JMU @ UNC 9/3 next season now apparently not happening

[BDKJMU]

It was going to be JMu @ UNC 9/3, as was announced 3 years ago and has been talked about since:
http://www.tarheeltimes.com/schedulefootball-2011.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

9/3 going to be Louisville @ UNC instead according to this just announced:
http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/ ... ille-slate" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[SuperHornet]

Just like a B(C)$er to renege on a contract with FCS. Running scared.

[BDKJMU]

Now this season 90+ games I-A vs I-AA. 120 I-A teams, only 90 some I-AA counters (has to be minimum 50? schollies to be a counter). Most I-A teams want to play a I-AA to get that 6th home game "easy" win, so most I-AA that want one can get a I-A game.

Here's the problem for JMU.
-Most teams already have their schedules set
-With the new stadium opening, playing a non BCS or lesser BCS that can't give a big payday doesn't make as much sense
-Beat VT last season
-Another program is going to look at how many seniors JMU loses when considering JMU. Only lose 3 senior starters from these last 2 games, plus starting DT who went out vs VT has been granted a medical redshirt, 08' OT starter broke ankle Aug I assume will be granted a med redshirt, plus a 2 yr starting LB who took a redshirt

JMU might have trouble finding a BCS willing to pay enough (VT payout was 425k. JMU should demand at least that much + travel expenses).

[BDKJMU]

Sine JMU only has 5 home games for next yr (4 CAA + opener vs CCSU 9/10), I hope for god's sake don't schedule a Div II just to get a 6th home game. If going to get a 6th home game, may as well make it a weak/patsy I-AA in order for it to count as a Div I win.

[kuntryboimike]

HAHA UNC doesn't wanna get beat!

[BigSkyBears]

Is this going to be in Greeley or Virginia?

[tribe_pride]

They did the same to us this year. UNC got us to move our game to the last week in October this year. While we could have beating UNC, JMU may have seen how we came out of that game and said that it was not in their best interest to move the game to the middle of the season.

[BDKJMU]

According to the tentative CAA schedule and the announced CCSU and LU games, JMU after 9/3:
9/10: Central Connecticut St. (25K Home Opener)
9/17: @ Liberty
9/24: @ William & Mary
10/1: Richmond (Homecoming)
10/8: Maine
10/15: Villanova (Family Weekend)
10/22: BYE
10/29: @ Old Dominion
11/5: @ New Hampshire
11/12: Rhode Island
11/19: @ Massachusetts
http://www.caasports.com//pdf8/701690.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Only option would be 10/22, but I doubt it.

And that would really suck, because it would mean the "bye" would be the 1st weekend. JMU had that happen last yr...
http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa-11/acc/ ... hedule.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[BDKJMU]

As per my above post, I think JMU will try to do everything to avoid having an open date and the "bye" week on 9/3, thereby having to play 11 straight weeks with no bye like happened last yr. Assuming this, I took a look at I-A schedules on fbschedules.com. This is what I've gathered as far as which I-A teams schedules:
-as of now show an open date on 9/3.
-don't already have a I-AA scheduled.
-don't already have 4 OOC scheduled (or in the case of the Big East, 5).
(fbschedules.com seems to be up to date, as they already are showing the Louisville @ UNC 9/3).

ACC
-Duke (JMU opens @ Duke 2012, but that was scheduled back in 06' or 07'. Would Duke now pay enough?)
-Ga Tech
-NC State (does USA count as I-A?)
-Wake Forest (don't know if Wake could pay enough)

Big 12 (looks like the Big 12 has already released their 2011 league schedule).
-Nebraska (showing 11 games scheduled, open 9/3 and 10/15, no I-AA)(did play Maine 05').
-Oklahoma

Big East:
-Rutgers
-Syracuse

Big 10: None (looks like Big 10 has released their 2011 league schedule).

Conference USA:
-Tulane
-UCF
-UTEP

MAC:
-Central Michigan

Mountain West: None

Pac 10 (looks like Pac 10 has released their 2011 league schedule):
-Cal
-Oregon State (showing 11 games scheduled, open 9/3 and 9/17, no I-AA).

SEC: None (looks like SEC has released their 2011 league schedule).

Sun Belch:
-FIU
-Mid Tenn
-USA

WAC: None

http://www.fbschedules.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So thats only 17 teams. 10 BCS teams. Can't see it being a non BCS, and I can't see it being one of the 2 PAC 10 or 2 Big 12 (FWIW in 05' Maine did play Nebraska).

So it looks like if JMU is to get a I-A for 9/3 it will be one of the 4 mentioned ACC or 2 Big East.

[BDKJMU]

JMU WORKING WITH NORTH CAROLINA TO RESCHEDULE 2011 FOOTBALL CONTEST
http://www.jmusports.com/ViewArticle.db ... =205034942" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[PenthouseClosedEnd]

JMU would be better off taking the buyout from UNC and scheduling a pushover.

