The Book: 2004 FOOTBALL

[bigearl]

When will the times be announced for the 2004 Football schedule?

[realitycajun]

NCAA squeeze play raises the bottom line
Some schools get creative to keep I-A status


01:49 PM CDT on Sunday, May 9, 2004

By KEITH WHITMIRE / The Dallas Morning News


The University of Arkansas will play a game in Little Rock on Sept. 18 and be considered the road team.

Although Arkansas will handle many of the game operations and have the large majority of fans, Louisiana-Monroe will be designated the home team.

That is just fine with Louisiana-Monroe athletic director Bruce Hanks. In fact, Hanks is so happy with the deal, which includes four more "home" games against the Razorbacks in Little Rock, he may allow Arkansas to wear its home red jerseys.

"I told them I didn't care what color jerseys they wore," Hanks said. "Whatever they like."

Louisiana-Monroe playing a home game in Little Rock is just one example of the lengths some schools are taking in order to meet new Division I-A membership requirements.

The new requirements, aimed at slowing the migration of I-AA schools to I-A status, also affect schools at the bottom of the I-A hierarchy. Schools that don't benefit from large fan bases or BCS affiliation could struggle to meet the new standards, which include attendance and scholarship minimums.

Starting this fall, a school must average 15,000 in attendance for at least four home games against I-A opponents. The number increases to five home games in two years.

Programs that have paid the bills by going on the road to face big-money programs such as Florida or LSU now must ensure they play an attractive home schedule as well.

One solution is to move a game to a neutral site. The NCAA permits one neutral-site contest a season, as long as the site is not considered a home field for either team.

Arkansas State has scheduled Missouri next season at Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium, another "home" contest at a neutral site. Arkansas State athletic director Dean Lee said the Missouri game in Kansas City was set to meet the five home-game requirement, not for attendance reasons.

Arkansas' home stadium is in Fayetteville, but the Razorbacks have traditionally played several games over the years in Little Rock. Playing Louisiana-Monroe in Little Rock gives Arkansas an extra game in-state. Crossing state lines gives Louisiana-Monroe a big gate.

"I think it's a win-win for both of us," Monroe's Hanks said. "They like to play in Little Rock, and Little Rock is closer to us than Baton Rouge is."


Other changes
Playing a home game in another state may not meet the spirit of the new requirements, but the requirements themselves raise a lot of questions.

The NCAA is still in the process of finalizing the penalties for not meeting one or more of the requirements.

The current proposal is to place offending schools into a restricted category. They would be barred from playing a postseason game while in restricted status.

If they don't meet the requirements after a year in the restricted category, the football program would then fall into an unclassified category.

A school could then re-apply for I-A status, a process that takes at least two years, or immediately apply for I-AA status if it meets those requirements.

Among the other changes:

• Schools will no longer be able to report attendance to the NCAA as tickets sold or distributed. Attendance will be measured by the actual turnstile count.

• I-A schools must sponsor at least 16 sports, with a minimum of eight women's and six men's sports. Louisiana Tech is adding women's soccer and women's bowling this fall to get to the minimum 16 sports (nine women's and seven men's).

• Schools must provide 200 total scholarships and at least 90 percent (76.5) of the 85 scholarships allowed in I-A football.

The scholarship and sports requirements are to keep schools from masquerading as I-A programs while operating with I-AA budgets.

"I think that clearly I-A is a different level of competition," said Steve Mallonee of the NCAA's governance staff. "This is to make sure that those who want to compete at that level are making that commitment financially and otherwise."


Fan fare
The one requirement that can't be solved by fund-raising or belt-tightening is attendance.

SMU and North Texas each averaged fewer than 20,000 per game last season, but they were comfortably over the required average attendance figure, thanks to home games against Big 12 opponents.

SMU drew 27,106 for Oklahoma State last season and 32,000 for Texas Tech the year before. UNT drew 29,437 for last season's game against Baylor, although this year's home schedule doesn't feature a Big 12 or former Southwest Conference opponent.

After averaging 18,694 last season and going to a third straight bowl game, North Texas athletic director Rick Villarreal is confident the Mean Green will average 15,000 in 2004. However, he does take issue with the requirement.

"To assess Division I-A status based on attendance doesn't make sense," Villarreal said. "If you're willing to make the financial commitment, the number of scholarships and sports, those are things that, as an institution, you can decide whether you want to be Division I."

Without its Sept. 4 home game against Texas Tech, SMU could struggle to average 15,000 after coming off a 0-12 season. The Mustangs averaged 17,435 at home last season.

"Anybody who in the past has averaged in the mid- to upper-teens is in jeopardy if they go 0-11 or if there's bad weather," WAC commissioner Karl Benson said. "There's some factors that put several schools at risk, including some in the, quote, BCS conferences."


