Schedule a turnoff for some OSU fans | The Columbus Dispatch

[Lewie]

Thad schedules the teams he knows he can beat. Thad's year-to-year schedules just show his lack of confidence in his teams.

[Heres an idea]

Stop raising the ticket prices and maybe families could afford to go to the non-conference games during Christmas break from school.??????

[Hey Lewie]

Just exactly how is Thad supposed to have confidence in a team (until this year - and then only until Evan Turner got hurt) that changes all starting personnel EVERY season?

[Woebegone]

"Tickets sold, which Ohio State lists as attendance, is averaging 11,973 heading into tonight's final nonconference home game. A total of 11,904 season tickets have been sold, associate athletic director Bill Jones said in an e-mail, meaning few fans have bought at the gate."

Few fans? That tells me they sell an average of 69 seats a game outside of season tickets. Andy Geiger thank you again for saddling the university with the debt of this arena which is so not needed.

[Michael]

Jeff Columbus wrote:

if you lukewarm fans think only ohio state plays a schedule like this than I am convienced you couldnt find you butt with a flashlight even if you followed the smell.
let's see this year we've played north carolina, california, florida state and butler, yeah that's a creampuff schedule if I ever saw one.

I have season tickets. Of the games you've mentioned, I got to see Florida State. The schedule is weak. You've left off West Virginia, whom we play in January in Morgantown. Five adequate to good teams out of 13 games is not a tough schedule. One semi-quality home game out of nine games is weak. I can find my butt just fine, and you can usually find it in VCA on game night. But it wont be there for long if the scheduling continues this way. It's bad basketball. The opponents are bad and we usually play down to their level. We are not as good as our record indicates and we are not the 17th best team in the country.

[other side of the tracks]

buckeye044 wrote:

There is no excitement surrounding this team. And now with Turner out, there is really no one player anybody is going to want to see.

Please speak for your (spoiled, cynical) self. David Lighty happens to be a very exciting basketball player. I believe he had 30 points last night? Jon Diebler, pretty exciting shooter. Had some tough times, seems to be finding a rhythm. Love him. PJ Hill - maybe not a classic basketball Buckeye, but an exciting defensive player and one who can also light up the scoreboard occasionally. William Buford - raw, inexperienced, but EXCITING as heck! And yes, we are hoping Evan Turner will return healthy but until such time, TRUE fans love a team, not one single player.

GO BUCKS!

[Xavier39]

Xavier, Dayton, or Cincinnati would probably play OSU for free at OSU if OSU would agree to a return game in Dayton or Cincinnati. OSU hasn't played Xavier in the regular season since 1934, OSU hasn't Dayton in the regular season since 1990, and before the 2006 game, OSU and UC haven't played since the 1962 NCAA national championship. Totally ridiculous, the Buckeyes should play X, UD, and UC more often. The in-state rivalries would be a lot of fun.

[Xavier39]

OSU playing X, UD, or UC would be fun bc it would create in-state rivalries. The state represetatives from Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus might be able to team together to force something to happen, but I doubt it, and no one can force OSU to play X, UD, or UC.

Pretty sad:
OSU last played UD in the regular season around 1990.
OSU last played X in the regular season around 1935.
OSU last played UC in the regular season around 2006. Their last game before that was in 1961 and 1962 NCAA national championships.

OSU played North Carolina and California in New York in a tournament, and Florida State in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. OSU also played at Butler and plays at West Virginia. Instead of Butler or West Virginia why not X, UD, or UC? OSU should play at least one of the three(X, UD, or UC)every year on a rotating basis.

"The other factor in scheduling home games is money. The recognizable names among mid-majors that will not demand a return game charge "outrageous" sums to visit, Matta said.

"The (higher their) RPI, the more money you have to pay to bring them in," Willis said. "It becomes a financial challenge, especially when our attendance is lower. It's kind of a Catch-22.""

I bet X, UD, or UC would practically play OSU for free at OSU if OSU would agree to a return game in Cincinnati or Dayton.

This is the same reason UD won't play Wright State, except WSU I think has agreed to play at UD every year, and UD still won't play them.

Ohio is dysfunctional in this regard, other states don't have this problem. Examples:
Kentucky/Louisville, Wisconsin/Marquette, Purdue/Indiana/Notre Dame/Butler all play regularly, West Virginia/Marshall, Tennessee/Memphis, Florida/Florida State/Miami all play regularly, Iowa/Iowa State, the Big 5 in Philly, etc.