https://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/2019/...eason.html

It's not surprising 1-11 records crash your season ticket base, but what's notable is scanned tickets show original B1G alums aren't exactly flocking to see their team play near NYC.

Quote:Here are Rutgers’ 2018 scanned ticket numbers, with its announced-attendance figure in parentheses:

Texas State: 23,303 scanned (40,124 announced)
Buffalo: 17,222 scanned (34,574 announced)
Indiana: 15,880 scanned (32,056 announced)
Illinois: 17,302 scanned (36,702 announced)
Northwestern: 16,096 scanned (32,514 announced)
Michigan: 24,750 scanned (43,768 announced)
Penn State: 25,941 scanned (44,840 announced)

It's too bad a northeastern FB conference never materialized for the long haul.

(08-16-2019 02:10 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  https://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/2019/...eason.html

It's not surprising 1-11 records crash your season ticket base, but what's notable is scanned tickets show original B1G alums aren't exactly flocking to see their team play near NYC.

Quote:Here are Rutgers’ 2018 scanned ticket numbers, with its announced-attendance figure in parentheses:

Texas State: 23,303 scanned (40,124 announced)
Buffalo: 17,222 scanned (34,574 announced)
Indiana: 15,880 scanned (32,056 announced)
Illinois: 17,302 scanned (36,702 announced)
Northwestern: 16,096 scanned (32,514 announced)
Michigan: 24,750 scanned (43,768 announced)
Penn State: 25,941 scanned (44,840 announced)

It's too bad a northeastern FB conference never materialized for the long haul.

Penn State would normally take over a stadium (see Temple) when an opponent close by has a ton of inventory. I wonder if PSU traveled even 10K?

(08-17-2019 01:15 PM)TexanMark Wrote:  Penn State would normally take over a stadium (see Temple) when an opponent close by has a ton of inventory. I wonder if PSU traveled even 10K?

It's not like there aren't Penn State alumni living in that part of NJ or reachable areas in NY or PA. But I do believe it points to a possible overstatement of the likenesses between Rutgers and Penn State. That it shares a good working relationship between its administrators and faculty rather than commonalities in fans and students.

But, also...good lord, is driving into and around Rutgers a colossal pain. And the typical PSU fan is more likely coming in by car rather than traveling by train/transit.

I remember seeing and reading things about how Ohio State fans didn't quite understand the Penn State rivalry, and that the two didn't have terribly much in common between the two student bodies. Ohio State had its rivals, nine of them, for many years; never mind that Penn State was closer than many of those others. Football legacy makes the series. It's the same thing with Penn State and Rutgers, really. You can't make the two sides care about each other just because the presidents and athletic administrators like each other. There has to be something good with the football.

(08-18-2019 09:45 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(08-17-2019 01:15 PM)TexanMark Wrote:  Penn State would normally take over a stadium (see Temple) when an opponent close by has a ton of inventory. I wonder if PSU traveled even 10K?

It's not like there aren't Penn State alumni living in that part of NJ or reachable areas in NY or PA. But I do believe it points to a possible overstatement of the likenesses between Rutgers and Penn State. That it shares a good working relationship between its administrators and faculty rather than commonalities in fans and students.

But, also...good lord, is driving into and around Rutgers a colossal pain. And the typical PSU fan is more likely coming in by car rather than traveling by train/transit.

I remember seeing and reading things about how Ohio State fans didn't quite understand the Penn State rivalry, and that the two didn't have terribly much in common between the two student bodies. Ohio State had its rivals, nine of them, for many years; never mind that Penn State was closer than many of those others. Football legacy makes the series. It's the same thing with Penn State and Rutgers, really. You can't make the two sides care about each other just because the presidents and athletic administrators like each other. There has to be something good with the football.

It'll take a Harbaugh "what's your deal" confrontation with Pete Carroll followed by an upset the next year to get the rivalry going. At that point hate will invigorate the series for a decade.

(08-19-2019 03:42 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  It'll take a Harbaugh "what's your deal" confrontation with Pete Carroll followed by an upset the next year to get the rivalry going. At that point hate will invigorate the series for a decade.

