Future Fla Atlantic Football Scheduling... WTF!

[TyBull]

Oct 21, 2004

Undefeated Owls Just Need Fans

By BILL FAY

Tribune correspondent

Florida Atlantic University might be undefeated this season, but the Owls still have something to prove: Can they win at home?

FAU has rolled up a 5-0 record, all on the road. Seven weeks into the college football season, the Owls finally get a home game, against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday. They were supposed to play at Lockhart Stadium on Sept. 25 against Illinois State, but Hurricane Jeanne washed that one out.

``Honestly, it hasn't mattered to our kids where we play this season,'' FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger said. ``We could be playing in a parking lot at midnight in Tokyo and this group would be ready to play.''

They play five of their last six at home and an unbeaten season is not out of the question.

But as much as Schnellenberger cares about the final score, the more important number this weekend is the attendance figure. FAU is in a transition year to Division I and must average 15,000 fans for home games. They drew an average of 5,850 last season, with the top crowd of 12,857 in their final home game.

``We've created a buzz about our program and now we're going to try and take advantage of it.'' SCHEDULE UP: FAU should help home attendance when it gets a signed contract from No. 22-ranked Oklahoma State to play in South Florida next season. FAU also has Kansas, Cincinnati and seven Sun Belt Conference games on its 2005 schedule. The Owls are talking to Miami, Louisville and Nebraska about the 11th game. HOT TICKET: The Florida Citrus Bowl announced that 41,000 tickets already have been sold for the Nov. 20 Florida A&M-Bethune Cookman game. That's ahead of last year's pace when a record crowd of 73,358 fans jammed the Citrus Bowl. RATTLED: Florida A&M coach Billy Joe admitted his team is getting ``beat up'' playing a schedule loaded with Division I programs and nobody hurt the Rattlers more than Virginia Tech. The Hokies hammered FAMU 62-0 last week and it wasn't even that close. The Rattlers had 27 yards total offense and five turnovers in the first half and Tech was using reserves in the second quarter. THIS AND THAT: For the second straight week, sophomore QB Steven Moffett had career- highs in attempts (41), completions (30) and yards (322), despite getting sacked nine times by Akron. UCF coach George O'Leary said he'd like to make changes in the offensive line, but with three sophomores and two freshman starting and four freshman backing that group up ``we don't have a lot of depth or a lot of choices.'' ... Florida International blew its chance to win its first game against a Division I opponent when it couldn't hold a 17-0 halftime lead at Louisiana-Monroe last week.

This story can be found at: http://tampatrib.com/sportsnews/MGBH8OSEK0E.html

[Apis Bull]

Schnellenberger must still have a lot of connections.

[TyBull]

Sorry I should have edited the Article.............

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Oct 21, 2004

Undefeated Owls Just Need Fans

By BILL FAY

Tribune correspondent

Florida Atlantic University might be undefeated this season, but the Owls still have something to prove: Can they win at home?  

FAU has rolled up a 5-0 record, all on the road. Seven weeks into the college football season, the Owls finally get a home game, against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday. They were supposed to play at Lockhart Stadium on Sept. 25 against Illinois State, but Hurricane Jeanne washed that one out.  

They play five of their last six at home and an unbeaten season is not out of the question.  

But as much as Schnellenberger cares about the final score, the more important number this weekend is the attendance figure. FAU is in a transition year to Division I and must average 15,000 fans for home games. They drew an average of 5,850 last season, with the top crowd of 12,857 in their final home game.  

``We've created a buzz about our program and now we're going to try and take advantage of it.'' SCHEDULE UP: FAU should help home attendance when it gets a signed contract from No. 22-ranked Oklahoma State to play in South Florida next season. FAU also has Kansas, Cincinnati and seven Sun Belt Conference games on its 2005 schedule. The Owls are talking to Miami, Louisville and Nebraska about the 11th game.

This story can be found at: http://tampatrib.com/sportsnews/MGBH8OSEK0E.html

[TyBull]

Oklahoma State in Ft Lauderdale....What kind of guarantee or payback game(s).....Miami, Nebraska or Kansas..... What?

