Conference Strengths – A Different Slant

[EverettGriz]

For any who played the game of football at the college level or is truly close to it, the playoffs are very exciting and a big accomplishment. it's exciting for many who never played the game at any level.

So exciting that one would think the games would attract decent attendance. But...

Precisely.

Look, I hate that every 6-6 team makes a bowl game. But when the bowl games involving those 6-6 teams are mocked by fcs fans, yet outdraw the fcs semifinal games by a factor of four, you have to wonder who, exactly, should be mocked.

 

[SubGriz]

For any who played the game of football at the college level or is truly close to it, the playoffs are very exciting and a big accomplishment. it's exciting for many who never played the game at any level.

So exciting that one would think the games would attract decent attendance. But...

Precisely.

Look, I hate that every 6-6 team makes a bowl game. But when the bowl games involving those 6-6 teams are mocked by fcs fans, yet outdraw the fcs semifinal games by a factor of four, you have to wonder who, exactly, should be mocked.

Why? Those 6-6 teams are FBS; they're larger schools with (generally) accordingly larger fanbases. On top of that, the nature of the playoffs means that fans are only going to have a week to plan a trip to the semifinals. Bowl game invites this year were announced on December 8th, and the venue and dates of the games themselves are known even farther out than that.

Take Griz-Cats, for example. I'm strongly considering scheduling a trip home on leave to attend that game. On the other hand, if the Griz were headed to Frisco, there's no way I'd be able to pull together hotel accommodations, airfare, and a leave chit on the timetable required.

 

[IdaGriz01]

... the nature of the playoffs means that fans are only going to have a week to plan a trip to the semifinals. Bowl game invites this year were announced on December 8th, and the venue and dates of the games themselves are known even farther out than that.

Take Griz-Cats, for example. I'm strongly considering scheduling a trip home on leave to attend that game. On the other hand, if the Griz were headed to Frisco, there's no way I'd be able to pull together hotel accommodations, airfare, and a leave chit on the timetable required.

Exactamundo! Travel arrangements are a major impediment to high attendance for the FCS playoffs (even discounting the generally smaller fan bases). And it's not just the semifinals ... it's most of the games until the Nattie in Frisco. The fans of the seeded teams get a whole extra week before their first game, but that's it. For alumni who are far from their institutions, even two weeks is pushing it.

But aside from that, every playoff game happens with one-week notice. Even if the NCAA committee succeeds with their 400-mile guideline, fans of the visiting team have a week (sometimes a day less) to arrange time off to drive, figure out where they can stay, and hope to reserve their rooms at a reasonable rate. And let’s not overlook the fact that the first-round games usually compete with Thanksgiving travel.

I suspect the travel problem may be at least one factor in keeping the FBS from expanding their so-called playoff. They’d run into the same tight schedules, whereas fans of the four teams in the present system had several weeks to get ready.

 

[AZGrizFan]

... the nature of the playoffs means that fans are only going to have a week to plan a trip to the semifinals. Bowl game invites this year were announced on December 8th, and the venue and dates of the games themselves are known even farther out than that.

Take Griz-Cats, for example. I'm strongly considering scheduling a trip home on leave to attend that game. On the other hand, if the Griz were headed to Frisco, there's no way I'd be able to pull together hotel accommodations, airfare, and a leave chit on the timetable required.

Unless you’re underway, hasn’t your command ever heard of basket leave? Make the reservations, buy the tickets, and if they DON’T make, it, you just don’t execute the leave chit. Simple, really. You don’t get charged until you actually go anyways. Unless your patrol rotation conflicts, in which case you weren’t going regardless... :lol:

 

[SubGriz]

... the nature of the playoffs means that fans are only going to have a week to plan a trip to the semifinals. Bowl game invites this year were announced on December 8th, and the venue and dates of the games themselves are known even farther out than that.

Take Griz-Cats, for example. I'm strongly considering scheduling a trip home on leave to attend that game. On the other hand, if the Griz were headed to Frisco, there's no way I'd be able to pull together hotel accommodations, airfare, and a leave chit on the timetable required.

Unless you’re underway, hasn’t your command ever heard of basket leave? Make the reservations, buy the tickets, and if they DON’T make, it, you just don’t execute the leave chit. Simple, really. You don’t get charged until you actually go anyways. Unless your patrol rotation conflicts, in which case you weren’t going regardless... :lol:

Hahaha, you do raise a valid point; the big stumbling block is the airfare. It's all do-able, but it's a lot of logistics. Compare that to the Hawaii Bowl, which goes down a mile or two from my house and I can buy tickets months ahead of time, and it becomes obvious why the Aloha Toilet Bowl (now featuring TWO teams with winning records!!) would beat out the FCS semifinals for attendance.

 

[AZGrizFan]

... the nature of the playoffs means that fans are only going to have a week to plan a trip to the semifinals. Bowl game invites this year were announced on December 8th, and the venue and dates of the games themselves are known even farther out than that.

Take Griz-Cats, for example. I'm strongly considering scheduling a trip home on leave to attend that game. On the other hand, if the Griz were headed to Frisco, there's no way I'd be able to pull together hotel accommodations, airfare, and a leave chit on the timetable required.

Unless you’re underway, hasn’t your command ever heard of basket leave? Make the reservations, buy the tickets, and if they DON’T make, it, you just don’t execute the leave chit. Simple, really. You don’t get charged until you actually go anyways. Unless your patrol rotation conflicts, in which case you weren’t going regardless... :lol:

Hahaha, you do raise a valid point; the big stumbling block is the airfare. It's all do-able, but it's a lot of logistics. Compare that to the Hawaii Bowl, which goes down a mile or two from my house and I can buy tickets months ahead of time, and it becomes obvious why the Aloha Toilet Bowl (now featuring TWO teams with winning records!!) would beat out the FCS semifinals for attendance.

