Are you sure that they've released all sections for sale? The maps can be mis-leading.
Michigan State (Nov. 5th) & Purdue (Nov. 12th) Games
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redwingillini11
White and Sixth
- North Aurora
If you look at the seats that are currently available, we still seem to be way ahead compared to the last few games. For Iowa and Minnesota, there seemed to be about 15-20 rows at the top of the east balcony withheld, as well as 5-7 rows withheld around the top of the horseshoe. Now, only the last row or two of the horseshoe has any available seats, and the only available seats on the east balcony are the last 5-10 rows of the end sections. It would be very surprising that they would make the least optimal seats available while withholding better seats. So that is a very good sign we are ahead of the pace compared to the last few games. I would imagine the vast majority of seats being withheld currently are the ones tucked up under the east balcony. Based on that, I bet we will be in good shape to hit 50k for Michigan State!
The difference is, they have all the back seats showing in the horseshoe and even in the upper deck. That means they sold enough in the front rows to open those up. They did not even come close to that this past week. That should mean close to 55k for this game, which will look almost like a sellout on TV (besides the upper right section of the East deck)
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Yep, seems like 55k is the magic number for it to look absolutely packed on TV, due to how many seats we have underneath the east balcony overhang and the camera rarely showing the corners of the east upper deck. And honestly, I'm mostly just concerned what it LOOKS like.
perception is realityYep, seems like 55k is the magic number for it to look absolutely packed on TV, due to how many seats we have underneath the east balcony overhang and the camera rarely showing the corners of the east upper deck. And honestly, I'm mostly just concerned what it LOOKS like.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
FYI, here are the Big Ten and (current) top 25 games the weekend we play Michigan State:
All Big Ten Games
#3 Michigan at Rutgers
#2 Ohio State at Northwestern - 2:30 pm on BTN (BTN's chance to get OSU, haha...)
Michigan State at #18 Illinois
#16 Penn State at Indiana
Minnesota at Nebraska - 11:00 am on BTN
Iowa at Purdue - 2:30 pm on BTN
Maryland at Wisconsin - 11:00 am on FS1 (Maryland is literally always on FS1 instead of BTN, lol)
Those games will need to fill two spots on BTN (11:30 am and 2:30 pm) and two spots on FS1 (11:30 am and 2:30 pm), and I have posted my predictions of those above, as well. That leaves these games for ESPN, ABC or FOX:
Remaining Big Ten Games and Other Top 25 Games
#3 Michigan at Rutgers
Michigan State at #18 Illinois
#16 Penn State at Indiana
#3 Tennessee at #1 Georgia - Have to figure this is the 2:30 pm CBS game, right?
#6 Alabama at LSU
Texas Tech at #8 TCU
#9 UCLA at Arizona State (probably a later game, not affecting us)
#10 Oregon at Colorado
#11 Oklahoma State at Kansas
Cal at #12 USC
#13 Wake Forest at #23 NC State - This has 2:30 pm ESPN2 written all over it, lol...
#14 Syracuse at Pitt
Arizona at #15 Utah
#20 Texas at #17 Kansas State - Guessing 2:30 pm on ESPN
#19 Kentucky at Missouri - Definitely SECN...
Navy at #21 Cincinnati - ESPNU all day
#22 North Carolina at Virginia
Auburn at #24 Mississippi State
Big Noon Kickoff is always Big Ten or Big XII, right? I think (assuming we can beat Nebraska and Purdue...) by that point in the season, Illinois/MSU would be a better story than Penn State/Indiana, but I don't know if we would edge out Michigan ... they seem to be on it every week. Really hopeful we can be on anything other than BTN or FS1 (or, God forbid, ESPNU) so our guys can start getting even more exposure!
All Big Ten Games
#3 Michigan at Rutgers
#2 Ohio State at Northwestern - 2:30 pm on BTN (BTN's chance to get OSU, haha...)
Michigan State at #18 Illinois
#16 Penn State at Indiana
Minnesota at Nebraska - 11:00 am on BTN
Iowa at Purdue - 2:30 pm on BTN
Maryland at Wisconsin - 11:00 am on FS1 (Maryland is literally always on FS1 instead of BTN, lol)
Those games will need to fill two spots on BTN (11:30 am and 2:30 pm) and two spots on FS1 (11:30 am and 2:30 pm), and I have posted my predictions of those above, as well. That leaves these games for ESPN, ABC or FOX:
Remaining Big Ten Games and Other Top 25 Games
#3 Michigan at Rutgers
Michigan State at #18 Illinois
#16 Penn State at Indiana
#3 Tennessee at #1 Georgia - Have to figure this is the 2:30 pm CBS game, right?