It'll take much more than that. The what's your deal game was in 2009, the first season of Stanford's ten winning seasons in a row. Also, Harbaugh's program resurrection at Stanford is probably topped only by Schnellenberger at Miami and Snyder at Kansas State, so I wouldn't expect Rutgers to duplicate that.

Penn State sure as **** didn't take over our stadium when we beat them.

(08-17-2019 01:15 PM)TexanMark Wrote:  

(08-16-2019 02:10 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  https://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/2019/...eason.html

It's not surprising 1-11 records crash your season ticket base, but what's notable is scanned tickets show original B1G alums aren't exactly flocking to see their team play near NYC.

Quote:Here are Rutgers’ 2018 scanned ticket numbers, with its announced-attendance figure in parentheses:

Texas State: 23,303 scanned (40,124 announced)
Buffalo: 17,222 scanned (34,574 announced)
Indiana: 15,880 scanned (32,056 announced)
Illinois: 17,302 scanned (36,702 announced)
Northwestern: 16,096 scanned (32,514 announced)
Michigan: 24,750 scanned (43,768 announced)
Penn State: 25,941 scanned (44,840 announced)

It's too bad a northeastern FB conference never materialized for the long haul.

Penn State would normally take over a stadium (see Temple) when an opponent close by has a ton of inventory. I wonder if PSU traveled even 10K?

The gap between the PSU and Indiana games means that if Indiana traveled at all (big if) then yes they probably nudged over 10k.

Rutgers needs to win badly.

(08-20-2019 10:13 PM)1845 Bear Wrote:  Rutgers needs to win badly.

I agree, but, it's not like it's all on Rutgers. Even at Penn State, some of the Big Ten games couldn't fill Beaver Stadium, and the usual culprits were those of Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota, and Northwestern failing to thrill. Those guys just don't travel well. Toss in no connection or legacy between the bunch, and, you get lower gates. You can't expect the home team to just come out to it, too, for everything; good or bad team across the field. Looking at that IU number, it's like two of a kind historically.

Imagine if Rutgers had the west schedule annually...

However, Big Ten fans should be seething over unimpressive counts for the Big Ten East's big three. Again, you can't make people just care when there is no legacy between these schools, but, honestly, Rutgers gets at least three games a year against teams who are in the playoff discussion. Some of those games become national or spotlight. That is at least relevant.

(08-21-2019 04:00 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(08-20-2019 10:13 PM)1845 Bear Wrote:  Rutgers needs to win badly.

I agree, but, it's not like it's all on Rutgers. Even at Penn State, some of the Big Ten games couldn't fill Beaver Stadium, and the usual culprits were those of Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota, and Northwestern failing to thrill. Those guys just don't travel well. Toss in no connection or legacy between the bunch, and, you get lower gates. You can't expect the home team to just come out to it, too, for everything; good or bad team across the field. Looking at that IU number, it's like two of a kind historically.

Imagine if Rutgers had the west schedule annually...

However, Big Ten fans should be seething over unimpressive counts for the Big Ten East's big three. Again, you can't make people just care when there is no legacy between these schools, but, honestly, Rutgers gets at least three games a year against teams who are in the playoff discussion. Some of those games become national or spotlight. That is at least relevant.

No one is going to lay down a lot of money for tickets when:

• It still seems like the administration doesn't understand or care about football
• The team on the field couldn't beat Piscataway High
• The Head Coach came in, basically told us we were doing everything wrong but we have no evidence of anyhting being done right now
• Rutgers football is the #4 football attraction in the area (This is big)
• We are probably 6 years away from fielding a winning team. NO risk of not being able to get your seats back.
  

When Barchi retires and the next president comes in, some of this may change

(08-21-2019 04:00 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  Those guys just don't travel well.

That doesn't matter at all. It's up to each program to find ways to get their own fans and locals in the seats. No team has any business complaining about whether fans of opposing teams travel several hundred miles or more for a game.

