[Husker] Money (fwd)

[Mike Nolan]

>       It is just my opinion but I feel the one big reason a home game with Maine was necessary rather than a road game with Houston is the money that was needed.  Especially with no bowl game revenue other than what we get as shared among conference members.

Long before the Maine deal was announced it was painfully clear that Nebraska
wasn't going to a major bowl game.  I think the expenses for a lesser bowl
game would have exceeded the increase in bowl revenue, so I just don't
see that as a factor.

I don't know if the Big XII conference publishes the bowl revenue shares,
but it seems likely to me that the direct increase in revenue from
an additional home game (over $2 million just in ticket sales) could exceed
what Nebraska gets from the Big XII for its share of the bowl revenue
for 2004-05.

I think the financial impact of another home game made the choice of a 
game at Houston vs one in Lincoln an easy one, and that the bowl situation
and even the prospects of being on ESPN were minor factors by comparison.
--
Mike Nolan