Pitt's future scheduling

[cbpitt2]

If Florida State and Clemson do leave the ACC in the near future, only Notre Dame and West Virginia will come close to or sell out Acrisure Stadium. No other ACC team comes close to doing that.

As for Pitt's biggest opponent home game draw to help sell season tickets:
2024 - West Virginia, and Clemson
2025 - Notre Dame
2026 - Florida State
2028 - Notre Dame
2029 - West Virginia and Clemson
2031 - West Virginia and Notre Dame
2034 - Notre Dame

Pitt gave up having Wisconsin fans coming to the Burgh by choosing to play in Ireland in 2027. Does it behoove Pitt to try extend The Backyard Brawl after 2032 and perhaps have at least West Virginia or Notre Dame in alternating years come to Acrisure? What other schools that could be scheduled would help sell tickets?

 

[Burgh15]

Penn State, Ohio State, Nebraska...

At some point, those extra ticket sales are just going to the visiting fans. It's one of the issues with sellouts when Pitt has a stadium that has a capacity too big for its season-ticket base. Also, should they be scheduling for big crowds or to win games?

 

[cbpitt2]

Penn State, Ohio State, Nebraska...

At some point, those extra ticket sales are just going to the visiting fans. It's one of the issues with sellouts when Pitt has a stadium that has a capacity too big for its season-ticket base. Also, should they be scheduling for big crowds or to win games?

Are more people likely to pay to watch West Virginia at Pitt or Gardner-Webb at Pitt? Which game helps the athletic department's coffers more?

 

[Pittnerski]

I’d rather schedule for wins than sell outs. Our scheduling philosophy has been abysmal

 

[FireballZ]

Let’s see how many Pitt trolls we can get on this thread. Two-fer-three, thus far, Shooter.

 

[Joe Magarac]

ATTENDANCE IS WHAT IT IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For the past 53 years that I have been a season ticket holder and watching Pitt Football in Pitt Stadium, Three Rivers Stadium and Heinz/Acrisure Stadiums; attendance has NEVER consistently risen above the 40 to 45 thousand mark on average.
Sure some games with the usual suspects listed above raised the numbers because of the opposition’s fans. Would the additional $$$$ be a bonus? Sure. But since I’m not an accountant in Pitt’s Athletics Department it’s a non factor and a detriment to my game watching experience.
I’d rather there be 40-45 thousand Pitt fans than an additional 20 -25 obnoxious nitters hoopies or leprechauns at the Pitt game. They clog up the stadium concessions, rest rooms and aisles and are general and collective pains in the asses.
Let’s give attendance a rest.
THE HORSE IS DEAD.
If the same can be said for discussions on uniforms, the board will be a much better place to read about and discuss Pitt Football. HAIL TO PITT.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Pitt's goal should never be to sell out Acrisure. The stadium is far too large. The goal should be to draw 50K for run of the mill games and to make that 50K feel like a sellout. And then when WVU, PSU, ND come in, you sell and extra 20K seats.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

perhaps have at least West Virginia or Notre Dame in alternating years come to Acrisure?

We don't get to pick when Notre Dame comes, and it's not going to be in alternating years.

 

[Mikefln]

I hate the schedule for wins crowd. I take no pleasure in watching Pitt push around Gardner Webb or Austin Peay. Now if they are scheduling for wins by playing Illinois, Vanderbilt, Army, Navy etc then I'm all for it. No power 4 school should ever schedule a FCS team and they should only play at most 2 non P4 FBS teams. All other games should be against other P4 or academy schools. Jmo.

 

[Phillypanther2]

I hate the schedule for wins crowd. I take no pleasure in watching Pitt push around Gardner Webb or Austin Peay. Now if they are scheduling for wins by playing Illinois, Vanderbilt, Army, Navy etc then I'm all for it. No power 4 school should ever schedule a FCS team and they should only play at most 2 non P4 FBS teams. All other games should be against other P4 or academy schools. Jmo.

Prepare to get hammered. There are plenty of people on the lair who think our schedule is too tough ever year, and would schedule 4 FCS teams if it was allowed.

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

Texas Tech adds home games w/Kent State (2025), Sam Houston State (2026) & Incarnate Word (2029)

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I hate the schedule for wins crowd. I take no pleasure in watching Pitt push around Gardner Webb or Austin Peay. Now if they are scheduling for wins by playing Illinois, Vanderbilt, Army, Navy etc then I'm all for it. No power 4 school should ever schedule a FCS team and they should only play at most 2 non P4 FBS teams. All other games should be against other P4 or academy schools. Jmo.

The thing is, Illinois, Vandy, Maryland, Rutgers, Indiana draw maybe 2K more people than Gardner-Webb or Austin Peay and we will lose those away games and maybe the home games. So its better to schedule wins. Wins are more important than SOS. Yinzers do not care if we beat Illinois.

 

[Mikefln]

The thing is, Illinois, Vandy, Maryland, Rutgers, Indiana draw maybe 2K more people than Gardner-Webb or Austin Peay and we will lose those away games and maybe the home games. So its better to schedule wins. Wins are more important than SOS. Yinzers do not care if we beat Illinois.

I don't care if those school attract 1 more fan or 40K more fans. It is weak to schedule FCS schools. Whenever a FBS team schedules an FCS team, I ALWAYS root for the FCS school. I also think it is weak that P4 teams schedule more than 2 non P4 games a year.

