Colorado State's big investment in athletics over the past decade produces mixed results (Coloradoan - open access)

[huskymedic]

Colorado State's big investment in athletics over the past decade produces mixed results.

>>CSU, though, still hasn’t been able to consistently win on the football field. And that, Graham said, was first and foremost in his efforts to raise the profile of the university’s athletic programs to match that of its academic programs.

“We’ve got to win at football, because that’s the flagship that projects the image of the university — that’s the front door,” Graham said. “That’s not to diminish our men’s basketball, women’s basketball or women’s volleyball programs — there are a lot of great things going on there. But if you’re not winning at football, your program’s always going to look like a second-class program or second-tier program.”<<

>>The Rams made a lot of progress in athletics from 2010-19. But they’re still not where they hoped they could be. They’re not in a Power 5 conference, where schools are receiving anywhere from $20 million to $50 million a year in television contracts and other media rights deals. They’re in the MW, where schools are earning $1 million a year on those deals with a reported new deal on the table that will pay CSU $3 million to $3.1 million a year.

“We’re still considered a mid-major and not a Power 5 university, and my end game was to get us either in the Pac-12 or the Big 12, that’s where I wanted us to go,” Graham said. “That hasn’t been accomplished, and I still think that must be the end game. “The business model doesn’t work. It just flat-out doesn’t work.”<<

 

[huskysupporter]

Wish we had an athletic director and administration that realizes football drives the bus - not basketball.

 

[WrenchFan69]

Wish we had an athletic director and administration that realizes football drives the bus - not basketball.

Wish our football-oriented fanbase realized that we have 15 national championships in basketball and we are very unlike any other athletic department in the country

 

[huskysupporter]

Wish our football-oriented fanbase realized that we have 15 national championships in basketball and we are very unlike any other athletic department in the country

I wish every UCONN sports fan realized that football drives the bus.

 

[TMB4405]

I am a Uconn fan first and foremost. Love football and hoops and all the other sports teams as well. That said the fans that don’t recognize the fact that good football is the most important aspect of an AD are delusional. If we had football “success” the other flagship sports (and in fact every sport in the AD) would also be easier.

 

[Adios]

Based on everything so far, we may very well have a higher profile in football as an independent rather than a member of the AAC.

 

[gtcam]

I wish every UCONN sports fan realized that football drives the bus.

Not sure if football will ever drive the bus at UConn
At the time when UConn was successful in the OBE football, yes I would say UConn football may be able to drive the bus - but not now or in the foreseeable future
BUT football is an important sport in UConn history and should continue to play an important part as has baseball and soccer

 

[noeynox]

I wish every UCONN sports fan realized that football drives the bus.

It does. But we can't have the tail wagging the dog. Playing both mid major hoops and football was driving everyone away. Tough pill to swallow after winning national titles in basketball and playing in a BCS bowl game.

 

[ZooCougar]

Wish we had an athletic director and administration that realizes football drives the bus - not basketball.

Agree in principle but our bus needs a new driver. Ours went off the cliff.

 

[huskysupporter]

Based on everything so far, we may very well have a higher profile in football as an independent rather than a member of the AAC.

Completely disagree.

 

[Adios]

Completely disagree.

With 4-5 P5 schools a year, games across the country, getting P5 return games UMass and NM State would have a much lesser chance getting to play in their home stadiums? That's pageantry.

 

[ASweet3781]

With 4-5 P5 schools a year, games across the country, getting P5 return games UMass and NM State would have a much lesser chance getting to play in their home stadiums? That's pageantry.

These people give themselves away.

Nothing at UConn "will drive the bus" being in the AAC. Nothing. The AAC drives the bus in nothing and the lone outlier school is not driving any bus being in this league.

If they really care about football why do they give a crap if UConn is Indie and playing Power 5 schools and northeast schools like Army/UMass. Why do they need UConn in the AAC getting smoked vs Tulane and SMU and finishing 109 in recruiting rankings?

 

[metsfan2323]

I was against the move away from the AAC, but now I realize that move probably saved football and the athletic department. The state wasn't going to keep funding an annual 40 million dollar deficit. The lame AAC contract with ESPN was driving our bus off a fiscal cliff and the treatment of our Women's basketball team was a punch in the face.

I can't believe people are still arguing we should have stayed in the AAC. UCF is now paying UCONN over a million to play them in 2021.

UCONN's best chance of getting a P5 invite is to have the men's basketball team competing at a top 10 level.

