FSU replaces WVU with Savannah State on schedule

Posted by Chip Patterson

West Virginia's decision to cancel their Sept. 8 game with Florida State in the 2012 schedule on Feb. 3 left the Seminoles in a bind as they scrambled to fill the slot for their seventh home game. On Wednesday, the school announced that the Mountaineers would be replaced with a visit from Savannah State.

“West Virginia’s announcement at the 11th hour really put us in a very difficult position,” said FSU Director of Athletics Randy Spetman in the official release. “We contacted every BCS school that had an opening in hopes of replacing WVU with a BCS opponent, but none of those few schools could make it work either because of our dates or theirs. It is important for our fans to realize that the schools we contacted during the search did not pass on the 2012 game out of concern for the competition, but because of challenges they faced with schedule changes this late in the year.

“We worked with Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Cincinnati, Syracuse and Pitt to name a few along with our current non-conference opponents and television partners, but reached a point where our options simply dried up. We might have been able to play on the road at some BCS schools this season, but that would cost our fans and the university one of just seven chances to play a home game and also would have a negative impact on our local economy.”

Florida State's announcement included a guarantee that the entire 2012 schedule will be released by the ACC "shortly." The release of the regular season schedule was pushed back by the league because of "unusual circumstances" (West Virginia's cancellation), so fans can assume the full ACC regular season schedule should be on the way.

The school has already predicted a huge loss in revenue with West Virginia dipping out at the last minute. The first loss in revenue begins with the change in ticket sales. Single-game tickets for the Mountaineers early-season visit - likely to be a Top 25 matchup - was set for $70. On Wednesday, the school announced a $40 single-game ticket price for the Savannah State game.

For more on Florida State, be sure to follow the Seminoles RapidReports.

