Gophers vs. Iowa on 11/26/10 @ 1 p.m. @ TCF?

[mplsbadger]

I apologize if this was mentioned elsewhere, but today on the Sports Huddle with Sid & Dave, Dave Mona said that Maturi has an interest in moving the Iowa game to 11/26/10 @ 1:00 p.m. (day after Thanksgiving).

The stated advantages:
- Provides late season exposure now that Big Ten allows games after Thanksgiving
- Would be on national TV as there are no other games up against it

The acknowledged disadvantages:
- Is a travel day for families celebrating Thanksgiving
- Is the first day of the Prep Bowl at the dome

 

[bassy123]

I apologize if this was mentioned elsewhere, but today on the Sports Huddle with Sid & Dave, Dave Mona said that Maturi has an interest in moving the Iowa game to 11/26/10 @ 1:00 p.m. (day after Thanksgiving).

The stated advantages:
- Provides late season exposure now that Big Ten allows games after Thanksgiving
- Would be on national TV as there are no other games up against it

The acknowledged disadvantages:
- Is a travel day for families celebrating Thanksgiving
- Is the first day of the Prep Bowl at the dome

no other games on? lsu vs arkansas is usually that day. nebraska vs colorado, alabama vs auburn, pitt vs west virginia were all the friday after t-giving.

prep bowl could be a big problem.

 

[GopherLady]

I apologize if this was mentioned elsewhere, but today on the Sports Huddle with Sid & Dave, Dave Mona said that Maturi has an interest in moving the Iowa game to 11/26/10 @ 1:00 p.m. (day after Thanksgiving).

The stated advantages:
- Provides late season exposure now that Big Ten allows games after Thanksgiving
- Would be on national TV as there are no other games up against it

The acknowledged disadvantages:
- Is a travel day for families celebrating Thanksgiving
- Is the first day of the Prep Bowl at the dome

I'm pretty sure this is a horrible idea, the stands will be empty. Kids go home for Thanksgiving, chances are, on Weds. night, there's a better chance of them coming back a day early on Saturday, than 2 days early on Friday. Plus, many people have dinner on Thursday night, so that would mean traveling on Friday...and with a 1pm kickoff, that doesn't give much time from when the turkey is carved to gametime.

I also fear that with the lack of attendance, that would mean a lot of people selling their tickets to a die-hard Iowa fanbase. Let's be honest - we may not like their fanbase, they may be crazy, they may have Metrodome batrhoom sex...but I see them making more of an effort to see this game than our fans.

I'm not even going to comment on the national exposure - because our last 3 match-ups were so impressive

Having it the Saturday of Thanksgiving it tough enough - don't move it up a day.

 

[howeda7]

I'm pretty sure this is a horrible idea, the stands will be empty. Kids go home for Thanksgiving, chances are, on Weds. night, there's a better chance of them coming back a day early on Saturday, than 2 days early on Friday. Plus, many people have dinner on Thursday night, so that would mean traveling on Friday...and with a 1pm kickoff, that doesn't give much time from when the turkey is carved to gametime.

I also fear that with the lack of attendance, that would mean a lot of people selling their tickets to a die-hard Iowa fanbase. Let's be honest - we may not like their fanbase, they may be crazy, they may have Metrodome batrhoom sex...but I see them making more of an effort to see this game than our fans.

I'm not even going to comment on the national exposure - because our last 3 match-ups were so impressive

Having it the Saturday of Thanksgiving it tough enough - don't move it up a day.

I agree. The games on the day after Thanksgiving that work well have years of tradition behind them. Fan bases get used to it and plan for it (and in general are more loya then ours.) Combine Prep Bowl with lack of students and it would be back to the days of 60/40 Minnesota fans at best. No thanks.

 

[Great Plains Gopher]

Not a good idea. Iowa is something special. Should be on Saturday - as usual and traditional.

 

[GoAUpher]

My response:
BOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Everyone else raises good points. But I don't care about those valid, thoughful arguments. Holiday travel in my house is simple. Turkey Day is a big deal for the wife's fam so we go to her Mom's in Cincy for Thanksgiving. Xmas is a big deal for my fam so we go to my home in Detroit Lakes to deck the halls. This plan has worked for 4 years now. Bliss and nirvana surround our holiday travel. All is right with the world and the force remains in balance. Yada, yada, yada. They move this game to Friday after Turkey Day and I am forced into some poor choices:
1) Martial strife following my decision to skip out on Cincy and go to MN every other year
2) A monk like existence wherein I live off bread and water after bankrupting our finances for an unwieldy open jaw flight plan from Cincy to Minny to Madison
3) Missing the game. No, no, no, a thousand times no. I don't care if we get stomped 55-0...I go to the rivalry games dammit!

