That's not totally correct. In recent and upcoming years we've had 2 for 1's with Louisville, Maryland, and Georgia Tech. Our upcoming home game with Mississippi State this year is the back half of a 1 for 1. I was a little surprised to see the first game being played in Murfreesboro, but I'm certainly not complaining about it.
Gophers to open 2010 @ Middle Tennessee
- Thread starter Jike Spingleton
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That's not totally correct. In recent and upcoming years we've had 2 for 1's with Louisville, Maryland, and Georgia Tech. Our upcoming home game with Mississippi State this year is the back half of a 1 for 1. I was a little surprised to see the first game being played in Murfreesboro, but I'm certainly not complaining about it.
GoAUpher
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There are some extenuating circumstances that prevented us from hosting the front end of the home and home. Specifically, multiple U owned parking lots needed to handle gameday traffic (as well as a primary shuttle corridor used to transport fans) are contracted out to and used by the MN State Fair that weekend. The current UM/MN State Fair contract runs through the 2012 season. So we aren't able to host a home game on opening weekend until 2013.
Bronko Nagurski Gopher
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and this is one of the reasons that i hate the parochial ass approach to the frickin' state fair in this state....as if all of us have to give a rip that it is going on in late august and early september and adjust every schedule accordingly. screw the fair. i haven't even been there in something like 7 or 8 years. the u of m parking and tranportation dept's parking contract with the state fair politicos and how it affects the football scheduling process pisses me off to no extent! what a joke.
gopherguy05
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Why is it a joke if it is making the U of M money?? Thats why they allow the park and ride. Its called Money. Everything that isn;t perfect in your world must be a joke I guess....
Oh by the way...the U of M park and ride is the most popular one of all the available stops. You think a few people might be pissed if it went away. Guess who would complain to the local media and who would be doing "public interest" stories ripping the U. Sometimes you really need to look a tthe big picture. The world does not revolve around University and Oak.
borninthebarn
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The park and ride is free. At least for people parking there.
http://www.mnstatefair.org/pages/park_ride.html
I am sure the state fair or someone pays the U for the space, but I doubt it enough to make it a big loss to the U if they had a game that day.
Bronko Nagurski Gopher
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hmmmm......game day money or some pidly park & ride money......let's see. i will take beautiful weather, early september homes games every year (rather than routinely having to wait until the second week of september for a home game because of a frickin' state fair) over the park & ride convenience of some "joe blow" from the burbs who might happen to like the lot, but really hates "change". so what if a few people are pissed? life is tough sometimes......they'll get over it......find another park & ride lot bub......there are tons of them.
and who said the world revolves around university & oak? pretty sure i didn't. but, to the point you are trying to make.....who says the U of M or the metro for that matter has to revolve around a state fair that is often nothing more than fried foods on a stick redeux? they are the university's parking lots afterall and their MAIN purpose and the first priority should be for game day parking, not a park & ride lot.
I just don't see it as that big of a deal. it is good pr for the state university to support the state fair and work together with their neighbor. It also gives the university the opportunity to reach out and connect to the citizens of minnesota in the largest gathering in the state. Just put things in perspective and don't get so worked up. When you start swearing about any and everything you sound like a redneck hick. So get off the couch on the front lawn, set the beer down and quit kissing your cousin and relax as this is not that big a deal. It will all be resolved in a few years.
homerdance
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Home games expensive these days...
Considering ARK State is getting around $1 million to play Auburn, it is much cheaper to do a home/home then to shell out that kind of money to play a not great team.
Considering ARK State is getting around $1 million to play Auburn, it is much cheaper to do a home/home then to shell out that kind of money to play a not great team.
GoAUpher
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Dude, this is the best attended state fair in the nation (other fairs have more total fairgoers b/c they are open longer, but no fair has more visitors per day then MN). It's kind of a big deal. And the backlash the U would face for breaking their contract and eliminating an extremely popular park and ride location/additional parking lots would be significant.
We get it. You don't like the fair. Whoopitdy doo. Chill out and deal with the fact that the U negotiated a contract before TCF was even a gleam in an HOK architects eye.
