12th game, no real gain for So. Miss.

MeanGreen61 · June 20, 2005

June 19, 2005

Interesting article off the MUTS board

Extra game no real gain for Eagles

Southern Miss can earn more by playing at BCS schools

By Tim Doherty

clarionledger

The NCAA decision to permanently add a 12th game to major college football schedules and alter the criteria for bowl eligibility was met with mixed reaction in Mississippi.

Athletic officials at Ole Miss and Mississippi State favor the changes because they could mean another home game for the Bulldogs and Rebels.

However, officials at Mississippi's other Division I-A program, Southern Miss, are apprehensive because the changes could make it more difficult for the Golden Eagles to attract an extra home game or secure a big-money road trip.

Starting in 2006, Division I-A schools will be allowed to play 12 regular-season games instead of 11.

In a separate but related decision, the NCAA also changed the rules regarding bowl eligibility. Starting this season, I-A schools can "count" a victory over a I-AA opponent each season towards the six needed for bowl eligibility. The previous policy had allowed I-A schools to use a I-AA victory for postseason purposes just once in a four-year period.

The expected result of these changes: An extra home game — and another multi-million dollar afternoon — for those schools with the largest stadiums, and an increasing number of I-AA schools on I-A schedules.

"There are a lot of schools that need a larger inventory of schools to play," Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone said. "Then, there's the possibility of a seventh home game every season, and that's great for season-ticket sales."

The flipside: The new criteria also could mean even more scheduling headaches for smaller-stadium and mid-major programs as the wealthier I-A's turn toward signing less-feared opponents for smaller guarantees.

"It's not necessarily a positive for Southern Miss," USM senior associate athletic director David Hansen said. "It's a situation where the rich will get richer ... It's going to make us less equitable than the schools with the bigger stadiums."

Most of those schools with the bigger stadiums play in the six conferences that comprise the Bowl Championship Series — the SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pacific 10, Atlantic Coast and Big East. The four BCS bowls — Rose, Sugar, Fiesta and Orange — pay a little more than $14 million per team.

USM, which plays in Conference USA, has an entire athletic budget of about $16 million a year and plays in a 33,000-seat stadium.

Penn State spokesman Jeff Nelson told USA Today that an extra game at his school's 107,000-seat stadium brought in between $3 million and $3.5 million.

Hansen estimated the programs with the 30 largest stadiums in I-A could net an extra payday worth between $2 million and $3 million.

USM nets between $200,000 and $300,000 for home games at Roberts Stadium, USM athletic director Richard Giannini said.

While many schools will add a seventh home game starting in 2006, look for USM to play six at home and six on the road.

Giannini also acknowledged that a scheduling process that has rarely been easy will become even more difficult. For USM, securing home-and-home agreements with BCS-conference opponents always has been a challenge. A series with North Carolina State for this season and next was applauded by USM fans for the matchup but also for the fact it came to be at all.

Giannini said scheduling home-and-homes with BCS-conference schools will still be part of USM's scheduling philosophy. He said USM's future schedules would be comprised of eight C-USA games — four home, four road; a "money game" on the road at a large-stadium school; a home-and-home with a BCS-conference school; a home-and-home with a regional I-A school; and a home game with a I-AA.

"That's the way all the so-called big guys do it, and there's no reason we shouldn't," Giannini said.

An example of a high-paying road game for USM is the one the Golden Eagles play this September against Alabama, for a $550,000 guarantee.

A year ago, USM changed its scheduling philosophy, trimming such road games from two to one each season in favor of playing another home game.

But starting in 2006, USM may have a tougher time getting any big-guarantee road games as I-AA programs advertise their services at cheaper rates.

USM is scheduled to play at Florida in 2006 for a $600,000 guarantee. But if a I-AA program such as Northwestern State or Jackson State says it'll come to Gainesville for $250,000, why wouldn't the Gators take that deal?

"If they can count a I-AA (victory) every year (toward bowl eligibility), guess what?" Hansen said. "They're going to probably play a I-AA every year.

"It's even going to make (scheduling) guarantee I-AA (home) games more difficult."

But that may not necessarily always be the case. For example, a BCS-conference member looking to help its strength-of-schedule component in the BCS rankings may opt for a USM over an opponent with a lower power rating.

Also, the NCAA did not add an extra game to I-AA seasons, leaving the smaller programs one less opportunity to fiddle with their schedules.

For example, starting this fall, Southwestern Athletic Conference schools will play nine conference games, leaving just two non-conference openings. Jackson State athletic director Roy Culberson said he would be interested in talking with any of the I-A schools in Mississippi, but that expecting any sort of return game — with a I-A coming to the I-AA's home stadium — would be "very difficult."

MIssissippi Valley State athletic director Lonza Hardy said until the Delta Devils improve on the field to the point where they would offer a I-A school a challenge, he was not sure MVSU would actively court a I-A date.

"I would not insult someone by asking them to play after winning three games in a season like we did last year," Hardy said. "But after winning eight or nine games, now that might be something different. ... We would have to be up to a certain level before we would consider that."

The 12th game has already led to some former rivals resuming dormant series. LSU and Tulane recently announced plans to meet on a long-term basis, while Florida and Miami (Fla.) are looking to get back together in regular-season play.

Could State or Ole Miss look to USM to do the same? Ole Miss and MSU used to play USM regularly but the Rebels and Golden Eagles haven't met in football since 1984 and the last MSU-USM game was played in 1990.

Don't look for either series to resume anytime soon. Boone and MSU AD Larry Templeton said they are not considering adding USM and will look outside the state for opponents.

