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Something that would change the dynamic of OHIO football in the minds of the alumni and out on the recruiting trail. All of the above could help but what in your opinion do you think would be the most important factor toward changing attitudes? Most Memorable Bobcat Events Attended 2010 97-83 win over Georgetown in NCAA 1st round 2012 45-13 victory over ULM in the Independence Bowl 2015 34-3 drubbing of Miami @ Peden front of 25,086 Back to Top OrlandoCat General User Member Since: 3/15/2005 Location: United States Post Count: 355 Status: Offline     RE: The Next Level    Posted: 1/22/2012 8:19:07 PM  A BCS bowl would be an amazing dream season, but would not be the next level (see Hawaii, Univeristy of)  However, an upgraded confrence with a better home slate against 'name' teams would be an upgrade. Back to Top shabamon General User Member Since: 11/17/2006 Location: Cincinnati Post Count: 6,878 Status: Offline     RE: The Next Level    Posted: 1/22/2012 8:31:54 PM  My idea of next level would be to consistently appear in the Top 25 and the prestige that comes with it. Houston, TCU, Utah, etc... Back to Top Bobcat Grad 86 General User Member Since: 12/20/2004 Post Count: 1,397 Status: Offline     RE: The Next Level    Posted: 1/23/2012 9:29:34 AM  I could only vote once in the poll, so I am casting five votes here! MAC Championship MAC Championship MAC Championship MAC Championship MAC Championship Back to Top Bobcat36 General User Member Since: 1/5/2005 Location: Delaware, OH Post Count: 1,167 Status: Offline     RE: The Next Level    Posted: 1/23/2012 11:02:24 AM  Bobcat Grad 86 wrote: I could only vote once in the poll, so I am casting five votes here! MAC Championship MAC Championship MAC Championship MAC Championship MAC Championship +5 GoBobcats!!!!            Always have been and always will be... Ohio's First and Finest! Back to Top Robert Fox General User Member Since: 11/16/2004 Location: Knoxville, TN Post Count: 2,039 Status: Offline     RE: The Next Level    Posted: 1/23/2012 11:33:30 AM  Based strictly on the question, I answered upgraded conference. I agree a MAC Championship would be impactful and is more within reach. However, the question is what would take the program to the "next level." I don't think winning the MAC will do that, unless you mean winning the MAC three or more times in a row. Back to Top Bobcat Swag General User Member Since: 1/9/2011 Post Count: 153 Status: Offline     RE: The Next Level    Posted: 1/23/2012 12:56:00 PM  +1 Until we can at the very least get some more regional TV coverage there's no sense in expanding Peden just to show off more empty seats. Winning a MAC championship would be awesome but in the short term it would just be another number on a banner.  Going to a better conference would help us get to where we need to be.  Luckily for us, our basketball and football teams have been successful enough lately that I think later on down the road we could have a chance to team up with maybe a combination of MAC/defunct Big East/ schools.  "Good leaders being scarce, following yourself is allowed." Back to Top Bobcat Grad 86 General User Member Since: 12/20/2004 Post Count: 1,397 Status: Offline     RE: The Next Level    Posted: 1/23/2012 2:11:13 PM  Winning and Winning a MAC Championship will help put people in the seats.  Putting people in seats will help to position us better to improve our non-conference home schedule in the future.  Increasing attendence and improving our schedule is key before ever thinking about expanding the stadium which then provides some leverage when looking at a conference affiliation. As far as the stadium goes, it would have been nice had we built the new track and field complex back in the 80's before expanding Peden and putting the two wings in the end-zone.  A medium size deck between the goal lines might have been nice instead with luxuary boxes.  With that said, we probably did not have the funding at that time to do a separate track complex and stadium renovation. The marketing of luxary boxes was not common in the 80's. The problem we have and will always face is our location in terms of population within 50 miles or so of Peden.  The absense  of a lot of medium or large corporations in the immediate area also limits our ability to market upgraded seats or luxary boxes.  http://www.ohio.edu/ohiotoday/winter00/departments/gandw/peden.html Back to Top Monroe Slavin General User Member Since: 12/20/2004 Location: Oxnard, CA Post Count: 9,121 Status: Offline     RE: The Next Level    Posted: 1/23/2012 11:33:40 PM  Chip--Did you see that article someone linked to out of a paper in Columbus?  I think it said that Athens campus under grad enrollment is approaching 24k.  That is crazy.  That should mean much selloutage for football and basketball. Where's the band?! WHERE"S THE BAND?! DesignspiritUSA.com The Pets On The Go Collection of pet gear travel bags The Holiday Tote Bigg Bagg Collection--over-sized, reversible, extra pockets; now love carrying packages as much as you love shopping! Back to Top LoganElm_grad09 General User Member Since: 9/9/2010 Location: South Bloomingville, OH Post Count: 934 Status: Offline     RE: The Next Level    Posted: 1/24/2012 11:25:35 AM  Well let's take a look: BCS Bowl- this will get our program on the map, but it takes more than a BCS trip to solidify yourself as next level (see Hawaii).  You need repeat trips AND wins to get it. Expanded Stadium-  yes this would help, but until our fanbase starts to sell out Peden as it is now on a constant basis, I see no reason to make the stadium bigger. Conference upgrade-  please... unless we go to the BCS, we are not making much of an upgrade.  My argument is one word:  Marshall.  Besides, I think that the MAC is getting better (sans Akron, but I don't see that lasting.) That leaves winning the MAC.  