FIU to play in Orange Bowl

[Guest knights]

23.7k is not that far away from 25K.  We avg. about 15.3k during this last year.  2007 should be a good year for attendance as we would have Maryland and USF coming in to the new stadium.  I can not wait.

Will this look like a D-1a stadium?   No offense but the current stadium looks like a slightly larger high school stadium.    

FAU and FIU have some trouble with Miami in their backyard.   I can't see 3 teams being successful in the same area.   The sunbelt doesn't exactly get any exposure either.  

[Guest FIU_Panther_Fan]

It will look like a regular stadium with luxury boxes and the like.  However, it will be much like Doak Campbell in that it will be mostly metallic (Bleachers) with some chairback sections and a stadium facade.  It will definately meet the needs of FIU Football.  Both FIU and FAU are now full 1a members after meeting the 15,000 tickets sold requirement for the 2nd year in a row.  I agree with you about the Sun Belt, but that is where we are starting from.  The fact that we are getting teams from BCS conferences to come down to So. Florida just shows the drawing power of the area.   I think we will be able to survive due to the financial structure and steady improvement on the field.

[E.T.]

...   

FAU and FIU have some trouble with Miami in their backyard.   ...  

Miami giving somebody trouble with attandance ?

[Triple B]

Both FIU and FAU are now full 1a members after meeting the 15,000 tickets sold requirement for the 2nd year in a row.

Link?

[E.T.]

Link?

No, Linc .. as in Lincoln  

[Guest FIU_Panther_Fan]

Actually, I think I found and linked the NCAA requirements for 1a membership a few months back when they changed the rules from 15,000 people in the stadium to 15,000 full price tickets sold or used.  It also noted that there is no longer a stadium size requirement, I remember we got into that as well.  I tried looking it up again but I gave up.  I'll link it for you when the NCAA makes it official at the end of the athletic year.  

[E.T.]

Looking forward to HAMMERING the Panthers and keeping them on the soon to be extinct list  8)

May very well make it to the return game ... depends on the weekend.

[KNIGHTTIME]

I don't think the 15,000 attendance ruled passed.   It would kill teams that have played in D-1a for 50 years (MAC)

[nukebull]

Rutgers original stadium seated 23,000 and has been expanded to 45,000. I think the stadium will be a nice cozy stadium. I am from miami and lived near FIU for some time. Many people outside of Miami may not know that the High Schools there do not have stadiums wqe use to play at Tropical Park. Will the FIU stadium host HS football games?

[Guest FIU_Panther_Fan]

Yes, FIU will continue to host HS football games after the expansion.