BZuppke
- Plainfield
Years ago (1980s) my friends and I instituted a travel ban to, through and over Iowa. So no, one of the few stadiums in the B1G I’ve not been to.
Illini Football 2023
- Status
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Go to Big Grove, and go Illini!
Fighter -
With what may be my first post after many years of viewing, do you have a view on doing an ILL/IOWA + TEX/ISU doubleheader? (would require an 11am and an evening start, no 2:30's)
Background: two Illini created two subsequent Longhorns. Eldest Longhorn offspring (see below) & I travel for each other. This is my weekend so ILL/IOWA is first priority (he took TX/AL...wise choice) but we are hoping to catch both in our visit.
Given I agree night game is out for Illinois, any views on ISU's game timing & also recommendations?
*his credentials: 1) demanded we go to the Stoney Brook game for his HS spring break, 2) his IL campus visit included the Dec Fresno State game, 3) sat with me at Heart of Dallas bowl in driving rain
Iowa Sucks. That is all.Glad to hear it! My wife's baby shower will be that weekend, so I think I will be able to sneak away and go to that game, as no men are to attend ... I am currently being told I can anyway, but we will see, haha. This is definitely more than you asked for, but I figured you (or anyone else) can take or leave any or all of it! I will provide my Iowa City pointers first, and then for anyone as crazy as I am, my baseless and useless speculation on the game time will be below that.
IOWA CITY/GAMEDAY
Downtown --> Stadium
Downtown Iowa City is quite a walk from the stadium - about 25-30 minutes, and it feels longer walking across bridges and whatnot. With that said, you can definitely do it. There is TONS of great tailgating along Melrose Avenue (behind the south end zone) and all of the winding streets around there. There isn't really any area quite like Grange Grove where you can just show up and it's BYOB, though. Any friends in the area?? I can let you know if I end up going, haha.
Campus
As for the campus, it is my personal opinion that it's the town itself that is the draw, and the campus itself (which, unlike Champaign, is completely and totally intertwined with the city in a more hodge-podge way, for better and for worse!) is not too stunning. The Pentacrest (facing Clinton Street) is sort of Iowa's version of the Quad, and it is pretty cool with old stone buildings. However, I do not think it is as cool as the Quad at Illinois. Iowa City and Champaign are interesting in that where one excels, the other is kind of "meh" and vice versa.
Bars
For bars downtown, a lot of the "classics" you might get recommended are painfully collegey, haha. I would recommend the bars in the following ascending order:
1) If you MUST see the "college bar" vibe somewhere, the only ones I could in good faith recommend at least just checking out are DC's or Brothers - both in the Ped Mall. DC's is much more of a party atmosphere, but my not-very-crazy friends and I (all now in our 30s) never feel too out of place on a game weekend, and we have brought plenty of our parents/their friends there before, and it's never awkward or anything. Brothers is nice because it's at least big enough where you will not feel crowded. On that note, do at least walk through the Ped Mall if you're Downtown ... it's really cool, and I wish Champaign would take inspiration for its Taylor Street Alley area Downtown.
2) Joe's Place on Iowa Avenue is good for a semi-adultish party atmosphere in the Downtown area. Head up to their rooftop area if it is still open! It probably will not be crowded that time of year, and it's cool.
3) If you get a bit farther from Downtown on Gilbert Street (about a 10-minute walk from the Ped Mall), Mosley's is a cool BBQ setup with a great beer garden, The Vine is a great not-quite-dive-bar with good wings and Sanctuary is a really cool pub. They are all right next to each other.
4) My actual recommendation for bars is to just keep walking on Gilbert Street a little farther to Big Grove. It is absolutely massive, it's a really cool setup, it has a great atmosphere, the food/service/beer are all good and it's a go-to every time I am back in Iowa City visiting.
5) If you want to escape the orbit of Downtown altogether, there is an area called the Iowa River Landing that is RIGHT off of the interstate in Coralville. 30hop, the Athletic Club, Backpocket Brewing, Marquee (woodfired pizza), etc. are all right there. Much more of an adult vibe.
Food
I assume you are coming in Friday, so if you want to grab dinner somewhere...
