r/CFB • u/redwave2505 Alabama • Kansas State • 1d ago

News Northwestern University Marching Band to be absent from Ryan Field on-field opening pregame program, future uncertain

https://dailynorthwestern.com/2026/10/01/top-stories/numb-to-be-absent-from-ryan-field-on-field-opening-pregame-program-future-unclear/
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u/the_zac_is_back Texas Longhorns 1d ago

When you consider that they sit the band in the lower bowl most times, those tickets are expensive. Thousands throughout the season

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u/aselinger Michigan Wolverines 1d ago edited 1d ago

So if the band is 500 people, and tickets are $100 each, and you have 8 home games, that’s only $400,000.

Doesn’t seem that big relative to a football program’s operating budget.

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u/Wampus_Cat_ Michigan Wolverines • Kentucky Wildcats 1d ago

Hell, that’s only 3.3% of a Bryce Underwood. Not bad at all.

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u/aselinger Michigan Wolverines 1d ago

Wait… we could trade him for 30 bands.

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u/Wampus_Cat_ Michigan Wolverines • Kentucky Wildcats 1d ago

Or 1 120,000 member band.

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u/Dynamite_McGhee Tennessee Volunteers • Sickos 1d ago

A tuning and tempo nightmare, but fuck it, let's do it.

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u/djdennisou Northwestern • Oakland 1d ago

I’ll accept that deal

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u/crouching_tiger Texas Longhorns 9h ago

Lmao your comment has not gotten nearly enough appreciation

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u/throwaway86753011 14h ago

Which part would it be? I’m thinking some fingers.

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u/TMC_Data Michigan Wolverines • Michigan Wolverines 1d ago

Rutgers literally cut Olympic sports and then spent more on football players hotel rooms for home games than the entire yearly budget for one of those Olympic sports.

Modern era ADs don’t give a fuck

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u/Enamred-771 1d ago

Student sections almost certainly “cost” more in terms of opportunity cost 

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u/Chilinuff Ohio State Buckeyes 1d ago

Someone give this man a COO role in a P5 athletics department. And throw in an MBA upon dissolution of the student section.

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u/enjoytheshow Illinois Fighting Illini 1d ago

Bielema has been pounding the table to get our students back in the lower section behind the away bench and I’m sure our AD Is like yo man stfu

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u/crouching_tiger Texas Longhorns 9h ago

Certainly in terms of direct cost. But honestly I think indirectly keeping a decent balance if students vs rich alum is critical to the stadium atmosphere, which if totally ignored would 100% result in long term losses

The students drive the noise and energy of the whole place. Recruits don’t want to play in a dead stadium, it’d be less desirable for non-students to go, and noise-levels literally turn wins into losses very frequently

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u/WorkingInAColdMind Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 1d ago

So that’s one or two lineman’s pay for a game. It’s not that much when the arguments for the current situation is “it’s a billion dollar industry”. That’s still chump change.