 

[Guapo]

Wish we had an athletic director and administration that realizes football drives the bus - not basketball.

We aren’t in Fort Collins, CO.

I want football to succeed, but if you can’t see that the AAC was dragging down the entire AD, and the school’s brand as a whole, than I consider you wholly incapable of forming a coherent argument on the subject.

 

[huskysupporter]

To be clear - My position has less to do with the AAC (make no mistake I do believe going independent in football was a terrible idea, just so we could chase glory days in an old conference that doesn’t look anything like it used to).

My issue is the commitment to football. There is none. We pay staff peanuts. The focus should always be on football first and foremost. That’s the path to getting a P5 invite. And we aren’t doing that. More $$$$ should be invested in football and if that means taking away from other programs (including men’s and women’s basketball) then that is what needs to be done.

I am also under no illusion (especially after DB committed to Edsall for what appears to be another two years) that the AD or Administration has any intention of increasing resource allocation to the football program.

 

[Adios]

Even though a move like this has never been done before, I am of the school of thought that football independence and the Big East for everything else is a genius move. We can't recuperate from the PP and Diaco years with the AAC given that we need to financially recuperate. Not only does this help us do that, this move actually elevates us above the AAC.

You're only misleading yourself. This is basic Business Admin 101. Genius move, really.

 

[Pudge]

Wish we had an athletic director and administration that realizes football drives the bus - not basketball.

you’re not very good at strategic thinking

Its the $. We weren’t thriving in a HOT improving AAC; we have no chance to regain the P5 or the $20-50m slot; and we had lost our Fanbase - which Hoop made for us. Colorado State is in the same boat. There’s no PAC 12 offer coming. Not B12. They are stuck.

therefore. Raising UConn Basketball to MSG Big East again was the route. And it turns out we will have greater revenue. And Temple-Houston-SMU will have a flat income beyond 2032

 

[whalerfan]

you’re not very good at strategic thinking

Its the $. We weren’t thriving in a HOT improving AAC; we have no chance to regain the P5 or the $20-50m slot; and we had lost our Fanbase - which Hoop made for us. Colorado State is in the same boat. There’s no PAC 12 offer coming. Not B12. They are stuck.

therefore. Raising UConn Basketball to MSG Big East again was the route. And it turns out we will have greater revenue. And Temple-Houston-SMU will have a flat income beyond 2032

While I agree with you about the improving AAC the jamokes over at the AAC forum are true believers thinking that they are the equivalent of the 5 conferences. They're all happy with the new contract and have been throwing poo all over what they see as the carcass of the dead Huskies. Well they refuse to accept that nobody in this conference is getting out. It will never be considered an equal. Only two of the schools are number 2 in their state (Cincinnati & Tulane who could be #3). They're out there saying the AAC at this point is better than the OBE. Well when we had Syracuse, WVA, VaT, Pitt and even Rutty, those are well known institutions not directional universities. I'll miss the trip to Philly for Temple but I really hope this new direction works out.

 

[ASweet3781]

To be clear - My position has less to do with the AAC (make no mistake I do believe going independent in football was a terrible idea, just so we could chase glory days in an old conference that doesn’t look anything like it used to).

My issue is the commitment to football. There is none. We pay staff peanuts. The focus should always be on football first and foremost. That’s the path to getting a P5 invite. And we aren’t doing that. More $$$$ should be invested in football and if that means taking away from other programs (including men’s and women’s basketball) then that is what needs to be done.

I am also under no illusion (especially after DB committed to Edsall for what appears to be another two years) that the AD or Administration has any intention of increasing resource allocation to the football program.

Why is going independent a terrible idea? You people keep saying this and never give a reason why. The AAC sucks. We can't recruit in this league. We are not competitive in this league. The fans don't care about any of the teams and the TV contract was peanuts. Why do we HAVE to stay in that league to be good at football? With our first independent schedule I see 2 things 1. Some chances to actually win games and 2. games that are more interesting than any AAC team we play.

You completely discredit yourself when you say we are chasing glory days in an old conference that doesn't look anything like it used to. You miss the irony of writing this while at the same time advocating to remain in a league that has NEVER looked like anything we are used to. And the sheer ignorance. We are not chasing anything. The Big East is a top 3 basketball league with 9 teams currently in the top 60 and 2 national titles in the last 4 years. We have recruits picking us specifically citing the Big East.

Of course you give the real reason away in your post. You still think there's a chance of a POWER 5 invite coming. That reveals how insane the pro AAC brigade is.

