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Game Thread Game One: #1 Ohio State 35, Northern Illinois 12 (9/2/06)

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NIU007 said:
Actually, this is kind of like saying that the Pittsburgh Steelers are better than Ohio State. It's true, but it almost has to be. OSU's football budget is, I believe, more than 10 times what NIU's budget is. Our facilities would never come close, especially with the MAC only getting a few smaller bowl games (until this coming year only 1 or 2 bowls), so conference revenues are relatively tiny. So even making a game of it is, if not a moral victory, at least a small victory of sorts.

If this sounds like an excuse, it probably is. Facts are facts, and although NIU has improved recently, developed more of a following, and been more successful, we still lose out on budget money to U of I, because they're a Big Ten team. The media in Chicago just likes to talk about Notre Dame. :mad2:
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I gotta tell you, I really don't like the "small school" mentality that you can't compete with budgets like what OSU has for football. The fact is this... Ohio State decided early on... in the 1920s.. to invest in football. So, they made a stadium that was - at the time - MUCH too large. The shoe wasn't filled every Saturday in those days. But, OSU took a risk... they invested in football, and it paid off over the long run. Same thing with schools like Michigan, Oklahoma, etc... And, it can be done in the modern day. Miami of Florida wasn't much of a football school before 1983. Fla. St. was a womens college in its early days.. (Although, that's been over a half century ago)

Anyway... It bugs me - and I'm not saying you made this particular argument - that "non-BCS" schools whine about the fact that they're being left out of the big money games. Well, the schools that have been included have spent a GREAT DEAL of money in order to anticipate some ROI. Small schools have not. If you want BCS money, fine... spend some money on your programs and it'll come. Is there risk? You better believe it. But, no big money ideas come without risk, and it's complete absurd for fans of "non BCS" schools to expect to get BCS money without BCS investment. Blame your school's previous administrations for not realizing that football would be such a cash cow or being willing to take the risk.

And, on the issue of "Chicago just caring about ND" Maybe... But, you know what? NIU is well within range to make people in Chitown care more about NIU football. Ever seen Manhatten Kansas? There aint shit around for miles. And yet, they have developed quite a fan base... Norman Oklahoma isn't going to compete with Chicago. Hell, Columbus Ohio isn't Chicago. It can be done. But, you guys (and I mean your schools, of course) don't want to do the work to become "big time" you just want the reward of BEING big time.
 
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Buckeyeskickbuttocks said:
I gotta tell you, I really don't like the "small school" mentality that you can't compete with budgets like what OSU has for football. The fact is this... Ohio State decided early on... in the 1920s.. to invest in football. So, they made a stadium that was - at the time - MUCH too large. The shoe wasn't filled every Saturday in those days. But, OSU took a risk... they invested in football, and it paid off over the long run. Same thing with schools like Michigan, Oklahoma, etc... And, it can be done in the modern day. Miami of Florida wasn't much of a football school before 1983. Fla. St. was a womens college in its early days.. (Although, that's been over a half century ago)

Anyway... It bugs me - and I'm not saying you made this particular argument - that "non-BCS" schools whine about the fact that they're being left out of the big money games. Well, the schools that have been included have spent a GREAT DEAL of money in order to anticipate some ROI. Small schools have not. If you want BCS money, fine... spend some money on your programs and it'll come. Is there risk? You better believe it. But, no big money ideas come without risk, and it's complete absurd for fans of "non BCS" schools to expect to get BCS money without BCS investment. Blame your school's previous administrations for not realizing that football would be such a cash cow or being willing to take the risk.

And, on the issue of "Chicago just caring about ND" Maybe... But, you know what? NIU is well within range to make people in Chitown care more about NIU football. Ever seen Manhatten Kansas? There aint shit around for miles. And yet, they have developed quite a fan base... Norman Oklahoma isn't going to compete with Chicago. Hell, Columbus Ohio isn't Chicago. It can be done. But, you guys (and I mean your schools, of course) don't want to do the work to become "big time" you just want the reward of BEING big time.
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This gets my vote for best post in this thread. I think this post needs to be posted on fan pages of every WAC, Sun Belt, MAC, Mountain West, Conference USA, and I don't know what other conferences to bring them back to reality. A football program is just like anything else in life, you get out of it what you put in.
 
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G-FORCE said:
Some programs and put in more then others.
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Any school... and I do mean ANY school, can put forth as much to the football program as they want.

Look, NIU is 60 miles from Chicago. 60 miles... If those people were NIU fans, they'd come to games, buy the gear, etc.. NIU fans especially have no business going with the poor victimized "we can't spend like the big boys" Tell your admin to commit to football. It's really that simple.
 
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Buckeyeskickbuttocks said:
Any school... and I do mean ANY school, can put forth as much to the football program as they want.

