(09-05-2023 09:25 AM)Troy_Fan_15 Wrote:  How about we not smack talk about attendance when one of our better teams just lost to theirs on the field.

It's not like it was conference champ vs. conference champ.

It was last year's unranked, 2nd place West team vs. last year's ranked AAC champ.

Now, if we lose our games coming up to the AAC... well, that'll be just sad.

(09-05-2023 09:45 AM)rileylives Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 09:41 AM)Luckyshot Wrote:  Why was Marshall's attendance so low?

I don't know, I was wondering the same thing. Maybe some of the other Marshall posters in the know could speak to this.

I know we go off of tickets scanned not sold tickets, I was traveling for the weekend it could just be as simple as that. Labor Day weekend travel.

Very impressed with Southern Miss pulling in 30,000! Would love to see both of us keep our foot on the throttle. I do believe we will get 35,000 or more for Virginia Tech, so that should pump up the numbers.

What really, really hurts Marshall more than most in our conference is weather.

I know y'all fight the heat and humidity, but as it gets into November where we are it can get really squirrely and dicey when it gets below 20° or just wet.

If you've ever been in it you know, the very worst type of weather is like 35° in rain. It just cuts right through you, doesn't matter who we play at that point very few people show out, and it affects our yearly average.

But it was very nice weather for the Albany game...

Our crowd was helped by an in-state FCS opponent that travels well. Lorman is about 135 miles from Hattiesburg. When we play nearby HBCU schools (JSU, Alcorn, Grambling, Southern U) we usually get a nice visiting crowd and an entertaining band performance. It's great- so long as we win the game.

(09-05-2023 09:54 AM)CardinalBlackTrojan Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 09:25 AM)Troy_Fan_15 Wrote:  How about we not smack talk about attendance when one of our better teams just lost to theirs on the field.

It's not like it was conference champ vs. conference champ.

It was last year's unranked, 2nd place West team vs. last year's ranked AAC champ.

Now, if we lose our games coming up to the AAC... well, that'll be just sad.

I understand but who cares if they had 20K or 30K in attendance when they got then on field result that mattered. Had South won then sure smack talk result AND attendance.

(09-05-2023 09:26 AM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 08:47 AM)JTApps1 Wrote:  

(09-04-2023 01:37 PM)rileylives Wrote:  

(09-04-2023 11:20 AM)slhNavy91 Wrote:  

(09-04-2023 08:52 AM)rileylives Wrote:  It's not just the attendance, the TV viewership gap is very much closed. Right now the Mountain West has both of us beat.

Aside aside from Navy, Tulane and ECU, the rest of your conference isn't exactly burning the world down the TV/streaming viewership anymore these days. In fact, App State and Marshall average more viewership than the following AAC programs...

UTSA
Temple
South Florida
Tulsa
Memphis
FAU
Charlotte
UNT
Rice
UAB

https://medium.com/run-it-back-with-zach...eca4f6acbd

Four quick things for you to think about when you look at those 2022 numbers:
1. Of course the new six are low -- those are their viewer numbers on the CUSA contract. They will almost all improve, just like Marshall did from 2021 to 2022.
2. When these numbers are available for 2023, look at ALL of them. That's what the TV contracts are about, the whole inventory not just cherry picking your top two.
3. And while your presentation made the list of those below your top two seem long...that means there were four above your top two. Heck your top two are right at the median of the legacy AAC schools. Do you understand that isn't really a big W?
4. Look also at two other names above Marshall and App -- Cincinnati and UCF. They're up there because they were in the top AAC timeslots in 2022, not because viewers wanted to see what the Big12 was getting next year. Those timeslots will still be there, and someone other than Cincy/UCF will occupy them and get those viewers. This is a huge blindspot for posters on this board.

I will wager that five or more AAC teams have more viewers in 2023 regular season/CCG than the Sun Belt's #2 viewership program does.

Three AAC teams...SMU isn't in your future.

And it's hilarious that you make the comments in your first point about CUSA, while for years we tried to tell the AAC fans that it was hard to get our TV viewership data.

