Getting Gameday back to BG next year.

[NWLB]

First off, we need a hook. We have to create buzz. We have to be playing well. The team we are going to play has to be doing well. The schedule has to put the right game at the middle to late part of the season. It must seem clear things will be crazy and TV worthy, pushing us over the top.

The team we want to play should be NIU or Toledo. NIU is a easier game to sell.

Assuming we are doing well, and NIU is doing as well or better:

The hook would be last years BGSU-NIU game, how the rivalry has grown into a back-and-forth struggle, how the match-up decideds the MAC.

Even so, it will take an exceptional effort and a lot of luck to get Gameday to BG again. However I think we could help that along, if the luck side of things comes down on our side.

[BGSUfanatUT]

Excelent points, this really is becoming another "only the home team wins" toledo-type rivalry.... of course, the toledo one will be broken this year at the glass bowl

[jmillerbg]

Keep in mind that BG is one of the likely candidates to move back to the East Division with Marshall and UCF leaving. Although NIU and UT are both very good rivalries in the MAC, I assume the NIU series will come to a halt if we move back to the East. Although I hope we keep the UT rivalry alive, in the years that we also play NIU in our other cross-over game we will have a very difficult MAC slate.

I think from the MAC's perspective they would rather BG moved to the East than Ball State, as some on this board have suggested. This is especially true in Football where there would then be two "top-tier" MAC teams in each division (East - BG, Miami and West- NIU, UT).

[BGSUfanatUT]

Im sure this wont be a problem but lets just home NIU satys up there. They are tremendous now, but remember when they were really really bad?

[NWLB]

I agree, we are most likely to go back to the east, but I'm not sold that it is going to happen for sure just yet. Granted, in theory, it brings balace to the MAC with regard to good teams. But we aren't a true East/West conference right now anyway. More like a North/South conference. I say let UB, UA, KSU, OU, MU, and BSU be the South division, let us stay in a North division.

But that is an aside. Lets move on with the thread topic, and make who we play secondary. Sub Miami or UT for the NIU game if you like.

Gameday didn't expect the response they got, nor had they seen as fanatical a response by fans. This is a good thing.

We should have a web site, done exceptionally well. Seperate domain, something the search engines will find. It should be a work of art, in that it displays the glory of that day and game, and all of the unique achievements.

Humor would be a good approach. Whipping up traffic to the site, linking it to this message board, getting some ABC/Disney/ESPN friendly pub would be good.

A grass roots effot, closer to the game/season would be a method to get attention. Direct mail, 20,000 students and townies signing a petition, etc.

The humorous, "look how hard-core these people are to get Gameday" aspect might help push it over the top. Heck, the publicity Gameday gets, might even appeal to them marketing-wise, outside of our game.

[BGSUfanatUT]

YES! Show them that we don't take what we get for granted. Places like columbus and ann arbor, south bend, etc. They get Gameday almost every year it seems. Then last year is the FIRST TIME EVER at a MAC school, and probably any "mid major" school, though I cant be 100% sure on that. Let alone the fact that the opposign team was ALSO a "mid-major" team. That tremendous, and as grumpy as toledo was that we got it first and not them or even marshall for that matter, I would like to think that down deep they were jsut happy to see it at a school like ours. (although, being a ut student, i know this is not true. They are all osu fans too, so they were mad b/c we are 'inferior' to them....pricks) Anywho, anything we could do to bring Gameday back I would do. Ill go freeze my jewels off at the Doyt the day and night before every game if thats what would do it. That was huge not only for the program, but for the shole school, as well as the city.having Chris and the gang come back for another game would be awesome and thats all there is to it.

[redhawk95]

i'd love to see miami and bg play every year regardless of what happens with realignment. the history of the rivalry is unmatched in the league. it's a shame we haven't played much recently - save twice last year. either home site would be a draw for gameday! how bout back at yager next year on a saturday afternoon with gameday? i'd even settle for the doyt.

[NWLB]

I think developing nationally interesting rivalry games beyond NIU and to a lesser degree, Toledo, is a good thing. This is the most competitive era between BGSU and Miami from what I know of the records and history.

