(Update: coach fired) Florida State eyeing Urban Meyer and Brian Kelly

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Sigmapolis

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They just can't compete with the SEC schools financially in that region no matter how much they win.

Clemson manages to do it...

That's a good chunk of it, but where's there donor base? Clemson has managed just fine with the ACC's payouts, but they have some of the most hardcore fans around.

...FSU fans are pretty hardcore, too.
 

deadeyededric

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That's a good chunk of it, but where's there donor base? Clemson has managed just fine with the ACC's payouts, but they have some of the most hardcore fans around.
I don't think their donor base and fanbase are nearly as big as people think they are. They are in Northern Florida and once you cross the state line you are in the fan territory of whatever SEC team resides there. Florida is by far the top school in that state. Clemson has SEC type fans and South Carolina has traditionally been pretty bad at football so Clemson has a long history of being the winning program in that state.
 
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Sigmapolis

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I don't think their donor base and fanbase are nearly as big as people think they are. They are in Northern Florida and once you cross the state line you are in the fan territory of whatever SEC team resides there. Florida is by far the top school in that state. Clemson has SEC type fans and South Carolina has traditionally been pretty bad at football so Clemson has a long history of being the winning program in that state.

This data is from 2011, but I think it will still be illuminating.

https://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2...-college-football-fans-and-realignment-chaos/

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Florida State would be ahead of Ole Miss but behind Kentucky on the above list if they were in the SEC. Clemson would be #4 in the SEC, ahead of LSU and behind only Auburn, Alabama, and the chomp Florida Gators chomp. I guess Florida State is way further down that list than I appreciated, and Clemson is very high. This was in 2011, too, so I can imagine some bad years might have pushed Florida State down while Clemson is riding high off its success.
 

deadeyededric

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This data is from 2011, but I think it will still be illuminating.

https://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2...-college-football-fans-and-realignment-chaos/

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Florida State would be ahead of Ole Miss but behind Kentucky on the above list if they were in the SEC. Clemson would be #4 in the SEC, ahead of LSU and behind only Auburn, Alabama, and the chomp Florida Gators chomp. I guess Florida State is way further down that list than I appreciated, and Clemson is very high. This was in 2011, too, so I can imagine some bad years might have pushed Florida State down while Clemson is riding high off its success.
I'm somewhat surprised Georgia Tech is that high even being in Atlanta.
 
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deadeyededric

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I didn't look at the methodology, but take it all with a grain of salt. I don't think Auburn is the biggest fanbase in Alabama, for instance.
It wouldn't surprise me either way. I think a lot of it depends on how close the schools are to the state's biggest metro's. I know if Alabama has more fans it isn't by much.
 
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CTTB78

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He's on record saying that the high academic requirements for Notre Dame hurt his recruiting.

Sweet Lou complained all the time about the same thing. Still won the NC with Tony Rice, no less.
 

Sigmapolis

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I didn't look at the methodology, but take it all with a grain of salt. I don't think Auburn is the biggest fanbase in Alabama, for instance.

It wouldn't surprise me either way. I think a lot of it depends on how close the schools are to the state's biggest metro's. I know if Alabama has more fans it isn't by much.

The study was performed in 2011.

The year before was the Cam Newton year. They were coming off a national championship. You would expect their numbers to be at a crest after that huge breakthrough.

AL and AU both being really big and really close strikes me as reasonable. Alabama might be ahead now, but Auburn was on a high at that point and is still not far back.
 
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AlaCyclone

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Seems like FSU is a bigger rebuild to me, personally, I'd like to see Urban at USC. West coast football is bad right now, they need a powerhouse back out there.

I honestly don't think FSU can get a name like this anymore though. I think they'll get someone good but Meyer is a HOF coach and I can't see him going anywhere that doesn't look like a contender within a couple of years. I think FSU is a longer type of deal than he'd be in to.
Urban could win BIG at FSU and FAST. The problem is that FSU will not pay the bucks that it will take to get Urban.
 

AlaCyclone

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The study was performed in 2011.

The year before was the Cam Newton year. They were coming off a national championship. You would expect their numbers to be at a crest after that huge breakthrough.

AL and AU both being really big and really close strikes me as reasonable. Alabama might be ahead now, but Auburn was on a high at that point and is still not far back.
Born and raised in Birmingham, AL and a former Tide Pride Member and Season Ticket holder at Alabama. Alabama is definitely the dominant fan base in the state like the Hawkeyes are in Iowa. Auburn has hardcore and loyal fans like Iowa State, but they are outnumbered by Alabama fans 3-2 or something like that on a good day for Auburn. You can order season tickets to Auburn if you like without donating. You can get on the Alabama Tide Pride waiting list if you want to be eligible for Alabama tickets in the future. They even charge a small fee for being on the waiting list starting this past year! Even before Saban, it took a while to work your way from waiting list to getting the option to have season tickets.
 
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nfrine

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The study was performed in 2011.

The year before was the Cam Newton year. They were coming off a national championship. You would expect their numbers to be at a crest after that huge breakthrough.

AL and AU both being really big and really close strikes me as reasonable. Alabama might be ahead now, but Auburn was on a high at that point and is still not far back.
You forgot they also still had Chizek...that had to be a big draw.:D
 
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