Seventh not always heaven for NU

For most collegiate athletic directors, it's a no-brainer.

When scheduling home games for their top revenue-generating sport of football, ADs follow a basic formula. More home games equal more money and, usually, more wins.

A permanent 12-game schedule gives bigwigs such as Ohio State and Florida the chance to play seven, if not eight, home games year after year.

For Northwestern athletic director Mark Murphy, it's a bit more complicated.

Northwestern will follow the trend this fall and play seven home football games, its most since 1946. The Wildcats have another seven-game home slate in 2009 and expect to do so "on a fairly regular basis," Murphy said.

But NU's home-improvement project has its drawbacks, particularly when it comes to filling seats for nonconference games.

Since 2000, Northwestern has played 13 nonconference home games and had an average attendance of 23,417 -- less than half the capacity of Ryan Field (47,130). Despite bowl appearances in 2003 and 2005, NU couldn't draw more than 25,000 to a nonconference home game the following season.

Northwestern's academic calendar is the primary cause of the sparse crowds. Operating on the quarter system, NU rarely starts classes before the Big Ten season, limiting the number of students at non-league games. This year, classes start Sept. 25, after three home games are played.

The school's local alumni presence and its season-ticket base, which Murphy estimates at around 17,000 (with 5,000 students included), are smaller than many major-conference schools.

"It's been an issue here for a long time," said Murphy, who became AD in June 2003. "The fact that you're not in school yet, that really affects the atmosphere at the game. Labor Day weekend can be a difficult weekend, a lot of people away on vacation, a lot of things going on.

"But the opportunity to play home games gives you a better chance to win. That's the Catch-22."

Mark Wesoloski, Northwestern's director of ticket operations, estimates a crowd of about 20,000 for Saturday's season opener against Northeastern, a Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) program.

Northwestern should draw larger crowds the next two Saturdays against Nevada and Duke -- Wesoloski said more students typically attend games closer to the school year and several corporate and community promotions boost attendance -- but 25,000 seems like a stretch.

"I don't see us getting out of the low 20s for any of them," Wesoloski said.

Murphy weighs the attendance revenue against the operating costs of hosting a game, but he also looks at the long-term benefits.

"You look at the costs involved, but the other side is you have a much better chance to win those games," Murphy said. "If we can be in bowl games on a regular basis, we have a chance to build up our season-ticket base.

"If we can get our season-ticket number up, then when you have a seven-game home package, you can really help your program. We want to become less dependent on visiting teams' fans."

Though fans of Big Ten powerhouses Michigan and Ohio State pack Ryan Field, NU's nonconference opponents haven't made a tangible impact on the attendance, Murphy said. He mentioned recent games against BCS-conference teams such as Arizona State (attendance: 21,939) and Kansas (24,817).

The lone exception came in 2005, when a game against Northern Illinois drew 35,114 -- the only time Northwestern has eclipsed 25,000 for a non-league game since 1999. Murphy acknowledged a sizable contingent of NIU fans at the game, but he also noted a promotion with Kraft Foods, which brought about 6,000 of its employees to the game.

NIU, which scored a scheduling coup by selling out Soldier Field for Saturday's season opener against Iowa, would love to renew a series with Northwestern. But Murphy said there is "nothing imminent" with the Huskies.

Crowd size also plays a role in recruiting, as teams invite prospective players to home games. But Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald doesn't turn away recruits from nonconference games, saying they are welcome whenever their schedule permits.

"The atmosphere on game day is important," Fitzgerald said, "but if young men are looking at the recruiting process the right way, they really don't get too worried about how many people are in the stadium."

Wide receivers coach Kevin Johns, the team's recruiting coordinator, said most recruits end up attending one of Northwestern's Big Ten home games.

But Jordan Mabin didn't. Mabin, considered the top recruit of NU's 2007 class, visited Evanston last September for a non-league game against Eastern Michigan.

The contest drew only 21,935, but a decent-sized student turnout made an impression with Mabin.

"I went down on the field and they were chanting, 'Jor-dan Ma-bin,' " said Mabin, a cornerback who committed to NU about three weeks after his visit. "There weren't many fans in the stands, but they were still chanting my name, so I was like, 'Wow, that's pretty impressive that they knew I was there.' "

Murphy said NU has intensified its marketing efforts with more games to promote. The school has seen increased sales in its three-game ticket packages, which include one marquee league game (Michigan or Iowa this fall).

But the biggest magnet is a winning team.

"If you look at our attendance, the one time we had a spike was the Rose Bowl year (1995) and the year or two after that," Murphy said.

Even after a 5-7 season in 1997, NU drew 30,197 for its 1998 opener against UNLV and 40,178 two weeks later against Duke.

The simple solution?

"We've just got to go to the Rose Bowl," Murphy said. "That's what we're working on."

Cold ticket

Here's a look at Northwestern's average nonconference attendance since 2000

Nonconf. Year Record Attendance

2000 8-4 23,281

2001 4-7 23,545*

2002 3-9 22,176

2003 6-7 22,969

2004 6-6 23,378

2005 7-5 27,615

2006 4-8 21,022

*Played only one nonconference home contest because Navy game was canceled after the Sept. 11 attacks.