(11-20-2017 08:13 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(11-20-2017 07:27 PM)XLance Wrote:  

(11-20-2017 04:08 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(11-20-2017 03:48 PM)AllTideUp Wrote:  

(11-20-2017 03:35 PM)XLance Wrote:  $100 million is a lot of money for an upgrade since $164 million was spent only 5 years ago.
TCU is getting all dressed up to go somewhere.

http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/coll...28853.html


BTW, Kansas is doing a $350 million stadium project, too.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/college...26821.html

Nobody spends that kind of money on pure speculation........

Interesting notation at the bottom of that article on TCU:

Quote:BIG 12 STADIUM SPREE
Recent renovations at Big 12 football stadiums:

Baylor: $266 million stadium opened in 2014

Iowa State: $60 million renovation completed in 2014

Kansas: $350 million project announced in September

Kansas State: $185 million renovation completed in 2016

Oklahoma: $160 renovation completed in 2016

Oklahoma State: $282 renovation completed in 2009

TCU: $164 million renovation in 2012, $100 million project announced Tuesday

Texas: $177 million renovation completed in 2009

Texas Tech: $150 million in renovations since 2003

West Virginia: $55 million renovation complete in 2017

A lot of these are very recent. I think each program is trying to keep up in hopes of landing a spot. I'm not sure though how many of these can actually count on a soft landing though. They may be hedging their bets.

It certainly looks like they are planning to go somewhere doesn't it? And I agree with X that Kansas simply doesn't spend that money if they don't have assurances. The question is where? And given the number of them that are forking over for improvements my next question is how many have assurances?

Capacity / Average Attendance for 2016:

Baylor: 45,140 / 45,838
Iowa State: 61,500 / 52,557
Kansas: 50,041 / 25,828
Kansas State: 53,811 / 51,919
Oklahoma: 86,112 / 86,857
Oklahoma State: 60,000 / 53,814
Texas: 100,119 / 97,881
T.C.U.: 50,000 / 45,168
Texas Tech: 60,454 / 45,168
West Virginia: 60,000 / 57,583

So only these schools met or exceeded their capacities in 2016: Oklahoma and Baylor. So if they are spending all of this money then where are the results?

My point being here that the SEC averages 77,500 in attendance at its home football games. There are only two locations here capable of maintaining or improving that average.

For some perspective Texas would be 5th in the SEC in attendance and Oklahoma would be 8th. Our 11th position in attendance (Miss State) would finish 3rd in the Big 12 in attendance, Kentucky would finish 6th, Missouri would finish 7th, and Vanderbilt 9th.

So unless they are really adding seating I don't see much here that would impress the SEC. We essentially told Missouri that they needed to upgrade and we had hoped they would shoot for 75,000, but that seems to have been dropped (71,004).

Comfort is the new upgrade goal as we move forward.
Every University's real competition for Saturday's fans is a well stocked refrigerator, comfortable bathroom with no lines, and that new 65" super HD TV with a curved screen.
Numbers mean less and less. You will notice that almost all of those renovations include luxury seating (suites, premium club seating, etc) which will fetch a premium price.
College football has gone corporate.

And while it is good that it provides more revenue, it is simultaneously alienating it's middle class roots and distancing itself from those who play, or played the game. So it's a mixed bag at best.