Attendance and scheduling are topics that can fill the seven months when college football is on hiatus. With the season fast approaching, new Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork has weighed in on both.
In May, the Southeastern Conference voted to allow schools to sell alcohol in “public seating areas” at football games. Texas A&M was the first school to say it would sell spirits at its football games. Since then, Tennessee, Arkansas, LSU, Missouri and Vanderbilt have followed suit.
While revenue generation is a consideration, selling beer and wine at football games is also a lure for fans. Average attendance at FBS games has declined each of the last five seasons and is down 11% compared to a decade ago.
Bjork sees alcohol sales to draw millennial fans who might be enticed if seating areas are more “shared social spaces” like sports bars. (However, in-stadium beer sales is not what all fans are seeking.) https://www.pressboxdfw.com/for-tcu-fans-biggest-concern-entering-season-is-still-beer/
“Then alcohol is a part of it because it’s typically in a space like that,” Bjork told the Wall Street Journal. “Just going to a game, sitting in your seat, that’s more traditional. The evolution we’re in now is all about the fan experience – safe atmospheres but providing something for everyone. The alcohol piece provides that something for everyone.”
And one doesn’t need a stiff drink to understand that scheduling among the Power Five conferences is imbalanced. The Big 12 plays a nine-game round-robin schedule. The Big Ten and Pac-12 play nine games. The Southeastern and Atlantic Coast conferences each play eight league games.
Since 1998 (the start of the Bowl Championship Series), no national champion has played a schedule that included nine conference regular-season games.
Alabama coach Nick Saban recently said he would like to see his school play 10 Power Five opponents each season. In the past, he’s called for the SEC to play nine league games.
Bjork prefers the status quo.
“I think right now, the way we schedule in the SEC, I think it works for the current landscape of college football,” Bjork told The Dallas Morning News. “Eight conference games and then we have a power five obligation to play a ninth power five game. If every league had what we had, they’d say we were doing it the right way. To me, that’s what fits today’s environment.”
Hurts so good
Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley announced Monday that Jalen Hurts will be the Sooners’ starting quarterback in the season opener against Houston on Sept. 1. The graduate transfer from Alabama was expected to get the job.
Now comes the delicate challenge for Riley and his staff – selecting the backup QB. Redshirt freshman Tanner Mordecai and freshman Spencer Rattler are the candidates. Rattler, a five-star recruit, has impressive skills but didn’t arrive in Norman until summer. Mordecai is better versed in the system.
With Hurts gone after this season, one will step into the starting job. Thus far, OU doesn’t have any QB commits for its 2020 recruiting class. If either Mordecai or Rattler become disgruntled and decide to transfer, the Sooners will have to scramble and will have a lack of depth and experience at the position in 2020.
Oh, the problems of a young Jedi coach making $6 million a year.
Not as easy as 1, 2, 3
Texas A&M and South Carolina are the first teams to have the top three preseason teams on their schedules since Missouri in 1975. Northwestern in 1968 and Minnesota in 1972 also hold that distinction. Here’s how those three teams fared in their games against the top three.
Northwestern, 1968. 1, Purdue; 2, USC; 3, Notre Dame. The Wildcats faced the top three teams in three consecutive weeks after the season opener (and faced five ranked teams to open the season). Northwestern finished 1-9.
Minnesota, 1972. 1, Nebraska; 2, Colorado; 3, Ohio State. Gophers lost to the two Big Eight Conference teams in consecutive weeks by the combined score of 87-6. Minnesota finished 4-7.
Missouri, 1975. 1, Oklahoma; 2, Alabama; 3 Michigan. Missouri defeated Alabama, 20-7, in the season opener in Birmingham, Ala. Tigers finished 6-5, ranked No. 18,
Also, Texas A&M has been ranked 12th or higher in the AP preseason poll nine times. Only twice have the Aggies finished higher in the final poll. This season’s ranking is the third time this century A&M has started ranked 12th or higher. In 2013, the Aggies were ranked 7th and finished 18th with a 9-4 record. In 2011, they were ranked 8th and finished unranked and 6-6.
For what it’s worth
The Sporting News’ Bill Bender takes on the large task of predicting the matchups for every bowl game. Here’s what he thinks about some teams of interest to our loyal readers.
TCU is projected to face Mississippi State in the Academy Sports and Outdoors Texas Bowl. First-year coach Matt Wells is expected to get Texas Tech into the postseason with the Red Raiders predicted to face Northwestern in the SERVPRO First Responders (Heart of Dallas) Bowl. Texas A&M is picked to face West Virginia in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
The Sporting News a few weeks ago picked its College Football Playoff teams and it’s all-in on Texas. The Longhorns are picked to face Clemson in a CFP semifinal. Oklahoma is projected to be in a New Year’s Six bowl and take on Georgia in the Sugar.
Final word
Texas senior wide receiver told The Athletic about junior quarterback Sam Ehlinger exuding confidence and leadership:
“He came in as a freshman with the alpha-male (demeanor). When he walks in the room, you know he’s in there. That’s the type of presence he has. And that’s the type of guy you know you want in the locker room with you.”