1) For fancier environments, you cannot beat Orchard Green. It's by far my favorite restaurant in Iowa City. It is pretty reasonably priced (IMO), but it is definitely "nice." For a "vibe" comparison in Champaign, I would say Nando Milano (but different food). One Twenty Six is also good Downtown and slightly more casual. Joseph's Steakhouse is good and a cool atmosphere, but it is outrageously priced ... especially when they sell those exact same steaks at a grocery store a couple of blocks away.
2) Iowa City's Italian scene is kind of lacking, but Baroncini is good (but small), and Basta is decent. Both are Downtown.
3) For more casual food, Pullman (Downtown) has a VERY good burger. It's still a nice atmosphere, but it is not "formal."
4) As an Illinoisan and now a Chicagoan, I cannot recommend pizza in Iowa City that is better than what I have had in our great State of Illinois ... with that said, Wig and Pen (Coralville) is good thin crust, and Pagliai's is really good, too.
5) For breakfast, you cannot go wrong with Hamburg Inn or Bluebird (both just north of Downtown). Personally, I think Bluebird is better.
Iowa Fans
All jokes aside, they are great people ... but they are infinitely more "boarish" than Illinois fans. Having lived in Peoria when I was younger and then Iowa City for 20+ years and now Chicago since 2019, it has been really interesting realizing the subtle differences between Illinoisans and Iowans. I have found Illinoisans to be much more reserved and courteous vs. your more outgoing and outwardly "bubbly" Iowa people. I strongly prefer the Illinois vibe, haha. They HATE Illinois, but once a jab or two is out of the way, everyone has always been extremely nice to me ... they are PASSIONATE about their Hawkeyes, and they respect that passion from opposing fans.
GAME TIME
I am only confident that it will be 11:00 am or 2:30 pm (i.e., not a night game). However, beyond that it is a total guess, IMO. A lot will depend on if we keep winning ... if we don't have another loss heading into that game (not exactly "likely" but far from impossible if we have turned a corner!), that could be a massive game for the West. FWIW, these are the other Big Ten games that day, ranked in order of how desirable I think each will be for TV ratings:
#2 Michigan at Maryland
Minnesota at #3 Ohio State
Nebraska at Wisconsin
Rutgers at #7 Penn State
Michigan State at Indiana
Purdue at Northwestern
Those games have to fill at least some of the following spots, from what I can tell:
1) 11:00 am on FOX (Big Noon Kickoff) or 2:30 pm on FOX
2) 6:30 pm on NBC (Notre Dame is at 2:30 pm, so that slot is filled, and NBC hasn't broadcasted an 11:00 am game all year)
3) 11:00 am on BTN/FS1 or 2:30 pm on BTN/FS1
[ABC and ESPNPN seem to be done picking up Big Ten games anymore, but they technically still could for this season...]
[CBS is showing the SEC this week at 2:30 pm, and they are only doing two 11:00 am Big Ten games this year - October 28th and November 4th.]
The previous week (November 11th), Michigan/PSU is Big Noon Kickoff, and MSU/OSU is at 6:30 pm on NBC. So it's possible, they want to shake things up a bit? This is my wild-!!! guess for the "big two" spots that the Big Ten seems to be aggressively marketing.
11:00 am on FOX (Big Noon Kickoff): Minnesota at #2 Ohio State. Michigan and PSU will have just been on Big Noon Kickoff the previous week, and it will have been almost a month since OSU has been on the program (can't have that!!). I also think Big Noon will be spooked off by the potentially "dud" atmosphere in College Park for #2 Michigan at Maryland. Thus...
6:30 pm on NBC: #2 Michigan at Maryland. Again, I think this is mostly about getting Michigan, OSU and PSU on the big-time channels, and Big Noon Kickoff simply won't want to go to College Park, even though Michigan/Maryland is an enticing matchup. So, I think NBC picks up the scraps.
As alluded to above, I am going to assume all ESPN slots go to other conferences, especially the SEC and ACC. That leaves five Big Ten games, with only one true "prime" spot left - 2:30 pm on FOX. While Illinois/Iowa could be a huge game ... will it be that huge? FOX also has rights to the Big XII and Pac-12, and you have some really good games to pick from.
I will bet my life that CBS at 2:30 pm is #1 Georgia at #17 Tennessee, so that takes that away for ABC/ESPN. I think the ABC primetime game will absolutely be UCLA/USC or Washington/Oregon State, as 2:30 pm CST would be 12:30 pm PST and maybe a bit too early (i.e., I don't think either of those are taking the 2:30 pm FOX spot. I think the one that doesn't get that will get the late spot on ABC, so it will be back-to-back Pac-12 games. So, I think 11:00 am ABC will be Texas or Oklahoma, and the 2:30 pm spot will be for the other one so they have some Big XII action, too.
