10 replies to this topic

[jefffwd]

AP Top 25
1. Florida (48) 13-1 1,606
2. Utah (16) 13-0 1,519
3. USC (1) 12-1 1,481
4. Texas 12-1 1,478
5. Oklahoma 12-2 1,391
6. Alabama 12-2 1,264
7. TCU 11-2 1,193
8. Penn State 11-2 1,153
9. Ohio State 10-3 1,013
10. Oregon 10-3 997
11. Boise State 12-1 938
12. Texas Tech 11-2 916
13. Georgia 10-3 903
14. Mississippi 9-4 857
15. Virginia Tech 10-4 713
16. Oklahoma State 9-4 534
17. Cincinnati 11-3 506
18. Oregon State 9-4 467
19. Missouri 10-4 435
20. Iowa 9-4 317
21. Florida State 9-4 246
22. Georgia Tech 9-4 223
23. West Virginia 9-4 144
24. Michigan State 9-4 138
25. Brigham Young 10-3 137

[bailey]

As someone who has been attending TCU football games for over 40 years, this has to be the best season I can remember. I attend every game and the product Gary Patterson puts on the field just gets better and better. That TCU ended up ranked number 7 is a real accomplishment, especially considering they lost to the number 2 team in Utah in the last minute and would have won the game if they hadn't missed 2 short field goals.

It is somewhat confusing, why the people of Fort Worth and the metroplex don't support this excellent program. The stadium should be filled for every game. The ticket prices are reasonable, the atmosphere is great, and the games entertaining. Competing against schools like Texas and Oklahoma is a daunting task for a private school and Fort Worth should be very proud of TCU and its players and coaches. It deseves better support than 30,000 a game.

[jefffwd]

AND I forgot to mention that Gary Patterson just signed a new contract with TCU good through 2014!!!!

[hannerhan]

I agree with you Bailey, but the problem here is that DFW is simply a pro-focused area and the Cowboys are king. There aren't a lot of cities that get both the pro support and the rabid support for a college team. Places like Austin and College Station and Columbus and Knoxville, etc...they don't have pro teams so all the focus is on one thing.

Still, I think TCU needs to do some better marketing to people other than local alumni.

[bailey]

I agree with you Bailey, but the problem here is that DFW is simply a pro-focused area and the Cowboys are king. There aren't a lot of cities that get both the pro support and the rabid support for a college team. Places like Austin and College Station and Columbus and Knoxville, etc...they don't have pro teams so all the focus is on one thing.

Still, I think TCU needs to do some better marketing to people other than local alumni.

I agree 100% they need to do a much better job selling their product and that doesn't mean putting up a couple of billboards. They need to market to the business community door to door and solicit support for the program. It's not like they don't have a great story to tell. It would make recruiting a lot easier if the stadium wasn't half empty everytime they bring in potential recruits. They could also do a better job marketing to the general population. Their lack of effort in this area is a big part of the problem.

[cjyoung]

TCU needs to close the deal against teams like Utah.

[cjyoung]

When you look at the list, TCU's average isn't that bad. Miami has won multiple NCs and they average just over 43K. The only private schools to average more than 50K are USC, Notre Dame and BYU. I would like to see attendance improve, but I think it's the nature of the game for small private schools.

2007 NCAA Football Attendance Figures

Private Schools
USC - 87,416
ND - 80,821
BYU - 64,497
Miami - 43,589
Boston College - 41,990
Stanford - 39,332
Syracuse - 35,009
Vanderbilt - 34,629
Baylor - 34,378
Wake Forest - 32,595
TCU - 30,018

[Keller Pirate]

Great post, I love facts and figures. I found my favorite team at number 72 on the Division III list.

[FoUTASportscaster]

It is somewhat confusing, why the people of Fort Worth and the metroplex don't support this excellent program. The stadium should be filled for every game. The ticket prices are reasonable, the atmosphere is great, and the games entertaining. Competing against schools like Texas and Oklahoma is a daunting task for a private school and Fort Worth should be very proud of TCU and its players and coaches. It deseves better support than 30,000 a game.

Agreed. Unfortunately, they play in the MWC, which suffers from a lack of visibility, not talent. THE MWC had 2 teams finish in the top 10, the same as the Pac 10, Big 12, SEC and Big 10. They had more than the BCS conferences of the ACC and Big East, yet they are out of luck with an auto bid. As Dan Wetzel of Yahoo reported, many pollsters didn't see one snap of a Utah game, yet they dismantled Alabama. The BCS is a screwy system and needs to be abolished.

[eshigginbotham]

When you look at the list, TCU's average isn't that bad. Miami has won multiple NCs and they average just over 43K. The only private schools to average more than 50K are USC, Notre Dame and BYU. I would like to see attendance improve, but I think it's the nature of the game for small private schools.

2007 NCAA Football Attendance Figures

Private Schools
USC - 87,416
ND - 80,821
BYU - 64,497
Miami - 43,589
Boston College - 41,990
Stanford - 39,332
Syracuse - 35,009
Vanderbilt - 34,629
Baylor - 34,378
Wake Forest - 32,595
TCU - 30,018
Tulane - 26,112
Northwestern - 24,589
Tulsa - 24,539
Duke - 20,064
SMU - 17,171
Rice - 13,353

Enrollments:

BYU - 34,067
USC - 33,389
Syracuse - 19,048
Northwestern - 18,028
Miami - 15,449
Stanford - 14,975
BC - 14,395
Baylor - 13,886
Duke - 12,991
Vanderbilt - 12,093
ND - 11,603
Tulane - 11,187
SMU - 10,901
TCU - 8,696
Wake Forest - 6,830
Rice - 5,145
Tulsa - 4,165

[cjyoung]

Temple is public.