The Univ. of Washington on Saturday wrapped up its three-game football non-conference schedule, and for those games the school "averaged 58,823 fans" at Husky Stadium, which "has a capacity of 70,038," according to Adam Jude of the SEATTLE TIMES. UW's non-conference schedule "wasn't an ideal setup," and it blew out each school it faced. Many fans have "expressed frustration at the lackluster nonconference schedule, which is surely part of the reason" UW has not "come close to selling out the stadium this season." There "appeared to be 25,000 empty seats at the start" of Saturday's game against Portland State. UW coach Chris Petersen said, "We want to play games that our fans are excited about, but we're always trying to find that balance with who we can get to play." First-year AD Jennifer Cohen said that she "likes the traditional A-B-C model of scheduling nonconference games, meaning one game against a team from a Power 5 conference, one game against a mid-major type program and one against a lower-level program." Jude noted UW's non-conference schedule "isn't all that exciting next year, either, but it gets better after that." Cohen: "As much as we love Husky Stadium ... it's geographically really far. A lot of the schools we've been talking to don't have alumni bases here and they're not recruiting in the state of Washington" (SEATTLE TIMES, 9/18).
IN THE CARDS: Louisville on Saturday "set a new attendance record" at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, as 55,632 turned out to see UL rout Florida State 63-20. Saturday's number surpassed the '14 home opener against Miami (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 9/18). SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Don Muret reports two years before a $55M expansion of Papa John's Stadium is scheduled to open, the UL has "sold a big chunk of the premium inventory tied to the project." Legends VP/Sales Mike Behan said that as of mid-September, Legends Global Sales, the school's sales agency, had "sold 60 of 70 premium boxes and 500 of the 1,000 club seats planned as part of the renovation of the north end zone." A "dozen field-level suites, the centerpiece of the project, were the first premium option to sell out in April." Louisville Senior Associate AD/Development Mark Jurich said, "There was a buzz about those suites. It's going to be unlike any other collegiate experience" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 9/19 issue).