We haven't done it since '68, so why do we think we're too superior to stay in it? Back to Top C Money General User Member Since: 8/28/2010 Post Count: 3,420 Status: Offline     RE: The Next Level    Posted: 1/24/2012 12:58:00 PM  Monroe Slavin wrote: Chip--Did you see that article someone linked to out of a paper in Columbus?  I think it said that Athens campus under grad enrollment is approaching 24k.  That is crazy.  That should mean much selloutage for football and basketball. Full stands definitely are not a bad thing, especially for Mid-Week MACtion, although calling it a "sellout" isn't exactly accurate. Student tickets are free (unless something changed when I wasn't paying attention). But I agree with your larger point. More butts in school leads to more butts in stands, which is better than we were 10 years ago. I would like to see a more involved crowd though. Homecoming this year comes to mind. It was a gorgeous day, and there were good numbers in the stands, but the crowd was sitting and quiet the whole game. Empty stands < Full stands < Most intimidating environment in the conference < Stands full of rabid Bobcats paying to make Peden the most intimidating environment in conference. Back to Top L.C. General User Member Since: 8/31/2005 Location: United States Post Count: 10,498 Status: Offline     RE: The Next Level    Posted: 1/24/2012 1:16:32 PM  I have stayed out because the question really can be answered in many ways, depending on what you mean. There really isn't a "next step", but rather a journey that consists of a lot of little steps. In the years have been watching Ohio, there has been slow, incremental progress. There were improvements in fundamentals, preparedness, and creating an attitude and an expectation of winning. Also there was improvement in facilities, and implementation of a summer program. Slowly but surely the recruiting classes have improved, reflecting that attitude and expectation of winning, though there was quite a sizable jump in quality in the 2011-2012 classes from those that preceded them. That jump portends future incremental progress. So, what about the choices? Two of the choices aren't really steps, but rather are outward signs of the many small steps that have already been made to date. Winning the conference championship is something that shows the huge progress that has been made, and I consider it inevitable. It will happen. It's just a matter of when.  A BCS bowl would similarly be a mark of progress, but would show considerably more. Along the same vein you could add, beating the evil empire in a game in Columbus - again if that ever happens it will be an outward sign of the huge progress already made. The other two choices are actual steps that would be deliberately be made.  The only time it makes sense to expand the stadium would be when you reach the point that the existing stadium can be filled. The idea of "build it and they will come" really doesn't make much sense. Just look at Akron, that has a wonderful, empty facility. Therefore, building a new stadium will also, in a different way, be a mark of progress, because it will reflect gains in fan support. I don't have access to attendance figures, but it is my sense that crowds now are significantly better than 2003-4. They still have a ways to go before the money for a new stadium can be justified, but it isn't impossible. If the day does come when Peden is consistently sold out, though, it will indeed show that significant progress has been made. The final one, moving to a BCS conference, is probably the answer that will change the dynamics for good in the minds of Ohio alums, because only then does Ohio really have the opportunity to consistently be relevant on a national scale. Miami was relevant for a few years in the MAC, Marshall for a few, too, but not in a sustainable way. This is the one thing that may be difficult or impossible to achieve, however. It is kind of a chicken and egg situation - without being in a BCS conference you can't be consistently relevant, yet, without consistent relevance, you can't have the kind of nationwide interest level necessary to be invited to a BCS conference. The best hope here is to slowly build fan support, to the point where Ohio does become an attractive addition to a conference. My expectation is that there won't be a "next step", but rather a continuation of the journey, with many happy days, and a few not so happy days in the years ahead. As I said, the 2011-2012 recruiting classes are the best to date, so the potential is there for more continuing improvement in the years ahead. Last Edited: 1/24/2012 1:22:45 PM by L.C. “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” ― Epictetus Back to Top Alan Swank General User Member Since: 12/11/2004 Location: Athens, OH Post Count: 7,234 Status: Offline     RE: The Next Level    Posted: 1/26/2012 6:51:26 PM  Bobcat Grad 86 wrote: Winning and Winning a MAC Championship will help put people in the seats.  Putting people in seats will help to position us better to improve our non-conference home schedule in the future.  Increasing attendence and improving our schedule is key before ever thinking about expanding the stadium which then provides some leverage when looking at a conference affiliation. As far as the stadium goes, it would have been nice had we built the new track and field complex back in the 80's before expanding Peden and putting the two wings in the end-zone.  A medium size deck between the goal lines might have been nice instead with luxuary boxes.  With that said, we probably did not have the funding at that time to do a separate track complex and stadium renovation. The marketing of luxary boxes was not common in the 80's. The problem we have and will always face is our location in terms of population within 50 miles or so of Peden.  