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Orlando's Hometown National Champions


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3 minutes ago, jrs2 said:

what I mean is that the structure should have been designed with club level solely, and no money spent for coaches offices in that structure.  That wasn't done.  The reason Akron's stadium is superior, aside from the obvious structural differences, is because their club and box structure, which goes end zone to end zone was buil on the sideline for maximum length; UCF's is an end zone facility with less linear space to work with.  At least when UF built the North End Zone facility it was to close in the bowl, and then they later rebuilt the West stands club and box level with an enormous facility.  UCF's end zone bowl was already closed.  UCF's box tower goes from the 20 yard line to the 20 yard line- if that.  They should've made it larger instead of this project.  IMO.

Oh, so your argument is that UCF shouldn't invest into any new facilities for the players and staff? Thats... a bit strange. This likely was the cheapest way to get the coaches offices out of the student area, giving the students more space, while also expanding premium seating. The long term goal is to eventually connect the existing club and box structure to this structure, and fully enclose the steel structure with other buildings to fully hide its steel base. This is a similar strategy as to used by others, such as FSU.

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I just read this on a UCF forum and it sort of sums it up in a nutshell as to why we’re not butting up stumps to jump to the Big XII (it’s also a good time to remember how many other names it’s had  and how many schools have been in and out of it over the years when someone rolls out the “tradition” canard:

“Big 12 has shown to look really weak and make poor decisions not just in the last few months, but also in the last several years. I don't expect them to change that trend anytime soon. Whether they are stronger than AAC right now or not, I would be surprised if they don't end up weaker before its all said and done, and more likely sooner than later.”

Also, for those who just wanna get to the bottom line, it sure seems like ESPN is higher these days on the American than the Big XII. Also is the fact that Texas schools are just insufferable. We’ve got two and that’s more than enough. They always act like their poo don’t stink. Heck, even the Aggies ran away from it (not that it’s done them much good).

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3 hours ago, aent said:

Oh, so your argument is that UCF shouldn't invest into any new facilities for the players and staff? Thats... a bit strange. This likely was the cheapest way to get the coaches offices out of the student area, giving the students more space, while also expanding premium seating. The long term goal is to eventually connect the existing club and box structure to this structure, and fully enclose the steel structure with other buildings to fully hide its steel base. This is a similar strategy as to used by others, such as FSU.

...that's why Doak Campbell for years was referred to as Joke Campbell.  Florida Field is a straight up concrete structure.  That's what USF is gunning for.  So if you were around in the '80's and early '90's you would have known this about FSU and about that moniker- this was prior to the major brickworks project of course.  So, how is the FSU model even a good one to base your stadium on?  At least Akron did it right with East and west stands with all those rows, where all they have to do is close in their end zones to build out their stadium to seat over 75k. UCF's isn't even designed to handle even that. 

Yes, I am opinionated on this and I am well versed on stadiums around the country for college football.  UCF did what they felt was eco feasible at the time, and that's fine.  But to make it a full bowl at a small size thus hemming in and ruling out a large future capacity IMO was foolish and not big time.  In other words, their vision for the stadium does not comport to their vision of the team or what it should be.  But it is appropriate b/c at the end of the day UCF is a G5 school, in essence always has been and more than likely always will be.  And the vision of their stadium matches that. 

When they said oh 45k now (as a full bowl) and could expand to 60k, I nearly spit out my drink.  Someone on these boards critiqued soccer stadiums and drew comparisons to Orlando City's stadium with regard to the pluses and minuses; that's me on this stadium, and aside from the fact of it being a full bowl with a press box tower, which is a plus, it is the bare minimum of what was needed in 2007- mind you, a standard that almost all stadiums had back in the 1960's.  For all the alumni and 50k students UCF had and has in enrollment they couldn't have done any better in 2007?  And to fix it, did they propose a second tier over the west stands with club seating? no.  They chose an end zone instead.  That's all the money that school has after 14 years to devote to the stadium?  God.  In 2003 UF opened up their club seating redo of the 1982 press box and box seating tower which had an over than $200M price tag.  Texas A & M pumped $.5B into their digs over the past 8 years. 

As bragadocious as it's been to pimp UCF's student population of over $50k the past few years, how exactly has that translated into $$$ for football?  Even their fieldhouse indoor practice facility is subpar.  It looks like a warehouse compared to UF's.  It's like comparing the Days Inn to the Ritz Carlton.  Oh, I will post pictures on Florida's first indoor practice facility and UF's for comparison.

