I pretty much agree with you but would add the following....

The empty seats are the ones that cost $18 in the season package and heaven knows how much per game ($10 for Houston, $25 for Virginia and currently $40 for Utah State. There are also some unused seats in the upper ends of the sidelines that cost $50 in the season package, $10 for Houston, $30 for Virginia and currently $60 for Utah St.

Here are the primary reasons for no sell outs...IMO

(1) Not enough value for season ticket holders. BYU has adopted a variable priced ticketing approach for single game tickets. When the variable price drops to as low as $10 (Houston) and $25 for Virginia, who in their right mind would pay $18, $30, $50 or $100 and be obligated to all six games? I'm not overly concerned with BYU's season ticket price compared to other schools and professional teams but I need to know I'm getting VALUE to feel good about how I spend my money. A huge decrease in season ticket renewals from last year to this year left BYU with way too many single game tickets to sell. Create value and people will return as season tickets holders.

(2) Poor ticket distribution channels. The BYU ticket office holds thousands of unsold tickets to all the games. Most fans don't look there to buy tickets. Perhaps a few years ago the ticket office didn't have tickets because the games were sold out. Fans turned to KSL Classifieds or Stubhub to get their tickets. Times have changed at the ticket office but most fans still buy their tickets the same old way. BYU might be getting somewhat better at the distribution issue. As an example from last week, they sent out an email to loyal Deseret Book customers offering them a discount to the Virginia game. Another great way to distribute tickets would be to use the season ticket holder base by giving them a free pair of tickets now and again to distribute to family, friends or coworkers. The lost revenue of giving away an unused seat to a season ticket holder is $0. However there certainly would be revenue generated from concessions and merchandise. This would also help create value for season ticket holders...see #1. A 100% full stadium would give the impression that people are missing out by not being there. Perception becomes reality.

(3) Stadium experience is getting pretty stale. Too many ads...not enough replays on the video boards, etc. etc. etc. Pretty nice to watch BYU in HD and leave all the hassles behind. This has been addressed on the board many times but I still believe there is no comparison to being at the game and sharing your experience with thousands of fans and the players. I paid a lot of money to be in Austin TX earlier this year and feel it was a bargain to be a part of that great win for the program.

4) Schedule is hit and miss. I would argue that our home schedule the past two years has been better than most of those years we were in the MWC. However, the biggest pimple is our Nov home schedule. Unless BYU goes undefeated, there is nothing for fans to get excited for when watching BYU's 3rd team beating Idaho St in Nov....in the snow.....or rain....or cold.

5) Spoiled fans get turned off too easy - unrealistic expectations of a national championship every year cause way too much criticism of every play call that does not work, player penalty, etc. We are not a top 15 football program year in and year out. We might rise to that level some day but we have never been there for more than a couple years in a row. Instead of appreciating that we are not (insert name any one of about 100 college programs not named Alabama, Florida St., USC and about a dozen others here) we should be grateful for what to have. Strictly speaking of football programs, other than Notre Dame, I can't think of a single non-P5 team that would not want to trade places with BYU.

6) Losing to Utah 4 years in a row. Crap....Chris Hill was pretty insightful to recognize how good Taysom Hill (and supporting cast) was going to be his Junior and Senior seasons.

F18