College Football 2010: So it begins

[Guynemer]

BYU would deliver the same market as Utah

No. BYU is the more popular university within the state of Utah, and has a far greater fanbase outside the state. They are clearly the superior pick in terms of potential revenue generation, but the Pac-10 schools couldn't look past BYU's religious affiliation.

edit: To use an analogy that might make my point more clearly, saying Utah delivers the same market as BYU is like saying Michigan State delivers the same market as Michigan. Sure, they're in the same state, but one school is clearly the bigger draw.

Bad analogy; while SE Michigan leans blue, the remainder of the state leans green. Various statewide polls demonstrate a split that is, essentially, 50-50.

[Tuberski]

BYU would deliver the same market as Utah

No. BYU is the more popular university within the state of Utah, and has a far greater fanbase outside the state. They are clearly the superior pick in terms of potential revenue generation, but the Pac-10 schools couldn't look past BYU's religious affiliation.

edit: To use an analogy that might make my point more clearly, saying Utah delivers the same market as BYU is like saying Michigan State delivers the same market as Michigan. Sure, they're in the same state, but one school is clearly the bigger draw.

Someone from California telling someone from Utah about the Utah market.

In 2008 and 2009 (using those two years so that satellite can be included), BYU and Utah averaged just more than a one rating point difference, with BYU seeing more viewership on average.

In 2008 and 2009, the highest average rated football game for both teams was the BYU/Utah game -- a 12.8 in 2009 and a 10.0 in 2008.

Both BYU and Utah saw increased viewership for football in 2009 over the prior year, with both gaining an average of just more than one rating point (10,000 households).

A good comparison may be this past season when both BYU and Utah played Utah State: BYU vs. Utah State drew a 7.5 average rating while Utah vs. Utah State was a 6.9 average.

Football sees better ratings than basketball for both institutions; there is about a four rating point difference over the course of the respective seasons.

That difference has been shrinking in the last 10 years or so.

ACK!

[Imran Siddiqui]

Pretty cool. A private college that hasn't done much of anything for around 45 years, but now after 2-3 years of success, they're a coup. Bob Lilly must be proud.

2-3 years of success? Sloww, TCU has been in the Top 25 SEVEN times in the 2000s. They are a rising national power.

[SlowwHand]

Jumping on yet another bandwagon?

People that I know in Utah cheer for Utah, precisely for the reason Tuber cited.

[Guynemer]

I can not ****ing believe that Michigan is a three point favorite over Illinois.

[Al B. Sure!]

Guy, you remind me of a certain type of fan... whether you're talking about Michigan or the Detroit Lions, you're always so negative about the team even when it's not all that justified (like didn't Michigan start off 5-0 against unranked teams true but still?) but you still got to follow them and complain about them sucking and act all shocked when good things happen or people are very positive about the team.

Not criticizing you or anything I've just observed that and I've noticed a lot of fans who are of the same sort of mindset and do the same thing.

I've seen eternally optimistic fans. You're of the eternally pessimistic variety.

[MRT144]

Guy, you remind me of a certain type of fan... whether you're talking about Michigan or the Detroit Lions, you're always so negative about the team even when it's not all that justified (like didn't Michigan start off 5-0 against unranked teams true but still?) but you still got to follow them and complain about them sucking and act all shocked when good things happen or people are very positive about the team.

Not criticizing you or anything I've just observed that and I've noticed a lot of fans who are of the same sort of mindset and do the same thing.

I've seen eternally optimistic fans. You're of the eternally pessimistic variety.

To be fair neither team has given any reason to be optimistic, in Michigans case since 2006 and in Lions case, ever.

[Boris Godunov]

Guy, you remind me of a certain type of fan... whether you're talking about Michigan or the Detroit Lions, you're always so negative about the team even when it's not all that justified (like didn't Michigan start off 5-0 against unranked teams true but still?) but you still got to follow them and complain about them sucking and act all shocked when good things happen or people are very positive about the team.

As can be seen by reading what Guynemer wrote while Michigan was winning, his criticisms were largely based on their atroctious defense, which he predicted would come to haunt them soon in the season. He was 100% right, as Michigan has a ****ty defense and it has bitten them on the ass. He was not overly-pessimistic in the slightest, he was spot-on in his observations of what he saw and what would happen.

[Al B. Sure!]

Maybe you need to read his posts about the Detroit Lions to put it all in the proper frame.

[Guynemer]

You mean the Lions that have won a grand total of four games the past three seasons? That have won one (1) single playoff game in the past 50+ years, let alone my lifetime? You mean those Lions, right?

Dumbass.

[Al B. Sure!]

You mean the Lions that have won a grand total of four games the past three seasons? That have won one (1) single playoff game in the past 50+ years, let alone my lifetime? You mean those Lions, right?

Dumbass.

??? I said I'm not criticizing you. I just noticed that you're that certain type of fan... the eternally pessimistic kind. Maybe because you're a Lions fan it's different and you're more realistic than pessimistic but I know plenty of Eagles fans who sound like you and are bemoaning it's all over in the offseason and the Eagles wind up in the playoffs every year.

[Guynemer]

As can be seen by reading what Guynemer wrote while Michigan was winning, his criticisms were largely based on their atroctious defense, which he predicted would come to haunt them soon in the season. He was 100% right, as Michigan has a ****ty defense and it has bitten them on the ass. He was not overly-pessimistic in the slightest, he was spot-on in his observations of what he saw and what would happen.

In fact, let's look at exactly what I said following Michigan's victory over Notre Dame in week two:

Brace yourselves, fellow Wolverines fans. Michigan will be a (wholly undeserved) Top 25 team this week, and will likely run its record to 5-0 (and a Top 15 ranking) before it all comes crashing down.

Michigan's ranking topped off at 17, but god damn, I'm good.

[Guynemer]

To be fair neither team has given any reason to be optimistic, in Michigans case since 2006 and in Lions case, ever.

I assume you are excluding the 2006 Wolverines, who were fairly awesome; even so, there was nothing wrong with the 2007 team either. All anyone remembers is the loss to Appy State; the truth of the matter is that Appy State was a good ****ing team, which would go on to defend its FCS championship, and likely would've been a Top 25 team in FBS. That 2007 team went on to dominate the Urban Meyer/Tim Tebow Gators in the bowls, the only team to beat the Tebow Gators in a bowl game, and finished a highly-respectable 9-4.

[Boris Godunov]

Maybe you need to read his posts about the Detroit Lions to put it all in the proper frame.

Or maybe you need to find a larger sample size than two teams which actually do suck (no offense, Guy) before making sweeping statements about the personalities of people you barely know?

[MRT144]

I assume you are excluding the 2006 Wolverines, who were fairly awesome; even so, there was nothing wrong with the 2007 team either. All anyone remembers is the loss to Appy State; the truth of the matter is that Appy State was a good ****ing team, which would go on to defend its FCS championship, and likely would've been a Top 25 team in FBS. That 2007 team went on to dominate the Urban Meyer/Tim Tebow Gators in the bowls, the only team to beat the Tebow Gators in a bowl game, and finished a highly-respectable 9-4.

I am excluding the 2006 Wolverines. They were the last team from up north worth a damn. #1 vs. #2 Big Ten Title!!! it have everthing!