Villanova football idea is dead

[JBB]

See below.

[JBB]

seriously - ISU is in essence DOUBLE the institution that NDSU is, and life in the FBS/BCS is a constant struggle for them...

Seriously, Milan Puskar Stadium at West Virginia seats 60,000. Villanova is averaging under 9,000/game? They have over 22,000 students too, over twice the Nova enrollment.

Villanova looks good in D2, or maybe the Big Sky but they dont even rank in the MVFC.

[Ursus A. Horribilis]

seriously - ISU is in essence DOUBLE the institution that NDSU is, and life in the FBS/BCS is a constant struggle for them...

Seriously, Milan Puskar Stadium at West Virginia seats 60,000. Villanova is averaging under 9,000/game? They have over 22,000 students too, over twice the Nova enrollment.

You are stuck on comparing Nove to NDSU. I don't get where you got off track. NDSU has better support, and all the stuff that you have said going for it. What NDSU doesn't have going for it but Nova does is an invite to a BCS conference. That is entirely the reason I can see Nova taking a long look and going for it. Being in the position that Nova is extremely rare and will not be happening for NDSU.

[Thundering Herd]

Villanova looks good in D2, or maybe the Big Sky but they dont even rank in the MVFC.

They won the National title two years ago, when's the last time the MVFC won the title? Nova is fine right where they are. End of story

[Thundering Herd]

Seriously, Milan Puskar Stadium at West Virginia seats 60,000. Villanova is averaging under 9,000/game? They have over 22,000 students too, over twice the Nova enrollment.

You are stuck on comparing Nove to NDSU. I don't get where you got off track. NDSU has better support, and all the stuff that you have said going for it. What NDSU doesn't have going for it but Nova does is an invite to a BCS conference. That is entirely the reason I can see Nova taking a long look and going for it. Being in the position that Nova is extremely rare and will not be happening for NDSU.

[JBB]

on the surface Villanova to the BE is more absurd than NDSU to the Big 12, except for the invite of course. Those of us in Bison City hope you are wrong about the invite. Nova may be opening door so to speak.

[Ursus A. Horribilis]

on the surface Villanova to the BE is more absurd than NDSU to the Big 12, except for the invite of course. Those of us in Bison City hope you are wrong about the invite. Nova may be opening door so to speak.

Look man I don't think you get it. They are already BE in everything else, that's why this is a rare chance that doesn't come around to the normal FCS team. If they are opening doors then what doors would they be that UConn didn't already open with the same FCS to BCS move? You guys are not in that position and it is very unlikely that you will be in the next 20 yrs....if ever. I know you haven't followed 1AA moves real closely until the last 5 to 7 yrs. but if you had you'd see how unlikely what you are proposing really is.

The "stepping stone" approach is the only chance and that's a pretty slim one to go BCS. Boise & Marshall came into FBS with a bang and did everything right it appears. It took Boise 15 yrs. of struggling to get to a really good NON BCS conference. Marshall...not so much yet. At the rate the BCS conferences are going to close ranks then next step any FCS takes to FBS is likely to be there last stop for a long time to come. There are many other teams in line before you to take any good spots if one ever were to open up in a BCS conference.

[kemajic]

Fargo @92K
Missoula @67K

Good point but the whole Bitterroot Valley is around 150,000 I think and it's considered one economic entity for Griz purposes.

The Griz draw from the whole state. There are a lot of Griz fans on the ND border. And players. The proposition that they are topped out is lame.

[LeadBolt]

Ursus has nailed this one.

[93henfan]

I have a way that Villanova can solve their stadium problem. There's an existing college football stadium that's only 40 miles away from their campus that currently has 23,000 seats and beautiful FieldTurf . Villanova could approach that school, maybe offer to put in luxury boxes and a club level, expand seating to say 35-40K, build fancy new locker rooms, yada yada. They could switch off weekends for the home games.

This could be a win-win for both of those schools. Heck, maybe the Big East would want to offer the other school an invite too, since they would have Big East-worthy facilities already in place and all.

[dbackjon]

I have a way that Villanova can solve their stadium problem. There's an existing college football stadium that's only 40 miles away from their campus that currently has 23,000 seats and beautiful FieldTurf . Villanova could approach that school, maybe offer to put in luxury boxes and a club level, expand seating to say 35-40K, build fancy new locker rooms, yada yada. They could switch off weekends for the home games.

This could be a win-win for both of those schools. Heck, maybe the Big East would want to offer the other school an invite too, since they would have Big East-worthy facilities already in place and all.

Not too mention The Great Wall of Pee

[Franks Tanks]

Good point but the whole Bitterroot Valley is around 150,000 I think and it's considered one economic entity for Griz purposes.

The Griz draw from the whole state. There are a lot of Griz fans on the ND border. And players. The proposition that they are topped out is lame.

Right. Penn State is in the middle on nowhere, but they have no trouble sellling 100k tickets for every home game. Just like Montana people travel from all over the state to see the game. In these cases the immediate metro area has nothing to do with potential attendance figures.

[bluehenbillk]

Right. Penn State is in the middle on nowhere, but they have no trouble sellling 100k tickets for every home game. Just like Montana people travel from all over the state to see the game. In these cases the immediate metro area has nothing to do with potential attendance figures.