DarrenTheGreek
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Bottom line is the University would only need to remove the State Fair Park & Rides for 1 day out of 12. As others have pointed out, some churches don't allow park & rides on Sundays. Other businesses don't allow them for certain dates. It wouldn't be the end of the world for the University to tell the State Fair "Sure, we'd love to continue our Park & Ride relationship, but we reserve the right to opt out for the Saturday on Labor Day weekend".
I don't see why this is such a big deal.
I don't see why this is such a big deal.
GoAUpher
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I don't either (but for different reasons). There is a contract. Honestly, do you really think the flagship school of MN is going to be able to get away with breaking a contract like this w/o repercussions in the media? And is it really worth that to the U so they can start the season at home against Sisters of the Poor and Blind University? If the U were never going to have a home game on the first weekend ever then I could see getting riled up. But this is a short term situation with an easy solution.
There would definitely be bad PR from breaking the park & ride deal with the State Fair, it would make the U look bad. And, petty as it is, it would actually make some people negative on the stadium because of it.
If it's any consolation, by 2013 apparently, we'll be having home openers the first week cause UNLV comes here August 31st. So I guess the contract runs till then. For the next four seasons, you'll just have to deal with the opener being on the road.
If it's any consolation, by 2013 apparently, we'll be having home openers the first week cause UNLV comes here August 31st. So I guess the contract runs till then. For the next four seasons, you'll just have to deal with the opener being on the road.
Anyway, I know it may be tough to get your blood pumping thinking about coming down to Murfreesboro next year for your opener against a Sun Belt team, but I hope those of you who can make that far of a trip on a Thursday will do so. You'll find plenty of southern hospitality and hopefully a competitive game too.
Bronko Nagurski Gopher
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i said frickin' you frickin' blow-hard. that equals swearing where you come from?! please tough guy.........
anyways, i sound like the red-neck hick?! maybe you should take a look in the mirror d-bag.....you are the one chosing to live deep in the heart of texas like a red-neck hick with a bunch of red-neck hicks. i look up to you as our resident red-neck. anyways, do you have any more compelling stories for us about how absolutely wonderful the state, people and football of texas is when compared to the big ten & minnesota?! i haven't heard one of those good ole' red-neck "texas is the greatest" yarns from you in a while.
but, i digress sometimes........
You swear all the time in most of your posts because that is the only way you can get your point across, not just this post. You could live in NYC and you would still be a classless red neck with the way you act and talk and whining like a spoiled brat who doesn't get his way over the park and rides. By the way I am living back in Minneapolis now after being transferred back here again, in case you were concerned. Who is the tough guy, weren't you the one saying you would love to punch a 60 something year old man(Wren) in the face on here, stay classy. Are you going to bring your banjo and play the rouser for us?
dpodoll68
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Why does your location say "Minneapolis and San Antonio, TX"?
I was in transit for a while trying to sell our house down there and buy one up here. I just need to go in and update it.
Goldmember
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I really hope the U comes up with a better explaination for this than The State Fair. This is clearly being used as a red herring for what looks like a botched negotiation. Under no circumstances is it acceptable for Minnesota to play at MTSU:
1.) First,
2.) Without two home games in return,
3.) With the first return-trip occuring 8 years out.
This is a Sunbelt program that most Minnesota fans (outside of the diehards) will pay precisely no attention to. Meanwhile, it's going to be the single biggest event in Murfreesboro in 2010. The contract with the State Fair was a known-quantity for years. Let's quit making excuses. Plenty of BCS teams open on the road without giving away the farm to a Sunbelt program that local fans don't care about.
Hopefully, this is series is part of a three-way negotiation with a component that has not yet been announced. Right now it just doesn't make sense -- and it has nothing to do with the State Fair.
1.) First,
2.) Without two home games in return,
3.) With the first return-trip occuring 8 years out.
This is a Sunbelt program that most Minnesota fans (outside of the diehards) will pay precisely no attention to. Meanwhile, it's going to be the single biggest event in Murfreesboro in 2010. The contract with the State Fair was a known-quantity for years. Let's quit making excuses. Plenty of BCS teams open on the road without giving away the farm to a Sunbelt program that local fans don't care about.