At-risk conferences
But it is the smaller conferences that could be hit hardest. Five of the eight Sun Belt teams failed to draw 15,000 per game last fall. Six teams in the Mid-American Conference also failed to draw 15,000.

Five Sun Belt teams played home games against non-I-A opponents. Arkansas State and Louisiana-Monroe each played two I-AA teams, and New Mexico State played a Division II opponent.

The new standards for I-A will impact I-AA programs, perhaps positively and negatively.

"By putting a standard in place, we think it helps to protect I-AA football and it raises the bar for those programs that are considering a move to I-A," said Tom Burnett, commissioner of the I-AA Southland Conference. "At the same time, it's a scheduling issue. Certainly, our programs want access to I-A games. And just like anyone else, [access to] some large payouts from guarantee games.

"If the five I-A home games creates a problem there and cuts off our access, then that's a concern. We would love for them to relax some of that and allow a I-AA to count as one of those home games."

The Sun Belt faces the prospect of more than half of its members being on restricted status and hunting for I-A opposition.

"I lose sleep at night, but it's not on this issue," Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters said. "At the end of the day, everybody's going to make it."

Waters is not only confident that his schools will meet those standards, but that the NCAA will revise them. The NCAA Board of Directors discussed the attendance requirement during its April meeting and could issue revisions this summer.

The problem, Waters said, is that there are few reasons to play I-AA football anymore. Although I-AA programs are limited to 63 scholarships, there is little television revenue, no chance for a bow

[Turbine]

HISTORICAL ATTENDANCE at The SWAMP

YEAR	RECORD	TOTAL att.	AVERAGE att.	HIGH att.
1971	3-3-0	110,000	18,333	25,000
1972	3-3-0	93,429	15,572	17,722
1973	0-6-0	61,600	10,267	16,000
1974	1-5-0	73,152	12,192	18,856
1975	5-2-0	146,081	20,869	25,710
1976	7-0-0	163,143	23,306	30,176
1977	4-1-1	151,346	25,224	28,752
1978	2-5-0	113,163	16,166	23,106
1979	3-3-0	108,060	18,010	23,200
1980	5-0-0	85,092	17,018	22,638
1981	1-4-0	85,436	17,087	19,522
1982	5-1-0	130,608	21,768	25,133
1983	3-1-0	81,711	20,428	24,123
1984	3-1-0	88,180	22,045	23,537
1985	2-2-0	78,405	19,601	22,506
1986	3-2-0	101,451	20,290	23,257
1987	5-0-0	87,326	17,465	20,052
1988	4-2-0	122,874	20,479	27,300
1989	4-1-0	80,445	16,089	20,263
1990	2-3-0	111,973	22,395	36,133
1991	0-3-1	80,294	20,074	23,486
1992	2-3-0	92,111	18,422	23,742
1993	4-1-0	109,955	21,991	27,814
1994	4-1-0	95,770	19,154	23,371
1995	4-1-0	88,640	17,728	22,083
1996	4-1-0	108,552	21,710	38,783
1997	0-6-0	87,362	14,560	17,724
1998	2-2-0	35,193	8,798	10,721
1999	2-3-0	76,445	15,289	19,724
2000	0-5-0	73,119	14,624	20,113
2001	2-3-0	66,615	13,323	17,353
2002	3-2-0	75,280	15,056	20,512
2003	3-3-0	83,970	13,995	24,211
TOTALS	95-79-2	3,146,781	17,858	23,110

LOUISIANA SI

[Turbine]

With a 32 year average per game of 17,858 and with the new (actual attendance) electronic method of counting of tickets that was instituted last year I'm not worried.

I think the first goal is to get the yearly average to meet or beat the average high of the last 32 years 23,110

[Turbine]

There is no doubt there has been an attendance apathy over the last 7 years.

However looking at the past I feel confident that winning overall (not just the home winning record at home over the last 2 years) will bring the fans to the games.

The last year that averaged over 20,000 was Jakes last year 1996

[Turbine]

Wyoming did it in 2002

If the people of Wyoming want UW to stay in Division I-A, they have two choices: to help the University of Wyoming become more competitive – thereby cementing UW’s membership in the Mountain West Conference – or permitting UW to muddle along at or near the bottom of the conference and risking possible ejection of UW from the conference and Division I-A. As Dubois has said, “If the state wants to have a Division I-A program, we should be prepared to be competitive and not be seen as an institution that let the game get away from it.”

Elements of the plan include strategies to restore competitive excellence, improve academic success, gender and ethnic equity, private fundraising, marketing, and facilities. During his presentations, Dubois has focused on just two parts of the plan – competitive excellence and facilities, centering on the four sports that tend to have highest visibility within the conference and nationally – football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and volleyball.

