There’s a Friday night game, too, that we’ve heard something
about.
And of course, Saturday, the last time I checked, is still a
day for college football games.
This Saturday, believe it or not, there is only one
conference game, and only two of the ten teams in the conference are even
playing. That’s the Houston at Memphis game.
Television has dramatically impacted college football and
played havoc with the C-USA schedule.
As we travel around the league this season everyone talks
about the same thing. How difficult it’s been this year to get into any type
of rhythm with your schedule.
The Pirates have three open dates and no home game for five
weeks. Teams play on a four-day turn around, ten days off or two weeks
between games. Everyone is in the same boat and you hear the same complaints
from all the schools.
Television is vitally important to a college football
program. Conference USA is not a priority for televised Saturday football.
So, of the twenty network telecasts for the league this year, just nine are
Saturday games and three of those are ESPN Plus, one is Army-Navy on CBS and
another is Memphis at Mississippi on Jefferson Pilot.
I’m probably like you. I enjoy watching college football. As
a viewer, I enjoy watching Southern Miss and TCU on a Wednesday night. For
Conference USA, it is great exposure and additional revenue.
The people who pay the biggest price for the scheduling
compromises that accompany the added TV exposure are the players and coaches
and to some extent the fans.
There’s an old saying about you take “the good with the
bad.” Television exposure is great, especially for a growing league like
Conference USA, but it does come with a price.
News ‘n Notes From Pirate Land
Britton Banowski visited with me last week on my radio
show, “From the Booth”. The new Conference USA Commissioner has a
challenge on his hands. This is a conference with diversity among its
institutions and the looming football BCS question. It’s not an easy job.
Houston Coach Dana Dimel and Steve Logan go way back to
Hutchinson Junior College days. Logan was the head coach at the ripe old
age of twenty-seven and Dimel was his player, an offensive lineman
recruited from Ohio. The first year “Hutch” struggled, the second year
under Logan they were in the Junior College National playoffs. Dimel went
on to play at Kansas State and worked his way up the ranks to become the
head coach at Wyoming, where he was 23-12 in three years.
Houston is a school with distinguished alumni. Dan Rather
and Jim Nantz from CBS, Tom Landry, Kenny Rogers, Larry Gatlin, and John
J. Moores, the owner of the San Diego Padres, among others.
There’s talk about realigning Conference USA for
basketball. This may be the last year of the two division setup. The
American and National divisions may go the way of the dinosaur and be
replaced with just one fourteen team league.
Who would you take in the NFL Draft, Dave Ragone or Byron
Leftwich? They’ve both made believers out of me. I’ll take Ragone, but you
probably can’t go wrong with Leftwich.
The Pirates have played thirteen true freshmen this year,
according to Logan. Injuries have played a part. Struggles on the field
have played a part, too. Steve doesn’t want to play any more than those
thirteen this year.
Kevin Miller is just five points away from becoming ECU’s
all time leading scorer. Kevin is a bright, class kid who is a standup
guy. He has the respect of his teammates.