All of that babbling is to say that 2:30 pm on FOX will likely go to Penn State or a Big XII game, but it is not ENTIRELY impossible that it goes to our game with Iowa if it is going to be especially consequential for the Big Ten West. PSU gets stellar ratings, Illinois/Iowa get good ratings and Rutgers gets pretty bad ratings ... it might be a wash if FOX decides that spot is best used on the Big Ten. Long story short, I think the odds of it being at 2:30 pm are EVER so slightly higher than it being at 11:00 am.
Definitely my longest post ever.
MDchicago
- Lake Norman NC
Can't like this post on X enough! Love that Illini football has been so supportive and a big part of his story.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
War And Peace part deux FighterDefinitely my longest post ever.
but spot on as always. Couple of additional comments:Campus and Iowa fans: my experience matches FotN's.
Downtown to Stadium: it's not the distance as much as the elevation changes. You're basically walking inside a giant V, steeper on the town/campus side and longer on the stadium side. River crossing at the bottom of the V. If you're in good shape, no worries. Damn near kills me to walk half that though (parking by the library) after several back surgeries.
Food / bars: I've touted Big Grove here before, last time in the context of a poster asking about Champaign places (I've not been to the Champaign one but have been several times to the Iowa City one). I've since been told that the Champaign BG is much smaller than the IC one. But the IC one still is a great place.
Also can recommend that River Landing area, especially if you're looking a bit more upscale (a bit, it's still Iowa!). We stay at the Staybridge there when we go, it is a nearly-new hotel and very nice. The minor league arena is also in that area, might be more events that interest some. I think they were hosting the Iowa state volleyball championships last time I was there.
Sounds like a blast. Both stadiums are great places to watch a game with (IMO) different atmospheres. Kinnick is a little more intimate, smaller, boxed in (in a good way) by the hospital. Jack Trice is wide open and all by itself. If you could only do one, I might say do ISU, only because that may be the last time Texas plays ISU for many years (or ever).
Bona fides: two Illini here begat a Cyclone and a Hawkeye. If that is not enough, the Hawkeye just informed me this week that Madison is a strong possibility for graduate studies. Personally I think she's trying to kill me for the inheritance.
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Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
It would be tight, but I guess if we played at 11:00 am and Iowa State/Texas was a primetime game, you could maybe do it! It looks like Iowa State has also already played one 7:00 pm Saturday game on FS1 this year, so that is another TV spot that is possible for them. The drive after the Illini game would be about 2 hours flat, so if you could get out of Iowa City by 4:00 pm or so, you could definitely make it work. Those 11:00 am games always seem to wrap up in time for the 2:30 pm ones, so you should have some buffer!
You could either go straight west on I-80 and then north once you hit Des Moines, or you could go straight north on I-380 until you hit Cedar Rapids and then directly west to Ames ... both pretty much an exact "L" shape, haha. I actually think the traffic going north on 380 would be worse for an Iowa gameday than anything coming from Central Iowa, so I would just go the I-80 route if I were you. I have not been to Ames since I played club soccer there as a kid, haha. I would love to go back, because I hear some people talk about it like it's boring and a "meh" college town and others talk about it like it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Obviously, both cannot be true at once.
@chiefini I have a great amount of respect for engaged fans like yourself, but how much budget did they give you guys to work with? Anything? Or, is their problem solving limited to budget neutral initiatives?
I see how dedicated and great our fans are through the thick and thin over the years which is why I have higher expecations from the DIA. They aren't trying to squeeze juice from a dry fruit here. The Illini fanbase is enormous and dedicated. Look all the great suggestions in this thread being very clear what would improve the experience - its not a mystery.
@Illini2010-11 I appreciate your perspective but what I'm discerning from your comments is that the biggest inhibitor to the DIA attracting new fans is they are afraid that effort will somehow turn away the current paying fans. I don't think that approach is in touch with the reality of the situation.
The students are in the NEZ because the DIA determined it would be easier to sell East Main tickets to the general public, so they moved the students to the NEZ? Am I understanding that correctly? Every week we all see the empy seats in East Main, and there is a lot of feedback stating that the gameday experience would be better if students were in East Main. So, why not move them back there?
