Pregame: Illinois vs Eastern Illinois, Thursday, August 29th, 8:00pm CT, BTN

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#51      
Fighter of the Nightman
fuddrules said:
Is "we" the fans or Illinois? If it's Illinois......

If Illinois scheduled, say Ole Miss, it would be on prime viewing. EIU, not so much. So Illinois does have a choice. Illinois alone is not a top draw for viewership, they know this.
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While I AGREE with the bolded 100%, extensively studying the TV ratings the last several years has led me to two undeniable conclusions:

1. We are way too hard on ourselves. The ratings for 90% of programs simply depends on when they play and on what TV channel they play. When Illinois gets on a decent channel, we don't perform markedly worse than other programs that many here probably assume are light years ahead of us ... holding everything else constant, we are actually often in the ballpark of the Wisconsins of the world.

2. On that note, though, there really are only a handful of programs that BY THEMSELVES bring undisputed value. In other words, I would argue these are the only programs that MAKE a TV slot ... they don't just make it better, they are take a crap slot (11:00 am on BTN) and make it a ratings draw, or they take a prime slot (11:00 am on FOX) and turn it from good to great. I honestly believe the list is this short from the data I have reviewed:

- Texas
- Michigan
- Ohio State
- Notre Dame
- Alabama
- Georgia

There is a next tier of programs that deliver exceptional ratings (significantly above the Illinois/Wisconsin tier), but they cannot by themselves push a BTN rating above 1.5 million or increase a prime FOX/CBS/ABC slot from 3 million to 5 million. It's a much longer list, so I might even forget some teams:

- Penn State
- LSU
- Oregon
- Florida
- Texas A&M
- Tennessee
- Florida State
- USC (yes, you would be surprised)

I think everyone else is bringing their own fan base (which can obviously vary by program significantly but not likely to cause millions of viewers in difference) and only marginally more than that. Programs that people often associate with rabid and/or larger fan bases like Clemson, Nebraska, Oklahoma, etc. actually do not provide the same monster ratings as the ones above.

And before anyone looks at some lazily assembled "college programs by average viewership last year" list to refute me, those are SO skewed by one or two matchups, and it does not look at the details of the channel or opponent at all. Some funny examples from last year:

- Navy and Oklahoma both averaged 2.62 million viewers per game ... but Navy played in ONE game vs. Army that had 7.18 million viewers.

- Indiana averaged 1.26 million viewers last season compared to only 993k for Illinois ... but Indiana had 4.65 million vs. Ohio State, 3.55 million vs. Michigan and 3.4 million vs. Penn State. They never even cracked 500k viewers (less than half of their average!) in any game outside of those three, lol. If you remove those three opponents from both teams' schedules, Illinois still averaged 770k, while Indiana averaged nearly HALF of that with 396k.

- An example of how BTN and FS1 can just be graveyards are the following games with programs I am sure people would argue are "really different" as far as viewers. Purdue drew 343k vs. Fresno State on BTN, Iowa drew 561k vs. Utah State on FS1 and Penn State drew 693k vs. UMass on BTN. Those really are not that different.
 
#53      
Illinir1
fuddrules said:
And it's going to stay that way for the foreseeable future. They aren't putting the heavys on a Thursday night. That's not how you get the monster media contracts for the B1G. Against EIU, die hard college football fans and Illinois fans will watch. That's it. Nobody else cares to watch EIU play at Illinois.
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I get it. But that doesn't mean it is fair to those teams, and their cities, that suffer reduced gate takes, stadium concessions, town hotel and restaurant revenue, etc. from hosting more than their share of Thurs./Fri. night games. Nor is it fair to the fans of those same teams who buy season tickets but can't make a Thursday (or Friday) night game because of the logistics of getting off of work and making the game (or back home for work the next day). If every team in the B1G is pulling their fair share of Thur./Fri. night game hosting, then there is no inequality.
 
#54      
Mr. Tibbs
AZILL said:
Illinois itself. Us fans have zero pull in who we play and when. I just didn't think that the University had much pull on which Network we were on or the TV time slot. Which makes perfect sense. I know I've read on here in the past that Josh Whitman was instrumental in making certain games happen in a certain way. I believe it is this years Michigan game that he had some impact on maybe? Time/Day/Network/something......
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pretty sure Josh requested the B1G schedule the UM game here on that date & the league office obliged . this was done 2-3 years ago or so

this is the return game from the one we played up there in Nov 2022.
 
