The Rest of College Football

[Clashmore Mike]

Biggest fallout from that game on ND boards, other than the meltdown and result, is the use of audio & jumbo-trons. For years there has been a minority of ND fans clamoring for piped in music and big-screens. Until the UM loss, they were always overwhelmed by the majority. Simple hash-mark end zones...strictly marching band music...and the nostalgia of watching the team play exactly as people watched Leahy's teams play in the '40s was considered an identity. To pollute that traditional atmosphere with modern amenities was considered sacrilege...I was among the majority.

But there isn't a doubt in my mind that booming beats, highlight videos, etc. add to the home team's advantage. I wasn't alone. Now opinion has turned, almost exclusively based on that game. In fact, ND started playing music for the first time during the USC game...I hear that jumbo trons are coming. The only fight left is to find a way to install them that doesn't block touchdown Jesus' view. I'm hearing four smaller screens, one at each corner.

[entropy]

My family has had season tix since '86, and the '11 ND game was easily the loudest I've ever heard the big house...that includes Driesbach's game winner to Hayes (?) in '95 kickoff classic as well as '97 OSU.

Perhaps acoustic theory about the luxury boxes bouncing sound back...perhaps the first night game and 10+ hours of drinking...perhaps the single largest crowd in CFB history...all let others argue the reasons, the result cannot be argued.

the luxury boxes trap sound, but also Michigan pipes in a lot of noise. I never recalled the band playing over the loud speakers

[Jeff Buchanan]

The college football scene is changing. The majority were like you, Clash .... stick with the traditional CFB game day experience. That's going.... going ..... gone.

CFB is 90% entertainment for the masses and 10% college athletes competing as part of the university experience. Its identity is changing.

I don't know if that is good or bad.

I spent a lot of time in the Philippines in the 70s. Their economy was based on 3 gigantic US Military bases and the entertainment industry. There wasn't anything else to speak of. The local newspapers were full of celebrities stories and Imelda Marcos' shoes and travels. That WAS the news.

The US now has a TV entertainment Industry that is second to none. CFB is part of it. Not sure where it stands in terms of annual revenues by industry but it would not surprise me that if you combined all the areas that we typically see as entertainment, it dwarfs manufacturing and banking. We are becoming the Philippines and all that connotation might imply.

[entropy]

An ex Nebraska AD who now is the AD for A&M was obsessed with the sears trophy. He wanted UNL to win one. So to help increase revenues, nebraska started allowing ads for instant replays, during time outs, and even before the game. It slowly gave memorial stadium a more NFL feeling.

sadly, once you're hooked on the revenue, it is tough to walk away from it.. I guess it was going to happen sooner or later, I just like blaming him.

[hack]

Ugh. My memory of Manila is that it hosts every donut chain known to humanity. The other is being in what was described as one of the few good and high-end indigenous restaurants, in which I ate the national dish of beef in a basic gravy and onions while a band dressed sorta mariachi-like played Cottonfields by CCR. Ugh.

Did you read James Fallows' 80s piece on the Phils? http://www.theatlantic.com/technolog...lippines/7414/.

[Mike]

At least there are actual discussions about changing the current system and a possible playoff. This could get interesting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/11/sports/ncaafootball/talks-begin-with-an-open-mind-on-college-football-playoff.html

[hack]

Nice vids posted here; thanks...

[entropy]

I realised I might not have been clear before on my feelings... so let me try this again.

FUCK the SEC

[iam416]

An interesting way to think about the importance of football: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...505387766.html

As a percentage of total campus revenue, football revenue accounted for 14% at LSU and 11% at Alabama -- by far the two highest percentages amongst the schools looked at. OSU and M were at 1%.

Put another way, while LSU and Bama make about as much money on football as OSU/M (OSU was way down this year, heh), their total revenue is dwarfed by M ($6.0B) and OSU ($4.6B) and most other B10 schools. So, in terms of revenue, football revenue is an order of magnitude more important to LSU and Bama than OSU/M (and numerous others).

[Mackenzie]

I realised I might not have been clear before on my feelings... so let me try this again.

FUCK the SEC

What he said!

[WM Wolverine]

Not to mention, endowments which M is at nearly $8 billion.

[hack]

How did M, OSU and others who are less dependent become that way? Larger student bodies, or higher fees?

[iam416]

Far better developed as institutions of higher learning. More grad programs. Better grad programs. More research. More everything.

That's not to say OSU (or M), e.g., doesn't pay as much (or more) attention to its football program than anyone else. However, OSU/M just have significantly greater institutional breadth than shitass SEC schools.

I also know OSU has a medical center/hospital that generates a ton of revenue.

[hodgkal]

more wealthy alumni?

[iam416]

Looking at some OSU stuff, reserach grants and things like that are revenue, but OSU's big money maker is its hospital system. Almost half its revenue comes from that.

Here's an interim report to BoT that includes a pretty useful P&L...tuition is a small percentage of total revenue: http://www.rpia.ohio-state.edu/commi...11%20FINAL.pdf