They better keep selling more license plates.

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2 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

I just read this on a UCF forum and it sort of sums it up in a nutshell as to why we’re not butting up stumps to jump to the Big XII (it’s also a good time to remember how many other names it’s had  and how many schools have been in and out of it over the years when someone rolls out the “tradition” canard:

“Big 12 has shown to look really weak and make poor decisions not just in the last few months, but also in the last several years. I don't expect them to change that trend anytime soon. Whether they are stronger than AAC right now or not, I would be surprised if they don't end up weaker before its all said and done, and more likely sooner than later.”

Also, for those who just wanna get to the bottom line, it sure seems like ESPN is higher these days on the American than the Big XII. Also is the fact that Texas schools are just insufferable. We’ve got two and that’s more than enough. They always act like their poo don’t stink. Heck, even the Aggies ran away from it (not that it’s done them much good).

Yeah but that article you posted said the Big XII, as is w/o Texas and OU, has more value than the entire G5.  Maybe maybe not.

A&M ran away from Texas, as did Mizzou, Colorado, and Nebraska.  And I think that was because the Big XII's mismanagement allowed Texas to call a lot of shots, so I agree about that.

Being in the same conference as the Kansas Jayhawks (BB) and OSU Cowboys and WVU I think is way bigger than being in the same conference as Memphis and Cincinnati.  Memphis BB is a thing, tho, 

But the X factor is the Big XII management to which I agree; it is not the same people that created the Big XII and that brought in the Big XII CG in 1996, unfortunately.

So what's worse, the Big XII as they are, or the Big East midnight hour defectors that lured UCF in with their bread loaf reduced to bread crumbs after the last remnants of the Big East left for other conferences as UCF was coming in as a soon to be renamed and devalued AAC member.  It's like hiring a fired coach; It's like finally getting a room at the Intercontinental on Michigan Avenue after they've moved to a different building and Westin instead has moved in; it's like going to the Sears Tower only after the Burj was built in Dubai; it's like marrying a supermodel after she's past her prime; it's like a Terminator movie when Arnold is in his 70's as opposed to in 1991;  it's like sitting at the table now in what was once a bustling social bar where all the heavy hitters would mingle, after they've all moved to the new bar across the way; it's like finally getting in to a casino after the State took away their gambling license so all you can do is play Keno and Bingo; it's like waiting to turn 17yo to see an Rated R blockbuster at the cinema except that when your birthday finally rolls around, you guessed it, they aren't showing that movie anymore. 

So, if you asked me, I really don't know what the right move is.  There's not enough data out there on the financials and on what they plan to do to maintain themselves.  If they remain a P5 conference, then UCF should go there if invited.  But they lost a lot of $$$ when they lost Texas and OU.

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44 minutes ago, jrs2 said:

...that's why Doak Campbell for years was referred to as Joke Campbell.  Florida Field is a straight up concrete structure.  That's what USF is gunning for.  So if you were around in the '80's and early '90's you would have known this about FSU and about that moniker- this was prior to the major brickworks project of course.  So, how is the FSU model even a good one to base your stadium on? 

 

The model being copied is the one that stopped people from calling it that effectively 3 decades ago. Its also the most financially feasible model.

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14 hours ago, aent said:

The model being copied is the one that stopped people from calling it that effectively 3 decades ago. Its also the most financially feasible model.

can I be frank here?... UCF will never have the money to afford to do a brickworks project like FSU did to lipstick the pig that they've built that bounces.  bad plan, but it's all good.

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Just now, jrs2 said:

can I be frank here?... UCF will never have the money to afford to do a brickworks project like FSU did to lipstick the pig that they've built that bounces.  bad plan, but it's all good.

Iirc, the state paid for a good bit of that so I suspect you’re right. Funny thing is that, despite all the largesse, FSU has been having money troubles for years (I believe one reason Jimbo was so anxious to jump ship was the dearth of facilities in Tally).

Tbh, it’s fascinating how much more UCF has done with less all these years.

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1 hour ago, jrs2 said:

can I be frank here?... UCF will never have the money to afford to do a brickworks project like FSU did to lipstick the pig that they've built that bounces.  bad plan, but it's all good.

