 Scott DochtermanI'm originally from Burlington, and I'm a 1997 Western Illinois University graduate. I've worked in Burlington, Muscatine, Fort Dodge and [...] |
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Iowa AD ponders ‘Black Friday’ football decision
Iowa's Marcus Coker (34) runs away from Nebraska's Corey Cooper (9) and Will Compton (51) during the first half of their game Friday, Nov. 25, 2011 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb. (Brian Ray/ SourceMedia Group News)
IOWA CITY — Iowa Athletics Director Gary Barta said he’s unsure if Iowa football will continue to play Nebraska the day after Thanksgiving.
The Hawkeyes have ended their regular season the last two years on “Black Friday” against the Cornhuskers, who have played on that date every year since 1990. Barta agreed to try “Black Friday” twice — once in Lincoln, once in Iowa City — before making a permanent decision.
“We’ve done that,” he said. “Now we’ll talk and see if we’re going to continue it.”
Barta said he’s had feedback both ways regarding the game. A primary positive is the exposure. ABC has aired the game to a national audience the last two years. If it shifts to Saturday, it likely is scheduled opposite Michigan-Ohio State.
“That’s one of the benefits,” Barta said of the exposure. “One of the challenges, and I’ve talked to a lot of our fans that say a Friday is more challenging. They’re trying to be with family on Thanksgiving and then they try to get to Iowa City. Again, I can make a case where it works well, and I can make a case where we should go back to Saturday. As of yet, we haven’t done anything to finalize it.”
The schools originally were slated to end their seasons against one another through 2016. But with the addition of Maryland and Rutgers for the 2014 season and the potential for a future nine-game league schedule, the Hawkeyes and Cornhuskers are guaranteed to finish against one another for just one more season. The Big Ten could shift another school to face Nebraska on that date or move another game into that time window.
Barta said he doesn’t have a time table for a decision, but “it has to happen to happen fairly soon for planning purposes.”
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I don’t care when they play it. I’m more concerned about seeing a competent offense at some point.
Dead on, Mike Williams. I do not care if they play it on St. Swithin’s Day. We are not likely to beat them until 2020 at the earliest. Not with this coaching staff, anyway.
Black Friday games are the worst idea they’ve come up with so far. It’s a hassle for anyone invloved and not involved with football in the area. For once the football team needs to think of others (for the holiday and for the patients family trying to visit loved ones in the hospital across the street) and not just the revenue they can generate.
I agree with the others, the only thing he should be pondering is our inept offense.
I agree with Mike Williams. Really a national audience for a Friday game is great if your competitive and it could be a benefit for recruiting.
Honestly, Barta just does not get it. I live in California and watched Kinnick on the Friday after Thanksgiving on a Nationally televised ABC game and he is worried about logistics of family traveling to Kinnick? Not recruiting, not national exposure, not the fact they were the ONLY team playing at that time?!
Barta is pissed because the game didn’t sell out for the first time in 30 games. It has nothing to do with logistics. It has to deal with the product KF put on the field. If Iowa was even an 8 win team, this game would have been huge and sold out and Barta would be gloating this was his idea and he is extending the game.
Why do you think Michigan hired the ex-CEO of Dominos? Why, because he is business and scheduled Alabama on their turf for the first game of the season. Why? Because everyone watched!
I’m sorry, I am a huge Hawkeye Fan, Alumni and from Iowa originally but this is terrible and makes zero business sense. Barta better be very careful, ABC may dump us. No sense at all.