I think it will be a combination of the two. We will definitely reduce the subsidy. The question is by how much. JMO
The elephant in the room
What’s the plan B? If there is one.
Good question…probably ESPN’s wet dream of a G5 playoff/sub-league. Pretty much the death rattle of big time CFB. Their dream of everyone flocking to the so-called blue-bloods will be a flop.They will be alienating the majority of CFB with their semi-pro league.
I don’t care how much they try to shove it down our throat, I will never be an LSU, UT, A&M or Bama fan, or whomever they trot out…that’s not how this works
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I don’t think ESPN is trying to contract the sport. But even if they are, the strategy isn’t bad.
As of right now the P5 schools make up a majority of FBS teams in the NCAA. And P5 schools make up an even larger percentage of fans attending games as well as tv ratings.
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Then don’t act surprised when That attitude sinks us.
So far, the blue blood dream as you call it seems to be working. I’m a Coog but have a tremendous Respect for Alabama! They got it goin on.
This is exactly right. Dr Khator sees athletics as an investment for the University. They do well the school does well. It isn’t a coincidence that the school has seen an influx of donors and student applications in the last decade coinciding with our Athletic successes.
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Yeah, I know you’re a big fan of other programs. My point wasn’t that they ‘got it goin on’ now, my point is that marginalizing fans is not a good business strategy IMO. Moncoog seems to think it is, but IMO CFB is not the NFL, the further regional matchups/rivalries are destroyed and schools are further marginalized, it will ruin CFB.
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Athletics is the marketing arm of the University. We will continue to try to compete at the highest levels.
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We got a significant boost from the TV deal.
Sell out the games and that increases revenue.
Go to bowls and the dance (as many teams as possible).
Donations from the Alumni.
It is the other G5 teams that really have to worry as they get a lot less.
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I agree. I think anyone in the AAC is going to be ok. I think the MWC is going to start to splinter.
The MWC and especially CUSA. You can’t survive with small crowd, low paying bowls, one team to the Dance, and tiny TV money.
But the donations haven’t been enough to eliminate the need for a subsidy. Not even close.
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The MWC can’t really splinter as most of the programs have nowhere to go. If they can’t keep up they’ll probably just scale back like the MAC and run on a budget. But really, they’re just in a different situation than the bottom three G5. Multi-bid with better bowls and some competitive teams.
Worse comes to worse Conference USA and Sun Belt will reshuffle along more geographic lines and also scale back. Or enough programs will collapse/relegate that there will be a consolidated league.
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That is the inevitable outcome of the not-P5 schools. The AAC will be the last holdout, but for the schools that don’t get out this is the endgame. Regionality reshuffle, scale backs, and for some dropping altogether or going FCS.
At least that’s the current course, whole new dynamics could come into play and turn everything on its head. Shifting all the paradigms.
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I’m just one rung on the pecking order different that most of you. I agree that MWC and CUSA aren’t going to make it but I don’t think the AAC will make it either, certainly not as it stands today. I know that will really upset some folks but it’s really only one step removed from the line of thinking many folks have, unfortunately it’s not good for it Coogs.
Bad Coog, troll comments will be posted in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…
I don’t comment too often but feel the need to say that you are not UH fan. Yes you are a troll and would really like it if you gtf out. Just the name tag alone is irritating.
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That’s probably for the best if you’re just going to make personal attacks with no contribution towards the topic or conversation.
Can’t say that you’re wrong. My own sense is that for the AAC and MWC it won’t be “scale back” as much as no longer scaling up. Which sort of amounts to the same thing. But if I had to guess, I would guess that in fifteen years SMU and ECU will be in the same conference. And if we can’t get out, we will be there along with UCF. Everyone in our conference except possibly Tulsa will be fielding a team.
The prospects for Conference USA and Sun Belt are more tumultuous.
But whether a conference “makes it” depends almost entirely on how you define the term. It’s worth remembering that people have been predicting since forever that teams would start dropping. It keeps not happening.
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Seems topical to this thread.
An outlier or portent of the future for the Sunbelt?