Ask the AD - 8/1

WhoDeyBG · Post by **WhoDeyBG** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 4:50 pm

Good questions...and answers.

http://bgsufalcons.cstv.com/genrel/080107aaa.html

1987alum · Post by **1987alum** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 5:01 pm

I don't know ... more wishy-washy than I'm used to seeing.

There was no way we were going to get a tough answer from the first question. No AD is going to go out on a limb and predict that sort of thing.

On attendance, I thought it was great that he framed the issue correctly - forget about 20K, let's focus on solidifying the 15K. I like that he took a fairly head on approach to student attendance. They need it to be more consistent and they can't just expect that kids will show up just because there's a game.

I thought the answer to the Toledo game question was somewhat weak. ESPN is sooo high on the game that they moved it to ... ESPNU? Odd logic, to say the least.

WhoDeyBG · Post by **WhoDeyBG** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 5:28 pm

The more I think about, he kind of avoided the BG/UT game question. I guess it is what it is.

footballguy51 · Post by **footballguy51** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 5:40 pm

What he basically said is that BG/UT is a rivalry that ESPN feels is important enough to televise, but not important enough to televise (so to speak). Sure, we'll give you a TV spot, but we won't really give you a good one. It's like being told that your half-hour infomercial for your awesome produce would be shown on CourtTV at 2:30am on Tuesday mornings for 2 weeks. Oh boy, I hope I don't get more than 2 phone calls all night!

ZuluWarrior · Post by **ZuluWarrior** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 6:58 pm

It is embarrassing that we are so desperate to be on ESPNU, which 34 people have access too, that we talon off our nose to spite our face. Let's see, can we schedule a game that will draw 15,000 fans on a Friday after Thanksgiving date for 10,000 people who might watch on tv or should we schedule it a week earlier so that 25,000 might be able to attend? I'd rather have the attendance and atmosphere hands down, even though I won't be able to go anyhow. I won't be able to watch ESPNU either, so lets have a great college football atmosphere.

Tricky_Falcon · Post by **Tricky_Falcon** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 7:21 pm

I'll be there.

TG1996 · Post by **TG1996** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 7:21 pm

The UT game has to be a bear to schedule for all the reasons listed. I think as long as it's the last week of the season, ESPN will find a way to put it on as a part of "Rivalry Week", whether that's on ESPNU or The Ocho or whatever. If nothing else, we've seen how they can use it to nauseatingly promote other games later in the week. Unfortunately, anything between Wednesday at noon and Sunday at noon creates a conflict for students, esp. those living in dorms. And nobody seems to be big on the Tuesday games. It's a bit of a "damned if you do..." scenario, because unless the teams are as good as they were a few years ago, I don't know that BG-UT is a lock for TV if it's placed somewhere other than "Rivalry Week".

Of course, even the Tuesday game brought in 20+ thousand, so it's possible that something even just a couple weeks earlier, even a Thursday night game, could fill the Doyt. And after all, the attendance requirements don't have a column for ESPN appearances.

I don't think this week's questions lent themselves to a definitive stand in any answer (as was alluded to earlier), but I thought they were answered pretty well for what was presented. Though the first question was kind of like asking a mother which kid she liked best, the fact that it gave GC a chance to pimp all sports for a moment was a good thing.

BGSUFootballFan · Post by **BGSUFootballFan** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 7:24 pm

I love my Direct TV, with ESPNU and Big Ten Network for no extra cost. Obviously I am lucky to have that though!

bgmaggot00 · Post by **bgmaggot00** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 2:38 am

Yeah, our Direct TV has ALL KINDS of sports stations, including "The U." I'll be watching it from afar, and don't really care when they schedule it.

Flipper · Post by **Flipper** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 8:16 am

Well...he could have said "the league does what ESPN asks and they told us to play the game on Friday so it's not like we had any choice in the matter".....would anyone have been any happier with that?

If Phil Steele is right and both UT and BG are amongst the 10 most improved teams in college football this year, I have a feeling that ESPN may slide this game over to a "better" version of the network...I think they've slid a MAC game or two in the other direction in the past.

BGSUFootballFan · Post by **BGSUFootballFan** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 8:41 am

Well no matter what channel it's on, they will have a phone conversation with Charlie Weis. The sideline announcer will stop and talk to a former player of a powerhouse that is playing in a BCS game, and then they'll have a someone else come up to the booth that has nothing to do with BG or UT while they half way pay attention to whats going on in the game!

1987alum · Post by **1987alum** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 8:52 am

Flipper wrote:Well...he could have said "the league does what ESPN asks and they told us to play the game on Friday so it's not like we had any choice in the matter".....would anyone have been any happier with that?

Flip:

I hear what you're saying. GC is doing a great job, but that doesn't mean he gets a free pass on everything. He could have linked the answer to the attendance question, I suppose, and said "well, we know we'll get good attendance either way and by having it on Friday, we also get it on TV."

But to say that ESPN thinks the rivalry has surpassed the boundaries of NW Ohio and deserves to be seen nationwide, so we're putting it on ESPNU? Nobody is buying that.

JoeFalcon · Post by **JoeFalcon** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 9:37 am

The second question could have been answered in one word: win.

Inconveniencing the students and denying our team a legitimate home field advantage simply to get on RinkyDinkU should never have happened. GC should do everything in his power to prevent such a thing in the future.

JoeFalcon · Post by **JoeFalcon** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 9:45 am

ZuluWarrior wrote:It is embarrassing that we are so desperate to be on ESPNU, which 34 people have access too, that we talon off our nose to spite our face.

"Do the chickens have large talons?"

Redwingtom · Post by **Redwingtom** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 9:59 am

JoeFalcon wrote:
ZuluWarrior wrote:It is embarrassing that we are so desperate to be on ESPNU, which 34 people have access too, that we talon off our nose to spite our face.

"Do the chickens have large talons?"

yesssssssssssssssss