Northern Colorado budget problems

[Laker]

I would expect to hear about a lot of schools with money problems. The question is, how do you solve them?

https://collegead.com/university-of-northern-colorado-10/

[walliver]

I think it is time for schools to think about separating their football and basketball teams' conference affiliations from non-revenue sports. Consolidate non-revenue sports into geographic conferences to minimize travel expenses. It may make sense to fly the football team and men's basketball team to well-attended events, and at some schools this could include hockey, baseball or lacrosse (Women's basketball would be exempt because of public outcry). It is not cost-effective flying the volleyball and softball teams around the country. It would make more sense for UNC to play olympic sports with more local FBS and D2 schools. The Big Sky has a P5 footprint without the P5 revenue.

I doubt the P5 would like the idea, unfortunately, but it would save everybody a lot of money, especially out west.

[Professor Chaos]

I would expect to hear about a lot of schools with money problems. The question is, how do you solve them?

https://collegead.com/university-of-northern-colorado-10/
Join the Summit League in non-football sports? Natural travel partner in Denver and easier/cheaper travel than the Big Sky.


Fire up the NCC 2.0 comments....

[TheKingpin28]

Join the Summit League in non-football sports? Natural travel partner in Denver and easier/cheaper travel than the Big Sky.


Fire up the NCC 2.0 comments....And I thought NDSU and SDSU wanted to get away from that? xlolx

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[Professor Chaos]

And I thought NDSU and SDSU wanted to get away from that? xlolx

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I'm not one to complain about it. I'd much rather add Northern Colorado and UMKC than Augustana though. Ideally I think the Summit League wants to be at 10 schools and I have a feeling that Fort Wayne is going to be gone at the first opportunity so that means that they'll need one more school in addition to Augustana to get there.

[Laker]

I'm not one to complain about it. I'd much rather add Northern Colorado and UMKC than Augustana though. Ideally I think the Summit League wants to be at 10 schools and I have a feeling that Fort Wayne is going to be gone at the first opportunity so that means that they'll need one more school in addition to Augustana to get there.

That would be a logical move. With Sanford (actually Kelby) giving the new Summit League office free rent for five (or is it ten- I forget which) Augie is a guaranteed add.

[JacksFan40]

I'm not one to complain about it. I'd much rather add Northern Colorado and UMKC than Augustana though. Ideally I think the Summit League wants to be at 10 schools and I have a feeling that Fort Wayne is going to be gone at the first opportunity so that means that they'll need one more school in addition to Augustana to get there.
All UMKC does is avoid an extra Dakota school. They offer nothing in terms of sports, they suck at everything. Augue is always good at Basketball and just won a Baseball title. Much better add.

[Professor Chaos]

All UMKC does is avoid an extra Dakota school. They offer nothing in terms of sports, they suck at everything. Augue is always good at Basketball and just won a Baseball title. Much better add.
While I don't think Augie is as bad as most NDSU fans seem to it does make the slice of the Sanford donation pie for NDSU that much smaller. UMKC does not do that.

It really doesn't matter at this point anymore though. Augie is all but in so the only question is who does the league target if/when Fort Wayne says adios?

[TheKingpin28]

I'm not one to complain about it. I'd much rather add Northern Colorado and UMKC than Augustana though. Ideally I think the Summit League wants to be at 10 schools and I have a feeling that Fort Wayne is going to be gone at the first opportunity so that means that they'll need one more school in addition to Augustana to get there.UNC is fine as they pair with Denver but then we start the talks of serious Summit League Football and that's not something I am for. Dakotas, UNC, Augustana, and WIU is not as enticing as the current lineup minus GFCC.

WIU is likely to want out with the footprint moving further west and Illinois having less than zero dollars. So now they leave and we need a replacement for them. Ideally I'd like to add UNI and Missery State but that wont happen so we are back to square one.


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[Model Citizen]

All UMKC does is avoid an extra Dakota school. They offer nothing in terms of sports, they suck at everything. Augue is always good at Basketball and just won a Baseball title. Much better add.

Dixie State announces a move to D-I; simultaneously, the WAC makes an announcement that they are taking Dixie State.

Augustana announces their intention to move up; but there's no conference announcement.

So what's up with Augie? Does the Summit not want them? Is Augie looking at the WAC?

[Laker]

54rSo what's up with Augie? Does the Summit not want them? Is Augie looking at the WAC?

I've talked to two NSIC ADs, one of them just Saturday night, who told me it is a done deal. As I said above, Sanford has a rent free deal for the Summit HQ in their new building. They will not be looking at the WAC- too far to go. About the only question in Sioux Falls is about Pioneer football.

[Professor Chaos]

Dixie State announces a move to D-I; simultaneously, the WAC makes an announcement that they are taking Dixie State.

Augustana announces their intention to move up; but there's no conference announcement.

So what's up with Augie? Does the Summit not want them? Is Augie looking at the WAC?


