What is ISU joined CUSA....

[crazzymark]

Joining MAC would be a lateral move at best. But what would the football schedule look like in Conference USA?

Week 1 AAC or Big 10 team
Week 2 EIU or MWC/MAC/ACC
Week 3 Play and pay game for FCS school
Week 4 Rice
Week 5 Southern Miss
Week 6 Louisiana Tech
Week 7 Marshall
Week 8 Liberty
Week 9 UAB
Week 10 FIU
Week 11 New Mexico State
Week 12 Western Kentucky
Week 13 Conference championships game
Dec..Bowl game
(Schools selected at random from east and west divisions)

What if ISU joined the AAC? (Based on current schools)
Week 1 Big 10 or Big 12 team
Week 2 EIU or other Power 5 conference game
Week 3 play to pay FCS team
Week 4 SMU
Week 5 USF
Week 6 Navy
Week 7 Memphis
Week 8 Cincinnati
Week 9 Tulsa
Week 10 Houston
Week 11 E Carolina
Week 12 Temple
Game 13 Conference Championships
Game 14+ Bowl game or playoffs.

ISU would have 20 or so more scholarships available

 

[cubird]

20 scholarships plus additional coaches means more revenue required to break even.

 

[Yogi]

this is not going to happen we are going to be fcs for a long time I wish you fbs guys would quit dreaming and worry about success now not some pipe dream

 

[redbirds2000]

Joining MAC would be a lateral move at best. But what would the football schedule look like in Conference USA?

Week 1 AAC or Big 10 team
Week 2 EIU or MWC/MAC/ACC
Week 3 Play and pay game for FCS school
Week 4 Rice
Week 5 Southern Miss
Week 6 Louisiana Tech
Week 7 Marshall
Week 8 Liberty
Week 9 UAB
Week 10 FIU
Week 11 New Mexico State
Week 12 Western Kentucky
Week 13 Conference championships game
Dec..Bowl game
(Schools selected at random from east and west divisions)

What if ISU joined the AAC? (Based on current schools)
Week 1 Big 10 or Big 12 team
Week 2 EIU or other Power 5 conference game
Week 3 play to pay FCS team
Week 4 SMU
Week 5 USF
Week 6 Navy
Week 7 Memphis
Week 8 Cincinnati
Week 9 Tulsa
Week 10 Houston
Week 11 E Carolina
Week 12 Temple
Game 13 Conference Championships
Game 14+ Bowl game or playoffs.

ISU would have 20 or so more scholarships available

How is the MAC a lateral move in football? We just finished last in the MVC! Last! You realize FBS conferences are invite only. You just don't get join. It's not the YMCA.

 

[Bird Friend]

Dammit! I just noticed the thread title is in the form of a Jeopardy answer! What was the clue?

 

[fourthandshort]

Dammit! I just noticed the thread title is in the form of a Jeopardy answer! What was the clue?

dang it !! You stole that reply from me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[fourthandshort]

How is the MAC a lateral move in football? We just finished last in the MVC! Last! You realize FBS conferences are invite only. You just don't get join. It's not the YMCA.

But its fun to play (or stay) at the ... Y-M-C-A !!

 

[Birddog]

Joining MAC would be a lateral move at best. But what would the football schedule look like in Conference USA?

Week 1 AAC or Big 10 team
Week 2 EIU or MWC/MAC/ACC
Week 3 Play and pay game for FCS school
Week 4 Rice
Week 5 Southern Miss
Week 6 Louisiana Tech
Week 7 Marshall
Week 8 Liberty
Week 9 UAB
Week 10 FIU
Week 11 New Mexico State
Week 12 Western Kentucky
Week 13 Conference championships game
Dec..Bowl game
(Schools selected at random from east and west divisions)

What if ISU joined the AAC? (Based on current schools)
Week 1 Big 10 or Big 12 team
Week 2 EIU or other Power 5 conference game
Week 3 play to pay FCS team
Week 4 SMU
Week 5 USF
Week 6 Navy
Week 7 Memphis
Week 8 Cincinnati
Week 9 Tulsa
Week 10 Houston
Week 11 E Carolina
Week 12 Temple
Game 13 Conference Championships
Game 14+ Bowl game or playoffs.

ISU would have 20 or so more scholarships available

So Miss, Marshall leaving CUSA this year. Rice, UAB, leaving 2023. Replace with Sam Houston, Jacksonville State. Tarelton and EKU are rumored to desperately want in CUSA.

 

[Birddog]

20 scholarships plus additional coaches means more revenue required to break even.

Don’t you think the P5 pay game could cover most if not all of this? Add $1.3M, subtract $300k for FCS pay out, $600k for scholarships leaves $400k for coaches.

The real problem is you have to pay ALL of the FB coaches more, add a women’s sport for title IX reasons, expand the stadium, improve and enlarge the football locker room/office facilities.

Yet other schools that are similar in budget positions or even worse off have been able to pull it off.

 

[cubird]

You forgot travel cost playing in a footprint that would require replacing chartered buses for chartered flights.

 

[topiarydan]

MAC would be most realistic - easy travel - would much rather watch isu vs miami ohio than south dakota

 

[jwa123]

MAC would be most realistic - easy travel - would much rather watch isu vs miami ohio than south dakota

Doesn’t make any difference to me which to watch. I do like the MAC for other reasons but their door isn’t open.

 

[Bird Friend]

Don’t you think the P5 pay game could cover most if not all of this? Add $1.3M, subtract $300k for FCS pay out, $600k for scholarships leaves $400k for coaches.

The real problem is you have to pay ALL of the FB coaches more, add a women’s sport for title IX reasons, expand the stadium, improve and enlarge the football locker room/office facilities.