Hopefully, this is series is part of a three-way negotiation with a component that has not yet been announced. Right now it just doesn't make sense -- and it has nothing to do with the State Fair.
Go Gophers Rah
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Many of us went to the thirteen Music City Bowls played in Nashville. That part of Tennesee is certainly beautiful and Nashvill has a lot to offer. For those who didn't make those trips, I would definitely recommend going down there.
My guess is, though, that we won't see a lot of fans traveling to any Sun Belt game that isn't played within clear viewing distance of a beach.
Be prepared for cheap shots. Kentucky has played MTSU twice (both times in Lexington). The first time resulted in a fistfight at halftime that resulted in multiple ejections. The second resulted in multiple late hits, crackback blocks and just all around bush league (intentionally trying to injure Kentucky players) tactics. They also demanded 1 million dollars and a return game in Murfressboro to "continue the series". In response to all this the UK AD decided to give MTSU a little "gift" by agreeing to play Western Kentucky in Nashville at LP Field (home of the Tennessee Titans) in 2010 and 2012.
Just a disgrace of a football program IMHO. They were also for a time perilously close to losing their D-1 status because of horrid attendance. I do think this also illustrates the problem BCS teams are having in scheduling. There was a time these teams were happy to take the paycheck and the whooping and go home. Now they want seven figure fees and return games.
Just a disgrace of a football program IMHO. They were also for a time perilously close to losing their D-1 status because of horrid attendance. I do think this also illustrates the problem BCS teams are having in scheduling. There was a time these teams were happy to take the paycheck and the whooping and go home. Now they want seven figure fees and return games.
GoAUpher
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Clearly a red herring? When they'd already scheduled the other opening games in the TCF era (Syracuse in '09, USC in '11, and UNLV in '12) the same way? I'm not denying that the deal they got wasn't as good as it should have been, but the State Fair contract isn't some BS tall tale devised to hide the home and home with MTSU. The contract has been a known fact for some time. Sheesh.
Goldmember
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Shame on us for giving in. The whole point of ever playing a Sunbelt team is to establish a "3 home, 1 Away" OOC schedule. A home-and-home with a Sunbelt opponent does nothing to accomplish that. If it's going to be a home-and-home you can just as easily schedule a BCS-conference opponent.
Goldmember
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Read again; no one is saying the contract with the State Fair doesn't exist. It does exist. But, again, that has precisely nothing to do with scheduling a home-and-home with Middle Tennessee State. To accept this as a valid excuse you would also have to accept the premise that programs are not interested in opening the season at home. But they are. And that's why the U had no problem agreeing to these terms with the State Fair in the first place.
It's a lame excuse. I hope a better one comes along soon.
A lot of this has to do with the 12 game schedule. There is intense competition for these teams for home games among the BCS conferences. Everybody wants to get to 6 wins and bowl eligibility; it's especially important to those teams not in the upper-echelon of those conferences.
GoAUpher
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I've never taken the State Fair conflict as an excuse for why the home and home was scheduled, just as the reason for MTSU hosting the front end. I thought you were arguing with that logic, so my apologies that I misunderstood!
However, can you link me to where the U has said it was the State Fair that caused them to take a crappy home and home? B/c I don't recall reading that.
Again, I don't disagree that this isn't a great deal for the U. I'm willing to let it slide b/c of the other improvements in the schedule. As for finding another BCS school to play next season, I agree, I'm sure many would love to open at home. But that doesn't really matter since Maturi already made it clear that they weren't going to add another BCS team in the same season they play USC. Disagree with that if you want (I don't personally) but that doesn't change the fact that the U never approached the scheduling of this game with a BCS foe as a possibility.
Oh give me a break.
You've got a lot to learn. The first game at UK the Wildcats started that fight. I didn't hear complaint one from UK fans after the second game.
As far as 7 figures and return games go, we agreed to 750,000 for a one time game and that's the most we've ever gotten. Our 1 for 1 with Miss State and our 2 for 1's with Georgia Tech and Louisville we got nowhere near that amount of money and we always pay the other teams when they come here so it is crazy talk to suggest we demanded anything along the lines of 1,000,000 and a return game. The only reason we even played that 2nd game with Kentucky was because we ended up with a hole in the schedule late in the season when Memphis pushed their game with us back to play Louisville, Kentucky was still looking for a 12th game and they opened up the checkbook.
