(09-27-2022 08:40 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  

(09-27-2022 07:56 PM)Big Red Wrote:  

(09-27-2022 07:25 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  

(09-27-2022 01:11 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  Little known fact - of all the major US sports, NCAA football holds the greatest winning margin for the home field advantage.

Isn't it something like home team wins 70% of the time? I think posters on this thread are devaluing the fact that playing in your home stadium is an advantage and we don't get to regularly play NW or UofI and they have never played at Huskie Stadium.

Everyone who says what do they stand to gain playing NIU, I would flip that question to what does UofI stand to gain playing Wyoming? What does NW stand to gain playing Miami? At least when they play NIU they get 15k extra fans in their stadium vs. playing other Illinois FCS schools or other G5 schools. I don't know what their ticket prices average but $40 x 15,000 NIU fans is another $600k in their pocket.

Most of those OOCs are scheduled a few years in advance so its hard to predict when a team like Miami or Wyoming might be all of a sudden good.

With that said, what do they get? They're hoping for a win to help them get bowl eligible. Obviously it doesn't always happen...but that's the goal.

Their TV deal pays each school roughly $60M per year. A few thousand fans in the seats by scheduling NIU over Wyoming isn't enough to push the needle in favor of a win.

If that wasn't the goal, they wouldn't pay the teams to come play them.

Few thousand? Wyoming came to NIU last year and brought maybe 500 fans. If we bring 10-15k to UofI that's more than a few thousand.

If UofI and NW are going to schedule G5s anyway they might as well make a bunch of money off our fans filling up their own stadiums.

If it's a fear of losing to other Illinois schools then UofI and NW should stop scheduling EIU/WIU/SIU/ISU. Considering how poor their program (especially UofI) is most of the time they should fear losing to everyone on their schedule.

Fine.

Then you tell me.

Why don't they schedule NIU?

You seem to think they have some incentive to schedule NIU but yet they don't. What gives?

Have you seen Northwestern lately? Why would we lower our standards and play them? :)

I passed by Ryan Field an hour after the SIU loss, you couldn't tell there was a game that day...no fans milling around, no cars in the lots...was like a ghost town.

I kid here but I do know a game at Northwestern would be alot of fun, and a good game. If only. But I don't think we'll see that anytime soon.

(09-27-2022 08:58 PM)Big Red Wrote:  Their TV deal pays each school roughly $60M per year. A few thousand fans in the seats by scheduling NIU over Wyoming isn't enough to push the needle in favor of a win.

NIU fills up NW stadium better than in-state UofI, ISU, and SIU. Looking at NW attendance the last 10 years, it is pretty rare for them to break 40k attendance vs. non-conference opponents.

NIU at NW in 2014: 41,139 in attendance

Ill St. at NW in 2016: 30,748 in attendance

UofI at NW in 2018 (last time they played at NW with fans allowed): 37,124

SIU at NW in 2022: 23,146 in attendance

(09-27-2022 09:35 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  

(09-27-2022 08:58 PM)Big Red Wrote:  Their TV deal pays each school roughly $60M per year. A few thousand fans in the seats by scheduling NIU over Wyoming isn't enough to push the needle in favor of a win.

NIU fills up NW stadium better than in-state UofI, ISU, and SIU. Looking at NW attendance the last 10 years, it is pretty rare for them to break 40k attendance vs. non-conference opponents.

NIU at NW in 2014: 41,139 in attendance

Ill St. at NW in 2016: 30,748 in attendance

UofI at NW in 2018 (last time they played at NW with fans allowed): 37,124

SIU at NW in 2022: 23,146 in attendance

So, this is why they don't schedule NIU?

(09-28-2022 07:44 AM)Big Red Wrote:  

(09-27-2022 09:35 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  

(09-27-2022 08:58 PM)Big Red Wrote:  Their TV deal pays each school roughly $60M per year. A few thousand fans in the seats by scheduling NIU over Wyoming isn't enough to push the needle in favor of a win.

NIU fills up NW stadium better than in-state UofI, ISU, and SIU. Looking at NW attendance the last 10 years, it is pretty rare for them to break 40k attendance vs. non-conference opponents.

NIU at NW in 2014: 41,139 in attendance

Ill St. at NW in 2016: 30,748 in attendance

UofI at NW in 2018 (last time they played at NW with fans allowed): 37,124

SIU at NW in 2022: 23,146 in attendance

So, this is why they don't schedule NIU?

Let's be realistic. NIU was coming off back to back historic seasons. It was a hungry fanbase wanting to see the product close to home. There is a reason why Soldier Field didn't continue. Why NW went to Wrigley. It's a novelty to get fans that wears off.

And with 3 NC a year, it's pretty easy to see their patter. H/A vs. middle of the pack P5 (smart schools usually) like Stanford, BC, Vandy...the FCS home (numerous in state) and rotating MAC home, which numerous B10 teams do.

Reality is no one plays the same schools every year for whatever reason from stale and nothing to gain. Kind of like saying NIU should play SIU every year.

If ISU or SIU were actually in the MAC you’d have a great rivalry series. OOC just doesn’t make sense logistically. I think those FCS Games are just OOC filler that gets scheduled last according to whatever date is left open after scheduling preferred OOC opponents. Making an FCS opponent any kind of annual thing would hamper your availability for some much more attractive match ups and exposure.

Just an fyi. We already host an in-state FCS most years. Here are the games since 2013, and futures:

2013 EIU
2016 WIU
2017 EIU
2019 ISU
2022 EIU
2023 SIU
2024 WIU
2026 ISU

I think this is just fine. Don't need to narrow it to just SIU, or have 2 FCS in the 4-game o-o-c schedule.

We have 3 FBS sked for 2025 and 2027, with Holy Cross the fcs in 2025, and ISU is our only homer of the 4 o-o-c in 2026. Need to get more FBS/P5s in those later skeds.