(08-21-2019 04:00 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(08-20-2019 10:13 PM)1845 Bear Wrote:  Rutgers needs to win badly.

I agree, but, it's not like it's all on Rutgers. Even at Penn State, some of the Big Ten games couldn't fill Beaver Stadium, and the usual culprits were those of Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota, and Northwestern failing to thrill. Those guys just don't travel well. Toss in no connection or legacy between the bunch, and, you get lower gates. You can't expect the home team to just come out to it, too, for everything; good or bad team across the field. Looking at that IU number, it's like two of a kind historically.

Imagine if Rutgers had the west schedule annually...

However, Big Ten fans should be seething over unimpressive counts for the Big Ten East's big three. Again, you can't make people just care when there is no legacy between these schools, but, honestly, Rutgers gets at least three games a year against teams who are in the playoff discussion. Some of those games become national or spotlight. That is at least relevant.

The "Big Four" of the Big 10, Ohio State, Nebraska, Michigan and Penn State had a 99.45% of capacity average in 2018. The low was 97.1% and the high was 102.9%. I know this has nothing to do with Rutgers, just wanted to point it out.

Add in the ~8,000 fan increase for Northwestern and the ~3,000 fan increase for Purdue. Things are solid in the conference numbers wise.

Rutgers has serious issues and they need to start with getting their own fans in the seats. Can't rely on all the other teams to do this for you. There is absolutely no reason for a school this size and a living alumni base this large to not be able to have respectable attendance numbers.

I understand that TV alone has damaged attendance numbers. It's so much easier to catch any and every game you could possibly want on the boob tube. It's up to the University to enhance the game day experience to draw better numbers. Better pricing would probably be a great starting point. What's the wifi like over there at Rutgers? That really matters! Etc...

Rutgers was at 72% capacity in 2018 according to the numbers I've found. That's 37,799 per game so that's not horrible so to speak.

Notable (comparable) teams to Rutgers 2018.

Vanderbilt= 69% capacity
Syracuse = 75%
Pitt= 61% (off campus stadium)
Stanford= 75%

The point is, Rutgers football is horrible yet the numbers aren't as bad as their football team, in my honest opinion.

(08-21-2019 12:11 PM)cubucks Wrote:  

(08-21-2019 04:00 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(08-20-2019 10:13 PM)1845 Bear Wrote:  Rutgers needs to win badly.

I agree, but, it's not like it's all on Rutgers. Even at Penn State, some of the Big Ten games couldn't fill Beaver Stadium, and the usual culprits were those of Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota, and Northwestern failing to thrill. Those guys just don't travel well. Toss in no connection or legacy between the bunch, and, you get lower gates. You can't expect the home team to just come out to it, too, for everything; good or bad team across the field. Looking at that IU number, it's like two of a kind historically.

Imagine if Rutgers had the west schedule annually...

However, Big Ten fans should be seething over unimpressive counts for the Big Ten East's big three. Again, you can't make people just care when there is no legacy between these schools, but, honestly, Rutgers gets at least three games a year against teams who are in the playoff discussion. Some of those games become national or spotlight. That is at least relevant.

The "Big Four" of the Big 10, Ohio State, Nebraska, Michigan and Penn State had a 99.45% of capacity average in 2018. The low was 97.1% and the high was 102.9%. I know this has nothing to do with Rutgers, just wanted to point it out.

Add in the ~8,000 fan increase for Northwestern and the ~3,000 fan increase for Purdue. Things are solid in the conference numbers wise.

Rutgers has serious issues and they need to start with getting their own fans in the seats. Can't rely on all the other teams to do this for you. There is absolutely no reason for a school this size and a living alumni base this large to not be able to have respectable attendance numbers.

I understand that TV alone has damaged attendance numbers. It's so much easier to catch any and every game you could possibly want on the boob tube. It's up to the University to enhance the game day experience to draw better numbers. Better pricing would probably be a great starting point. What's the wifi like over there at Rutgers? That really matters! Etc...

Rutgers was at 72% capacity in 2018 according to the numbers I've found. That's 37,799 per game so that's not horrible so to speak.

