I have watched both BE Thursday games since there is little competition in the summer TV schedule. Cincinnati wowed me, Rutgers and USF not so much, but a hard nosed game nevertheless. Do all you guys hate the BE playing on Thursdays? I have actually enjoyed it. NBC I've read will probably not have Thursday games, but maybe they should if they are the network for NBE.

I like watching the Thursday night games and I like attending them, I love playing under the lights it gives it a more important feel. Being on ESPN this was the Big East's best chance to showcase itself for a national audience. If we go to NBC and every game is either on NBC or NBCSN on Saturday I'm fine with not having the Thursday night games anymore.

(09-14-2012 09:13 AM)AusTxPony Wrote:  I have watched both BE Thursday games since there is little competition in the summer TV schedule. Cincinnati wowed me, Rutgers and USF not so much, but a hard nosed game nevertheless. Do all you guys hate the BE playing on Thursdays? I have actually enjoyed it. NBC I've read will probably not have Thursday games, but maybe they should if they are the network for NBE.

Now that the NFL has moved to playing on all Thursdays (beginning this season), outside of Week's 1 and 2 in College Football (no NFL games), the attraction in future Thursday night games might be somewhat limited for NBC...especially if they have to go up against NFL and College Games on ESPN.

I wouldn't be surprised if NBC put some marquee games on FRIDAY NIGHT (vs Thursday), and while not ideal for a host Big East school (can't host many, if any, HS recruits, since most HS play on Friday nights), it would offer up less competition.

No clue what would happen...and it will be interesting to see future Thursday Night ESPN rankings now that they have to go head-to-head with NFL games on the NFL Network. (ESPN's Week 1 and Week 2 Thursday Night College Ratings this year were way up over last year).

What can still help ESPN is that ESPN is in almost twice as many homes as the NFL Network has...so many NFL "fans" still won't get those NFL Thursday Night games...so they might watch ESPN Thursday night college football instead.

I live in Atlanta, so I don't attend but maybe one Memphis FB game a year, but I think in general, weekday games would hurt attendance somewhat.

(09-14-2012 09:25 AM)KnightLight Wrote:  

(09-14-2012 09:13 AM)AusTxPony Wrote:  I have watched both BE Thursday games since there is little competition in the summer TV schedule. Cincinnati wowed me, Rutgers and USF not so much, but a hard nosed game nevertheless. Do all you guys hate the BE playing on Thursdays? I have actually enjoyed it. NBC I've read will probably not have Thursday games, but maybe they should if they are the network for NBE.

Now that the NFL has moved to playing on all Thursdays (beginning this season), outside of Week's 1 and 2 in College Football (no NFL games), the attraction in future Thursday night games might be somewhat limited for NBC...especially if they have to go up against NFL and College Games on ESPN.

I wouldn't be surprised if NBC put some marquee games on FRIDAY NIGHT (vs Thursday), and while not ideal for a host Big East school (can't host many, if any, HS recruits, since most HS play on Friday nights), it would offer up less competition.

No clue what would happen...and it will be interesting to see future Thursday Night ESPN rankings now that they have to go head-to-head with NFL games on the NFL Network. (ESPN's Week 1 and Week 2 Thursday Night College Ratings this year were way up over last year).

What can still help ESPN is that ESPN is in almost twice as many homes as the NFL Network has...so many NFL "fans" still won't get those NFL Thursday Night games...so they might watch ESPN Thursday night college football instead.

Yeah, I think we'll see a shift to Friday night becoming more desirable than Thursday night over the next few years because of the NFL competition. There is a lot more viewership crossover between college football and NFL fans compared to the crossover between college basketball and NBA fans, so NFL competition has a larger impact. The NFL Network is also getting much better matchups in this new cycle, as evidenced by last night's Bears-Packers game, which set a new Thursday night ratings record:

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2012/9/14/33...t-football

This is a matchup that had almost always been reserved for Sunday Night Football or Monday Night Football. That 6.3 rating is a big number in its own right (the only regular season college football game that drew a larger audience last year was the #1 LSU vs. #2 Alabama game on CBS), and absolutely *massive* considering that the NFL Network is in about 30% fewer homes than ESPN. Now, the NFL Network isn't going to get a Bears-Packers-type matchup every week, but even the worst 2 teams in the NFL could be playing each other and it would still siphon off viewers just because it's the NFL.

