A couple stories of interest with teams not involved with Pitt and a couple that do.
Really interesting article about Boise State and being able to keep up with the money part of college football. The school has been trying to get a $100 million stadium expansion plan launched so that they can generate more money. This on the heels on $48 million on new pressboxes/skyboxes and a practice facility.
At some point, the Broncos are going to hit a ceiling when it comes to raising money for football.
The Broncos have not found their T. Boone Pickens, an oil tycoon who has donated $400 million to Oklahoma State athletics. Or their Phil Knight, the Nike founder who has showered Oregon with nearly $200 million in gifts.
Boise State does not have a law school or a medical school, two professions that tend to produce wealthy alumni. It is still a young university. The local population/fan base simply may not be big enough to support the ambitions of the program.
And then there is a question of interest. Boise State, in the midst of a 14-0 season, sold out only two games last season. This season, only Oregon State is assured of being a sellout. Do the Broncos really need 53,000 seats, especially when the inevitable 8-5 season comes around?
They have had great success. At the same time the money they keep pouring into it is scary. It reminds me of public boondoggles in Cleveland (and plenty of other cities). Once they start the money flow to a project, the excuse for never stopping — even when it is clear how much of a sinkhole it is — inevitably comes down to, “well we have already put this much into it, we need to see it through and hope for the best.”
Colorado and Dan Hawkins are fascinating in a complete mess kind of way. No one thinks he’s done any thing close to a good job there, but they can’t afford fire him (or even pay the early exit fee to the Big 12/10) so they are just hoping for some sort of out of the blue turnaround. Yet despite a 16-33 record, the coach himself suggested that an extension would be a good idea.
In a meeting of head coaches in the Colorado athletic department earlier this summer, a senior staff member asked the Buffs` head football coach if there was one thing the department could do to help his program succeed this season, what would it be? Multiple sources in the room that day told the Camera Hawkins responded by saying the school could give him a contract extension.
Hawkins confirmed the story after practice Wednesday. When asked why he chose to answer the question the way he did, he said, “Just the continuity, stability.”
…
Coaches and administrators had been discussing ways to strengthen the department and each program, including facilities, academic support, league affiliation, growing the donor base and improving fan support on game days.
Sources said Hawkins` remark surprised everyone who was present, including athletic director Mike Bohn, who took heavy criticism, along with Chancellor Phil DiStefano and President Bruce Benson, for keeping Hawkins in Boulder following a 3-9 season last fall. Bohn did not respond to the request in the meeting.
I mean that is ballsy and insane to directly do it. Pitt fans flipped out when former coach Walt Harris’ agent made a public push for an extension (and yes, I know, the backhanded insult to Pitt was part of it).
Not to mention the reaction many of us had when Coach Wannstedt got an extension announced before the 2007 WVU game. The only thing I can figure is that Hawkins knows he will be lucky to make it through this season so he has nothing to lose.
Now to state of Utah where it could be the last time in the MWC for both Utah and BYU. It seems very obvious from the article that the writer really, really hated having to go to Wyoming for games.
In fact, the fact that Utah is the one leaving the MWC for the Pac-10 and the expansion all summer were on them along with BYU (potential) independence, makes for more distractions for them then I even considered for the season opener. It is definitely the storyline for the start of football in the state.
This just in: It still is 2010, for four more months.
That fact often is overlooked amid the anticipation or uncertainty of what’s ahead for Utah, BYU and Utah State. And that’s why Utah coach Kyle Whittingham is refusing to address any Pac-10 subject until after the season and BYU’s Bronco Mendenhall has gone from being amused to annoyed about the preoccupation with the Cougars’ future.
“I understand it, because it’s an intriguing topic,” Mendenhall said, “but it just shows people are ready for us to play football, so they can have something to follow and really get into.”
I doubt there is any serious distraction for the players at this point, but it can’t help to be quizzed constantly about what to expect each time they do a roadie for the last time against an MWC foe.