I believe I must now launch a jihad against this idea (ala Studwell and the new uniforms).

 

[proudgopher]

11/26/10 Iowa Game??

This is a terrible idea. I hope Joel M thinks this one through.

 

[Bayfieldgopher]

prep bowl could be a big problem.

Isn't the HS Prep Bowl Friday and Saturday?

I don't see this as an issue nor playing the game on Friday vs Saturday. The Iowa mob will gobble up available tix either day and many out of town home town students will be gone on both days.

But if the Gophers are competive, our finicky fans will show up on Friday or Saturday. If not, it will be another Kinnick North sideshow.

Joel must be looking for tv exposure other than the BTN.

 

[at the bar]

I'd love to have the game on Friday at 1. It takes time to begin traditions and this would be a great tradition to add to the Thanksgiving weekend. I'd much rather play at 1 on Friday than at 11 am on Saturday which would be the game time if it wasn't moved up a day. Anything to avoid another 11 am start is good in my book!

 

[Iceland12]

Isn't the HS Prep Bowl Friday and Saturday?

I don't see this as an issue nor playing the game on Friday vs Saturday. The Iowa mob will gobble up available tix either day and many out of town home town students will be gone on both days.

But if the Gophers are competive, our finicky fans will show up on Friday or Saturday. If not, it will be another Kinnick North sideshow.

Joel must be looking for tv exposure other than the BTN.

This +1.

- No other Big Ten games scheduled.
- There were reasons that Big Ten schools didn't play after Thanksgiving, but people demanded it. The major problems apply to both Friday and Saturday.
- Most people want at 1:00 start, here you go.
- Iowa AD already has said he's concerned, always a good thing for Minnesota.
- If students have left for Thanksgiving they're probably blowing the game off anyway. Just add it to the mile long list of reasons that students won't be there.
- There are hundreds of thousands of people who are up and about shopping on Black Friday at 5,6, 7, 8:00 am. I appears that getting up on Friday isn't completely out of the question.
- It's a great excuse for people who have to work Friday to get the time off!
- It's also a great excuse for the "Maturi's got to go" crowd to get some more shots in!

 

[Clyde Tester]

no other games on? lsu vs arkansas is usually that day. nebraska vs colorado, alabama vs auburn, pitt vs west virginia were all the friday after t-giving.

I'm pretty sure that the Thanksgiving holiday doesn't impact attendance at any of the above matchups. Why would we believe it would have impact here?

 

[DL65]

Whether the game is played on Friday or Saturday, a winning season and a rivalry game will make a tremendous difference. Personally I dislike the fact the game would conflict with the State Playoffs. Of course, we don't know how many of the playoff team fans would attend the Gopher game if their teams were not in the State Championship games.

A rivalry game such as Iowa and Wisconsin will still draw a big (probably sell out) crowd; however, there would be more fans from Iowa in all likelihood, if the Gophers are down at season end. That could be said, of course, if the game were played the preceding Saturday.

Winning and/or a heated rival makes a big difference. In 1963, my brother and I got up early on Thanksgiving Day and drove down to Memorial Stadium from Detroit Lakes to watch Gophers and Wisconsin battle. The game had been postponed from the preceding Saturday due to President Kennedy's assassination. The stadium was not full; however, there was a very good crowd . . . I would estimate around 58,000. Minnesota did not have a winning season, but the fans wanted to pay back the Badgers after the debacle in Madison in 1962. (Phantom late hit call on Bobby Bell and subsequent unsportsmanlike call on Warmath.) Carl Eller completed his college career that Thanksgiving Day in style.

Some would say it was a different era, which is true. However, Minnesota's season will dictate how many Gopher fans are in TCF when they play Iowa next year.

Go Gophers!!

 

[GopherVotary]

I also fear that with the lack of attendance, that would mean a lot of people selling their tickets to a die-hard Iowa fanbase. Let's be honest - we may not like their fanbase, they may be crazy, they may have Metrodome batrhoom sex...but I see them making more of an effort to see this game than our fans.

It will probably be about a 50/50 split that day. However, considering their half-empty basketball arena these days, I'm not sure "die-hard" is the correct adjective. But they are understandably excited about their football team, and they will be snapping up all available tickets in November.

