The (crappy) 2007 schedule is out!

[SaxyGirl85]

The UT game could draw well, but if this team doesn't do great, not just OK, but GREAT, I don't see 20,000 being possible.

Do people really work the day after Thanksgiving?

i know for a fact that i'll prolly have to work...i don't even know if they'll let me take it off because i'm in the damn marching band! black friday is the busiest morning EVER in retail...ugh.

[Jacobs4Heisman]

Do people really work the day after Thanksgiving?

I worked the last two years on Friday, so did both my parents and my sister and her husband.

People actually get that day off?

[FMBfan07]

Check that. The '03 game was a noon kick on a Saturday, moved from 6pm Friday.

http://bgsufalcons.cstv.com/sports/m-fo ... 03aaa.html

ahh that is right... i knew it was sometime after thanksgiving

[BGSU33]

I’m sort of mixed on the schedule.

Some things I like are who we host in MAC play in terms of the opponents. I like hosting Toledo, Ohio, Akron & Temple. On paper, I’d rather play these teams than hosting the teams we have on our road schedule of Miami, Kent State, Buffalo & EMU. Those we our exact home games last year, and looked how much we disliked those games a year ago. I like Miami out of that group, but that’s about it. I think our home MAC schedule is actually better this year – in terms of the actual opponents. The thing I also like about our OOC schedule is, I actually think we’ll win a game in here now. If we still had Boise State on the schedule, we could (I said “could”) be looking at 0-4 in the OOC schedule. Now I’m not saying we can’t beat Minny, Sparty or BC, but it wouldn’t surprise me if we’re 0-3 vs. those three. Add Boise to the mix, and we’d really have a challenge and could be looking at 0-4. If we can somehow make a run in the MAC this year, we’re going to need a non-conference win or two if we want to even think about getting back in a bowl game.

Now, with that said, yes, it would have been cool to see Boise at home this year. Yeah, it would have made for a much tougher schedule, but if you can get Boise on board right now at home, it’s a catch. I’m disappointed they won’t be coming and I can only hope they actually do come in 2011….same for Minnesota in 2008. I also don’t like playing UT the day after Thanksgiving. I remember back in 1993 we played UT in the fourth game of the year at home and had a helluva crowd. I too wouldn’t mind seeing them earlier on the schedule. I’m sure we’ll also gripe about some of the kickoff times when they are all announced too. But those kickoff times will never suit everyone, and anymore, I really don’t care when we kick off, just as long as we win.

Honestly, I think what really need to worry about more than anything is fielding a competitive team again. From 2001 to midway through 2005, times were high for BG football, just like they were from 1991-1994. But I can’t help but compare how the “Fat Punter” game against CMU in 1994 and then the “Omar’s Hurt Shoulder” game against WMU have eerily translated into a rapid decline and fallout for BG football that we struggled to overcome. The success building up before and then the disappointments after these two “black clouds” in BG football in the past decade or so really are eerie to me. This is the year we MUST get things turned around, or we’ll have a lot more to complain about around here than our schedule.

[Globetrotter]

Yes, it's all the fault of an AD WHO HAS NOT BEEN HERE A FULL YEAR YET!!!!! Half of this he has had little to no say in because it was set up before he took the position. You all are funny because if he were a first year head coach you would be talking about how tough it is taking someone else's team and making them your own in the first year. This is NO different. Greg Christopher said the GOAL was to have 6 home games each year. We are closer to that this year then we were last. Screw Temple and Rick Chryst for letting them half ass their way into the MAC. Lets put down the torches and pitch forks and see how this plays out. If we find ourselves in the same situation when the 2008 schedule comes out then I will provide the lighters.

2 schedules have come out of note to me since Christopher took over. The Beasketball one was horrible and so was the football one.

These schedules cause more and more fans to just not care. Most of BGs alumni dont live in nw ohio. They need a reason to return. I consider myself more than an average fan. This crap schedule wont bring me anywhere near bg again this year.

[WhoDeyBG]

Well, being a supporter of the team for awhile now, going to a bunch of the roadies every year, and being behind them down to the final second at Toledo last year, I can say I'm upset. But, I waited to settle down a bit. It's just hard to swallow the fact we traded Navy, Boise and NIU for Temple, WKU, and @MSU. All I can say is that the road schedule is great, and I will still be at the home games. Go BG!

