The problem with the past is that both sides of the grandstands held 42,500.
Then the South Endzone was something like 3,500.
This totals about 46,000 actual seats.
Approx 2500 per hill give yous you 46,000 + 10,000 = 56,000 ish total. Its always been "ish" because of the hills.
So now.....we have a problem of we lost something like 2,100 on the sides(correct me if wrong) b/c of the suites. so 42,500 - 2,100 = 40,400 for the sides now. So I think Total capacity for the whole place must be subtracted by 2,100 which would be 54,000. This is why the athletic Dept probably just says it seats 55,000 and calls it good.
So for the New plan. Lets just say you have 41,000 for the sides.
If you bowl in just the first level you really are not gaining capacity of people but are getting a better atomosphere and taking the south hills out of the equation. my guess for a one level expansion would be about 7-8,000. (remember we already can put those people there, but it looks like trash.) So at 8,000 that would give us 49,000 "Physical Seats" and the ability to put about another 5,000 in the North Endzone. So in theory we still have a 55,000 total capacity stadium, but more physical seats.
IF the south endzone 2nd level was done......That is harder to figure out because it is smaller and doesn't go from corner to corner. So if you ball park it lets say it holds 4,000. Then basically you get 41,000 for the sides and 12,000 (8,000 + 4,000)for the endzone. That makes 53,000 physical seats with the ability to get 5,000 more into the North for a total of 58,000. (give or take 1K?) So we are really not going crazy with capacity like everyone says.
I wish they could somehow get the south endzone done and corner the North endzones hills in also, but not go over the Jake. Just cover the hills. Then our "Physically seats" and total capacity for the stadium would actually match. It would probably be something like 58,000.
I would then like to see a HUGE Scoreboard go from one side of the Jacobson to the other (a few feet above its roof). So basically it would give the feeling of totally enclosed stadium. The plan calls for a new scoarboard anyway so why not go big on the north endzone and keep the existing one by putting iit on top of the upper deck of the South endzone? I think I just made a 65 million dollar plan go to 80 Million, but what the heck. It would look sweet. put that along with the work already done and you have a middle of the conference stadium. (never going to beat, OU, UT, A&M, NU and now OSU for stadium bragging rights, but being in the conversation for 6th would be nice.
I just want the hills to go away.
Hope I didn't confuse people with my rant...
