UNC has reportedly sold less than 10% of their 6,000 allotment for Sun Bowl

[UPitt '89]

and Georgia Tech has only sold 75% of their 8,000 allotment for the Taxslayer Bowl ... a bowl that is a 4 hour drive for them.

So let's end the false meme that the tarheels and yellow jackets draw better for bowls than we do. They do not, and it is not close.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

and Georgia Tech has only sold 75% of their 8,000 allotment for the Taxslayer Bowl ... a bowl that is a 4 hour drive for them.

So let's end the false meme that the tarheels and yellow jackets draw better for bowls than we do. They do not, and it is not close.

UNC and GT have terrible football fanbases. Has anyone suggested otherwise?

I am surprised UNC and GT even sold that many.

 

[Swervin27]

UNC and GT have terrible football fanbases. Has anyone suggested otherwise?

I am surprised UNC and GT even sold that many.

There seems to be the idea among some pitt fans that the Pitt fan base is alone in the lack of support of its program while every other fan base is die hard, live and die. The only difference between pitt and 85% of other fans is our stadium seats 10k more and the damn seats look like those annoying neon headlights that seem to always be behind me on my evening commute.

I watched a unc vs USC game in week one last season, At Carolina panthers stadium, whole damn upper level was empty. That was a game between the cocks and heels. Difference was, seats were blue.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

SMF's ACC Fanbase Rankings

1. Clemson
2. FSU
3. VT
4. Louisville
5. NC State

Big drop

6. UVa (considering how terrible they've historically been, still get decent crowds)
7. Pitt
8. GT
9. UNC
10. Miami
11. Syr
12. Wake
13. BC
14. Duke

 

[Joe Magarac]

SMF's ACC Fanbase Rankings

1. Clemson
2. FSU
3. VT
4. Louisville
5. NC State

Big drop

6. UVa (considering how terrible they've historically been, still get decent crowds)
7. Pitt
8. GT
9. UNC
10. Miami
11. Syr
12. Wake
13. BC
14. Duke

What else is in Clemson or Tallahassee or Blacksburg or Louisville or Raleigh ?
See a trend here ?

 

[JokePa]

UNC and GT have terrible football fanbases. Has anyone suggested otherwise?

I am surprised UNC and GT even sold that many.

Yes I read numerous 'Pitt fans' claiming we draw the fewest.

 

[9nationalchampionships]

Or Charlottesville? Nothing around for miles except short mountains...... sound familiar

What else is in Clemson or Tallahassee or Blacksburg or Louisville or Raleigh ?
See a trend here ?

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

What else is in Clemson or Tallahassee or Blacksburg or Louisville or Raleigh ?
See a trend here ?

Duh.

"Middle of nowhere" college towns whose "pro team" is the local D1 football team have better fanbases than teams in pro teams.

 

[CrazyPaco]

and Georgia Tech has only sold 75% of their 8,000 allotment for the Taxslayer Bowl ... a bowl that is a 4 hour drive for them.

So let's end the false meme that the tarheels and yellow jackets draw better for bowls than we do. They do not, and it is not close.

If we keep selling out our bowl allotments, than the reputation our program might begin to change. So far, we've not yet sold out our Pinstripe bowl allotment, so we still only have a 1 year streak going.

Pitt has to overcome both a well-earned, poor traveling reputation, along with the fact that it is geographically further away from bowls than most other universities in our conference. We have to be better than UNC, and our goal should be more like, say an Iowa, than a Georgia Tech. We have just under 3X more living alumni than GT and about 9K more undergrads in Pitt's 5 campuses, so GT isn't really a comparison we necessarily want to make.

 

[Joe Magarac]

Duh.

"Middle of nowhere" college towns whose "pro team" is the local D1 football team have better fanbases than teams in pro teams.

You have a firm grasp of the obvious.

 

[UPitt '89]

If we keep selling out our bowl allotments, than the reputation our program might begin to change. So far, we've not yet sold out our Pinstripe bowl allotment, so we still only have a 1 year streak going.

Pitt has to overcome both a well-earned, poor traveling reputation, along with the fact that it is geographically further away from bowls than most other universities in our conference. We have to be better than UNC, and our goal should be more like, say an Iowa, than a Georgia Tech. We have just under 3X more living alumni than GT and about 9K more undergrads in Pitt's 5 campuses, so GT isn't really a comparison we necessarily want to make.

Some points, Paco:

1. Pitt's "reputation" is false. We travel better better than UNC, GT and Miami in our own division - and that should matter.

2. Pitt has sold over 90% of its allotment for a game 7.5 hours away. GT has sold 75% of its allotment for a warm-weather game less than 4.5 hours away. UNC has sold only a few hundred tickets of their allotment - despite a marquee opponent.

3. GT and UNC are most DEFINITELY the comparison we want to make - because that is who we will be competing against most years for Tier 1 bowl slots. The reality is that any bowl that picks GT over Pitt is making a bad FINANCIAL decision.

4. Our "1 year streak" is most definitely 2 years. We are selling at the same pace we sold last year and our allotment will be gone in a couple days.