Yeah there was a time when we struggled to average 15,000 in attendance, but those days are gone and they never actually came anywhere near kicking anyone out of FBS on account of attendance.
As far as being happy to take a paycheck and a whooping, I don't know if you're a Kentucky fan or a Minnesota fan or what, but we certainly in Lexington for more than a paycheck in 2008 coming up a yard shy of pulling the upset.
Bronko Nagurski Gopher
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trust me, he is no minnesota fan. basically, he is a lost kentucky fan who comes on here frequently to tell us how "wonderful" the university of kentucky and jim calipari are.
B
BlueRaiderZone
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Hey Gophers,
First of all let me say welcome to Murfreesboro to all of you who will be coming to the game. Murfreesboro is located 30 miles southeast of Nashville. This will make a good get-a-way for many of you to open the season. I would imagine most of you will stay in NashVegas.
Secondly, in case you have noticed, the price of paying SBC, MAC, and C-USA teams to play at your place has jumped a lot over the past couple of years. Most of the teams in the Non-Power Six conferences are demanding a return game or large sums of money. Now these large sums of money may not be a problem for an OSU, Michigan, etc, but many of the middle to lower schools (I'm talking about athletic revenue) are finding it more and more difficult to fork over the money for a "money" game.
Last year we played Virginia at home without the promise of a return game. We have a 4 game series schedule with Vanderbilt (2 home, 2 away) in the near future. Miss. St. is coming to Murfreesboro for a return game this year since we played there last year. This game is no slap in the face to Minnesota, it's just the way college football scheduling is going.
Middle Tennessee has the largest undergrad enrollment of any university in Tennessee, including Memphis and UT. We are located in a town of 100,000. Our population has really boomed over the past few years. A lot of this is due to the fact that many people from Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio have relocated here. Therefore, we have many Big 10 fans in this area.
We have an up and coming football program. In 2006 we went to the Motor City Bowl. We upset Maryland last year. Two years ago Virginia beat us on a last second field goal. Last year we came up a yard short on the last play of the game from upsetting Kentucky (And don't believe anything that Kentucky fan says. I was at the first game. Jared Lorenzen threw the first punch because he was mad he threw and interception).
Anyway, I know we are excited down here about playing Minnesota. If you want to find out more about us you can visit, www.BlueRaiderZone.com.
First of all let me say welcome to Murfreesboro to all of you who will be coming to the game. Murfreesboro is located 30 miles southeast of Nashville. This will make a good get-a-way for many of you to open the season. I would imagine most of you will stay in NashVegas.
Secondly, in case you have noticed, the price of paying SBC, MAC, and C-USA teams to play at your place has jumped a lot over the past couple of years. Most of the teams in the Non-Power Six conferences are demanding a return game or large sums of money. Now these large sums of money may not be a problem for an OSU, Michigan, etc, but many of the middle to lower schools (I'm talking about athletic revenue) are finding it more and more difficult to fork over the money for a "money" game.
Last year we played Virginia at home without the promise of a return game. We have a 4 game series schedule with Vanderbilt (2 home, 2 away) in the near future. Miss. St. is coming to Murfreesboro for a return game this year since we played there last year. This game is no slap in the face to Minnesota, it's just the way college football scheduling is going.
Middle Tennessee has the largest undergrad enrollment of any university in Tennessee, including Memphis and UT. We are located in a town of 100,000. Our population has really boomed over the past few years. A lot of this is due to the fact that many people from Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio have relocated here. Therefore, we have many Big 10 fans in this area.
We have an up and coming football program. In 2006 we went to the Motor City Bowl. We upset Maryland last year. Two years ago Virginia beat us on a last second field goal. Last year we came up a yard short on the last play of the game from upsetting Kentucky (And don't believe anything that Kentucky fan says. I was at the first game. Jared Lorenzen threw the first punch because he was mad he threw and interception).
Anyway, I know we are excited down here about playing Minnesota. If you want to find out more about us you can visit, www.BlueRaiderZone.com.