Rare chance to see Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium against top-15 opponent (Columbus: house, schools)

[PatrioticSuperman]

Go Bucks!!!!

[ohioaninsc]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

But are other teams having attendance issues? Alabama? Clemson? Penn State? Any comparable team? Michigan was just anecdotal.

No issues at Alabama...watched their game against Ole Miss Saturday...100K plus at Bryant Denny Stadium.

PSU has had 2 night games against average teams and they were totally sold out...their fans brought the noise too...I don't know if there is a louder environment in any sport venue in the US than Beaver Stadium at night w/ a White Out.

Wish our fans would show back up and bring it...especially with such a young team.

Going cashless does sound stupid...I wonder who thought up that dumb idea.

[theurbanfiles]

I did some admittedly anecdotal looking at the start of the season and would have to say, the ticket price (real or imagined) at that point, was probably a factor. I looked at every single team, 3 weeks out from the season, and their average resale price on VividSeats. Ohio State (in part on the strength of at the time, tickets for the Oregon game on there starting at like $280), had far and away from the highest average resale price of any team in the country, at $150. Alabama and Michigan were significantly down from that at that point, each roughly at about $50 or so. I believe Penn State was 2nd in that research and Notre Dame 3rd, but both of their cheapest ticket price avg was down in the $80-$90, a massive drop off compared to where Ohio State's prices started the year.

Since then though, ticket prices have leveled off at places, and Ohio State wasn't the only team like this. I checked Notre Dame-Cincinnati tickets several hours prior to kick-off and saw that they could be had (for a Top 10 matchup for one of the biggest fanbases in CFB) for $31. Meanwhile, a regional rivalry and huge game, Alabama-Mississippi could be had to start at $35. That ticket differential evidence was confirmed, when it appeared, at least from the shots of the 77K in attendance at ND Stadium, as many as 30-35K of them were wearing UC red. Not a super long road trip, but one for which Bearcats fans traveled tremendously well.

I think the cashless transition may be partially to blame. But, I also wonder if the crowd that is more concerned/wary about COVID still in general, perhaps that sentiment is shared more amongst crowds and those associated with major universities, at least in some portions of the country, compared with the fanbases at and of certain pro venues and teams. It would certainly explain the dramatic gap, along with the aforementioned two reasons. FiveThirtyEight at one point did an interesting study of pro sports, and I believe each NFL team, and where they found the overall fanbase to fall on the political spectrum. This would also in part explain the difference in why crowds are out in full force still in the southeast, along with the ticket prices.

Will be interesting to see how things go moving forward, but I agree, for now, impressive value for potential ticket buyers compared to what has been seen in previous years!

[theurbanfiles]

I also enjoy your comment about the Buckeyes pregame beating out the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, and as a clear homer, I share that sentiment : D

Albeit against mid to lower-level Big Ten opponents, Ohio State's offense looked thoroughly dominant and as good as any in the country (and it's important to remember that while Rutgers and Maryland got caked the last two weeks, Rutgers lost 20-13 to Michigan and was in the game until the final minutes, and Maryland has a win against West Virginia.. both teams still have a decent shot of being bowl eligible, especially Maryland.

I am not sure, genuinely, whether Ohio State will go undefeated. In all likelihood, 4 of their Final 6 games will be against teams currently ranked in the Top 11 nationally, including perhaps this week's #2. That said/even still, if I had to bet in each of the four, I'd say the Buckeyes have a 50% or better shot against each opponent.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by cavsfan137

I also enjoy your comment about the Buckeyes pregame beating out the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, and as a clear homer, I share that sentiment : D

The pregame is better, and then throw in an even more superb halftime show!!!

Here's a Brit reacting to a first time view of a TBDBITL classic halftime performance.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqhqCH0_u1s

https://www.standard.co.uk/reveller/...-10368940.html

TBDBITL performs in London, including at Wembley Stadium at halftime of a 2015 NFL game.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czpCWgm7FiY

https://laughingsquid.com/ohio-state...ium-in-london/

Here's what happens AFTER Carmen Ohio!

https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/c...icle-1.2409919

[WRnative]

But it did top 99,000.

https://www.dispatch.com/story/sport...nd/5997060001/

[theurbanfiles]

Originally Posted by WRnative

The pregame is better, and then throw in an even more superb halftime show!!!