Well being stationed in Hawaii DOES put a damper on travel arrangements.

 

[SubGriz]

Well being stationed in Hawaii DOES put a damper on travel arrangements.

That it does. I'm looking forward to retirement and getting off this island. I don't really like living here, and the worst part about it is that no one will feel sorry for you for being stuck here! Lol

 

[AZGrizFan]

Well being stationed in Hawaii DOES put a damper on travel arrangements.

That it does. I'm looking forward to retirement and getting off this island. I don't really like living here, and the worst part about it is that no one will feel sorry for you for being stuck here! Lol

Went there 5/6 times on my ship. Hated it. Like a fucking ant hill. Would never want to live there permanently.

 

[SubGriz]

Went there 5/6 times on my ship. Hated it. Like a f***[*] ant hill. Would never want to live there permanently.

"Anthill" is exactly the word I use to describe it, too. Awful. But I guess at least the weather is nice, if you like it hot.

 

[IdaGriz01]

Went there 5/6 times on my ship. Hated it. Like a f***[*] ant hill. Would never want to live there permanently.

"Anthill" is exactly the word I use to describe it, too. Awful. But I guess at least the weather is nice, if you like it hot.

Been awhile, but the islands used to be one of our favorite winter vacation spots. But even well over a decade ago, we hardly ever stayed more than a night on the island where we landed from the mainland -- Oahu or Maui. (Been some time ... Do mainland flight still go to/from Maui?) Swarms of people and too much traffic. Our favorite destination was Molokai, where we could rent a condo pretty cheap, and just kick back. Feel an urge to shop? (God forbid.) Ferry to Maui took care of that.

 

[SubGriz]

Went there 5/6 times on my ship. Hated it. Like a f***[*] ant hill. Would never want to live there permanently.

"Anthill" is exactly the word I use to describe it, too. Awful. But I guess at least the weather is nice, if you like it hot.

Been awhile, but the islands used to be one of our favorite winter vacation spots. But even well over a decade ago, we hardly ever stayed more than a night on the island where we landed from the mainland -- Oahu or Maui. (Been some time ... Do mainland flight still go to/from Maui?) Swarms of people and too much traffic. Our favorite destination was Molokai, where we could rent a condo pretty cheap, and just kick back. Feel an urge to shop? (God forbid.) Ferry to Maui took care of that.

Oahu is the ant pile. There's direct flights to Maui and Kauai now, so a lot of people bypass Oahu and go to one of those. Either is far better than Oahu, which is basically a city that covers a whole island. Much as I like having friends visit, if they ask me, I tell them to visit one of the other islands. Once you've seen the Arizona Memorial, USS Missouri, et al, there's not much reason to come to Oahu unless you like crowds, traffic, and think you're not paying enough for your hotel room on one of the other islands. Lol

 

[CDAGRIZ]

Went there 5/6 times on my ship. Hated it. Like a f***[*] ant hill. Would never want to live there permanently.

"Anthill" is exactly the word I use to describe it, too. Awful. But I guess at least the weather is nice, if you like it hot.

Been awhile, but the islands used to be one of our favorite winter vacation spots. But even well over a decade ago, we hardly ever stayed more than a night on the island where we landed from the mainland -- Oahu or Maui. (Been some time ... Do mainland flight still go to/from Maui?) Swarms of people and too much traffic. Our favorite destination was Molokai, where we could rent a condo pretty cheap, and just kick back. Feel an urge to shop? (God forbid.) Ferry to Maui took care of that.

Oahu is the ant pile. There's direct flights to Maui and Kauai now, so a lot of people bypass Oahu and go to one of those. Either is far better than Oahu, which is basically a city that covers a whole island. Much as I like having friends visit, if they ask me, I tell them to visit one of the other islands. Once you've seen the Arizona Memorial, USS Missouri, et al, there's not much reason to come to Oahu unless you like crowds, traffic, and think you're not paying enough for your hotel room on one of the other islands. Lol

I’ve long thought that Ni’ihau would be the best, but I’ve never been there.

 

[SubGriz]

I’ve long thought that Ni’ihau would be the best, but I’ve never been there.

Especially if you own it! But yeah, an island with a population of less than 200 would be pretty sweet.

 

[PlayerRep]

For any who played the game of football at the college level or is truly close to it, the playoffs are very exciting and a big accomplishment. it's exciting for many who never played the game at any level.

So exciting that one would think the games would attract decent attendance. But...

Precisely.

Look, I hate that every 6-6 team makes a bowl game. But when the bowl games involving those 6-6 teams are mocked by fcs fans, yet outdraw the fcs semifinal games by a factor of four, you have to wonder who, exactly, should be mocked.

I don't judge success, championships and playoff advancement/wins, by attendance or tv ratings. Big crowds, tv watching and big press are nice, but that's not what it's about for me.

To me, the success, the joy, the thrill, and the sense of accomplishment and pride come from the wins, playoff advancement and championships. Both for the players and fans. For those who follow the teams and programs from afar.

Whether it's FCS, D-II, D-III or NAIA, I love the playoffs. I like high school football playoffs and basketball tournaments. I don't care about the attendance or tv coverage. It's the games. It's the competition. It's the winning. It's the socializing.

Some lower level bowl game, or bowl game in some not so great location, does nothing for me. I have gone to some playoff games on the road, and went to Chattanooga multiple times, but I wouldn't follow the Griz to a bowl game in Boise, or El Paso.

My view is why should anyone be mocked?