Was up at the Carrier Dome today for USF (my new favorite college football team) and Syracuse. They drew about 25,000 according to one employee, I thought more like 30,000, a good college basketball crowd at the Dome
Bear in mind this was Homecoming Day, a big draw at most colleges. Only about 50 members of the class of '66 showed up and there were only 100 USF Bulls fans in the visitors section. Syracuse isn't an easy location to get to.
They get between $35 and $80 for a ticket and the really good seats are all taken by people who pay a "seating Plan" price in the high 3 figures or low 4 figures to secure the right to buy them every year. Yet, on a warm or a sunny day ( there are only 90 days per year like that in Syracuse each year) even the season ticket holders will not show up. Basketball has huge crowds because it's in the winter and it's always snowing and cold outside; besides they are a pretty good team and there isn't much of anything to do outside.
I asked several fans about their feelings about St. John's being in the early season schedule and they thought it was great. They love playing us and they still have a big emotional tie to the BE. They do not want the relationship to end. They see us and Georgetown as a bonus in an always very weak early season schedule. The would also like to get Villanova on the schedule as they miss them as well.
Let's come up big against them again this year and we can forget the alleged "slight".