they are both big schools and both have coaches who have the potential to build them into successes but attendence for both has been atrocious throughout their history. What's it going to take for them to gain a fanbase or will they forever be seen as small potatoes in a crowded pro sports market?

USF and UCF have done it. The difference being that the Miami metro region has an existing P5 team, but granted, it doesn’t draw that well either.

A Miami metro team needs to win to draw, no matter the sport. Have a down season and attendance really drops.

Both have over 35% of their undergraduate population designated as Part-time. Each also enroll over 2,500 transfer students ever Fall with the incoming Freshman.

FIU only has 8% of students living on campus; FAU is slightly better at 17%.

It's difficult to get both of those undergraduate demographics to give up four to six hours of weekend time. Most of the kids need jobs to pay for the tuition.

They will in the near future. If they keep winning in football and keep both coaches it will be sooner rather than later.
They have greatly improved since they moved to CUSA.

One thing that UCF and USF benefit from is they have their own metros as D1 schools and the vast distance between where they are located and say where FSU and Miami are located.

Having a remote metro area without local competition always proved to be a good formula for G5.

Its when the school is in the backyard of the P5 where its typically a major struggle. See SJSU or EMU as examples.

It’ll take a generation for FAU and FIU to develop a decent following but even Miami has attendance issues and they’re a power school. It’s a cultural thing.

(07-31-2018 11:48 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  One thing that UCF and USF benefit from is they have their own metros as D1 schools and the vast distance between where they are located and say where FSU and Miami are located.

Having a remote metro area without local competition always proved to be a good formula for G5.

Its when the school is in the backyard of the P5 where its typically a major struggle. See SJSU or EMU as examples.

SJSU and EMU would struggle with or without any big schools nearby. Nothing's stopping either from being upper level schools, we just know that EMU will never pull in 70k fans because there's only so many fans to go around, unless Michigan goes into a death spiral decline as EMU ascends. And even then, it's hard to break life long allegiances, so what I said before stands.

And as I just said, there's only so many eyeballs and cash to go around, so neither will ever attain a large fanbase, especially in South Florida. Miami had to win several national titles to build a fickle fan base.

Miami metro is just a tough nut to crack. If you aren't front-running its hard to get someone in the stands and that seems to be true across pro and college sports there.

If either of the two had a shot at gaining a real following, it would probably be FAU since Boca Raton is far enough away from Miami to be its own universe, especially if 95 and the Turnpike are slammed and the area is much more demographically friendly for football. . Palm Beach County is its own universe that just happens to be 30 miles as the crow flies from Hard Rock Stadium. This is TCU-SMU or Texas-Texas State distance. FIU has the issues of proximity to UM, a larger commuter population, and a much different demographic composition (66% Hispanic) that does not lend itself to being college football going folks. I get why they added football and went FBS (Keeping up with the Jones at FAU and USF that added football around the same time), but it is going to be a much tougher road to build something there than at FAU.

(08-01-2018 08:34 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  Miami metro is just a tough nut to crack. If you aren't front-running its hard to get someone in the stands and that seems to be true across pro and college sports there.

It's not just Miami. Florida is the worst state for bandwaggoners. I think the key for them is just consistency. If both programs keep up their current trajectory then they'll get better attendance.

FAU is removed enough from the Miami metro that they can get their own thing going, but it will take time. And winning.

My mom got her master's degree from FAU when it was strictly a commuter school and still had runways. They've come a long way already.

Winning helps a bunch. That more so than anything else is the biggest driving factor.

If Boise St and Idaho swapped football success of the past 20 years, I think it's likely that Boise St is dropping down to FCS and Idaho is a cornerstone of the MWC.

(08-01-2018 12:36 PM)Gamecock Wrote:  Winning helps a bunch. That more so than anything else is the biggest driving factor.

If Boise St and Idaho swapped football success of the past 20 years, I think it's likely that Boise St is dropping down to FCS and Idaho is a cornerstone of the MWC.

Idaho had a much bigger issue than just attendance. They were in an area with 120K residents that has a P5 school 10 miles from their campus. There are only so many dollars to go around in the Moscow/Pullman area. Boise had more corporate dollars and a larger market to themselves. They are in the same boat as FIU, except with a much smaller population to draw from.

(08-01-2018 12:13 PM)Auburn_Blazer Wrote:  

(08-01-2018 08:34 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  Miami metro is just a tough nut to crack. If you aren't front-running its hard to get someone in the stands and that seems to be true across pro and college sports there.

It's not just Miami. Florida is the worst state for bandwaggoners. I think the key for them is just consistency. If both programs keep up their current trajectory then they'll get better attendance.

It has a ton of bandwagoners because most people are snowbirds from the Northeast, Midwest and Canada, retired from the same areas, transplants and immigrants that'd rather spend the day at the beach or some other outdoor activity and not watching sports.

(08-01-2018 12:22 PM)Chappy Wrote:  FAU is removed enough from the Miami metro that they can get their own thing going, but it will take time. And winning.

FAU, due to distance from Miami proper, has more of a chance. They have an opportunity to build a fan base in Palm Beach and Broward counties without having to dip into Miami-Dade.

Miami itself is a tough nut to crack. The Canes had to win 5 national championships just to build a small to medium-sized fan base. FIU is a large public school, and needs to compete at the highest level possible, but has a tough road ahead to build a following, for reasons explained elsewhere in this thread.

(08-01-2018 06:08 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  

(08-01-2018 12:13 PM)Auburn_Blazer Wrote:  

(08-01-2018 08:34 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  Miami metro is just a tough nut to crack. If you aren't front-running its hard to get someone in the stands and that seems to be true across pro and college sports there.

It's not just Miami. Florida is the worst state for bandwaggoners. I think the key for them is just consistency. If both programs keep up their current trajectory then they'll get better attendance.

It has a ton of bandwagoners because most people are snowbirds from the Northeast, Midwest and Canada, retired from the same areas, transplants and immigrants that'd rather spend the day at the beach or some other outdoor activity and not watching sports.

When the Marlins didn't post crazy numbers that was when I came to the realization, it is just a tough market. Dolphins are really the closest they have to a team that can draw no matter but that seems less true since leaving the Orange Bowl.

(07-31-2018 11:48 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  One thing that UCF and USF benefit from is they have their own metros as D1 schools and the vast distance between where they are located and say where FSU and Miami are located.

Having a remote metro area without local competition always proved to be a good formula for G5.

Its when the school is in the backyard of the P5 where its typically a major struggle. See SJSU or EMU as examples.

Where do you suppose Florida and Florida State alumnae move to after graduation?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

No, even the beloved Dolphins struggle to get fans and the Marlins have 2 World Series and a bunch of empty seats

Dolphins suck and Marlins are too expensive for the actual fans.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk