Big10 scheduling error

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book

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Why did the big10 schedule games on New Year's Eve when they knew some schools would be in conflict with their football bowl games? The Insight Bowl and the MSU bb game are both scheduled to start at 5:00 Certainly the big10 bb season could have started 0n the 3rd of January. Its a no brainer for me this year to see the MSU game at home - but it would have been nice to have the option of a nice Arizona trip and then come home to watch a pivotal Big10 opener!
 

book said:
Why did the big10 schedule games on New Year's Eve when they knew some schools would be in conflict with their football bowl games? The Insight Bowl and the MSU bb game are both scheduled to start at 5:00 Certainly the big10 bb season could have started 0n the 3rd of January. Its a no brainer for me this year to see the MSU game at home - but it would have been nice to have the option of a nice Arizona trip and then come home to watch a pivotal Big10 opener!
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Agreed totally. I can't miss the B10 opener vs. MSU, but I'm super frustrated that I'll have to miss the bowl game to do so.
 

This is called the cost of having an 18-game league schedule.

The coaches wanted an 18-game Big Ten schedule. They didn't want to play conference games before Christmas. They still want two byes during the Big Ten season. They still want a midweek, weekend structure to the schedule.

If you want all of those things, the Big Ten season had to start when it does. Starting with the NYE midweek games, there are 20 playing opportunities before the end of the regular season on March 7 and 8.

The only reason this didn't happen last year was because of how the schedule/calendar fell. There was one more week between the beginning of the year and when the Final Four was scheduled for. Traditionally, the Final Four was at the same time as the beginning of the MLB season. Last season for some reason it was actually a week after the MLB season began.
 

There's only one Big Ten team that plays in a bowl game on Dec. 31. It happens that it is us at the same time of our football game. There are three other Big Ten basketball games that day, including one that starts at 11am. As I said in the lengthy thread about this earlier this week, I would not be shocked at all if the Big Ten swaps our basketball game with one of the earlier games that day. The BTN has four MBB games in a row, so they could likely switch a couple without doing much harm.
 

tjgopher said:
There's only one Big Ten team that plays in a bowl game on Dec. 31. It happens that it is us at the same time of our football game. There are three other Big Ten basketball games that day, including one that starts at 11am. As I said in the lengthy thread about this earlier this week, I would not be shocked at all if the Big Ten swaps our basketball game with one of the earlier games that day. The BTN has four MBB games in a row, so they could likely switch a couple without doing much harm.
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All true. But i think the bigger issue is that there are any number of boosters who are now forced to choose between not seeing the first Big Ten bb game in what looks to be a promising series, or not fly to Ariz for the game--and of course the athletic dept desperately wants to have a good fan showing in Tempe (so we can get better bowls in the future.) I realize that sometimes life just works out this way. But it's unfortunate, to say the least.
 


Jim V2 said:
All true. But i think the bigger issue is that there are any number of boosters who are now forced to choose between not seeing the first Big Ten bb game in what looks to be a promising series, or not fly to Ariz for the game--and of course the athletic dept desperately wants to have a good fan showing in Tempe (so we can get better bowls in the future.) I realize that sometimes life just works out this way. But it's unfortunate, to say the least.
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Indeed. I'm not sure there's a great way around it. Iowa, Michigan State, and Penn State all have basketball games on Dec. 31 followed by bowl games on Jan. 1. Unlikely that too many fans could get to both of those games for those schools, either. It wouldn't hurt my feelings if we continue to have decisions like this to make. It means the football program is playing in late December/early January:)
 

That's sort of the way it has to work, I guess

While this is the basketball forum and a fraction of you might not care about the BCS and all of the discussion regarding a playoff system to replace it, but I'll post anyway.

Can you imagine the scheduling problems that would occur if there was a playoff system in college football? This same scenario would play out two or three weekends in a row for the teams in the new playoff system.

Part of the problem is college football spreading out the bowls for 3 weeks. As a college football fan in general, I love because there is a bowl game on almost every night. But as an AD, it would be nightmare.
 

no band?

I hope they can get an alumni band to play at the game. since the marching band will be in Tempe and the majority of the the pep band is in the marching band. GO GOPHS!:D
 

anonymous said:
This is called the cost of having an 18-game league schedule.

The coaches wanted ... /snip
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Thanks for the info, Anon. I hadn't heard/read those explanations before.

I expect the Barn will be less than 2/3rds full for the MSU game, given:

  • the absence of students on break;
  • the absence of folks in AZ for the bowl game (there seems to be high overlap btw season ticket holders for football and b'ball; and,
  • the difficulty in giving away tickets to casual fans
We've celebrated NYE with friends of ours for at least 25 years now ... have to figure out a different start-time for the friends to come over this year as I'm eager to see MSU play here. I'm not so eager to explain to Mrs Snowman the need to push back NYE ... I'll leave that up to Son-of-Snowman to handle. :rolleyes:
 



"...less than 2/3 full..." Do you really think this? I hope that isnt the case.

Perhaps the student section has not been completely filled during break in the past, but I would have to think that for this game, this year, there will be a good showing. As we all know, it is onNew Year's Eve and many students will be back anyway to party that night. In years past, yes, I could see the students not filling up the section...but not this year, the program is in a completely different state.

Also, I have to respectfully disagree about the bowl game drawing people away. Perhaps if the Gophers had not vomited all over themselves the last four games of the season, there may be more hype and excitement behind the game to draw people there. I just dont see that many people making the trip to Arizona. While I agree that many season ticket holders overlap sports, I just dont think another Insight bowl is enough to make a noticeable difference in Williams Arena. My parents are season ticket holders for both sports; there is no way they would miss the game against MSU to attend a mediocre bowl game.

As I said...I hope you are wrong simply because I want Williams to be rowdy.
 

DesMoinesGopher said:
"...less than 2/3 full..." Do you really think this? I hope that isnt the case.


Also, I have to respectfully disagree about the bowl game drawing people away. Perhaps if the Gophers had not vomited all over themselves the last four games of the season, there may be more hype and excitement behind the game to draw people there. I just dont see that many people making the trip to Arizona. While I agree that many season ticket holders overlap sports, I just dont think another Insight bowl is enough to make a noticeable difference in Williams Arena. My parents are season ticket holders for both sports; there is no way they would miss the game against MSU to attend a mediocre bowl game.
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I know a number of boosters who are going to Tempe. They go because it's nice there this time of year, and they really want to help us get a better bowl in the future. Will it make a noticable difference in WIlliams? I don't know.
 

Didn't we open the Big Ten home schedule against Northwestern during break, and wasn't it full?

Sure some people will be in Tempe, but it isn't like the rest of the folks will be watching on TV, unless they get the NFL network.
 

GopherSota12 said:
I hope they can get an alumni band to play at the game. since the marching band will be in Tempe and the majority of the the pep band is in the marching band. GO GOPHS!:D
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I will break out of pep band retirement for that one if they ask Alumni band to do it.
 



Zales04 said:
I will break out of pep band retirement for that one if they ask Alumni band to do it.
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Don't wait to be asked--volunteer!!!!

The piped in stuff they use when there's no band is soooo lame. The team (and fans) need you.
 

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