So while UCF may not be able to afford an FSU style brickwork project, your opinion is they shouldn't try to cover up the substructure at all? Yes, we all know UCF didn't build the nicest, most expensive stadium in the world, but its really weird you think its a "bad plan" to try to improve it and cover up its shortcomings. Probably a good third of the structure will be covered after this project is completed, and its obvious the next project will cover more of it.

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44 minutes ago, aent said:

So while UCF may not be able to afford an FSU style brickwork project, your opinion is they shouldn't try to cover up the substructure at all? Yes, we all know UCF didn't build the nicest, most expensive stadium in the world, but its really weird you think its a "bad plan" to try to improve it and cover up its shortcomings. Probably a good third of the structure will be covered after this project is completed, and its obvious the next project will cover more of it.

Not at all. 

Whew... I think UCF has screwed the pooch time and again with football if you look at the post history between me and Spenser.  And I think they continued this trend with the stadium.  I only care because I live in Orlando.  I'm a Gator so it's no skin off my scaly back.  But, I like to see things done right and with foresight; UCF excels at not doing that.  One could say it is akin to throwing good money after bad, but they're kinda stuck now.

You know...did they ever consider cutting into the bowl and raising the west stands where the alumni sit?  Oh, wait, they can't b/c they already committed to it's height with the box tower height so they can't.  So, they were committed to it being small from the beginning- another blunder.  That's why I posted the Zips' stadium design which gives you options and shows a lot of forethought from a comparatively "sucky" program.

UCF is not cutting the bowl with the South End Zone project to make it taller with club seats (so that they could mimic this with the North End Zone in the future).  They are committed to the stadium's current size and dimensions and have all the land in the world to make a statement and make it really big.  They are taking bad advice and running with it.  

I said it in 2006 and I'll say it again now:  when you already play in a stadium that seats over 70k, that is mostly concrete and hosts bowl games for decades, why commit to an on-campus stadium if you can't do it like that stadium or bigger?  Miami still doesn't have an on-campus stadium and they're...well...Miami.

I mean, geez.  Lack of vision.  UCF has a downtown campus now for the past two years, a plan that was funded four years ago.  They could've swarmed all of downtown on gameday on technically they're campus and done a gameday trek to the Citrus Bowl for home games from  Union West.  

I think UCF's vision is that they're fan base will never grow beyond what it is now.  It's too bad.

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5 minutes ago, jrs2 said:

Not at all. 

Whew... I think UCF has screwed the pooch time and again with football if you look at the post history between me and Spenser.  And I think they continued this trend with the stadium.  I only care because I live in Orlando.  I'm a Gator so it's no skin off my scaly back.  But, I like to see things done right and with foresight; UCF excels at not doing that.  One could say it is akin to throwing good money after bad, but they're kinda stuck now.

You know...did they ever consider cutting into the bowl and raising the west stands where the alumni sit?  Oh, wait, they can't b/c they already committed to it's height with the box tower height so they can't.  So, they were committed to it being small from the beginning- another blunder.  That's why I posted the Zips' stadium design which gives you options and shows a lot of forethought from a comparatively "sucky" program.

UCF is not cutting the bowl with the South End Zone project to make it taller with club seats (so that they could mimic this with the North End Zone in the future).  They are committed to the stadium's current size and dimensions and have all the land in the world to make a statement and make it really big.  They are taking bad advice and running with it.  

I said it in 2006 and I'll say it again now:  when you already play in a stadium that seats over 70k, that is mostly concrete and hosts bowl games for decades, why commit to an on-campus stadium if you can't do it like that stadium or bigger?  Miami still doesn't have an on-campus stadium and they're...well...Miami.

I mean, geez.  Lack of vision.  UCF has a downtown campus now for the past two years, a plan that was funded four years ago.  They could've swarmed all of downtown on gameday on technically they're campus and done a gameday trek to the Citrus Bowl for home games from  Union West.  

I think UCF's vision is that they're fan base will never grow beyond what it is now.  It's too bad.

Just ask USF for the answers to your questions. Meanwhile, it’s always better to have your stadium full than expanding too soon and being half empty (again, talk to USF).

UCF has gone to great lengths not to end up in the situations too many schools have ended up in where they’re mostly broke (again, see FSU, and isn’t that just ridiculous).

