I believe he was referring to “true road games” as opposed to the whole neutral field big game. There is a big difference between the two, and as long as the pollsters don’t see a need for Alabama to play an OOC game on their opponent’s home field, I doubt they are worried about what any of us think.
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FCS schools usually have no impact on SOS. Almost every team plays an FCS school and one FCS school isn’t treated any differently than another when it comes time to select for the NY6. SEC schedules FCS every year and it has no impact on them.
As far as looking for other venues, the choices were limited. Biggest problem was having to play at multiple venues which Coach Sampson preferred not to do. Due to that, the only real choices were TSU and the Toyota Center. Toyota Center was a little more money and we still would have had to play many games elsewhere. TSU then offered us their arena for basically the cost of a football game at our place. Considering that our AD needs to save money, this was the best option.
It’s one game. TSU will bring a lot more fans than Rice did. We pay them back for doing something nice for us. If you remember the issues in 2013 with the football team, this worked out well for us.
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I have nothing against TSU I’m just thinking about the next time we have a perfect storm like we did last year playing and beating decisively 2 top 5 teams. Wouldn’t it be sick to have that opportunity again and be denied a shot at the title because we had an FCS team on the schedule?
Respectfully disagree. To be a blue blood, you gotta weigh reality and act as much as a blue blood as is possible.
Agreeing for a one and done at anyone’s place is not anything a blue blood would ever consider, nor should we. It’d be like a guy from West U saying he should be honored that the River Oaks guy is letting him mow his lawn. Our lawn mowing days are behind us…hopefully.
Go check how often the University of Florida goes on the road for OOC games. Hardly ever over the last 20 years. The SEC is pretty good at stacking the scheduling deck in their favor and then getting into an echo chamber by playing each other.
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Right, playing Florida State and USC away from home is stacking the deck in your favor. I won’t argue the road game vs the neutral site issue as that is splitting hairs in my opinion. You have travel to get there, it’s not even in the same State and you don’t have a home field advantage so it’s a road game.
You can hate the SEC all you want but they have got it going on more than any other conference in college football. We should be so lucky as to be part of it.
The is a massive difference between going to a neutral site and playing a team in a hostile environment. Just ask Louisville.
This is a way teams like Bama and Florida help keep large upsets from happening against them as frequently.
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ummm So you think it was blackmail when we offered to lower Herman’s buyout if UT did a one and one with us in football and basketball?
I think the best example of that is UT’s deals with Rice. UT can’t use the excuse that Rice’s stadium isn’t big enough. They pay Rice to play in Reliant so it gives them a chance to showcase in the Houston area and lower the risk of a major upset.
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It’s nice of UT to pay Rice for playing in Reliant. I think the real reason is that the UT folks don’t like sitting on the bleachers. Since 1963, Rice is 2-42 vs UT, so I don’t think they are too concerned about an upset, even in a bad year.
Giving UT’s record in home games and neutral site games doesn’t make your argument anymore valid. How about just paying attention to the last few times UT played in Rice stadium because it was part of their conference schedule, since those would have the heaviest weight in deciding not to play there voluntarily.
9/27/1997 @ Rice (7-4) W 38 31
10/16/1994 @ Rice (5-6) L 17 19
10/3/1992 @ Rice (6-5) W 23 21
10/6/1990 @ Rice (5-6) W 26 10
10/1/1988 @ Rice (0-11) W 20 13
10/4/1986 @ Rice (4-7) W 17 14
A lot of close calls and a loss. Not a coincidence that the last time UT played at Rice, it was the first time Rice had back to back 7 win seasons since 1961. If comfortable seating was part of the equation, shouldn’t the Texas games get played in the Alamodome?
No joke, abundantly more.
No doubt.
So UT is scared to play Rice at home and they quit playing Rice at home because they thought they were getting good. That’s funny. I love it. The seats part of my post was supposed to be funny, but I’m no good at being funny so I’ll just quit it.
I was there when we last played TSU. It was a joke of a game on a miserably cold and wet day.
Playing TSU will be little more than a glorified scrimmage. Won’t be close. Starters will only play the first half, or less.
Also, based on our last meeting, there will be FEW TSU fans in the stadium, though they might have a good band.
If we have to play an FCS opponent, I’d prefer it to be TSU or another local team. It benefits the community.
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We often have UH fans wanting more support from the local community but sometimes we fall short of doing the same.
They did lose at Rice and came damn close several other times just before changing venues. You make it sound like that just doesn’t happen. On top of that, your best explanation for not playing in Rice Stadium is the comfort of the seating. Exactly how many chair-backs do you think UT’s stadium has? Our fans think losing one game in five to Rice is inexcusable. How do you think UT’s fans feel about ever losing to Rice?
Texas doesnt play Rice at home because Rice Stadium is a miserable run down dump that has lost many seats and refuses to repair others…a mere shadow of the stadium’s glory days at 70,000…Reliant allows more Texas fans to enjoy the game in a comfortable venue…
I didn’t realize our game against Rice next year was in Reliant.
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