Lawrence instead of Urbana-Champaign?

ISU86

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New Hampshire cancels fall sports seasons, leaves KU football looking for new first-week foe

 

StLRedbird

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New Hampshire cancels fall sports seasons, leaves KU football looking for new first-week foe

Google says Lawrence is a 6 hr 14 min drive from Bloomington. That's bus-able, right? Looks like UNH also cancelled a 9/19 game @ URI. We have an open date on the 19th, as well. Shame Zenger is out at KU...
 

ISU86

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with the CAA, Ivy, MEAC & Patriot either postponing (until the Spring) or canceling football, there are a few FBS schools looking to fill that weekend: Appalachian State, Army, Ball State, Kansas, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Western Michigan

I am sure the list will change by the day

Oh, and Sheahon Zenger IS out at KU, as in no longer - he was replaced by Jeff Long (Arkansas/Pittsburgh) a couple of years ago. He is now AD at New Haven.
 

ISUBU

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I would rather play NIU - closer one. But hey bigger payday with KU
Gotta believe the guarantee would be much lower than usual if attendance matters. But if they need a game for TV....

But for both NIU and KU, how would a game with us help in this season?
 

StLRedbird

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Gotta believe the guarantee would be much lower than usual if attendance matters. But if they need a game for TV....

But for both NIU and KU, how would a game with us help in this season?
Both KU and NIU lost FCS games on Sep 5th. ISU lost its FBS game on the 5th.
 

ISUBU

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Both KU and NIU lost FCS games on Sep 5th. ISU lost its FBS game on the 5th.
What does NIU or KU gain from playing us in 2020? Few fans in the stands means less revenue for this game. I expect most bowls (excepting the major bowls) will be cancelled, as their purpose of generating tourism for their locality is damaged. Thus getting bowl eligibility is less important this season, particularly for less competitive teams like these. Unless this would fulfill a TV opportunity or obligation, I just don't see how the benefit of this game would outweigh its hassles (guarantee to us, health protocols for game day, etc.). Look, I'd like to see it, but I'm challenged to understand why an AD would schedule this game.
 

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What does NIU or KU gain from playing us in 2020? Few fans in the stands means less revenue for this game. I expect most bowls (excepting the major bowls) will be cancelled, as their purpose of generating tourism for their locality is damaged. Thus getting bowl eligibility is less important this season, particularly for less competitive teams like these. Unless this would fulfill a TV opportunity or obligation, I just don't see how the benefit of this game would outweigh its hassles (guarantee to us, health protocols for game day, etc.). Look, I'd like to see it, but I'm challenged to understand why an AD would schedule this game.

FBS programs, especially weaker FBS programs, schedule some non-con games they think they can win. Illinois scheduled Bowling Green and UConn who were a combined 5-19 last year in addition to a FCS powerhouse they were afraid to face. Kansas was 3-9 last year. Northern ILL was 5-7 and this year's team is not projected to be as strong as last year's. Why would NIU want to play Rhode Island? It was on their schedule but now RI, a member of the FCS Colonial conference, won't be playing this Fall. A game with Illinois State would at least have some attraction for regional TV. Rhode Island not so much but Northern scheduled them anyway.
 

ISU86

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What does NIU or KU gain from playing us in 2020? Few fans in the stands means less revenue for this game. I expect most bowls (excepting the major bowls) will be cancelled, as their purpose of generating tourism for their locality is damaged. Thus getting bowl eligibility is less important this season, particularly for less competitive teams like these. Unless this would fulfill a TV opportunity or obligation, I just don't see how the benefit of this game would outweigh its hassles (guarantee to us, health protocols for game day, etc.). Look, I'd like to see it, but I'm challenged to understand why an AD would schedule this game.
Long noted that KU and the Big XII Conference remained focused on fielding “a full non-conference and conference football schedule this fall.”

“We have begun exploring all opportunities to fill the opening on our schedule that was created by New Hampshire and will provide an update when available,” Long said.

KU coach Les Miles said in a statement that he was disappointed by the news and would “fully support Jeff Long and the Big XII Conference as they continue to explore our options for the fall season.”


For whatever the reason(s), the Jayhawks are stating they want it filled. And if the Redbirds are as genuinely committed (and it makes fiscal and physical sense) to playing that weekend, at least give it a test drive? For better or worse, (as of now) the trip to North Dakota State is still on, plus Dixie State is still on tap to come in from Utah.
 

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So why haven't ISU & NIU announced something? If you set aside the question of why, it would seem prudent to fill these empty dates on both calendars in a friendly "if its prudent to play" kind of arrangement between sister schools. Why isn't this done?
 

Total Red

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So why haven't ISU & NIU announced something? If you set aside the question of why, it would seem prudent to fill these empty dates on both calendars in a friendly "if its prudent to play" kind of arrangement between sister schools. Why isn't this done?

