CU adding Fresno St. to 2011-13 football schedules

[Duff Man]

We're already playing Cal in 2011, not to mention Hawaii as well. You don't think that's enough of an OOC sales pitch for potential recruits?

I would love to have LSU on the schedule, but you're asking an awful damn lot of a team to play that non-conference schedule. A road trip to Honolulu to start off the season takes a toll, so people want to add a trip to LSU (with a home game against Cal squeezed in) on top of that? Count me out.

I know I have made a few posts about recruiting, but that's really secondary to me. Scheduling an additional home game (more $$$$$ for the AD) and easing up the schedule some while still playing a known program are more important reasons to me.

 

[Deleted member 807]

I would love to have LSU on the schedule, but you're asking an awful damn lot of a team to play that non-conference schedule. A road trip to Honolulu to start off the season takes a toll, so people want to add a trip to LSU (with a home game against Cal squeezed in) on top of that? Count me out.

I know I have made a few posts about recruiting, but that's really secondary to me. Scheduling an additional home game (more $$$$$ for the AD) and easing up the schedule some while still playing a known program are more important reasons to me.

IMO, it's better to spring a trap than get caught in one. The Bulldogs in Boulder have every chance to play a tougher game than CSU at Invesco or wherever the RMS ends up getting scheduled, but without the emotion. Fresno has trap written all over it. I doubt I'd make the trip to Boulder to catch the Fresno game.

LSU is just such a red letter game, and going to Tiger Stadium for my birthday weekend just sounds like party that has now been canceled.

It would be easier to let this go once LSU is more than just a possibility. At this point, it's not even a given this will happen before 2014, if ever. That's a long time to wait. And according to some of the cupcake proponents, that means 6 more years of fussing about the strength of CUs OOC relative to everyone else.

 

[77buff]

you guys act like Fresno st isnt legit, i'll remind of a team that wrecked our shot at the national title in 2001.

Fresno State is a huge stepdown from LSU. It sucks bigtime. What if somehow we loose to these douche bags? I think most CU fans were really looking forward to a game with the Tigers. Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night is a special thing. Now we have to wait until something like ten more years - if it ever happens.

 

[RalphieMalph]

Fresno State is a huge stepdown from LSU. It sucks bigtime. What if somehow we loose to these douche bags? I think most CU fans were really looking forward to a game with the Tigers. Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night is a special thing. Now we have to wait until something like ten more years - if it ever happens.

Yeah, or you could wait a week until we play Cal that season. Isn't that special enough for you?

 

[Idot Buff]

Yeah, or you could wait a week until we play Cal that season. Isn't that special enough for you?

Coach Mac had it right....load up on as many strong teams as you can.....

 

[Deleted member 807]

Yeah, or you could wait a week until we play Cal that season. Isn't that special enough for you?

Yes. Correctimundo. A Cal game is not as special as a date with LSU in Tiger Stadium. This isn't about the quality of the teams, but about the quality of the scenes.

Berkeley and Boulder are sister cities. It's like choosing between a family reunion and marti gras. LSU is exotic. It's like going to a whole new planet.

But this isn't about LSU -v- Boulder-upon-the-Bay. This is about freakin Fresno, which is more like Barstow than 'Frisco.

 

[BuffThat]

this thread probably mentions it, but when it comes to scheduling it's not about "being scared" or "not being scared", it's about being smart or being dumb. it's really as simple as that. it's much more smart to play a 2-1 with fresno, than a 1-1 with lsu.

you can prove to me you're not scared by playing russian roulette, but that doesn't mean you're smart.

 

[Deleted member 807]

this thread probably mentions it, but when it comes to scheduling it's not about "being scared" or "not being scared", it's about being smart or being dumb. it's really as simple as that. it's much more smart to play a 2-1 with fresno, than a 1-1 with lsu.

you can prove to me you're not scared by playing russian roulette, but that doesn't mean you're smart.

Smart is what smart does.

To me, it looks like CU bailed on one of the most attractive dates on the 2011 schedule for a chance to go out locally with kjuco state's cast-off.