#55      
Dkayak
fuddrules said:
Howard at Rutgers - 5 pm. EIU at Illinois - 8 pm - Both on BTN. It's how Illinois gets $60M+ annually.

Fox gets the prime game on Thursday. North Carolina at Minnesota at 7 pm. North Carolina or EIU is an easy call for a network to make.

Illinois could get the prime slot or a win. They chose the win. I would too.
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Sure, understood, but it feels like in-person fans are ignored or taken for granted, just to capture more money. Illinois “could get the prime slot or a win”, but the win may come with a smaller home crowd (visible on TV btw). The message to out-of-town season ticket holders seems like 1) endure a late night 2) get a room or 3) stay home to watch on BTN.

My wife emphatically chose Door Number Three. She’s smarter than me! So far I haven’t found anyone to take her seat, so I might be doing the same (or heading home after halftime). Guess I’m an old dinosaur, but Thursday night college football seems like a terrible idea, particularly with late kickoffs. It all revolves around money these days.
 
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#56      
lstewart53x3
Illinir1 said:
I get it. But that doesn't mean it is fair to those teams, and their cities, that suffer reduced gate takes, stadium concessions, town hotel and restaurant revenue, etc. from hosting more than their share of Thurs./Fri. night games. Nor is it fair to the fans of those same teams who buy season tickets but can't make a Thursday (or Friday) night game because of the logistics of getting off of work and making the game (or back home for work the next day). If every team in the B1G is pulling their fair share of Thur./Fri. night game hosting, then there is no inequality.
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Surprised this needs to be said but,

Life ain’t fair.
 
#57      
AZILL
Yep that ties into what I remember. I knew it wasn't too recent but I do remember reading posts to that effect regarding Whitman. Thanks for confirming my sometimes faulty memory, lol.
 
#61      
Fighter of the Nightman
illini0440 said:
Find me in lot 31 on Thursday! Let's show up for these guys and give TJ the ovation he deserves pre game!
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I unfortunately will not be at the game, but can someone clarify where Lot 31 is?? We came down for the PSU game last year and walked to the stadium from the west. We just brought some beers into Grange Grove, but I remember thinking the tailgating scene across the street from GG to the west was even cooler. It was more wooded and generally seemed to have more character. If that is not Lot 31, can someone tell me what that area is called? :ROFLMAO:

Also on that note, my annual plea for the DIA to not just be strictly (and blandly...) utilitarian with Grange Grove ... PLANT SOME TREES! It's called Grange GROVE, haha. Adding trees and seeing the leaves change as the season progresses just gives that area way more character and creates more of a classic college football vibe, rather than a flat, open field. We actually get decent crowds in Grange Grove when the weather is nice or we are decent, and I can just imagine how much cooler it would be with some damn trees, haha. Consider the difference...

NO TREES
0001901_210881929_10101976621852764_8237695674190214006_n.jpeg




TREES
GettyImages-865642874-e1693422857898.jpg

libation-station-crowd.jpg



Ours just looks a lot more "planned" and has less charm because of it. People can talk about the topography of Champaign vs. Athens, GA or Oxford, MS, but I'm pretty sure you can plant trees anywhere, haha. Evidence ... the park literally across the street!
217072.jpg


Okay, I am done ranting about something not that important, haha.
 
#62      
illini0440
Fighter of the Nightman said:
I unfortunately will not be at the game, but can someone clarify where Lot 31 is?? We came down for the PSU game last year and walked to the stadium from the west. We just brought some beers into Grange Grove, but I remember thinking the tailgating scene across the street from GG to the west was even cooler. It was more wooded and generally seemed to have more character. If that is not Lot 31, can someone tell me what that area is called? :ROFLMAO:

Also on that note, my annual plea for the DIA to not just be strictly (and blandly...) utilitarian with Grange Grove ... PLANT SOME TREES! It's called Grange GROVE, haha. Adding trees and seeing the leaves change as the season progresses just gives that area way more character and creates more of a classic college football vibe, rather than a flat, open field. We actually get decent crowds in Grange Grove when the weather is nice or we are decent, and I can just imagine how much cooler it would be with some damn trees, haha. Consider the difference...