The absense  of a lot of medium or large corporations in the immediate area also limits our ability to market upgraded seats or luxary boxes.  http://www.ohio.edu/ohiotoday/winter00/departments/gandw/peden.html Because of the distance that the new indoor practice facility needs to be from the current stadium, the chances of adding a deck like this are slim and none. Back to Top TWT General User Member Since: 12/20/2004 Location: Alexandria, VA Post Count: 5,208 Status: Offline     RE: The Next Level    Posted: 1/28/2012 2:50:34 PM  Alan Swank wrote: Bobcat Grad 86 wrote: Winning and Winning a MAC Championship will help put people in the seats.  Putting people in seats will help to position us better to improve our non-conference home schedule in the future.  Increasing attendence and improving our schedule is key before ever thinking about expanding the stadium which then provides some leverage when looking at a conference affiliation. As far as the stadium goes, it would have been nice had we built the new track and field complex back in the 80's before expanding Peden and putting the two wings in the end-zone.  A medium size deck between the goal lines might have been nice instead with luxuary boxes.  With that said, we probably did not have the funding at that time to do a separate track complex and stadium renovation. The marketing of luxary boxes was not common in the 80's. The problem we have and will always face is our location in terms of population within 50 miles or so of Peden.  The absense  of a lot of medium or large corporations in the immediate area also limits our ability to market upgraded seats or luxary boxes.  http://www.ohio.edu/ohiotoday/winter00/departments/gandw/peden.html Because of the distance that the new indoor practice facility needs to be from the current stadium, the chances of adding a deck like this are slim and none. I wonder if that new indoor practice facility is going to serve as the locker room for the home team with some kind of direct entrance to the stadium? If that is the case it would end the crisscrossing of the home team and visitors from one side of stadium to the other because of locker rooms. The drawings I have looked it didn't have the practice facility located that close enough to the stadium for that. Regardless I think the deck would be a big waste of money with no demand in Athens on the lower end for tickets. What would make more sense is to add a section of 2,000 or so premium chairbacks in the endzone that included restrooms located below. Chairbacks at Phillips Club prices with access to Touchdown Club buffet and services. With new bathrooms that would draw a lot of fans to upgrade to the endzone and open up more capacity in the home stands. I can't think it would cost more than 3-4 million to build something like that in the endzone and at 200 dollars per season ticket a filled section would pay for itself in 8-10 years time not to mention the intangibles of having the capacity to get 27,000 in the stadium for big games. Most Memorable Bobcat Events Attended 2010 97-83 win over Georgetown in NCAA 1st round 2012 45-13 victory over ULM in the Independence Bowl 2015 34-3 drubbing of Miami @ Peden front of 25,086 Back to Top TWT General User Member Since: 12/20/2004 Location: Alexandria, VA Post Count: 5,208 Status: Offline     RE: The Next Level    Posted: 1/28/2012 3:37:56 PM  LoganElm_grad09 wrote: Well let's take a look: BCS Bowl- this will get our program on the map, but it takes more than a BCS trip to solidify yourself as next level (see Hawaii).  You need repeat trips AND wins to get it. Hawaii isn't the best example for what making a BCS bowl would do for OHIO. The Hawaii program has always been regarded as major fixture of college football that wins 8 games a year and has had BCS programs like Michigan State and Alabama play there to get an allowable extra game (I don't know why the NCAA ever agreed to such a rule). Sneaking into a BCS game out of the WAC didn't do very much for changing perceptions of the program being anything more talent wise than top 40 (especially after the jolting from Georgia). Everyone knows Hawaii is a good but not great program. For OHIO if the Cats could make a BCS bowl it would be enormous because that would forever end the issue about not having enough tradition on the MAC recruiting trail. To qualify for a BCS bowl Ohio has to win the MAC Championship and getting that off our backs would be important but at the end of the day its just another MAC Championship. A BCS bowl instantly places the program at the top of MAC and the publicity generated from a BCS run and regularly being in the BCS conversation would be more valuable than just being a rank and file member of the ACC or Big East. A lot of people don't even realize Duke has a football team but they hear about Boise State all the time. When Cincinnati was making those runs up the BCS rankings with the Big East all the attention was centered on Boise State and TCU busting the BCS because UC earning a BCS bowl though the Big East autobid was a non-story. Becoming a BCS buster has more value for Ohio than anything else to change recruiting and fan dynamics. 2012 and 2013 are great chances to do it with a top tier QB and easy scheduling. Most Memorable Bobcat Events Attended 2010 97-83 win over Georgetown in NCAA 1st round 2012 45-13 victory over ULM in the Independence Bowl 2015 34-3 drubbing of Miami @ Peden front of 25,086 Back to Top Showing Replies:   1 - 15  of 15 Posts Jump to Page:   1 View Other 'Ohio Football' Topics                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               WHO'S ONLINE There are 174 Active Visitors on BobcatAttack.com 174 Guests 0 Registered Users There are no other users looking at this page.

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