(05-02-2013 05:45 AM)8BitPirate Wrote:  

(04-30-2013 08:41 AM)Bearcat T Wrote:  total depression in Cincinnati at the moment....

Honest question, will Cincy be able to rise above their depression? This year might not be such a culture shock but 2014, think it will effect players performance and fans attendance?

If the team wins, people will come out. If they don't, or they're middle of the pack, lots of empty seats.

(05-02-2013 05:45 AM)8BitPirate Wrote:  

(04-30-2013 08:41 AM)Bearcat T Wrote:  total depression in Cincinnati at the moment....

Honest question, will Cincy be able to rise above their depression? This year might not be such a culture shock but 2014, think it will effect players performance and fans attendance?

Yeah. Cincinnati has made huge strides with our fanbase over the past couple of years. The wider metro area tends to be "bandwagon" type of fans. Older alumni tend not to be fans. But among the current students and alumni who have graduated in the past ten years, we have made quantum leaps.

The thing that worries me is not this year, but two and three years down the line, after Louisville is gone and we are bereft of our traditional conference rivals. Yeah, yeah, NEW rivalries will develop, but they take time to become ingrown. Yeah, yeah, we have history with Memphis, Tulane, Houston, and ECU...but I don't think many in either the Cincinnati area or in the University look at those schools as being "rivals" in the same way that we looked at Louisville, or even Rutgers. In the next two years, UC will have gone from three annual "Trophy Games" (The "Victory Bell", the "Keg O' Nails", and the "River Cities Rivalry") down to ONE game. Most didn't care all that much about the "River Cities" trophy, but I think you get my drift...

What's going to hurt UC in the short-to-medium term is a paucity compelling, natural rivalry games. That's not a slam on anyone in the AAC, it's just the natural reality of shifting conferences.

(05-02-2013 08:51 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(05-02-2013 05:45 AM)8BitPirate Wrote:  

(04-30-2013 08:41 AM)Bearcat T Wrote:  total depression in Cincinnati at the moment....

Honest question, will Cincy be able to rise above their depression? This year might not be such a culture shock but 2014, think it will effect players performance and fans attendance?

Yeah. Cincinnati has made huge strides with our fanbase over the past couple of years. The wider metro area tends to be "bandwagon" type of fans. Older alumni tend not to be fans. But among the current students and alumni who have graduated in the past ten years, we have made quantum leaps.

The thing that worries me is not this year, but two and three years down the line, after Louisville is gone and we are bereft of our traditional conference rivals. Yeah, yeah, NEW rivalries will develop, but they take time to become ingrown. Yeah, yeah, we have history with Memphis, Tulane, Houston, and ECU...but I don't think many in either the Cincinnati area or in the University look at those schools as being "rivals" in the same way that we looked at Louisville, or even Rutgers. In the next two years, UC will have gone from three annual "Trophy Games" (The "Victory Bell", the "Keg O' Nails", and the "River Cities Rivalry") down to ONE game. Most didn't care all that much about the "River Cities" trophy, but I think you get my drift...

What's going to hurt UC in the short-to-medium term is a paucity compelling, natural rivalry games. That's not a slam on anyone in the AAC, it's just the natural reality of shifting conferences.

Yeah. That can suck. Losing all our games against our big regional rivals in the SWC was a bitter pill and was very bad for attendance.

Spring wrap up http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post/_/i...pring-wrap

Didn't post for you to see how we are doing, only that I am noticing ESPN Dallas starting to write more articles about SMU and do on air interviews about SMU.

(05-02-2013 08:59 AM)Pony94 Wrote:  Spring wrap up http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post/_/i...pring-wrap

Didn't post for you to see how we are doing, only that I am noticing ESPN Dallas starting to write more articles about SMU and do on air interviews about SMU.

For the new schools, the media coverage is going to light-years ahead of what it was. You guys are in a much better position than you were before. You will be playing games on channels that people watch. Hopefully, ESPN will keep the AAC blog once the BCS contract is over in 2014. I'd really hate to see that go away.

(05-02-2013 08:51 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(05-02-2013 05:45 AM)8BitPirate Wrote:  

(04-30-2013 08:41 AM)Bearcat T Wrote:  total depression in Cincinnati at the moment....

Honest question, will Cincy be able to rise above their depression? This year might not be such a culture shock but 2014, think it will effect players performance and fans attendance?

Yeah. Cincinnati has made huge strides with our fanbase over the past couple of years. The wider metro area tends to be "bandwagon" type of fans. Older alumni tend not to be fans. But among the current students and alumni who have graduated in the past ten years, we have made quantum leaps.

The thing that worries me is not this year, but two and three years down the line, after Louisville is gone and we are bereft of our traditional conference rivals. Yeah, yeah, NEW rivalries will develop, but they take time to become ingrown. Yeah, yeah, we have history with Memphis, Tulane, Houston, and ECU...but I don't think many in either the Cincinnati area or in the University look at those schools as being "rivals" in the same way that we looked at Louisville, or even Rutgers. In the next two years, UC will have gone from three annual "Trophy Games" (The "Victory Bell", the "Keg O' Nails", and the "River Cities Rivalry") down to ONE game. Most didn't care all that much about the "River Cities" trophy, but I think you get my drift...

What's going to hurt UC in the short-to-medium term is a paucity compelling, natural rivalry games. That's not a slam on anyone in the AAC, it's just the natural reality of shifting conferences.

You make a good point about the more newly minted alumni. The football program was grossly neglected for the better part of 40 years. That's a lot of alumni that never gave the football program a thought. Given the success of the last few years, they're starting to turn that around, but it's a process. I just hope new rivalries develop because our closest "rival" in this conference is seven hours away.

(05-02-2013 08:56 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(05-02-2013 08:51 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(05-02-2013 05:45 AM)8BitPirate Wrote:  

(04-30-2013 08:41 AM)Bearcat T Wrote:  total depression in Cincinnati at the moment....

Honest question, will Cincy be able to rise above their depression? This year might not be such a culture shock but 2014, think it will effect players performance and fans attendance?

Yeah. Cincinnati has made huge strides with our fanbase over the past couple of years. The wider metro area tends to be "bandwagon" type of fans. Older alumni tend not to be fans. But among the current students and alumni who have graduated in the past ten years, we have made quantum leaps.

The thing that worries me is not this year, but two and three years down the line, after Louisville is gone and we are bereft of our traditional conference rivals. Yeah, yeah, NEW rivalries will develop, but they take time to become ingrown. Yeah, yeah, we have history with Memphis, Tulane, Houston, and ECU...but I don't think many in either the Cincinnati area or in the University look at those schools as being "rivals" in the same way that we looked at Louisville, or even Rutgers. In the next two years, UC will have gone from three annual "Trophy Games" (The "Victory Bell", the "Keg O' Nails", and the "River Cities Rivalry") down to ONE game. Most didn't care all that much about the "River Cities" trophy, but I think you get my drift...

What's going to hurt UC in the short-to-medium term is a paucity compelling, natural rivalry games. That's not a slam on anyone in the AAC, it's just the natural reality of shifting conferences.

Yeah. That can suck. Losing all our games against our big regional rivals in the SWC was a bitter pill and was very bad for attendance.

That must have pretty dam bad, no doubt about it.