Arkstfan

Outgained the Aggies by 120 yards!

Well its hard to prove any ad is responsible for any specific sale, except in the internet but that is over-rated because a person clicking on a Nike ad may have already been influenced by thousands of other ads before clicking that one. But they are the lifeblood of free internet content whether they work or not.

The downside being that when enough finally do that, the ad-supported model for the internet no longer works, shifting content to subscription based.

It could also be contextual advertising. That's how much of google's adsense works. We get ads for UCA (Central Arkansas), Razorback merchandise, and MTSU ring tones on my site because people talk about those schools. Not in a positive way of course but the search spider doesn't know that, all it knows is that its a site where MTSU was mentioned frequently along with football so it must be the perfect place to sell MTSU ringtones.

Orange blood doesn't always keep the brain working well.

FAU only beat ASU by 3 at FAU last year with Leonard and Arnold hurt. If he saw the ASU-Texas film he saw Texas with 1st and goal at the four try to run the ball four times and not find the end zone. A team like Texas should never not be able to easily gain four on the ground against much of anybody in that situation.

I think the front page blog here is WordPress, very easy to add the Mean Green Blog RSS feed there. We do that with ArkansasSports360 and official ASU releases. Hope you'll give Harry and the gang some pimpin' on the blog.

Howard is brilliant. 95% of coaches start poor-mouthing about hoping no one gets hurt and you can't tell me the team doesn't hear that crap. Howard is out-gunned and knows it but he's doing his best to not let his team know it. If Texas blows FAU out of the water, no big deal, same old crap when the little guy goes on the road. But if they win... It's a freaking called shot home run, the stuff of legend.

Arkansas State has been contacting alums in Tennessee to see if there is enough interest level to do a plate there.

25,000 sold at $20 per = $500,000 x 6 home games = $3 million. Even if you drop the average price of tickets sold to $15 that is $2.25 million. You can get an average ticket price of $15 by selling 18,750 tickets at $20 and admitting 6,250 students or others for free and average 25,000 attendance.

Being I-A and being worth a crap as member costs. There is the cost of buying things and paying salaries (which is why you see money games). But there is the cost of building a program that is more than a whore. Schools should strive to play as many at home as they do away as an interim goal while playing more at home than away should be a long-term goal. Fans have to become educated as well. UNT could play very regional schedule in the Southland, I don't recall 30,000 seat stadiums being something that was needed. The pool of I-A schools willing to travel to a North Texas is limited. When you start matching up available dates, that pool gets even smaller. You have 15 weeks to squeeze in 12 games. The last week of the season is automatically not available for 63 teams (SEC, Big XII, ACC, C-USA, MAC, Army, Navy). 117 of 120 schools have to set aside 7 to 9 dates for conference play. It gets more challenging in the Sun Belt because the conference schedule isn't made until the members turn in their non-conference dates. That squirrels it up even more, leagues like the Big XII and SEC set their conference dates and then tell the members what days they have available for playing non-conference. Would a MAC team or WAC team be my first choice? No. But if the choice is a road trip for a check or MAC school at home, the better long-term interest of the program says you take the I-A opponent.

The presidents don't want a playoff and until that changes you can accept it or bang your head against the wall until you slip into blissful unconsciousness. We have the system we have until the presidents change their mind. With the system we have today where the bowls are contracted up we didn't have enough bowls last year when a team like Troy stayed home. I would gladly go back to the old system where only conference champions were locked into bowls and 6 game winners weren't getting a serious look and the bowls scrambled every year for the best match-ups they could get, but I'm not going to get that either.

They sell a ton of those, Ducks Unlimted sells really well also.

Something different from this? http://rts.texasonline.state.tx.us/NASApp/...20&pltid=24 I like our new plate

The Big West wanted to go to Reno but the good folks there weren't interested in installing the needed lighting (official reason). Real reason was that the AD at Reno didn't want a bowl sucking sponsorship money out of the community.

I bet soda machine, cafeteria, bookstore, parking fees, parking fines, and dormitory profits can be used for athletics because its not a state appropriation and its not tuition.