I'm going to tell you right now I'll bet you actual money that not a single one of your new AAC schools will average over what App State or Marshall has or will in TV/streaming viewership.

You've always seemed smart enough to understand viewership numbers. Bottom line is your commissioner dropped the ball big time aiming for markets as a conference. Tried to tell you it's not about markets it's about brand notoriety. Your vulnerable now, and you are about to get past very very soon. And you guys think you're going to be able to get Army into the fold?! Now!?

You also conveniently left out the fact that both Marshall and App State average over a large portion of your current AAC brands like Memphis, Tulsa, South Florida and Temple.

Navy, East Carolina and Tulane are the only brands to average more.

Had the AAC been smart they would have added App, Marshall, Troy, USM, UTSA, and FAU (only to throw USF a bone). Now that SMU is leaving they could backfill with one of Rice, Texas St, or UNT. Let say UNT just to stay in their beloved Dallas.

This would be a huge improvement over what they have now.
East- Temple, Marshall, App, ECU, Troy, USF, and FAU
West- Tulsa, UNT, UTSA, Tulane, Memphis, USM, Navy/WSU

No disrespect to our fellow SBC members that aren't included. Most are better than many of the current AAC members.

No thanks, no team in the AACk gets me excited. I'm super happy to be with our old SoCon mates, along with SoMiss, ODU and JMU and Coastal.

I'm perfectly happy in the SBC, and think we'll be more successful long term. I was simply looking at it from a what would have been best for the AAC perspective.

(09-05-2023 10:03 AM)JTApps1 Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 09:26 AM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 08:47 AM)JTApps1 Wrote:  

(09-04-2023 01:37 PM)rileylives Wrote:  

(09-04-2023 11:20 AM)slhNavy91 Wrote:  Four quick things for you to think about when you look at those 2022 numbers:
1. Of course the new six are low -- those are their viewer numbers on the CUSA contract. They will almost all improve, just like Marshall did from 2021 to 2022.
2. When these numbers are available for 2023, look at ALL of them. That's what the TV contracts are about, the whole inventory not just cherry picking your top two.
3. And while your presentation made the list of those below your top two seem long...that means there were four above your top two. Heck your top two are right at the median of the legacy AAC schools. Do you understand that isn't really a big W?
4. Look also at two other names above Marshall and App -- Cincinnati and UCF. They're up there because they were in the top AAC timeslots in 2022, not because viewers wanted to see what the Big12 was getting next year. Those timeslots will still be there, and someone other than Cincy/UCF will occupy them and get those viewers. This is a huge blindspot for posters on this board.

I will wager that five or more AAC teams have more viewers in 2023 regular season/CCG than the Sun Belt's #2 viewership program does.

Three AAC teams...SMU isn't in your future.

And it's hilarious that you make the comments in your first point about CUSA, while for years we tried to tell the AAC fans that it was hard to get our TV viewership data.

I'm going to tell you right now I'll bet you actual money that not a single one of your new AAC schools will average over what App State or Marshall has or will in TV/streaming viewership.

You've always seemed smart enough to understand viewership numbers. Bottom line is your commissioner dropped the ball big time aiming for markets as a conference. Tried to tell you it's not about markets it's about brand notoriety. Your vulnerable now, and you are about to get past very very soon. And you guys think you're going to be able to get Army into the fold?! Now!?

You also conveniently left out the fact that both Marshall and App State average over a large portion of your current AAC brands like Memphis, Tulsa, South Florida and Temple.

Navy, East Carolina and Tulane are the only brands to average more.

Had the AAC been smart they would have added App, Marshall, Troy, USM, UTSA, and FAU (only to throw USF a bone). Now that SMU is leaving they could backfill with one of Rice, Texas St, or UNT. Let say UNT just to stay in their beloved Dallas.

This would be a huge improvement over what they have now.
East- Temple, Marshall, App, ECU, Troy, USF, and FAU
West- Tulsa, UNT, UTSA, Tulane, Memphis, USM, Navy/WSU

No disrespect to our fellow SBC members that aren't included. Most are better than many of the current AAC members.