 

[GoAUpher]

I'm pretty sure that the Thanksgiving holiday doesn't impact attendance at any of the above matchups. Why would we believe it would have impact here?

I do hope there is sarcasm I'm missing.

Why would we think it might affect attendance? Perhaps because:
- there were empty seats vs. Illinois for the best fall weather game of the season?
- there were empty seats for an important night matchup versus MSU?
- there were empty seats at the Purdue game before the late season swoon began?
- there were empty seats versus Bucky because of the rain?
All of these were in the inaugural season at the new stadium. The attendance got worse as the season went on (as is the norm for our fanbase). Unless we're finishing strong next season I wouldn't expect this to change.

We are nowhere near the fan support of 5 of the 8 schools listed (Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Arkansas, Nebraska). And the WVU/Pitt Backyard Brawl game didn't even sell out this season (missed it by 7000 seats in the REPORTED numbers). So yea...not the comparisons I'd want to draw to us.

 

[GoAUpher]

A rivalry game such as Iowa and Wisconsin will still draw a big (probably sell out) crowd; however, there would be more fans from Iowa in all likelihood, if the Gophers are down at season end. That could be said, of course, if the game were played the preceding Saturday.

True. I guess I would expect the holiday weekend to simply depress the MN turnout further unless, as you note, we are in the midst of a positive season.

 

[Iceland12]

I do hope there is sarcasm I'm missing.

Why would we think it might affect attendance? Perhaps because:
- there were empty seats vs. Illinois for the best fall weather game of the season?
- there were empty seats for an important night matchup versus MSU?
- there were empty seats at the Purdue game before the late season swoon began.
- there were empty seats versus Bucky because of the rain.
All of these were in the inaugural season at the new stadium. The attendance got worse as the season went on (as is the norm for our fanbase). Unless we're finishing strong next season I wouldn't expect this to change.

QUOTE]

All those things are true, damned irritating and happened on Saturday games. They are going to play on the Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving and unless as you noted, they are playing well they'll be empty seats. The Iowa AD expressed his concern that playing on Friday would make it tougher for Iowa fans to get up here and see the game.

That alone makes it a good idea.

 

[GoAUpher]

All those things are true, damned irritating and happened on Saturday games. They are going to play on the Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving and unless as you noted, they are playing well they'll be empty seats. The Iowa AD expressed his concern that playing on Friday would make it tougher for Iowa fans to get up here and see the game.

That alone makes it a good idea.

Maybe not empty seats...but seats filled by folks who smell of pig poop. Its nice that the Iowa AD is looking out for his fans but I have no doubt that Iowa fans will snatch up seats put back on the market by Gophers fans regardless of when the game takes place.

 

[Bayfieldgopher]

Get used to it. The Gopher/Iowa game is scheduled on Saturday after T-day through 2012. I still maintain a Friday or Saturday KO would not affect the crowd. Like others sad, it would likely be a sell=out considering its Iowa vs MN. Prep Bowl would have zero impact on the crowd.

 

[Iceland12]

Maybe not empty seats...but seats filled by folks who smell of pig poop. Its nice that the Iowa AD is looking out for his fans but I have no doubt that Iowa fans will snatch up seats put back on the market by Gophers fans regardless of when the game takes place.

Then it least it means that the Mall of America will get two days of Iowa dollars!

 

[howeda7]

Then it least it means that the Mall of America will get two days of Iowa dollars!

That is true and about the only positive for this. Can we funnel the sales taxes collected specifically off of these Iowans to fund a new Vikings Stadium? If not for sports, they wouldn't be here.

 

[craw0092]

Look for Colorado and Nebraska to be moved to Saturday. Their ratings were the lowest ever this part year and it sounds like a reality for the move.

 

[counselor]

I'm pretty sure this is a horrible idea, the stands will be empty. Kids go home for Thanksgiving, chances are, on Weds. night, there's a better chance of them coming back a day early on Saturday, than 2 days early on Friday...

I'm sure I'll probably get steamrolled for this, but, IMHO, unless it's sunny and above 60 degrees with no precipitation or wind, the students demonstrated to us this year that they can not--and should not--be counted on, anyway. Now, they did show up for Wisky, so maybe they'd make an appearance vs. Iowa, too.

 

[Ole]

I'm sure I'll probably get steamrolled for this, but, IMHO, unless it's sunny and above 60 degrees with no precipitation or wind, the fairweather fans demonstrated to us this year that they can not--and should not--be counted on, anyway. Now, they did show up for Wisky, so maybe they'd make an appearance vs. Iowa, too.

fixed it for ya