Here's the deal. Why would the MWC want to add Boise to get the bowl? The Humanitarian had CUSA in, CUSA didn't take anyone and got out of the deal as quickly as possible. The MAC has said no to going there. The ACC has been working like crazy to get out and wants to release the contract early to move the 8th pick to the new game in DC. The MWC doesn't need Boise State's help to get in the game because no one else wants to be there. Do you think the Sun Belt would lock into a deal requiring expensive travel and selling thousands of tickets to that game when UTEP and La.Tech for their trips sold a combined total to their fans of maybe 2,000 for their trips? The Pac-10 just barely made its contracts last year and has consistently struggled with what it has. The Big 10 has shorted Motor City three out of five seasons. The Big East has an extra deal this year that would have filled every spot last year but would have shorted St.Pete if Louisville had lost one more game or the Big East placed two in the BCS. There isn't anyone else to take. The game is going to be WAC/MWC no matter what happens with Boise State's membership. You don't use a bowl arrangement to add the #118 TV market when you are going to get the bowl anyway. Boise's pursuit has to stand on its own merit absent the bowl because Boise State's membership is no more critical to getting that bowl game than Washington State's membership is to the Pac-10 being in the Rose. Do they have fan support that is consistent with what the MWC wants? Yes. Do they play the caliber of football and basketball the MWC wants? I think so. Do they bring the TV interest? Their market is very small but they do have some brand value nationally. Is adding them worth giving up a game against one of the current members? Tough call. Everyone wants to play BYU and the league basically started because BYU, Utah, Colorado State, Air Force, Wyoming were fed up with the WAC and one of their grievances was not playing each other every year in football.

#1. It's about how you say it. #2. How people perceive the person saying it influences how people hear it.

Well one thing to remember. Mike Tranghese will likely be retired by the time that happens so a lot will depend on the new commissioner. Tranghese saved the conference after the ACC raid like George Bailey when there was a run on the bank. Do they have another George Bailey? If the Big East holds together? If Notre Dame is being squeezed don't be shocked if their place of choice is the Big East. They already have the other sport relationship, they already have the bowl relationship. The Big East unlike the Big 10 might very well entertain a deal where Notre Dame still controls the tv rights to its home games because that would mean three to four Notre Dame road games would be under their television contract. Barring Notre Dame, the logical play is UCF. Allows football to go to Florida every year allows for pairing a trip to Orlando with Tampa in other sports. Now if basketball and football part ways? Notre Dame would have to choose sides. The football Big East would probably kick Notre Dame out of their football bowl relationship making it hard for the domers to get in a good paying bowl game if they don't qualify for the BCS but they might still cut them slack on the TV deal. Temple could come into the picture because the Big East would lose its basketball presence in Philly (#4 TV market). UCF could still be in the mix. If they go to 12 Memphis could get in the mix, maybe UAB.

It might be easier to succeed but it isn't the only way. The single biggest problem that faces college athletics is money. When an athletic department makes so much money that it isn't dependent on general university funding the presidents have little control. When an athletic department has access to people of great wealth and power a popular coach or athletic director can get away with anything because those friends can send a president packing. When alumni withhold money because athletics are unsuccessful but not because tolerated ill behavior and tolerated academic lapses for athletics diminishes the perceived quality of a degree, universities get the message loud and clear that anyone with great athletic ability should be given wide-latitude for embarrassing behavior but there should be zero tolerance for not achieving the perceived level of athletic success the institution is entitled to.

It wouldn't be an exempt game. Everyone would have to play an 11 game schedule so they could have a date available to play in the championship. See the SWAC.

Those rumors have been around forever but they ignore four very basic problems. #1. The Big 10 can't get the ring on the finger of the one gal they want to marry to get to 12 (ie. Notre Dame). The Big 10 commands huge television numbers. #2. The Pac-10 has two problems. One there ain't no one in or around their neighborhood they want to add. Their bylaws require a unanimous expansion vote. While it doesn't command the TV numbers of the Big 10, if you have a BCS that doesn't include the Pac-10 you lose major interest in the little ol TV markets of Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco/Oakland, Sacramento, Portland, Seattle, and Phoenix. You also lose interest in communities that host two of the four BCS games. #3. The Big East doesn't have four schools of the caliber of the top half of the league to pick from. They don't have four of the level of the top 75% to pick from. While they don't throw the TV numbers of the other five BCS leagues they are the primary source of TV interest in little ol TV markets like New York, Boston, Hartford, and Pittsburgh. One of the strongest influences in college athletics (ESPN) has historically held a tight relationship with the Big East and UConn. #4. With six big table members it would be very hard to get half of them to vote for a rule they don't want.

There is your answer.

It will not be a new bowl game. You don't announce the creation of a new game unless you have at least back-channel knowledge that the NCAA will certify it. The NCAA won't do that because there is so much concern over what happens with the two extra games this year. You can't even think seriously about a new bowl being created until December when we see how many eligible teams this season produces and you really can't expect the NCAA to give even informal approval before January when they see if the existing games get filled and whether the existing games can make their budgets and pay out what is owed. It won't be replacing an existing conference in an existing bowl. No bowl that has a contract expiring will agree to announce they are kicking someone out until that conference has showed up and bought their tickets.

The economy was fine when Utah couldn't draw interest in a BCS game and was still OK when Boise was in. The economy didn't cause people to turn to another channel when Boise, Hawaii, and Utah were in BCS games.