Stammers Wrote:  

(07-08-2015 11:14 AM)3601 Wrote:  If we had full control of LBMS I would suggest reducing capacity simply by renumbering the seats and making each seat an inch or two wider.

However, the Earhardt group and Fred Jones would fight it. If you could Jones to agree with the University for capacity you might be able to come up with something creative....

Reseat the stadium after the last Tigers home game and before the bowl game. There would be some cost involved, but it is feasible.

You simply pull off the seating number stickers and replace them.

You wouldn't have to pull anything off. You could have long strips of tape custom made as long as each section, with the new numbers (and lines separating each spot) put over the old seat numbers, then pull them off after the game.

Much quicker and cost effective.

...and completely ghetto.

I think we are primed for a major uptick in FEF alcohol sales.

(07-08-2015 11:21 AM)salukiblue Wrote:  

(07-08-2015 11:20 AM)Stammers Wrote:  

(07-08-2015 11:14 AM)3601 Wrote:  If we had full control of LBMS I would suggest reducing capacity simply by renumbering the seats and making each seat an inch or two wider.

However, the Earhardt group and Fred Jones would fight it. If you could Jones to agree with the University for capacity you might be able to come up with something creative....

Reseat the stadium after the last Tigers home game and before the bowl game. There would be some cost involved, but it is feasible.

You simply pull off the seating number stickers and replace them.

You wouldn't have to pull anything off. You could have long strips of tape custom made as long as each section, with the new numbers (and lines separating each spot) put over the old seat numbers, then pull them off after the game.

Much quicker and cost effective.

...and completely ghetto.

It will look infinitely more classy to have different colour squares that haven't been faded by sun and rain spread out mish mash next to the new stickers.

(07-08-2015 11:13 AM)Marc Mensa Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:55 PM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:53 PM)Atlanta Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:50 PM)3601 Wrote:  

(07-07-2015 03:33 PM)salukiblue Wrote:  ...and that will forever be the elephant in the room when the powers that be gnash their teeth on how to increase football attendance.

No matter what is done on the field and off the field, Memphis simply can't put 50K a game in the LB. And even if they put 50k in the stadium, there are still open seats and leftover tickets, so tickets never come at a premium.

I guess the other thing is to quit trying to "be" an SEC school.

Look at other FBS schools like Pitt, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Stanford, Cal, Oregon State--they all averaged between 39K and 47K a game.

I find it hard to believe that if we run off three or four straight 10 win seasons (ala Boise or Louisville) then we won't average near 50k per game (with similar ticket pricing).

I'd love the opportunity to prove that theory one way or the other.

I agree, provided we keep an SEC or a select B12 school on the home schedule annually. But if someone attempts to protect the record like TW & RC did by dumbing down the schedule, folks will see through it & not attend.

There's nothing wrong with dumbing down the schedule....if you win all of those games.

We went that route and failed... miserably. Too good of football in the area to try and make money off of cupcakes. We just do not have the fanbase to make such a ploy work. Too, better recruits want to play against better programs. Playing a cupcake schedule, along with Tommy West's ambivalence, set this program back 10 years.

If the program is going to ever make money w/o being scooped up by a P5 conference, it will only happen by building a smaller OCS.

Give it up it will never happen.