#6 Alabama at LSU
Texas Tech at #8 TCU
#9 UCLA at Arizona State (probably a later game, not affecting us)
#10 Oregon at Colorado
#11 Oklahoma State at Kansas
Cal at #12 USC
#13 Wake Forest at #23 NC State - This has 2:30 pm ESPN2 written all over it, lol...
#14 Syracuse at Pitt
Arizona at #15 Utah
#20 Texas at #17 Kansas State - Guessing 2:30 pm on ESPN
#19 Kentucky at Missouri - Definitely SECN...
Navy at #21 Cincinnati - ESPNU all day
#22 North Carolina at Virginia
Auburn at #24 Mississippi State
Big Noon Kickoff is always Big Ten or Big XII, right? I think (assuming we can beat Nebraska and Purdue...) by that point in the season, Illinois/MSU would be a better story than Penn State/Indiana, but I don't know if we would edge out Michigan ... they seem to be on it every week. Really hopeful we can be on anything other than BTN or FS1 (or, God forbid, ESPNU) so our guys can start getting even more exposure!
Continued boredom update…1078 green dots left!
Dan
Admin
Purdue game (Nov. 12th)- 4 tickets for $99
https://fightingillini.evenue.net/c...dataAccId=863&locale=en_US&siteId=ev_illinois
https://fightingillini.evenue.net/c...dataAccId=863&locale=en_US&siteId=ev_illinois
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Yeah, and ticket sales dropping with failure also seems to lag. 2002's 4-8 season and 2009's 3-9 season both drew huge crowds to Memorial Stadium because, even through the disappointment, there was enough residue enthusiasm and an existing season ticket base to keep the place full. Also see 2007 and 2008 (16-19!!!) basketball seasons selling out all of the home games, lol.
Anyway, as far as these next two home games, I will predict the following attendance - ASSUMING we can defeat Nebraska in Lincoln and come in 7-1:
vs. Michigan State: 54,500 (it's also Dads Day)
vs. Purdue: 58,500 (likely for the Big Ten West) ... I would want to predict a sellout, but the lack of season tickets really seems to be holding us back.
On another note ... given how price-sensitive and slow-acting our fans seem to be, I'm a little worried that in our ONLY EVER trip to Indy (if we should make it), the Illini presence would be embarrassing for being so close. I hope to God I would be wrong (our fans did bring over 30,000 to the Rose Bowl...), and I will certainly be there, but the arguments of "wait and see" and all of that would be totally toast by that point. Cautiously optimistic we'd bring a good cohort.
While season ticket sales were still large with hope that 2008 was a fluke dip after the Rose Bowl, 2009 did not draw big crowds. In fact, I think about 16,000 were there to watch the Illini lose 53-52 to Fresno State when a 350 lb lineman caught a 2 point conversion. That made it a struggle to get crowds in 2010 as we recovered, and even the 2011 game against OSU when we were #17 and undefeated "only" drew 55k.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Yeah, I mean I can only really go off paid attendance, but it took a while for our crowds to drop off - again, at least as far as tickets SOLD. These are our "official" attendance numbers that year:
62,347 vs. Illinois State
62,870 (sellout) vs. #13 Penn State
62,870 (sellout) vs. Michigan State
60,119 vs. Michigan ... actually shows a pretty big drop in enthusiasm, given the opponent...
60,523 vs. Northwestern
48,538 vs. Fresno State
So, we still SOLD more tickets for a December game against Fresno State while we were 3-8 than we did last week against Minnesota ... like you said, that is probably mostly a large season ticket base.
IlliniCardinal
- Minneapolis
My fears are:
1. low attendance this year makes selecting Illinois for a bowl less attractive to bowl selection committees, and the players don't get the best possible bowl because of (a lack of) fan support
2. whether the DIA has enough revenue / funds to extend BB and lock down staff to the extent possible
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
1. It is what it is, but look on the bright side and let Penn State get crushed by Alabama while we get to play Kentucky
2. Famous last words, but I can't see Bielema leaving. He's not as appealing to the kinds of jobs that might turn his head as he probably should be, and I don't know if any of those jobs are going to open this offseason anyway. He's not going back to Wisconsin and I don't see why we would worry about Nebraska. He will get a - ahem - Bielema-sized extension from us though.
My fear is that our underclassman losses to the NFL draft might be kinda dramatic.