Why would you spurn a date with Jessica Simpson in Bayou country in exhange for a blind date at the local Applebee's.

I know. I know. There are three major arguements here.
- Money. An extra game in boulder = more immediate cash.
- Coming out of the OOC with a better than 2-2 record.
- Fan experience.

I just have seen the Fresno movie before. I doubt the sequel will be any better than the 2001 original. And we play them three times. Boring. I'd rather see AFA three times.

There are few memories more cherished by buff fans than beating Michigan in the Big House. LSU at Tiger Stadium has that kind of aura. CU wins in Baton Rouge, the money takes care of itself.

 

[Idot Buff]

Like I said....Coach Mac had it right. The Michigan game (and the Tennessee game, and many other NC games) put us on the map. We should have kept LSU on the schedule.

 

[Deleted member 807]

If CU ever does get back on LSU's dance card, one certainty is that Darrel Scott will no longer be around to carry the rock.

 

[CarolinaBuff]

Like I said....Coach Mac had it right. The Michigan game (and the Tennessee game, and many other NC games) put us on the map. We should have kept LSU on the schedule.

:yeahthat:

Sure, the 2-for-1 deal with Fresno is a pretty good move financially and gives CU more exposure in a place they recruit heavily, but I hate to see them pass up a chance at one of those rare inter-sectional matchups against a nationally recognized program.

 

[BuffThat]

Like I said....Coach Mac had it right. The Michigan game (and the Tennessee game, and many other NC games) put us on the map. We should have kept LSU on the schedule.

Unfortunately Coach Mac hasn't coached in almost 15 years, the game has changed so much since then. College football is now a business more than anything, unlike it was back in '94 when he left. It was just starting in that direction, but nothing like it is today. You have to run it like a business, you can't let emotions get in the way. Yeah it would be great to play LSU, knock them off and get some national recognition, but it's better to schedule a team you should beat, where you get two home games.

 

[BuffThat]

Side Note: It is funny. I'm a Marshall alum/fan as well, following their message boards a lot of the same arguments a few fans want to play 3 top 25 teams each year in non-conference games to prove they're not scared, with the outside change we'll upset one of them. Our former coach kind of talked up that big game, except other than his last year ('04) did he ever play more than one good team non-conference.

They talk about all the exposure we'd get if we would upset one of those schools, we did it once, beat #6 K-State in Manhattan, got some nice exposure, but we got nothing in the way that Utah and Boise got, or even Hawaii, for playing in a BCS Bowl.

 

[Lt.Col.FrankSlade]

When McCartney was CU's head coach, the conference he coached in was a joke. Colorado wasn't doing anything until Oklahoma and Oklahoma State were essentially placed on the death penalty by the NCAA. With OU and OSU crippled, it was a two-team conference.

And-- while we're at it -- lets look at just how successful McCartney was with his "loaded" non-conference schedule.

1982- 1-2
California (Loss)
Washington State (WIN) (WSU was 3-7-1 that year)
UCLA (Loss)

1983- 1-2
Michigan State (Loss)
Oregon State (WIN) (Oregon State was 2-8-1 that year)
Notre Dame (Loss)

1984- 0-4
Michigan State (Loss)
Oregon (Loss)
Notre Dame (Loss)
UCLA (Loss)

1985- 2-1
Oregon (Win) (Oregon was 5-6 that year)
Ohio State (Loss)
Arizona (Win) (Arizona was 8-3-1 that year)

1986- 0-3
Oregon (Loss)
Ohio State (Loss)
Arizona (Loss)

1987- 2-1
Oregon (Loss)
Stanford (Win) (Stanford was 5-6 that year)
Washington State (Win) (WSU was 3-7-1 that year)

1988- 2-0
Iowa (Win) (Iowa was 6-4-3 that year)
Oregon State (Win) (Oregon State was 4-6-1 that year)

1989- 3-0
Texas (Win) (Texas was 5-6 that year)
Illinois (Win) (Illinois was 10-2 that year)
Washington (Win) (Washington was 8-4 that year)

