FOOTBALL TSU will travel better than Vandy

[JohnDavidBlue]

I can't seem to find this anywhere on the net. Has a FBS school ever accommodated or traveled to a FCS? I would think that a deal would be cut that would be advantageous to both parties. I do think that this needs to be scrutinized big time due to the fact that our names are very similar and even moreso, our proximity.

It is a situation where we could be even more confused with Tennessee State if we do things that are generally not practiced with two competing schools with similar names.

Discount Tire vs Tire Discounters

 

[FranklinRaider315]

I think we all need to have the Hale Stadium Experience before we die.

 

[RaiderDawg78]

I can't seem to find this anywhere on the net. Has a FBS school ever accommodated or traveled to a FCS

There is a rule against it. They can play neutral site or at the FBS only.

 

[dukewayne]

I've been assuming that this MT@TSU game talk is along the lines of wishful thinking and marketing for TSU. Please tell me Massaro and MT admin are not seriously considering this insanity.

The name confusion with the universities is bad enough. I really hope this is just talk originating from big hopes with TSU admin.

 

[SpaceRaider]

If MT is going to start traveling to 1aas, let's just surrender and return to the ovc, maybe we convince some of those schools to realign with us down and restart the VSAC...

 

[dukewayne]

BTW, it reveals just how sorry and pathetic the local sports media can be if they are actually writing and/or advocating for a FBS at FCS game. In what legit sports world would that be viewed as even remotely reasonable? Sadly, I'm guessing this is coming from a sports reporter from one of the rare local print media that hasn't gone bankrupt yet.

 

[MTFNBY5]

It could be that this talk is not only by the TSU admin. but is promoted by those (in Nashville media and in both Nashville and state political circles) who still long for the days when TSU was promoted as having the potential to become a growing and vibrant "publicly supported urban university". You have to think that those folks are perturbed that MT has experienced the tremendous growth in the area and has a D-1 athletic program across the board while TSU has languished.

 

[MTTim]

Another reason for a name change.

 

[MTTim]

I think we all need to have the Hale Stadium Experience before we die.

Great halftime.

 

[cipman2000]

Why bother even playing this game. It does nothing for us. Bring Memphis back.. Schedule 1A teams!! No interest in watching this game. Even less interest watching it in Nissan Stadium.

 

[FranklinRaider315]

Why bother even playing this game. It does nothing for us. Bring Memphis back.. Schedule 1A teams!! No interest in watching this game. Even less interest watching it in Nissan Stadium.

Memphis doesn't want anymore of Middle Tennessee after the last contract. 5-2

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

The only advantages in having this game is to have a local match up between two teams 35 minutes away and for Tennessee State to have an opportunity to knock us off. A supposed larger crowd may be a byproduct. Their game with us 19 years ago remains in the top 5 crowds for Floyd. I also find it interesting that 2 of the five top crowds are FCS or 1-AA schools.

In my opinion, I would rather rekindle games with LaLa, Ga Southern, or Appalachian State. I'm also trying to stop being so negative about our program.

TOP CROWDS
1. 30,502 Georgia Tech 9/10/11
2. 28,105 Memphis 9/12/09
3. 28,010 Troy 10/5/10
4. 27,568 Tennessee State 9/5/98
5. 27,519 Southeast Missouri 9/28/02

 

[blueraiderJT]

I think the only reason we would do a neutral site with them would be if the future home payout to them would be nothing or close to it. If Massaro did anything else, he'd be an idiot.

 

[RaiderDawg78]

I think the only reason we would do a neutral site with them would be if the future home payout to them would be nothing or close to it. If Massaro did anything else, he'd be an idiot.

Agreed. This could be part of a 2-1, with their one being a neutral site.

 

[FranklinRaider315]

Vandy is fitting right in with the SEC.

 

[dukewayne]

Agreed. This could be part of a 2-1, with their one being a neutral site.

Their home stadium is Nissan Stadium. Where else would a "neutral" game be held except for Nissan Stadium? That, my friends, is not a neutral stadium when it comes to playing TSU! It may be just a few miles off their campus, but TSU claimed Nissan Stadium as their home football facility years ago when the stadium was new. If I recall correctly, that was one of the political arrangements in making the deal of Nashville building a stadium for the new NFL team. As far as I can tell, MT playing at Nissan Stadium would be MT going on the road to play a home game vs a FCS team. Absolutely unacceptable!