No thanks, no team in the AACk gets me excited. I'm super happy to be with our old SoCon mates, along with SoMiss, ODU and JMU and Coastal.

I'm perfectly happy in the SBC, and think we'll be more successful long term. I was simply looking at it from a what would have been best for the AAC perspective.

Ok sounds good, I understand.

(09-05-2023 08:59 AM)WARDAWG93 Wrote:  

(09-04-2023 07:52 PM)Porcine Wrote:  

(09-04-2023 12:30 PM)Big Buds Wrote:  https://x.com/tkev_dore/status/169874210...wcyZScsfog

Not beating my chest or anything whatsoever…but we had more than 18K. We have a ton of work to do, but there is no reason Louisiana shouldn’t average +25K! They’re tearing down the upper deck in the offseason and kicking off a major renovation to Cajun Field. Right now capacity is about 50K, the plan is to reduce it to 30K and make it much more appealing. I think once the demolition and construction begin, the casual fans will return. It’s gonna be nice.

Sounds like the Arkansas-Western Carolina game. The number was 44,397, which is about 80 percent. Unless the cameras lied, or really good at hiding empty seats, it was sold out. There is also an incentive to under reporting.
https://www.si.com/college/arkansas/hogs...attendance

One thing is for sure. Arkansas needs to stop playing games in Little Rock. I highly doubt any donors lost because of it will equal the money lost by playing there.

If its a losing thing for the pigs I hope they stay there. BTW we play them there in '25.

Massey Composite SBC/AAC comparison as of Now. AAC is very slightly ahead but loses the lead when SMU is taken out.

It's very close either way. Need to wait until most of the non-conference games are done after week 4 to have a better picture.

22. Tulane
52. Troy
54. UTSA.
56. SMU
61. JMU
63. Memphis
68. Marshall
70. South Alabama
71. ECU
75. Appalachian State
76. Louisiana
77. UAB
83. Coastal Carolina
89. FAU
90. Southern Miss
91. Tulsa
92. Georgia Southern
95. Georgia State
96. Navy
102. Texas State
106. North Texas
109. ULM
113. Temple
117. Rice
119. South Florida
124. Old Dominion
126. Charlotte
129. Arkansas State

(09-05-2023 09:45 AM)rileylives Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 09:41 AM)Luckyshot Wrote:  Why was Marshall's attendance so low?

I don't know, I was wondering the same thing. Maybe some of the other Marshall posters in the know could speak to this.

I know we go off of tickets scanned not sold tickets, I was traveling for the weekend it could just be as simple as that. Labor Day weekend travel.

Very impressed with Southern Miss pulling in 30,000! Would love to see both of us keep our foot on the throttle. I do believe we will get 35,000 or more for Virginia Tech, so that should pump up the numbers.

What really, really hurts Marshall more than most in our conference is weather.

I know y'all fight the heat and humidity, but as it gets into November where we are it can get really squirrely and dicey when it gets below 20° or just wet.

If you've ever been in it you know, the very worst type of weather is like 35° in rain. It just cuts right through you, doesn't matter who we play at that point very few people show out, and it affects our yearly average.

But it was very nice weather for the Albany game...

Alcorn brought a lot of fans. I expect home game #2 (Tulane) will have a decent contingency of visiting fans, plus a lot of local interest too. We should start off very strong in attendance. Whether we maintain it depends on Wins.

(09-05-2023 10:00 AM)FairwayEagle Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 09:45 AM)rileylives Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 09:41 AM)Luckyshot Wrote:  Why was Marshall's attendance so low?

I don't know, I was wondering the same thing. Maybe some of the other Marshall posters in the know could speak to this.

I know we go off of tickets scanned not sold tickets, I was traveling for the weekend it could just be as simple as that. Labor Day weekend travel.

Very impressed with Southern Miss pulling in 30,000! Would love to see both of us keep our foot on the throttle. I do believe we will get 35,000 or more for Virginia Tech, so that should pump up the numbers.

What really, really hurts Marshall more than most in our conference is weather.

I know y'all fight the heat and humidity, but as it gets into November where we are it can get really squirrely and dicey when it gets below 20° or just wet.

