BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
It's produced some intriguing games, but far too many cupcakes
The 12th game turns 7 years old as a permanent part of college football. If the idea was to schedule Jackson State, Troy, South Alabama and Middle Tennessee, as Mississippi State does in 2012 to be bowl eligible, the 12th game works marvelously. Mississippi State is hardly alone in raising ticket prices over the years only to schedule more cupcakes. The sport is filled with undesirable schedules and recently lost a cool future series between the Big Ten and Pac-12.
How the 12th game happened reflects the history of college football: More money was desired. Shocking, I know.
Spending on college sports was accelerating at an unsustainable rate (which is still the case today). So the NCAA Board of Directors concluded in 2005 to play one more game each year. Reform-minded advocates, college football coaches and the ACC objected, citing the physical and mental toll on the players.
But hey, untapped revenue is like undrilled oil. Drilling for oil won the NCAA vote 8-2 with one abstention. For schools with 100,000-seat stadiums, the 12th game was worth approximately $3 million beginning in 2006. Today, the high-end value for the 12th game is more like $4 to $6 million.
Read More Here...
The 12th game turns 7 years old as a permanent part of college football. If the idea was to schedule Jackson State, Troy, South Alabama and Middle Tennessee, as Mississippi State does in 2012 to be bowl eligible, the 12th game works marvelously. Mississippi State is hardly alone in raising ticket prices over the years only to schedule more cupcakes. The sport is filled with undesirable schedules and recently lost a cool future series between the Big Ten and Pac-12.
How the 12th game happened reflects the history of college football: More money was desired. Shocking, I know.
Spending on college sports was accelerating at an unsustainable rate (which is still the case today). So the NCAA Board of Directors concluded in 2005 to play one more game each year. Reform-minded advocates, college football coaches and the ACC objected, citing the physical and mental toll on the players.
But hey, untapped revenue is like undrilled oil. Drilling for oil won the NCAA vote 8-2 with one abstention. For schools with 100,000-seat stadiums, the 12th game was worth approximately $3 million beginning in 2006. Today, the high-end value for the 12th game is more like $4 to $6 million.
Read More Here...