Very similar situation with paying season ticket holders. The approach of setting single game tickets higher than market value because you'd rather the seats go empty than season ticket holders feel like they are overpaying just doesn't make sense to me.
It appears the approach has spoiled the game day experience to an extent as well in that we can't lower prices during pre-game because then people will have too much fun in Grange Grove and might not go to the game? Or they won't pay for the more expensive beers inside the stadium? So we need to make sure Grange Grove is fun, but not too fun?
This whole approach to the game day experience the DIA adopted is totally contrary to modern business methods that engage the public. Most businesses are willing to take on very significant loss leaders for captive attention which is exactly what a sports game and tailgate is. Once a fan is there, they can't change the channel, or open a different app. They are there for hours. The whole approach these last few seasons just makes zero sense to me.
If the DIA wants more fans to come they need to make a direct financial investment in the fans, bottom line.
The biggest problem I have is that we have the 24th highest atheltic revenue in the country; yet, we are ranked 59th in attendance and 58th in viewership of the 69 P5 programs [1] [5]. The athletic operation is incredibly well funded. If anyone in the DIA wants to say that funding is lacking, what is their baseline? Many schools are doing much more with much less.
In the last 15 years the DIA expenditure has increased from $51 million to $129 million, and they spent less on marketing in 2022 than they did in 2007. All of the numbers are in the DIA's publicly filed annual report [2] [3] [4]. In the meantime the Administration cost has increased by 1000% going from $3.6 million in 2007 to $40 million in 2022.
1. https://www.si.com/college/2022/07/14/power-5-desirability-rankings-sec-big-ten-acc
2. https://annualreport.fightingillini.com/2010-11/budget.html
3. https://annualreport.fightingillini.com/2013-14/
4. https://fightingillini.com/sports/2021/12/2/financial-documents.aspx
5. https://www.on3.com/news/usa-today-releases-top-25-total-revenue-college-athletics-programs/
Here are some numbers to support my previous post. For whatever reason 2012, 2015, 2016, and 2017 were unavailable to me.
| EXPENSES | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2013 | 2014 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sport Operations | $17,200,000 | $18,500,000 | $19,600,000 | $19,145,448 | $20,168,216 | $26,925,827 | $27,613,685 | $36,993,261 | $38,925,543 | $40,276,274 | $34,205,281 | $44,792,795 | 260% |
| Facilities | $8,900,000 | $14,200,000 | $22,500,000 | $21,103,643 | $19,908,697 | $18,302,527 | $20,697,279 | $17,032,030 | $20,012,874 | $19,007,456 | $16,646,361 | $15,466,699 | 174% |
| Scholarships | $7,600,000 | $8,300,000 | $8,500,000 | $9,242,198 | $9,353,762 | $10,446,280 | $10,743,456 | $12,709,040 | $13,213,336 | $13,017,478 | $11,689,978 | $12,507,615 | 165% |
| Administration | $3,600,000 | $4,200,000 | $3,800,000 | $4,042,941 | $4,130,958 | $4,851,757 | $4,705,323 | $29,079,642 | $31,995,732 | $34,257,578 | $33,085,944 | $40,061,920 | 1113% |
| Revenue Production | $5,100,000 | $6,600,000 | $6,800,000 | $6,584,357 | $6,391,722 | $5,882,456 | $6,184,040 | $4,730,896 | $5,683,232 | $5,159,059 | $837,882 | $4,849,389 | 95% |
| Student-Athlete Support Services | $4,100,000 | $4,400,000 | $4,500,000 | $4,406,793 | $4,312,574 | $5,030,143 | $4,782,687 | $2,696,039 | $3,248,356 | $2,750,611 | $3,696,537 | $4,512,646 | 110% |
| Retail Operations & Camps | $3,200,000 | $3,200,000 | $3,400,000 | $3,038,456 | $3,004,409 | $3,033,881 | $3,206,001 | $873,514 | $861,150 | $553,691 | $49,286 | $302,806 | 9% |
| Other | $1,300,000 | $1,800,000 | $1,500,000 | $3,576,585 | $4,363,404 | $4,582,118 | $6,228,728 | $6,616,288 | $1,794,816 | $6,625,377 | 510% | ||
| Charge in Reserves | |||||||||||||
| Total Expenses | $51,000,000 | $61,200,000 | $70,600,000 | $71,140,421 | $71,140,421 | $74,472,871 | $77,932,471 | $108,696,540 | $120,168,951 | $121,638,435 | $102,006,085 | $129,119,247 | 253% |
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The reporting categories changed over the years going from only the categories listed above to now 23 different categories. I rolled up the 23 new categories into the old categories as follows. Mostly straight forward. Retail expenses are no longer included in the Sports Camp expeneses and not specifically called out in another category but I am assuming they are rather insignificant. Also, Spirit Groups are expenses for the band and cheerleader groups. Guarantees are the fees paid to opponents for playing the game - usually non-conference opponents.