 

[UPitt '89]

SMF's ACC Fanbase Rankings

1. Clemson
2. FSU
3. VT
4. Louisville
5. NC State

Big drop

6. UVa (considering how terrible they've historically been, still get decent crowds)
7. Pitt
8. GT
9. UNC
10. Miami
11. Syr
12. Wake
13. BC
14. Duke

Those bottom four can be jumbled in any order.

 

[VAPITTALUM]

SMF's ACC Fanbase Rankings
To add a little flavor to your post, average home attendance numbers are included from 2015:
1. Clemson 84,038
2. FSU 73,219
3. VT 60,824
4. Louisville 49,069
5. NC State 56,988

Big drop

6. UVa (considering how terrible they've historically been, still get decent crowds) 43,285
7. Pitt 48,150
8. GT 50,707
9. UNC 49,643
10. Miami 47,561
11. Syr 32,102
12. Wake 26,674
13. BC 30,205
14. Duke 26,427

 

[Delpanther]

Those crackers running the acc only hold Pitt to selling bowl tickets... big time bias. Pitt needs to start raising hell.

 

[CrazyPaco]

Some points, Paco:

1. Pitt's "reputation" is false. We travel better better than UNC, GT and Miami in our own division - and that should matter.

2. Pitt has sold over 90% of its allotment for a game 7.5 hours away. GT has sold 75% of its allotment for a warm-weather game less than 4.5 hours away. UNC has sold only a few hundred tickets of their allotment - despite a marquee opponent.

3. GT and UNC are most DEFINITELY the comparison we want to make - because that is who we will be competing against most years for Tier 1 bowl slots. The reality is that any bowl that picks GT over Pitt is making a bad FINANCIAL decision.

4. Our "1 year streak" is most definitely 2 years. We are selling at the same pace we sold last year and our allotment will be gone in a couple days.

Doesn't matter one wit if Pitt's reputation is false. It is unarguably the reputation that it currently has. And it was well earned, and the reversal of that reputation can only be earned by its fans buying tickets. The ONLY opinion that matters in regards to bowl traveling is the opinion of the bowl community/industry.

I don't know of GT ever having a good traveling reputation, so I would continue to state that it is not the bar we want to set for Pitt. Our reputation for traveling must also offset our geographic disadvantages.

 

[CrazyPaco]

Alert. This has nothing to do with traveling. This has to do with the perception that we can't get our fans, alumni, and students to home games why would they go to a bowl game.

When the bowl reps visit our games and the stadium is more than half empty why the hell would they want us for their bowl game to bring people and money.

Spend money $5 and start attending the games and supporting the team

You're partly right, but it also has to do with traveling.

 

[eastcoasthoops]

The Louisville numbers are just going to keep going up as well. They are expanding their stadium to over 60,000. The demand is there.

Tom Jurich just might be the best AD in the country.

 

[vegasgreed]

i care a lot more about narduzzi beating fedora head to head. so far, were 0-2.

 

[CrazyPaco]

The Louisville numbers are just going to keep going up as well. They are expanding their stadium to over 60,000. The demand is there.

Tom Jurich just might be the best AD in the country.

He's at a win-at-all-cost school that is rife with scandals, high risk troubled recruits, poor academics, no major professional teams to compete with, and sits on the #1 cash cow in college basketball. The profits they make from their basketball program, bigger than anywhere else, would cover about half of Pitt's total athletic budget. He's been incredible at taking advantage of the opportunities that exist for Louisville in the environment present at that school, but Pitt is pretty far away from the type of situation that he has at Louisville, and it won't ever be.

 

[eastcoasthoops]

He's at a win-at-all-cost school that is rife with scandals, high risk troubled recruits, poor academics, no major professional teams to compete with, and sits on the #1 cash cow in college basketball. The profits they make from their basketball program, bigger than anywhere else, would cover about half of Pitt's total athletic budget. He's been incredible at taking advantage of the opportunities that exist for Louisville in the environment present at that school, but Pitt is pretty far away from the type of situation that he has at Louisville, and it won't ever be.

No disagreement. Without a doubt he has been able to squeeze every nickel out of that fanbase and region. It's remarkable. Their sports complex on "campus" is pretty impressive to be honest.

 

[Swervin27]

No disagreement. Without a doubt he has been able to squeeze every nickel out of that fanbase and region. It's remarkable. Their sports complex on "campus" is pretty impressive to be honest.

An AD that prioritizes the athletic dept and it's revenue and lets the Chancellor worry about the academic affairs.. Yeah, he want no parts of someone like that here at pitt..

 

[Hungry Jack]

Re the Sun Bowl, El Paso is not exactly a destination of desire (unless it's carnal desire, as once was confronted with after a week of backpacking in the wilds of Big Bend NP).

 

[CrazyPaco]

An AD that prioritizes the athletic dept and it's revenue and lets the Chancellor worry about the academic affairs.. Yeah, he want no parts of someone like that here at pitt..

If only it worked like that and was that easy. Look up what happened to Louisville's president and board. And that was with an athletic department that generates revenue that puts Pitt's numbers to shame.