1990- 3-1-1
Tennessee (Tie) (Conference Champions)
Stanford (Win) (Stanford was 5-6 that year)
Illinois (Loss) (Conference Champions)
Texas (Win) (Texas was 10-2 that year - Conference Champions)
Washington (Win) (Washington was 10-2 that year - Conference Champions)

1991- 1-2
Baylor (Loss)
Minnesota (Win) (Minnesota was 2-9 that year)
Stanford (Loss)

1992- 3-0
Baylor (Win) (Baylor was 7-5 that year)
Minnesota (Win) (Minnesota was 2-9 that year)
Iowa (Win) (Iowa was 6-6 that year)

1993- 2-2
Texas (Win) (Texas was 8-4 that year)
Baylor (Win) (Baylor was 5-6 that year)
Stanford (Loss)
Miami (Loss)

1994- 3-0
Wisconsin (Win) (Wisconsin was 8-3-1 that year)
Michigan (Win) (Michigan was 8-4 that year)
Texas (Win) (Texas was 8-4 that year)


Other than three really good years, McCartney's teams were not that good in the non-conference games against what are today BCS teams.

Colorado's schedule is overloaded. It has been for most of the past twenty years. That was a good strategy twenty years ago, when there wasn't that much competition in the conference, and you knew that even with a 8-3 record, if you won the conference you would be playing in a big bowl game, potentially with national championship ramifications. In the BCS age, scheduling that way is foolish, because as soon as you lose a game, you're out of contention.

 

[Deleted member 807]

They talk about all the exposure we'd get if we would upset one of those schools, we did it once, beat #6 K-State in Manhattan, got some nice exposure, but we got nothing in the way that Utah and Boise got, or even Hawaii, for playing in a BCS Bowl.

One of the benefits of the B12 is that the conference champion gets an automatic BCS birth.

So basically the OOC record only matters for nMC aspirations. A loss to one or all four OCC opponents does not automatically disqualify conference members from BCS money. And then there is revenue sharing...

I find the 'business' arguement just a little cynical. The fans will fill Folsom when there is a quality product on the field. Although CU gets the extra home game, it's against a team from a lesser conference with a history of punking the Buffs.

Will Folsom sell out both Bulldog games? It's not guaranteed.

The Alumni interest in LSU goes beyond W-L, or being 'scared'. The alumni want a unique sporting experience that LSU is uniquely positioned to provide.

In marketing terms, the 2-1 series with Fresno dilutes the Folsom experience and the CU brand by offering up an opponent that many fans just can't get excited about. Think New Mexico State, Montana State, or Miami (OH). In business, you have to put the customers first. An extra home game against a dangerous, but ho-hum team.

IMO, this scheduling decission takes the fans for granted, and fails to deliver an opponent that TV viewers and fans care about. It puts Boulder businesses and CU concessions above the type of emotional matchup that fans crave.

It also looks like CU is ducking LSU and renigging on a much anticipated trip to Tiger Stadium when Hawk's team should be peaking.

A better compromise might have been Ole Miss, where CU fans could get a taste of SEC tradition. But Fresno? Yuck.

 

[CarolinaBuff]

Unfortunately Coach Mac hasn't coached in almost 15 years, the game has changed so much since then. College football is now a business more than anything, unlike it was back in '94 when he left. It was just starting in that direction, but nothing like it is today. You have to run it like a business, you can't let emotions get in the way. Yeah it would be great to play LSU, knock them off and get some national recognition, but it's better to schedule a team you should beat, where you get two home games.

You can say college football is a bigger business these days because schools are making more and spending more because of increased costs and facility upgrades which have become commonplace, but it was still a business back in '94.

 

[Lt.Col.FrankSlade]

You can say college football is a bigger business these days because schools are making more and spending more because of increased costs and facility upgrades which have become commonplace, but it was still a business back in '94.

Sure, it was a business in '94. But no football coaches were getting paid $1mil back in 1994, let alone $4 mil like some are getting paid today.

 

[sackman]

CSU, Hawaii, Fresno and Cal.

A gimme, two tough games against mid-majors, and a high profile game against a BCS team, probably on national TV.