I'd say if you look at the schedule for Thu night- last night is the best game until after Thanksgiving just about.

NYG @ Carolina
Cle @ Bal
Az @ Stl
Pit @ Ten
Sea @ SF
TB @ Min
KC @ SD
Ind @ Jax
Mia @ Buf
after that- Thanksgiving...

so outside of last night, the other games from here on aren't exactly great games...

I love Thursday night games; as long as the crappy NFL teams are not from your area it is great. Every damn TV in milwaukee sports bars was one game.

(09-14-2012 09:25 AM)TripleA Wrote:  I live in Atlanta, so I don't attend but maybe one Memphis FB game a year, but I think in general, weekday games would hurt attendance somewhat.

For the urban schools in the Big East (which constitute an ovewhelming majority) weeknight attendance is much easier than for schools located in "college towns" (as typified by the SEC). I can put in a full day at the office, go home for a change of clothes and still make it to my tailgating spot in time to scarf down fried chicken and a couple of cold beers before kick-off. By contrast, my Mississippi State grad brother-in-law has to take the day off in order to make the 200 mile trip from hometown down to the game. Prime-time TV exposure (as long as it is high-quality production) is valuable for recruiting and I want Memphis to have it at least once a year.

I like Thursday Night games more than Friday. Thursday night TV will have more competition, but there are also many more people watching TV on Thursday, plus I like it to set up the weekend, and if Rutgers is playing I'll make it an extended weekend.

As far as I know, every team is supposed to get one (and only one) Thursday Night game on the NFL Network - not counting then opening week Thursday games on NBC that replaces the lost game durign World Series weekend, or Thanksgiving afternoon games in Detroit and Dallas on Fox or CBS). So you will have some good matchups, and some bad ones. But the fear is that if the NFL does this every year, where the first few matchups are really good, it will get people in the habit of tuning in every week regardless, just like they do with SNF and MNF. The game next week, between the defending Super Bowl Champions and in the nation's largest market, and one fo the up and comin gdraws in Cam NEwton, will likely draw a big crowd as well, especially since regular TV programing has not started back up. By the time the lesser games roll around, people will be in the habit of watching.

I like Thursday night games! I enjoyed last night and last week the The Nip was hopping at UC! Last night at USF it did not televise as well. The 20,000 or30,000 empty seats were glaring. I wish USF luck in and on campus stadium...
I have been there with over 50k and it was not quite as bad in person, but it really loses all the college feel. USF always has a good number of students , but it just gets lost in the sea of empty seats. Take that same crowd number whatever it was and pack a much smaller on campus stadium would be much better to me.

(09-14-2012 12:22 PM)Bearcat T Wrote:  Last night at USF it did not televise as well. The 20,000 or30,000 empty seats were glaring. I wish USF luck in and on campus stadium...
I have been there with over 50k and it was not quite as bad in person, but it really loses all the college feel. USF always has a good number of students , but it just gets lost in the sea of empty seats.

What was the announced attendance? I suspect the crowd looked much better on the other side of the stadium (maybe ESPN showed the lesser side on purpose?)

I wonder how many future Big East fans in Memphis, Dallas, Houston, San Diego, Philadelphia and Boise were watching last night due to new membership (I suspect UCF fans would have watched anyway, LOL)? Wonder if Aresco has any idea of that?

