Okay, this brings up a question I've had and maybe some of you insiders can shed some light. It's my understanding that the proposed AU/UCLA matchup would have replaced the first game on our schedule. ASU I believe? Let's say AU went ahead and agreed to go to Atlanta and play the game. The exposure and hype generated by playing a big name BCS conference school would go without saying. But, my question is whether taking a game out of Auburn had any effect on the decision not to play the game.
Without the University, the City of Auburn is a blip on the radar. It's a little country town in east Alabama. The benefits of having 25,000 students there is vital to the economy but I imagine the city itself banks on those 7 or 8 football weekends a year when 80,000 or more people come in for a couple of days and spend mucho $$$. If AU ditches a home game and takes it on the road to Atlanta, it's a windfall for the University but I would imagine that's a pretty big hit for the town. Even an Arky State game is going to bring a minimum of 80K people into town. Ultimately, does the University have any kind of relationship with the City whereby they would be hesitant to send all that revenue into Atlanta as opposed to keeping it at home? Could that have been as big a factor as anything in turning down the UCLA game. UCLA is a big name school, but football wise, not exactly a program to fear.