• Hi Guest,

    We've updated the site to combine all the forums that were part of the Big Sky Fans Network into one location. This will make it easier to navigate and participate in all the discussions for each school without having to have multiple accounts, etc. We are still working out some tweaks but please let us know if you notice anything.

    With the migration, in some circumstances, your username could have been merged with one of your other usernames from the other forums. If this is the case, you can request to change your username in your account details page of your profile.
  • Hi Guest, want to participate in the discussions, keep track of read/unread posts and more? Create your free account and increase the benefits of your eGriz.com experience today!
  • Guest, do want an ad free experience on BigSkyFans.com among other benefits? Upgrade your account today!

    Simply click your profile name > account upgrades > BigSky Club > choose between the year long subscription (two free months) or month to month

    Thanks for the continued support. Cheers!

Building future home schedules

W

Webergrad02

Active member
If I am our administrators I use the Gulf Coast Showcase as an opportunity to meet with each of the other teams and talk some serious turkey about our future schedules. These are all great D1 teams that would make great opponents for future home and homes. I know that Pepperdine is the only team close to us regionally, but I think you could reach an agreement with some of these schools. I don't see any of these schools having the "Ute Complex". I may even offer Central Michigan or Murray State a 2 for 1.

We have to take advantage of every opportunity possible to strengthen our home schedule. I would even go a few miles up the street and talk to Florida Gulf Coast about some future arrangements. Instead of filling up a charter plane with the administrations families, why not use that money to help secure some of these games.

It is clear that the scheduling game has changed and our old ways aren't working. Lets get out there and try some creative stuff to get things done.
 
webergrad02 said:
If I am our administrators I use the Gulf Coast Showcase as an opportunity to meet with each of the other teams and talk some serious turkey about our future schedules. These are all great D1 teams that would make great opponents for future home and homes. I know that Pepperdine is the only team close to us regionally, but I think you could reach an agreement with some of these schools. I don't see any of these schools having the "Ute Complex". I may even offer Central Michigan or Murray State a 2 for 1.

We have to take advantage of every opportunity possible to strengthen our home schedule. I would even go a few miles up the street and talk to Florida Gulf Coast about some future arrangements. Instead of filling up a charter plane with the administrations families, why not use that money to help secure some of these games.

It is clear that the scheduling game has changed and our old ways aren't working. Lets get out there and try some creative stuff to get things done.
Click to expand...

I like your ideas!!

I was talking with a buddy this morning about playing 2 for 1's with MW teams. I think it is really sad that Boise State, Wyoming, Colorado State, and Air Force won't play Weber home and home. We have reached the era where Weber have to give them a little more. So, they might be willing to play us if we agree to a 2 for 1 arrangement. Most MW teams don't have any issues getting games, and can hold out for better deals. Whereas, Weber has to work a lot harder to get teams interested in playing us. A 2 for 1 might be the answer.

I think the answer could be putting more pressure on the commissioner/conference to set up challenges with other conferences. There are a number of like conferences that a challenge would be a lot of fun. Has the league approached the Southland, Sun Belt, Horizon, Summit, or Ohio Valley? I know some conversations have happened with the Big West, WAC, and WCC in the past and none of those conferences were interested. To me the best chance would be with the Southland. Yes, I would love to play teams in the MVC, MW, and C-USA, but they just aren't interested for a number of reasons. Coming to Ogden to get beat by a Mid 100's RPI team isn't an attractive option for most teams. If Weber had some $$$ and was below 100 RPI then it becomes a far more attractive incentive for teams to visit. It will take more than 50K to get teams to come to Ogden. Jerry is going to have to be willing to dish out more cash to get better teams to the Dee.

So...Weber needs:
1. To be willing to play 2 for 1s
2. Need help from the conference to get challenges set up with other conferences
3. Pay a bigger guarantee...more $$$
4. Improved RPI
5. Play more neutral court games (i.e. more tournaments).
 
The conference has dropped the ball on this in so many ways. They should have required Cal Poly and UC Davis to play a certain number of games each season versus conference teams as a condition to joining football only. Why not get something from allowing them to join. The conference had little to gain by adding them but those two schools had everything to gain. Should have used the leverage the conference had. If every conference team has the same problem with scheduling, then why not increase conference games to 20, or 22 and cancel the worthless tournament? And I just don't believe no other conference will agree to a scheduling agreement or challenge. I'd happily take one with the WAC at this point. Are you telling me the WAC wouldn't agree to something? Don't they have the same scheduling problems?
 
I would much rather have two less home games a year and play only quality D1 programs. I am not implying that we are nor trying to schedule good teams to come to the DEE. I am just saying that its time to get creative and use every avenue possible. Would making the KJZZ broadcast available for the other team make the deal more appealing?
 
Two things I know for sure. Looking at our home schedule and wsu breaking a full court press is about the hardest thing there is to do.
 
