Also, when you play those poor teams, you can play them at home. You don’t have to agree to a home and home to schedule Albany. Alabama has played one ranked OOC team on the road since 2005. We played two this season.
Dokish is absolutely right
- Thread starter matt15301
- Start date
No it wouldn’t.
The stakes are the same for this game as it would be with a worse out of conference schedule.
-You cant rig the NHL. Steroids wont do it. You need to turn and need to be agile. Not like baseball where roids hits homeruns.
but having a ranking would mean more talking heads discussing it, create more buzz. Everything in CFB is based on the Top 25 rankings. You are on the outside looking in if not included. Would definitely mean an attendance push if we were ranked by beating Akron & UMASS instead of losing to UCF & ND.
The demand for Pitt games is the demand .
10k people aren’t going to suddenly buy tickets because we beat a couple soup cans in September.
Exactly. Souf is only looking at one part of the equation.
I'm not saying it will be sold out or even have 50K. I'm saying if Pitt is 7-2 and ranked in the top 25 with the same implications for this game, we'd probably have like 45K vs the 30-35K that will show this weekend.
We’re on the outside looking in regardless.
Our history of attendance disproves any surge ,
Some of the people that already own the tickets may show up instead of sitting on their couches.
And fewer people would have shown up for the earlier games.
It’s a wash.
34k showed up for Georgia tech
37k for cuse
Same for duke
All those games mattered
68,400 for penn state
Which variable mattered ?
2015, we were 6-1 and playing for the coastal lead against 6-1 UNC. 43k showed up and that was a generous number probably.
Pitt fans don’t show regardless.
You know a lot about hockey, eh Orest Kindrachuck?
Except when we were ranked and played to fully houses for VT and Miami in 2003 and Cincy in 2009.
ND, PSU and WVU are the exceptions. Those are going to sell out regardless.
As for the GT, Cuse and Duke games, maybe if we are 3-0, 4-1 or so instead of 1-3, 2-4 or 3-4 with blow out losses from PSU and UCF more people would have interest.
But it's the end of the season games when something is on the line when you need the support the most.
Again, not saying 35K is going to turn into 50-60K. But I think there would definitely be an uptick. Hell, look at the pulse on this board from 4 weeks ago until now and how much winning changes things. And twitter is the same.
I, too used to be in the camp of playing 1-2 hard OOC games a year but why bother anymore. Strength of schedule literally only matters if you are in the hunt for a CFP spot. Voters obviously look at record first along with conference. If you are in a P5 you get the benefit of the doubt. I get this year was an anomaly with UCF being good. Clemson and FSU weren't on the schedule in conference play so playing PUS and ND seems acceptable. Future schedules should include 1 P5 OOC and they should be Rutgers or Kansas. 9 win seasons drive recruiting, drives attendance, drives better bowls
Agree that was disappointing. But that was also a Thursday night game. I don't think we ever had a decent showing on Thursday night.
This is exactly how PSU got right back to the top of college football after their rape fest.
OP makes a fair point. However, I would not want to NOT have games like PSU and ND on the schedule...especially in this market where there need to be games with greater intrigue.
So all things being equal, is it More exciting just to have rent a victims? Not sure about that.
UCF is a bit of an anomaly because not sure they were anticipated to be quite this good when the schedule was made. Games like that are no win for us, because it doesn’t really generate “excitement” either.
So like I said....I get the point, but not sure we want the alternative either. I’d rather have some intriguing traditional matchups and WIN.
As far as attendance, people would absolutely show up at a “different level” if the program became and stayed nationally relevant. I don’t think you suddenly get 65k against an average opponent, just because we beat some weak opponents and are 7-2 or something. If we were a legit top 10-15 team for a couple years in a row, that would do it.
So all things being equal, is it More exciting just to have rent a victims? Not sure about that.
UCF is a bit of an anomaly because not sure they were anticipated to be quite this good when the schedule was made. Games like that are no win for us, because it doesn’t really generate “excitement” either.
So like I said....I get the point, but not sure we want the alternative either. I’d rather have some intriguing traditional matchups and WIN.
As far as attendance, people would absolutely show up at a “different level” if the program became and stayed nationally relevant. I don’t think you suddenly get 65k against an average opponent, just because we beat some weak opponents and are 7-2 or something. If we were a legit top 10-15 team for a couple years in a row, that would do it.
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pittdan77
Athletic Director
Nope. Pitt drew 50k for Villanova because people were excited about the program. The prospect of winning has an interesting affect on Yinzers.