Notable (comparable) teams to Rutgers 2018.

Vanderbilt= 69% capacity
Syracuse = 75%
Pitt= 61% (off campus stadium)
Stanford= 75%

The point is, Rutgers football is horrible yet the numbers aren't as bad as their football team, in my honest opinion.

I forgot to note, I understand it's "scanned" tickets vs announced. I'm just taking attendance numbers from the NCAA site.

(08-21-2019 12:11 PM)cubucks Wrote:  

(08-21-2019 04:00 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(08-20-2019 10:13 PM)1845 Bear Wrote:  Rutgers needs to win badly.

I agree, but, it's not like it's all on Rutgers. Even at Penn State, some of the Big Ten games couldn't fill Beaver Stadium, and the usual culprits were those of Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota, and Northwestern failing to thrill. Those guys just don't travel well. Toss in no connection or legacy between the bunch, and, you get lower gates. You can't expect the home team to just come out to it, too, for everything; good or bad team across the field. Looking at that IU number, it's like two of a kind historically.

Imagine if Rutgers had the west schedule annually...

However, Big Ten fans should be seething over unimpressive counts for the Big Ten East's big three. Again, you can't make people just care when there is no legacy between these schools, but, honestly, Rutgers gets at least three games a year against teams who are in the playoff discussion. Some of those games become national or spotlight. That is at least relevant.

The "Big Four" of the Big 10, Ohio State, Nebraska, Michigan and Penn State had a 99.45% of capacity average in 2018. The low was 97.1% and the high was 102.9%. I know this has nothing to do with Rutgers, just wanted to point it out.

Add in the ~8,000 fan increase for Northwestern and the ~3,000 fan increase for Purdue. Things are solid in the conference numbers wise.

Rutgers has serious issues and they need to start with getting their own fans in the seats. Can't rely on all the other teams to do this for you. There is absolutely no reason for a school this size and a living alumni base this large to not be able to have respectable attendance numbers.

I understand that TV alone has damaged attendance numbers. It's so much easier to catch any and every game you could possibly want on the boob tube. It's up to the University to enhance the game day experience to draw better numbers. Better pricing would probably be a great starting point. What's the wifi like over there at Rutgers? That really matters! Etc...

Rutgers was at 72% capacity in 2018 according to the numbers I've found. That's 37,799 per game so that's not horrible so to speak.

Notable (comparable) teams to Rutgers 2018.

Vanderbilt= 69% capacity
Syracuse = 75%
Pitt= 61% (off campus stadium)
Stanford= 75%

The point is, Rutgers football is horrible yet the numbers aren't as bad as their football team, in my honest opinion.

Those numbers were very generous. 20K fans in a 52K seat stadium is horrible (I was one of the 20K); the tickets distributed number is very disingenuous (yet I know that's the official statstic that matters). Our percent of capacity should be compared to Syracuse, Pitt, BC and Vanderbilt's when using actual tickets scanned to see how horrific it actually is (Miami also had atrocious attendance during its down period after moving to Joe Robbie).

The novelty of Big 10 teams coming to Piscataway has worn off. As I indicated above, Rutgers is the #4 football team in the area (behind 3 pro teams in an area that is mad about pro football) and has to win for people to attend. Ohio State could visit 6 times a season and the attendance would only be so high to watch that beatdown take place (if I want to see a bloodbath I'll go to the Garden for a boxing match).

The attendance problems are on the administration and the team. Perception is that our AD, while the best we've had at fundraising, doesn't know football. Additionally, the perception is that our president doesn't care about (athletics/football/etc) but he did announce his retirement. The team is awful. Ash could be in over his head OR extreme patience is needed to see if the area buys into his methods and he pulls of a few surprise victories to get momentum going.