Our game attendance not only is at the top end of the G5, we also outsell quite a few P5 schools. The Bounce House is the same size Florida Field or larger than it was for the first 50 years they played football - I guess they just didn’t have what it takes for half a century, right?

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23 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

Just ask USF for the answers to your questions. Meanwhile, it’s always better to have your stadium full than expanding too soon and being half empty (again, talk to USF).

UCF has gone to great lengths not to end up in the situations too many schools have ended up in where they’re mostly broke (again, see FSU, and isn’t that just ridiculous).

Our game attendance not only is at the top end of the G5, we also outsell quite a few P5 schools. The Bounce House is the same size Florida Field or larger than it was for the first 50 years they played football - I guess they just didn’t have what it takes for half a century, right?

What’s funny is that @jrs2 doesn’t realize just what a difference it made that UF was basically the only game in town (actually, the state) until Bobby Bowden and Howard Schnellenberger showed up.

UCF, from day 1, never had that. Despite that, we have what is arguably a more stable program than anyone in the state except the Gators. FSU has not been in great shape for the last decade. Miami has been close to falling apart the whole time. USF is the laughingstock of the American. FAU and FIU, for a variety of reasons, continue to not hit launch velocity.

Frankly, all things considered, UCF’s in good shape (did I also mention we have outperformed most of the teams that left the Big East for greener pastures?) Sure, Rutgers got lots of money to join the B1G but what has it gotten them? Louisville?

Let’s remember that if we’d had the option, we probably would have taken it. The irony is, we’ve got a more solid program today than most of those who did.

One other question: you know Gus could have looked at other options - he was on the hot seat at Auburn for a while (most of their coaches are - their boosters have been micromanaging that program forever). It would have been easy to put himself in position for the openings at Tenn, Vandy or even Ole Miss (do you REALLY think Lane Kiffin and the culture at Ole Miss are a match long term?). He didn’t- ask yourself why.

Also, if the SEC is the be all and end all of collegiate life, why did the head of Missouri’s flagship university (an AAU school, no less), up and leave for UCF with very little notice? Maybe, just maybe, we’re doing something right down here in the palmetto scrubs, even though for some reason you’re loathe to acknowledge it.

Did we mention USF’s brand new pres just resigned after just months on the job? There’s something to be said for some stability. Whenever we encounter turbulence, we adjust and seem to come out better each time.

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45 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

What’s funny is that @jrs2 doesn’t realize just what a difference it made that UF was basically the only game in town (actually, the state) until Bobby Bowden and Howard Schnellenberger showed up.

UCF, from day 1, never had that. Despite that, we have what is arguably a more stable program than anyone in the state except the Gators. FSU has not been in great shape for the last decade. Miami has been close to falling apart the whole time. USF is the laughingstock of the American. FAU and FIU, for a variety of reasons, continue to not hit launch velocity.

Frankly, all things considered, UCF’s in good shape (did I also mention we have outperformed most of the teams that left the Big East for greener pastures?) Sure, Rutgers got lots of money to join the B1G but what has it gotten them? Louisville?

Let’s remember that if we’d had the option, we probably would have taken it. The irony is, we’ve got a more solid program today than most of those who did.

One other question: you know Gus could have looked at other options - he was on the hot seat at Auburn for a while (most of their coaches are - their boosters have been micromanaging that program forever). It would have been easy to put himself in position for the openings at Tenn, Vandy or even Ole Miss (do you REALLY think Lane Kiffin and the culture at Ole Miss are a match long term?). He didn’t- ask yourself why.

Also, if the SEC is the be all and end all of collegiate life, why did the head of Missouri’s flagship university (an AAU school, no less), up and leave for UCF with very little notice? Maybe, just maybe, we’re doing something right down here in the palmetto scrubs, even though for some reason you’re loathe to acknowledge it.

Did we mention USF’s brand new pres just resigned after just months on the job? There’s something to be said for some stability. Whenever we encounter turbulence, we adjust and seem to come out better each time.

https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/mizzou-football/missouri-chancellor-leaves-to-take-over-aac-school/

"If previous history is any indication, don’t be surprised if you hear the AAC school brag about this “win” over an SEC school for a few more years."

