Non-Conference Scheduling rumors

[Uncle Ted]

The official attendance for BYU vs. OU was 75k. I didn't go to the game, how many BYU fans were there -- 15k, 20k?

I assume that a lot of BYU fans, like myself, got their tickets from OU. The initial allocation of BYU tickets sold out pretty quick. Therefore, any "official" numbers may be off.

Here are the attendance numbers for college football at cowboys stadium...


The attendance for last years southwest classic was kind of low considering that both teams had good seasons and A&M averages over 75K fans at home games. Of course, the attendance to the TCU game was pretty bad.

[Sizzle]

I assume that a lot of BYU fans, like myself, got their tickets from OU. The initial allocation of BYU tickets sold out pretty quick. Therefore, any "official" numbers may be off.

Here are the attendance numbers for college football at cowboys stadium...


The attendance for last years southwest classic was kind of low considering that both teams had good seasons and A&M averages over 75K fans at home games. Of course, the attendance to the TCU game was pretty bad.

Not to be a buzzkill, but the BYU-OU game was also a big deal because it was the first real football game to be played in the stadium. I'm sure a lot of the BYU/OU/Dallas contingent wanted to be a part of the first game.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

I would be surprised but only midly. I think 25K for BYU is on the high end. Perhaps more would travel to see tOSU than OU but I doubt it. Maybe if BYU had a high preseason ranking.

Maybe tOSU sells 50K but that's quite a challenge. Perhaps the novelty of playing in Cowboy Stadium might do it. The 2004 Alamo Bowl (Ohio St.-Oklahoma St.) had very good attendance so it's certainly possible. I'm very familar with how Nebraska travels and I don't think they can put 50K fans in the seats at Cowboy Stadium for a BYU game (unless it's a bowl game). But they could for a Nebraska-Oklahoma game (and I think tOSU could do that against the Sooners as well).

I'm not trying to discount how Buckeye fans travel-they represent better than most or almost all. But there is a distance factor to consider. Put the tOSU-BYU game at Soldier Field in Chicago and Buckeye fans will easily put 50K+ in the stadium. I'm just not sure they can do it in Dallas but I could be underestimating them.

You're forgetting about the first game of the season factor, which would likely be the case if BYU played Ohio State at Jerry's World.

Also, Ohio State is the third largest university in the United States. Currently it has about 55,000 students. Dallas is the fourth largest metropolitan area of the United States. Houston is the sixth largest metro area. Given the sheer size of Ohio State's alumni base and the size of the Houston and Dallas markets, it wouldn't surprise me if there's a sizeable local TOSU alumni base in Texas itself.

[Babs]

Not to be a buzzkill, but the BYU-OU game was also a big deal because it was the first real football game to be played in the stadium. I'm sure a lot of the BYU/OU/Dallas contingent wanted to be a part of the first game.

Yeah, the one pattern that seems to emerge is that outside of bowl games and conference championships, interest is dropping off.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

Does the novelty of seeing BYU play in Texas wear off? BYU will play in Austin and Jerry World this year. Especially if they are a 7 win team, I could see them not selling 25k tickets. There were only 40k fans at the TCU game last year, I find it hard to believe 25k of those were BYU fans.

It will wear off depending on who they play. Despite TCU's recent success, I don't see that game selling a ton of tickets-- they're TCU after all. It will do better than TCU v. Oregon State, but I would be surprised if it goes too much higher than around 6-7k more than that game.

Texas will be a different story and Ohio State would be a different story. The novelty would be for the Ohio State fans because Ohio State has never played there. BYU by that time will have already played there about 3 times. The novelty for BYU is playing big time programs and believing there's a chance that BYU could beat them given what happened against Oklahoma. Of course, that feeling could flag if we're talking some 2015 game and six years has passed since the BYU v. Oklahoma game.

[Babs]

lol.

they could go home, shower up, and head out to BBQ.

You forgot shopping at the galleria.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

Yeah, the one pattern that seems to emerge is that outside of bowl games and conference championships, interest is dropping off.