If you've ever been in it you know, the very worst type of weather is like 35° in rain. It just cuts right through you, doesn't matter who we play at that point very few people show out, and it affects our yearly average.

But it was very nice weather for the Albany game...

Our crowd was helped by an in-state FCS opponent that travels well. Lorman is about 135 miles from Hattiesburg. When we play nearby HBCU schools (JSU, Alcorn, Grambling, Southern U) we usually get a nice visiting crowd and an entertaining band performance. It's great- so long as we win the game.

We've never lost to a FCS team since the FBS/FCS divide in the '70s.

At every transition point the AAC has been weakened.

2014:
- Louisville -> ECU
- Rutgers -> Tulsa
+Tulane
2015:
+Navy
2020:
- UConn
2023:
- Houston -> UNT & UTSA
- UCF -> FAU & UAB
- Cincy -> Rice and UNCC
2024:
- SMU -> even if Army joins

Add in the perception of the MWC turning down the invitations. Reality still hasn't set in for some over there: there was never a P6 and you aren't invited to the adult table.

Their response will be "well neither are you". The difference is we are comfortable knowing who we are.

(09-05-2023 11:56 AM)Luckyshot Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 10:00 AM)FairwayEagle Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 09:45 AM)rileylives Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 09:41 AM)Luckyshot Wrote:  Why was Marshall's attendance so low?

I don't know, I was wondering the same thing. Maybe some of the other Marshall posters in the know could speak to this.

I know we go off of tickets scanned not sold tickets, I was traveling for the weekend it could just be as simple as that. Labor Day weekend travel.

Very impressed with Southern Miss pulling in 30,000! Would love to see both of us keep our foot on the throttle. I do believe we will get 35,000 or more for Virginia Tech, so that should pump up the numbers.

What really, really hurts Marshall more than most in our conference is weather.

I know y'all fight the heat and humidity, but as it gets into November where we are it can get really squirrely and dicey when it gets below 20° or just wet.

If you've ever been in it you know, the very worst type of weather is like 35° in rain. It just cuts right through you, doesn't matter who we play at that point very few people show out, and it affects our yearly average.

But it was very nice weather for the Albany game...

Our crowd was helped by an in-state FCS opponent that travels well. Lorman is about 135 miles from Hattiesburg. When we play nearby HBCU schools (JSU, Alcorn, Grambling, Southern U) we usually get a nice visiting crowd and an entertaining band performance. It's great- so long as we win the game.

We've never lost to a FCS team since the FBS/FCS divide in the '70s.

We actually have. The last was NLU in 1987. Also see the loss to NW State in 1984 and LaTech in 1982- they were 1-AA at that point.

That NW State game was brutal.

(09-05-2023 01:26 PM)Noodles Wrote:  That NW State game was brutal.

It started the downfall of Carmody.

I'm just ready for the meltdown when ESPN realizes nobody is watching UNCC vs FAU in person or on TV.. Then they renegotiate the money and the schools are making as much as they were in CUSA.

(09-05-2023 03:04 PM)gdunn Wrote:  I'm just ready for the meltdown when ESPN realizes nobody is watching UNCC vs FAU in person or on TV.. Then they renegotiate the money and the schools are making as much as they were in CUSA.

Do you seriously think ESPN was just not consulted at all when the AAC added schools? Reality is the AAC added the schools ESPN told them to add.

(09-05-2023 03:29 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 03:04 PM)gdunn Wrote:  I'm just ready for the meltdown when ESPN realizes nobody is watching UNCC vs FAU in person or on TV.. Then they renegotiate the money and the schools are making as much as they were in CUSA.

Do you seriously think ESPN was just not consulted at all when the AAC added schools? Reality is the AAC added the schools ESPN told them to add.

Oh cool, you were in the negotiations and meetings. Interesting.

(09-05-2023 03:35 PM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 03:29 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 03:04 PM)gdunn Wrote:  I'm just ready for the meltdown when ESPN realizes nobody is watching UNCC vs FAU in person or on TV.. Then they renegotiate the money and the schools are making as much as they were in CUSA.