In fact, it's probable that all of those games will be televised.

Stop yer whinin. That's a good schedule.

 

[Deleted member 807]

CSU, Hawaii, Fresno and Cal.

Stop yer whinin. That's a good schedule.

It's a good schedule for the University of California at Boulder. But completely falls off the radarscope east of the Colorado state line.

 

[Chilly]

I would have like us to keep LSU on the schedule. Would have made for a great game and road trip. 2011 and 2012 teams will have a lot of experienced talent on them and LSU would have been a great team to go out and prove ourselves against.

 

[sackman]

It's a good schedule for the University of California at Boulder. But completely falls off the radarscope east of the Colorado state line.

And after the OOC, we play a regular conference schedule that will have far more interest for folks east of the state line. Although I really don't care one way or another about the people in Kansas.

Take a more practical look at this and I think you'll see that this isn't a big deal. OOC schedules are often made up of regional matchups with non-conference opponents. Oklahoma plays North Texas and Tulsa and TCU, for example, and will often sprinkle in a team like UCLA or Oregon or Alabama. That's all that is happening here. We've sprinkled in Cal.

We've had this discussion lots of times, but the general concensus is that we'd prefer to have a patsy, a couple mid majors, and a big time opponent in the OOC. That's exactly what we have here. Geography aside, it's a good schedule.

 

[chipwich]

I would have like us to keep LSU on the schedule. Would have made for a great game and road trip. 2011 and 2012 teams will have a lot of experienced talent on them and LSU would have been a great team to go out and prove ourselves against.

Who knows, maybe we will wind up playing LSU in the MNC game :smile2:

 

[LongHaulBuff]

Sounds like too much chest thumping going on around here. Let's crawl before we walk. Scheduling USC, LSU, Ohio ST and for our gimme game.... Florida. Starting out the season 1-3 or 0-4 does not put you on the map, it makes you the x on the map BURIED. Schedule like this and hoping for 2-2 is stupid. Yeah, you get on tv but what does that matter if your losing the games. This schedule is a good one. Why should we play top 10 teams every week and our competition play mid-major and bums. I'm all for a good schedule just not one that has our season over and done with before it starts.

 

[77buff]

Smart is what smart does.

To me, it looks like CU bailed on one of the most attractive dates on the 2011 schedule for a chance to go out locally with kjuco state's cast-off.

Why would you spurn a date with Jessica Simpson in Bayou country in exhange for a blind date at the local Applebee's.

I know. I know. There are three major arguements here.
- Money. An extra game in boulder = more immediate cash.
- Coming out of the OOC with a better than 2-2 record.
- Fan experience.

I just have seen the Fresno movie before. I doubt the sequel will be any better than the 2001 original. And we play them three times. Boring. I'd rather see AFA three times.

There are few memories more cherished by buff fans than beating Michigan in the Big House. LSU at Tiger Stadium has that kind of aura. CU wins in Baton Rouge, the money takes care of itself.

That's a great post, you really understand what a rare and wounderful experience CU is passing up to play a pure vanilla generic game in a town that looks like just another Wall Mart. How many CU fans would want to give up the Michigan memory. Sure, LSU is the heavyweight champion of the world, but on any given night, even the champ hits the canvas. We gave up a trip to the France of the US for a ride at Wallyworld!

 

[LongHaulBuff]

That's a great post, you really understand what a rare and wounderful experience CU is passing up to play a pure vanilla generic game in a town that looks like just another Wall Mart. How many CU fans would want to give up the Michigan memory. Sure, LSU is the heavyweight champion of the world, but on any given night, even the champ hits the canvas. We gave up a trip to the France of the US for a ride at Wallyworld!

We gave up a hope and a prayer for a game vs a team that is known for causing havoc and a lot better chance of winning. Beating Fresno St is better than losing in a nice setting. :wtf:

 

[66BUFF]

this thread hurts my head

 

[Daaah]

We gave up a hope and a prayer for a game vs a team that is known for causing havoc and a lot better chance of winning. Beating Fresno St is better than losing in a nice setting. :wtf:

Come on man. I'm not that scared of teams like LSU. Bring 'em on.

