Seawolves Fans

The ultimate accomplishment, now official, as obvious it has been for decades
https://www.buffalo.edu/home/story-repository.host.html/content/shared/university/news/news-center-releases/2022/01/007.detail.html
https://news.stonybrook.edu/university/a-joint-statement-from-the-university-at-buffalo-and-stony-brook-university-on-being-designated-as-new-york-states-flagship-public-universities/
https://www.suny.edu/suny-news/press-releases/1-22/1-5-22-gov/gov-plans-for-suny.html

To help achieve these goals, Governor Hochul's plan to expand SUNY's reach begins with making the institution into a global and national leader on research and innovation:

Transform Stony Brook and Buffalo into global research institutions: Stony Brook University and University at Buffalo will become the flagships for SUNY, as well as world class research institutions. These campuses will look to meet the goal of $1 billion each in primarily federal research funding by 2030. This would put these two universities in the top 20 public universities nationally in research expenditures. As a first step toward strengthening these institutions, Governor Hochul is announcing $102 million for a new academic building for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University at Buffalo, and $100 million in funding to construct a multidisciplinary engineering building at Stony Brook.

And now, the second class 
Revitalize Albany and Binghamton as nation-leading research and teaching universities: University at Albany and Binghamton University will be transformed into nation leading research and teaching universities, with a goal of achieving $500 million each in annual research funding. This will increase the economic impact of applied research and development, expand and diversify student enrollment, and improve graduation rates. Governor Hochul also plans to propose that the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) reunite with the University at Albany to streamline management and promote research excellence. Binghamton University will also host BATTERY-NY, a technology development and manufacturing center. The Center will support the Southern Tier economy by developing the advanced manufacturing of batteries for clean energy technologies that will transform the transportation, military, and energy sectors. The Center will also establish a robust manufacturing infrastructure to support multiple industries and their supply chains.

Beyond attendance and game dates, Stony Brook would be wise to also strike a local TV deal for football as the schedule improves and the team acclimates to the CAA.  There are only so many slots open for CAA NBCSN and Comcast/SNY games. So, for example, if SBU could gain a deal with WLNY 10/55 for select home game broadcast, it would benefit both parties. Not everyone wants to watch games online so SBU gains coverage across the market, and WLNY gains filler for Saturdays.

It would then become much like the deals FBS and higher-level FCS teams hold. Here in WNY, UB will have games broadcast on 3 different Tiers. 1st tier is the ESPN/2/U/Regional deal. 2nd tier are home games picked up by Time-Warner Cable Sports. The 3rd tier is a new deal reached with the local NBC affiliate WGRZ to become "The Home of UB Athletics". The WGRZ deal isn't so much about major money changing hands as it is the school and station agreeing to cross-market. UB produces the coach's shows and games and WGRZ provides air-time.
This is the contract, just to give some idea of what SBU could request: http://cdn1.sbnation.com/assets/3888457/WGRZ_Agreement_UB_Athletics_2013-signed.pdf

Just this afternoon, Holy Cross announced an expanded schedule of home games for a Worchester-based indy channel owned by Charter Cable:
http://www.goholycross.com/sports/m-footbl/2013-14/releases/201405190wnxvq#.U3pMG67A9vY.twitter

UB football is hosting its pro day today at the Bills' field house, and Malcolm Eugene is one of a few non-UB players there. It's a smart move with all 32 teams there to watch Khalil Mack again. I haven't seen any of his results online, yet.

Here in MACLand, Stacey Bedell announced via tweets he's leaving UMass. I wouldn't doubt it if he makes a homecoming move to SBU. They are also losing their #2 QB Mike Wegzyn though it sounds like he'd prefer another FBS team.

No bragging, just recounting data. I don't know any worried UB fans with the spread at 13 and everyone on our fan site is picking UB. Bragging would be like pointing out we could have made things much worse in 2011 if not for unforced errors: Mack's showboating on the almost pick-6 and the missed 47 yd FG.

What's confounding is revisionist history such as this from the seawolf blog tonight:

"It was a close game in everything but the final score..." Really? With a drive chart like this?

Team     Qtr Spot Time   Obtained      Spot Time   How Lost      Pl-Yds   TOP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SBU      1st S28  14:36  Kickoff       S42  11:11  Punt           5-14   3:25
SBU      1st S10  10:18  Punt          U43  04:59  Downs         11-47   5:19
SBU      1st S08  03:49  Punt          U00  13:46  *TD         10-92   5:03   <--- SBU wins the quarter yardage title, UB adjusts
SBU      2nd S20  07:59  Kickoff       S20  05:38  Punt           3-0    2:21
SBU      2nd S34  04:27  Kickoff       S32  02:08  Int            3--2   2:19
SBU      2nd S18  02:00  Int            S22  00:51  Punt           3-4    1:09
SBU      2nd S30  00:13  Missed FG  S29  00:00  End of half    1--1   0:13
SBU      3rd S40  15:00  Kickoff       S45  13:21  Punt           3-5    1:39
SBU      3rd S15  11:19  Punt          S25  09:12  Fumble         4-10   2:07
SBU      3rd S17  08:01  Kickoff       S19  06:17  Punt           3-2    1:44
SBU      3rd S27  04:52  Punt          S39  02:41  Punt           5-12   2:11
SBU      3rd S30  00:00  Kickoff       U20  07:39  Fumble        14-50   7:21  <---- UB empties the bench
SBU      4th S18  03:41  Punt          U42  00:00  End of half    7-40   3:41

Kiper is taking his view on Mack from scouts and coaches, like from this story: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000237423/printable/khalil-mack-draws-praise-from-ohio-state-baylor-coaches

Yeah, those bowls sure do suck: better crowds and higher ratings than FCS playoff games, schools can turn a profit, talking heads and betting talk about your game for weeks prior, etc.

