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Ask The AD -- May 30, 2007

Greg Christopher takes your questions.


May 30, 2007

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - Each week, Bowling Green State University Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics Greg Christopher answers questions that have been submitted to BGSUFalcons.com. Here is the latest installment ...

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We hope to see everyone this weekend at our inaugural Falcon Bash. Whether you can join us for golf or just the dinner with Urban Meyer and the coaches, we look forward to seeing Falcon fans on Saturday.

Q: How do we continue to attract better teams (i.e. Minnesota) to play us at The Doyt?
Fred in Ohio

Football series generally fall into three basic categories:


"Guarantee" games, meaning one of the teams receives a guarantee check to play the game. For example, we received $650,000 to play Ohio State last year. On the flip side, we are talking with a couple of I-AA schools about filling spots in future schedules and, if we go that route, we will need to pay the opposing team (today's I-AA market for MAC schools appears to range from $200,000 to $300,000).

"Two for One" games, meaning BGSU plays two games at the BCS school in exchange for one game at Bowling Green. Some BCS schools won't even consider 2/1 series (Ohio State and Michigan come to mind). Others are open to the concept and I like the idea of occasionally looking at a 2/1 to land a "name" opponent at home. That said, I don't want a steady diet of these games because you will play catch-up in trying to balance six home and six road games. The Minnesota series worked out as a home-and-home and we're looking at a 2/1 with another BCS school down the road.

"Home-and-Home" games, meaning the teams exchange home games over the course of two or more years. Ideally, this is where most of our non-conference games will fall in the future. Looking ahead, we have home-and-homes with Minnesota, new Sun Belt member Western Kentucky, Wyoming from the Mountain West, former MAC foe Marshall and two others are in the works.
You have heard me say this before, but we are working toward six home games and a non-conference schedule that puts us in a position to be at least 2-2 heading into MAC play. In the years ahead we have to complete a few 2/1 series that were on the books and a stray guarantee game or two. Ultimately, our scheduling will focus on teams from other non-BCS conferences, the occasional 2/1 series and perhaps a few I-AA teams to try and maintain six home games. I think this mix will bring competitive teams into The Doyt on a regular basis.



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Q: How can we prevent teams from cancelling on us like Florida International did? I also recall that South Florida cancelled on BGSU a few years ago.
Bob in Columbus

The best solution I have seen is to put a large buyout into the contract, which forces institutions to think twice before cancelling. Any contract we are working on now includes a buyout of at least $500,000.



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Q: Why didn't you include Cincinnati on your Barnstorming Tour this summer? There are a lot of BG fans in Southwest Ohio!
Debbie in Fairfield

Our Barnstorming Tour is a new effort to take coaches, student-athletes and staff on the road to BGSU fans. It's easy for us to ask fans and alums to come to campus for games, but in an effort to increase support and attendance, we're reaching out to the Orange & Brown faithful this summer.

In starting the Barnstorming Tour from scratch, our first priority was Northwest Ohio. Thus our eight stops this summer range from Cleveland to the east and Lima to the south. Columbus and Cincinnati are obvious pockets of BGSU fans and alums that we aren't hitting this summer. In the years ahead we hope to expand and change the tour to include those areas.



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Q: What will become of the offices in Perry Stadium currently being used by the football coaches once they leave for the Sebo Center?
Thomas in New York

One benefit of the Sebo Center is that it will allow us to combine our staff to a degree. Currently, BGSU Athletics has staff spread across campus in six different locations. This can make communication and the semblance of "one team" a challenge at times. As the office dominoes fall this summer, we'll end up with staff a little better consolidated. The administrative offices on the west side of Perry Stadium will be vacated by Athletics and used for much-needed storage and support groups. As for the specific former football offices, that wing will house most of our external relations staff - communications, marketing and sales.

Once again he is doing a great job of answering a couple tough questions and not just the meatball ones. I like what he says about scheduling, especially the buyout at $500,000.00. I know some have slammed him for the football schedule, but I think his answers to these questions along with his actions prove he had very little to do with putting the 2007 football schedule together. I cannot wait to see 6 home games on the schedule for 2008. But if it does not happen I am sure he will let the fans know why. The only thing that I didn't like about his comments concerning scheduling was no mention of the Boise State series. That is frustrating. But, I am sure they are trying to make it work. I would like to think he has realized how much we as fans want those games to take place.

Tricky_Falcon wrote:(today's I-AA market for MAC schools appears to range from $200,000 to $300,000).

Holy moly! That much?

Wow. I thought we used to be able to get a Southeast Missouri or a Liberty in here for $75,000 to $100,000.

I wonder if the rule change allowing one I-AA win to count toward bowl eligiblity has driven up the price of these games.

Wow, $200,000 to $300,000 is a real shocker to me. If that's not a misprint, then Ohio State underpaid us to show up last season.

The Minnesota series worked out as a home-and-home

We've known about this series for a while but I do wonder how we pulled this off as a home-and-home. Anyone have any ideas? Does Minnesota not play Ohio State that year?