The Rutgers athletic department way over played its hand when it joined the B10. There were across the board increased prices on tickets and donation levels to maintain seating and parking priorities, only to see both of its marque programs AND most of the Olympic sports fail to rise to the level of competition in the new conference. Compound that with Hobbs making a major mistake in hiring a football coach who looked good on paper, gave good interview and had good blood lines, but had no HC experience. Turns out he is a bland Midwesterner with no personality and no NJ connections, who hired more of the same for his original coaching staff. His insistence on changing schemes without having players on roster to match and being unable to recruit proper talent resulted in boring, noncompetitive football, set the rebuilding program back three years and completely alienated the fan base.
Rutgers fans want winners. We will support winning programs. Look at the way wrestling has been able to take off. It has become a top 10ish program, with top 5 attendance and recruiting classes. Basketball is on the cusp of turning it around. There is excitement for the coming season. Gymnastics, soccer and lacrosse have also all experienced increased ticket demand. Unfortunately, football has become an anchor around everyone's neck. We sit in a difficult position of not being able to afford to buy out the coach's contract and not being able to afford to wait it out while he continues to further damage the program.

(08-21-2019 10:55 AM)Wedge Wrote:  

(08-21-2019 04:00 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  Those guys just don't travel well.

That doesn't matter at all. It's up to each program to find ways to get their own fans and locals in the seats. No team has any business complaining about whether fans of opposing teams travel several hundred miles or more for a game.

I agree, but, wasn't this part of the sell? That Rutgers was a strategic acquisition given their proximity to NYC and all of those Big Ten school alumni? The conference, along with Rutgers, kind of lined this illogical projection themselves. That people from around the area would just show up because their alma mater was now playing closer by?

I will say, I agree with the comment about the place in the regional pecking order Rutgers has, and an impact, but, that shouldn't apply for Penn State. Because, in that area, Penn State still has/had draw. That Penn State fans don't show up, or that area Rutgers fans won't show up to see Penn State...that's just puzzling to me. I mean, again, perhaps their likeness is overstated, but, that one game should put that stadium at capacity or in overflow almost always.

Generous or not they are tickets sold. That looks good in the AD's budget. Tickets scanned, or in this case the lack of, looks horrible on the Television.

I'm by no means a Rutgers fan. I will though support them since they are now a Peer member of the conference in which teams I do love are a part of.

Rutgers is doing wonderful things right now with their athletic facilities. I promise you that this was part of the deal in joining the conference. Will this translate to better teams? I would hope so!

If the competition of the conference is insurmountable and Rutgers and their fans see it as a no win situation, maybe they should start the process of their withdraw?

People on here love to degrade Rutgers and Uconn more than any other teams. I know a fellow Ohio State poster (whom I have a lot of respect for) ran a thread on here that went on and on and on etc...About his hate for the Rutgers addition. I also know that your former Big East peers love to bash Rutgers even though they haven't done a damn thing themselves! Rutgers is now in the Big 10 and people need to accept it. This includes Rutgers fans! Instead of being the joke of college football maybe respect who you are and support your teams. Do this and it speeds up the process to better days!

(08-21-2019 02:07 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(08-21-2019 10:55 AM)Wedge Wrote:  

(08-21-2019 04:00 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  Those guys just don't travel well.

That doesn't matter at all. It's up to each program to find ways to get their own fans and locals in the seats. No team has any business complaining about whether fans of opposing teams travel several hundred miles or more for a game.

I agree, but, wasn't this part of the sell? That Rutgers was a strategic acquisition given their proximity to NYC and all of those Big Ten school alumni? The conference, along with Rutgers, kind of lined this illogical projection themselves. That people from around the area would just show up because their alma mater was now playing closer by?

I will say, I agree with the comment about the place in the regional pecking order Rutgers has, and an impact, but, that shouldn't apply for Penn State. Because, in that area, Penn State still has/had draw. That Penn State fans don't show up, or that area Rutgers fans won't show up to see Penn State...that's just puzzling to me. I mean, again, perhaps their likeness is overstated, but, that one game should put that stadium at capacity or in overflow almost always.

Yeah, I don't blame Rutgers' alums at all for their attendance. No one's motivated to expend their Saturday watching 1-11 teams or opponents with no shared history/region. Kansas alums pack Memorial when the team is good but leave it vacant when the Jayhawks are a laughingstock. Same principle with Rutgers.