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Mountaineers Since: Aug 20, 2006	Posted on: February 27, 2012 11:14 am FSU replaces WVU with Savannah State on schedule FSU should be mad at the BE Conference, not WVU. EVERYONE knew WVU was going to leave the BE this year, it was just a matter of time and money. What the BE should have done instead of saying they weren't going to let WVU out of their contract was to say there was a good chance they would leave but details had to be worked out. If it was done in that fashion, WVU could have dropped FSU a long time ago giving them enough time to find a quality oppenent. WVU dropping FSU was a no brainer and those of us that have a clue knew it was going to happen. I know there wasn't much FSU could do about it until it was official, but you think they would have shopped around earlier than what they did just in case. [ Reply to Comment ]
liontime Since: Jan 29, 2008	Posted on: February 24, 2012 9:11 am FSU replaces WVU with Savannah State on schedule I'm not happy about WVU pulling out but they did nothing that wrong according to the letter of the contract, so that is just the way it is. If FSU wanted to schedule Savannah State, they would have done it originally and not WVU. Well said Duffman, I know there has been a lot of bravado on both sides, but the fact is, most FSU and WVU fans I know, and I know plenty as a WVU alum living in FL, wanted this game to happen and were looking forward to it. Unfortunately, the extraordinary circumstances made it not really feasible. This was due to us having four non-con games scheduled previously, two at home and one at FedEx Field with JMU that had a $1MM buyout. FSU contract was $500k, easy decision as unpopular as it was. [ Reply to Comment ]
GoldRusher Since: Oct 4, 2010	Posted on: February 24, 2012 8:36 am FSU replaces WVU with Savannah State on schedule d a promise not to substitute racoon and opossum gizzards for steaks at dinner. The local cuisine is not too appealing. Brother you bout to starve me ta death... I'm HONEGURY now!! [ Reply to Comment ]
Duffman3959 Since: Dec 30, 2008	Posted on: February 23, 2012 11:54 pm FSU replaces WVU with Savannah State on schedule ....it's FSU's fault for not lining up a secondary game (a just in case game) Really?? So all teams should line up secondary games just in case another team backs out for any reason?? Seriously??? [ Reply to Comment ]
Duffman3959 Since: Dec 30, 2008	Posted on: February 23, 2012 11:50 pm FSU replaces WVU with Savannah State on schedule What the University of Bakersfield wasn't available?????....VentiLatte, no and neither was West Virginia. Rescheduling in a short time frame is not as easy as calling up your friends for a game of 7 on 7. As an FSU fan, I can assure you that all Seminole fans as well as the everyone in the football program would rather line up against the Mountaineers than Savannah State. If something with a more respectable football team could have been arranged, it would have. I'm not happy about WVU pulling out but they did nothing that wrong according to the letter of the contract, so that is just the way it is. If FSU wanted to schedule Savannah State, they would have done it originally and not WVU. [ Reply to Comment ]
cutty240 Since: Oct 26, 2011	Posted on: February 23, 2012 10:44 pm FSU replaces WVU with Savannah State on schedule Someone called one of our Talk shows tonight,and said he remembers back in the early 2000'either 02.03 or 04 FSU backed out of a Game where FSU was coming to Mo=Town.So we will check some stuff and let you FSU cry babies know the Date and Time. [ Reply to Comment ]
VentiLatte Since: Feb 21, 2008	Posted on: February 23, 2012 8:25 pm FSU replaces WVU with Savannah State on schedule What the University of Bakersfield wasn't available????? I thought they said they pursued every available option. This talk of oh we can not play it on the road cause we will hurt the fans is ludacris. They should pay the fans to go watch that trashbag of a game. I hope this scheduling gets you in the BCS "playdough" bowl brought to you by the "pad your schedule" people of Florida State fuuuuzzzbbaaalll. What a joke. [ Reply to Comment ]
Buford62 Since: Jul 9, 2010	Posted on: February 23, 2012 7:32 pm FSU replaces WVU with Savannah State on schedule usbummer...........Thanks for your civil and understable comments. My only heated comments were centered on going after those WVU diehards, who want to constantly blame all their problems on the ACC, and their quality teams and trying making fun of scoring 70 points on Clemson etc. I wish WVU well in their new conference, and hope they do well ! As we all know, every institution has their good days and bad days on the grid iron. One of these WVU diehards just posted disparaging remarks about VT's basketball coach, this was un-called for. You darn right I'm going after such nonsense remarks like that. VT's Basketball coach is head and shoulders above their "Huggy Boy", and doesn't look like a blevit of slop, a drunk, and a blimp in a warm-up suit on the side-line trying to coach basketball games. usbummer, in closing, again thanks for your civil input, I do appreciate it. [ Reply to Comment ]
usbummer Since: Aug 13, 2011	Posted on: February 23, 2012 6:16 pm FSU replaces WVU with Savannah State on schedule @Buford: Try to take it a little easier on West Virginia. I hear your argument and I understand that your objection is not that West Virginia left, but rather with the rapidity if their exit. But there is more to that event than is being discussed on this subject. The rapidity of this move may have inconvenienced Florida State and cost them some revenue, but it also saved the Big 12's TV contracts and saved the Big 12 millions and millions and millions of dollars. West Virginia was not trying to act classless, the Big 12 was doing everything they could to get them immediately! And the Big 12 was not trying to act classless, they were trying to save many times more money than Florida State is complaining about. FSU's financial complaint is a drop in the bucket compared to what was at stake for the Big 12. West Virginia's entry into the Big 12 this season was a blessing for the Big 12 and the conference is extremely grateful to them for that. I can assure you, the difficulty that Florida State and the rest of the Big East has experienced because of West Virginia's early exit pales dramatically compared to what the Big 12 would have experienced if they could not have picked up a tenth team, or had to settle for a team significantly below the quality of West Virginia's. Nobody was trying to act without class. It was simply a realistic response to an immediate crisis that had to be dealt with as quickly as possible by all concerned. Let it go. [ Reply to Comment ]
ldl21l Since: Oct 23, 2011	Posted on: February 23, 2012 3:34 pm FSU replaces WVU with Savannah State on schedule Hush little baby{Buford IQ62} don't you cry. The ACC will buy your Chokies another Bowl Game. And if you lose that football game. The ACC will buy you another Bowl Game. And if you lose that football game. Well Hell!!! they will probably just kick your sorry butts right out of the ACC {All Cupcake Conference.} Hey BufordIQ62, You have heard the old saying that my momma didn't raise no fool, well your momma raised the most dumbest idiotic fool of all. [ Reply to Comment ]

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