Welcome, to the Friday Feedback, which had a decision to make: Gold-Blue Game or Willie Nelson? Well, a coin was flipped and the night is planned. I’ll probably never tell which won … but if you’ve got the money, I’ve got the time.
Looks like the weather will cooperate for the first Friday-night spring game so there are just a few other things to monitor. Some have to do with the actual game.
Five concerns
1) Center, RG, RT
2) Second cornerback
3) Second slot receiver
4) Nos. 6-7-8 on offensive line
5) Spur safety
Five curiosities
1) Shawne Alston/Daquan Hargrett
2) TE play
3) How to use The Poet
4) Pass rush from the defensive front
5) Depth on defense
I’m also curious about the crowd. The new toy appeal of the Friday-night thing may speak to many, but it may deter just as many from coming from far away to see the game after a normal day at work. The Mountaineers may have made some progress in the spring, but enough to inspire a large crowd? It may turn out fine. It might miss. I don’t know, but given the slightly lagging sales of season tickets, it’s something to monitor, especially since WVU absolutely plans to make this an annual thing.
Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, mind your python.
Mack said:
Random question to chew on. WVU has a stadium that seats approximately 60,000 and if it stays relatively competitive, it will fill it up.
If WVU got left completely out of every conference and had no choice but to play as an independent… couldn’t it still survive?
Given that WVU usually draws well at its away games, travels well, and fills up its own stadium… wouldn’t teams like Pitt, USF, UConn (and I’m sure many others) be happy to play a home-and-home series with WVU? Obviously, LSU, Mississippi State, Maryland and others have been happy to schedule WVU when under no conference obligation to do so. Also, if WVU plays those games, they are likely to be televised by one national TV channel or another.
I understand that not being in a conference makes scheduling a lot more difficult, but my main question is whether this issue is exaggerated at all.
I read that the Big East gets $7 million annually for televising its games, which would break down to less than $1 million per school. I find it hard to believe that losing the $1 million from television would kill WVU football. If you factor in BCS money and bowl payouts, perhaps that is what kills WVU, but I would again have to think that some sort of alternative deal would be worked out.
This is interesting and it’s about the only angle that hasn’t been covered with much detail. The negative — and this presumes the BCS would continue to exist, in some form or by some name — is WVU wouldn’t have an association with the “BCS” or “TBA” mega bowls bowls or a map to a national championship. I think. WVU would also have to accept making far less money from football, which means giving less to other sports. Take away the mega bowl payday. Now pay seven guarantees for all the home games every year — right now, it’s three or four, depending on the number conference home games, which alternated between three and four every year. You even lose the revenue sharing as a conference member. Now there is money to be made off of television, as mentioned, but also in bidding out broadcast rights, but that’s another topic for another day … and in all honesty, it’s not a reality. Independence is, at the very least, fun to think about.
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