Dan
Admin
The short answer: no idea, and there's prime kickoff spots seemingly in every time slot (morning, afternoon depending on network) that it's difficult to speculate.
To add to the kickoff time intrigue there's always the dreaded "6 day option" lurking, where we won't know the kickoff time until 1 week prior (instead of the usual 2 weeks prior announcement). We won't know if the networks are using the 6 day option for Nov. 5th games until Sunday or Monday.
I was trying to find the Big Ten's rules for night games, couldn't find anything definitive for this season. Last season the Big Ten did have 2 night games in November, they both occurred on the first Saturday in November.
All the other 2021 Big Ten November games had a kickoff between 11:00am-3:00pm CT.
Here's an excerpt about 2021 Big Ten November night games (I don't know if this applies to this season as well)-
Just a hypothetical and not get ahead of anything plus everything applicable to avoid any kind of jinx, if we go into Evanston 10-1, what kind of impact would the (almost?) best vs the worst have on viewership. Will people be tuning in to see what America’s Team is all about? Or save it for the B1G championship game?
I respectfully disagree.
-$50 prime horseshoe, standard main
-$25 standard horseshoe, sub-standard main, prime east balcony
-$15 sub-standard horseshoe, poor main, sub-prime east balcony
The set those prices for 2 weeks, and they’ll be within striking distance of a sell-out (I believe)
I honestly believe the DIA was not even trying to sell that many tickets this year until Bielema made a big deal about it publicly a few weeks ago when he spammed all of his interviews with pleas to the fans.
I am inferring from their behavior that this was the DIA agenda for tickets this year, and would love anyone in the know to either confirm or refute this:
1. Promote season ticket sales by increasing price of single game tickets. They were OK selling fewer tickets total this year as long as season ticket subscriptions increased.
2. Introduce flat pricing so that fans are forced to buy the best seats available. This prevents fans from buying cheaper seats then moving into vacant better seats during the game.
Edit: I think this whole ticket fiasco is shame because because it’s really the only blemish on the season
DeonThomas
- South Carolina
I just did the same! 5% chance of ESPN College Game Day, perhaps?Tickets purchased.
Flights booked.
See you all the Purdue game.
Or should I say the B1G West Semi-Final?
DeonThomas
- South Carolina
I haven't witnessed a ticket fiasco so far this season at all, and I just purchased for my 3rd game in Champaign. My personal experience is this:
- the process is the easiest I've encountered (FightingIllini.com)
- parking is essentially free (I parked on the street near 1st & Gregory for Iowa; at Research Park for Wyoming)
- there is no secondary market mark-up on tickets
- the prices are the absolute cheapest of any sports team in which I have a rooting interest (Cubs, Bears, Bulls, Illini football, Illini basketball, Clemson Tiger FB)
- as a comparison, tailgate parking at/around Memorial Stadium in Clemson is ranging between $250 and $800 for this weekend's game vs. Syracuse
And I have a lot more interest and I care a heck of a lot more about the Illini (my alma mater) than I do the Clemson Tigers (my children's alma mater). Let's all leverage the great thing we have going in Champaign-Urbana and fill the stadium for both remaining home games! And then repeat in Indy!!
Note: I don't believe we should be complaining about cost. If the Illinois football experience is out of reach financially, just watch from home on TV. It's a bargain right now! It's hard to get a much better deal than watching a Top 15 football team that is priced like a bottom 5 cellar dweller. The perfect combination.
It’s ticket prices: It’s better to not lower ticket prices. Instead, have the flash sales and discounts. The optics are better. You don’t have cheap seats. You have seats you can get cheap.
You don’t have to worry about raising prices later. The flash sale idea maxes that out.
Flash sales create “anxiety” sales. Gotta order now or I’m going to lose it. (Are you on the mailing list for Fanatics, Gameday, etc? There’s always a limited time only sale going on).
Meanwhile, standard price sales continue because people want to make sure the get their desired seats.
And sales do what you want them to do. Fill the seats (for all the reasons you want that), and give those who might have experienced game day and might want to come back again.
You don’t have to worry about raising prices later. The flash sale idea maxes that out.
Flash sales create “anxiety” sales. Gotta order now or I’m going to lose it. (Are you on the mailing list for Fanatics, Gameday, etc? There’s always a limited time only sale going on).
Meanwhile, standard price sales continue because people want to make sure the get their desired seats.
And sales do what you want them to do. Fill the seats (for all the reasons you want that), and give those who might have experienced game day and might want to come back again.
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