NO TREES
0001901_210881929_10101976621852764_8237695674190214006_n.jpeg




TREES
GettyImages-865642874-e1693422857898.jpg

libation-station-crowd.jpg



Ours just looks a lot more "planned" and has less charm because of it. People can talk about the topography of Champaign vs. Athens, GA or Oxford, MS, but I'm pretty sure you can plant trees anywhere, haha. Evidence ... the park literally across the street!
217072.jpg


Okay, I am done ranting about something not that important, haha.
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The place you thought was cooler was in fact lot 31
 
#65      
redbeard7278
Mr. Tibbs said:
why they havent paid $3500 per tree , for 10-15 8"-10" trunk caliper trees in Grange Grove (moved in by tree moving equipment in any given March) is beyond me
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The lager the tree the longer it takes to get them established (general rule is 12 months per inch of caliper). Smaller caliper trees will often surpass lager trees because they will establish more quickly. They’d be better off buying smaller trees that can establish quicker.
 
#66      
Mr. Tibbs
redbeard7278 said:
The lager the tree the longer it takes to get them established (general rule is 12 months per inch of caliper). Smaller caliper trees will often surpass lager trees because they will establish more quickly. They’d be better off buying smaller trees that can establish quicker.
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i’m in that business basically . not large tree moving , but trees up to 5” .

i’ve seen plenty of 8” trees moved quite successfully with large tree spade trucks . but there obviously is a limit
 
#71      
kyillinifan
I park in he bank parking lot on Neil by the Algreens and Mikey D. The fee helps a local high school band. Get back to the car onto Neil and onto the expressway.
 
#72      
Second place is 1st loser
BWBW said:
IMHO, we will play a lot of players, especially on defense, to see what they've got, so giving up 17 is likely. I sure hope we score 41, or better.
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I have to disagree with this. Our SECOND unit should be able to all start and be the best player on EIU's roster. A good(not great) power 5 team should actually hold EIU under 10.

That's just my take.
 
#74      
IlliniInBuckeyeState
Not sure if it's by popular demand, but the Memorial Stadium Sellout Watch ticket tracker is back for another season! Below is the current status of ticket sales for the EIU game.

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Unfortunately, this is solidly below sales for Toledo in week 1 last season - about 4,200 tickets short of where the Toledo ticket tracker count ended up (46,546). With the Thursday night game and relative lack of excitement compared to last year, this is not all that unsurprising. But there are six days until gameday and a great weather forecast, perhaps announced attendance eclipses 45,000.

For those new to the Sellout Watch ticket tracker, here is a brief overview:
1. I'm weirdly obsessed with following if/when Memorial Stadium will break its streak of not having a sellout since the North Carolina game in 2016. I hardly post about anything else.
2. Using a tracker I built in Excel, I review the Illinois tickets website multiple times in the days preceding a game and estimate how many tickets have been sold.
3. The tracking process has some inherent limitations, mostly in that the status of large swaths of tickets are not publicly available. Generally the counts reported from the tracker are conservative and have trailed announced attendance by approximately 2,500.
4. Using the tracker and other situational assumptions, I typically provide an official attendance guess in the hours ahead of kickoff. Last season my guesses varied from actual attendance by an average of 843 per game (excluding the FAU game where the DIA gave away thousands of free tickets to teachers/educators).

I'll wrap up this post by making one bold prediction. I take no joy predicting this, but the Michigan game on October 19 will not be a sellout, and it won't be particularly close. Based on what I'm seeing, there are way too many tickets available - and at a premium price point - that they simply won't have enough demand to pack the place absent the team outperforming expectations significantly in the first six weeks. That's a shame because it will be a really special day, and one that should be celebrated by the fanbase.
 
#75      
aaeismacgychel
Second place is 1st loser said:
I have to disagree with this. Our SECOND unit should be able to all start and be the best player on EIU's roster. A good(not great) power 5 team should actually hold EIU under 10.

That's just my take.
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Holding EIU under 10 won't be all that easy in my opinion, even for good Power 5 teams, despite EIU being FCS. They have a lot of starters returning this year from what already was a solid for FCS 8-3 team last year including their QB who was selected as the preseason offensive player of the year in conference. Now this is of course still an FCS team and not one of the top 5 FCS teams where you start getting into eff around and find out territory, but they project to be decent for an FCS team. So say keeping them in single digits or winning by 40 probably shouldn't be the realistic measuring stick here (though if we were to do those things, that'll be a really outstandingly good sign exiting Week 1). A never in doubt 20+pt win holding them under 15pts seems like a fair target though, at least in my opinion.
 
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