All good thoughts, Randy, and I agree with most of what you say. The down side of playing a major out of conference opponent are just as you said, and I totally understand about your wanting as many visits for your season ticket as you can get.
What I would disagree with is that the only reason you'd play such a game is to build a reputation. One might play such a game because it would be an exciting challenge. One might play such a game for pride. One might play such a game for fun. Being top-level competitors, our players might enjoy the chance to face a team like Boise State who carry on publicly about how they're as good as an SEC team. (Just one example.) By your argument, no one would ever climb Everest, walk the Appalachian trail, compete in an amateur triathlon, or do any other dangerous or rigorous thing that brings no public recognition or financial reward. After all, there's no up side to climbing Everest except the personal satisfaction of having challenged yourself and succeeded, while the down side may be fatal. Sometimes you do these things anyway because you're a competitor and you want to compete against the best. Personally, I wouldn't ask us to give up all the patsy games. I, too, think that small teams deserve the right to their challenges. I'd just ask that the twelfth game that the NCAA added be against a respectable out of conference opponent whom we would otherwise be unlikely to play (changing the opponent every two years). Even though I know that all of the bad things you said are true, I'd still do it. The fans would love it and the players would love it. It would keep the program invigorated and exciting. Anyway, that's where I'm coming from when I say these things. Rob Sent from my iPhone On Jul 11, 2011, at 7:51 PM, "Randy Platt" <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I really questioned if I wanted to chime in on this discussion. > > > > Personally, I am fine with the way our schedule is set up. I would rather > have two games at home against patsies as opposed to a home and home with a > head knocker. And really that is what everybody wants, a game against a top > 25 team from another conference. I mean whenever this discussion comes up > the teams mentioned are the Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan, Ohio State, USC > (west), Stanford, nobody ever says why don't we do home and home with > Baylor, Northwestern, Iowa State, Kansas or anybody from the big east. And > just for the record, it takes two to tango, I feel pretty confident that > other schools would want a home and home anymore than we want one with them. > The only reason you play those games is to enhance your reputation. I > believe major college athletics in general and football specifically are a > business and about making money, but not just television and gate revenues, > but licensing revenues and booster/donor contributions as well. There is no > doubt in my mind that Jeremy Foley is equivalent to a CEO of a major > corporation. > > > > Another reason I like the schedule format as is, it ensures I get an extra > visit to Gainesville. Being a season ticket, I attend all the home games, > hot, cold, rain or shine. So if you go to a home and home it would eliminate > a visit. Since I have already stated that money is the driving factor, I > believe I would still be paying about $1,000.00 (including booster > contribution) for six games instead of seven. > > > > I also see nothing to be gained by playing a tougher out of conference > opponent. I only see a downside. Regardless of winning or losing, a > tougher opponent will not get us any closer to the SECCG or the MNCG, we > still need to win our division and the SECCG to get to the MNCG. However, I > believe such a game may cause us to lose an SEC game due to injuries or > fatigue. Therefore, I see no upside potential in such a game. Granted the > game would be exciting and fun to watch, but I can wait to catch them in a > bowl game. > > > > I really have not thought about the impact such a series of scheduling would > have on other teams. My point being how do the UAB's, UCF's, FAU's of this > world improve their lot, since no one wants to play them because they are > deemed a patsy. Now, Div I-AA (Furman for us this year) or whatever it is > called now, I can see eliminating those games in favor of Div I teams, but I > am not sure everybody could get a 12 game schedule without them. > > > > Anyway, I like the schedule because it give me more chances to get to > Gainesville. > > > > JAFO > > > > > > Randy Platt > > aka "PCGator" > > aka "The Armchair Quarterback" > > aka "The Other Randy" > > > > Later Gators! Afterwhile the Rest! > > > > PS which of the three games this year FAU, UAB or Furman would you replace > and with whom? Remember, UAB is the week before we go to UT and Furman is > the week before FSU. > > > > > > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us > <winmail.dat> -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
