Lyons: Grid Scheduling a Complicated Process
August 16, 2017 04:00 PM | Football, Blog
WVU AD working on grid slates well into the 2020s.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The average college football fan today probably understands that schedules are developed many, many years in advance, but most don't fully appreciate all of the complexities that are sometimes involved in the process.
West Virginia University Director of Athletics Shane Lyons, covering a variety of topics with the media on Wednesday afternoon at the Milan Puskar Center, provided some insight on the subject.
"It's more difficult than it appears on the surface," he admitted. "You are really putting together a puzzle."
For instance, the puzzle piece Shane Lyons and WVU are working on may or may not fit the puzzle piece on which Whit Babock at Virginia Tech is working.
The two longtime rivals are reviving their once-annual series in Landover, Maryland, on Sunday, Sept. 3, for the first time since 2005, and the two then are scheduled to play again in Morgantown in 2021.
The Backyard Brawl with Pitt, once played on nearly an annual basis dating all the way back to the late 1890s, will resume for four games in the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Penn State, another annual Eastern gridiron combatant, hasn't been on a Mountaineer schedule since 1992, but the Nittany Lions will make a return to the WVU grid slate in 2023.
These are games Lyons deems important to West Virginia University, based on continuing discussions he's had with fans, alums and interested parties.
"My talking to the fan base and trying to gauge (desirable non-conference opponents) obviously, the Virginia Techs, the Pitts, the Penn States, the Marylands … that's kind of our footprint," he said.
The Terrapins, last played in 2015, will return on the schedule in 2020 and 2021.
West Virginia's meeting with Virginia Tech at FedEx Field 18 days from today continues a recent trend of scheduling non-conference games against Power 5 Conference foes at neutral-site venues.
It began in 2013 when West Virginia played Maryland at M&T Bank Stadium, the home of the Baltimore Ravens. It continued in 2014 with a meeting against Alabama in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta, and resumed last year in Landover against BYU.
In addition to Virginia Tech this season, West Virginia will open the 2018 campaign in Charlotte, North Carolina, against Tennessee. In 2020, the Mountaineers will kick off the season against Florida State in Atlanta. Lyons said the next opportunity on the schedule for West Virginia to entertain another neutral-site matchup doesn't come until at least 2025.
"Tennessee next year in Charlotte, with those two fan bases, that should be a sellout," Lyons predicted. "In 2014, going to Atlanta to play Alabama, I think the people who put these games on like West Virginia; our fans have been good at participating in these, and it's been good for the program as far as television exposure."
Lyons noted this year's meeting against Virginia Tech will occur on Sunday night in prime time on ABC. The game essentially becomes a two-week branding opportunity for both universities.
"You look at the excitement the Virginia Tech game has built, opening up on prime time on Sunday night on Labor Day weekend and what that means," Lyons said. "Really, the promotions haven't started rolling yet on ESPN, but in the next two weeks you are going to start seeing that and you are going to have West Virginia plastered a lot (on television leading into the game).
"That Sunday night game has been one of the highest, if not the highest-rated games, in college football," he added.
Instead of seeking out these games, West Virginia's third-year athletic director said neutral site games generally come about through a third-party promoter seeking the best possible matchup for their city.
"Usually, you are dealing with the people from the Redskins, the folks in Charlotte or Gary Stokan (President and CEO of the Peach Bowl) in Atlanta first. 'Can we get in this game and who can we get on the other side?' Obviously, you have the financial and ticket guarantees and working those financial details out," Lyons said.
"If you have good success, which West Virginia has had, they look at your (previous ticket) allotments. We're close to a sellout (for the Tech game) and hopefully we get a sellout," Lyons said. "We've sold our allotment and Virginia Tech has sold its allotment. It's going to be a big game at FedExField."
Speaking of big games, Lyons is doing his part to ensure that West Virginia continues that trend on an annual basis with some of the teams the Mountaineers have lined up in the future, beginning with Tennessee and NC State next season, and continuing well into the next decade and even beyond.
"I had an institution contact me two weeks ago looking at 2035 and 2036 and I'm like, 'There is no way I'm looking that far out,'" Lyons chuckled. "The most I may go is 2027 or 2028 and start looking at that, but I'm not even in a hurry to look at that."
Getting some of the traditional regional rivals back on the non-conference football schedule was one of Lyons' top objectives when he took over for Oliver Luck in 2015.
His hard work has ensured that the 2020s will consist of at least one former regional rival per season, whether it's Pitt, Penn State, Maryland or Virginia Tech.
"I look at it and say, 'Well, if this all goes well …' I think the last time we play Virginia Tech is in 2022, so do you put them back on 2026 or 2027? That's kind of the rotation you look at," Lyons said.
"The good part about us is we've had luck having some of our former traditional rivals want to schedule those games with us," he continued. "I've talked to Virginia Tech about later on already, and obviously we'll see how the Pitt series comes along and if we can have them (on the schedule) more often. Obviously, the same goes with Maryland and Penn State as well."
Lyons said he frequently gets questions from fans about scheduling Ohio State, although the Buckeyes are not considered a traditional rival. He said he will also continue to consider scheduling more neutral-site games if the right opportunity arises.