This series was a heck of a get.

Looking ahead, we have home-and-homes with Minnesota, new Sun Belt member Western Kentucky, Wyoming from the Mountain West, former MAC foe Marshall and two others are in the works.

Western Kentucky?

We have to play there?

I know they are headed for I-A but -- I guess this is a bit disappointing. On the other hand, if they wanted $200,000 or $300,000 for a one-and-done... gosh, I can't get over how much money that is.

You have heard me say this before, but we are working toward six home games and a non-conference schedule that puts us in a position to be at least 2-2 heading into MAC play. In the years ahead we have to complete a few 2/1 series that were on the books and a stray guarantee game or two. Ultimately, our scheduling will focus on teams from other non-BCS conferences, the occasional 2/1 series and perhaps a few I-AA teams to try and maintain six home games. I think this mix will bring competitive teams into The Doyt on a regular basis.

This works for me if he can do it. It sounds good.

On the other hand, I'm not sure I would describe our Michigan State one-and-done (which I kind of like) and our Boston College one-and-done (which doesn't move me) as "stray guarantee game(s)."

Maybe they were scheduled because everything else was such a mess.

I have a feeling we will continue to do some of these. Budgets need to be balanced, and all. But I like what he'd like to do.

The best solution I have seen is to put a large buyout into the contract, which forces institutions to think twice before cancelling. Any contract we are working on now includes a buyout of at least $500,000.

Boom shaka laka. I can't believe this thread isn't already two pages long with praise for this little tid bit.

Anyway, I'm with It's The Journey...

This column is definitely worthwhile. He is taking on some serious questions. I really dig it.

I loved reading the part about the $500K buyout clauses. Well done, GC.

To try to touch on Schad's points... I don't think that WKU is included in the $200-300K deal, since they're 1-A (even if it *is* the Sun Belt). And in a transitional stage of our scheduling (with the "loose ends" to clean up), I don't think it's a bad move to shore up a game in two seasons with a 1-A school in the region.

I don't think he's considering the MSU and BC games as the "strays", rather, he was probably talking about the Boise State fiasco, the alleged Wyoming series, and the mystery Mizzou game that's floating around somewhere, among others that I might be forgetting. I think your "scheduled because everything else was such a mess" theory is probably more accurate than considering those two as "strays".

I think GC is doing a better job each week, and I'm sure there's quite the learning curve and comfort level involved with laying out the department's inner workings. If it keeps coming weekly and with 3-4 answers each time around, it will be a great thing.

I think the key factor to look at for the 2007 schedule is that GC is like a relief pitcher coming in from the bullpen with bases loaded. He obviously has contracts and previous arrangements with schools that must be tied up and should be charged to his predecessors. We must give him a chance with a clean slate with all the contracts being his responsibility (and that's going to be far down the road).

The only things that scare me from what he said is the cost to bring in I-AA schools and difficulty to get home and home's with lower BCS schools. It seems rather obvious that scheduling C-USA, WAC and Sunbelt schools is the only way to go for BG. It no longer seems so financially appealing to go to Columbus, Ann Arbor or Oklahoma when such a large portion of that money is needed to balance the schedule with an expensive I-AA one-and-done game. The only way this may work is if more tickets are sold, at a profit (not deep discount), for the home I-AA games and throughout the season. And I'm thinking of an average above 20,000.

If you have a problem with our current scheduling look at the facts GC layed out for you and join me in purchasing season tickets. It seems simple to me - the One-and-Done games with the Big $chools are not enough to support our Falcons financially and allow us to take in 6 games at the Doyt. If you wait to buy until the 6 home games are on the schedule it may never happen.

TG1996 wrote:To try to touch on Schad's points... I don't think that WKU is included in the $200-300K deal, since they're 1-A (even if it *is* the Sun Belt).

They aren't I-A yet. They'll play their first Sun Belt season in 2009.

Our game at Western Kentucky, incidentally, will be 2010:

http://www.wkusports.com/news.cgi?article=5328&sports=5

the mystery Mizzou game that's floating around somewhere,

It's not a mystery game. This is a remnant of the 2001 and 2002 Missouri games. We've been supposed to play a second game at Missouri ever since, but it keeps getting pushed back.

Schadenfreude wrote:

TG1996 wrote:To try to touch on Schad's points... I don't think that WKU is included in the $200-300K deal, since they're 1-A (even if it *is* the Sun Belt).

They aren't I-A yet. They'll play their first Sun Belt season in 2009.

Our game at Western Kentucky, incidentally, will be 2010:

Don't know if anyone noticed, but they also said in this article that they've sold over 3,000 season tix for this year....compared to our 2,000? We've GOT to step it up if we're to keep football in the "black"....

Class of 61 wrote:
Don't know if anyone noticed, but they also said in this article that they've sold over 3,000 season tix for this year....compared to our 2,000? We've GOT to step it up if we're to keep football in the "black"....

Season tickets for WKU this year are 25$ (5 games, reserved bleacher and GA). For a family of four, that is not a bad deal. (and half of BG's season ticket cost. They are really trying to get the 15K avg attendance goal and have made tickets pretty cheap.

