I know I've been around just a "bit" longer than most of you on this site, but the BG Toledo game was OFTEN played early in the season... my youngest brother went to TU (sorry, it's the way WE said it "back then") for 2 years, then transferred to UCF. ( He was an all state baseball player in HS... wanted to get a chance to play more games.) At any rate, he'd been harassing me for about 2 weeks (this was back in late 70's) re: the BIG game. We picked him up in Toledo, as the game was in BG. The Falcons crushed the Rockets and he was VERY quiet on the way back to school.

If we were playing Buffalo in Columbus as part of Buffalo's home schedule, I would love it. But as part of our home schedule, I do not like it. I don't like giving up home games one bit as we now play only two MAC East teams in the Doyt and are the only team in the MAC to forfeit a home game.

Boy, am I glad to be talking about football again...

I must say, I had a little "oh crap" moment when I saw this schedule - here's why:

Even though I think the MAC schedule turned out favorable with playing Miami and Kent at home, the beginning schedule is BRUTAL...

The first five games of the season is really going to determine how this team does this year. But sandwiching the UT game in between the Florida and Va Tech is not ideal, at least in my eyes.

Assuming we beat Rhode Island, the UT and Idaho games essentially become must wins for BG. At minimum we have to beat one of them - Idaho will be improved this year and Toledo is, and always will be a tough place to get a win. BG must at least come out of this stretch 2-3, and more like 3-2 if they want to be playing in Detroit at the end of the year...which I believe this team has the talent to do.

Clawson needs a bowl game this year, and with a 2-3 start, the team will have no room for error and must win all games they will be favored in in order to get there.

and mark my words...Eastern will be a good team this year, and the long trip to play at UMass will be difficult.

Thoughts?

Actually, BG just has to come out of that stretch 1-4 as far as their plan to get to Detroit goes, but I get what you mean about getting started off right and pretty much agree with what you wrote.

Thought the same thing about the UMASS road trip, but it's one half the teams in the conference are going to have to make, so we might as well get a win while we're there.

As for the early UT game, it's the earliest we've ever played the spRockets and only the second time we've played them in September.

I could understand people being upset about playing a MAC East home game away from home, if, we had some sort of amazing home record or huge home field advantage. But, the last 5-7 years or home record has been absolutely awful.

I like it.

Looks like UMass in October is very doable.

The game in Columbus is obviously a trial. Having a home game the day after Thanksgiving never really worked out well with attendance, so now it's time to try something else. If we draw alumni from that area, and people that just want to come see a game, as well as people that want to see the first football game in Crew Stadium, we could end up with an awesome attendance figure. If the attendance is that huge, then I think we should continue to put that game down there for a couple more years until we are coming into the Thanksgiving break with fewer than 3 losses and can put more than 10,000 in the Doyt for the game. I'm sure somebody did the math before agreeing to this, but I'd be curious to see what amount of ticket sales we would need for the Columbus game in order to be more profitable than a home game at the Doyt with our traditional Thanksgiving attendance.

This is not the first football game in Crew Stadium. I believe the OHSAA has had some playoff games there and the Westerville HS teams also play some games there. There might have even been a college game or two back when the stadium was first opened.
The bad thing about the "trial" is that you will loose many of the long time season ticket holders that live in Bowling Green, especially those that are getting older, and the Bowling Green base is still the lifeblood of BGSU athletic attendance. Unless someone does some umbelievable marketing, and I haven't seen that yet, my guess is that there will be under 10,000 in attendance and stadiujm fees etc have to come out of the game income also. I would be curious to see the agreement or contract for this game.

OHSAA held the state championships there for a few years and then moved back to Massillon.

If we're going to tear down Doyt Perry Stadium and replace it with something similar to Crew Stadium, why not go in and play a game at the stadium? Learn what you like about the facility, what would we like to add for the comfort of the team, etc.

For 33 and the rest that are upset with the idea of the game in Columbus, you obviously haven't thought about it at all. It's a BRILLIANT idea. Wake up!

It's the day after Thanksgiving! What happens the day after Thanksgiving? That's right - your old lady goes shopping. So take her down to Columbus, drop her off at Easton OR Polaris (just remember to cancel her credit card so all she can do is window-shop), head over to Crew Stadium and watch the game. Then pick her up, and head back home.

Who said we are tearing down the Doyt?

The rest of your post isn't a bad idea!

I have had 10-15 friends of mine who live in Columbus text me and tell me how excited they are for this game. This will draw a whole lot more than a game at the Doyt would have.

I doubt anyone drops their season tickets because of 1 game in Columbus.

Not to mention the overall exposure the University will get from having casual fans read about this for a week in Columbus newspapers, people who come to the game and bring their sons / daughters because they have nothing else going on the day after Thanksgiving.

Sure, it sucks for people who live in the Bowling Green and Toledo areas. But, I would guess even some of them will think it's a pretty cool idea to try out.

BG never said it was the first football game ever at Crew Stadium, they said it's the first FBS game at Crew Stadium.

People will bash it because it's new and probably an inconvenience to themselves. There will be those who hate it simply because Cristopher is doing something different.

I'm glad they are at least trying something new and outside the box.

Factman- what unbelievable marketing do you want them to do? It's March, the game isn't for another 8 months. Of course you haven't seen any.

I have NEVER seen this group do that! Maybe we could have Kenny Rogers sing at halftime and Sam Hornish sign autographs!

Love the fact we are at Akron....Cbus is um, whatever. At UMass sucks. Other than that, an exciting sked. Just read the spring prospectus on our flight to Tampa....cannot wait til the season starts! GO FALCONS!!! BEAT FLORIDA!!!!

I have to admit, it would be quite funny to watch BG students carry the goal posts down High Street after the game if it clinched the MAC East Championship!

Can't believe no one has mentioned that the Ohio State - Michigan game is the following day in Columbus. Might get a few people making it a two games in one trip deal.