OSU @ Toledo - In Cleveland
Glad to hear that we are going to be doing a home and home with another BCS team according to RR. I also caught part of the Tressel's presser and noticed that their Toledo game is technically an away game this year... Since they are playing at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Seemed interesting and this article breaks down the setup well.
http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2009/03/donation_rule_will_mean_…
It seems like neutral site games are becoming more popular with teams like Illinois and maybe now OSU. Is there any opponent or venue that really makes sense for UofM? Ford Field is smaller and the atmosphere would suck...Any thoughts on one that might make sense?
Lol @ the thought of OSU/Toledo in Cleveland being a neutral site.
but at least they control the tickets and make the cash on it... Suprised this deal wasn't cut to Youngstown.
You used "cut" and "Youngstown" in the same sentence. Very subtle, but I caught it.
OSU at Toledo isn't really a home game for Toledo anyway. Ask any U-T student who he's actually rooting for. Likewise for UC, Ohio, Miami (not that Miami), etc.
theres a pretty good amount of Michigan fans that go here...theres plenty of us that are rooting for UT...now are we mad enough to go root for them openly in front of a mixture of Browns-OSU fans? I dont wanna get beat up so probably not.
the New York area (maybe Giants Stadium) because there are a ton of alumni/ fans in the metro NY area and solid recruits in the area. There would be no advantage of playing in Ford field for Michigan.
OSU gets a more positive perception and caters to the Cincy fans by playing there. That's a smart move by them.
Playing in NY which is across the country would not sell out IMO unless we played Rutgers in which case that would be there "home" game.
I wouldn't call this a neutral site game. OSU did this to cater to their fans in cleveland. It happened a few years ago in Cincinnati as well. The population of Ohio is spread between the three C's and OSU dominates the market in all of them. This is a way for OSU to help out another state school and make an appearance in one of Ohio's other cities.
The only sensical location would be Chicago, but M already goes there every other year. I wouldn't count on this happening in the future, since there are no notable venues in Michigan outside the Detroit area where one of the directionals could host a game.
For the love of Christ, stay the hell away from anything bearing the putrid taint of William Clay Ford.
Amen brother. The only place M should play a neutral game at is a bowl game.
what about Bill Ford Sr.'s taint?
If Michigan is playing a non-BCS opponent on the road, the possibilities for a neutral site game are nearly limitless. We could play Ball State in Indianapolis, for example.
Just to clarify since some people seem to not have this right, but this is a "home" game for Toledo. Toledo, and not OSU, controlled the tickets to this game. Toledo is paying a rental fee for the stadium and gets the ticket revenue -- it's going to make them about as much for just this one game as they took in for their entire home slate last season. I think OSU gets a cut of it, but Toledo is getting the bulk of it. It's basically the same thing as Western did for their game against Illinois last year, I believe.
Michigan won't be playing any games like this because they're not going to play an "away" game against any MAC school. OSU does this every few years against an in-state school because regardless of who the "home" team is, OSU fans dominate the stadium and so it may as well be an OSU home game anyway, while it allows another in-state school to reap a windfall.
OSU does this every few years against an in-state school because regardless of who the "home" team is, OSU fans dominate the stadium and so it may as well be an OSU home game anyway, while it allows another in-state school to reap a windfall.
It's not just generosity on OSU's part. I can't find a link for this, but I'm under the impression that the legislature in Ohio has actually mandated that OSU play an away game against one other D-1A school in the state of Ohio each year. I know they've done so every year since 1997. Can anyone else back this up?
I know they play a local MAC school (or Cincy) all the time, but an away game every year? That doesn't sound right.
Wouldn't make sense anywhere....I'd rather see us play all of our home games at the big house.
I do want us to go on the road against a tough SEC foe.
FSU has done this several time... I think they got Duke to move a game to Jacksonville a few years back.
Michigan should only play at Michigan Stadium if they are having a home game. Any neutral site games are incredibly stupid ideas if it costs M a home game. It makes 0 sense for revenue and almost 0 sense for any other reason you try to make up. The only way I'd support M playing at a neutral site was if the team they were playing wanted to give up their "home" game and put it at a different location. I feel that this is how most people feel, agreed?
OSU Did this because Toledo said "We'd like a return game, please", and OSU said, "Well, we have fans in Cleveland, it's only two hours away for you, and it'll seat all of our fans. We'll play a return game... but not at your place."
An away game…that’s funny. Everybody I know from Cleveland worships ohio state even more than they love the Browns. Basically other than the revenue this is still a home game for them.
We could play an away game at a neutral site, like for example, Okie State in Arlington like Oklahoma is going to this year.
Coming from the Oklahoma/Texas perspective, the neutral site thing is pretty damn cool. Every year, thousands of fans from each school come to Dallas. There are organized parties, golf games, etc. starting on Wednesday lasting thought Saturday night.
At the game, the stadium is split down the 50. Half burnt orange, half blood red (or whatever color OK is). No one sits, everyone yells and it's borderline crazy. It's one of the best atmosphere's i've been in. I wouldn't be opposed for Michigan to try putting something like that together once and a while with Michigan State or Penn State.
Crimson
and I respectfully decline your offer to play MSU or PSU at a neutral site; it's not part of the history like OU-UT is.
I remember reading something similar to this (I believe in SI) a few years back, though it was referring to Sun Belt teams. It said that among lower-profile programs, OOC games vs. big-time opponents at neutral sites because they allow the lower-tier teams to claim the entire stadium as "home attendance" when in reality the vast majority of fans at the game are likely there to support the bigger program. This allows some teams to skirt the NCAA's minimum attendance requirements to remain as a 1-A/FBS program, which is computed as an average attendance for all "Home" games in a season. Even though Toledo is probably not in danger of violating this, 70,000 OSU fans in Cleveland will certainly help drive up their average.
ALSO: I propose that neutral-site games for M be classified in the same category as maize jerseys and night games. I don't think we are in a situation where such games would make any sense.
They decided to play the game in Cleveland just to keep Boren from eating too many Tony Packos hot dogs.
I think we can all agree that while these games work for teams with fan bases in major cities other than their hometown (ie Ohio State, Kansas, Florida St.), It doesn't work for M. Our stadium is already in the area of our largest fanbase, unlike these schools. A game in NY may make sense, but would have to take place against a Rutgers or other local school. Don't count on this ever happening in the future.
with a team that is too good/big to play at the Big House without reciprocation, is close geographically, but doesn't have a stadium big enough to meet demand. I'm just wondering who that would be. Ideas?