Louisville, institutionally, is an absolute mess and its issues in athletics only stoked the fire. Yes, it should NEVER be like it has been at Louisville at Pitt (nor any other credible school), and any one the cares about Pitt should hope the hell that it never is.

Being a solid academic institution doesn't preclude good athletics, and vice versa. It just means that you don't sacrifice your institutions' credibility, mission, and academic advancement on the altar of athletics.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

He's at a win-at-all-cost school that is rife with scandals, high risk troubled recruits, poor academics, no major professional teams to compete with, and sits on the #1 cash cow in college basketball. The profits they make from their basketball program, bigger than anywhere else, would cover about half of Pitt's total athletic budget. He's been incredible at taking advantage of the opportunities that exist for Louisville in the environment present at that school, but Pitt is pretty far away from the type of situation that he has at Louisville, and it won't ever be.

Not to mention, Louisville is one of the larger cities that doesn't have a major pro sports team so they win a good number of non-alum fans who are just rooting for the local team.

 

[Pittx9]

Miami doesn't even travel to the gardens for their home games. Actually nobody goes to any sporting events in Miami.

 

[PHATWOOD]

Don't put any stock in Sun Bowl attendance, it's the armpit of Texas.

That said, don't believe that Pitt has turned a corner on bowl attendance until they sell out a game that requires a flight to get there. I'd be curious to see our attendance if we were playing in a game in Florida this year.

 

[BuffetParrothead]

UNC and GT have terrible football fanbases. Has anyone suggested otherwise?

I am surprised UNC and GT even sold that many.

Yes they buy their tickets on stub hub like you!

 

[revampedpanthers]

Miami doesn't even travel to the gardens for their home games. Actually nobody goes to any sporting events in Miami.

FL sports teams have traditionally been bad. Jacksonville has the worst attendance in the NFL. Tampa hasn't done real well either except when they have been good. Even the dolphins have struggled recently and they were the Bell Cow for florida sports for decades. Marlins and rays have horrible attendance in baseball. Only FL and FSU have consistently sold out. I think the fact they have lots of transplants living there makes it tough.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

and Georgia Tech has only sold 75% of their 8,000 allotment for the Taxslayer Bowl ... a bowl that is a 4 hour drive for them.

So let's end the false meme that the tarheels and yellow jackets draw better for bowls than we do. They do not, and it is not close.

In fairness, El Paso is a hell hole and there is no good way to get there.

The bowl itself is great.. but the town and experience was not good

 

[oldpantherfan]

Its just a BS perception that ignorant Pitt fans support. Our AD sold the team out for a chance to fill seats two years in a row instead of fighting for a better bowl like the players earned and deserved.
Realistically who wants to go and what reward is there in being in Annapolis and New York in December unless your playing basketball.
And it makes no sense because the money is divided up anyway between the schools after its done. So it doesn't matter if you fill Yankee stadium or don't sell tickets to the sun bowl. We are doing just as much if not more for NC State and GT then they are for us. Pin stripe and Military bowls are not helping Pitt. So you pick a bowl for the players (like NC State and GT did) hope your fans come and cheer on Clemson.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Miami doesn't even travel to the gardens for their home games. Actually nobody goes to any sporting events in Miami.

Don't put any stock in Sun Bowl attendance, it's the armpit of Texas.

That said, don't believe that Pitt has turned a corner on bowl attendance until they sell out a game that requires a flight to get there. I'd be curious to see our attendance if we were playing in a game in Florida this year.

I wonder how many tickets Miami sold so far for the RA bowl? I still think that if we had been placed in that bowl, we would be requesting more tickets at this point.

 

[bwh05]

Its just a BS perception that ignorant Pitt fans support. Our AD sold the team out for a chance to fill seats two years in a row instead of fighting for a better bowl like the players earned and deserved.
Realistically who wants to go and what reward is there in being in Annapolis and New York in December unless your playing basketball.
And it makes no sense because the money is divided up anyway between the schools after its done. So it doesn't matter if you fill Yankee stadium or don't sell tickets to the sun bowl. We are doing just as much if not more for NC State and GT then they are for us. Pin stripe and Military bowls are not helping Pitt. So you pick a bowl for the players (like NC State and GT did) hope your fans come and cheer on Clemson.

We didn't pick the Pinstripe Bowl. We wanted the Russell Athletic Bowl. We couldn't just show up with the team in Orlando without being asked. How is this confusing for people?

 

[Pitt4Life34]

and Georgia Tech has only sold 75% of their 8,000 allotment for the Taxslayer Bowl ... a bowl that is a 4 hour drive for them.

So let's end the false meme that the tarheels and yellow jackets draw better for bowls than we do. They do not, and it is not close.

You still don't get the hang of "fake news"? Pitt is the only school in America that has an attendance and/or travel problem. You need to watch more news channels.

 

[bwh05]

I wonder how many tickets Miami sold so far for the RA bowl? I still think that if we had been placed in that bowl, we would be requesting more tickets at this point.

I'd love to know this too, I looked around online but couldn't find the answer which means tickets aren't selling.

 

[bayardstreet]

Jurich is a piece of dog crap