They are also working on a 37.5 million dollar stadium renovation.

Kudos to GC for trying up the buyout so we can hopefully maintain some of our future home games.

On the subject of season tickets, I have only missed 1 home game in the last 7 or 8 years, and I still have never purchased season tickets. If they want to sell season tickets they must do something to make it advantageous to purchase them. Sitting in the same seats each week isn't enough for me, because I usually just end up sitting wherever I want anyhow.

As it currently stands they end up having so many deals and giveaways that there are always tickets available at some discounted rate. Honestly I rarely even pay to get in the games as there's usually somebody tailgating that has extras they're just willing to give away.

I'm not sure what they can do, because it's a fine line between hampering attendance and devaluing your product with the giveaways and whatnot, but as it is I think they've devalued the ticket to the point that it doesn't make much sense to buy season tickets. I know plenty of people on here do buy them, and that's great, but for me I really just don't see the point.

hammb wrote:Kudos to GC for trying up the buyout so we can hopefully maintain some of our future home games.

On the subject of season tickets, I have only missed 1 home game in the last 7 or 8 years, and I still have never purchased season tickets. If they want to sell season tickets they must do something to make it advantageous to purchase them. Sitting in the same seats each week isn't enough for me, because I usually just end up sitting wherever I want anyhow.

As it currently stands they end up having so many deals and giveaways that there are always tickets available at some discounted rate. Honestly I rarely even pay to get in the games as there's usually somebody tailgating that has extras they're just willing to give away.

I'm not sure what they can do, because it's a fine line between hampering attendance and devaluing your product with the giveaways and whatnot, but as it is I think they've devalued the ticket to the point that it doesn't make much sense to buy season tickets. I know plenty of people on here do buy them, and that's great, but for me I really just don't see the point.

Hambb,
I know as well as anyone that you're a true BG fan...but your position on the season tix issue is all wrong IMO. True, it's "easy", probably too easy, to pick up a ticket from a fellow AZZer (I've given away several through the years when someone couldn't come with me), or buy into some of the promotions. But, when the school is practically BEGGING for people to buy tix (read: last year's Miami game), it seems to me that the $79 or $89 INVESTMENT in BG football isn't that big a deal. When you take or buy a ticket from someone else's purchase, it just means one LESS ticket that BG can sell...and I don't see that helping the situation. Now that your "favorite" field turf is being installed, I think you mentioned that you wouldn't even join the Falcon Club this year. As I said, this makes little sense to me. Hope you won't take offense to this, but I can't agree with your position, especially since you usually sit near us on the 50 yrd. line anyway. Why not just pay for a ticket and help the cause?

We used to do what Hammb did. We would buy general admission tickets on game day, sit in seats that were as good or better than most reserved seats, and have the best of all worlds. If the weather is bad, we weren't committed. When the team started to get better crowds, and when the stadium capacity went down (and GA tickets went away, I think), we got season tickets. Only, of course, to have crowds dwindle back to four figures again.

Anyway, we like our seats, and we're not going to go back.

With 3,000 season tickets, it is a miracle we draw as well as we do.

Love this new feature of asking the AD questions. Great discussion this week. I love that $500K buyout clause. You wanna break the contract? Fine. Give us half a million.

GC is doing a fine job so far, IMO. I'm looking forward to the Barnstorming Tour in Cleveland on June 14. Den, will you be there? Anyone else going from NE OH? 100th Bomb Group.

GO FALCONS!!!!! 93 days....

Falconfreak90 wrote:Love this new feature of asking the AD questions. Great discussion this week. I love that $500K buyout clause. You wanna break the contract? Fine. Give us half a million.

GC is doing a fine job so far, IMO. I'm looking forward to the Barnstorming Tour in Cleveland on June 14. Den, will you be there? Anyone else going from NE OH? 100th Bomb Group.

GO FALCONS!!!!! 93 days....

Mike, I'm planning on the Bomb group thing..if you've never been there, it's kind of a unique atmosphere..Joyce has something else going so I'll go alone that day..looking forward to it.

Schad,

I think I agree with you, it was just a terminology thing. I know that we have another Mizzou game out there, but being five-plus years ago and not necessarily coming up each time a Mizzou-less schedule comes out makes it a little mysterious to me.

And it sounds like the WKU payout question is something that should be asked of the AD.

Class of 61 wrote:

Falconfreak90 wrote:Love this new feature of asking the AD questions. Great discussion this week. I love that $500K buyout clause. You wanna break the contract? Fine. Give us half a million.

GC is doing a fine job so far, IMO. I'm looking forward to the Barnstorming Tour in Cleveland on June 14. Den, will you be there? Anyone else going from NE OH? 100th Bomb Group.

GO FALCONS!!!!! 93 days....

Mike, I'm planning on the Bomb group thing..if you've never been there, it's kind of a unique atmosphere..Joyce has something else going so I'll go alone that day..looking forward to it.

Great! See ya there. Isn't it downtown?