So the fact that MSU returns literally everyone except two people who had playing time on a Final Four team, plus one of the top recruiting classes in the country, means the Spartans should not be a Top 5 team? How does that make sense in any reality? We have had the least attrition and highest addition of about any team in the country. We also "just barely" made the Final Four without our best player/floor leader, and with our best defender either missing time or playing with a sprained foot and our starting power forward playing with a TORN meniscus.
Also, your argument that we "barely" beat easy teams (which is a false premise in and of itself) swings both ways. By your logic, the fact that we barely lost to Butler, who then barely lost to Duke, means that we were barely not National Champions.
This is why FAU made a monumental F-up with their choice of venues. They saw the Final Four and thought that their team could pull in fans because of that. I honestly don't think UM would sell out Ford Field with those same ticket prices against the same opponent. Call me crazy, but the economy is bad. Would you pull in more fans? Probably. I'm just saying that this isn't on MSU. This was FAU's rodeo from the get-go, and they screwed it up.
Were those tickets $60-90 for any lower-bowl seats between the end-zone? No. Guarantee they were not. The sheer amount of people that MSU brought to the Final Four in Detroit, and the fact that a ton of tickets were sold for the UNC game there earlier that year proves that there is a Spartan fanbase there. The FAU AD is the one who shit the bed with those outrageous ticket prices for a crappy game against a team who hasn't beaten anyone of note in their entire history. As far as the OSU example you use, I seem to remember Toledo having a big win or two over the last couple years...
This is exactly it. This game is a "home" game for FAU, because they didn't complete their stadium on time and had to find a different venue. They chose Ford Field because they thought they could pull in more revenue from Spartan fans than they would trying to rent a place like the Orange Bowl and market it to their fan base there. That is a good strategy prima facia, but where they screwed the pooch was trying to make an extra buck by driving up ticket prices. Nobody wants to pay $90 for lower bowl tickets, plus parking, plus conscessions to watch MSU play a crappy Sun Belt team, especially when their first five games, I believe, are in the state of Michigan. Their AD said he got the idea from watching MSU fans pack Ford Field for the Final Four, and is now trying to blame MSU fans for the poor showing when he is the one who set the outrageous ticket prices. What he didn't think is that watching what will essentially be an exhibition football game is nowhere near the Final Four.
...with his best player out for the season, his other starting guard playing at 50%, and his starting power forward playing while barely able to walk. I'd say that is pretty impressive. Also, three of his top four players today were in foul trouble for pretty much the entire second half.
I'm just saying...
No women were hit. That was as untrue as the ski masks. Most of the players involved have transferred or been kicked off the team. Two or three who were reinstated are going through a program to have their records expunged...much like Demar Dorsey did.
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So the fact that MSU returns literally everyone except two people who had playing time on a Final Four team, plus one of the top recruiting classes in the country, means the Spartans should not be a Top 5 team? How does that make sense in any reality? We have had the least attrition and highest addition of about any team in the country. We also "just barely" made the Final Four without our best player/floor leader, and with our best defender either missing time or playing with a sprained foot and our starting power forward playing with a TORN meniscus.
Also, your argument that we "barely" beat easy teams (which is a false premise in and of itself) swings both ways. By your logic, the fact that we barely lost to Butler, who then barely lost to Duke, means that we were barely not National Champions.
This is why FAU made a monumental F-up with their choice of venues. They saw the Final Four and thought that their team could pull in fans because of that. I honestly don't think UM would sell out Ford Field with those same ticket prices against the same opponent. Call me crazy, but the economy is bad. Would you pull in more fans? Probably. I'm just saying that this isn't on MSU. This was FAU's rodeo from the get-go, and they screwed it up.
Examples?
Were those tickets $60-90 for any lower-bowl seats between the end-zone? No. Guarantee they were not. The sheer amount of people that MSU brought to the Final Four in Detroit, and the fact that a ton of tickets were sold for the UNC game there earlier that year proves that there is a Spartan fanbase there. The FAU AD is the one who shit the bed with those outrageous ticket prices for a crappy game against a team who hasn't beaten anyone of note in their entire history. As far as the OSU example you use, I seem to remember Toledo having a big win or two over the last couple years...
This is exactly it. This game is a "home" game for FAU, because they didn't complete their stadium on time and had to find a different venue. They chose Ford Field because they thought they could pull in more revenue from Spartan fans than they would trying to rent a place like the Orange Bowl and market it to their fan base there. That is a good strategy prima facia, but where they screwed the pooch was trying to make an extra buck by driving up ticket prices. Nobody wants to pay $90 for lower bowl tickets, plus parking, plus conscessions to watch MSU play a crappy Sun Belt team, especially when their first five games, I believe, are in the state of Michigan. Their AD said he got the idea from watching MSU fans pack Ford Field for the Final Four, and is now trying to blame MSU fans for the poor showing when he is the one who set the outrageous ticket prices. What he didn't think is that watching what will essentially be an exhibition football game is nowhere near the Final Four.
...since Michigan beat MSU in a revenue sport. Just saying...