Big East Game of the Week

Conference game of the week--mark your calendars now.
Rules: Every team must make the list at least once
Guideline: The most important game is not always the most interesting

The Big East has two other issues--they are the smallest conference with eight members and with no championship game the conference has a long season with game on December 5th. Given this their may be a "none" week or an away OOC game included.

Saturday, September 5
Cincinnati at Rutgers
A Disney arranged game between two contenders for the wide open conference crown.

Saturday, September 12
North Carolina at Connecticut
East Carolina at West Virginia
Carolina comes to the Big East: Are the Pirate able to take two in a row? UNC v. UConn in football rather than hoops?

Saturday, September 19
Northwestern at Syracuse
Will the Orange look any better than one would expect with a new coach and an ad hoc group of players.

Saturday, September 26
Pitt at North Carolina State
Rutgers at Maryland
USF at Florida State
Almost half of the conference is on the road against the ACC with, "We aren't the worst BCS conference." bragging right in the balance.

Thursday, October 1
Colorado at West Virginia (ESPN)
The Buff's are one of those rare teams that will travel. This game went to overtime last year.

Saturday, October 10
Connecticut at Pitt
If there must be a game
NONE

Friday, October 16
Pitt at Rutgers (ESPN)
Make an excuse not to go to that high school game. Can? Set the DVR!

Saturday, October 17
Louisville at Connecticut
Marshall at West Virginia
NONE

Saturday, October 24
USF at Pitt
Bully?

Saturday, October 31
Rutgers at Connecticut
Are these two really rivals?

Saturday, November 7
Louisville at West Virginia
Never going to be the 2005 game.

Thursday, November 12
USF at Rutgers (ESPN)
Can Rutgers have another season where they capture a sliver of attention from the NYC Metro area.

Friday, November 13
West Virginia at Cincinnati (ESPN2)
Can the Bearcats repeat? They are winless at home against WVU. WVU leads the series 11 to 2.

Saturday, November 14
Notre Dame at Pitt
The Irish are almost always interesting the watch. Losses to Pitt and Cuse sent Notre Dame to Hawaii last year.

Saturday, November 21
Louisville at USF
Rutgers at Syracuse
Connecticut at Notre Dame (NBC)
NONE

Friday, November 27
Pitt at West Virginia
Not an elite rivalry game but near the top of the second tier.



Saturday, November 28
Illinois at Cincinnati
Miami at USF
Not one but two unusually interesting late season OOC games.

Saturday, December 5
Cincinnati at Pitt
West Virginia at Rutgers
One of these two will determine who gets the conferences BCS bid.

Early Rivalry Game Ticket Prices 5/30/09

Over the coming months the cheap seats for these high profile games will be monitored.
Update of Early Rivalry Game Ticket Prices form 3/14/09

Declines were in the 9% to 17% rflecting no more than the later entries into the maket willing to cut their margins.

Ohio State at Michigan Football Tickets Saturday, November 21, 2009
Section Row Qty. Price
3/14/09
End Zone 35R 97 2 $250.00 each
End Zone 11R 96 2 $258.00 each
End Zone 36R 94 2 $259.00 each

5/30/09
End Zone 34R 97 Up to 4 $214.99 each
End Zone 33R 36 2 $215.00 each
End Zone 34R 98 Up to 4 $215.00 each
End Zone 34R 40 2 $220.00 each

A $35 drop in price with 693 ticket availble form $215 to $1100.

Oklahoma vs. Texas Football Tickets Saturday, October 17, 2009
Section Row Qty. Price
3/14/09
Upper End Zone 115 29 Up to 6 $258.00 each
Upper End Zone 116 TBD Up to 12 $265.00 each
Upper End Zone 115 30 Up to 6 $278.00 each

5/30/09
Upper End Zone 116 21 2 $234.00 each
Upper End Zone 115 24 2 $234.00 each
Upper End Zone 115 23 Up to 4 $234.00 each
Upper End Zone 116 14 Up to 5 $241.00 each

A modest drop of $24 with 974 ticket availble form $234 to $1388.