Again, I'm taking this as wishful thinking on the part of TSU. I have not heard anything from MT's side indicating that this is a legit consideration. Perhaps the Nashville media mentions for MT at Nashville vs TSU are uninformed or advocacy for TSU. I do really hope that Massaro and the admin are not seriously considering such a move. If so, it would be one of the worst decisions in MT athletics in my 20+ years of following the Blue Raiders. Again, I hope this is just TSU talk and dreams stirring things up.

 

[dukewayne]

The only advantages in having this game is to have a local match up between two teams 35 minutes away and for Tennessee State to have an opportunity to knock us off. A supposed larger crowd may be a byproduct. Their game with us 19 years ago remains in the top 5 crowds for Floyd. I also find it interesting that 2 of the five top crowds are FCS or 1-AA schools.

In my opinion, I would rather rekindle games with LaLa, Ga Southern, or Appalachian State. I'm also trying to stop being so negative about our program.

TOP CROWDS
1. 30,502 Georgia Tech 9/10/11
2. 28,105 Memphis 9/12/09
3. 28,010 Troy 10/5/10
4. 27,568 Tennessee State 9/5/98
5. 27,519 Southeast Missouri 9/28/02

I would propose that there were other significant factors that were the driving force behind the two FCS games remaining in the top 5 for home attendance.

For starters with TSU, it was MT's last season in the OVC where TSU football and basketball games had typically been big rivalry games with great attendance. While I was fairly new to MT at the time, I believe the MTvsTSU game was the opener each season in football that was played at Vandy to handle the large crowds that neither MT or TSU could accommodate in their respective home stadiums. If I recall all of these circumstances correctly, the TSU game was the first MT home game in the just fully completed Floyd Stadium. My recollection of that game was that MT and M'boro was buzzing with the opening of the new stadium with MT readying for 1A. So MT had a wonderful crowd for that game. No doubt, the TSU fans had a good turn out for the last rivalry game vs each other in the OVC. It created a great crowd and an exciting game. As for the good attendance vs a 1AA team, MT was still 1AA in that game as well. The main factors in my opinion were the new stadium and final conference rivalry game.

The other FCS or 1AA game at that time with good attendance vs SEMO had some dramatic other factors significantly contributing to the good attendance. SEMO fans did not help with the attendance anywhere close to the way TSU had a few years earlier. MT fans turned out due to recent success, lots of big games vs SEC to start the season that generated lots of buzz, and it was MT's first home game early in that season. MT was just coming off of it's first successful season the year prior with the big 8 win season in the first season the SBC. MT returned a ton of talent that season of which a fair number went on to the NFL. So coming off the 8-3 season, MT played an incredibly close game at Alabama. Had it not been for a highly questionable call of defensive holding on MT late in the game, MT might have won that game. At that point, such a close game vs Alabama was huge for MT and created lots of buzz. Then the next week, MT went to play Tennessee in Knoxville. MT fans travelled incredibly well in a relatively close competitive game that MT just could not pull ahead in. The fact MT looked and played so well vs a good UT, there was still a lot of buzz around MT. I believe it was UK that MT went to next that wasn't such a great game. MT came home 0-3, but the team came home for the first home game to a buzzing MT community excited about the new 1A team that was strongly competing vs the titans of the SEC. Ticket sales and attendance were really good despite the 0-3 record. With a great crowd on hand expecting MT to have a great run the rest of the way through the season, MT laid a turd at midfield in losing to SEMO. It was one of those stomach turning losses that decimated attendance for the following home games.

Despite MT playing a 1AA or FCS team in SEMO, I'm convinced the opponent had very little to do with that good attendance. There was a lot of momentum and buzz from the previous season and good performances vs top SEC programs in the first few games of that season that generated fan interest in coming out to see MT.

