Bobcat Fans-Be Careful What You Wish For: Bowling For Dollars

By, Weston Warner | Sports Contributor

@CorridorNews | @Corridor_Sports

Somebody once told me, “it’s not about the idea, it’s about the execution of the idea.”  At some point along the way we have all had that great idea that fell by the wayside.  Most of the time it’s because the idea is actually pretty terrible, but in regards to the occasional good ideas that fall by the wayside you can directly correlate it to the fact that executing that idea is what most people don’t even have the courage or audacity to try.  Everybody has a nice plan and is “all-knowing” when it comes down to running a business or implementing a revolutionary change–well, until things ACTUALLY have to get done.  Hopefully that WON’T be how we react as a program if the Bobcats get invited to the post season.

Ever since the Bobcats reeled off the 54-31 victory over Georgia State to end the regular season the talk throughout Bobcat Country has been “what bowl game are we going to” and “how can we prove that we belong in the bowl game conversation”.  This is great.  The hype and the enthusiasm is well documented on all social outlets and is absolutely necessary if we want to take ourselves seriously as a program.  The only two questions that I have are, “Do we really deserve it?” and “What are we going to do with our opportunity if we get one?” Because if the red hot, 7-5 Bobcats actually end up receiving a bid to play in a bowl game this postseason we really need to understand the importance of what comes AFTER the invitation.

When I say “we” I’m not even talking about the football team.  I’m talking about us–the fans, the students, the alumni, the media, the University, and all supporters of Bobcat Athletics.  What a lot of people don’t understand is that the bowl committee’s that sit around and decide on who to invite to their bowl games hardly even consider the product ON the field as opposed to the product that surrounds the program.  Don’t get me wrong, of course they care about the talent on the field, but if it comes down to deciding between a couple of different programs for one spot don’t trick yourself into thinking that they won’t consider things like: game day attendance, enrollment, donor money, program tradition, TV ratings, and willingness for fans to travel and spend money.  

The University and the athletic department have done a wonderful job of creating more hype and energy around the football program (and all athletics for that matter) and the fans and students have really taken it upon themselves to serve as a more passionate voice for the program.  That being said I truly worry about the perception  that these bowl committees have towards our program in regards to our willingness to travel as well as our ability to create and generate revenue.

There are several things that Coach Franchione and the Bobcats have going for them which I feel will ultimately land them somewhere once the Bowl Games are decided upon:

Speaking of Coach Franchione, I think that having a recognizable name at head coach is important and the Cats obviously have that going for them. 

The fact that they ended 4-2 in their last six games and did so with a lot of offense should also play well.

Enrollment is through the roof and almost at 40,000 now.

Attendance for home games increased to over 20,000 per game this year (20,598) and all premium seating got sold out during the season.

They have a recognizable face on each side of the ball. (David Mayo on defense, who is second in the nation with 12.8 tackles a game and Tyler Jones at quarterback who has been a great leader all year with his 22 TD’s and a completion percentage of over 65%)

MOST IMPORTANTLY, The Bobcat Club broke all-time annual fundraising records for number of donors with 1,212 and all-time scholarship fund dollars raised with $1,157,893.42 to date.   Even more impressive, total fundraising for Bobcat Athletics surpassed $4.6 million dollars.  In fact, this year’s licensing revenue projections place the Bobcats in the top 60 nationally among Collegiate Licensing Company partners.

All of these things combine for a very compelling and strong argument for the maroon and gold but none of that matters if we don’t realize the importance of the opportunity if we do indeed get the nod.  It doesn’t matter which bowl it is, whether it be the Armed Forces Bowl, The New Orleans Bowl, The GoDaddy Bowl, The Camellia Bowl, The Heart of Dallas Bowl, or the Cactus Bowl–WE HAVE TO SHOW UP.  We have to travel in large numbers.  We have to fill our share of the tickets allotted.  We have to spend money.  We have to market our University in a positive way and in any way necessary.  Our University is already planning packages and special deals so that students, faculty, alumni, and fans can have an easier and cheaper road to get there.  Students will be on break from classes, so NO EXCUSES.  The football team has already done their part by winning 7 games; it’s up to US now–because believe me, if we get the invitation and don’t show up like we should we will probably never get the opportunity again.