[mcveyrl]

JMU would be better off taking the buyout from UNC and scheduling a pushover.

Yep.

With the injuries we've had this year, putting the bye at the beginning of the schedule is stupid. Plus, the issue of adding a 6th home game is appealing, even if we have to do a home and home with a "lesser" team.

[mcveyrl]

The more I look at this, do we have anything stadium related that would prevent us from moving CCSU to the 3rd and UNC to the 10th (assuming that UNC could shuffle Rutgers)? What kind of flexibility does Liberty have to move our game around? This could shuffle the schedule a bit, but still get done...

[aceinthehole]

The more I look at this, do we have anything stadium related that would prevent us from moving CCSU to the 3rd and UNC to the 10th (assuming that UNC could shuffle Rutgers)? What kind of flexibility does Liberty have to move our game around? This could shuffle the schedule a bit, but still get done...

Talk to UMass. As far as I know, CCSU is scheduled to go to Amherst on 9/3.

[mcveyrl]

The more I look at this, do we have anything stadium related that would prevent us from moving CCSU to the 3rd and UNC to the 10th (assuming that UNC could shuffle Rutgers)? What kind of flexibility does Liberty have to move our game around? This could shuffle the schedule a bit, but still get done...

Talk to UMass. As far as I know, CCSU is scheduled to go to Amherst on 9/3.

Doh...this could get too complicated to be worth it.

I revert to my previous position. Call a PFL team to come in...

[Appaholic]

HAHA UNC doesn't wanna get beat!

Agree. As a former life-long Carolina fan raised in a family of Carolina grads (or attendees), it has become apparant that Carolina is the most over-hyped, overrated & cowardly program in FBS....certainly in the ACC....

[Bostonspider]

As per my above post, I think JMU will try to do everything to avoid having an open date and the "bye" week on 9/3, thereby having to play 11 straight weeks with no bye like happened last yr. Assuming this, I took a look at I-A schedules on fbschedules.com. This is what I've gathered as far as which I-A teams schedules:
-as of now show an open date on 9/3.
-don't already have a I-AA scheduled.
-don't already have 4 OOC scheduled (or in the case of the Big East, 5).
(fbschedules.com seems to be up to date, as they already are showing the Louisville @ UNC 9/3).

ACC
-Duke (JMU opens @ Duke 2012, but that was scheduled back in 06' or 07'. Would Duke now pay enough?)

I think that Duke is playing UR again this upcoming season, though maybe after two straight losses, they have backed out on the Spiders.

[SpeedkingATL]

Tarheel football; once the NCAA finishes with them they may have fewer scholarships than JMU. I'm surprised they would even consider playing another good CAA team, especially after JMU beat what will likely be the ACC Champion in VA Tech . What a crap FBS football league. JMU should just take their buyout money and try and schedule another FCS at home.

[BDKJMU]

Big Payday For JMU? Posted January 20, 2011 12:00 AM EST
By Mike Barber

HARRISONBURG - James Madison might not play football against North Carolina this September after all, and the Dukes could reap a cash windfall if that's the case.

JMU athletic director Jeff Bourne said Wednesday that UNC informed him in late December that it intended to bump the Dukes in favor of Louisville on Sept. 3, the date Madison is contracted to play the Tar Heels.

The two schools have been working - so far unsuccessfully - to find another date to play this year.

"We set our schedule up a certain way," Bourne said. "We did our job. We put the schedule together. Now it needs to be changed because we had an opponent change on us."

North Carolina wants to add Louisville because another Division I-A opponent, Tennessee, canceled its scheduled game with the Tar Heels.

If UNC cancels the JMU game, it might not be such a bad thing, financially, for Madison.

According to the contract between the two schools, dated June 22, 2005, UNC would have to pay JMU a $600,000 buyout if it decides not to play the game this year. If the game goes on as scheduled sometime this season, North Carolina would owe Madison only $350,000.

In addition, Bourne said JMU would add a home game at Bridgeforth Stadium if UNC backs out, giving it an extra date to bring in revenue. Bourne said he's been in talks with a Division I-AA opponent to play at Bridgeforth on Sept. 3 just in case.

James Madison hopes to have the 2011 schedule finalized by the end of this week.

"I need it resolved," Bourne said. "We need to move forward with our planning, as do the other schools."

North Carolina associate athletic director Larry Gallo said Wednesday he is trying to avoid canceling the game.

"We have a contract to play James Madison on Sept. 3," Gallo said. "We are trying to work through some rescheduling possibilities with James Madison. We're very sensitive to their scheduling issues. It's a very difficult task. We're trying to work out something that would be agreeable to all parties."

Gallo said that when Tennessee backed out of a scheduled game against the Tar Heels, it created the need for another Division I-A opponent. Gallo said Tennessee first informed UNC last spring there might be an issue with their game. It became official, Gallo said, at the end of the summer.

That left the Tar Heels scrambling for an opponent, preferably one that would make the trip to Chapel Hill.

