Terry, you and I are pretty much on the same page with the 7th home game. Frankly I don't like paying for it. However if we were to schedule a home and home it would have to be the first game of the season as the 12 game is scheduled before FSU and no way are we going to schedule a tough game there if we can help it.
Bill I would agree with that, everybody puts some big weiners on the schedule these days. Just like I doubt that UGA will schedule a big non-conf game before they play Ga. Tech.
Didn't seem like you had a problem quitting Miami. Granted, they have a winning record in the series now...
Rick, there 's along history to the games between Miami and Florida and FSU and Florida. The Miami series was longer and Florida didn't add FSU until the 60's. There was threats of legislation if we didn't play each other. Miami was far and away our biggest state rival at that time. During the time we played both teams the SEC schedule was 6 games and none of the three teams was a national powerhouse. As a matter of fact Miami almost dropped football in the 70's. Several things happened in the 80's, all three teams became very good on a national level, the SEC moved to 7 games, the Gators went on a well publicized and well earned probation and the rivalry with FSU became a stronger rivalry for the Gators than the rivalry with Miami. In the mid 80's the SEC increased the SEC schedule to 7 games and the Gators made the decision that 7 conference games and two strong state rivals were not in the Gator interest. Since from the gator point of view, and politically within the state, the FSU rivalry was the biggest one, the annual game with Miami was dropped. Miami fans were outraged. In the late 80's the Gators ran afoul of the NCAA again, which I don't intend to discuss, and the end result was Galhan Hall's resignation and Spurrier was hired to be the Gator coach starting in 1990. Spurrier had two demands, that the artificial turf be changed to grass and that Miami be brought back on the schedule, he said to be the best you have to beat the best. That was being done with Miami on the schedules starting around 93 or 94, I don't remember exactly. Then in 90 and 91 the expansion of conferences started. The SEC decided to go to 12 teams and institute a conference playoff and there was going to be another conference game added bringing that number to 8. Arkansas had already been accepted as the 11 team, and I have no background as to just how that occurred. FSU seemed like the natural choice to the whole world, except FSU and the ACC. Everyone was aware that the SEC wanted FSU, although there is a difference of opinion as to whether they were offered officially. However Bobby Bowden thought his path to a National Championship was tougher than if they went to the ACC, so off to the ACC they went. The SEC felt burned but turned to Miami in unofficial conversations. The Miami AD thought Miami's future was better with the Big East than the SEC. I'll never understand that one, but off to the Big East they went. The SEC turned to S. Carolina who had been waiting hopefully in the wings the whole time, and the SEC was at 12 teams and institued the playoff in 92 and moved to a 8 game SEC schedule. My understanding is that Forida supported Miami coming into the conference. However when they did not and we went to the 8 game SEC schedule the future games were canceled and Miami was off the schedule. There is a bit more to the background that I might add later, but this post is long enough and I have to get off the computer this morning to get ready to leave. But that's the background of how and why we schedule FSU and not Miami on a regular basis.
FSU and UF are state schools and, as noted in Bill's post, state politicos pretty much force the two to play every year. On the other hand, Miami is a private institution about which very few in Florida give a squat. In fact .... there are many who are against scheduling Miami as it's seen as (financially) aiding and abetting an unworthy foe. Unfortunately for Miami, it has a soiled reputation among many in Florida and they simply just don't concern themselves with the school and program, leaving that to its relatively small base of alumni. I expect that future UF and FSU football schedules will be even further influence by Florida policians with pressures applied to schedule other in-State university football programs - USF, UCF, FIU, FAU - instead of private and/or out-of-state schools. Whether that is "right or wrong" or "good or bad" ..... doesn't really matter, as it's a simply a repsonse to the financial reality that the more established state university programs can assist those relatively new and expanding programs by playing them. Hey Tom, did you ever determine the number of home games that underly/generated the UT-A football revenues you posted? And I "hear" your admonition that the UF AD should just "man up" and schedule a home/home with an out-of-geographic-region team ..... but it won't happen if it adversly impacts UF's annual football revenues by up to 10%. It's just not a reasonable expectation given today's economic reality ..... and the fact that UF already plays one of or the most difficult schedules in the BCS/FBS.
