Didn’t they try that for a while but could not get the interest in the north?
BIG to announce 24 schedule model tomorrow
- Thread starter Pazhoosier85
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I don't recall any attempt. Which may speak for itself in the effort, organization, advance promotion and venues. But if so figure out why it didn't succeed and fix it so it will. It's an investment in locking up the state recruiting and fundraising. Just as Huber empowers IU in Kentucky so it should be even in Meatchicken, Illinois and Ohio.
Cam Cameron took the coaches and, I believe, a few players on a barnstorming tour around the state. I took my kids to see them on the gridiron plaza in front of the then College Football HOF in South Bend. IIRC there were a couple hundred fans milling about.
Summer outings have been a regular occurrence for decades. Most are golf events and typically involve the football coach (not all of ours were golfers, but they still made appearances at the post-round reception. In Ft. Wayne, that’s been a Tom Kelley deal for years (he played at IU, as I’m sure you know), and a FW VC stalwart was always involved (I’m sure my stalkers are furiously googling who that could be). Players weren’t a part of it but the head coach , I recall playing with at least five of them) and assistants were common participants.
Always amazed how a thread again gets hijacked LOL
The OT was a Huber style event(s) would be as beneficial in the northern part of the state, 0 mention of no promotion goes on in the northern part of the state.
Now is the time for the AD to advocate for moving the Bucket game to earlier in the year. It's a travesty that our rivalry game occurs when most our students have left for Thanksgiving. The game would be so much more fun in Sept/Oct with students on campus, better weather, and when we still have some hope of doing something in the season. Sucks to play your rival the final game of the season when you only have 4 wins and know that pride is the only thing you're playing for. Last game of the season is great for big rivalries like OSU-Michigan, and it's really awful for struggling programs.
Wouldn't moving our rivalry game be disruptive to all of the other rivalry games, since they’d have to shift the schedule to help us (and Purdue)? The only potentially practicable option would be to take one of the weeks where we don’t play during the season and move our open date to the end. This would create yet another disadvantage for us and while negatively other teams via scheduling, which is why it will never occur.
Our solution to poor attendance is to build a winning program. Gimmicks and sleight of hand efforts won’t help us a bit.
Having it Thanksgiving weekend hurt the students often keeping them from attending the game. I don't think it will get moved too early in the season if it gets moved at all.
I didn't used to feel that way, but agree 100% with the way it is today.
When we played fewer games, the Bucket game was before Thanksgiving. The game is still important and intense, but the crowds aren't the same.
The Bucket game would be disruptive to all of the other rivalry games? You mean like the O$U/Michigan game?
lmao. What are you smoking?
Moving the game would be the type of desperation move that would be consistent with our athletics department. The timing isn’t the issue. IU’s inability to field a program remotely competitive over the course of 100 years is the root of the lack of interest. And, when Purdue has a downturn, it’s a game of watching 2 midgets try to see who’s tallest in the room.
Changing a date only masks the real problem.
Changing a date only masks the real problem.
Moving the game debate pops up every couple of years.
One popular solution was to make it the first game of the year. The case against that was always that we don’t play league games game one. That is out the window at this point and I think it is a good way to build up the hype for two schools that could use that shot in the arm.
Even you should be able to understand how moving a rivalry game away from the last weekend of the year wouldn’t impact others in the BT.
As I understand it, moving the rivalries to the end of the year was also an attempt to keep the BT in the media eye. Otherwise, prior to the BT Championship there was a 1-2 week gap where other conferences were playing and playing their championships, with the BT on the sidelines. I think the thought was that time off hurt the teams in the polls (out of sight, out of mind).
Maybe go back to rivalry week before Thanksgiving for the entire BT, and then slate interesting matchups for Thanksgiving, a traditional travel week. MSU to USC for Sparty against Sparty, PSU to UCLA (Lions v. Bears), Michigan to Minny (Varmit Bowl), Buckeyes and Hawkeyes, Rutgers and Indiana (Hoosiers and Knights), Nebraska at Maryland and Purdue/Northwestern. I'd look at where the largest out-of-state alumni population is for a school (based around a rival school) and schedule for that as well.
Maybe go back to rivalry week before Thanksgiving for the entire BT, and then slate interesting matchups for Thanksgiving, a traditional travel week. MSU to USC for Sparty against Sparty, PSU to UCLA (Lions v. Bears), Michigan to Minny (Varmit Bowl), Buckeyes and Hawkeyes, Rutgers and Indiana (Hoosiers and Knights), Nebraska at Maryland and Purdue/Northwestern. I'd look at where the largest out-of-state alumni population is for a school (based around a rival school) and schedule for that as well.
IU v PUke doesn’t move the media needle so move it to the front end of the schedule and help both programs sell tickets.
I understand the issue of playing the week of Thanksgiving but it’s very likely an all or nothing issue from a logistical standpoint.
Ding. There’s always room on our bandwagon for the casual fans who don’t follow IU football closely. Gotta be better than constantly getting their lunch money taken on the Hoops and Water Cooler boards.