LOL.  You fell right into their predictive trap.  

https://www.chronicle.com/article/ucf-may-pay-its-former-president-to-leave-heres-how-that-deal-stacks-up-against-others-like-it/

Yeah, and that controversy that made UCF have to buy out their prez in 2019 only after eight months on the job, who was replaced by the Mizzou guy.  Hmmm.

WOW...now that's some interesting stability at UCF...

Chant:  'Hey, UF, you're not all that!  We hired a guy for only eight months and had to fire him and buy him out b/c of misuse of state funds and as a result we got a guy from your rival SEC school who was only at Mizzou for maybe two years where the prior guy left b/c of tense racial issues on that campus, and their state had budget cuts so that we could offer him a 20% salary increase.  So there!'

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7 minutes ago, jrs2 said:

https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/mizzou-football/missouri-chancellor-leaves-to-take-over-aac-school/

"If previous history is any indication, don’t be surprised if you hear the AAC school brag about this “win” over an SEC school for a few more years."

LOL.  You fell right into their predictive trap.  

https://www.chronicle.com/article/ucf-may-pay-its-former-president-to-leave-heres-how-that-deal-stacks-up-against-others-like-it/

Yeah, and that controversy that made UCF have to buy out their prez in 2019 only after eight months on the job, who was replaced by the Mizzou guy.  Hmmm.

WOW...now that's some interesting stability at UCF...

Chant:  'Hey, UF, you're not all that!  We hired a guy for only eight months and had to fire him and buy him out b/c of misuse of state funds and as a result we got a guy from your rival SEC school who was only at Mizzou for maybe two years where the prior guy left b/c of tense racial issues on that campus, and their state had budget cuts so that we could offer him a 20% salary increase.  So there!'

The whole thing was political as the stories in the press attested. Nevertheless, look what we did. We picked an incredible, much-loved interim president for a year and then got an excellent permanent replacement.  That’s what we do - when things go awry, we fix them and come back stronger. I’ll take that result anytime. 

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1 hour ago, spenser1058 said:

Just ask USF for the answers to your questions. Meanwhile, it’s always better to have your stadium full than expanding too soon and being half empty (again, talk to USF).

UCF has gone to great lengths not to end up in the situations too many schools have ended up in where they’re mostly broke (again, see FSU, and isn’t that just ridiculous).

Our game attendance not only is at the top end of the G5, we also outsell quite a few P5 schools. The Bounce House is the same size Florida Field or larger than it was for the first 50 years they played football - I guess they just didn’t have what it takes for half a century, right?

Stadium size:  "UF didn't have what it took for half a century" 

Well, please see below:

 

In  1928, Florida Field had 22k; in 1949, Florida Field had 40k.

In 1948, Neyland had a capacity of 46k

In 1940, Jordan Hare had 15k

In 1936, Tiger Stadium was 46k

In 1949, OU stadium had 55k

In 1923, Nebraska stadium had 31k; in 1964, it had  48k

In 1941, Clemson stadium had 20k

In 1924, Texas stadium had 27k

In 1929, UGA stadium had 30k, in 1949 it had 36k

In 1924, Colorado stadium had 26k (until 1955)

In 1938, the Miami Orange Bowl had 23k

In 1930, the Cotton Bowl stadium had 45k

In 1947, Bobby Dodd had 44k

In 1949, Ole Miss stadium had 24k

In 1929, Bryant-Denny had 12k; in 1937 it had 24k; in 1946 it had 31k

In 1926, Tulane Stadium/ Sugar Bowl had 35k

In 1969, Beaver Sta (Penn St) had 46k

In 1949, Pitt stadium had 56k

In 1935, Mich St stadium had 26k

In 1921, Camp Randall stadium had 20k, in 1940 it had 45k

In 1930, Okla St stadium had 13k, in 1950 it had 39k

In 1936, Husky Stadium had 40k

In 1938, the original Rutgers stadium had 10k

In 1907, Syracuse' stadium had 25k, in the 1950's it had 40k

In 1931, UVA's stadium had 22k, in 1948 it had 24k

In 1957, BC's stadium had 26k seats

In 1928, AZ stadium had 7k, in 1938 it had 11k, in 1947 it had 17k

So, when you leave out the really old programs of Michigan , TOSU, UCLA, USC, Stanford, Cal, UI, NW, and ND, above are a bunch of the other "major" stadiums around the country and how UF fared.  UF was right in the thick of it even back then based on stadium size, and I'm not even putting the 1950 numbers; we're talking 1920's through the 1940's. 