USC at Notre Dame Football Tickets at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN
Section Row Qty. Price
3/14/09
Lower Level End Zone 18 TBD 2 $335.00 each
Lower Level End Zone 18 TBD 2 $335.00 each
Lower Level End Zone 19 TBD 2 $335.00 each
Lower Level End Zone 17 TBD 2 $335.00 each
Lower Level End Zone 1 TBD 2 $335.00 each
Lower Level End Zone 19 TBD 2 $335.00 each
Lower Level End Zone 17 45 2 $336.00 each
Lower Level End Zone 18 45 2 $336.00 each

5/31/09
Upper Level End Zone 118 23 2 $277.00 each
Upper Level End Zone 101 24 2 $277.00 each
Upper Level End Zone 118 23 2 $278.00 each
Lower Level End Zone 19 25 2 $284.00 each
Lower Level End Zone 17 TBD 2 $286.00 each
Lower Level End Zone 19 46 2 $286.00 each
Lower Level End Zone 18 TBD 2 $286.00 each
Lower Level End Zone 1 TBD 2 $286.00 each
Lower Level End Zone 2 TBD 2 $286.00 each

A $59 drop in price with 761 ticket available on StubHub from $277 to $1471



Alabama at Auburn Football Tickets in Auburn, AL
Section Row Qty. Price
3/14/09
Lower Level End Zone 41 54 Up to 4 $306.00 each
Upper Deck Sideline 99 35 Up to 4 $306.00 each

5/30/09
Upper Deck Sideline 99 29 2 $273.00 each
Upper Deck Sideline 62 35 Up to 4 $274.00
Lower Level End Zone 39 53 Up to 6 $274.00
Lower Level End Zone 43 50 Up to 4 $275.73 each

A $33 dropin prive with 534 ticket available from $273 to $1599

Adding Up the Crumbs

Most, if not all, businesses have the side we see that the generally clean and pretty and the dark insidebusiness. Think the the butchershop or Congress as examples: clean on the outside but sickening to the outsider on the inside.

Given thet college bowl contracts are up for renewal there is a dance (more like the scrambling when bride throws the bouquet) taking place with the bowls games and conferences jockeying for position. Given this background come the following little piece of information:

"He said bowls keep most of the best seats for their corporate partners, and the schools' fans often end up buying those tickets on the secondary market rather than through the school."

If you look at the Gator Bowl on Stub Hub the very best seats are for sale. The fact that seats are already sold may very well be a function of this being an NFL stadium and groups have leased real estate is the stadium.

Clip a Rama #2

Why try to compete with perfection. When someone posts a video predicted BCS games for both Michigan and Miami (FL) Dean Wormer had the perfect line when he said, ""Fat drunk and stupid is no why to go through life."

Clip a Rama Part #1

Navy 2009 What happened to the, "See Bill Run" SONG?



"Newberry College Head Football Coach, Todd Knight, invites everyone to come out and see the Scarlet and Gray in 2009." Hurry and RSVP for Newberry football. Damn no return address.


UCF low budget



UConn Football 2009 Spring Season Ticket Commercial...watch out for the rush



2008 APPALACHIAN FOOTBALL In marketing you need a product first and Appy State has a product to sell.

Three Losses in One Day

Delaware State Hornets:

1. Has forfeited their scheduled October 17 game against North Carolina A&T

2. Will in all likelihood lose to Michigan October 17 in Ann Arbor.

3. Are only reportedly getting $500,000 for their trouble.

Delaware State, which should make about $500,000 or more for playing at U-M, technically starts the season 0-1.

Big 12 Game of the Week

Conference game of the week--mark your calendars now.
Rules: Every team must make the list at least once
Guideline: The most important game is not always the most interesting.

Saturday, Sept. 5
BYU vs. Oklahoma (in Arlington)
Note to vendors—stock up on Sprite and decaf caffe


Saturday, Sept. 12
Houston at Oklahoma State
Rice at Texas Tech
Neither of these are particular interesting but they are better than any of the other options. This is the week that Texas travels to Wyoming to play the Cowboys.

Saturday, Sept. 19
Texas Tech at Texas
No Crabtree! At Austin! Can this be as interesting as 2008?

Saturday, Sept. 26
Army at Iowa State
Army has a chance at being competitive in this game.

Saturday, Oct. 3
Arkansas vs. Texas A&M (in Dallas)
Has Bobby Petrino have the Razorbacks in position to be a factor in the South?

Thursday, Oct. 8
Nebraska at Missouri
What is the direction for these two programs?

Saturday, Oct. 17
Oklahoma vs. Texas (in Dallas)
No brainer.

Saturday, Oct. 24
Oklahoma State at Baylor
Are the Bears making progress?

Saturday, Oct. 31
Missouri at Colorado
Both teams need this game for keeping up with the Huskers.