The odd thing is that the BGSU-UT game really hasn't taken on much national interest. Nothing approaching the recent BG-NIU, BG-Miami games.

I think either BG-NIU or BG-Miami would prove great games for Gameday, provide both are playing well.

[redhawk95]

i guess in terms of overall success, miami and bg are the two most successful mac programs in terms of overall championships. that's why to me it's such a worthy rivalry. plus, unlike other mac schools, save wmu, we also have the hockey rivalry and the ohio cup which is cool.

i believe miami is the only mac team to have a winning all-time record vs. the falcon...

[BGSUfanatUT]

i believe miami is the only mac team to have a winning all-time record vs. the falcon...

Yes, its a good rivalry, although I think BG-ut is better. and certainly BG-NIU is the best one running currently.

[NWLB]

The flip side, is that with BGSU-Miami, I can at least have an intelligent conversation with their alumni. Every time we play UT I feel dirty somehow, like I've had to wade through a scum covered pond.

[orangeandbrown]

Hey, we need to think competitively. First, when we were in the East before, we were guaranteed to keep our game with Toledo. But, that was when only games in your division counted. Now, all conference games count, and if we go to the East again, and based on recent MAC football history, UT will be a tougher opponent than we would usually get from the general rotation. Same with getting Miami every year. I personally want to play Buffalo more often.

[redhawk95]

yeah, just try to have a reasonable discussion with a herd fan. consider yourselves lucky you didn't have to deal with them for the past 7 seasons on an annual basis. certainly, they've beaten us 5 of the 7 years, but i will not miss the arrogance and insanity coming from hunnington - nor all the other pleantries that accompany such a dirty program. i'd like to send them off with one last L tonight and make the all-time series 31-9 miami.

after tonight, miami/marshall is done so i agree the best running rivalry will be bg/niu with ut in the fold. unfortunately, we're left with ohio, whom we've played 80+ times. however, in order for it to be a rivalry, doesn't the other team have to be at least competitive? that's one of the reasons why i want to play you guys every year beginning next year (though this year's macc would still be welcome).

[Warthog]

Hey, we need to think competitively. First, when we were in the East before, we were guaranteed to keep our game with Toledo. But, that was when only games in your division counted. Now, all conference games count, and if we go to the East again, and based on recent MAC football history, UT will be a tougher opponent than we would usually get from the general rotation. Same with getting Miami every year. I personally want to play Buffalo more often.

o&b, you said what I have been thinking for a long time. From a strictly football perspective, I would jump at the chance to move back to the East. Buffalo, Kent, Akron, Ohio every year should be 4 wins for sure, with the most likely battle for first between us and Miami. From a balance of power stand point, wouldn't the MAC want to move BG there? If they move Ball State, Miami could almost write their name in as the East champ every year. In the West we would have to play NIU and UT every year. Plus, I think road trips to Western, Central, Ball St are alot more challenging then trips to UB, Kent, Akron, and Athens. Just my opinion. Of course, then you could argue the our strength of schedule would suffer and that we are trying to duck the better teams. This may have the exact opposite effect when applied to basketball though. :shrug:

[NWLB]

It is a point, counterpoint. Is BGSU playing better because we are going against better divisional teams? I think in some respect, the answer is yes. When we got into the west, it wasn't the monster it has become.

We don't know how the east is going to form up over the next few years. Ohio may be showing signs of life. And I think they are first amont Akron, Kent, and UB, which could do something with themselves. Akron isn't good, but they two have assets which could turn that program around in a few years. I'd rather have Miami play against softer teams, then get them in Detroit, than play them for all the marbles. But then we wind up with the same issue against UT.

In any case, I now feel they should eliminate the cross-over games from divisional standings. The debate comes and goes, but ultimately its just not worth losing a top divisional contender with such games.

I might even go further, and say that the MAC should more actively schedule the season. Put the cream-puffs against the top teams in the OTHER division, and vice versa. Mean I know, and it makes it tough for the cream-puffs to win, but hey, its that or lose a top 25 team every few years when we knock each other off.