 

[BigChungus90210]

You could argue that scheduling home and home series with high profile programs gets you onto prime time TV more, and you'd get more exposure regardless of game result. Losing an extra game a year, but playing it on national TV might not be the worst thing. Not sure how you'd definitively quantify that and prove it though.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

Penn State, Ohio State, Nebraska...

At some point, those extra ticket sales are just going to the visiting fans. It's one of the issues with sellouts when Pitt has a stadium that has a capacity too big for its season-ticket base. Also, should they be scheduling for big crowds or to win games?

PSU will always bring the casual Pitt fans out. But O$U? Do not ever schedule them! Wouldn't move the needle much for Pitt fans and it would be a total sea of red while the outcome of the game would probably not be good. At least with the nits they wear white and don't stand out as much in the crowd as O$U would.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

I’d rather schedule for wins than sell outs. Our scheduling philosophy has been abysmal

Not a coincidence the easiest OOC in Narduzzi's tenure was also the best season in 40+ years. Ironically though we lose to an OOC that should have been a win that year.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I don't care if those school attract 1 more fan or 40K more fans. It is weak to schedule FCS schools. Whenever a FBS team schedules an FCS team, I ALWAYS root for the FCS school. I also think it is weak that P4 teams schedule more than 2 non P4 games a year.

We play 1 FCS game every year. Everyone does. We only played 2 in that Big East transition year when we lost opponents.

 

[cbpitt2]

The thing is, Illinois, Vandy, Maryland, Rutgers, Indiana draw maybe 2K more people than Gardner-Webb or Austin Peay and we will lose those away games and maybe the home games. So its better to schedule wins. Wins are more important than SOS. Yinzers do not care if we beat Illinois.

Shame on Pitt if they lose @Illinois. Vanderbilt, Maryland, Rutgers and Indiana. I thought from all the posts in here the Big 10 is weak, especially the bottom of it and you're saying Pitt will lose to those Big 10 bottom feeders?

 

[cbpitt2]

You could argue that scheduling home and home series with high profile programs gets you onto prime time TV more, and you'd get more exposure regardless of game result. Losing an extra game a year, but playing it on national TV might not be the worst thing. Not sure how you'd definitively quantify that and prove it though.

Anyone think playing Fuhrman gets Pitt hosting College Gameday like it did against West Virginia??? The publicity for the school and football program is worth it regardless of result.

 

[cbpitt2]

We don't get to pick when Notre Dame comes, and it's not going to be in alternating years.

I guess we'll find out then in 2027 when Pitt doesn't host a big name opponent what season ticket sales will be like. The casual fan isn't going to drive to Acrisure to see Pitt play UConn.

 

[Burgh15]

PSU will always bring the casual Pitt fans out. But O$U? Do not ever schedule them! Wouldn't move the needle much for Pitt fans and it would be a total sea of red while the outcome of the game would probably not be good. At least with the nits they wear white and don't stand out as much in the crowd as O$U would.

The question was which team would help sell tickets. Pitt has a max fanbase and extra tickets are going to the visiting crowd--starting at a minimum of 15-20,000 away fans if the stadium is sold out

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

I guess we'll find out then in 2027 when Pitt doesn't host a big name opponent what season ticket sales will be like. The casual fan isn't going to drive to Acrisure to see Pitt play UConn.

So we should go to the ACC and demand that they schedule us to play Notre Dame more than everyone else?

 

[Mikefln]

So we should go to the ACC and demand that they schedule us to play Notre Dame more than everyone else?

Yes, the conference should be broken into 4 team pods and Pitt should be in NDs pod.

Pod A traditional ND rivals

BC
ND
Pitt
Standford

Pod B mid Atlantic w/Cincy

Cincinnati
 Syracuse
Virginia
Virginia Tech

Pod C- tobacco road

Duke
NC
NC St
Wake Forest

Pod D the deep south

Clemson
Florida St
Ga Tech
Miami

Pod E who cares about these guys

Cal
Louisville
SMU

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Yes, the conference should be broken into 4 team pods and Pitt should be in NDs pod.

Pod A traditional ND rivals

BC
ND
Pitt
Standford

Pod B mid Atlantic w/Cincy

Cincinnati
 Syracuse
Virginia
Virginia Tech

Pod C- tobacco road

Duke
NC
NC St
Wake Forest

Pod D the deep south

Clemson
Florida St
Ga Tech
Miami

Pod E who cares about these guys

Cal
Louisville
SMU

Man, I'm really hoping that you are joking and I'm just missing it.

 

[Mikefln]

Man, I'm really hoping that you are joking and I'm just missing it.

Yes and no. Yes in the sense that I think these huge conferences with 12+ teams is stupid. So this is a dig at that as it is helter skelter with no divisons.

No it is not a joke in the sense that with pods you can at least establish a constant measurement. You always play your pod and you rotate pods. So year 1 Group 1 Pod A plays Pod B and Group 2 Pod C plays Pod D. Then the best record in group 1 plays group 2. At least that would be consistency.

 

[King Of All Message Boards]

Nobody’s mentioned tarps yet? Shocking.

 

[Mikefln]

Nobody’s mentioned tarps yet? Shocking.

Well, you just did.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Shame on Pitt if they lose @Illinois. Vanderbilt, Maryland, Rutgers and Indiana. I thought from all the posts in here the Big 10 is weak, especially the bottom of it and you're saying Pitt will lose to those Big 10 bottom feeders?

Have you seen us recently?