That's pretty much what is the case for Ohio State, the Leg strongly implied that they need to play Ohio Schools for non-conf opponents, or else.
You want to go back and check that??? Just because I live in the Austin area does not mean that I research and/or post info about the Longhorns. The Vols, probably... but not the Horns.
Sorry ... I meant to direct that query to Terry. I think the reveneus reported by Forbes may have been from a period during which Texas played 7 home games.
That might be true it was for 2006-2007, but it was also before our recent expansion to 100K so I dare say that we probably still beat you in revenues. Plus I think your SEC TV share is probably greater than our B12 share. Texas at this point in time is just a money making machine. This article might give you a good picture of the financial power of Texas football, which allows them to not worry about things that you guys at UF must worry about. Texas Football
Check this one out as well More Texa$ Longhorns schedule to win no doubt, when we played Ohio State Mack commented that it was unique and that with a "tough" B12 conf schedule he wasn't looking for that sort of non-conf game every year. In fact he noted that when the series was scheduled Texas was struggling some and no one could have predicted the game would turn out to be as significant as it was. UT Alums are for the most part tired of Louisiana Monroe and North Texas, hated it when Sam Houston showed up on the schedule, don't really care for Rice. They would like to play a home/home with 1 good non-conference foe every year. Note I said good not USC or UF or Alabama....but given the current state of decline of the Irish they wouldn't mind a shot at us, or Ole Miss. But alums do complain to Deloss Dodds our AD about the schedule and don't like paying for home games against teams like Sam Houston (probably still better than Chars. Southern though).
Intersting read ...... especially the comment by the Sr Assoc AD @ tOSU. Without consideration of the "quality" of the opponent, I enjoy having the 7th home game and do not have a problem paying for the extra ticket. They way I look at it, the school either sells me four tickets to a 7th game or .... increases my annual contribution. We have a great time getting together to tailgate with friends before and after evey home game. And sometimes, if it's a late kickoff, we'll take a quick trip to Cedar Key and get a few hours of inshore fishing on the books before heading back to Gville for the game. So .... if given the choice between doing that 7 times every year or 7 times just every other year, I'll take it every year ..... and I know there are quite a few season ticket holders in Gville who feel the same way. Maybe if I still had to travel 2 or 3 hours to a game ... and stay in a motel room I'd feel differently but alas, I don't. One of the interesting consequences of scheduling every year a home game with a lesser opponent in the extra OOC game is ...... there are quite a few single game tickets available at face value to those folks who would otherwise not have a very good chance to see a game in The Swamp. Regardless of how I feel about the opponent on the east side of the field .... I think it's a pretty good deal when some kid gets that once-a-year chance to sit in The Swamp and root for the Gators.
For that reason, and because I live close enough to make it a day trip, I feel the same way about ND's so-called "lesser" opponents. I have grandchildren who are old enough to be going to the games. They don't care who the opponent is. They are thrilled just to be inside the stadium enjoying an "awesome" experience. There are many thousands who otherwise could not get tickets if not for these games. Over the years I have had many people tell me they would love to go to an ND game - any game - regardless of the opponent. The only problem up here in Indiana is that these games often are in November, when there is more than a slight chill in the air.
A true statement and the fact I post anything positive about the Gators seems to open up UF for target practice around here at times. In any event the only reason it matters what I post is because of one thing.......the University of Florida program matters big time in today's college football universe and a direct result of the program's success is the fact that there is always a media story out there to be found.......such as the #1 recruiting class this year. For example, if UF had a #30 ranked class and didn't really matter much on the national scene I don't think you would have to worry about me having much to say about it in general. On the scheduling......one very interesting stat that Gaterz posted was the fact that in their NC years of 2006 and 2008 UF played two of their toughest schedules of the decade. If you think Boise is a tough place on the road you should think about how tough it is playing at LSU in Baton Rouge on a Sat. night.