"We really wanted to find a [I-A] opponent that could play here," Gallo said. "We were able to find Louisville. We were very lucky there. There were other teams we could have played away."

Gallo said he doesn't want to leave JMU in the same bind.

"We don't want to do that to anybody else," Gallo said. "We really, really don't."

Not surprisingly, Gallo said UNC would like to avoid having to pay JMU the hefty buyout.

A year ago, North Carolina had to move its scheduled game against another Colonial Athletic Association team - William & Mary - after the Tar Heels were invited to play Louisiana State in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic.

"William & Mary seemed to be a bit of a smoother change," Gallo said. "We just played them later on in the season."

UNC plays Rutgers on Sept. 10 and East Carolina on Oct. 1. It would like to keep the Louisville game on Sept. 3 and move JMU back, perhaps to the Oct. 22 date when the Dukes have a bye.

JMU coach Mickey Matthews said recently he would not want to play a I-A game late in the season, an opinion Bourne reiterated Wednesday.

Bourne said the Dukes were scheduled to play at UNC on Sept. 3, then host Central Connecticut State on Sept. 10 and play at Liberty on Sept. 17. That schedule allowed JMU to play all three of its non-conference games before starting its daunting CAA slate, while keeping its Oct. 22 bye. That, Bourne said, is important from a competitive standpoint.

"That bye week gives us the chance to heal going into the last half of the season," Bourne said.

One thing Bourne said is not an option is filling UNC's spot with a Division II foe.

"We're not playing a Division II team," Bourne said. "Division II teams hurt you when it comes to playoff scenario time. Our real goal is to find a way to be postseason eligible."

http://www.dnronline.com/sports_details ... ccessfully" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

[jd of de]

I am a bit surprised the payout to play was $350k. JMU likely nets that for a home game.

[SuperHornet]

What's JMU's typical home payout for a peer school?

[g-webb1994]

The way the dominoes fall...

UGA backs out of Louisville deal and plays Boise in Atlanta instead that weekend.
UT backs out of UNC game.
Louisville and UNC hookup, and crap on an FCS team to do so.

[BDKJMU]

I am a bit surprised the payout to play was $350k. JMU likely nets that for a home game.

Last year single game gen admission tickets I think might have been $20, not sure. Season tickets for 6 home games (this doesn't include Duke Club "donations" of course):
Chairback $140/about $23 a game
Priority $100/about $17 a game
Priority Faculty & Staff $80/about $13 a game
Gen $80/about $13 a game
Family Pack $200 for 4/$50 a ticket/$12.50 per ticket a game

Think Avg about 16k attendance, but only 10k+ paid tickets at an avg of maybe $15+ a pop plus concessions profit JMU likely netted well under 200k for a home game.

Now 2011 all season ticket prices are going up for 5 (as of now) home games (1 less game):
Club $550/$110 a game (about 1k of these seats, doubt they all sell out)
Chairback $250/$50 a game (about 1k of these seats, doubt they all sell out)
Priority $125/$25 a game
Priority Faculty & Staff $100/$20a game
Gen admin $100/about $20 a game
Family Pack $300 for 4/$75 a ticket/about $19 per ticket a game

I imagine single game gen admission tickets will be $25.

Now my guess is JMU will avg 12-14k paid tickets a game at an avg of $25-$30 a ticket + concessions, so yeah, think JMU will net 300-400k for a home game.

[SuperHornet]

UGA's got the nads to play Boise? I'm shocked!!!

Well, maybe I shouldn't be. Mark Richt will play anybody.

[jd of de]

I am a bit surprised the payout to play was $350k. JMU likely nets that for a home game.

Last year single game gen admission tickets I think might have been $20, not sure. Season tickets for 6 home games (this doesn't include Duke Club "donations" of course):
Chairback $140/about $23 a game
Priority $100/about $17 a game
Priority Faculty & Staff $80/about $13 a game
Gen $80/about $13 a game
Family Pack $200 for 4/$50 a ticket/$12.50 per ticket a game

Think Avg about 16k attendance, but only 10k+ paid tickets at an avg of maybe $15+ a pop plus concessions profit JMU likely netted well under 200k for a home game.

Now 2011 all season ticket prices are going up for 5 (as of now) home games (1 less game):
Club $550/$110 a game (about 1k of these seats, doubt they all sell out)
Chairback $250/$50 a game (about 1k of these seats, doubt they all sell out)
Priority $125/$25 a game
Priority Faculty & Staff $100/$20a game
Gen admin $100/about $20 a game
Family Pack $300 for 4/$75 a ticket/about $19 per ticket a game

I imagine single game gen admission tickets will be $25.

Now my guess is JMU will avg 12-14k paid tickets a game at an avg of $25-$30 a ticket + concessions, so yeah, think JMU will net 300-400k for a home game.

16k but only 10k paid? 6k students is a good turnout for, what a 15-17k undergrad enrollment? I just did the quick 15k-16k avg attendance @ $25 and added another $15 for parking and concessions.