Thanks, sark.
This for sure. Our core is less than 20k and building but hopefully we can hurry ups the exponential growth.
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Our fan base would explode to huge numbers if we were invited to the SEC or any other P5 conference. We would sell out EVERY home game.
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Maybe…remember that the SEC has teams like Vanderbilt and Kentucky that probably wouldn’t draw well here. Vandy player here two years ago and it was one of our lowest attended games that year. Mississippi State also played at Robertson and we didn’t sell out for them.
Houston fans have always been fickle, even when we were in the SWC. They come if we win…if not, they find excuses not to be there. Sort of fits the mold for the city as a whole when looking at all sports teams.
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I’m glad you mentioned Vanderbilt. Their own home stadium was about half full for most of their games last year. They may have had one sellout. I’m not sure there’s any reason to expect them to draw a sellout on the road.
If Vandy had been a conference game the attendance would have been greater.
Taking out the students, I think we are right around 20K which is much higher than just a few years ago. Wished I could make this number 40 K. Then you would been having real discussions about stadium expansion and there will be little question of us going to a P5 conference.
I have no doubt that the stadium build has helped with attendance. Not the base attendance increase we would like but an increase. The involvement of the student body will slowly increase the base as well.
I agree with your statement above. The problem is we have a fan base that wants to see who we play and not just support the program for the program. We built the stadium as a requirement to get in the Big East and on the premise that if built they will come. P5 conferences are not necessarily going to come on a presumption. We need to prove it. And in a couple of cases, we have not as Pray10 has pointed out.
It is why we look and hope for a P5 bid from the PAC (they need better access to the networks and the east media) or a Big 12 without Texas. If we could improve our attendance significantly, we would then be a potential target for all P5 conferences.
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You definitely see more UH hats and shirts around town.
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This is a very true statement and I give a lot of credit to our Chancellor for this. Now, we need to get them to take the next step and start showing up at school events in large numbers.
Note: This is not just Athletic events which of course I am passionate about and want to make us a lock for a better conference. But there are great concert events put on by the music department and plays put on by the Fine Arts department.
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That is why Briles coming in here is a threat to every Texas based small12 program. We are going to run an explosive offense. Every player is going to want to be a part of it. Players know that we can dominate the AAC and be on a New Year’s Bowl. Our offense alone (gotta succeed first) will be a must on TV. That is also why uta and atm did everything (did well) to kill the Run N Shoot. Without our probation I am 100% convinced that we would have had a few National Championships.
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But having games like Bama and LSU increase season ticket sales because you don’t want to get shut out. Higher season ticket sales increases probability of selling out those UK and Vandy games
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The ACC adding Notre Dame in the football mix would need one more school. Houston would fit nice at 16.
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Very true
So why hasn’t the SEC gone after FSU or Miami??? Florida is a big state too.
The SEC would never add us even if we had fan support like UT…because we would have the advantage of being in HOUSTON. We would never have to leave the city to recruit and would DOMINATE that conference, overtaking ALABAMA. Everyone saw what we did to OU, Florida State, and Louisville and the difference what ONE 5 STAR RECRUIT DID FOR HOUSTON…Can you imagine what a whole team of 5 stars would do for UH??!
Do you think we could sell out a UH-ND game? How about UNC, FSU, NC State, Clemson, GT, Duke, BC, Va Tech, etc. I know the basketball attendance would surely pick up.
Not sure if this is sarcasm
Notre Dame? FSU? Clemson? Those are easy sellouts…
I think it’s more about money than recruiting.
It was not so much sarcasm as being facetious. I certainly would expect SRO crowds for ND, Clemson, FSU, and sellouts for GT, Va. Tech, and sellouts or near sellouts for the rest.