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Bianchi is Right!

CBlackwellRN

CBlackwellRN

Silver Knight
Oct 21, 2001
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drchristopherblackwell.com
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/spor...lack-friday-orlando-magic-20170210-story.html

I agree with Bianchi on this-- putting the UCF v. USF game on Black Friday is a terrible mistake. The university is closed, large portions of the student body are home for the holiday, and it's antithetical to the rivalry tradition both schools are trying to create. That being said, I also agree with him that TV dictates everything.
 
Flutie's Hail Mary pass that beat Miami took place at 4:30 in the afternoon on a Friday. It's becoming a traditional game date for UCF vs USF.
 
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Come on. What would you rather do,
Have it on an Friday night or a Saturday at noon?
Besides, nearly every rivalry game in the college football world is on Saturday.

The fans are going to be in a crazed mood on a Friday night. I haven't seen any energy whatsoever for a noon home UCF game since South Carolina and I couldn't tell you any recently before that. It's a no brainer

Friday night is electric!!!
 
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I agree with him, it's not about anyone on this board making excuses it's reality. Both Programs currently rely on Students much more than other older Programs to generate the attendance & atmosphere. If one of the teams is average or bad not many students are making the trip back early on Thanksgiving weekend.

I think it would be better to have the game in mid October like FSU-Miami when the conference picture is not quite clear.
 
Square Knight said:
The game was sold out in 2013 and it gets good attendance when we don't suck. Let's quit making excuses for people who don't come to the games. It's better than Thanksgiving Day.
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it wasn't a sellout, think it was less than 1k short of one
 
Mikesi said:
Come on. What would you rather do,
Have it on an Friday night or a Saturday at noon?
Besides, nearly every rivalry game in the college football world is on Saturday.

The fans are going to be in a crazed mood on a Friday night. I haven't seen any energy whatsoever for a noon home UCF game since South Carolina and I couldn't tell you any recently before that. It's a no brainer

Friday night is electric!!!
Click to expand...

As a parent who brings their kid to the game Friday night is way better than Saturday afternoon. Noon games suck in the Florida heat.
 
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G-Knight said:
As a parent who brings their kid to the game Friday night is way better than Saturday afternoon. Noon games suck in the Florida heat.
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Kids like games where the pregame fun is in the aftenoon and the game is 5-8. So do most young adults Parents have things to do early. You darn well know that a Saturday game is most likely going to be at Noon and those are the worst!
 
Poolside Knight said:
I agree with him, it's not about anyone on this board making excuses it's reality. Both Programs currently rely on Students much more than other older Programs to generate the attendance & atmosphere. If one of the teams is average or bad not many students are making the trip back early on Thanksgiving weekend.

I think it would be better to have the game in mid October like FSU-Miami when the conference picture is not quite clear.
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FSUs rival is UF. That's why it's on rivalry weekend and not UM. I prefer Black Friday over Thanksgiving. That was the dumbest idea ever.
 
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Saturday games are buried beneath the P5 games. Need to play on Fridays so we have a chance of making it to TV.
 
Poolside Knight said:
it wasn't a sellout, think it was less than 1k short of one
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Official Attendance for the USF game in 2013 was 45,952. That's more than the official capacity of the stadium at that time (45,323) before capacity was reduced by the east side Cabana Club. It is also a few hundred more than we had at the sold out Boston College game in 2011. BTW...it is also almost 300 more than attended the stadium opening game vs #6 Texas in 2007.

There have been a few games with higher attendance. South Carolina in 2013 which had 47,605 and the stadium record of 48,453 vs Miami in 2009. To accomplish that the students squeezed together even more than they normally do and extra temporary chairs were used in several places in the stadium...for example unused wheelchair areas.
 
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Square Knight said:
Official Attendance for the USF game in 2013 was 45,952. That's more than the official capacity of the stadium at that time (45,323) before capacity was reduced by the east side Cabana Club. It is also a few hundred more than we had at the sold out Boston College game in 2011. BTW...it is also almost 300 more than attended the stadium opening game vs #6 Texas in 2007.

There have been a few games with higher attendance. South Carolina in 2013 which had 47,605 and the stadium record of 48,453 vs Miami in 2009. To accomplish that the students squeezed together even more than they normally do and extra temporary chairs were used in several places in the stadium...for example unused wheelchair areas.
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Let's hope that's what happens again this season. I agree that this is MUCH better than holding the game on Thanksgiving. That was disastrous. And the fact we won't have competition for the game and TV spot are also pluses. I will be there regardless. Let's pray for a miracle and hope our Knights can beat them this year!
 