Saturday, Nov. 7
Kansas at Kansas State
No brainer #2.

Saturday, Nov. 14
Texas Tech at Oklahoma State
Will this be more than a contest for the #3 slot in the South.

Saturday, Nov. 21
Kansas State at Nebraska
The Jayhawks may already be out of bowl contention and they may have nothing
to lose.


Saturday, Nov. 28
Oklahoma State at Oklahoma
Are the Sooner still the dominate team?

Big Ten Conference Game of the Week

Conference game of the week--mark your calendars now.
Rules: Every team must make the list at least once
Guideline: The most important game is not always the most interesting



Saturday, September 5
Illinois vs. Missouri (St. Louis)
Nuetral site game, strong OOC match up and refreshing diversion form the cupcake dominated slate of games.


Saturday, September 12
Air Force at Minnesota
New stadium trumps the more important games:Iowa at Iowa State, Notre Dame at Michigan, USC at Ohio State, Syracuse at Penn State, Purdue at Oregon, or Fresno State at Wisconsin

Saturday, September 19
Arizona at Iowa
One of the few Big/Pac 10 match ups.

Saturday, September 26
Notre Dame at Purdue
The Boilermakers always play tough before the Irish prevail.

Saturday, October 3
Michigan at Michigan State
The Spartans last had consecutive wins against the Wolverines in 1965, 1966, 1967.

Saturday, October 10
Purdue at Minnesota
Scrambling for a Insight or Motor City appearance.

Saturday, October 17
Delaware State at Michigan
Not Delaware, Delaware State from the MEAC. This way be the worst match up up the year.

Saturday, October 24
Minnesota at Ohio State
Can the Gophers make a move in the conference.

Saturday, October 31
New Mexico State at Ohio State
Almost like a practice.How many zeros on that check?

Saturday, November 7
Ohio State at Penn State
Who will be smelling roses will be on the line.

Saturday, November 14
Indiana at Penn State
Hangover for the Lions?

Saturday, November 21
Wisconsin at Northwestern
The Badger are playing a conference on rivalry weekend

Saturday, November 28
Illinois at Cincinnati
Winner by default

Saturday, December 5
Wisconsin at Hawaii
Much better than than staying in Madison in December.

Connected to the Dollars

James Burke is know for his late 1970's show called Connections in which he shows how unrelated events come together for something entirely new. Think about the multitude of different technologies that went into the first automobiles--just the marriage of refining oil into gasoline and metal casting for the modern internal combustion engine is a miracle.



Our story will start in fall of 1966 with the debut of both Star Trek showing how advance technology would change the world and Joe Paterno who would show how a guy from Brooklyn could change college football. James T. Kirk when facing a dilemma would consult either the very local Mr. Spook or the mechanical female voice of the computer. Captain Kirk would then ignore good sound advice, doing something rash, make out with a green (1960’s) space babe, and come out smelling like a rose. Coach Paterno has also been know to act rashly with a variety of smells as a result. Just this week Joe was quoted as saying, "I've tried to talk to the Big Ten people about, 'Let's get a 12th team -- Syracuse, Rutgers, Pitt -- we could have a little bit of a playoff.'" http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4118848



Spike TV started in 1983 as The Nashville Network, morphing into The National Network before becoming testosterone focused channel it is today. Other organizations evolve overtime in an attempt to stay relevant; the March of Dime now devoted to preventing birth defect began life with the task of curing polio repurposing itself to stay alive. The Big Ten and the Big Ten Network will need to keep evolving in the constantly changing environment of college sports.



This blog recognized early the potential power of the Big Ten Network and the change that this could bring to the college football landscape. While Joe was looking at the practical idea of a championship game, the more profitable plan would be to add the right team to the Big Ten to boost the dollars beyond what the SEC is currently raking in. Paterno looked to his past a rashly suggested three east coast teams two of which could add the populace New York City metro TV market to the BTN footprint (and the associated dollars). Mr. Spock would look at the numbers and look to push BTN national in one fell swoop by taking another run at adding Notre Dame to the Big Ten.



South Bend, the home to Studebaker (the late car maker) and Notre Dame is the final piece to our puzzle. Those that say, “Notre Dame will never join a conference.” might be the same that said, “GM will never file for bankruptcy.” With the NBC contract running out in 2015 and the range into at which schedules are made BTN might want to be looking that far into the future and make a rash Kirk like move. In one move BTN could transform itself and the college football landscape.