Just a matter of time before cable companies start dictating the games they'll pay top dollar for.
Then the teams with shitty scheduling will be left is the dust.
Then the teams with shitty scheduling will be left is the dust.
Only 2 more FCS teams on the schedule, right?
- Thread starter Don'tReadThis
- Start date
If Barta has any cajones whatsoever, that 2019 open home game will be against a big-time Power-5 opponent, and then whatever has to be done to get out of the 2020 game in Ames will be done, so that Iowa can return the home game to the worthy opponent. If Barta can't make that happen, when Iowa football is about as high as it can possibly be (coming off 12-0 season, new facilities, best recruiting class in years coming in), then he needs to resign and take a job as manager at Hy-Vee.
I think the only real option, assuming the Athletic Dept would even consider NOT having the 7th home game, would be to have a split revenue match-up with a Power 5 team at an "interesting" (NFL) neutral site. e.g. Iowa vs KS, KSU or Mizzou at Arrowhead. Maybe Iowa vs Mizzou in St. Louis (Rams aren't using that stadium anymore, right?) We have a recruiting interest and base there. Makes sense.
Iowa vs Notre Dame fainting Irish at Soldier Field? Boy, I dislike those guys, but I just don't think ND has room in the schedule outside of their usual suspects to schedule us in anytime soon. Maybe Iowa vs Oklahoma at the Jerry dome? Texas has returned (Thank Goodness!) to being a key recruiting ground for us. I suppose almost any of the current TX or OK schools would work for that one - OSU, Baylor, TCU, TT.
I think the keys are (a) Split revenue so we don't completely give up the income, (b) a bigger name Power 5 opponent and (c) in a recruiting base venue like TX, Chicago or KC/St Louis. Maybe a 3-year rotation with all 3 of those "nearby" Big12 schools in St. Louis? Year 4 vs OK or TX in the Jerry Dome. Repeat.
Iowa vs Notre Dame fainting Irish at Soldier Field? Boy, I dislike those guys, but I just don't think ND has room in the schedule outside of their usual suspects to schedule us in anytime soon. Maybe Iowa vs Oklahoma at the Jerry dome? Texas has returned (Thank Goodness!) to being a key recruiting ground for us. I suppose almost any of the current TX or OK schools would work for that one - OSU, Baylor, TCU, TT.
I think the keys are (a) Split revenue so we don't completely give up the income, (b) a bigger name Power 5 opponent and (c) in a recruiting base venue like TX, Chicago or KC/St Louis. Maybe a 3-year rotation with all 3 of those "nearby" Big12 schools in St. Louis? Year 4 vs OK or TX in the Jerry Dome. Repeat.
Last edited:
You got the math wrong. You forgot to take the ISU game and multiply it time 1/2 since its costing two games opportunity to get that payout.
ISU = $80 * 70K = 5.6 Million
MAC = $55*68,000 - $1 Million payout = 2.75 Million
Basically the TICKET revenue is equal for one ISU game without payout versus two MAC schools. However, you now have all the concession revenue and parking and overall economic impact of having home games.
ISU game is a wash at best for financial home & home when Iowa gets 68K for a MAC school.
ISU helps drive season ticket sales, but not as much as winning seasons. The number of season tickets this year with ISU at home versus road would have been almost identical because of LAST years success and team returning.
A Neutral site or home & home game in Texas in 4 years would be appealing for 2020. With the number of players Iowa is recruiting, you could see a trip there. The problem is there are not any teams in Texas you'd want to travel to right now. TCU and Baylor are bad matchups. Houston and Rice not Power 5. Texas is rising. Does that mean Texas A&M?
Other items to plug in:
You aren't including youth tickets in your numbers, so the Miami ticket revenue estimate needs to come down.
ISU is basically a guaranteed sellout. MAC-level games are not. 2014 BSU had 64k. 2015 North Texas had 56k(!). The MAC ticket revenue estimate needs to come down some more.
I am not convinced that concessions and parking income outweighs the labor costs of hosting a game. I would consider that a wash.
To back up this assertion, the below link has the 2015 Iowa budget with some details from the Gazette FOIA request. The only place I can find that concessions/parking may be included is "General Income", which totaled $2.9M.
https://collegeathleticsclips.com/news/thegrittyoniowasfy2015athleticsbudget.html
The overall economic impact of a home game does mean something, but most of that money supports the community, not the university. The community may get more income from an ISU game than two MAC games. I help run the football parking at an Iowa City elementary school. The ISU game is worth about 5 or 6 MAC games in revenue for us.