Restoring competitive excellence has four essential elements, with associated annual cost of $2.62 million:

Staffing and salaries to ensure that we can recruit and retain outstanding coaches and assistants: $1,150,000

Scheduling to minimize the need for revenue games (such as our “home” game against University of Tennessee that was played in Nashville) and provide the funds needed to bring to Laramie teams that will help our basketball Power Rating Index for NCAA basketball tournament selection: $787,000

PAge 3 of 3

[realitycajun]

**I did not realize that I would have to split up the post since it was so darn long! Here is the rest of the post.**

The problem, Waters said, is that there are few reasons to play I-AA football anymore. Although I-AA programs are limited to 63 scholarships, there is little television revenue, no chance for a bowl game and now fewer opportunities to schedule I-A opponents. "You've got to give them a carrot to stay down, and we haven't done that yet," Waters said. "As long as I-A is as attractive as it is, people will find a way to move up."

NEW DIVISION I-A REQUIREMENTS In order to maintain full Division I-A status, a school must meet these new criteria beginning this fall: • Average 15,000 in football attendance for five home games against I-A opponents. Because of scheduling conflicts, schools can play a minimum of four home games against I-A opponents for the next two years. • Sponsor 16 sports, with at least six for men and eight for women. • Provide at least 200 total athletic scholarships each year, or spend at least $ 4million in grants-in-aid every year. • Maintain a two-year rolling average of at least 90 percent of the maximum number of football scholarships. The current maximum is 85 scholarships, so school would have to average at least 76.5 players on football scholarships over two years. MISSING THE CUT NCAA legislation that goes into effect this fall requires schools to average 15,000 a game in home football attendance to maintain Division I-A status. The 11 schools that failed to meet the requirement last season with home games and average attendance:

School G Avg.
Kent State 6 8,524
Middle Tennessee 6 11,021
Eastern Michigan 7 11,258
La.-Monroe 5 11,298
Idaho 5 12,064
Ball State 6 12,339
Buffalo 6 12,419
Akron 6 13,812
Central Michigan 6 13,907
La.-Lafayette 6 13,995
Utah State 5 14,921

Fine company we are in now!!

:o :o :o :o

The problem is, you have to count actual people in the seats, NOT JUST PAID ATTENDANCE!! The paid attendance numbers do not count anymore and have always been fabricated,.....I found!

[1stTake]

Any chance of the 2006 LSU game being a home game for UL?

[RaginRash]

Good thing UL has been using actual numbers the past couple of years withthe ticket scanners. Try again, dipdunk...

[bigearl]

Bottom line, are we going to be ok? I think we will (should) have a winning record next year. That has to affect ticket sales and ultimately recruiting. I think in the end, we'll be alright and remain in D1-A

[Zeebart21]

Originally posted by realitycajun
**I did not realize that I would have to split up the post since it was so darn long! Here is the rest of the post.**

The problem, Waters said, is that there are few reasons to play I-AA football anymore. Although I-AA programs are limited to 63 scholarships, there is little television revenue, no chance for a bowl game and now fewer opportunities to schedule I-A opponents. "You've got to give them a carrot to stay down, and we haven't done that yet," Waters said. "As long as I-A is as attractive as it is, people will find a way to move up."

NEW DIVISION I-A REQUIREMENTS In order to maintain full Division I-A status, a school must meet these new criteria beginning this fall: • Average 15,000 in football attendance for five home games against I-A opponents. Because of scheduling conflicts, schools can play a minimum of four home games against I-A opponents for the next two years. • Sponsor 16 sports, with at least six for men and eight for women. • Provide at least 200 total athletic scholarships each year, or spend at least $ 4million in grants-in-aid every year. • Maintain a two-year rolling average of at least 90 percent of the maximum number of football scholarships. The current maximum is 85 scholarships, so school would have to average at least 76.5 players on football scholarships over two years. MISSING THE CUT NCAA legislation that goes into effect this fall requires schools to average 15,000 a game in home football attendance to maintain Division I-A status. The 11 schools that failed to meet the requirement last season with home games and average attendance:

School G Avg.
Kent State 6 8,524
Middle Tennessee 6 11,021
Eastern Michigan 7 11,258
La.-Monroe 5 11,298
Idaho 5 12,064
Ball State 6 12,339
Buffalo 6 12,419
Akron 6 13,812
Central Michigan 6 13,907
La.-Lafayette 6 13,995
Utah State 5 14,921

Fine company we are in now!!

:o :o :o :o

<<<<<<<<

>>>>>>>>>>

Hey brain surgeon, I believe Turb. has addressed that we are doing this......counting actual butts in the seats....

Pay attn. rain man.....

Z.

[Cajun Express]

Z why reply to this BOZO, he has an agenda that is not beneficial to UL. Direct answers to his nonsense will only get you a BOZO response like bite me.