MARSHALL SEASON BREAKDOWN BY CAMPUS INSIDER

The site Campus Insiders has a nice break down of the  upcoming Conference USA football season. There is a very good video breakdown of Marshall's upcoming season that is worth a watch. I have Marshall winning 7-8 games this year. Here is the link:   Conference USA Football

FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE

This summer we will look at  several different fan bases from the Gang of 5 Schools and explore  what makes each of them unique. We continue the series with a look at the FIU Panther fan base. FIU is a young program in search of a story to tell. With a large student body to draw upon, the FIU leadership needs to find a compelling narrative in order to turn this group of students  into fans of the FIU football program.



SI SE PUEDE( YES WE CAN)

On December 26th, 2010 thousands of FIU fans packed  Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan to watch the Panthers play the Toledo Rockets in the Little Caesars Bowl.  Perhaps more impressive than being in the Bowl game itself however, was  that FIU  was celebrating only its 8th year as a football program. The Panthers had just completed an impressive  run in which they had gone from winning  their first ever football game  in 2002 to playing in a College Bowl game in front of a national television audience. The excitement among FIU fans was understandably  euphoric and hard to contain. After all, not many college football programs could lay claim to such a fast and swift rise through the ranks of FBS football.

Sprinkled throughout the Panther fan base that night were signs that read SI SE PUEDE( Yes We Can). The signs were a copy of  the slogan  used by  another unlikely success story , that of a young Senator from Illinois named  Barack Obama. Obama would of course go  on to capture the Presidency in 2008. The symbolism of the signs was not lost on the FIU crowd that day.  Many of those fans had  come to Detroit to  support the FIU football team and to celebrate what the Panther story  had come to mean to them. A story that read like the great American success narrative.  A story that reminded FIU fans and alumni that anything is possible if you work hard and dream big enough.

That FIU had entered the Little Caesars Bowl game as  Sun Belt Champions made the day at Ford Field even more special. The Panthers improbable 8 year run from start up program  to Bowl contender had given the FIU fan base a sense that they were both participating  and witnessing history unfold in front of them.

When Panthers place kicker Jake Griffin kicked the game winning field goal as time expired , FIU fans, coaches and administrators might well have believed they were watching a feel good sports movie. The celebration after the kick was electric as players and fans celebrated on the field  with all the joy and enthusiasm akin to winning the National Championship.

Yes this was only the Little Caesars Bowl, but surely the last second win over Toledo was a promising glimpse of the good things to come for FIU football. Few schools in the country could boast a Bowl victory this soon after starting a football program.  With the talent rich Miami recruiting grounds in  their back yard and a young charismatic Head Coach in Mario Cristobal , FIU looked like it was capable of winning big in college football.

FIU also appeared ready to be embraced by a fan base that was more than capable of turning out in big numbers to watch the Panthers play . A not so easy achievement  in a busy and  fickle sports town like Miami .

Unfortunately for FIU however,  successful programs  are prone to fall from grace fast and furious. The cold hard reality of this truth has plagued and battered the FIU program during its most recent history. FIU's relatively fast rise to football fame has been followed by an ongoing struggle for relevance and vision.

PARTING WAYS WITH MARIO CRISTOBAL

On December 5th ,2012 the following communique was sent by Pete Garcia (the FIU Executive in charge of Sports and Entertainment) to the Panther fan base and National sports media "Today we informed Coach (Mario) Cristobal that a change was being made in the direction of our football program".   Mario Cristobal, the 42 year Cuban American  Head Coach,  had been fired  by AD Pete Garcia as punishment for leading the Panthers to a 3-9 mark during the 2012 season. 

The year before Mario Cristobal was fired he had been considered one of the hottest coach's in all of  college football.  In fact Cristobal had been contacted by  several Power 5 schools interested in his services.  Cristobal, a Miami native and former member of the 1989 and 1991 Miami Hurricane National Championship teams, had chosen to stay at FIU and continue to build the program in his own very capable  image.  A program  that was  attracting  and keeping  local Miami talent.

Perhaps most important to the program  was that Mario Cristobal provided the FIU Panthers with a story line capable of galvanizing the complex and multilayered University.  A storyline of a young Cuban American professional willing to stay  home  and turn FIU into a winner. This narrative was something the school administration desperately wanted for the University. The FIU leadership  yearned for a successful football program that could serve as a  rallying  point for its students and alumni. A very important goal given the  unique demographics of FIU.