Of note, I think it was that season that MT had to learn the hard way that even with a good MT team it is not wise to start the season with 3 straight games on the road vs really good SEC teams. I suspected that the players were pretty beat up by the time they got back to play a SEMO team that most were probably overlooking as a likely cake walk. Not making excuses, but I think that SEMO team ended up putting a couple of players into the NFL. If I recall correctly, one of those SEMO players was a lineman who had a big long career for many years in the NFL.

 

[dukewayne]

One other additional thought on attendance vs TSU that does not bode well for future MT vs TSU games has been the huge drop off in interest and attendance in MT vs TSU basketball games.

At least for the first handful of years when I was new at MT, the MT vs TSU basketball games were huge conference rivalry games. Those last number of years that MT was in the OVC, it seemed that the MT vs TSU games were some of the best attended games of the season. MT usually took a huge load of fans to play at TSU as well. Again, in those waning years of OVC play for MT, TSU games were some of the best attended games for MT in both football and basketball. Almost immediately after MT left the OVC, there was a huge dropoff in attendance when MT would play TSU in out of conf games. Matter of fact, the MT TSU basketball games turned out to have pathetic attendance with next to no interest.

As most of you know, these recent years when MT plays TSU in basketball, there still seems to be little interest in the game. For home games, the attendance is usually pretty avg for early ooc games. The attendance is really pretty poor considering the close proximity of the two schools. When MT plays at TSU, the attendance seems even worse. These recent years have seemed to yield little to no interest or attendance in the bball games at TSU.

Considering these developments over the years, I'm not convinced that MT hosting TSU in football will yield any boost in attendance. I'm inclined to think the attendance vs TSU will likely be pretty much in line with whatever the typical attendance MT is achieving at the time. I imagine TSU will probably bring more fans than if MT scheduled a UT-Martin, APSU, Murray St, Ala St, or Ala A&M. I'm just not even remotely convinced that they will bring anything close to the number of fans that they brought 20 years ago when TSU and MT were playing their final conf rivalry game in the brand new MT stadium.

 

[RaiderDawg78]

Their home stadium is Nissan Stadium. Where else would a "neutral" game be held except for Nissan Stadium?

I honestly didn't know that. I don't follow or care enough about clown college enough to realize the didn't still play at Hale as their official home and just get a few games at Nissan. Sue me, I haven't lived in TN for 17 years.

1. Like I indicated above, I'm against It anyway.

2. Most FBS conferences have rules or policies against playing at a FCS school. Hasnt happened in 13 years. I would hope CUSA would have a policy against it.

 

[FranklinRaider315]

Hale is still their Home stadium unless it is one of the "Classics" games. Just a couple of games a year are scheduled for Nissan

 

[MTFNBY5]

IIRC TSU played all their games at LP/Nissan until a few years ago. As crowds diminished (that is an assumption on my part) they received the $$$s to renovate Hale (it had become unusable after being ignored for a dozen or so years) and began with only one on-campus game the first year. It appears they usually have only 4 home games per year (the classics play into that) with half at Hale, in effect having two home game sites.

 

[SpaceRaider]

IIRC TSU played all their games at LP/Nissan until a few years ago. As crowds diminished (that is an assumption on my part) they received the $$$s to renovate Hale (it had become unusable after being ignored for a dozen or so years) and began with only one on-campus game the first year. It appears they usually have only 4 home games per year (the classics play into that) with half at Hale, in effect having two home game sites.

TSU media guide lists both stadiums but gives primary nod to Nissan Stadium. It says it will continue to play "some" games at Hale.

IIRC, a selling point in building the stadium and receiving some state funds in that, was that tsu would play their home games at the stadium. So it is still their primary home stadium.

 

[MTLynn]

tsu didn't need another place to play football. Politicians have to create reasons to justify raping the public. I expect the oilers to skip town for new digs once their lease is up

 

[MTFNBY5]

Being both a graduate of and a fan of a publicly supported university's athletic program I'm not one to disparage the use of tax dollars in some instances to provide sports facilities. My grand kids play sports on venues wholly supported by tax dollars both on county rec. facilities and at public schools.