I am including all this info so that others may be encouraged to use this as a starting point for further analysis, support of opinions, etc.
I am including all this info so that others may be encouraged to use this as a starting point for further analysis, support of opinions, etc.
| Expenses | New Category | Old Category |
| 20 | Athletic Student Aid | Scholarships |
| 21 | Guarantees | Sport Operations |
| 22 | Coaching Salaries, Benefits and Bonuses paid by the University and Related Entities | Sport Operations |
| 23 | Coaching Salaries, Benefits and Bonuses paid by a Third Party | Sport Operations |
| 24 | Support Staff/ Administrative Compensation, Benefits and Bonuses paid by the University and Related Entities | Administration |
| 25 | Support Staff/ Administrative Compensation, Benefits and Bonuses paid by Third Party | Administration |
| 26 | Severance Payments | Sport Operations |
| 27 | Recruiting | Sport Operations |
| 28 | Team Travel | Sport Operations |
| 29 | Sports Equipment, Uniforms and Supplies | Sport Operations |
| 30 | Game Expenses | Sport Operations |
| 31 | Fund Raising, Marketing and Promotion | Revenue Production |
| 32 | Sports Camp Expenses | Retail Operations & Camps |
| 33 | Spirit Groups | Sport Operations |
| 34 | Athletic Facilities Debt Service, Leases and Rental Fee | Facilities |
| 35 | Direct Overhead and Administrative Expenses | Administration |
| 36 | Indirect Institutional Support | Administration |
| 37 | Medical Expenses and Insurance | Student-Athlete Support Services |
| 38 | Memberships and Dues | Sport Operations |
| 39 | Student-Athlete Meals (non-travel) | Student-Athlete Support Services |
| 40 | Other Operating Expenses | Other |
| 41 | Football Bowl Expenses | Sport Operations |
| 41A | Football Bowl Expenses - Coaching Compensation/Bonuses | Sport Operations |
| Total Operating Expenses |
Illini2010-11
- Sugar Grove
Not accurate at all. The biggest inhibitor of attracting new fans is on-field performance, which is what I clearly stated. It is naïve to think that you can fill the stadium regularly with underperforming teams (due to promotions, etc.) and that on-field performance comes along with it down the road. Consistent winning and hype around the team has literally been the best model for filling the stadium in every sport. Exhibit A: Look at the Chicago Blackhawks. Last few years they struggled to get fans in stands due to perceived long rebuild. They put in place many promotions and ticket value packs to entice fans to arrive. To some extent, it worked but there were still many vacant/unsold seats (not including Toews appreciation game). Now there is a strong demand for tickets. What changed? Enter Conor Bedard. There is real hype to see the team now, even if the product is bad. However, we don't know how long lived the bump in attendance will be. The key is that the change is on-ice related. To truly get Memorial Stadium packed, there has to be hype on the product, plain and simple. There is no promotion/ticket sales gimmick that will change this. Currently there is not a price problem with tickets...it is completely demand related. Look at the demand for the first 2 games of the Lovie era, it was completely hype related, as well as the attendance figures in the years following the 2008 Rose Bowl. We can fill the stands without giving away tickets. The cure is winning consistently.
Relating to season ticket holders. This is a dangerous game that you suggest. You cannot simply set dynamic single game ticket pricing to market demand. If that were the case, then you would lose a lot of guaranteed money in future years (number of season ticketholders will decline, people will simply wait to buy tickets until last minute when prices are virtually nil, etc.). The DIA already has put in flash sales in the past to help drive sales, as well as very affordable ticket package prices (family packs, etc.) The value of these incentives ends up being better than what season ticketholders pay, but you will not hear a season ticketholder like myself complain too much on these promotions. We would definitely complain about free ticket giveaways and consistent undercutting price by the DIA to "market demand".