[Falcon52]

UK - I don't question your BG loyalty. I'm sure you have plenty of it. My point was that the home schedule does not bother you because you're not treking your family 2 hours 4 times a year to watch BG play Temple in the freezing rain. Love the program - fine, but don't make it sound like this isn't an issue. The fact is attendance will drop. Which hurts the program and we have no one to blame but the administration. This time I'm not helping. I was under the impression that last year was an isolated incident and we would be doing something about increasing attendance. I don't know why this is such a big deal for me, I was really looking forward to at least one good weather, good opponent game, to take my friends and family to.

[PGY Tiercel]

UK - I don't question your BG loyalty. I'm sure you have plenty of it. My point was that the home schedule does not bother you because you're not treking your family 2 hours 4 times a year to watch BG play Temple in the freezing rain. Love the program - fine, but don't make it sound like this isn't an issue. The fact is attendance will drop. Which hurts the program and we have no one to blame but the administration. This time I'm not helping. I was under the impression that last year was an isolated incident and we would be doing something about increasing attendance. I don't know why this is such a big deal for me, I was really looking forward to at least one good weather, good opponent game, to take my friends and family to.

Only Because I was talking to him about this yesterday, I will respond. You trek your family 2hrs, 4 times a year (16 hours), I'm pretty sure we have you beat when we trek almost 4hrs a minimum of 3 the last couple of years (24 hours), plus Cleveland was about 6 last year. Lets not play that card. Its a weak argument, and one you lost.


Back to the original point. The schedule is really no different than any other schedule we have had for the past 10 years. There isn't anyone exciting coming, and there hasn't been for a long time. This year, I'm pissed because of the build-up for finally getting a great schedule, but in the end it was for nothing. I'm fine with being pissed at that, but to say this schedule is worse than years before its not true. BG hasn't had 6 home games in a season since 2003 (when EKU and Liberty played at here) I don't see attendance dropping any more than last year, the problem is that we need it to rise to begin with. I'm pissed because when you look at the whole picture over the last several years this isn't a change from that. What we need is a change, and the fact that it isn't happening is the problem.

[orangeandbrown]

The UT game could draw well, but if this team doesn't do great, not just OK, but GREAT, I don't see 20,000 being possible.

I don't understand the pessimism.

We drew 26,000 -- I think that was the number -- on a Friday night in 2001. We drew 30,000-plus for what I believe was a noon kick on a Saturday in 2003. In both cases, students were not in town.

So ... what's the problem? Is it the 2:30 p.m. kick?

Is this a problem?

Do people really work the day after Thanksgiving?

It's a shame students aren't in town this particular weekend, but if Bowling Green is going to host a game on a weekday, the only day better than this one is the Thursday before Labor Day weekend.

A couple things.

People do work the day after Thanksgiving. Lots of them. In some industries it is the busiest day of the year.

As mentioned above, the Friday happens to work for me. And, it is possible we will draw OK. However, the Friday night game was during the Urban reign right after we beat Northwestern, and the second was for the MAC West title. Hopefully, similar things will be at stake this year, though the game won't count in the standings (barring a tie-breaker). I don't think we will draw any worse that night than we would have on Tuesday.

Overall, however, people are "whaling" on GChris because at one point we had a pretty good idea we had Boise State and Navy coming to BG as part of a six game home schedule, and now we have WKU coming as part of a five game home schedule, and he has more or less conceded we did this to set ourselves up for the future...yet I think people are skeptical those contracts will be honored. And, other schools in our conference have much better schedules.

So, it isn't unreasonable. No, scheduling isn't easy. It also isn't this hard, and others seem to be better ati it than we are.

Remember when everyone used to say football schedules were made 10 years in advance? Now, they aren't even made 10 months in advance.

[Falconfreak90]

FWIW, the Akron and Kent skeds are in the ABJ today. Akron has FOUR home games at the RB...with a 5th at Browns Stadium vs Army. I like that idea. Kent also has 5 home games with their lone OOC home game against Delaware State.