In 2008 for UB's bowl game we sold our full allotment of 10,500 tickets, saw a week of events and build up in Toronto, earned extra practices, had a total of ~30K UB fans out of the 40K at the game, had 2.1M watching nationally (at the time the #2 most-watched ESPN2 bowl game ever) and it was the most-watched broadcast on cable in the Buffalo media market over a 5 year period. And we turned a profit. Meanwhile, certain years FCS playoff teams will pass on hosting rounds since they'd lose money in the end for little exposure.

No wonder exactly 0 1-AA/FBS teams have dropped down since sub-divisions were settled in 1982.

Is it any wonder UB fans are confident on our recent FCS matchups, since our team backs it up? We've seen it all from FCS fans.

AGS thread of the Gardner-Webb @ UB game in 2010, where fans actually believed G-W had a chance. UB won 40-3:
http://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?64539-Gardner-Webb-at-Buffalo

AGS threads on FBS upsets which picked SBU in 2011. You know the result:
http://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?80118-SBU-Adds-Second-FBS-Opponent-Will-Play-UTEP-and-Buffalo-in-2011
http://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?84230-Top-10-FBS-Schools-Likely-to-Lose-to-FCS*Warning-Bleacher-Report*
http://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?84097-Most-intriguing-FBS-matchups-for-2011

Let's recap 2011. SBU excelled after the UB loss and reached the 2nd round. UB was picked to finish 6th in the MAC East, only garnering 28 voting points. We finished in that spot with 2 other wins besides SBU. We only started 4 SR's on both sides of the ball vs SBU. All TD's in that game were scored by players on the UB roster today. The stars of that game, Oliver, Mack, Neutz, Hughes, Dennison, were Sophs/R-Fr.

Fast-forward to today. UB received votes toward 4th in the MAC East, 7th overall, with 101 vote points (1 first-place vote). We return 17 of 22 starters and all our specialists. Our top 3 running backs on last season's depth chart, who combined to play in only 6 games, are all healthy. Mack is on multiple national award watch lists and Mel Kiper has him #13 on his big board. Neutz, Oliver, and CB Najja Johnson are all on national award watch lists. Our OL goes 310, 320, 320, 326, 327, much bigger than our 2011 line. Besides Mack rushing from OLB at 6'3" 248, our 3-man front is 273, 300, 293, also bigger than the 2011 front which stymied SBU drives for 3 quarters.

With all that returning talent and a lighter MAC schedule, multiple national reviews predict UB will become bowl eligible. The point being, we are much better than the first go round. I've read many points from here, AGS, the AE board, and there doesn't appear to be the same certainty about Stony Brook's improvement from impressive 2011 and 2012 squads. In posts regarding upsets, where would it develop, outside of a massive turnover fest by UB a la Army?

I'm sure the Buffalo game can be seen on TV somewhere .. Maybe stream it from the University's web site ?

UB home openers the last few seasons have aired on Time-Warner Cable SportsChannel in Upstate, so it would be exclusive to UB steaming and ESPN3 elsewhere. The MAC has a cool central area for streaming links from all MAC schools as well as to MAC ESPN3 media to make things convenient:

http://www.mac-sports.com/Watch/LiveStreaming.aspx
http://www.mac-sports.com/ESPN3stream.aspx

Someone had mentioned here MAC in non-FB sports, but that's not allowed long-term. The MAC let UB join in every sport but football for 1 season to give us another year to complete stadium expansion. The MAC is all about affiliates so SBU could easily join as #14 to balance UMass (moving BGSU to MAC West FB) and leaving other sports wherever. Moving to full member could wait until there is another school interested in joining fully. UMass isn't, with the A-10 still strong.

Yep seawolf97 we got UTEP once and have a 2-2 deal with Baylor that's cool. They came here a few years ago and their traveling crowd was great. We play them in Waco this year then host next fall. We've also hosted/host: Syracuse ('04), Pitt ('09, '12), UConn ('00, '02, '03, '11, '13), Rutgers ('01, '05), and a long H-H deal with Army visting often ('09, '14, '16, '18). We will host Boston College in 2015 or 2016 as well. We get these deals due to a 30K seat stadium and Buffalo-Niagara Int'l Aiport being a 15 Min drive away. So based on that SBU could get all those same teams from time to time. Even if SBU could not get an 'AQ' team to Suffolk Cnty a home game at CITI/Yankee would likely draw AQ looks in a 1-1 or 2-1 deal.

To iBOsbu, the MAC appears worse than it is in RPI because the West schools who can't get anything right like NIU and EMU drag us down. East teams have won 11 of the last 13 titles. Playing our tournament at an NBA arena is very cool with title games drawing 9K-12K fans.
*Ohio is the top program right now, getting over 10K to their games and being ranked at times in the Top 25. In 2010 as the MAC's 9th seed they won the MAC bid, then upset Georgetown a #2 seed. In 2012 they won another bid, upset Michigan and USF to reach the Sweet 16.
*Akron hasn't won tournament games in its 3 recent trips but is a strong mid-major which reached the top 25 last season.
*Kent St had a string of 10 straight years with 20+ wins, with a tournament win vs Indiana in 2001, then being ranked and reaching the Elite 8 in 2002.
*Those programs have been UB's foil as we had a string of 17-20 win seasons only to just miss in 2 title games, not dissimilar to SBU's story.