Does Wollard have ANY Connections?...............

Dang, I hope SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.......

How does this "slip" out, where there is smoke there is usually fire. We hear nothing from our AD staff. AND, our history says that there maybe is NO FIRE......

Come on WOLLARD.... Break with Tradition and blow us away with an exciting schedule both home and away to go with our New Big East Schedule.

WHEN the NCAA goes to 12 games we will be needing 5 OCC games. Come on Wollard, BLOW US AWAY.....

Sorry, my flustration is showing...... I am just rambling..... :-[

[BullGrad95]

Thanks for posting this.  I read it in the paper this morning and almost choked on my cheerios.  I still find it hard to believe that these guys can get OSU to go down there with their 5,000 fans, and we can't get anyone to come near here while we average 30K.  Unfortunately for us, I think the answer is obvious.  People are leary of playing the Bulls.  The Pitt game in 2001 was a blessing and a curse.  Blessing obviously because we won.  Curse, because it showed the country that we can hang with the big boys, and potentially could put a good scare into anyone.  Follow that up with the win agains Louisville last year and, OOC opponents will stay away from RJS.

[Velcro]

Thanks for posting this.  I read it in the paper this morning and almost choked on my cheerios.  I still find it hard to believe that these guys can get OSU to go down there with their 5,000 fans, and we can't get anyone to come near here while we average 30K.  Unfortunately for us, I think the answer is obvious.  People are leary of playing the Bulls.  The Pitt game in 2001 was a blessing and a curse.  Blessing obviously because we won.  Curse, because it showed the country that we can hang with the big boys, and potentially could put a good scare into anyone.  Follow that up with the win agains Louisville last year and, OOC opponents will stay away from RJS.

Its not a curse... that is a big reason for getting into the big east... the fact they think we can hang with the big boys.  I'd much rather it that way, even if whine non-bcs we had trouble getting home games... we won't have trouble anymore.

[Bullpride08]

FIRE WOOLDARD, HELL FIRE LEEROY SELMON....FIRE JUDY GENSHAFT.

**** is there anyone immune from firing on this board?

Here's a little secret for you boys, USF likes to make its football games a profitable endeavor.  For example, even if its a home and home series OKST still gets expensed travel costs, and compensation.  In fact, when big teams visit smaller schools often smaller schools must often pay for the visit- usually a percentage of gross.  There's a good chance that FAU might be paying more than they make for this game and series.

[TyBull]

"FIRE WOOLDARD, HELL FIRE LEEROY SELMON....FIRE JUDY GENSHAFT."

Hey Bein RELAX,

Take a deep breath....

We have heard nothing from our athletic office. That I understand. But, what we do hear is that ftu gets Miami, FAU might get Miami. ****, we could fill Ray-Jay if we could coerce Miami to come once. I understand profit. Everything has been great & rosey for our eight year footBULL run. We have kept Leavitt, built a new ath facility, put many butts in the seats at Ray-Jay.....BUT it seems that the one constatnt bugg-a-boo with my school seems to be footBULL scheduling. Has the schedule worked? Well after eight years we are in the Big East. I guess that schudulng is part of that equation. I just think that we are quickly moving to the "Top Tier" of college footBULL and want scheduling to reflect that transition.

I am waiting for Wollard to blow me away.

P.S. This Bull has NEVER asked for the Head of Leavitt, Genshaft, Selmon or Woolard. In fact I have said that I hope that Leavitt is USFs version of Bobby Bowden......( Win Natl Championships & stay forever at USF)

[Omniscientbull]

Does anyone remember the article on scheduling not long ago....it had quotes from UF, FSU and UM.  If I remember correctly both FSU and UM said publicly they are not interested in playing us.  UF said they would not travel to Tampa.

Give up the dream because it isn't going to happen.

[TyBull]

I vagely remember that article. Is that information in conflict with todays Trib article. Or is it they will play teams from Fla but

NOT USF?