Look, NIU is 60 miles from Chicago. 60 miles... If those people were NIU fans, they'd come to games, buy the gear, etc.. NIU fans especially have no business going with the poor victimized "we can't spend like the big boys" Tell your admin to commit to football. It's really that simple.
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I completely agree that Teams like tOSU, TSUN, ND, Oklahoma, Texas, etc. have made the financial commitment over the years in order to be where they are now. And it can still happen, look even more recently than Miami and FSU at Louisville. But I do think it's much harder to build a team into a national power now than it was when the traditional powers emerged. NC States thrown all kinds of money at their program but they've been Phillip Rivers and nothing more. Money's necessary, but its not everything. And hell, if they can build a competing team in BOISE, it can certainly be done at a place like NIU.
 
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I would agree it's probably harder now, I mean, there is an established pecking order today, whereas there was not back in the days when the "powers that would be" were becoming those powers... That is to say, in the 1930's, chances are high if you polled the population who cared about College football they'd have no doubt said that in 50 years they'd expect Minnesota to be a national power. They'd have said Notre Dame, Michigan, USC, Ohio State, etc as well... But, they wouldn't have said Miami of Florida, Virginia Tech, Florida, Florida State...

Anyway, I agree with what you add to my point and I like the Boise reference especially.
 
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Buckeyeskickbuttocks said:
I would agree it's probably harder now, I mean, there is an established pecking order today, whereas there was not back in the days when the "powers that would be" were becoming those powers... That is to say, in the 1930's, chances are high if you polled the population who cared about College football they'd have no doubt said that in 50 years they'd expect Minnesota to be a national power. They'd have said Notre Dame, Michigan, USC, Ohio State, etc as well... But, they wouldn't have said Miami of Florida, Virginia Tech, Florida, Florida State...

Anyway, I agree with what you add to my point and I like the Boise reference especially.
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I agree with most everything, but The Florida schools have an advantage that NIU wouldn't. Florida is loaded with talent much more than Illinois.
 
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t_BuckeyeScott said:
I agree with most everything, but The Florida schools have an advantage that NIU wouldn't. Florida is loaded with talent much more than Illinois.
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I'll agree with that, but I think Louisville and Boise State show you don't necessarily need it. Ok they're not MNC contenders, but Louisville has put itself in the discussion, and Boise State has itself in th BCS game discussions most every year. If those two can do that NIU can as well.
 
Upvote 0
Buckeyeskickbuttocks said:
I gotta tell you, I really don't like the "small school" mentality that you can't compete with budgets like what OSU has for football. The fact is this... Ohio State decided early on... in the 1920s.. to invest in football. So, they made a stadium that was - at the time - MUCH too large. The shoe wasn't filled every Saturday in those days. But, OSU took a risk... they invested in football, and it paid off over the long run. Same thing with schools like Michigan, Oklahoma, etc... And, it can be done in the modern day. Miami of Florida wasn't much of a football school before 1983. Fla. St. was a womens college in its early days.. (Although, that's been over a half century ago)

Anyway... It bugs me - and I'm not saying you made this particular argument - that "non-BCS" schools whine about the fact that they're being left out of the big money games. Well, the schools that have been included have spent a GREAT DEAL of money in order to anticipate some ROI. Small schools have not. If you want BCS money, fine... spend some money on your programs and it'll come. Is there risk? You better believe it. But, no big money ideas come without risk, and it's complete absurd for fans of "non BCS" schools to expect to get BCS money without BCS investment. Blame your school's previous administrations for not realizing that football would be such a cash cow or being willing to take the risk.

And, on the issue of "Chicago just caring about ND" Maybe... But, you know what? NIU is well within range to make people in Chitown care more about NIU football. Ever seen Manhatten Kansas? There aint shit around for miles. And yet, they have developed quite a fan base... Norman Oklahoma isn't going to compete with Chicago. Hell, Columbus Ohio isn't Chicago. It can be done. But, you guys (and I mean your schools, of course) don't want to do the work to become "big time" you just want the reward of BEING big time.
Click to expand...

To some extent this is true, you have to take some risk but I do think it's harder now than it was before. Frankly I agree with the stadium situation, it's hard to consider yourself "big time" when your stadium only holds 28000. It held 31000 until they removed the end zone seats, not sure why they did that. At the moment we're concentrating on new facilities connected to the current stadium that will keep us from being even more behind in recruiting. The weightroom, etc. facilities have been worse than even most MAC schools. So I doubt there's any money for a bigger stadium. We don't get much coverage in Chicago because they have 2 pro baseball teams, the Bears, the Bulls, the Blackhawks, plus U of I, Northwestern, and Notre Dame. In comparison, there's probably not much to do in Kansas.

I think the weather helps in Florida. Lots of recruits would want to go there, and more fans are willing to see the games in warm weather. Maybe NIU's administration could have done something different 80 years ago, but maybe it wasn't practical then either. We didn't even become division I-A until about 1973.
 
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