Bowl Eligible

orangeandbrown · Post by **orangeandbrown** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 8:30 am

We became one of 27 bowl eligible teams last night. This continues to be an evolving problem. There will be 56 teams, but they will be different than the normal make up.

Right now, there are 72 teams who are bowl eligible, or have 4 or 5 wins. However, if you take the whole 72, it includes, for example, 5 MAC teams, and we can guess that, at most 3 will go to bowls.

Its going to be interesting how this shakes out, but there is a shortage of teams who are chasing six wins.

manager · Post by **manager** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 10:38 am

Does our win over 1-AA SEMO count? I was under the impression that teams needed six 1-A wins. -- In our case though the only way we'll truly have a chance to be bowl eligible is by going 9-2 and even then ------

huskiealum03 · Post by **huskiealum03** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 10:58 am

you guys are barely averaging 15,000 people for attendance. besides your players deserving it, your school certainly doesn't. if you were the bowl reps, would you really take you guys?

BGGrad01 · Post by **BGGrad01** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 11:18 am

huskiealum03 wrote:you guys are barely averaging 15,000 people for attendance. besides your players deserving it, your school certainly doesn't. if you were the bowl reps, would you really take you guys?

I wouldn't be thrilled about picking us, but we have had good crowds at all of our road games this year. Sadly we can't get too many people to travel 2 miles to the Doyt, but we can get a fair number to travel 3 hours to play Central, Northern, or Ohio U. No offense to you or any of the other NIU fans that have posted here because you have all been very good posters, but if I were a bowl rep, I wouldn't be thrilled about taking a team that beat a I-AA team by 1 point and beat two of the worst 5 teams in I-A by a last-second FG and in OT either. None of the MAC teams are very attractive this year. Our attendance is down, national exposure has been in a bad light, and our quality of football is not that good.

Class of 61 · Post by **Class of 61** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 11:21 am

Huskie,
Unfortunately, you've hit the nail on the head re: our attendance...obviously, most of the people on this website are "regulars" and we're tired of preaching to the choir. BG needs to take a SERIOUS look at WHY we're not drawing... last nite's excuses offered up by some included: Halloween parties, too windy( when isn't it at BG?)... I know one of the recruits and his family personally, went down to talk to them at halftime....didn't DARE mention the crappy crowd...if we want good kids to consider us, then we need to draw more people than they draw at their big Fri. nite games..... and, you're also right in that the bowl people will not look kindly on the attendance situation when considering (or not) us for a possible slot....

OptionQB · Post by **OptionQB** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 7:23 pm

61,

While I agree as well that home attendance has been a problem, anyone that was in Detroit last Dec. 26th knows that 3/4 of the 51,000+ had Brown and Orange on . . . That speaks more loudly than does any other stat.

Besides, if we keep getting "competitive" football from the power conferences, then the bowls will have no choice but to take us to have enough for their precious 28 bowl games.

Mr. Frieda · Post by **Mr. Frieda** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 8:46 pm

Does our school deserve it?? OF COURSE we do. As mentioned, last year's Motor City Bowl was a huge draw for our school and any bowl game will surely draw more than EMU, BSU, and SEMO combined!!! The unfortunate fact is that our home schedule this year BLOWS!!! It fails to get students excited and out to the game, let alone draw in their parents or other alumni who have come to high profile games of past such as Miami, Toledo, and Northern.

Marshall should (hopefully) be an exciting one, even a blowout would be fine. The MAC just cannot provide a full schedule of competition for BG in today's game. We're a better team and so are NIU, Toledo, and usually Miami. Marshall is making a move and I hope that in the future (2-3 years) BG makes a move as well. The way the Big Ten has looked lately, i'd love to be playing there (OSU v. PSU, PSU v. Iowa, etc...)

Finally, Coach Brandon does not do NEAR as much to get the students out to the games compared with the job the man in Utah did. Dakich and Meyer were great at getting out to the students and making them feel wanted and needed. All Brandon does is occasionally complain about attendance in the BG news. In fairness, he did promote last year's games a bit, but they needed no promotion.

Anyways, this is my first post and surely won't be my last. My screen name, as you may wonder, is due to my girlfriend, last year's Frieda Falcon and hopefully my falcon for a long time. Take care everyone! I look forward to many 'discussions'.