Yet other schools that are similar in budget positions or even worse off have been able to pull it off.

Seems it might be more likely they would drop a non-revenue mens sport to save costs. And since CUSA is not a P5, does the “P5 pay game” truly apply?

 

[Birddog]

Seems it might be more likely they would drop a non-revenue mens sport to save costs. And since CUSA is not a P5, does the “P5 pay game” truly apply?

Louisiana Tech is expected to get $1.1M for playing at Clemson this year. Yet only $500k for playing a recently scheduled game at Missouri. They are paying FCS Northwestern State $275k for a home game.

this puts them in the positive for $1.325M if my math is correct.

 

[Yogi]

If you bother to look it up most schools lose money on atletics even the big boys

 

[Virginia Redbird]

An interesting discussion. Personally, I am happy with FCS. If I had my preference, yes I would rather see ISU play a more regional schedule as the MAC would provide. I would like to play Northern more often. Maybe more interest would be generated with a schedule of schools that are geographically closer but maybe not.

Athletics revenues at the big schools are huge but the expenses are also huge. Here is where you have to factor in Title IX and all the non-revenue sports. At the big schools, they are a drain on the budget. Because of football mainly, schools can't provide a full spectrum of men's sports and be in compliance with Title IX. I did a quick search as Yogi suggested and found this article about the Michigan athletic department costs.

Michigan athletic department: $47.6 million deficit for 2021 fiscal year

After finishing with a surplus during the 2020 fiscal year, the Michigan athletic department faced a $47.6 million deficit in the 2021 fiscal year.

www.freep.com

The numbers are for the fiscal year 2021 and the Covid fallout is still affecting numbers somewhat. The most interesting stats to me were the numbers for Football, Men's Basketball, and Women's Basketball. U of M Football brought in $37,049,086 in revenue. The football team's expenses were $37,380,521. The men's Basketball team revenues were $11,386,430 and expenses were $7,178,783. Men's Basketball made money. The Women's Basketball team had revenues of $262,160 and expenses of $3,867,325.

Football lost money but Basketball made money. The net profit between the two was $3,876,212.00. Women's Basketball all by itself lost $3,614,165.00. Men's Basketball made money and the Football team lost but not really very much in the scope of dollars we are talking about. Between the two they were profitable. They have to be profitable to help offset even a little bit the mammoth loss of dollars involved with women's and non-revenue sports. Don't get me wrong. I am not against women's or non-revenue sports. I think it shows that when discussing a collegiate athletic program it really is not about making a profit. If you want to make a profit you have to eliminate all women's sports and non-revenue sports. Even then you may not make a profit.

The discussion about moving up is not really about money. Why does Michigan maintain a Football program when it lost money. I don't think I even need to begin that discussion. It is worth more to the University in many ways besides dollars and cents.

Those numbers for a major university athletic program are astounding!

 

[TIMMY]

I think I've finally gotten it through my thick skull that we can never compete with numbers like that. Not even MAC numbers. Mark?

 

[Total Red]

The real problem is you have to pay ALL of the FB coaches more, add a women’s sport for title IX reasons, expand the stadium, improve and enlarge the football locker room/office facilities.

Yet other schools that are similar in budget positions or even worse off have been able to pull it off.

I think I've finally gotten it through my thick skull that we can never compete with numbers like that. Not even MAC numbers. Mark?

I'll actually agree with Birddog here. I believe Illinois State could compete financially with MAC conference schools if it wanted to.
That part gets left out. It's not just about dollars, revenue and enrollment etc. It's also about "WANT TO." I've never seen signs of widespread interest in going MAC/FBS.

It's like going to a car dealer and you're considering a moderately priced car or perhaps even a used one. The salesman gets all excited and tells you that he's dealt with customers with your income and credit score before and he assures you that he can get you into a new Tesla. You may have to cancel your vacation this summer and/or cut back on eating out but you can do it.
He forgot to ask the most important question. Do you really want a new Tesla? If that doesn't excite you then it doesn't really matter if you can afford it.

 

[TIMMY]

I'll actually agree with Birddog here. I believe Illinois State could compete financially with MAC conference schools if it wanted to.
That part gets left out. It's not just about dollars, revenue and enrollment etc. It's also about "WANT TO." I've never seen signs of widespread interest in going MAC/FBS.

It's like going to a car dealer and you're considering a moderately priced car or perhaps even a used one. The salesman gets all excited and tells you that he's dealt with customers with your income and credit score before and he assures you that he can get you into a new Tesla. You may have to cancel your vacation this summer and/or cut back on eating out but you can do it.
He forgot to ask the most important question. Do you really want a new Tesla? If that doesn't excite you then it doesn't really matter if you can afford it.

Ball States FB budget is nearly double ours. 7millionish to 4 miliionish. So want to, can't, shouldn't, better not? All of the above works for me.

Ball State University Athletics Programs

Learn more about Ball State University sports programs, including how well they rank, how many student athletes the schools has, how much financial aid each student receives , and more.

www.collegefactual.com

Illinois State University Athletics Programs

What sports are offered at Illinois State University? Learn how each athletic ranks, how much revenue it brings in, the average sports aid per student athlete at Illinois State, and more.

www.collegefactual.com

With the current state of college athletics, I would consider a move down before I would consider a move up.

 

[Total Red]

Ball States FB budget is nearly double ours. 7millionish to 4 miliionish. So want to, can't, shouldn't, better not? All of the above works for me.

Illinois State has had opportunities to join the MAC going back over 40 years. We were interested in joining for football only and the MAC insisted that it be for all sports resulting in an impasse, so it never happened. If we had joined the MAC our football budget would look similar to Ball St., NIU etc. with higher revenue and higher expenses. But again, it never happened because.......we didn't want to.