Two ways to address this. Make ECU our rivalry game and play their every year. Second - bye week on rivalry week forever.**
I dont mind ECU as a rivalry game, but USF is the natural. When both programs had interest, it seemed like it would be an instant hit. The reality is it needs more time to develop.
 
Before we both were in the AAC we use to play in September usually the 2nd or 3rd game of the season and it was always sold out. One thing that late is if one team sucks it losses steam especially over the holidays. I think earlier in the season created more of a buzz. But if they are both good its sets up an epic AAC showdown.
 
This is a game in which the students should be heavily involved, especially when it is a home game. Unfortunately we are not to the point where the students a so jazzed about the program that they come back early for a game. Especially a Friday. They should move this game.
 
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Black Friday is a day made for UCF. First, everyone has the day off and will be home nationwide, and we do not have to compete with FSU/UF OSU/UM etc. for TV ratings (which is important for UCF to maintain and promote their brand).

Secondly, as others had said if UCF and USF are both in position to be competing for the conference AND Stong V Frost, the stadium will be packed.

CHARGE ON!!!
 
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First and foremost, Bianchi will write or say anything to create controversy and stir up some conversation so that he can and Sentinel sports can avoid becoming irrelevant and fading into obscurity. We all fell for it. This game is set for Black Friday and that's not changing.

Second, most likely unless UCF and USF become nationally relevant and powerhouses year after year, this rivalry will almost always be on a Friday. We can't worry about where the students will be as that represents a small portion of the fan base and the least revenue generating fans. The stadium holds 44,000 plus and at best students make up MAYBE 30% of that.

If I was a student, and UCF football was important to me, I would make it
my business to attend the game even if I was home for Thanksgivng. It's a Friday night. So.., drive back. Most students probably are within 1-3 hours from campus, so it's even a much smaller percentage than the max 30% that we are talking about.
 
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College football and rivalry week wont go away. If UCF chooses not to participate because of attendance where does that leave South Florida? That keeps the advantage with traditional programs and the P5.
 
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ucfversusbcs said:
College football and rivalry week wont go away. If UCF chooses not to participate because of attendance where does that leave South Florida? That keeps the advantage with traditional programs and the P5.
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So being stubborn and not having students show up is somehow going to incentivise national viewers to watch UCF/USF? yeah that will stick it to da man!
No, you have to build the rivalry on its own first. Have it early in the season when both teams still have much to play for. Build the hate and tradition. Then one day we will be ready for primetime
 
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1 of these Knights said:
So being stubborn and not having students show up is somehow going to incentivise national viewers to watch UCF/USF? yeah that will stick it to da man!
No, you have to build the rivalry on its own first. Have it early in the season when both teams still have much to play for. Build the hate and tradition. Then one day we will be ready for primetime
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that's my take. We don't have the generational fans yet like UF-FSU who don't really need student attendance on this weekend so it puts all the pressure on the UCF season ticket holders to show so the atmosphere isn't completely stale for a Rivalry.


Black Friday is better than Thanksgiving Day or Saturday but the atmosphere would be so much better in October during the time of the season where UCF usually plays a team like Houston or ECU. And if we still want max TV exposure for this game we could make it an ESPN Friday night game like BYU seems to do with Utah/Utah St games.
 
Can't believe this is even an issue. Students can go home for Thanksgivng and come back for the game Friday night?? Am I missing something here??? We aren't playing the game Friday morning at 8:00 A.M.
 
Poolside Knight said:
that's my take. We don't have the generational fans yet like UF-FSU who don't really need student attendance on this weekend so it puts all the pressure on the UCF season ticket holders to show so the atmosphere isn't completely stale for a Rivalry.


Black Friday is better than Thanksgiving Day or Saturday but the atmosphere would be so much better in October during the time of the season where UCF usually plays a team like Houston or ECU. And if we still want max TV exposure for this game we could make it an ESPN Friday night game like BYU seems to do with Utah/Utah St games.
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Putting pressure on the season ticket holders to show??? Isn't that's what a season ticket holder is supposed to do. Show up for games. Why are they being pressured??

Basically, this whole thread is completely making our fanbase look terrible. Like all the planets and stars have to be aligned to get students and fans to go to a game on a holiday weekend. Not the Holiday itself, BUT THE DAY AFTER. If that's how bad things are right now, then we are doomed.
 