A CLOSER LOOK

A closer look at the demographics of FIU reveals a school that is  both traditional and non traditional in its teaching mission.  FIU for example,  is a large and complex school located within the Florida University system. With over 50,000 students, FIU is the  4th largest University in the country. Known for its  excellent research facilities, it also houses both a  respected  medical and law school dedicated to serving the needs and people  of the region. 

FIU's student body is 70% Hispanic, comprising one of  the largest groups of  Hispanic students at any University in the United States.  The school also has an unusually high number of Freshman who live off campus. In fact  only 27% of  Panther  freshman call the  FIU campus home. Additionally FIU is  annually   ranked as one of the top schools in the country for non traditional students.

These  demographics  point to an intriguing set of challenges and opportunities for FIU. With so many FIU students commuting instead of living on campus, and with a higher percentage of non traditional students than many other  schools have ,FIU must  learn to attract and keep this diverse population  interested in FIU sports, especially its money maker, football.

WHAT STORY IS FIU GOING TO TELL

Sports fans of all stripes are quick to point out that winning cures all problems,especially attendance ones. While this is true to a certain extent , there is a  more powerful and longer lasting strategy that schools with excellent fans bases share in common . A secret weapon if you will to entice people to become part of the school's mission and to become active participants  of that mission.  A weapon that is  wrapped in a narrative rather than a gimmick.  A narrative that keeps people in the stands even when hard times hit the program. A narrative that spells out what the team stands for in both good and bad times.

If FIU wants to tap into the 50,000 student population and increase attendance at games it must first decide what story it wants to tell.

With one of the lowest football attendance records in all of College Football last year, with a little over a 11,000 fans coming to FIU games( source NCAA) something seems amiss with the FIU fan experience.(winning more games would of course help with attendance numbers)

 Football, more than most sports, is a game built around emotion and intensity. Until FIU can capture the emotional attention of its large student body, it seems likely that FIU's poor attendance figures will continue.

FIU has tremendous potential to be strong and  competitive on the gridiron as well as in the stands. When Britton Banowsky(Conference USA Commish) invited FIU to Conference USA he no doubt understood the very high ceiling  FIU had built into  it. In fact, out of all of the new schools added to Conference USA in the last two years, FIU is the team with the most potential. Conference USA needs a strong FIU football team for a number obvious reasons. They  also need FIU to have a strong fan base.

Finally

When FIU fired Mario Cristobal  in 2012, they fired more than a head coach, they  fired their most important and visible brand marker . Cristobal was an up and coming Cuban American who played well to the diverse and lively Miami and FIU population. If FIU wants to build the fan base they are capable of building they will need to  win on the field  and to articulate  a story worth engaging its students with. They will need a narrative similar to the one Coach Cristobal brought to the football program. A narrative steeped in opportunity and possibility.

With such a large group of students attending FIU and with what is still a relatively young football program, finding a compelling story is a must for the University and football team.  Building a fan base that is passionate and loyal takes time and effort. FIU is located in the midst of some of the best sports fans in the country.  Finding a way to engage these fans and those who attend the University should be goal number one for the FIU sports leadership and athletic director.

The FIU football program and fan base have some of the best potential among all of the Gang of 5 Schools. Until, however,  the FIU leadership and football team can create compelling reasons for the school's 50,000 student body and large alumni base to the support the team , FIU's story will be one of great potential vs what it is now, one of empty seats and lackluster fan engagement. Stay tuned.

QUICK TAKE: USF FOOTBALL

USF has fallen on hard times lately and is in search of its former winning self. With excellent recruiting grounds just a stones throw away USF's recent struggles are somewhat of a mystery. Now that the Bulls have lost their place at the buffet table( USF now part of the Gang of Five Schools) their turnaround is going to be that much more difficult. UCF, their in state rival, has the upper hand at the moment in terms of momentum and brand appeal

Former Head Coach Skip Holtz was at the helm for the start of the USF collapse while current Head Coach Willie Taggart seems just as lost as Holtz was.  If Taggart does not give the Bulls fans a Bowl game this year look for him to be let go at the end of this season.