I disagree with your dismissal of the ISU game on season ticket sales.
You aren't including youth tickets in your numbers, so the Miami ticket revenue estimate needs to come down.
ISU is basically a guaranteed sellout. MAC-level games are not. 2014 BSU had 64k. 2015 North Texas had 56k(!). The MAC ticket revenue estimate needs to come down some more.
I am not convinced that concessions and parking income outweighs the labor costs of hosting a game. I would consider that a wash.
To back up this assertion, the below link has the 2015 Iowa budget with some details from the Gazette FOIA request. The only place I can find that concessions/parking may be included is "General Income", which totaled $2.9M.
https://collegeathleticsclips.com/news/thegrittyoniowasfy2015athleticsbudget.html
The overall economic impact of a home game does mean something, but most of that money supports the community, not the university. The community may get more income from an ISU game than two MAC games. I help run the football parking at an Iowa City elementary school. The ISU game is worth about 5 or 6 MAC games in revenue for us.
I disagree with your dismissal of the ISU game on season ticket sales.
With TV revenue you get that $ no matter how many home games are played. If it was more lucrative then maybe do it but right now I don't think it is or more schools would be willing to sacrifice that 7th home game to do something like that and they aren't. Iowa St last year was one of the few cases I found where a power 5 team played less than 7 home games. Barta is a basically a CEO and even though us fans may disagree in his job it is the best decision so far to keep 7 games.
I'm estimating that their total labor costs and other costs for hosting a game are roughly equal to the parking/concessions revenue, making ticket revenue more or less equal to profit on game day. This includes all labor, such as having 200 off duty police officers, etc.
If Iowa doesn't make money at their concession stand due to a wash on labor costs, then I need to get a job selling popcorn and hot dogs for them.
OK, but now you're playing yet another MAC school. You can't really tell me you enjoy those games more than the ISU game. ISU is fun to hate. Hating your opponent is a big part of football. You folks that want more MAC games are crazy.
We will NEVER schedule another power 5 team as long as ISU is on our schedule and the BIG keeps a 9 game schedule. NEVER. We are not willing to give up a home game and no power 5 team is going to play us at Kinnick without us also playing them at their site in a following year.
I'm not saying that I want another MAC game. Just pointing out that Iowa State is a "GREAT" financial situation some people think. This years ISU game will be less that revenue for Miami, OH and NDSU when you figure the return trip to Ames next year. Money is not a reason to keep the series for Iowa.
It will be interesting when ISU joins a MAC like conference. It will mean less $$ for them, but I'd think it would also mean more wins for them. Is it better to be a 6 or 7 win MAC team or a 2 or 3 win P5 team?
I don't know why people want to schedule really tough? Iowa is not Alabama or OSU. I would get it more if they didn't have ISU every year because then you could schedule a better Power 5 program like KState but having two power 5 games and a 9 game conference schedule doesn't make much sense. Especially if it isn't a home game because they would be losing out on money.
the cornholers and jnw are B1G members making that an irrelevant point. Iowa does not control their B1G schedule.
The crux of this argument comes down to whether or not the isu game is financially better for the program, improves the program's national standing, both, or neither as compared to other options.
Does playing isu look better on the national level than miami oh, akron, or any other mac school? I don't think so. It's a wash at best.
Does playing isu make more money for Iowa? Or even break even when comparing 2 home games to 1? None of us have enough of the financial details to know. However, it is HIGHLY improbable that losing all the net revenue of a home game every other year is exceeded by what is generated for the U of I and IC community even assuming consecutive years of mac games with less than a sold out Kinnick.
I agree with the emotional argument that playing isu yearly is more interesting for the average non-football watching public within the state.
That's not enough, though, to offset either the revenue benefit of having that 7th home game every year or the potential for the program to have a national spotlight game playing a big time opponent that comes with freeing up the schedule from the dead weight of isu.
It is totally relevant. Apparently, two MAC games are a financial boon that even B1G games cannot compare.
Ideally, Iowa would drop out of the B1G and schedule 12 MAC home games every year.
Your hyperbole notwithstanding, I'm not sure what point you are trying to make.
This argument isn't about Iowa leaving the B1G, or even in any way changing their B1G schedule.
This is about the relative merits of continuing to play isu, a complete cluster#$%^ of a program, vs. the other LIKELY options available which are most probably a mac-level opponent or an actually relevant upper division power 5 school. I agree with the side that either of those is relatively better for the program than to continue the yearly matchup with the dumpster fire in ames.
Iowa is not leaving the B1G nor scheduling 12 mac-type teams at home every year. And you know it.
