Ugh. To me, that word is fingernails on a chalkboard. Anyway, to summarize, some people apparently want SJSU to take on several BCS teams each season (screw the record, it's about the revenue)... ...some people just want them to play where they'd be competitive (namely, the Great West or SWAC conferences of D1-AA)... ...and some people want the program bagged entirely. Guess we'll have to wait and see. (And, FWiW, there are several SJSU alums in the NFL right now, including Jeff Garcia, QB, Cleveland; Courtney Anderson, TE, Raiders; Josh Parry, FB, Philly...he's the guy whose brother Neil was also on SJSU and lost his leg due to a freak injury, but came back and played special teams with a prosthetic.)
Well heck! Ignore me then. I still think that SJSU's football program is dead. Not that I want it to be mind you. They are losing tons of money and their side has not been competitive in many years. I think they'd do better to promote those athletic programs where they have been competitive, like baseball, soccer, and possibly basketball. (Yeah, their basketball program hasn't been good lately, but that's probably easier and less expensive to turn around that football.) Sheesh. I need a beer. LONG LIVE THE QUAKES!! - Mark
Here's something that I think has to be considered more bad news for Spartan football - Attendance at the Silicon Valley Bowl. Fresneck is projected to play Bowling Green (according to SI.com). That should help to pad the attendance stats, but still. is there really any future for this bowl? http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/bowls/2004-11-30-bowl-cap_x.htm
I doubt there's much future for this bowl game. (Interesting article, too...scary to think there are even MORE sites bidding for bowl games...yikes.) But I'm not sure how exactly that's bad news for SJSU football. Unless something's changed, the Silicon Valley Bowl attendance doesn't factor into SJSU's 15k/game attendance mandate. The school does get a stipend for hosting the bowl game, but since they're never in the game, they don't get a full team share of the $750K payout. On the other hand, if a WAC team wins the bowl game, SJSU (and all other WAC teams) get a small share of the payout from the WAC.
1) Fresneck really doesn't want to play in this bowl. Their administration is split over what's best for their program (which would be to play in another game) or best for their fans (easiest travel would be here or Vegas). The fly in the ointment right now is Hawaii...if they beat Michigan State Saturday, they lock in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl and the Fresneckers' choices are more limited. Fresneck would get a better opponent in Las Vegas or Hawaii, but travel to Hawaii last minute for a Christmas Day game would be expensive if not impossible for the Dogs' fans (and the Hawaii Bowl committee is no help -- because they bank on UH being there). 2) There really is no future for this game...and I don't think there's a future for the bowl game at SBC either. The Emerald Bowl is marketing the hell out of the game -- even though they only know half of their matchup (Navy vs. whomever). They know they won't have a quality matchup in a sports-snobbish area. Their future existence is in doubt, too. SFVC is banking on Fresneckers traveling north and whoever represents the MAC to travel well (which they usually do), because they know they can't bank on local college football fans (because they don't exist). 3) Blue is right on this one...SJSU has very little involvement directly in this game. They're worker bees (including me), but SJSU no longer has any management control over the game. It won't matter to the future of SJSU Gridiron Football (how's that for an archaic term?). What will matter is the appointment of the next Athletic Director by the Walsh committee and the naming of the new football coach by that new AD. That will be the signal to the community that SJSU is serious about maintaining its D1A status and resurrecting the program from the shambles that Chuck Bell made of it. If the community at large continues to turn its back on the program, then so be it. But Sparta is not going down without a fight.
Fresneck accepted an invitation to the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, so the Silicon Valley Classic could end up being Troy vs. Toledo. Yikes. There are a few high school section championships this weekend in the Bay Area that will probably draw bigger crowds than Troy vs. Toledo would.
SVFC officials realize that game would be DOA. Today's Merc reports that other schools are now being considered...including Syracuse.
No doubt this Saturday's De La Salle - Amador Valley NCS 4A championship at Cal Berkeley's Memorial Stadium will outdraw the Silicon Valley "Classic", whether Syracuse is in the bowl game or not.