My concern is using tax dollars to support the wealthy owners (very wealthy or they wouldn't be owners) of professional sports franchises. And you are correct MTLynn, the state (not just Metro Nashville) provided some funding (using our tax $$$s) for the FB facility on the river- a facility which primarily benefited the Adams family (I haven't yet attended an event there and have no plans to - Been to The Tire Barn only a couple of times). And yes, there is already talk of replacing Nissan because it lacks so many of the bells and whistles so common today, less than two decades after it was built. You can be sure than the PTB will get what they want regardless of cost or they will find greener pastures for the Oilers.

 

[dukewayne]

I honestly didn't know that. I don't follow or care enough about clown college enough to realize the didn't still play at Hale as their official home and just get a few games at Nissan. Sue me, I haven't lived in TN for 17 years.

1. Like I indicated above, I'm against It anyway.

2. Most FBS conferences have rules or policies against playing at a FCS school. Hasnt happened in 13 years. I would hope CUSA would have a policy against it.

Oh hey, I understand, I still live in Middle Tennessee and I was hoping my memory was correct as I typed about TSU's stadium.

I seemed to recall them fixing up the hole of a stadium on campus recently to play a couple of games there. I'm guessing the few football fans that turn out for "home" games at huge Nissan Stadium makes it look like a practice is taking place. I imagine that is a motivation to play a game or two on campus. Then again, it's not like I keep up much with clown college myself.

 

[dukewayne]

TSU media guide lists both stadiums but gives primary nod to Nissan Stadium. It says it will continue to play "some" games at Hale.

IIRC, a selling point in building the stadium and receiving some state funds in that, was that tsu would play their home games at the stadium. So it is still their primary home stadium.

I thought I recalled that as well about TSU and the Titans stadium. I always saw it as a typical political "coalition building" move in order to get as much support as possible at that time for the new stadium.

 

[dukewayne]

tsu didn't need another place to play football. Politicians have to create reasons to justify raping the public. I expect the oilers to skip town for new digs once their lease is up

I've frequently wondered over the recent years if the Titans will soon be looking to move to drill for oil in another location to see if they can strike it rich.

 

[dukewayne]

Being both a graduate of and a fan of a publicly supported university's athletic program I'm not one to disparage the use of tax dollars in some instances to provide sports facilities. My grand kids play sports on venues wholly supported by tax dollars both on county rec. facilities and at public schools.

My concern is using tax dollars to support the wealthy owners (very wealthy or they wouldn't be owners) of professional sports franchises. And you are correct MTLynn, the state (not just Metro Nashville) provided some funding (using our tax $$$s) for the FB facility on the river- a facility which primarily benefited the Adams family (I haven't yet attended an event there and have no plans to - Been to The Tire Barn only a couple of times). And yes, there is already talk of replacing Nissan because it lacks so many of the bells and whistles so common today, less than two decades after it was built. You can be sure than the PTB will get what they want regardless of cost or they will find greener pastures for the Oilers.

Well said.

Most of these pro sports teams are a different deal. Those owners and their leagues are filthy stinkin rich, yet they get taxpayers throughout the country to pay for their huge facilities. That I do have a problem with.

Maybe it's just because I'm getting older, but it strikes me as ridiculous that perfectly fine NFL stadiums are being replaced for even nicer larger and dare I say gaudier stadiums. It seems now that the NFL is treating 20 year old stadiums as old. I think that is absurd. Sure facilities will need upkeep and occasional upgrades. Replacing perfectly good facilities with billion dollar plus stadiums is ridiculous.

Nissan Stadium is getting to be a pretty "poor" stadium by a lot of other NFL teams' standards. Again, I understand that some things need to be fixed and/or improved over time. Other than that, I'm perfectly fine with the Tennessee Titans having a basic open stadium.

Again, maybe it's just my age, but I actually like the history and tradition of a facility that has some old age. A few examples: Duke's Cameron Indoor, Kansas' Phog Allen Arena, Boston's Fenway, Wrigley Field, Notre Dame's Football Stadium, The Rose Bowl etc etc. The list could go on and on. I even appreciate that when programs upgrade or expand, such as MT, that they build and improve upon their same historic field or facility as in Jones Field/Floyd Stadium.

While The Murphy Center certainly needs some upgrades or updates and improvements, I'm all for MT keeping The Murphy Center as fundamentally the same facility that is continuing to accumulate history and tradition.