Re: Nothing says big-time college football Saturday like those

This is simple, gentlemen. Here are the numbers:

Big 12 Texas 100,524
Big 12 Okla 85,161
ACC Clemson 77,959
ACC FSU 77,842
ACC VT 66,233
Big 12 Ok State 57,229
Big 12 WVU 56,532
ACC NCSU 56,287
ACC UNC 56,000
Big 12 Texas Tech 55,347
Big 12 Iowa State 53,647
Big 12 K State 49,030
ACC Miami 48,654
ACC GT 48,232
ACC UVA 47,940
ACC Pitt 46,003
ACC MD 42,355
Big 12 Kansas 42,283
Big 12 Baylor 41,368
ACC Syracuse 40,504
ACC BC 35,709
Big 12 TCU 33,686
ACC Wake 31,967
ACC Duke 24,393

Average Big 12 attendance: 57,481
Average ACC attendance: 50,006

Keep mocking Duke and Wake. Duke is not a football school. Thanks for the update. But the Big 12 has plenty of programs that are poor with attendance. Not that it matters. None of us will ever go to see them anyway.*

Personally, I would rather have a couple of schools like Wake and Duke nearby that Clemson fans can take over and have a great time in a different venue than to send our team to nowheresville to play in front of 42,000 crazed Jayhawks with no fan support in orange. But that's just me. I'm craaaaaaaaaaazy. I keep forgetting that the only reason any of us buy season tickets, contribute to IPTAY, spend our entire Saturdays at games, etc., etc, is to maximize the revenue stream of the University we support.

* I'm asking those of you who are going to respond with "I'll go blah-d-blah" to save it. Our away game attendance will plummet. Thousands and thousands of Clemson fans at Wake/Duke/NCSU/GT/UNC/VT or a hundred at Baylor/Kansas/K State/Iowa State/Texas Tech (and corresponding fans from those schools in Death Valley). That's how that particular component of this "discussion" breaks down.

Swarley

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Posts: 17378

Joined: 2/1/99

I'm just responding to the argument at hand.

May 19, 2012, 2:34 PM

I disagree that TV $ has made it irrelevant, but I was just addressing the attendance issue.

My personal opinion (since your response was respectful of an unpopular opinion, which I do appreciate) is that the ACC has amazing potential that competent leadership would leverage. THAT, and that alone, is where the ACC fails. I cannot believe it has not been resolved.

We sit today in a conference that we founded over 50 years ago, that hasn't lost a member since the Gamecocks left in 1971 (addition by subtraction, many would argue, although I would not), that has several football programs that have the capacity to be on top (Clemson, FSU, Miami, VT, GT) and several others that have the capacity to make a jump every now and then a la Ok State (NCSU, UNC, Pitt, Maryland). That's on par with any conference. It's just down now. We have what is undeniably the best basketball of any major conference (Duke, UNC, Syracuse, Pitt, Maryland...freaking FSU). We have major TV markets that yes, aren't always tied to the schools that are there...but what if we could fix that? We have one road trip...ONE...that is the same distance as ALL of the Big 12 road trips except for WVU (Boston). But look at our long road trips...Boston...when you get there, you're in Boston. Make a weekend out of it and see a great city. Miami. Are you kidding me? Maryland? Go cheer on the Tigers and then spend a day or two in DC. Heck, even Pittsburgh is better than EVERY SINGLE Big 12 location except for Austin.

Clemson fans can take their kids to Wake Forest or Duke for pennies on the dollar of getting them into Death Valley and pennies on the hundreds of dollars that it would take to get to any of the Big 12 schools. And when you go to Duke or Wake, you can sit three rows from the action (something we upper deck fans in Death Valley appreciate).

Ah well. TV contracts. Let's throw it all away. I truly believe that we will be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

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Nothing says big-time college football Saturday like those