SWeberCat02 said:
The conference has dropped the ball on this in so many ways. They should have required Cal Poly and UC Davis to play a certain number of games each season versus conference teams as a condition to joining football only. Why not get something from allowing them to join. The conference had little to gain by adding them but those two schools had everything to gain. Should have used the leverage the conference had. If every conference team has the same problem with scheduling, then why not increase conference games to 20, or 22 and cancel the worthless tournament? And I just don't believe no other conference will agree to a scheduling agreement or challenge. I'd happily take one with the WAC at this point. Are you telling me the WAC wouldn't agree to something? Don't they have the same scheduling problems?
Click to expand...

I think at the time the Big Sky was adding the Cal football only schools, they were doing it as a pre-emptive strike to keep them from joining the WAC, which was perceived as a threat to raid the Big Sky membership, in particular the Montana schools. So I'm not sure how much leverage the conference had.

I agree with going to a full, home-and-home with conference teams. Everybody in the league is struggling to get decent non-conference home games. By going to 22 conference games, you're at least giving everybody more quality D-1 home games. I know the issue is starting the conference season before New Year's but to me, that's no big deal. Maybe make that a "Rival Week" within the conference -- everybody plays their closest or biggest rival that week. Get some marketing mileage out of it.

Everything I've heard is that the Big Sky has approached other western conferences (I don't know if that includes the WAC, but I'd have to think it does) and none of them are excited about doing conference challenges because nobody wants to have to fly and bus into and out of places like Pocatello, Cedar City and Flagstaff.
 
Bengal visitor said:
Everything I've heard is that the Big Sky has approached other western conferences (I don't know if that includes the WAC, but I'd have to think it does) and none of them are excited about doing conference challenges because nobody wants to have to fly and bus into and out of places like Pocatello, Cedar City and Flagstaff.
Click to expand...

As always, Bengal visitor, I think your posts are spot on. I, also. Don't believe that there was a lot of Big Sky leverage over cal poly and UC Davis for the exact reasons given. In my mind that move was all about self preservation for the league.

Regarding playing against another conference in bball, travel would be difficult. Maybe that is when the conference should approach Reno (or some other easy to get to location) about hosting a preseason "tournament" where teams from both participating conferences would be guaranteed 2 games.
 
The NCAA could do a lot to level the playing field, but refuses. Once again it is a matter of the wealthy minority controlling everyone else in an effort to hold onto what they have and keep the minions out of their hoods. All the big five really want is an unfair advantage. Why shouldn't the majority of us just give it to them. We do it in every area of our lives. Seems to me like the have nots just can't get their act together. I'm sure that the haves laugh their butts off over it. :coffee:
 
I just had another idea. It seems like we are a fan of having the super secret scrimmage against a MW or PAC12 school instead of a DII or Dlll exhibition game. Correct me if I am wrong, but we almost always go on the road for the super secret scrimmage. I know we have gone to Boise, CSU, Utah and others for the SSS (Super Secret Scrimmage). For some reason Olds is the only one that appears to know what happens behind closed doors at the SSS. :hide:

Instead of just traveling up to their place for the SSS, why don't we say? We travel to you for the SSS, then you come to the DEE this coming season and then we will give you a home game next season. If we could parlay our SSS that we have travel for most every year into a home game that would give us one quality home game a year. If we get the home game up front they can't back out when we kick their ass in the SSS. It's like a super secret 2 for 1.
 
It's my understanding that the SSS contracts are home and home. CSU was here last year.

Maybe we are just going to need keep the pressure on to get a better schedule. Maybe we will need to play in some places we don't want in order to get some better teams in here. I still say the NCAA needs to grow a pair. :thumb: :thumb:
 
Just in case you haven't seen this. Rahe talks about the difficulty in getting D1 teams to come to Ogden.
The following pretty much sums up the problem:

In 2008, Rahe managed to schedule a two-game series with Long Beach State of the Big West Conference, but that likely won’t happen again.
“They didn’t like it because we should have beat them at their place and we did beat them at our place,” he explained. “(Don) Monson’s a good friend of mine and he says. ‘I ain’t never coming back. Why would I do that? I’ll go play somebody else. I’d rather go play some big school that’s going to pay me $100,000 than go to your place with a chance to lose.’ We try everybody, we just do.”


http://www.standard.net/Sports/2015/11/11/Scheduling-woes-Why-no-one-will-play-Weber-State-in-Ogden.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
“Scheduling is very difficult. We work hard at it,” Rahe said. “If we can’t get them to come here, we go out and play the best opponents we can on the road. We’re going to play a good schedule. That’s what I believe in.”
Click to expand...

Frustrating for everyone, for sure. But I wouldn't look at this year's schedule and say that Weber is going out and playing the best opponents we can on the road. Minus the tournament, road games include South Dakota State, BYU (neutral court), UVU, Denver, and Portland (neutral court).
 
Funny...I was watching "Ask the AD" and Jerry states in the most recent episode that one way to get over the scheduling hump/issue is to generate more revenue so we can guarantee more for home games. Which is a no-brainer.

Regrettably, also in that episode he stated that season tickets sales are stagnant. I would also wager, based off of available reports on athletic finances, that revenue generation overall is waning thin.

