Remind me of why it's impossible again

emmitt01 · July 1, 2015

This is UTSA's home out of conference opponents the last three years.

2013- Ok State, Houston

2014- Arizona, New Mexico

2015- Kansas State, Colorado State

"But Emmitt, it's from 2 for 1's that will give them an unbalanced schedule.."

SIX home games every one of those years. And we can't (don't) manage that with a schedule that includes Portland State?!

Rudy · July 2, 2015

It's all Tulsa's fault.

DeepGreen · July 2, 2015

Well, emmitt01, we do have Lamar, Incarnate Word, and Liberty coming to Apogee. That should excite the crowds.....6 home games or not.

Remind me, weren't we suppose to get better opponents into Apogee?

oldguystudent · July 2, 2015

Well, emmitt01, we do have Lamar, Incarnate Word, and Liberty coming to Apogee. That should excite the crowds.....6 home games or not.
Remind me, weren't we suppose to get better opponents into Apogee?

It needs to be reiterated that those games are on Mac, not RV. Doesn't make it better for us, but credit the correct source.

Ben Gooding · July 2, 2015

A coach at most schools don't dictate the schedule. They may throw their opinion out there, but most AD's are going to do what they think they need to do. I've said this before and I'll say it again...our schedule is fine aside from the every. single. year. P5 road game. I think if that game can be pushed to every other year at least every so often it would clear up a home/home in the alternating years off of the P5 road game. However, the Army/SMU series are great. Good schools, good history, good competition for us, names that are going to put butts in the seats, names that the faithful can get excited about, etc. They did a good job on those. What they are failing at is making our team go to Iowa and Tennessee this year, Florida next year, Iowa again the year after that and then to Arkansas in 2018. 2019 screams another road P5 because we already have home games vs Army/Abilene Christian and no way RV (if he is still here) is going to give up a body bag game (if the P5 is still doing them) and allow us that heralded 7 home game season. 2019 would be a good year to set up a 1/1 with a notable crappy P5 or a decent G5. Let's travel to Boise or NIU, Toledo, Cincy, UCONN, Iowa State, Memphis, Colorado St, Coloardo, Utah etc. etc. in 2019 and let them return to us in 2020.

DeepGreen · July 2, 2015

I wasn't specific on who to blame. When did Mac start making up the football schedules? I thought the AD was responsible for that.

Ben Gooding · July 2, 2015

It's been noted (kind of) that Mac wants an easy home win for his guys to boost morale (and to boost his W/L). But at the end of the day the AD (at most schools) is going to do what he thinks is best for the program.

greenit · July 2, 2015

Oh, and Emmitt, you must not have read that we have the #1 home field advantage. Think of the difficulty RV has is trying to get someone to come here.

UNT90 · July 2, 2015

It needs to be reiterated that those games are on Mac, not RV. Doesn't make it better for us, but credit the correct source.

I love ya, but who is whose boss here?

I mean, really?

RV would have been fired after Dodge, and if not, certainly after Benford, by any sports self-respecting FBS college.

The news is we aren't that, and probably never will be...

drex · July 2, 2015

Is Benford involved with the football scheduling?

mgfan · July 2, 2015

I am ttired of the scheduling. Mediocre is accepted by the BOR. We put poor team after poor team on the field in basketball and football, and very little is done. It makes me wonder why I buy season tickets. I would love to see more P5's (or just known name schools) at Apogee, but that doesn't seem it will happen. At any point will the BOR make a true commitment to athletics?

Rudy · July 2, 2015

It's been noted (kind of) that Mac wants an easy home win for his guys to boost morale (and to boost his W/L). But at the end of the day the AD (at most schools) is going to do what he thinks is best for the program.

With 2 P5 road games, we may need the boost.

Rudy · July 2, 2015

Is Benford involved with the football scheduling?

Maybe. We had a home game transfer out this season...

BillySee58 · July 2, 2015

I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the $1.7 million dollars we're making off of just two road games.

Quoner · July 2, 2015

At any point will the BOR make a true commitment to athletics?

Probably after just 20 more posts about it or so.

Edited July 2, 2015 by Quoner

NTXCoog · July 2, 2015

I think UTSA was a very special situation. A new large market with a very large stadium with, I'm guessing, nice financial deals (2-for-1s, larger than normal payouts) made possible by the large stadium and 30k-40k attendances predicted.

I'm guessing this will slow down in the future. In 2016, they have AZ State at home, but in 2017, they have 3 OOC teams scheduled so far, but the only home OOC game is Southern from the FCS.

Maybe they can pick up more names in the future if they keep the attendance up. I don't think that's likely. Their average is already decreasing (35k, 29k, 29k, 27k) and their median has dropped even more (less big games and less attendance at big games, so 1 or 2 outlier games won't bolster their average). Also if their losing continues like last year, it can really hit them because the excitement caused by the newness will become overshadowed by the losses.

forevereagle · July 2, 2015

emmitt01 · July 2, 2015

I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the $1.7 million dollars we're making off of just two road games.

You should have zero trouble hearing me from ANYWHERE you sit this upcoming season in a half empty stadium.

untjim1995 · July 2, 2015

I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the $1.7 million dollars we're making off of just two road games.

I'm having trouble hearing anything, after Iowa and Tennesee beat me to a pulp, like I was in the Roman Colosseum against Lions...