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Mikesi said:
Putting pressure on the season ticket holders to show??? Isn't that's what a season ticket holder is supposed to do. Show up for games. Why are they being pressured??
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for example FSU finished the season in the Top 10 but during the UF game Thanksgiving weekend didn't even sellout the student section but they have a much older/larger season ticket alumni net to guarantee a good atmosphere. UCF isn't there yet as a fanbase, it's not embarrassing it's just the Facts.

All the best atmosphere games at BHNS are when the Student section is packed with 12k+. Just like the Program relies more on Student fees for Revenue to make up for a crap TV deal, the same applies to the atmosphere at the OCS.
 
Here's the thing. How many diehard UCF student fans that actually go in the game and not tailgate only, live so far away from campus that they can't come back to school for a rivalry game the night after a holiday?

I mean I don't expect anyone to come
back that lives out of state. That's not feasible logistically and economically to shorten their holiday weekend with family for this game.

Therefore, we are giving up a chance at national exposure on TV to appease
a few hundred to less than 2,000 student fans that live out of the area and that actually go in the stadium.

If we are winning, we are getting 40,000 plus fans for this game, just like in 2013. It's just not worth it to give up the primetime Friday night TV slot for a few hundred fans.

Why were we able to get nearly a full student section in 2013?? Enough local students will come back to campus for this game if there is enough buzz. Local fans will fill in the rest of the empty seats.
The excitement was at an all time high in that game. The stadium INCLUDING the student section went crazy when Ozerites
picked off Mike White.

My point is simply that there is no guarantee that putting this on another non-holiday weekend is going to do any better for attendance, as it may be even harder for local fans (who make up the bulk of attendance and the premium seats) to attend such a game on a Saturday in October heat at noon Vs a Black Friday night.
 
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The attendance for the UF-FSU game on 11/27/2016 was over 78,000 fans at a time when attendance is down even amongst student sections nationwide. Neither team to my knowledge was in the top 10. I'm sure the holiday weekend affected student attendance, but not drastically. Local fans made up the difference, just like UCF Vs USF in 2013. Our fanbase is good enough to nearly fill a 44,000 seat stadium on a Black Friday night if the product is good.

Are we at the point that we can fill a 60,000-80,000 stadium??? Absolutely not.
 
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1 of these Knights said:
So being stubborn and not having students show up is somehow going to incentivise national viewers to watch UCF/USF? yeah that will stick it to da man!
No, you have to build the rivalry on its own first. Have it early in the season when both teams still have much to play for. Build the hate and tradition. Then one day we will be ready for primetime
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I get that but who do we play during that week until then? Do we select East Carolina? A game has to be played right or does "sticking it to the man" mean the entire conference goes bye due to lack of quality rivalries except for Navy.
 
ucfversusbcs said:
I get that but who do we play during that week until then? Do we select East Carolina? A game has to be played right or does "sticking it to the man" mean the entire conference goes bye due to lack of quality rivalries except for Navy.
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UCF (and the cows) will have to play someone at home and then ON THE ROAD during Thanksgiving Week each and every year...just like all the other AAC teams.

Huge benefit of both UCF and the cows playing each other that week is sooooooo many UCF fans can attend both home AND ROAD GAME of this series...which wouldn't be the case if UCF had to fly to Hartford, Philly, Memphis, or any other AAC location that week.

Again...Bianchi is whining because he now has to work on Black Friday.
 
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ucfversusbcs said:
I get that but who do we play during that week until then? Do we select East Carolina? A game has to be played right or does "sticking it to the man" mean the entire conference goes bye due to lack of quality rivalries except for Navy.
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Why do we have to have a game on rivalry week to compete with other conferences? All we are saying is that the AAC really has one heated rivalry of this nature. UCF/USF truly meets the definition of that game. Why do we play that game at a time when 1) all the students are gone and 2) we are competing against the best rivalry games in the nation? Why don't we play that game when it could stand alone get some real national attention on a Saturday night when other big programs have games against FBS teams? Build it more and let form a life of its own rather than force the same cookie cutter rivalry down our throats
 
SCKnight said:
Why don't we play that game when it could stand alone get some real national attention on a Saturday night when other big programs have games against FBS teams? Build it more and let form a life of its own rather than force the same cookie cutter rivalry down our throats
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The number of yearly Saturday Night Primetime slots that ESPN or ESPN2 give to the AAC are so few and far between, especially when they can easily grab almost any SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, etc...game.

"force some cookie cutter rivalry down our throats"?

Wouldn't that be any team NOT NAMED usf?

The cows were rivals WELL before the teams actually played their first games...and are more of a rival than any other AAC team.
 
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