I've talked to two NSIC ADs, one of them just Saturday night, who told me it is a done deal. As I said above, Sanford has a rent free deal for the Summit HQ in their new building. They will not be looking at the WAC- too far to go. About the only question in Sioux Falls is about Pioneer football.
It still boils down to the SL member schools voting on it but Sanford has their fingers and pocketbooks in deep with NDSU, SDSU, and USD. SDSU and USD are likely to be the strongest opponents to Augie joining due to it potentially drawing interest/cash from the Sioux Falls metro which is both SD schools primary alumni center. I doubt they (or NDSU for that matter) would be willing to jeopardize their relationship with one of their biggest donors by trying to block Augie from joining.

Personally I don't think it's that bad of a deal from NDSU's perspective. Sure there will be a little less Sanford money to go around but the big thing Augie brings is an established baseball program and that is a sport that the SL is on life support with right now with only 6 teams, the minimum required to get an NCAA autobid, and that includes Fort Wayne. What I've heard is that the Summit is currently at the minimum number of sponsored sports for NCAA autobid requirements (in all sports) so if they lost their autobid for the baseball tournament they'd lose it for everything (including men's basketball) so Augie's addition does stabilize that in the event that Fort Wayne leaves. Based on that I'd guess they'd already have the support of the remaining SL schools.

[Model Citizen]

Since they have apparently NOT made a formal application to join the Summit, can they start the transition this year?

[Jacks02]

While I don't think Augie is as bad as most NDSU fans seem to it does make the slice of the Sanford donation pie for NDSU that much smaller. UMKC does not do that.

It really doesn't matter at this point anymore though. Augie is all but in so the only question is who does the league target if/when Fort Wayne says adios?

T. Denny Sanford is still worth $2.6B and has said he plans (https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2018/2/1/denny-sanford-philanthropy-san-diego) to give it all away by the time he dies. He's given major gifts to USD/NDSU/SDSU/DSU off the top of my head, as well as huge donations to many other causes. He recently gave $55 million (https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2019/01/08/t-denny-sanford-gives-55-million-childrens-home-society-south-dakota-nonprofit/2506027002/) to the Children's Home Society, has given to research in South Dakota and other places, and of course has the legacy gift to Sanford Health.

If he wants to give a huge sum to Augie to push the school into DI, more power to him. He's had a tremendous impact on South Dakota, especially on athletics, health care, and higher education here. I think it's a bit ridiculous to fear him giving money to Augie and that will somehow hurt SDSU or other schools.

[Laker]

T. Denny Sanford is still worth $2.6B and has said he plans (https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2018/2/1/denny-sanford-philanthropy-san-diego) to give it all away by the time he dies. He's given major gifts to USD/NDSU/SDSU/DSU off the top of my head, as well as huge donations to many other causes. He recently gave $55 million (https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2019/01/08/t-denny-sanford-gives-55-million-childrens-home-society-south-dakota-nonprofit/2506027002/) to the Children's Home Society, has given to research in South Dakota and other places, and of course has the legacy gift to Sanford Health.

If he wants to give a huge sum to Augie to push the school into DI, more power to him. He's had a tremendous impact on South Dakota, especially on athletics, health care, and higher education here. I think it's a bit ridiculous to fear him giving money to Augie and that will somehow hurt SDSU or other schools.

Kelby K showed up at MSU and gave them 5 or 6 million of Sanford money. It was supposed to be for men's and women's basketball. It was no secret that he wanted MSU to go with Augie to D1.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

I would expect to hear about a lot of schools with money problems. The question is, how do you solve them?

https://collegead.com/university-of-northern-colorado-10/

Seems to me an awfully big stretch to imply that athletics are the issue here. The article itself states that their expenses are firmly in the lower half of the Big Sky and spending like $3 million on athletic scholarships is tiny. Lehigh spends almost double that.

[fc97]

I think it is time for schools to think about separating their football and basketball teams' conference affiliations from non-revenue sports. Consolidate non-revenue sports into geographic conferences to minimize travel expenses. It may make sense to fly the football team and men's basketball team to well-attended events, and at some schools this could include hockey, baseball or lacrosse (Women's basketball would be exempt because of public outcry). It is not cost-effective flying the volleyball and softball teams around the country. It would make more sense for UNC to play olympic sports with more local FBS and D2 schools. The Big Sky has a P5 footprint without the P5 revenue.

I doubt the P5 would like the idea, unfortunately, but it would save everybody a lot of money, especially out west.

Because this won't work across the board. There are other schools willing to pipe money into Women's BBall and fly them around, or Baseball, or Lacrosse. The P5 won't do this. Are there enough exceptions like Charleston in Baseball, Hopkins in Lacrosse that make a difference?

And a bigger question is, are we at a point where D-II even makes sense anymore? Should you collapse DI/DII together and let the schools/conferences decide scholarship levels and give schools out on an island more opportunity to find local teams to play?