Just pray the checks don't bounce and we don't get major injuries in these games--just like we do every F'ing year.

untjim1995 · July 2, 2015

I think UTSA was a very special situation. A new large market with a very large stadium with, I'm guessing, nice financial deals (2-for-1s, larger than normal payouts) made possible by the large stadium and 30k-40k attendances predicted.
I'm guessing this will slow down in the future. In 2016, they have AZ State at home, but in 2017, they have 3 OOC teams scheduled so far, but the only home OOC game is Southern from the FCS.
Maybe they can pick up more names in the future if they keep the attendance up. I don't think that's likely. Their average is already decreasing (35k, 29k, 29k, 27k) and their median has dropped even more (less big games and less attendance at big games, so 1 or 2 outlier games won't bolster their average). Also if their losing continues like last year, it can really hit them because the excitement caused by the newness will become overshadowed by the losses.

The thing about UTSA is that even if they have a five game home schedule at some point, their fans still got to watch OSU, UH, Arizona, UNM, CSU, KSU, and ASU come to town and play. Forget this year's abysmal OOC schedule for us with just 1 home game against Portland State. Even in the years we get two OOC games at Apogee, we get SMU, Army, and these powers: Nicholls State, Incarnate Word, Abilene Christian, Lamar, and Liberty. The company you keep tells a lot about who you are--we are a low-level FBS team, nothing more, nothing less.

Count me in the group that would trade schedules with UTSA right now--I will GLADLY take five home games in a season if that means we play someone that people care about. If we need revenue from P5s as badly as it seems, I'd just assume us play 5 home games a year, with Army and SMU alternating, and then play a schedule like this year to help pay bills than to play at SEC Giant for a million bucks and give back 400k of it to host Abilene Christian, which is basically what we did as a 1-aa school--play at Texas or OU, just to pay for the entire AD, but we got to host ACU at Fouts...I realize I'm in the minority here, but a 6th home game against a FCS team isn't worth my time or money, especially when all the other home games are against against CUSA schools and SMU or Army. I refused to go watch Texas Southern, South Alabama, or Nicholls State, just as I will refuse to go watch us play Portland State, ACU, Incarnate Word, Lamar, or Liberty. If the AD is going to be that lazy, then I will continue to protest by not attending. As we saw last year, beating Nicholls State by 70 points means absolutely nothing to our team's performance against actual FBS teams on the schedule. I suspect that Portland State will serve in the exact same fashion this year, even if they are way better than Nicholls State, who would not have beaten any decent Texas HS team last year.

Side Show Joe · July 2, 2015

I don't mind scheduling a FCS team at home every year, if it is our first game of the season. A nice scrimmage can be good for the players and fans. Plus it counts towards bowl eligibility.

But... we need to start scheduling name P5 programs to visit Apogee every season too. I'm tired of watching North Texas hit the road to go pick up a check at some P5 university, while programs like UTSA host them. And, I don't like seeing UNT head to Knoxville in November, when they should be getting ready to make a push for the western division title. It kind of sends the message "we won't be in the hunt anyway". I see no reason for us to do Tennessee favors.

I really wish the athletic department would clarify their strategy behind scheduling, or at least give us their excuse for it.

Aldo · July 2, 2015

I refused to go watch Texas Southern, South Alabama, or Nicholls State, just as I will refuse to go watch us play Portland State, ACU, Incarnate Word, Lamar, or Liberty.

Hence the need to go get money elsewhere.

Rudy · July 2, 2015

I don't mind scheduling a FCS team at home every year, if it is our first game of the season. A nice scrimmage can be good for the players and fans. Plus it counts towards bowl eligibility.

But... we need to start scheduling name P5 programs to visit Apogee every season too. I'm tired of watching North Texas hit the road to go pick up a check at some P5 university, while programs like UTSA host them. And, I don't like seeing UNT head to Knoxville in November, when they should be getting ready to make a push for the western division title. It kind of sends the message "we won't be in the hunt anyway". I see no reason for us to do Tennessee favors.

I really wish the athletic department would clarify their strategy behind scheduling, or at least give us their excuse for it.

We could accomplish the same against Idaho, NMSU, or maybe San Jose St.

untjim1995 · July 2, 2015

Hence the need to go get money elsewhere.

Fair enough--if you are gonna act like ULM, then go full ULM. Play seven road games, two of which will be bodybag games, just so you can cover the budget. I mean, really, this season's schedule is not good not because we are playing at Iowa and Tennessee in the same season, but becuase our only home game in OOC is Portland State. If you replaced Portland State with Army, for example, it wouldn't feel as bad, just becuase you know that Apogee will be more full when the Cadets come to town instead of no one being there when Portland State comes to town, as well as the fact that the AD coffers will be filled to help cover the needs of the programs more comfortably.

To be a school that cares about FBS athletics, you have to be able to do two things we don't do--at all: buyout bad contracts when its obvious things are not going to turn around and schedule teams to series that involve a home game and a road game for your school within the series. If the series doesn't involve you going to said team's place and their team coming to yours, it's not a very good series for you unless it meets a need. Here, the need is $$$, so the bodybag games get played. But the other need we have is butts in seats, of which the FCS schools we schedule don't help you with. So, int he end, play a bodybag game and a 2 for 1 series with somebody, which may make you have a five game schedule at home, but you get to give your fans the experience of watching your team compete with teams like those that have played UTSA in San Antonio. Instead, we get to experience teams we played when we were in the SLC as a 1-aa program in OOC play.

Aldo · July 2, 2015

I agree. I'd love to see an Arizona State, Texas State, or Purdue type team in our stadyum. Other mid-majors plzkthx. I thought 2013 was a good example. Bringing in Idaho to start the year off, and then hosting Ball State. If we could have an upgrade over a team like Idaho, totally fine, but starting off the year beating someone else up for a change makes a difference.

We have to be way better before the big fish want to come play here.