it would be better if every politician in the state was concerned about other things rather than who USC plays in football (afterall this whole series of scheduling Div-1AA teams started after some politician starting complaining about the fact that except for rare occassions we never played those teams)

I thought the debate was on the amount of tickets State would get, not the amount of money...or am I lost?

It's both.

SC State wants more tickets and will be getting ~$240K from USC...

The reality is that this change probably has more to do with the fact that the NCAA changed the rules regarding how D1-AA wins count toward bowl-eligible status - since bowl games are HUGE cash cows, it's easy to see why the influx of these games has started.

I can list dozens of similar stories, if you'd like, but I think that's pretty clear . . .

No, you're not - the two issues have been slightly confused . . . SC State is guaranteed a certain amount of money as an 'appearance fee' just for playing - in this case, people have pointed out that SC State is getting a comensurate amount to what USC has given other D1-AA programs to try to point out that USC is not 'discriminating' against SC State.

This particular point really holds no importance at all, so I can see how you'd get confused - it doesn't really address the issues raised in the OP.

However, similar to above, I think it is clear that the decisions being made are primarily made with (overall) monetary issues in mind - for instance, if the USC/SC State game is going to sell out anyway, there's not much reason (monetarily) for USC to give SC State a larger-than-average allotment of tickets. Big-time college football essentially pays for other, smaller sports - athletic departments are forced to wring as much cash out as possible.

Really, it's for this reason that I can see why SC State wants more tickets, and why (in an ideal world) this game could be used to reach out to both a 1-AA school and a potential 'rival' (as well as introducing the unique elements of an HBCU football experience to an SEC crowd) . . . but if you follow the dollars, I can also see why that's not happening. It doesn't really scream of ulterior motive, past simply wringing more blood from the stone.

-RC
--Don't get me started on Title IX . . . kidding!

I think Charleston and Hilton Head are reason enough not to eliminate South Carolina.

Why would they not play the game? Players don't choose whether or not they want to play. Everyone that plays is going to be on TV...no matter what team they play for. In this type of game, with the historical undertones, SC State is going to be getting plenty of media coverage. That should be the least of their worries.

Okay, thanks for clarifying!

ahha no wonder all these damn little youngins are out of school

From what I heard, some players can just play a "quarter" or two... They don't have to play the whole game...

If I was Spurrier, I wouldn't want to risk exposing my star players to injury at a booty game with SC State--an unranked team, that would be plainly stoopid...

I don't know what the "historical undertones" are for this kind of game. Is that serious?

Because I can tell you, it's gonna be booty... Like 72 to 10, if that (USC over SC State)...

And yeah, I'd be willing to put money on that...

1.) South Carolina isn't very good.
2.) Even the top teams in the nation play their top players for atleast a half and into the 3rd quarter....even if it is an ass beating.
3.) This is the first meeting between the two teams ever - which is why it is historical.
4.) Anything can happern in a football game, especially when you aren't that good. South Carolina has lost to Div 1 AA schools before.

A Confederate Memorial Day doesn't suprise me. The current state of America and a so called race card is just the dumbest thing I ever heard. As an African American I don't find it strange that most white people have hard times showing empathy for black people and our subhuman (slavery)experiences. I'm not a fan of people making accusations without considering the facts. From the looks of the post the guy is out of line to use race as a factor however this is only a mircrocosm of how other upstanding americans both black and white have to hear about some idiot complaining and then invoking race. Make no mistake I can point out events that were blantant acts of racism. America took notice at the ugliness of rodney king and reginald denny. Most of the people that attacked Denny couldn't be identified but king's attackers were caught on tape and they weren't convicted. (Note King Driving Drunk wasn't a pass for how he was treated nor was the reaction from the black community to Mr Denny)

Mistaking Racism is never forgiveable but I know that there are numerous incidents that can hightlight my arguement. In this case it is stupid and for politcal gain. I don't expect anything less from a state the left the union and still flys the confederate flag on its capitol building. The Confederate Memorial Day is something I add no clue about. Even in 2006 we can't get it right...

A lot of people died fighting for the South, the large majority of whom did not own slaves. What is wrong with remembering that?

And just about everyone of them was an American....Many good Men, Boys, Women, and Girls fought, bled and died for a cause or reason, their own reason. Under their flag of choice, their banner.

Some people here, given some other postings I have seen, should take some time to read For Cause & Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War by James M. McPherson.

http://savannahnow.com/stories/04279...nfederate.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_Memorial_Day

And now, back to the Game.......

All this has the rather poor taste of politics getting in the way of anything good and positive.

this stadium has Z amount of seats, Y amount of season ticket holders, et al.....this is like telling Boston to build another section for the Yankee games or having Michigan build an even bigger stadium for OSU game.......

The funny thing is that Fenway Park would be sold out for a NYY game no matter how big the stadium whereas Yankee Stadium is never full when the Red Sox are in town. Bostonians seem to take the rivalry a lot more seriously than New Yorkers.