Moving the Bucket Game would satisfy us and most likely the PUkes but also would be another game to have/get the students engaged. It's the Bucket rivalry that's paramount in Indiana. The others will have no trouble fending for themselves.
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LOL
You know what the best thing about the "Hoops and Water Cooler boards" is?
Not losing the right to post on them due to being a career troll and a fraud.
Note:: our mod here hates bait posts so I gave him two opprtunities to address the weaksauce above.
You know what the best thing about the "Hoops and Water Cooler boards" is?
Not losing the right to post on them due to being a career troll and a fraud.
Note:: our mod here hates bait posts so I gave him two opprtunities to address the weaksauce above.
IMHO these rivalry games belong either at the end of the season to sell tickets on a cold day when one or both teams might be terrible
or
To create excitement to kick off the season.
What we do now is the former but it is DOA because of the students being off.
It would cause some disruption but I'd bet there are workable solutions. Other conferences manage - UT/Oklahoma, Iowa/Iowa State, for example, play mid-season. We could look for a non-conference solution for the last game, Penn State has no rival in the new model and could serve as a last game occasionally, Rutgers and Maryland are protected rivals but only play the last game of the season about half the time historically, MSU/Penn State lost their protected rivalry leaving MSU with flexibility for the last game of the season. I'm sure there are more options, but there are certainly options in the new scheduling model.
Neither of the rivalries you cite are really applicable, since they were both intersectional games ((OU-UT was a rivalry between two schools from the old Big 8 and SWC conferences, with Iowa-ISU is the same. OU’s traditional rivalry game was the season ending battle with Nebraska). I’m sure there’s a way to make it work, but the disruptions would be obvious. It would also make the last game a very low priority from a fan’s standpoint, which would likely hurt attendance. Shouldn’t we just build a winning program to drive demand, instead?
Also think playing the Bucket game anytime during the season for the students to able to attend is a far better setup for IU than playing the Bucks the 1st game of the year. Especially after the outcome of the Illinois game last season. I've got no problem competing against the tOSU as the 1st conference game. But no denying the incline of the hill to climb for IUFB has flattened a yet unknown degree with the discarding of the East/West travesty.
Those were two examples, there are numerous others. You conveniently ignored the Big 10 teams that I listed (MSU, Penn State, Rutgers, and Maryland) that also do not have solidified final games. Any of them would be fine in rotation for the last game. There are clear options within conference and options external to the conference. I'd rather sacrifice lower attendance for Rutgers/any others to consistently have a bucket game that feels more energetic, that all the students are in town for, and that the stadium is sold out or nearly sold out for. What should be our biggest game of the year has become a pitiful shell of itself, and the only reason is the "tradition" of the calendar. Stupid.
The easiest fix is to make it before Thanksgiving weekend, rather than after. And we’d obviously have a huge crowd (including students) if we had a sustainably winning program, as this is an issue only for programs that don’t consistently win. It’s not the calendar that is to blame. Regardless, there’s no chance it’s moving away from the end of the season.
No chance? You do realize that there’s been a lot of talk about moving OSU/UM to mid season? If they can move the marquee game in CFB, they can move the bucket game.
Didn’t realize there’s been a lot of talk of moving the UM-OSU game. Who’s saying that’s going to happen, or that it’s a realistic possibility? Thanks.
Until winning consistently move the Bucket game. If both programs would agree for the 2 way benefit of having students in the stands then it's a done deal. The B1G knuckles to much more frivolous changes than this not considering attendance.
Why do you think Purdue hasn’t had the same attendance issues, particularly with students, that we’ve had with regard to the OOB game? I was there for the last two games when we played at Purdue, and the stands were full, including their student section.
...PUke is cash short even with less sports to support...i like IU's model with no East/West and moving the Bucket game IUFB fortunes looking up and the AD financial health gets even better...
That's better, but I still don't love it. IU now gives students the whole week of Thanksgiving off (Nov. 18-26 this year). A lot of students are going to head home for the holiday as soon as they can. It would be different if we had a strong program and history of support, but we don't.
A forgotten component is that there are folks like me who live thousands of miles away and only occasionally make it back to games because of that. I believe I'd make it back more years than I do now if the Bucket game were at a different time. I'm not paying Thanksgiving week flight prices and disrupting a holiday week to come back to for the Bucket game. I'd gladly fly back in early or mid-season every other year for it.
It's true that the most important part of fan engagement and driving attendance is putting a winning product on the field. IU hasn't properly invested or managed football to do that, and we have some big built in hurdles thanks to history, location, and bad luck. But the IU admin has to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. More than one thing matters, and it doesn't hurt to intentionally create good experiences where you can. Moving the bucket game, imo, should be high on the list of things to do to intentionally create more good IU football experiences for students and the average, casual, or bandwagon fan. The die hards will be there no matter what.
While I don't think moving the game is likely, I don't think it's "no chance." The B1G isn't the same B1G anymore. Everything appears up for discussion. Besides, it's still nice to use a useless message board to dream a little.
Moving it to the week before Tgiving solves nothing and your point about when students leave is one of the primary reasons.
Move it to game one.
Thank me later