You have a sample size of one game besides the BYU v. Oklahoma game that didn't involve either a conference championship, bowl game, or two local/semi-local teams playing a rivalry game.

Maybe we need to get Indy involved here, but I'm not sure if you can draw any pattern from a game between a middling program from the Pacific Northwest and a school that has about 10,000 students.

Besides, how much money is Jerry Jones out of pocket for a game that only sells about 50k tickets? He obviously was cool with scheduling TCU v. BYU despite only 46k tickets being sold for the TCU v. Oregon State game. There are only so many neutral site games that Texas and Oklahoma can schedule.

[Babs]

You have a sample size of one game besides the BYU v. Oklahoma game that didn't involve either a conference championship, bowl game, or two local/semi-local teams playing a rivalry game.

Maybe we need to get Indy involved here, but I'm not sure if you can draw any pattern from a game between a middling program from the Pacific Northwest and a school that has about 10,000 students.

Besides, how much money is Jerry Jones out of pocket for a game that only sells about 50k tickets? He obviously was cool with scheduling TCU v. BYU despite only 46k tickets being sold for the TCU v. Oregon State game. There are only so many neutral site games that Texas and Oklahoma can schedule.

Apologies. I didn't mean to offend.

[Uncle Ted]

Yeah, the one pattern that seems to emerge is that outside of bowl games and conference championships, interest is dropping off.

Pattern? The Oregon vs. LSU game was sold out back in early June. In fact, the tickets never went on sale to the general public. Oregon season ticket holders purchased the entire allotment. I think HFN said Oregon fans had purchased 30,000 tickets. LSU had sold over 37,000 tickets back in May.

[Babs]

Pattern? The Oregon vs. LSU game was sold out back in early June. In fact, the tickets never went on sale to the general public. Oregon season ticket holders purchased the entire allotment. I think HFN said Oregon fans had purchased 30,000 tickets. LSU had sold over 37,000 tickets back in May.

Forget it. I take it all back. I had no idea you guys had so much invested in this idea.

I still maintain that I'll be awfully impressed if tOSU turns out 60 or 70k for a preseason game in Dallas.

[Joe Public]

As a conference, nobody travels like the B10. The B10 Rose Bowl contingency always invades SoCal for New Years. Buckeyes will pack the house in Texas, as well.

Especially now that the Huskers are in the B10

This.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

Pattern? The Oregon vs. LSU game was sold out back in early June. In fact, the tickets never went on sale to the general public. Oregon season ticket holders purchased the entire allotment. I think HFN said Oregon fans had purchased 30,000 tickets. LSU had sold over 37,000 tickets back in May.

Oregon has 23k students vs. 55k for Ohio State. So, it has less than half the alumni base. Eugene is also twice as far away from Dallas as Columbus. The population of Ohio is 11.5 million vs. 3.8 million for Oregon.

Oregon sells 30k tickets and Ohio State can't sell 50k tickets?

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

Oregon has 23k students vs. 55k for Ohio State. So, it has less than half the alumni base. Eugene is also twice as far away from Dallas as Columbus. The population of Ohio is 11.5 million vs. 3.8 million for Oregon.

Oregon sells 30k tickets and Ohio State can't sell 50k tickets?

I'm not saying Ohio State won't sell tix, this is viewed more as a program solidifying game to Duck fans. Is a game against BYU considered the same thing for Ohio State fans?

Also I have told many Duck fans about the golf/water ski aspect which I am sure has driven sales. I can not confirm if dabrock will do the same for tOSU fans.

[Eddie]

Forget it. I take it all back. I had no idea you guys had so much invested in this idea.

I still maintain that I'll be awfully impressed if tOSU turns out 60 or 70k for a preseason game in Dallas.

Preseason. PREseason?

Wait...those BCS folks keep telling us that the thing that is beautiful about the BCS system is that the playoffs start on day one. There IS no preseason...every game counts.

Preseason?

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Jeff Call tweeted this link to Army's future schedules which shows a 2012 game against BYU:

http://army.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=1162&CID=527111