Tricky_Falcon · Post by **Tricky_Falcon** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 9:41 pm

Please...don't even start on coach Brandon. You really don't know what he does to get students involved. He's gone to the union and handed out season tickets he does what he can to get the students involved. He has done what Urban did if not more. Coach Brandon is a lot more fan/person friendly than Urban ever was. Honestly I don't know if you want a coach or a cheerleader. It's not coach Brandon's job to parade around campus to get students to come to the games. That's why we have a marketing department. Well so I've heard.

TG1996 · Post by **TG1996** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 9:49 pm

Tricky_Falcon wrote:Please...don't even start on coach Brandon. You really don't know what he does to get students involved. He's gone to the union and handed out season tickets he does what he can to get the students involved. He has done what Urban did if not more. Coach Brandon is a lot more fan/person friendly than Urban ever was. Honestly I don't know if you want a coach or a cheerleader. It's not coach Brandon's job to parade around campus to get students to come to the games. That's why we have a marketing department. Well so I've heard.

What he said!

In fact, I think its because of Coach Brandon's efforts to get people out to the games that he gets so disappointed in post game press conferences about there not being enough people at the games. I don't live anywhere close to BG, but if what Tricky's saying about the Union is true, and hearing other stories of Brandon "making the rounds", he's got every right to express his displeasure. And I don't think he's ever "crossed the line" with that in anything he's said, even when only 10,000 show up for just the third home game of the year.

Falconfreak90 · Post by **Falconfreak90** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 9:50 pm

Tricky_Falcon wrote:Please...don't even start on coach Brandon. You really don't know what he does to get students involved. He's gone to the union and handed out season tickets he does what he can to get the students involved. He has done what Urban did if not more. Coach Brandon is a lot more fan/person friendly than Urban ever was. Honestly I don't know if you want a coach or a cheerleader. It's not coach Brandon's job to parade around campus to get students to come to the games. That's why we have a marketing department. Well so I've heard.

Damn Tricky, that was a fine post!

Coach Brandon IS doing his job...and well I might add. His teams are winning and winning big. We are winning games by an average of 21 points a game. Coach promotes his team as well, if not better, than Meyer did. Don't get on his case.

Marketing Dept? I've talked to folks in the loop about a possible job promoting BG athletics....seriously. ANYONE could do a better job than what is being done at this time.

Absolutely no excuses fly with me anymore.

Mr. Frieda · Post by **Mr. Frieda** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 10:08 pm

As a student myself, a very active student, i'm just saying his criticism of the students when attendance is low is unfounded. His effort isn't failing, but passing out tickets to eight students only gets...eight students. I have yet to come across him on campus and I work in the Union as well as having been a leader on campus for 4 years. Sorry to offend anyone, but as someone who is actually on campus, i'd have to go with my own experience.

I dont blame him, I just dont think the students are too blame in whole.

Marketing is the key! Our marketing department is always looking for new ways to promote and get people to the games, but as I posted before, it's more likely the opponents which are failing to serve as a draw for fans. If anyone has ideas to help draw fans, i'm sure they'd be ready to listen.

BelieveNBG · Post by **BelieveNBG** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 10:16 pm

Let's say the first so many students got a poster, or bobble head, or there was a drawing for students only?

What about a contest where some students try to kick a field goal and win some free books for the following semester?

What about some give away on the following Monday that requires a ticket from the previous game?

Or finally, what about students just simply showing up for the game to support their fellow classmates.

Flipper · Post by **Flipper** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 10:19 pm

I think most of the criticism about attendance is directed towards the townies ans alumni. The students (last night being the exception) have been GREAT so far as turnout and enthusiasm goes. I suppose in time (if you're like me it'll be 6 years) the students that have been involved with the program will become devoted alumni, but we shouldn't have to depend on that to build a fan base.

Mr. Frieda · Post by **Mr. Frieda** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 10:19 pm

BelieveNBG wrote:Let's say the first so many students got a poster, or bobble head, or there was a drawing for students only?

What about a contest where some students try to kick a field goal and win some free books for the following semester?

What about some give away on the following Monday that requires a ticket from the previous game?

Or finally, what about students just simply showing up for the game to support their fellow classmates.

All solid ideas. I wish more students cared that much. I truly do. Here's hoping for a HUGE Famiy weekend game.

Tricky_Falcon · Post by **Tricky_Falcon** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 10:20 pm

It's not the students thats our problem we have a pretty good base that come to the games so walking around campus with a bullhorn or going to the Union every day to promote the game is not the answer.

Now walking downtown and through the neighborhoods of BG with a bullhorn might be.

Bowl Eligible

Bowl Eligible

What about a give away???

Re: What about a give away???