While the Bulls have recruited well in the last few years, it remains to be seen if they can put all of the pieces together this year for a nice run in the AAC.  USF has all the tools necessary to consistently be a top  G5 school. Until that happens look for them to stay in the bottom half of the AAC this year.

Look for a complete AAC breakdown in the weeks to come. Stay tuned

MAC FOOTBALL RECRUITING ROUND UP

There is no better conference in College football for finding diamonds in the rough than the MAC. The teams in the MAC play good football in large part because the conference has a tradition of finding smart hard working football players. The MAC is the ultimate Blue Collar league in College football.

If you are a MAC fan or simply curious about the types of players the MAC is currently recruiting the following link is worth a click.  MAC recruiting .The guys who write for this page do a nice job of keeping MAC fans up date on the latest recruiting news for the league. Stay tuned.

EAST CAROLINA PIRATE FAN BASE SERVES AS A MODEL FOR GANG OF 5 SCHOOLS

ECU FANS MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD

G5 Blog original content

This summer we will look at  several different fan bases from the Gang of 5 Schools and explore  what makes each of them unique. We start today with what many consider to be the  top  fan model among the Gang of 5  Schools, East Carolina. 


HURRICANES AND HOPE

In 1999 Hurricane Floyd ravaged eastern North Carolina leaving behind in its wake a path of destruction and misery. Hurricane Floyd has been called the worst natural disaster to ever hit North Carolina. Lives were lost, families were up rooted and towns were left to deal with the devastation of  a  once in every 500 year flood.

One  eastern North Carolina town hit particularly  hard by Hurricane Floyd  was Greenville, North Carolina.  Greenville is home to  East Carolina University and its  26,000 student population.  East Carolina University serves as  a vital economic and cultural engine for the region and its people. East Carolina  football is also vital to the region as it provides both a financial and  emotional boost to those living in eastern North Carolina.

Both the University and its football team however, were dealt significant blows immediately after the storm. The flooding from Hurricane Floyd  was so substantial in Greenville, for example, that  it forced  ECU  to shut down classes for nearly two weeks. The damage also kept the Pirate Football team from returning home after their away game the previous week in which they played  and beat the USC Gamecocks in Columbia ,South Carolina.

The Pirates, who were scheduled to play the number 9 ranked Miami Hurricanes in Greenville  the following weekend,  had to move the  game to Carter Finely Stadium in Raleigh NC( two hour drive from Greenville), home to the North Carolina State Wolfpack.

On Sept 25, 1999, 46,000 thousand people, the vast majority of whom were ECU fans, packed Carter Finely stadium and watched one of the most important football games in East Carolina history. Many of the  fans who were in  attendance that night had lost their homes, personal belongings and means of income due to the ravages of the storm.  The fans who had traveled to Raleigh to see the Pirates play had traveled to witness  more than a  football game, they had also traveled to find a glint of hope. Time and time again ECU had beaten teams they were not supposed to beat and now more than ever the ECU faithful  needed  Pirate football to create a special form of  magic on the gridiron. Magic that could transcend the difficulties they were experiencing if only for a few hours on this Saturday evening in September into something more positive than the previous days storm drama.

Those who attended the game in Raleigh and those who watched it on  tv  had their loyalty rewarded with an  improbable  27-23 come from behind Pirate victory. More than just  a win over 9th ranked Miami , however,  the game also provided Pirate fans with a promise about the future. A promise to the people of eastern North Carolina that if ECU football could over come great odds and emerge from the chaos of Hurricane Floyd as winners, they could as well. ECU's victory over the "Hurricanes" of Miami( Hollywood could not have written a better script ) symbolized for the battered people of eastern North Carolina that rebuilding their lives from the terrible destruction of Floyd could and would be done.

ECU's win over Miami also put an exclamation point on a very long two weeks for the region and  culminated in what one North Carolina columnist called, "ECU's Gipper Game". In reality however, East Carolina had been winning Gipper Games for much of its football life.  The Pirates had learned early on that they were capable of competing at a top level of collegiate football even if they were constantly battling financial limitations and recruiting at a level that instilled little to no fear in the hearts of teams they often did battle with.