 

[buffsyko]

Some of you think playing LSU gives a more exposure and so on by playing these tough schedules? Let me ask you, how many times did ESPN talk about cu's tough schedule or schedules in recent years?

How many times has CU LOST these games and afterward, a horde of college football types around the country went gaga over cu playing said team and losing?

You want to play the LSU'S,GEORGIA'S and ASU'S fine, but start winning SOME of them or it means jack $hit. You keep losing to them and what does it prove and what toll does it take?

Bring on LSU,make sure you win the other game against cal.

All these fans talking about national championship are fooling themselves, not gonna happen playing these schedules.

Just win, stop losing these games because it means nothing to go to louisiana,lose by 5 td's and say it was great because we got exposure in the east had a nice setting and tailgate for the game.

Yipee

 

[Deleted member 807]

And after the OOC, we play a regular conference schedule that will have far more interest for folks east of the state line. Although I really don't care one way or another about the people in Kansas.

We've had this discussion lots of times, but the general concensus is that we'd prefer to have a patsy, a couple mid majors, and a big time opponent in the OOC. That's exactly what we have here. Geography aside, it's a good schedule.

We? Consensus? Is that a mouse in your pocket?

If the arguement is for a patsy, a couple of mid-majors and a big time, then you are right. The 2011 schedule is that. I can't wait for Hawaii, and that's a dream game on the road. I'm saving up now for a trip to the islands.

But there are an other important couple of points. 1) There are plenty of other mid majors out there besides Fresno. Here's a list that has geography and/or tradition that is a vast improvement over Fresno: San Diego State, UNLV, Boise State, Tulane, Old Miss, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Rutgers, Navy, AFA, Army, South Carolina, Maryland or Duke? There are dozens of others more appealing than Fresno.

Point two: LSU and Baton Rouge has a unique and special atmosphere. IMO, Tiger Stadium is the most appealing away location in the land. Put this one ahead of USC, Notre Dame, Happy Valley, tOSU, or anywhere! As a fan of college football, there are some places that are the holy grail. Catching CU at LSU is one of those once in a lifetime experiences that is special. It was dangling before us, and then yanked away with an hollow pledge to reconsider at some vague point in the future. Then it is being rationalized away with myopic arguements relating to some 'consensus' ideal OCC formula for success and a sketchy 'business' reason that sorta makes CU appear as cheap, scared or desperate.

Bohn and whoever else can serve up Fresno State for a 2-1 instead of LSU and call it steak. But it looks more like hamburger helper to me.

Rationalize away.

 

[Duff Man]

But there are an other important couple of points. 1) There are plenty of other mid majors out there besides Fresno. Here's a list that has geography and/or tradition that is a vast improvement over Fresno: San Diego State, UNLV, Boise State, Tulane, Old Miss, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Rutgers, Navy, AFA, Army, South Carolina, Maryland or Duke? There are dozens of others more appealing than Fresno.

Half the teams you mentioned are not mid-majors. Duke? Vanderbilt? Come on.

Point two: LSU and Baton Rouge has a unique and special atmosphere. IMO, Tiger Stadium is the most appealing away location in the land. Put this one ahead of USC, Notre Dame, Happy Valley, tOSU, or anywhere! As a fan of college football, there are some places that are the holy grail. Catching CU at LSU is one of those once in a lifetime experiences that is special. It was dangling before us, and then yanked away with an hollow pledge to reconsider at some vague point in the future. Then it is being rationalized away with myopic arguements relating to some 'consensus' ideal OCC formula for success and a sketchy 'business' reason that sorta makes CU appear as cheap, scared or desperate.

You're right. CU should not be worried about making more money off of home games. It's more important that some diehard fans really want to go to LSU.:lol: Why is the CU AD so worried about making money? We're absolutely rolling in the stuff!

Bohn was hampered some by ASU changing future game dates as well. You can call it rationalizing, but it's not like Bohn had an easy decision to make here. There are plenty of great dates on the future schedule (and LSU just might end up being on there). There will be more good teams added.