"I've had some conversations with our potential interest in Bristol (Tennessee)," he said. "If it's the right matchup in the right year, but again, we're not going to look at that as an every-year deal. But if it works within our schedule and what we can do, with the right opponent, that may be something different for us and for Mountaineer Nation."
West Virginia University Director of Athletics Shane Lyons, covering a variety of topics with the media on Wednesday afternoon at the Milan Puskar Center, provided some insight on the subject.
"It's more difficult than it appears on the surface," he admitted. "You are really putting together a puzzle."
For instance, the puzzle piece Shane Lyons and WVU are working on may or may not fit the puzzle piece on which Whit Babock at Virginia Tech is working.
The two longtime rivals are reviving their once-annual series in Landover, Maryland, on Sunday, Sept. 3, for the first time since 2005, and the two then are scheduled to play again in Morgantown in 2021.
The Backyard Brawl with Pitt, once played on nearly an annual basis dating all the way back to the late 1890s, will resume for four games in the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Penn State, another annual Eastern gridiron combatant, hasn't been on a Mountaineer schedule since 1992, but the Nittany Lions will make a return to the WVU grid slate in 2023.
These are games Lyons deems important to West Virginia University, based on continuing discussions he's had with fans, alums and interested parties.
"My talking to the fan base and trying to gauge (desirable non-conference opponents) obviously, the Virginia Techs, the Pitts, the Penn States, the Marylands … that's kind of our footprint," he said.
The Terrapins, last played in 2015, will return on the schedule in 2020 and 2021.
West Virginia's meeting with Virginia Tech at FedEx Field 18 days from today continues a recent trend of scheduling non-conference games against Power 5 Conference foes at neutral-site venues.
It began in 2013 when West Virginia played Maryland at M&T Bank Stadium, the home of the Baltimore Ravens. It continued in 2014 with a meeting against Alabama in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta, and resumed last year in Landover against BYU.
In addition to Virginia Tech this season, West Virginia will open the 2018 campaign in Charlotte, North Carolina, against Tennessee. In 2020, the Mountaineers will kick off the season against Florida State in Atlanta. Lyons said the next opportunity on the schedule for West Virginia to entertain another neutral-site matchup doesn't come until at least 2025.
"Tennessee next year in Charlotte, with those two fan bases, that should be a sellout," Lyons predicted. "In 2014, going to Atlanta to play Alabama, I think the people who put these games on like West Virginia; our fans have been good at participating in these, and it's been good for the program as far as television exposure."
Lyons noted this year's meeting against Virginia Tech will occur on Sunday night in prime time on ABC. The game essentially becomes a two-week branding opportunity for both universities.
"You look at the excitement the Virginia Tech game has built, opening up on prime time on Sunday night on Labor Day weekend and what that means," Lyons said. "Really, the promotions haven't started rolling yet on ESPN, but in the next two weeks you are going to start seeing that and you are going to have West Virginia plastered a lot (on television leading into the game).
"That Sunday night game has been one of the highest, if not the highest-rated games, in college football," he added.
Instead of seeking out these games, West Virginia's third-year athletic director said neutral site games generally come about through a third-party promoter seeking the best possible matchup for their city.
"Usually, you are dealing with the people from the Redskins, the folks in Charlotte or Gary Stokan (President and CEO of the Peach Bowl) in Atlanta first. 'Can we get in this game and who can we get on the other side?' Obviously, you have the financial and ticket guarantees and working those financial details out," Lyons said.
"If you have good success, which West Virginia has had, they look at your (previous ticket) allotments. We're close to a sellout (for the Tech game) and hopefully we get a sellout," Lyons said. "We've sold our allotment and Virginia Tech has sold its allotment. It's going to be a big game at FedExField."
Speaking of big games, Lyons is doing his part to ensure that West Virginia continues that trend on an annual basis with some of the teams the Mountaineers have lined up in the future, beginning with Tennessee and NC State next season, and continuing well into the next decade and even beyond.
"I had an institution contact me two weeks ago looking at 2035 and 2036 and I'm like, 'There is no way I'm looking that far out,'" Lyons chuckled. "The most I may go is 2027 or 2028 and start looking at that, but I'm not even in a hurry to look at that."
Getting some of the traditional regional rivals back on the non-conference football schedule was one of Lyons' top objectives when he took over for Oliver Luck in 2015.
His hard work has ensured that the 2020s will consist of at least one former regional rival per season, whether it's Pitt, Penn State, Maryland or Virginia Tech.
"I look at it and say, 'Well, if this all goes well …' I think the last time we play Virginia Tech is in 2022, so do you put them back on 2026 or 2027? That's kind of the rotation you look at," Lyons said.
"The good part about us is we've had luck having some of our former traditional rivals want to schedule those games with us," he continued. "I've talked to Virginia Tech about later on already, and obviously we'll see how the Pitt series comes along and if we can have them (on the schedule) more often. Obviously, the same goes with Maryland and Penn State as well."
Lyons said he frequently gets questions from fans about scheduling Ohio State, although the Buckeyes are not considered a traditional rival. He said he will also continue to consider scheduling more neutral-site games if the right opportunity arises.
"I've had some conversations with our potential interest in Bristol (Tennessee)," he said. "If it's the right matchup in the right year, but again, we're not going to look at that as an every-year deal. But if it works within our schedule and what we can do, with the right opponent, that may be something different for us and for Mountaineer Nation."
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