Do you seriously think ESPN was just not consulted at all when the AAC added schools? Reality is the AAC added the schools ESPN told them to add.

Oh cool, you were in the negotiations and meetings. Interesting.

Mike Aresco pretty much said they didn't want to take teams like Charlotte, but ESPN forced him to. Of course he said it a little more politely with politics speak, but that's what he said.

Shows real confidence when even the director of the conference is insulting the new joinees to the conference by saying we didn't want them, but we had to for a couple of bucks.

I think ESPN is thinking there's growth there. I believe when you take terrible products and put them out for the world to see it doesn't make them popular. I guess will find out who is right in the long term. But, I have to say Disney/ESPN haven't exactly had the best track record for about the last decade on consistently finding winning programming.

(09-05-2023 12:01 PM)Saint3333 Wrote:  At every transition point the AAC has been weakened.

2014:
- Louisville -> ECU
- Rutgers -> Tulsa
+Tulane
2015:
+Navy
2020:
- UConn
2023:
- Houston -> UNT & UTSA
- UCF -> FAU & UAB
- Cincy -> Rice and UNCC
2024:
- SMU -> even if Army joins

Add in the perception of the MWC turning down the invitations. Reality still hasn't set in for some over there: there was never a P6 and you aren't invited to the adult table.

Their response will be "well neither are you". The difference is we are comfortable knowing who we are.

You forgot their non-football add Wichita St.
So glad we don't have any non-football schools anymore.

(09-05-2023 03:54 PM)Eagleyed Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 03:35 PM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 03:29 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 03:04 PM)gdunn Wrote:  I'm just ready for the meltdown when ESPN realizes nobody is watching UNCC vs FAU in person or on TV.. Then they renegotiate the money and the schools are making as much as they were in CUSA.

Do you seriously think ESPN was just not consulted at all when the AAC added schools? Reality is the AAC added the schools ESPN told them to add.

Oh cool, you were in the negotiations and meetings. Interesting.

Mike Aresco pretty much said they didn't want to take teams like Charlotte, but ESPN forced him to. Of course he said it a little more politely with politics speak, but that's what he said.

Shows real confidence when even the director of the conference is insulting the new joinees to the conference by saying we didn't want them, but we had to for a couple of bucks.

I think ESPN is thinking there's growth there. I believe when you take terrible products and put them out for the world to see it doesn't make them popular. I guess will find out who is right in the long term. But, I have to say Disney/ESPN haven't exactly had the best track record for about the last decade on consistently finding winning programming.

Do you happen to have a link to this? Id be interested in seeing what he really said. If ESPN valued FAU, UNCC, UNT etc so much, why didnt they pony up when those teams were in CUSA and got paid with magic beans?

(09-05-2023 03:54 PM)Eagleyed Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 03:35 PM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 03:29 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 03:04 PM)gdunn Wrote:  I'm just ready for the meltdown when ESPN realizes nobody is watching UNCC vs FAU in person or on TV.. Then they renegotiate the money and the schools are making as much as they were in CUSA.

Do you seriously think ESPN was just not consulted at all when the AAC added schools? Reality is the AAC added the schools ESPN told them to add.

Oh cool, you were in the negotiations and meetings. Interesting.

Mike Aresco pretty much said they didn't want to take teams like Charlotte, but ESPN forced him to. Of course he said it a little more politely with politics speak, but that's what he said.

Shows real confidence when even the director of the conference is insulting the new joinees to the conference by saying we didn't want them, but we had to for a couple of bucks.

I think ESPN is thinking there's growth there. I believe when you take terrible products and put them out for the world to see it doesn't make them popular. I guess will find out who is right in the long term. But, I have to say Disney/ESPN haven't exactly had the best track record for about the last decade on consistently finding winning programming.

ESPN just wanted more schools - there is a reason why they went after CUSA schools, they weren’t part of the family. That way they have plenty of filler and hold the upper hand over most G5 schools if they start thinking they should get more money. They can place most schools to the + and then pick and choose which ones to put on network TV. If a league wants more than fine, go to the open market and die like PAC 12 or go to Gas Station TV like CUSA’s previous deal because ESPN has plenty of others.