 

[Pudge]

The AAC is a great Football Conference. Far better than I could have imagined 6 years ago. It is an improving Basketball conference. Not two or three clubs that are good & 7 dogs. Like it used to be.

but

Think of this as a Business. A say ... Burger business ... one is getting a Billion $ in Revenue & one is getting $150 million. There were obvious advantages from Day One of FBS; but they are rising exponentially - in the footballing spirit - and the Two Businesses may not look the same. In 5 years. The AAC can still win games against P5. But the infrastructure & the staffing & the luxury & the salaries & the fancy tv product & marketing pieces of all sorts are gonna blow up for one. And not the AAC. We would be more like the CAA than the P5. You can whine about the drop in Football ... but that disparity - many times the dollars & growing means the platform is dramatically changing. Far beyond it is today. UCONN & the other 11 will diminish in stature.

the Big East in Basketball will be top notch. They will get better $ contracts & more exposure. We can be National Champions from this league. Our Fans will be strong. Again.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

Wish our football-oriented fanbase realized that we have 15 national championships in basketball and we are very unlike any other athletic department in the country

But still Football drives the bus..I mean if Alabama-Huntsville won the NC in hockey, people are still not going to look at them, because they don't play big time football. Same with Vermont, Vermont could win NC in hockey, MBB and WBB and people aren't going to look at them, because no football.

Yes we still have 15 NCs, but most college fans will say, win a football championship, then you are big time...

 

[kemba]

But still Football drives the bus..I mean if Alabama-Huntsville won the NC in hockey, people are still not going to look at them, because they don't play big time football. Same with Vermont, Vermont could win NC in hockey, MBB and WBB and people aren't going to look at them, because no football.

Yes we still have 15 NCs, but most college fans will say, win a football championship, then you are big time...

What does that mean, "look at them?"

I would rather be UConn or Villanova, or your hypothetical Vermont MBB national champion than ECU. UConn and Villanova are much bigger brands than the ECU's of the world.

 

[Greedo]

But still Football drives the bus..I mean if Alabama-Huntsville won the NC in hockey, people are still not going to look at them, because they don't play big time football. Same with Vermont, Vermont could win NC in hockey, MBB and WBB and people aren't going to look at them, because no football.

Yes we still have 15 NCs, but most college fans will say, win a football championship, then you are big time...

Well then by your metric we had no shot at ever becoming big time staying in the AAC. We could go undefeated in that conference 5 years in a row and we wouldn’t sniff the playoff.

Going independent is our attempt to save the football team. No power conference is taking us in our current state. But independent we can schedule more P5 teams than we would have in the AAC, and we can build our program to prove ourselves against those teams. The AAC schools will forever be on the outside looking in with the current CFB landscape. UConn is making a bold move to better position ourselves for the future landscape. G5 schools are dead. They may as well all fold or create their own subdivision. As a UConn sports fan I’m so happy our admin recognizes this and is taking active measures to change the way we are viewed in the current football landscape. Sorry I know you weren’t talking about conferences I went off on a tangent.

 

[BlueDogs]

UCONN's best chance of getting a P5 invite is to have the men's basketball team competing at a top 10 level.

You’d think so, but history has already demonstrated repeatedly that it’s simply not the case. Basketball doesn’t matter in big boy sports.

 

[SubbaBub]

Wish we had an athletic director and administration that realizes football drives the bus - not basketball.

If we only had an AD that came from a program that has won a National Championship in football. Bonus if he were there in the immediate run up to them getting to that elite level.

Maybe it's not the AD but a bunch of geographic and legacy events some self inflicted, some not.

Seriously, outside of buying a bunch of players (which I personally have no problem with them doing), the AD options were to slog it out in the AAC or go indy. The AD isn't doing anything crowd just sounds stupid at this point. Or maybe, you'd like him to take a flyer on an unknown coach who is willing to risk his career taking over a program at is absolute bottom for the third time in 6 years?

Say what you want about how we got here, where we are, or what our future holds, but please stop with the AD isn't doing anything about it. Not after he pulled an absolute rabbit out of his hat filling an entire FB schedule in a matter of weeks. When they announce the media deal, feel free to critique that on its merits.

The bead clutching, we should be better crowd, is the biggest problem right now outside a lack of decent linemen and linebackers. The negativity needs to end. We suck, we get it. There have been some small but important strides made this year, let's cling to that optimism for a few months, shall we?