NCAA Week One

[The Real SamC]

Two more weekends to football. First kick, Saturday, August 26th, 2:30, Oregon State @ Colorado State. Between then and the end of Georgia Tech -Tennessee at Atlanta's shiny new stadium on Labor Day night, there will be 21 games between two FBS (Division I-A) teams. 20 will be on either regular TV or some form of internet. (As will three times that number of I-AA games or I-AA @ I-A money games).

Complete list of games between 2 I-A teams not on TV or internet for week one:

Miami (not the real one, the one in Ohio) @ Marshall.

(And before somebody posts it, yes, I will be there. But the effect of this on recruiting, fan base building up, etc. is just huge.)

 

[Herd-in-ATL]

With the resurrection of the Miami of Oh football program and the cautious optimum that last year performance by Marshall was a one off anomaly. You would have thought that there would be great interest in the game between these two heated/hated rivals. And that at least a regional network subsidiarity would have picked up this game. In some cases your conference publicity department has to go to the mat publicizing why a particular game has a strong enough story-line to be deemed viable enough for TV coverage. This is where begin part of a conference who's headquarters is far removed (distance wise) for a lot of it's member schools hurts.

 

[Dreh_Nagi_HC_IM]

Have to say, the major networks really dropped the ball on this one.

The national audience has to be cringing over the thought of a returning 3-9 Marshall vs a returning 6-7 Miami, Ohio not being available in prime time.

 

[All4TheHerd]

With the resurrection of the Miami of Oh football program and the cautious optimum that last year performance by Marshall was a one off anomaly. You would have thought that there would be great interest in the game between these two heated/hated rivals. And that at least a regional network subsidiarity would have picked up this game. In some cases your conference publicity department has to go to the mat publicizing why a particular game has a strong enough story-line to be deemed viable enough for TV coverage. This is where begin part of a conference who's headquarters is far removed (distance wise) for a lot of it's member schools hurts.

Well, when we went there last, their crowd didn't seem too enthusiastic about it. Wasn't it a White Out with more of a "Bleacher Out" where the fans dressed up as empty bleachers?

Considering how bad the fans have collapsed in terms of faith on the team, the return game won't garnish much attention because of it.
The press is trying to excite the fans for the season and it doesn't seem to be met with much enthusiasm.
Some just can't get over 3-9...and even if Doc goes 13-0, people will still chime about "3-9..."
Thing is, sadly, many will still doubt Marshall should they beat Miami because "it's Miami" and say their 6 wins "was an anomaly" and that they're actually terrible and Doc just got lucky.

 

[oldeherd]

All4TheHerd, I've heard that although Miami's football team may not be the greatest, their fans in Yager Stadium are as good as any in the country when it comes to imitating empty aluminum seats!!!