ESPN story posted on gomeangreen.com by SUMG

EXERPT

The Sun Belt will announce Monday afternoon that it will demand all of its teams, beginning in the 2011-12 season, to play non-conference games against teams that have a three-year combined power rating that is within the top 150 or if that school finished with an RPI inside the top 150 in the previous season.

The Sun Belt will also forbid teams from playing non-Division I games and will stress that the member schools should average at least the national average of 5,038 fans a game. The Sun Belt had only one member average 5,000 fans a game over the last five seasons. The league will announce that it will aid in helping to promote attendance as best as it can.

"We're not happy," said Sun Belt Conference commissioner Wright Waters on Sunday night. "Our chief executive officers told us we don't want to be No. 23 [among conferences]."

FULL ARTICLE
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story...BHeadlines

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.

The one thing I would add to this is make the seeding for the conference tournament based on 2/3 your team's overall winning %, and 1/3 your opponents' winning %.

That is the portion of the RPI formula that effects your conference mates. The more you help your conference, the higher you are seeded. It is fair, and provides real incentive and teeth to the rpi requirements.

(10-25-2010 07:26 PM)Hilltopper2K Wrote:  I've said it before, and I'll say it again.

The one thing I would add to this is make the seeding for the conference tournament based on 2/3 your team's overall winning %, and 1/3 your opponents' winning %.

That is the portion of the RPI formula that effects your conference mates. The more you help your conference, the higher you are seeded. It is fair, and provides real incentive and teeth to the rpi requirements.

I like that. Good idea.

So what about the attendance goal?

Is 5000 a realistic goal for all schools?

How do you think Sunbelt schools will go about trying to reach it? Discounts? Promotions?

(10-26-2010 04:53 AM)Hilltopper2K Wrote:  So what about the attendance goal?

Is 5000 a realistic goal for all schools?

How do you think Sunbelt schools will go about trying to reach it? Discounts? Promotions?

Some schools could give away ticket and even concessions and still not get 5k.

(10-26-2010 08:00 AM)galojah Wrote:  

(10-26-2010 04:53 AM)Hilltopper2K Wrote:  So what about the attendance goal?

Is 5000 a realistic goal for all schools?

How do you think Sunbelt schools will go about trying to reach it? Discounts? Promotions?

Some schools could give away ticket and even concessions and still not get 5k.

i know 5000 is a goal.. however its hard to see most schools get that #

Our league attendance will rise with the departure of UNO.
Also with less home games, I think the average will go up as we drop the least interesting match-ups from the schedule.

That said, how many Sun Belt Schools have never even averaged 5K in a given season before?

This 5K average is a good goal - you'd think some of the schools with 25-40K students could get 5K easily.

(10-26-2010 08:12 AM)WinstonTheWolf Wrote:  Our league attendance will rise with the departure of UNO.
Also with less home games, I think the average will go up as we drop the least interesting match-ups from the schedule.

That said, how many Sun Belt Schools have never even averaged 5K in a given season before?

This 5K average is a good goal - you'd think some of the schools with 25-40K students could get 5K easily.

Excellent question. The easier list is who has made that average.

Western Ky.
Middle Tenn.
Cajuns
South AL (?)

Who else?

Once the new Trojan Arena opens I can see interest in Trojan Basketball go up even more. We had at least 2k at almost every game last season.

Arkansas State routinely averaged 5,000 or better until ASU announced the three year extension of Nutt and hasn't hit 4,000 since.

we wont average crap...cause our programs have been bad...

(10-26-2010 10:37 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  Arkansas State routinely averaged 5,000 or better until ASU announced the three year extension of Nutt and hasn't hit 4,000 since.

Media Guide says stAte:

Led conference six straight years—four in
American South, two in Sun Belt in attendance.

Over 5K 15 times since the Convo opened. 15 of first 17 years. Now on an 0/5 streak.



High was 6643. That was back when there were 9K (now 14K) enrolled and Jonesboro's population was listed as 46,500 (2010 67/68K) at the city limit.

Should be able to beat that by 50% and hit 10K, right? :)