My biggest issue with your statements is that you imply giving away free tickets close to gameday in an effort to fill the stands. This is the worst solution in my opinion, and the biggest slap in the face to all patrons who paid to see the product. Furthermore, I still don't think students that get in for free would attend or stay the whole game, meaning that at halftime there would still be a plethora of vacant seats. In no way should tickets ever be given away en masse for free IMO.
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Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
- Bloomington, IL
Great points all around, but particularly the bolded. The DIA gave away thousands of tickets for the FAU game and those tickets didn't get used.
And at a certain stage, as you say, why would I want to continue to make my IFund donations and buy season tickets when I can just buy them off the secondary market from someone who got them for free?
redwingillini11
White and Sixth
- North Aurora
ESPN releases 2023 College Football Playoff, full bowl projections after Week 8
ESPN has released its latest College Football Playoff and full bowl projections following Week 8 of the season.
Tuesday, Dec. 26
Quick Lane Bowl
Ford Field (Detroit)
2 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Illinois vs. Toledo
College football bowl projections in Week 9: New Year's Six taking shape after FSU, Ohio State wins
Bowl projections for all 41 games in the postseason, highlighted by several new pairings.
247sports.com
Quick Lane Bowl
Projected matchup: Illinois vs. Miami (Ohio)
The Big Ten team remaining standing on the shakiest postseason floor, Bret Bielema and the Fighting Illini must beat Minnesota on the road coming out of their open date next month to move one step closer to six wins. If not, they would have to win out against Indiana, Iowa and Northwestern over the final three weeks of the season and that's unlikely. After producing positive momentum in 2022, Illinois clearly took a step back.
All I could find. Beat Minnesota. Beat Indiana. Beat Northwestern.
A rematch vs Toledo in Detroit is about as bad a bowl as we could get, but still better than no bowl at all.ESPN releases 2023 College Football Playoff, full bowl projections after Week 8
ESPN has released its latest College Football Playoff and full bowl projections following Week 8 of the season.www.on3.com
Tuesday, Dec. 26
Quick Lane Bowl
Ford Field (Detroit)
2 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Illinois vs. Toledo
College football bowl projections in Week 9: New Year's Six taking shape after FSU, Ohio State wins
Bowl projections for all 41 games in the postseason, highlighted by several new pairings.
Quick Lane Bowl
Projected matchup: Illinois vs. Miami (Ohio)
The Big Ten team remaining standing on the shakiest postseason floor, Bret Bielema and the Fighting Illini must beat Minnesota on the road coming out of their open date next month to move one step closer to six wins. If not, they would have to win out against Indiana, Iowa and Northwestern over the final three weeks of the season and that's unlikely. After producing positive momentum in 2022, Illinois clearly took a step back.
All I could find. Beat Minnesota. Beat Indiana. Beat Northwestern.
I like the rematch idea though. It would be interesting.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Well, I will try to take one positive away from this weekend's game ... great attendance and turnout by our fans! Official attendance was over 54k - rather unprecedented for the last decade. Before anyone gives Homecoming too much credit, here are our Homecoming crowds since Zook was fired (in order of highest attendance).
2023: 54,205 vs. Wisconsin
2012: 47,981 vs. Indiana
2013: 45,895 vs. Michigan State
2022: 45,683 vs. Minnesota
2015: 45,438 vs. Wisconsin
2014: 44,437 vs. Minnesota
2017: 42,101 vs. #5 Wisconsin
2018: 41,966 vs. Purdue
2021: 40,168 vs. Wisconsin
2016: 40,090 vs. Minnesota
2019: 37,363 vs. #6 Wisconsin
During this timespan (starting in 2012), we have only drawn over 50k fans PERIOD for the following games:
2016: 60,670 vs. North Carolina
2022: 56,092 vs. Michigan State
2023: 54,205 vs. Wisconsin
2023: 53,512 vs. FAU
2015: 51,515 vs. #3 Ohio State
2014: 50,373 vs. Iowa
So again, amidst the disappointment and my quickly-encroaching apathy for the rest of this season ... props to our fans once again. I also know that I always say this, but it really is kind of amazing that this is what a little over 54k looks like from Saturday:
I am a novice, I suppose, but those small empty sections of the upper deck sure don't look like nearly 6.5k empty seats to me!! Again, I think it is a must for any future Memorial Stadium renovation to wall off the seating underneath the East Balcony overhang and redistribute that capacity to other areas of the stadium (mainly the Horseshoe) so that we can trap noise better and make the stadium look more "finished" architecturally.
