Going head-to-head with Ohio State is never an easy task on the football field.
It’s even tougher trying to pry fans away to watch a game that doesn’t involve the Buckeyes, who have a waiting list of people just wanting the honor of paying around $750 for one season ticket.
So I’m going to give pesky Ohio University and the Bobcats’ ticket operations some credit for their new marketing campaign to drum up support.
After winning the Mid-American Conference East championship, reaching three consecutive bowl games and edging Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, the Bobcats have posted billboards in southeastern Ohio touting the bargain-basement prices of attending games at Peden Stadium.
As someone who has attended a few Frank Solich-coached games in Athens, Ohio, I can honestly say the $4.50 per game price is a great deal.
You might say, “but I know high school games that have higher admission prices!” And you are right.
But you are talking about an OU program that struggled from about 1978-94, the Bobcats were arguably one of the worst programs in the nation. Students only went to games to watching the Marching 101 perform at halftime.
That changed when Jim Grobe took over for the 2005 season, and despite a slip during the Brian Knorr years, Solich has taken the program to new heights.
Despite the success, Ohio is not the big draw and never will be. So it shouldn’t be a huge shock to see a billboard in a rural community like Nelsonville, Ohio, with a billboard like this one.
The Bobcats are going to be good again this fall as they are led by quarterback Tyler Tettleton, who is sort of a dual-threat guy. But don’t overlook Ohio’s defense, which played very well in the spring game.
Is there a great game on the 2012 home schedule? Not really. If I had to pick a game to go to it would probably be Bowling Green on Nov. 7. However, it might make more sense to go with the non-conference game with New Mexico State on Sept. 8. There’s a better chance the weather will cooperate.
In the end, it doesn’t matter. It’s college football and you’ll probably have not more than $25 invested in the day.
I like the sound of that.
