More than that, I wonder if there is a difference in heat on the field. The players were complaining about their feet burning at Tulane.
The noon games in September will be brutal. Black rubber pellets are used to weigh down the turf, and that stuff absorbs the heat. I've been on it for some summer LAX tourneys and it truly is hot. Will be hot for both teams though.
A quick search this morning shows that Prep / Installation / Maintenance is a good bit More Expensive with Field Turf (there are indeed some Maintenance costs).
Best I can find is that well over 1/2 of college teams use A/T.
NFL stats seem to show more lower body injuries with A/T.
I prefer real because when you come off a football field you should have some dirt on you, but we seem to be having to replace our turf way to often (and didn't we have to resod midseason last year?)
And, regardless of the stadium, aren't a majority of teams Practicing on A/T?
I don't necessarily like it, but I can see it happening.
I can tell you that Gwinnett County determined that the upkeep/life cycle cost of the Field Turf product is lower than natural grass. Factoring in the staff required to maintain it and the watering and such. And I would think that these costs would be higher for BDS since it is just one field as opposed to Gwinnett County where they can share the maintenance crews across multiple fields at the high schools.
I can tell you that Gwinnett County determined that the upkeep/life cycle cost of the Field Turf product is lower than natural grass. Factoring in the staff required to maintain it and the watering and such. And I would think that these costs would be higher for BDS since it is just one field as opposed to Gwinnett County where they can share the maintenance crews across multiple fields at the high schools.