My question to him would be...if you need to make more $$$ to do the things you want to do in your department, wouldn't you need to be generating more revenue? And how do you generate revenue? I'm sure his answers would be sponsorships (which has nothing to do with our marketing guru), boasters/donations, season tickets, product sales, other types of supporters, and the like. My next question to him would be, what are you doing to improve those above mentioned avenues of revenue generation? I'd love to hear his reply. Because frankly, it isn't working.

This isn't rocket science. You create a fan base from your student body. Those are your future supporters, season ticket holders, boasters, and FANS. You need to manufacture loyalty. Make Men's Basketball and Football games the go-to event for your students. You get them while they are students. That is the base you build your department on.

TO the other members of this forum (please answer), why are you a Weber State fan. I am because I was raised at the Dee. Weber was the only school I wanted to attend, but my love for Weber was cemented into place as a student. Jerry is not getting it. He needs to change the stigma and the culture of athletics. It is and will only get worse if he doesn't.
 
talhadfoursteals said:
TO the other members of this forum (please answer), why are you a Weber State fan. I am because I was raised at the Dee. Weber was the only school I wanted to attend, but my love for Weber was cemented into place as a student. Jerry is not getting it. He needs to change the stigma and the culture of athletics. It is and will only get worse if he doesn't.
Click to expand...

I, too, was raised at the DEC & Stewart Stadium. My love for Weber State was cemented into place in grade school as a Jr. Wildcat member (I doubt they have had that for years). My love was re-enforced and strengthened by great players/coaches and a vocal 11,000 others who helped create a great, can't miss environment. My blood turned purple and WSU became a part of my soul as I attended college there and continued experiencing the excitement of Weber State Basketball and to a little lesser degree football. Hosting BSC (and NCAA) tournaments were a significant part of the development of that love. In case I haven't mentioned it before, SCREW RENO!
 
I have an idea how to remedy this situation but it requires ALL mid major and lower teams to join forces. If all these schools refused to accept a schedule that didn't reciprocate a home game date the majors would not have enough teams to fill their schedules. It would require at least 2 years of steadfast support across the board to force their hands but they would have to start to reciprocate if they couldn't find enough opponents to fill their scheds. We, in the mean time may have to play nothing but each other and DII teams but there are more of us than them.....what do you think? Some tweeking will be required but that is the basic idea. Works like a labor union in a way but they don't have the "scabs" to replace us. Some schools budgets would suffer but that would have to be addressed somehow. Instead of sitting back and bitchin lets try something. The NCAA won't do anything on their own but they might do something if a situation like this confronted them.
 
It's a good idea in theory, sacstateman, but I just don't see it happening. Look at the death of WAC football a few years back - all the schools had a pact and large buyout to stick together in an effort to get on equal or better terms than the Mountain West. At the first sniff, Fresno and Nevada jumped ship. I could see some small schools with budget concerns jumping as soon as the larger schools started to up the ante on payouts.

Could a 1 and 1 series be worked out through negotiating a football game with an FBS school? I'm mostly thinking out loud, so bear with me. But say, for example, instead of taking $450,000 for a payout, Weber or any other Big Sky school could lower the amount with the expectation that a 1 and 1 series be included. A payout clause would be in effect, no doubt, should the larger school renege on the deal at a later date.

Time to think outside the box, or hope the NCAA begins to get involved. Which we know they won't.
 
My dad has been a long time Weber State fan and would take me to Weber State basketball and football games, overtime I found myself caring a little bit more about how the teams would be doing, I was happy when they won, sad and sometimes mad when they lost. I have never been a student at WSU, but my blood is the deepest shade of purple. I will always be a faithful Wildcat
 
Sac- Many low major teams rely on the 50 - 100K payout to play at a high major school to fund their program. So in theory it works but the reality is far from it. We really are dealing with the haves vs. the have nots.

One idea is to not let D1 teams play NAIA, D2 & D3 teams in the regular season. Have the low major and mid major teams (the have nots) work together to make sure that teams are getting a fair amount of D1 home gains and then they don't lose the revenue that comes from playing at a high major. I would not mind if we played two money games a year and used the revenue to bring in other D1 teams. If just the low major and mid major programs stuck together it would make a huge difference.

Oldrunner - Since you made the suggestion on the other forum, why don't you put your money where your mouth is and storm into the NCAA and demand that they put you on the scheduling committee instead of complaining about it on here everyday.
 
oldrunner said:
The NCAA could do a lot to level the playing field, but refuses. Once again it is a matter of the wealthy minority controlling everyone else in an effort to hold onto what they have and keep the minions out of their hoods. All the big five really want is an unfair advantage. Why shouldn't the majority of us just give it to them. We do it in every area of our lives. Seems to me like the have nots just can't get their act together. I'm sure that the haves laugh their butts off over it. :coffee:
Click to expand...

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov//p...me-game-one-away-game-promote-fair-scheduling

Sign my White House petition to promote fair scheduling for NCAA Basketball, why not...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top