The Big East PIONEERED Thur night games....and now we get bumped

one more reason i give espn the middle finger

(09-14-2012 12:46 PM)Gray Avenger Wrote:  

(09-14-2012 12:22 PM)Bearcat T Wrote:  Last night at USF it did not televise as well. The 20,000 or30,000 empty seats were glaring. I wish USF luck in and on campus stadium...
I have been there with over 50k and it was not quite as bad in person, but it really loses all the college feel. USF always has a good number of students , but it just gets lost in the sea of empty seats.

What was the announced attendance? I suspect the crowd looked much better on the other side of the stadium (maybe ESPN showed the lesser side on purpose?)

I wonder how many future Big East fans in Memphis, Dallas, Houston, San Diego, Philadelphia and Boise were watching last night due to new membership (I suspect UCF fans would have watched anyway, LOL)? Wonder if Aresco has any idea of that?

Per tweets by St Pete Times USF Beat writer Greg Auman:
Announced crowd last night was 44,219....but the actual crowd was 29,861.

I live out of Tampa so im not a an of thursday night games. Basically cant make them unless i take off friday too. With USF being 0-9 in them, i rather they didnt play them.

(09-14-2012 03:42 PM)Cubanbull Wrote:  I live out of Tampa so im not a an of thursday night games. Basically cant make them unless i take off friday too. With USF being 0-9 in them, i rather they didnt play them.

Since UCF is 0-4 vs USF in Saturday games...word is UCF has requested the Big East Conf that UCF's first conf game next year vs USF will take place on a THURSDAY. (Hey, whatever it takes!)

(09-14-2012 03:58 PM)KnightLight Wrote:  

(09-14-2012 03:42 PM)Cubanbull Wrote:  I live out of Tampa so im not a an of thursday night games. Basically cant make them unless i take off friday too. With USF being 0-9 in them, i rather they didnt play them.

Since UCF is 0-4 vs USF in Saturday games...word is UCF has requested the Big East Conf that UCF's first conf game next year vs USF will take place on a THURSDAY. (Hey, whatever it takes!)

I wouldnt blame you guys. If i was UCF, a thursday night conference game in Tampa preferably in October would be your best bet.

(09-14-2012 04:15 PM)Cubanbull Wrote:  

(09-14-2012 03:58 PM)KnightLight Wrote:  

(09-14-2012 03:42 PM)Cubanbull Wrote:  I live out of Tampa so im not a an of thursday night games. Basically cant make them unless i take off friday too. With USF being 0-9 in them, i rather they didnt play them.

Since UCF is 0-4 vs USF in Saturday games...word is UCF has requested the Big East Conf that UCF's first conf game next year vs USF will take place on a THURSDAY. (Hey, whatever it takes!)

I wouldnt blame you guys. If i was UCF, a thursday night conference game in Tampa preferably in October would be your best bet.

Writing that down......now sending to UCF AD.

Or...I could just stay home...since I've seen UCF lose to USF in person in every single football game...maybe UCF would do better if I wasn't inside the stadium?

If that would work...I would gladly take one for the team!

(09-14-2012 04:30 PM)KnightLight Wrote:  

(09-14-2012 04:15 PM)Cubanbull Wrote:  

(09-14-2012 03:58 PM)KnightLight Wrote:  

(09-14-2012 03:42 PM)Cubanbull Wrote:  I live out of Tampa so im not a an of thursday night games. Basically cant make them unless i take off friday too. With USF being 0-9 in them, i rather they didnt play them.

Since UCF is 0-4 vs USF in Saturday games...word is UCF has requested the Big East Conf that UCF's first conf game next year vs USF will take place on a THURSDAY. (Hey, whatever it takes!)

I wouldnt blame you guys. If i was UCF, a thursday night conference game in Tampa preferably in October would be your best bet.

Writing that down......now sending to UCF AD.

Or...I could just stay home...since I've seen UCF lose to USF in person in every single football game...maybe UCF would do better if I wasn't inside the stadium?

If that would work...I would gladly take one for the team!

If you want to improve your teams odds you can also pay me to stay home since i have seen USF go 4-0 vs the Knights in person.