2023: 54,205 vs. Wisconsin
2012: 47,981 vs. Indiana
2013: 45,895 vs. Michigan State
2022: 45,683 vs. Minnesota
2015: 45,438 vs. Wisconsin
2014: 44,437 vs. Minnesota
2017: 42,101 vs. #5 Wisconsin
2018: 41,966 vs. Purdue
2021: 40,168 vs. Wisconsin
2016: 40,090 vs. Minnesota
2019: 37,363 vs. #6 Wisconsin
During this timespan (starting in 2012), we have only drawn over 50k fans PERIOD for the following games:
2016: 60,670 vs. North Carolina
2022: 56,092 vs. Michigan State
2023: 54,205 vs. Wisconsin
2023: 53,512 vs. FAU
2015: 51,515 vs. #3 Ohio State
2014: 50,373 vs. Iowa
So again, amidst the disappointment and my quickly-encroaching apathy for the rest of this season ... props to our fans once again. I also know that I always say this, but it really is kind of amazing that this is what a little over 54k looks like from Saturday:
I am a novice, I suppose, but those small empty sections of the upper deck sure don't look like nearly 6.5k empty seats to me!! Again, I think it is a must for any future Memorial Stadium renovation to wall off the seating underneath the East Balcony overhang and redistribute that capacity to other areas of the stadium (mainly the Horseshoe) so that we can trap noise better and make the stadium look more "finished" architecturally.
Illini2010-11
- Sugar Grove
Well @UofToledoFans's presence alone would make the bowl matchup more interesting...the pre-game thread at least
Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
- Bloomington, IL
Sacrificing sideline seats in order to make the horseshoe look finished would be a bad move, IMO. I've sat all over that stadium in the last 40+ years and those horseshoe seats--especially the lower rows--are my least favorite because of the sight angles and the exposure to the elements. You also can't see the video board from the horseshoe without turning around, and the sound from the field (band, refs, etc.) is terrible.
The sideline seats under the balcony, particularly the first 10 or 15 rows, are pretty popular and have a lot of season ticket holders. They're out of the sun in the warm weather games, they're out of the elements in rain and snow, and they are still very good sightlines between the 20's. There was a big kerfuffle at the last remodel because season ticket holders on the west side got moved when their seats were eliminated for the suites. I would hope that Josh doesn't make the same mistake.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for expanding the horseshoe if we need the capacity, but doing it only for aesthetics would be a mistake in my eyes.
Interesting...
It won't happen. Rutgers or Maryland vs. Toledo, or the Illini vs. Miami, NIU, or Ohio.Well @UofToledoFans's presence alone would make the bowl matchup more interesting...the pre-game thread at least
It'd be fun to have a half and half Toledo crowd though. The Newton family get their own section on the 50 yard line.
Also, I'm not sure Illinois wants to play a team avenging it's only loss of the season to finish in the Top 20. Toledo has a 5050 shot to lose a game remaining. But there's lots of motivation for the next 3 to get the job done. History says we sit players vs. CMU before the MACC and they get to a bowl because of it. I digress.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
All good points, I suppose!
On another random capacity note, that picture reminded me just how big Memorial Stadium looks in photos where you only see the East Main/East Balcony view. According to Wikipedia, East Main has 18,000 seats, with an additional 10,000 in the East Balcony ... and it got me thinking how big our stadium would be if we had that architectural setup all the way around similar to a Tennessee.
- If we assume another symmetrical 28,000 on the West Main, that gets us to 56,000 seats before ANY end zone seating.
- Per Google, a football field is about 45% as wide as it is long ... so I will assume a similar layout of seating with a "bowl" stadium? That would mean approximately 12,600 seats in both end zones.
- Good for an overall capacity of a "bowl-ified" Memorial Stadium of 81,200 ... honestly less than I thought and "reasonable" if we ever truly got this thing humming! Given the very old school look/setup of MS, too, it would probably look significantly bigger than that, as well!
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