Take into consideration that the visiting team influences the attendance numbers. PSU, ND, and WVU, will bring as many people as tickets available, whereas, NC, GT, Duke, and Va bring very few of their own fans. They also don't draw at home that well. As far as schedules, I agree that Pitt has overscheduled, and it has hurt their record. Last two years are examples. Most good teams have Ws built in with their OOC. The example of Syracuse this year is a good one. But, I don't agree with the Bama schedule dissenters. They have played some good OOC opponents, such as FSU, but their conference schedule is a bitch in the SEC. It doesn't matter because with their top recruiting and top coaching staff, they are going to win anyway.
I liked the early years of the BCS, they ranked a top 15 and only more than that if a major conference leader didn’t crack the top 15. I think a top 15 is good, even 20 wasn’t bad. But then again, going to a bowl game was also reserved for only good teams with winning records.
Sagarin's computer is much more realistic having Cuse at #44 (#29 in recent games only). For perspective Pitt is #57 but #35 in recent games. A #13 ranking is unrealistic for Cuse--a function of their favorable schedule.
The prospect of winning has an interesting effect on ANY fanbase.
yeahhhh.... they just shut out the #3 team in the country, and will have to go through another for the SEC championship then 2 in the playoffs again.
I think 90% of Pitt fans would love to see Indiana... or Illinois, or Rutgers, or any number of bad P5 teams
-Agree. We should play Rutgers instead of Top 5 teams in the country. Schedule Rutgers yearly. Instead of playing the hardest schedule of all time yearly, Play the Bama schedule Pitt would be 11-1 or 10-2 yearly.
Yep, if Pitt played a kickoff game and the SEC West, Pitt would only lose 1 or 2 games. You are the dumbest person to ever post on this site. I bet Pitt ends up playing 16 ranked teams this year. It is just insane.
It is also how they got to the top of college football to begin with.
OK, thought you were saying something else before.
I totally get being upset with 30K every game and playing Indiana and Rice isnt going to move that needle... but I have to think that WILL move that needle is being 10-2 and ranked #10 or having a chance to make a playoff.
A Pitt team ranked in the top 15 will draw much better than an unranked team. Like everywhere else, yinzers are sheep and perception is what sells tickets.
Again, this is flawed thinking. If Pitt finished the year in the top 15 and have preseason hype; they will sell more tickets even for non named schools.
It's a cycle that either elevated every aspect of your program if you schedule easy or it is cycle that will continually hold back all aspects of your program if you schedule hard.
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Exactly its not about just being ranked and getting the wins. The wins and being ranked lead to higher recruiting classes. The higher recruiting classes lead to more wins and you get a snow ball effect. Short term attendance probably does take a hit, but it would see a bigger bump with consistent top 25 finishes. Like most things the admin have been short sighted and have preferred to take the 5k bump in attendance by scheduling OK ST instead of kansas or akron, rather than build the program by consistent winning. I would love to see a schedule of indiana,akron, YSU and kent st. Or schedule a power house and 3 cream puff's.
The time to step up the schedule is after 5 or 6 years of averaging 9 wins or more. then in theory the roster would look more like a top 25 roster than a top 50 one. And the 9 wins a year average isn't that far fetched. If they scheduled soft PN wins 9 or 10 each of his first two season's and gets a bowl game last year. This year is 6-3 or 7-2 with the potential to get to 9 or 10 again.
Curious. Assume Pitt wins the Coastal and the ACC championship game. Do you think the demand for Season Tickets next year would be the same if the team went 9-4 or went 11-2?
Go back 8 to 10 years and look at SU's OOC schedule it was the same as Pitt's this season. I guess SU finally figured out that playing a murder's row OOC isn't worth the 20k extra tickets sold(short term as long term your team actually winning will draw more anyhow)
M
It would take years of sustained winning to bend the demand curve .
There will be plenty of seats available, and yes the attendance for non-marquee games will remain at its average.
i don’t think the demand increases-
It would take years of sustained winning to bend the demand curve .
There will be plenty of seats available, and yes the attendance for non-marquee games will remain at its average.
thats how its always worked. Most programs are built on scheduling soft. Win a bunch of games every year for 20 years and you will end up with a good fanbase, because people want to support a winner. Then you have good attendance, good recruiting and more money to keep the coaches. Eventually you can step up the schedule a bit. But really if your in a top conference there is no need to ever schedule more than one good OOC team.
Exactly. People want to support a winner. Also guess what happens when you win 9 or 10 games a year the kids in school leave being fans of the program. If you go 6-6 you might get %10 of the class that wants to come back and support the program. Win 10 games and those students will grow to become boosters and fans.
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