Both Kent and Akron play CMU at home in 2007....Akron is at WMU and Kent will play at NIU. I think BG made out OK with the West teams this year.

Not that is helps BG at all but we aren't the only ones with a less than ideal schedule.

[1987alum]

Like Warthog, I'm more disappointed than angry.

Most of this ground has been covered, but I'll pitch in my two pennies...

* Only five home games ... that's my biggest gripe. We have GOT to get to the point where we routinely have six home games (home games as in at The Doyt) to help build our fan base.

* Homecoming in September?

* I still don't like our OOC schedule.

On the upside ...

* I like that we won't be facing Miami and Toledo in the waning weeks of the season.

I dunno. I always try to see the glass as half full. And maybe it's because things in general have been pretty crappy, but I'm just not enthused about this schedule.

[Falconfreak90]

87,

I am disappointed in this schedule as well. Not really angry because I don't have any control on the scheduling process. But this is getting old...BG getting the shaft every year. I was pumped for Boise State and/or Navy coming in.

All I know is Christopher has some major work ahead of him. I'm not ready to hang the man, though. He's been on the job less than a year. I remember a lot of folks weren't too happy with Krebs in the beginning as well.

BTW, what game do you think you and Noah will be making?

GO FALCONS

[1987alum]

Freak:

Agreed. Christopher has his hands full and like Schade said, we don't exactly know the entire inside story. But things simply must improve.

As for our roadie ... my initial thought is Akron. Noah's football season runs to the end of October and he's going to have a miss a game for a family wedding, so I'd like to wait until his season is over.

[jpfalcon09]

Pretty disappointing overall, especially after all the hype about having 4 big OOC games. 5 home games is particularly saddening, nonetheless having two against two of the weakest teams to possibly schedule. I figured the Boise game wasn't going to happen, I was optomistic but not to the point where I felt it was a sure guarantee. What really pisses me off though is the fact that we went from having Navy as a home game to trading that spot for a road game with Sparty. That game doesn't benefit us at all since Sparty would never dream of committing to a home and home series with a MAC team, and we have a 95% chance of losing anyways.

Maybe Chryst has photos of President Ribeau or something, since we always seem to be accommidating their needs instead of our own. Christopher bitched last year about how no one came out to the home games, and this won't be any different, if not worse. Building your home schedule around Western Kentucky is about one of the most dumbfounded things I've seen this university do sports wise in quite some time.

I'm going to have a tough time convincing my family to come down for any games this coming season with this schedule. My dad in particular was hoping for a big name matchup, but there is none to be found besides the annual UT game. Until the university, in particular our AD, whoever it was, is and will be, gets off his knees and stops doing favors for this joke of a conference, nothing better will come.

Also, getting bumped to ESPNU just shows how far the MAC has fallen in terms of TV exposure. Hard to believe it was only 4 years ago that this conference was the darling of college football with their upsets, now it just seems like some third-rate piece of garbage which it is slowly becoming anyways.

This schedule will only allow more students to not go to games, to stay home and watch Ohio State play because there is no attraction to attend one of these home games. I'm pretty disgusted overall, and honestly I see that road trip with BC, Kent and Miami being the stretch of games that makes or breaks the season, and it's a load of crap. Until someone comes in here and does what's right for the students, alums and townspeople in terms of athletics, we're still going to be bent over the side of the bed taking everything the MAC office will throw at us.

[Falcon52]

Dear UK & TGY - I didn't realize this was a competition, and certainly wasn't trying to win anything. My comments revolve around UK's passive acceptance that our home game schedule has always sucked so no big deal accept it, oh and by the way he blames us for wanting to improve things and have a better schedule. ???? He actually said he liked the schedule do to all of the away games and telveised ESPN games. My point is, for those who buy season tickets and go to all the home games, it is very important to us to see excitiing new, good competition. The fact is my patience along with many others is running out. In my case it just did. This is why 80% of all Bg grads don't support BG and could care less. They woudld rather cheer for Michigan, OSU and God know who else. How do we capture our alumni's attention when the die hards like us on this board are fed-up.

The only thing I lost was my ticket donation last year. I have learned my lesson.