It's all a mad scramble right now. One major sticking point could be $$$. NIU would want the Redbirds to come back up there but we would want to be paid something to travel. Even if NIU was willing to pay do they have any money in the budget? Northern got rocked hard by the Big 10 cancelling non-con games. They were set to play both Maryland and Iowa this year. FBS schools prefer to schedule other FBS schools so NIU gets a lot more to play at Big 10 stadiums than the $450,000 we were due to receive to play the illini. It all sounds great until the fulcrum cracks on your leveraged MAC football program. Now they have declining enrollment, they're missing big payouts for non-con games and they have 85 hungry scholarship players to feed and send to school whether they play football or not.
I suppose TV could help. There might be regional interest in an Illinois State - NIU game, especially if there aren't a lot of other September games being played but that's a crap shoot too. Right now the illini aren't scheduled to play until October and they don't have a home game unit Oct. 17.
If the Big 10 plays this year that will change. They will add conference opponents to the Sept. schedule. So yes, ESPN desperately needs new sports programming and they might be interested in an ISU/NIU game but if a Michigan/illinois game gets added on the same day they'll go with that game. I don't like it but I'd say all the TV slots are in a holding pattern until the P5 schools decide what kind of schedule they want to play in Sept. if any.
 

StLRedbird

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It's all a mad scramble right now. One major sticking point could be $$$. NIU would want the Redbirds to come back up there but we would want to be paid something to travel. Even if NIU was willing to pay do they have any money in the budget? Northern got rocked hard by the Big 10 cancelling non-con games. They were set to play both Maryland and Iowa this year. FBS schools prefer to schedule other FBS schools so NIU gets a lot more to play at Big 10 stadiums than the $450,000 we were due to receive to play the illini. It all sounds great until the fulcrum cracks on your leveraged MAC football program. Now they have declining enrollment, they're missing big payouts for non-con games and they have 85 hungry scholarship players to feed and send to school whether they play football or not.
I suppose TV could help. There might be regional interest in an Illinois State - NIU game, especially if there aren't a lot of other September games being played but that's a crap shoot too. Right now the illini aren't scheduled to play until October and they don't have a home game unit Oct. 17.
If the Big 10 plays this year that will change. They will add conference opponents to the Sept. schedule. So yes, ESPN desperately needs new sports programming and they might be interested in an ISU/NIU game but if a Michigan/illinois game gets added on the same day they'll go with that game. I don't like it but I'd say all the TV slots are in a holding pattern until the P5 schools decide what kind of schedule they want to play in Sept. if any.
The now 11 team MVFC could support a 10 game schedule without going outside the conference for a game. Is that where you think we'll end up? What a mess.
 

Virginia Redbird

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It's all a mad scramble right now. One major sticking point could be $$$. NIU would want the Redbirds to come back up there but we would want to be paid something to travel. Even if NIU was willing to pay do they have any money in the budget? Northern got rocked hard by the Big 10 cancelling non-con games. They were set to play both Maryland and Iowa this year. FBS schools prefer to schedule other FBS schools so NIU gets a lot more to play at Big 10 stadiums than the $450,000 we were due to receive to play the illini. It all sounds great until the fulcrum cracks on your leveraged MAC football program. Now they have declining enrollment, they're missing big payouts for non-con games and they have 85 hungry scholarship players to feed and send to school whether they play football or not.
I suppose TV could help. There might be regional interest in an Illinois State - NIU game, especially if there aren't a lot of other September games being played but that's a crap shoot too. Right now the illini aren't scheduled to play until October and they don't have a home game unit Oct. 17.
If the Big 10 plays this year that will change. They will add conference opponents to the Sept. schedule. So yes, ESPN desperately needs new sports programming and they might be interested in an ISU/NIU game but if a Michigan/illinois game gets added on the same day they'll go with that game. I don't like it but I'd say all the TV slots are in a holding pattern until the P5 schools decide what kind of schedule they want to play in Sept. if any.

Yep, I am thinking that everyone is on hold to some extent. First, will anyone be playing college football this fall? Second, if some teams/conferences are playing who are they and who do they prefer to play? JMU already knows they will have no conference games this year but they still want to play if there will be playoffs. Who they are going to play and if there will be playoffs is up in the air. I am guessing nobody makes much in the way of moves until some final decisions are made. Why arrange to play someone when next week that team may not be playing. This is really kind of a total mess. Some conferences have already canceled their season, some like the Big 10 has canceled anything non-conference but I agree they will likely play Big 10 teams they were not scheduled to play, and some teams are planning on playing but that could easily change. Can you really blame an Athletic Department right now for just holding tight until a final decision is made? I don't really think so.
 

Redbird15

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Why not try playing Ball State week 1... They had a cancel game. Indiana is not that far away !
 
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