If UF didn't have what it took, neither did OU, Nebraska, Penn St, Bama, Wisconsin, UGA, The Orange Bowl, Tennessee, Mich State, Clemson, and Texas.

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The Athletic list their Top 130

1-5 is Bama, Clemson, Oklahoma, OSU, UGA... hard to argue, but I might put UGA higher. I lack trust in Oklahoma. Cincinnati is at 8.

UM is the highest rated Florida team at 12 and UF is at 16. UCF 34 ahead of Auburn at 35 and Boise St at 36. 

Quote, "UCF (34) hired Auburn’s (35) old coach (Gus Malzahn), and Auburn hired Boise State’s (36) coach (Bryan Harsin). Let’s see how these new offenses look. UCF and Boise State meet in Orlando in Week 1, matching the top two Group of 5 programs of the past 15 years. It’s a game that will help determine who has a shot at a New Year’s Six game."

FSU 54 (oh, how the mighty have fallen), FAU 93, USF 121 and FIU 122. 

New Mexico St pulls up the bottom at 130.

https://theathletic.com/2790274/2021/08/26/ranking-every-college-football-team-entering-the-2021-season-from-no-1-alabama-to-no-130-new-mexico-state/

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18 hours ago, jrs2 said:

You know...did they ever consider cutting into the bowl and raising the west stands where the alumni sit?  Oh, wait, they can't b/c they already committed to it's height with the box tower height so they can't.  So, they were committed to it being small from the beginning- another blunder.  That's why I posted the Zips' stadium design which gives you options and shows a lot of forethought from a comparatively "sucky" program.

UCF is not cutting the bowl with the South End Zone project to make it taller with club seats (so that they could mimic this with the North End Zone in the future).  They are committed to the stadium's current size and dimensions and have all the land in the world to make a statement and make it really big.  They are taking bad advice and running with it.  

I said it in 2006 and I'll say it again now:  when you already play in a stadium that seats over 70k, that is mostly concrete and hosts bowl games for decades, why commit to an on-campus stadium if you can't do it like that stadium or bigger?

And whats your opinion on Orlando City, who like UCF, felt the Citrus Bowl just didn't meet their needs?

UCF's reasons for leaving the Citrus Bowl were for many, very real problems:

1) They were going to have nowhere to play for years during the renovation.

2) They were losing money playing home games because of the rent and lack of ability to money from ancillary services such as food and parking

3) Logistically the players didn't like not having the amenities reserved for them at the stadium, such as real, fancy dedicated UCF locker rooms.

4) The stadiums wasn't designed for the current size of the program, making it difficult to sell season tickets, since you could literally always buy single game tickets. Moving to a smaller stadium allows people to be concerned they can't get the seats they want and are willing to pay for on the big games unless they buy season tickets. If you get them to buy season tickets, the cost for the worst game of the season is a sunken cost, so now that game becomes basically a free activity for them to do, with UCF still able to make some money on concessions and whatnot. Again as an example, the MLS basically is requiring soccer specific stadiums that are built for the expected size of attendance, because they believe a big reason previous pro soccer attempts in America failed because the stadiums were oversized and did not provide a good environment. So far, it appears they've been correct on that. Why would that not apply to UCF? And again, UCF used to lose money on home game days, or at best break even, and would make much more money on 1 and done away games then a home game, and the stadium allows them to reverse this, which is again good for the fans.

 

You do make some valid points on the design of the stuff. But to put it in perspective, the tower you're saying is in the way was built on a tight budget. If UCF has a need to rip down the entire club tower that was built as part of the stadium for an expansion, I doubt anyone will care, it will have served its purpose and paid for itself many times over by the time they're ready to do that. It was built cheap. The entire stadium was built for literally 1/5th the cost of the last Citrus Bowl renovation, including that box tower.

I would say they should probably build the 1500 new seats immediately below the new box to get a little more height there and make sure its more future proof on the expansions, instead of building them on the north side, leaving the north side unchanged and ready for a future project when they have more funds.

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3 hours ago, aent said:

And whats your opinion on Orlando City, who like UCF, felt the Citrus Bowl just didn't meet their needs?

UCF's reasons for leaving the Citrus Bowl were for many, very real problems:

1) They were going to have nowhere to play for years during the renovation.