FOOTBALL IS MORE THAN FOOTBALL AT ECU

With the almost mystical experience ECU fans had with Pirate football in the after math of Hurricane Floyd and the history of ECU football playing the role of  David to someone elses Goliath( and winning their good share of these battles) it is fair to write that football at ECU is more than just football. While this is true at many schools, there seems to be a  symbiotic relationship between ECU football and the region that is hard to articulate but is palpable and present  none the less . A relationship that  not only permeates throughout the eastern part of the state  but one that consistently captures the imagination and loyalty of  the student body and alumni as well.

When students get to ECU for example, they are quickly immersed  into the  transcendent  like narrative of the team and are asked to become part of the story by participating  in the ECU narrative themselves. The strong bond that is created  between the team and the community can be  seen  in the attendance at footabll games. ( averaging a little over 44,000, down a bit from 50,000 a few years and second in the Gang of 5 behind BYU)  and in the  fact the East Carolina reports the largest student booster club in the country at 10,000 members.

A STORY WORTH EMBRACING

The two greatest obstacles facing Gang of 5 schools at the moment are monetary limitations and lack of brand excitement. Gang of 5 schools are constantly being asked to do more with less money and most are being asked to do more with  far fewer fans than they would like to have.

While ECU faces many of the same financial  issues that the rest of the Gang of 5 schools do, it does not share the type of attendance( of course attendance can always improve at most schools) and fan apathy issues that most of the Gang of 5 presently encounter.

In addition to the more emotional aspects of brand loyaly among ECU fans, there are some concrete steps that East Carolina has taken over the last 40 years that have put the school at the top of the G Five fan pyramid.

Steps that start with a commitment to win that begins with the school Chancellor and trickles down to everything the University believes in and stands for.

More than anything else however,the football team has given ECU fans a strong story to embrace. In return,ECU fans have given the team and the school their loyalty and trust.  In midst of this important process East Carolina has created a sports community that many G5 schools are hoping to emulate one day themselves. Stay tuned.

CUSA CONTINUES TO KEEP TIGHT REIN ON ONGOING TV CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS

RICE UNIVERSITY IS A KEY CUSA SCHOOL

QUICK UPDATE( CRICKETS) 

A few weeks ago I wrote an article(below) about  CUSA and the potential issues facing the league as it seeks to sign a new TV contract this year. While CUSA continues to negotiate and keep those negotiations a closely guarded secret, it is becoming clearer to me that the  American Television network may take a more official role with CUSA gong forward. This seems more and more likely as  Conference USA and Sinclair networks( owner of the American Sports Network) announced a few weeks ago that the American Sports Network  will once again broadcast a minimum of 30 CUSA games this year.

According  to the CUSA "Sinclair owns and operates, programs and provides sales services to 162 television stations in 78 markets, reaching approximately 40 percent of U.S. television households. It includes FOX, ABC, CBS, MyTV, CW, NBC, Univision and Azteca affiliates.".

As we continue to wait for the details of the new CUSA contract, here is the  the article I wrote concerning those contract issues a few weeks ago. Stay tuned



CUSA FACES CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES WITH NEW CONTRACT

CBS might be losing interest in Conference USA

Conference USA(CUSA) recently announced their television programming for the 2015-2016 season. The tv deal is very similar to the one last year as both Fox and CBS have agreed to air essentially the same amount of content as the previous season.  It is interesting to note however, that CBS is broadcasting a minimum of 4 less games this year than they did in 2013. This trend continues the  CBS pullback from C USA.

CBS Sports also made news this week when they announced  a deal with the MAC  to sublease  MAC games from ESPN.MAC and CBS(click to read story) With this announcement CBS seems to be saying two things: 1. The MAC is an attractive property for them right now. 2. CBS continues to find ways to put more G5  product on their network( AAC and MAC) while reducing their CUSA content.

The MAC/CBS partnership raises the interesting question about what this partnership means for Conference USA and their ongoing contract negotiations  with CBS. It seems highly possible that with CBS  reducing their   CUSA content over the last two years, and by picking up more MAC and AAC programing that they are  sending a clear message to CUSA,  a message that they are not as interested in the product as they used to be.