Here's a Brit reacting to a first time view of a TBDBITL classic halftime performance.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqhqCH0_u1s

https://www.standard.co.uk/reveller/...-10368940.html

TBDBITL performs in London, including at Wembley Stadium at halftime of a 2015 NFL game.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czpCWgm7FiY

https://laughingsquid.com/ohio-state...ium-in-london/

Here's what happens AFTER Carmen Ohio!

https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/c...icle-1.2409919

Excellent footage! As to the discussion about UC as a squad-as a UCF Alum who kinda has duel allegiance between the Buckeyes and Knights, I have a bias toward our fellow Big 12 jumper, and want to see them at least have a shot as "David" here.

Intellectually, do I know that they are unlikely to win the 1, or even 2 games that they would need to win the CFP? Yes. But, I feel like that has kinda been true of both Notre Dame and Oklahoma, both of whom have, at this point, gotten multiple chances.

In Notre Dame's two CFP appearances (the additional 2012 title game doesn't help the picture, either), they have had a -22 point differential, and 0-2 record (admittedly going up against great teams that would probably both win it all were they playing this season, but still. Oklahoma similarly has gone 0-4, losing by an average of 18 points per game. That puts them toward the bottom in this regard (Florida State and Michigan State are the worst in-game performers of the CFP era, with -39 and -38 point differentials, but that, in fairness, is only a one-game sample size.

People could make the case that due to the talent differential being too great, they might not be able to be competitive, but I'm at least somewhat skeptical of that. Recruiting and star talent is of course, far from infallible, but that is kind of the point I am making here. 247Sports is perhaps the closest thing to an unbiased account of how talented each team in the country projects as, with an overall roster. Notre Dame was ranked as the 12th most talented roster in College Football this season, with 1 5 star, and 44 4 star players. Cincinnati was ranked as the 54th most talented roster, with only 7 4 stars and no 5 stars, but yet, from watching the game Saturday, it was clear Cincinnati was the better team out there, and they could've potentially won by more. Georgia, who projects as the clear national favorite and #1 looking team so far, had significant difficulty with Cincinnati with many of the same players last season, only winning in the final minute of play, in circumstances with which a different play call or bounce here or there, and Cincinnati would have been on the winning side. Sure, it's less overall talent from 40 times, size, etc., but as proven by football's GOAT being a relatively slow player, who didn't even consistently have the starting job at his college each week and didn't get drafted but as an afterthought/3rd QB on roster in 6th round.. sometimes having an experienced team with a senior leader (Desmond Ridder) who is almost a coach on the field, and an excellent, always adapting coach like Luke Fickell, can help you overcome that talent gap.

Heck, honestly, I really want to see them be rewarded for what, if they pull it off, would be two straight undefeated seasons, and, when the democratic process is put forth in College Baseball, Coastal Carolina can win the College World Series, or Butler can make back to back National Finals, or a non-power 5 school like Villanova can become the eminent and most successful recent dynasty in college basketball.

I think even them getting in from what is currently a non-Power 5 league would go along way towards increasing the overall parity present in CFB.

[ohioaninsc]

Originally Posted by WRnative

But it did top 99,000.

https://www.dispatch.com/story/sport...nd/5997060001/

Sad...in 2014, the Cincinnati game drew over 108,000...ticket prices were high back then...I was able to sell an xtra one I had for that game for $250.

This is the first year I've ever seen us not draw a capacity crowd...I went to the Army game in 2017, 1 week after getting beaten down by Oklahoma on our home turf...still had over 106000 on hand against a clearly over matched opponent.

Penn State was fully packed for Indiana (no better than Maryland) a couple weeks ago. Pennsylvania is a more progressive state and fanbase than Ohio is. Larger stadium too...and a program that can't ever win the big game and is not anywhere close to the same level as Ohio State is.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by cavsfan137

I think the cashless transition may be partially to blame. But, I also wonder if the crowd that is more concerned/wary about COVID still in general, perhaps that sentiment is shared more amongst crowds and those associated with major universities, at least in some portions of the country, compared with the fanbases at and of certain pro venues and teams. It would certainly explain the dramatic gap, along with the aforementioned two reasons. FiveThirtyEight at one point did an interesting study of pro sports, and I believe each NFL team, and where they found the overall fanbase to fall on the political spectrum. This would also in part explain the difference in why crowds are out in full force still in the southeast, along with the ticket prices.

Will be interesting to see how things go moving forward, but I agree, for now, impressive value for potential ticket buyers compared to what has been seen in previous years!

I think people are reading Covid concern into places where there just isn't any. Whatever you may think personally about your own level of comfort, most of Ohio simply doesn't care and is not avoiding crowds. All other major teams have no problem filling their stadium, from what I've seen so far.

[WRnative]

Ohio State's cashless policy is a problem that is reducing marginal demand IMO. I know I would hate it.