2) They were losing money playing home games because of the rent and lack of ability to money from ancillary services such as food and parking

3) Logistically the players didn't like not having the amenities reserved for them at the stadium, such as real, fancy dedicated UCF locker rooms.

4) The stadiums wasn't designed for the current size of the program, making it difficult to sell season tickets, since you could literally always buy single game tickets. Moving to a smaller stadium allows people to be concerned they can't get the seats they want and are willing to pay for on the big games unless they buy season tickets. If you get them to buy season tickets, the cost for the worst game of the season is a sunken cost, so now that game becomes basically a free activity for them to do, with UCF still able to make some money on concessions and whatnot. Again as an example, the MLS basically is requiring soccer specific stadiums that are built for the expected size of attendance, because they believe a big reason previous pro soccer attempts in America failed because the stadiums were oversized and did not provide a good environment. So far, it appears they've been correct on that. Why would that not apply to UCF? And again, UCF used to lose money on home game days, or at best break even, and would make much more money on 1 and done away games then a home game, and the stadium allows them to reverse this, which is again good for the fans.

 

You do make some valid points on the design of the stuff. But to put it in perspective, the tower you're saying is in the way was built on a tight budget. If UCF has a need to rip down the entire club tower that was built as part of the stadium for an expansion, I doubt anyone will care, it will have served its purpose and paid for itself many times over by the time they're ready to do that. It was built cheap. The entire stadium was built for literally 1/5th the cost of the last Citrus Bowl renovation, including that box tower.

I would say they should probably build the 1500 new seats immediately below the new box to get a little more height there and make sure its more future proof on the expansions, instead of building them on the north side, leaving the north side unchanged and ready for a future project when they have more funds.

yeah, I don't agree on point 4) about the psychology of seat values based on stadium size, but that's fine. 

I don't agree that UCF perhaps took or should've taken an MLS analysis approach to college football; it's a completely different animal.  college football doesn't "fail" like a professional team might; it's a different dynamic when you have an alumni base to tap into versus just people in the region where the MLS team plays; alumni generally support their team...but... the team does still have to be a winner...

I know UCF had budget constraints and has had to have sponsors for that tower.  It is what it is.  

On that note with those being the factors considered, then maybe the south end zone project is a good direction to go in moving forward.  If it's successful, I think they'll do something similar in their north end zone.  

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Poor UCONN is getting murdered by Fresno State (31-0 in the 3rd). South Florida’s still mad at them for leaving the American because it kept the Temple Terrace boys from being the worst in the league.

If only @orange87 had signed up for the football team, he could have saved them!

Meanwhile, it looks like Frosty and the Huskers are in trouble with the Illini. That’s not great for the coach. Karma is rough when you leave the Knights (I wonder if Heup’s paying attention).

The interesting thing is that our Knights, after all this shuffling, appear to be in great shape as we hop on the Gus Bus thanks to @jrs2 and his SEC buds. Life is good.

Edited by spenser1058
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On 8/28/2021 at 4:29 PM, spenser1058 said:

Poor UCONN is getting murdered by Fresno State (31-0 in the 3rd). South Florida’s still mad at them for leaving the American because it kept the Temple Terrace boys from being the worst in the league.

If only @orange87 had signed up for the football team, he could have saved them!

Meanwhile, it looks like Frosty and the Huskers are in trouble with the Illini. That’s not great for the coach. Karma is rough when you leave the Knights (I wonder if Heup’s paying attention).

The interesting thing is that our Knights, after all this shuffling, appear to be in great shape as we hop on the Gus Bus thanks to @jrs2 and his SEC buds. Life is good.

yes...the SEC does...on occasion, do what it can to help out the Knights.

I will say after reading that article, that the nickname for the fan section in the south end zone, the "Knightmare", is pretty cool.  That's why I was beyotching about the size of the digs; bigger stadium, bigger Knightmare... do y'all feel me?

I am being objective.  Case in point:  Am I happy that UF can't expand their east stands b/c of the geology over there? no.  Am I happy they haven't done a new addition to the South End Zone? No.  Am I happy they don't hold 100k in the stadium but could with a new tier over the South End Zone?  No.  See?

I have my gripes...that's where I'm coming from.  I already said I liked the UCF uni variations last year...I mean...geeeeez...

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