NT80 · June 21, 2005

Could State or Ole Miss look to USM to do the same? Ole Miss and MSU used to play USM regularly but the Rebels and Golden Eagles haven't met in football since 1984 and the last MSU-USM game was played in 1990.
Don't look for either series to resume anytime soon. Boone and MSU AD Larry Templeton said they are not considering adding USM and will look outside the state for opponents.

We are lucky that we have apparently healed any old wounds with most of our in-state 1-A schools and they are willing to play us. Of course it doesn't hurt to have 9 to select from for games. I also see 1-AAs taking games away from UNT. However, I'd rather play a Southern Miss than an LSU. Although the $ wouldn't be the same we stand a better chance of getting USM to Denton.

Got5onIt · June 21, 2005

Is strength of shedule becoming a non-factor in Rankings now?

buff64 · June 21, 2005

Strength of scheldue,as a factor, went away last year.

PlummMeanGreen · June 21, 2005

Strength of scheldue,as a factor, went away last year.

And is the very reason this 1-AA team on a Big Boy schedule will hurt mid majors getting a Top 10 schedule in the future.

Hopefully, this new rule that allows a freakin' 1-AA game to count toward a D1-A school's bowl minimum number of wins will change back to the old rule in due time. Yet, this another reason NORTH TEXAS just needs to take care of its business at home and not rely or have to be concerned about any outside scenarios that might affect our short term/long term goals to significantly advance this program.

BUILD IT!

stebo · June 21, 2005

The new rules "allows" for a 12th game - any school can choose to just play 11.

The Voice of Reason · June 21, 2005

All of the major will scramble for a 12th game. Most were already scheduling them anyway. It's money in the bank for them. Like I've said before, it's been a long, long time since Division I-A football has been about competition. Money rules it. And, trust me, the majors won't be happy until most of the mid-levels are forced back down to I-AA.

Edited June 21, 2005 by The Voice of Reason

Arkstfan · June 21, 2005

Strength of schedule isn't a seperate ranking category but it is certainly included in how the computer polls rank the teams and at least in theory should be a factor in human polls.

If two teams have identical records and one has acheived it in the Big East and playing non-conference games at home against one Big 10 school, a I-AA, and two MAC schools and the other has accomplished it in the SEC playing an ACC school on the road, a CUSA at home, and two Belt schools at home, schedule is going to impact how they are rated.

NT80 · June 21, 2005

Strength of schedule isn't a seperate ranking category but it is certainly included in how the computer polls rank the teams and at least in theory should be a factor in human polls.
If two teams have identical records and one has acheived it in the Big East and playing non-conference games at home against one Big 10 school, a I-AA, and two MAC schools and the other has accomplished it in the SEC playing an ACC school on the road, a CUSA at home, and two Belt schools at home, schedule is going to impact how they are rated.

"USM is scheduled to play at Florida in 2006 for a $600,000 guarantee. But if a I-AA program such as Northwestern State or Jackson State says it'll come to Gainesville for $250,000, why wouldn't the Gators take that deal?"

This will be the main problem SBC teams face in scheduling SBC schools in the future, the guarantee. Florida won't take much of a hit in strength of schedule by playing a cheaper ($) #150 NW State instead of #112 ASU.

eeally · June 21, 2005

I like the 12 game format. Let Texas State play A&M. Let UNT get a home and home with Conf USA. I would love to see Sothern Miss here every year. This is a potential great bargaining chip for the Sun Belt.

The BCS teams would love to play UNT and say they beat a conf. champ. But lets get our due out of this. Get a 3 for 1 with A&M or OSU. Get a home & home with TT or Baylor. And guess what we actually may beat a TT or Baylor. Oh yea that is why that don't want to schedule us.

stebo · June 21, 2005

Perhaps a few teams will just choose to play 11 games instead of 12. If you play 11 games - you have one less chance at losing because all you could schedule was a "canned hunt game" - as Adler would say, a guaranteed loss for a few extra bucks. A non-BCS school would have a great chance for the new 5th BCS Bowl with an undefeated 11-0 season over a 11-1 record with a loss against a team like LSU or UT-Austin. Also, it would give your team an extra "bye" week to rest up/recover from injuries. Finally, in order to qualify for a bowl - a team has to have OVER a .500 record. With an 11 game schedule, you only need to win 6 games to meet that requirement; but with a 12 game schedule a team would need 7 wins. I think we may see some schools opting to play 11 games over the allowed 12 because the extra money does not make up for all that they could lose just by trying to plug any old school into their schedule so they could claim to be keeping up with the Joneses by having that 12th game.

Arkstfan · June 21, 2005

"USM is scheduled to play at Florida in 2006 for a $600,000 guarantee. But if a I-AA program such as Northwestern State or Jackson State says it'll come to Gainesville for $250,000, why wouldn't the Gators take that deal?"
This will be the main problem SBC teams face in scheduling SBC schools in the future, the guarantee. Florida won't take much of a hit in strength of schedule by playing a cheaper ($) #150 NW State instead of #112 ASU.

That could be good for us.

Schools that think they have a shot at a BCS at-large spot or the title game are still going to need to play I-A games. But schools like USM aren't going to go to Florida for $300,000 or $250,000. They'll sign home/home deals with other I-A programs.

Short-term its not great financially but long term we are all better served if we play more home and home deals with comporable I-A's.

greensteve · June 22, 2005

Quick question:

If USM averages between $200,000 and $300,000 per home game and they have very good attendance...what do you think we average with our POOR attendance?

Do we even clear $100,000 per game?

I bet its damn close if we do.

thoughts????