Homecoming Scheduling?

[USF_Grouper]

A few folks have hinted toward the fact that the general expectation across college football is that you play OOC games first and then your conference games.  There is still a bit of sprinkling about to accommodate early season conference games on major television networks as well as the historical rival games at Thanksgiving, but those are the exception.  The Big East has previously asked us to move our non-conference games up in the schedule, it makes conference scheduling easier as well as is a more even measure of teams in conference performance (since some teams aren't penalized/profited by early season losses when teams are perhaps less prepared).

[Guest]

Athletics, the Alumni Association and the Student Steering Committee talk about the schedule once it's released... and

 

For what it's worth, this is the Homecoming is NOT always against Louisville -- here are our opponents during our time in the Big East

2012 - Oct 27 - Syracuse

2011 - Oct 22 - Cincinnati

2010 - Oct 9 - Syracuse

2009 - Nov 21 - Louisville

2008 - Oct 18 - Syracuse

2007 - Nov 3 - Cincinnati

2006 - Nov 4 - Pittsburgh

2005 - Dec 3 - West Virginia  (The game was originally scheduled for Oct 22nd but was postponed because of Hurricane Wilma)

[GoBulls84]

I still remember the infamous 2006 Oracle article about how we should schedule teams we can beat for Homecoming instead of teams like Pitt that were going to take us to task. Dumb to say the least.

[WoolyBully]

Wait a sec? Didn't we schedule Army for homecoming back in '04 - last year in CUSA - for homecoming...Army...the perennial doormat (Just ask Navy)...and wound up losing 42-35. Just being real honest...if you look at our winning percentage across the years, it's gonna be pretty much a crapshoot as to 'scheduling that team you can beat' for homecoming. Nobody loses to Army. It's against the rules. But we did it. 

 

2012 - Oct 27 - Syracuse....L

2011 - Oct 22 - Cincinnati...L

2010 - Oct 9 - Syracuse....L

2009 - Nov 21 - Louisville....W

2008 - Oct 18 - Syracuse....W

2007 - Nov 3 - Cincinnati....L

2006 - Nov 4 - Pittsburgh....W

2005 - Dec 3 - West Virginia....L

 

and, as mentioned above, an "L" in '04 against Army. ...so six of nine of the last homecomings were losses. Not sure if that counts as a budding tradition, but it does show some measure of consistency. 

[Mike Stuben]

Here is the other thing. Lets say we played our I-AA in late October every year. Even if it was homecoming, I bet the crowd would be pretty small. Do we really want to have a homecoming with one of our smaller crowds of the year.

 

The fact that it is homecoming leads to more students in the stands. It probably impacts sold tickets by less than 500.

[smazza]

what is difference who we play at homecoming?

[Leviathan]

I'd rather see USF play a good team than watch a game they were guranteed to win (after this year though, there's clearly no guranteed win for USF).

[MikeG]

as far as helping overall attendance-- playing a lesser team (lesser in terms of casual fan interest) is better for Homecoming since we get people coming to that game simply for the fact that it is homecoming (both alumni and students).

 

so playing UL later and say Memphis for HC would have been optimal imo as far as butts in seats

[SpeedyBull]

I agree Mike, given our current season.

Though I think when schedules were set we thought we would be doing a lot better and have a lot more excitement for a big game. It also has to work for the other school's schedule, and be appealing to the league as a whole. 

[snarling Bull]

as far as helping overall attendance-- playing a lesser team (lesser in terms of casual fan interest) is better for Homecoming since we get people coming to that game simply for the fact that it is homecoming (both alumni and students).

so playing UL later and say Memphis for HC would have been optimal imo as far as butts in seats

Agreed