Absolutely correct - lots of the Midwest schools fit that - Mizzou, Kansas, K-State, Nebraska. I think Auburn does too among others that I'm sure I'm missing.

[JBB]

Yea right, UAH has this one nailed. Montana draws statewide but NDSU cant? What about a stadium 40 miles from campus? Nova is going to be a weak sister or a complete failure if they accept this invitation. Maybe they have already?

[Ursus A. Horribilis]

Yea right, UAH has this one nailed. Montana draws statewide but NDSU cant?

It's not that they can't JBB. It is that THEY DON'T. Or maybe they do but the interest isn't there considering the population base. You guys just don't have the fever to fill what you already got but your talking about double the numbers like it's a forgone conclusion.

[dbackjon]

Yea right, UAH has this one nailed. Montana draws statewide but NDSU cant?

It's not that they can't JBB. It is that THEY DON'T. Or maybe they do but the interest isn't there considering the population base. You guys just don't have the fever to fill what you already got but your talking about double the numbers like it's a forgone conclusion.

But twice as many people in the greater Fargo-Moorhead-Valley City-Casselton metropolis will be interested in seeing the Golden-Arm Committee's favorite team play New Mexico State, San Jose State, UT-SA and Ball State as they would seeing UNI, SDSU, USD or Montana.

[93henfan]

What about a stadium 40 miles from campus?

Just a minor clarification: The 40 miles I threw out in my post is the distance from Villanova to UD. I was making a joke about suckering Villanova into upgrading Delaware Stadium.

The actual soccer stadium in the ghetto called Chester PA where Villanova intends to play home games is more like 15 miles from Villanova's campus in Radnor, PA.

[clenz]

What about a stadium 40 miles from campus?

Just a minor clarification: The 40 miles I threw out in my post is the distance from Villanova to UD. I was making a joke about suckering Villanova into upgrading Delaware Stadium.

The actual soccer stadium in the ghetto called Chester PA where Villanova intends to play home games is more like 15 miles from Villanova's campus in Radnor, PA.

Isn't 15 miles what it is from campus to the Wells Fargo Areana in Philly where Nova plays some basketball games?

I would think playing Big East schools Nova could get to 30Kish.

However, if they were going MAC/CUSA/WAC level there attendance would maybe push 13 or 14k

[93henfan]

I would think playing Big East schools Nova could get to 30Kish.

There was already a Big East football team in Philly, from a much bigger school, that played in the same stadium as the Philadelphia Eagles rather than a soccer stadium in the Chester ghetto, that did not average 30K, and got kicked out of the conference. Villanova doesn't have any of that working for them.

[JBB]

You guys back east, I tell ya!

[clenz]

I would think playing Big East schools Nova could get to 30Kish.

There was already a Big East football team in Philly, from a much bigger school, that played in the same stadium as the Philadelphia Eagles rather than a soccer stadium in the Chester ghetto, that did not average 30K, and got kicked out of the conference. Villanova doesn't have any of that working for them.

Touche. I don't see Nova getting kicked out though due to what they bring for basketball


Also, JBB I'm not an "east" guy. CF is probably only 3-4 hours east of Fargo

[Franks Tanks]

There was already a Big East football team in Philly, from a much bigger school, that played in the same stadium as the Philadelphia Eagles rather than a soccer stadium in the Chester ghetto, that did not average 30K, and got kicked out of the conference. Villanova doesn't have any of that working for them.

Touche. I don't see Nova getting kicked out though due to what they bring for basketball


Also, JBB I'm not an "east" guy. CF is probably only 3-4 hours east of Fargo

Nova isn't getting kicked out of the BE unless drastic changes are made to the conference. If anybody will be booted from the BE it would be dreadful DePaul, Seton Hall, or Providence. Temple was always a football only member and they were easy to boot.

I agree that Nova's largest challenge will be attendance. Temple was awful in the BE, but they couldn't even draw fans when they played teams like Miami and VT.

[GannonFan]

And remember - nova won't be getting crowds of 30k for home games, even against Big East competition, because PPL Park only sits 18,500 for soccer right now (so maybe 20k to 22k at the most for football). If nova's struggling to come up with the money just to rent the place and afford all the other costs associated with moving up, where are they going to get the money to expand that stadium to 30k? The place cost about $120M to build in the first place, and was built with public money (both the state of PA as well as Delaware County kicking in the funds). In case you haven't noticed, the state of PA is now talking about slashing funding to the state university system - there's no way they'd put out money to help a private school expand a football stadium.

[Fact]

i just saw this thread and it made me laugh..
the attendance argument is not an issue, VU has conducted surveys that show that attendance is not an issue. the only issue is raising the 30 mill or so to make it happen and apparently even that is going well. don't listen to anything temple fans say about this issue, they have a serious case of penis envy with the whole situation.

[Ursus A. Horribilis]

i just saw this thread and it made me laugh..
the attendance argument is not an issue, VU has conducted surveys that show that attendance is not an issue. the only issue is raising the 30 mill or so to make it happen and apparently even that is going well. don't listen to anything temple fans say about this issue, they have a serious case of penis envy with the whole situation.

Those fucking meat gazers.

Eat shit Cosby!