The Rutgers addition was packaged with the advertisement that so many B1G alums live near NYC and would "bring their schools back to them". Scanned tickets show this was a fallacy as NYC B1G alums aren't showing up to see their team play near NYC every 1-6 years.

Rutgers was added for BTN purposes and not let the ACC have a monopoly on the Eastern seaboard. That’s it. The B1G knew what they were getting in Rutgers, I’m sure more was expected of Maryland than Rutgers when Delaney sent those invites in November 2012. If I could say there’s a team that was expected to win and has been a disappointment so far is Nebraska. Same for Miami in the ACC.

The rest like academics, AAU, B1G alumni in NYC and Philly was just the icing in the cake.

(08-21-2019 03:17 PM)UTEPDallas Wrote:  Rutgers was added for BTN purposes and not let the ACC have a monopoly on the Eastern seaboard. That’s it. The B1G knew what they were getting in Rutgers, I’m sure more was expected of Maryland than Rutgers when Delaney sent those invites in November 2012. If I could say there’s a team that was expected to win and has been a disappointment so far is Nebraska. Same for Miami in the ACC.

The rest like academics, AAU, B1G alumni in NYC and Philly was just the icing in the cake.

I could never get aboard the ACC wanting Rutgers because of enough friction in the conference to fortify it with actual quality athletic programs, and not for location. Not that I don't believe in Rutgers' attractive features; I just don't see Rutgers as high on the ACC wish list as it was on the Big Ten's. Rather, I do believe the Big Ten was generally concerned about Penn State's future in the conference, either themselves self-extracting or being expelled after the Sandusky scandal. That Rutgers was part of a peace offering or insurance policy in a great recruiting state on the doorstep(s) of the country's largest market(s), and not part of a greater chess-like move.

Regardless, without it steering into what the Big Ten should have done, nobody should be seeing this on their television. And Rutgers should be doing everything in its power to make sure a camera never sees that again.

(08-21-2019 02:12 PM)cubucks Wrote:  Generous or not they are tickets sold. That looks good in the AD's budget. Tickets scanned, or in this case the lack of, looks horrible on the Television.

I'm by no means a Rutgers fan. I will though support them since they are now a Peer member of the conference in which teams I do love are a part of.

Rutgers is doing wonderful things right now with their athletic facilities. I promise you that this was part of the deal in joining the conference. Will this translate to better teams? I would hope so!

If the competition of the conference is insurmountable and Rutgers and their fans see it as a no win situation, maybe they should start the process of their withdraw?

People on here love to degrade Rutgers and Uconn more than any other teams. I know a fellow Ohio State poster (whom I have a lot of respect for) ran a thread on here that went on and on and on etc...About his hate for the Rutgers addition. I also know that your former Big East peers love to bash Rutgers even though they haven't done a damn thing themselves! Rutgers is now in the Big 10 and people need to accept it. This includes Rutgers fans! Instead of being the joke of college football maybe respect who you are and support your teams. Do this and it speeds up the process to better days!

Like I posted in another thread a few weeks ago, most of the UConn bashing is not directed at UConn, but at the posters (from other schools mind you) who always post that UConn is so much better than the rest of the schools in the AAC. Most of those clowns are Big East BB and fans of MWC schools, and low level P5 schools. Any ire at UConn usually is in the form of frustration of UConn refusing to accept their own responsibility for those woes (and in fact blaming the rest of the AAC for their lack of success).

As to Rutgers, I actually enjoyed watching my Bearcats match up against them in the Big East. It was a bitter pill for me as a Cincinnati fan to see Rutgers elevated to the B10, knowing that a) we more than held our own against the Scarlet Knights on the field and court and b) due to a variety of reasons my alma mater will never, ever get to play in the B10 and face schools in our backyard on a yearly basis. Instead we get stuck with Tulsa and East Carolina, teams people in our city don't care about. Call it envy I guess.. I don't hate Rutgers, though. More power to them, I understand why they made the move.