FOX still finds value in Conference USA

There is good news however, for C USA, in that the amount of programming that Fox network wants from C USA continues  to be consistent with the two previous years. In fact Fox Sports is actually showing more CUSA games this year than in 2013. In 2013 for example, CUSA announced that Fox Sports would be covering approximately 50 games. In their 2015 presser,  CUSA announced that Fox would be covering nearly 60 games during the 2015-2016 football season( some of the extra games however, are games that Fox is obligated to carry because of other contracts with different College Football leagues)

The downside of Fox Sports for CUSA is that the network continues to underperform relative to ESPN. Couple this with the fact that ESPN is in over 9 million more homes than Fox Sports and you have a  network struggling to find its identity with the  public.

This underperforming reality is highlighted in the excellent article dealing with the ratings woes of Fox Sports, written by Matt Zemek. In the article Zemek speculates that the weak ratings of Fox could have far more significant ramifications than just losing to ESPN, it could cost the network its Big Ten partnership.   Zemek points out that  the Big Ten may take their business to ESPN where they know they will get better ratings. He also writes that the disappointing numbers the Big East drew on Fox this season, in spite of having an outstanding year.(Big East sent 6 teams to the NCAA tournment this year) could lead Big Ten Commish Jim Delaney  to " want no part" of these low numbers for his conference.(Fox Sports low TV viewership)

Any potential Big Ten/Fox Sports drama could actually spell opportunity for CUSA. If Fox Sports is honestly worried about the Big Ten taking their business elsewhere, it could motivate  the beleaguered network to not only keep CUSA as a partner but also  offer a nice raise for doing so. One word of caution however on any raise C USA might receive from Fox. With the Big East 500 million dollar contract not creating ratings numbers like the execs at Fox had hoped for, it might spook the bean counters enough to make low ball offers to CUSA. If this happens, look for some unhappy CUSA AD's and Presidents. It is already rumored that ODU is not pleased with the current CUSA tv deal that puts them on national television far fewer times than schools like Marshall and La Tech.

Final Thoughts

As I wrote many months ago, the next tv contract C USA signs  will be the most important  in its history. CUSA can boast some very solid football programs in Marshall, La Tech, Rice, UAB*(unclear how soon UAB football returns) and Southern Miss. These schools make up a good core of schools  and one that should allow the conference  to sell its self as a collection of gritty competitors. CUSA though must also convince its next tv  partner that newly acquired Sun Belt teams, WKU and North Texas are worth the price tag of a new contract.( here I am referring specifically to the lack of fan support both schools have  and in the case of North Texas, an under performing sports department)

One of  the biggest hurdles CUSA faces in its contract negotiations however is that has two new FBS schools, Charlotte and ODU to contend with. It is also now looking like UAB football is at least two years away from competing on the gridiron.( it is also unclear if UAB will have to spend a year at the FCS level before moving back to the FBS) While UNC Charlotte and ODU both have tremendous upside, it remains to be seen if Fox Sports finds enough value in these two schools as well as having enough patience for the UAB to return to football to give CUSA a healthy dollar amount for their product. Couple this with the fact that CUSA is one bid basketball school and things look uncertain for the league going forward.

In short, CUSA finds itself at a real crossroads. In many ways the group of schools has an unknown value and this might be cause for alarm within the CUSA head quarters in Dallas. With a shaky relationship with ESPN( it seems unlikely ESPN will bid for CUSA given the lawsuit that was settled a few years ago) and a Fox Sports network on the downward curve, there are more questions than answers heading into the new tv contract season. Couple this with  an NBC Sports channel that only seems interested in College Football if Notre Dame is part of the equation, and you have for some nervous times for CUSA and its fans.  CUSA Commish Britton Banowsky has at times , proven he is more than capable of steering the CUSA ship to calm waters. He will need to do so again this time around with the new tv contract if the conference hopes to stay competitive among the G5. Stay tuned.

G5 NEWS, ISSUES AND SPORTS HAS REACHED 60,000 PAGE VIEWS

Dear G5 Sports,  News and Issues Reader,

A big THANK YOU finding this web site and spending a little bit of your time here. In less than two seasons you have helped this site reach over 60,000 page views. While this represents a very small section of the sports world, it does speak volumes about the commitment and fan support that is found among the Gang of 5 Universities. It also says that there is a real market for television and radio to cover the schools in these sports leagues. 

THANKS AGAIN.