Breaking the Barrier / Glass Ceiling

[NOFALCONWAY]

With the recent cinderalla stories in college football one can only wonder how close BG is to breaking the top 25/BCS barrier. We came oh so close for awhile from 2002-2004 but have slipped under the radar since. Now that things seem to be on the right track is it possible within the next 5-10 years for BG to dominate the MAC and compete on a national level?

How can USF go from not having a football team 11 years ago to drawing a crowd of over 67,000 (sounded mostly like usf fans)? Meanwhile BG Has had a rich tradition in football and struggles to grow as fast. Granted it is in Florida(big football state)playing #4 West Virginia, and nationaly televised.

How can Boise State entering into 1A competition in 1997, 9 years later pull off an up-set of epic porportions?


Utah in 2004- lost Urban's recipie but made a statement.

is it possible for BG to be consistently be in the top 25 year in and year out?

or are we predestined to be encased by a glass ceiling?


why not us?

[BGSUFootballFan]

I think we can do it. We just need TOTAL commitment from the fans, coaches and players. If we keep taking care of business week in and week out the media and national spotlight will eventually come! Don't forget we are the only MAC team ever to get College Gameday crew!

I'm a Purdue student, and they've only come to West Lafayette once also. This week they picked LSU for a 2nd time this season(5 weeks) against UF (who just lost at home), over 5-0 Purdue hosting 5-0 Ohio State. So don't under estimate the value of that and how close we were in 03. In fact I might even say that we broke through that glass ceiling in '03. The only thing that truly kept us from going all the way was Roethlisberger's right arm.

Anything is possible, we just need to get the whole community involved and believing! LETS GO FALCONS!

[Jacobs4Heisman]

It's tough for us to do what USF and Boise have done because of money, location, and competition. What else is there to do in a 200 mile radius of Boise than to be a BSU fan? USF has the huge advantage of being in Florida and having a pro facility to use for home games.

BG and the rest of the MAC are in a good football state, but are competing with so many other schools/pro sports in close proximity that it's tough to consistently be the star attraction. Add in the money problems, and it's real tough to rise above.

USF will keep getting better and better now that they have BCS monies flowing in.

[TG1996]

why not us?

See: Boise State this year.

Everyone loved them, they were the greatest thing, then lose once on the road at Washington and they're barely treading water in the "Also Receiving Votes" pool. As mid-majors, the margin for error, especially at the start of the season, is razor thin. By the time you build up to a respectable ranking, the season is wrapping up and you have to do it all over again, including proving to people that you're better than the competition you've been given, especially at this level, where the Buffalo's, Temple's and EMU's of the world are laughed at. Don't know how some programs like USF get on the fast track to a BCS conference, but you're right, being in Florida helps a bunch, I'd bet.

Of course, backing up a season like 2003 would have helped, and we did to some extent, but at our level, you need three or four of those in a row, plus most likely a Boise State/Utah type season to REALLY turn heads. We don't get the head start at the start of each season that other programs get (read: BCS). Florida/Ohio State/Michigan/USC/LSU/etc. could wipe their entire roster clean at the end of one season, pick 22 guys out of the phone book to play the following season, and they'd probably still be preseason top 20.

[Dayons_Den]

I think regionalism has something to do with it. The MAC and WAC are somewhat similar on the macro. But looking closer most WAC schools don't have other competition i.e. are not the baby bro. of the Big Ten like us. Many of the WAC and Mt. West schools are big schools with their state name in the title and no direction in front of it.

Boise State has a much larger region than us to gain fan support and corporate support with out many other players taking a chunk of it away.

[tiznow]

As far as breaking the top 25 barrier, we did that in 2003 and finished the season in the top 25. BCS rankings more difficult. SOS hurts us. Some of the bottom schools in the MAC hurt any chances of being ranked in the BCS.

[JoeFalcon]

Whew, I thought this was going to be something about damage to the Sebo Center.

[PGY Tiercel]

Whew, I thought this was going to be something about damage to the Sebo Center.

Or worse, allowing women to play football....

[FalconTurf]

Whew, I thought this was going to be something about damage to the Sebo Center.

Or worse, allowing women to play football....

A Falcon Women's football team would solve a lot of Title 9 issues but create a whole new budget problem.

The three biggest factors needed to break the BCS glass IMHO are:

1. Doyt Perry-type coach who wins and stays for an entire career,
2. Students fall in love with the program (ie Gonzaga in bball),
3. Recruit the heck out of NW Ohio to create regional loyalty of the non-grads and casual fans.

The toughest part is to find someone who wants to stay forever when the money is so good when you step into another comparable conference. The latter 2 can be accomplished if the University mission were to become a regional force in academics, culture and athletics. My BGSU does not do a good job of marketing to the region and I believe the new ticket marketing guy said as much in an article I recently read in the BG S-T. The marketing is basicly Wood County and whatever the Blade can do for them. The same goes for other events happening at the university with the arts and academics. The university does not advertise their programs aggressively to area schools and I'm in a school 25 miles and one county east. The only thing they have done in my building is advertise a couple of masters programs and randomly send something out about a basketball camp.

[Schadenfreude]

The three biggest factors needed to break the BCS glass IMHO are:

1. Doyt Perry-type coach who wins and stays for an entire career,
2. Students fall in love with the program (ie Gonzaga in bball),
3. Recruit the heck out of NW Ohio to create regional loyalty of the non-grads and casual fans.

I think it's none of these, although (1) would definitely help.

More than anything, it's about money.

Spend enough money, and the glass ceiling will look a lot more fragile at some point.

And what I really mean by this is well-heeled boosters -- sugar daddies who will adopt the program and smooth out the rough edges with money.

Money, put forward by committed boosters, solves a lot of problems. Take (1). With enough money, a program can buy a coach who will commit for the long haul -- and buy out a coach who is overstaying his welcome.

Or, (3). With enough money, recruiting can be a lot easier. I'm not alluding to recruiting violations, either. Money can buy fancier facilities that impress recruits.

I think if one looks at a program that's on the rise, that is breaking through the glass ceiling, one will see committed, wealthy boosters. Oregon has Phil Knight. South Florida has George Steinbrenner, believe it or not. Louisville obviously has some -- they raised $53 million for that fine new stadium down there, and the Kentucky legislature wouldn't fork over a penny.

And we have good boosters, too. Between Bob Sebo, Tracy and Van Wright, and gosh knows how many other people, has the football team's facilities ever taken a larger leap forward in so short a time? The only thing we can compare what has happened these past three or so years to is the original construction of Perry Stadium.

I believe these investments will reap dividends. We ought to have a somewhat easier time putting butts in seats, because the stadium atmosphere is so much better. That could mean a mild improvement for the bottom line. Our recruiting should also improve. If so, that will also help our bottom line. Winning cures many ills.

The question, looking forward, is whether we have enough boosters with the commitment and the resources to keep investing in football. Put simply can we keep pushing the ball forward?

That's the big question right now.

If we can keep pushing the ball foward, we will eventually shatter the glass.

In the 1950s, Michigan State forced its way into the Big Ten. In the 1990s, Penn State did the same thing. Neither of these things were inevitable. Michigan never wanted Michigan State in the Big Ten. And, in the 1960s, Penn State football got very little national respect.

But forget about the Big Ten. Look at East Carolina. Look at Boise State. Look at Louisville. Look at Colorado State. Look at Connecticut, if you will.

These are programs that are gradually shattering the ceiling.

With enough committed money, we can do that. It's just a long term thing.

[NOFALCONWAY]

Great points, I think if we had a donor who would donate money only to the football program and the coaching staff BGSU could go a long way.