Montana's Price Tag for FBS Move

[TexasTerror]

Update on the situation with Montana...


MISOULA -- How much?

The cost to move up a division in football remained a major question after the University of Montana decided in November not to join the Western Athletic Conference.

The answer is, according to the consulting firm UM hired to study such a move, around $4.7 million -- for starters.

The 221-page study compiled by the firm NACDA Consulting last summer and made available to the Missoulian last week by UM athletic director Jim O'Day has some eye-opening findings.

One is that an athletic budget that is just over $16.1 million now would have to increase to $22.9 in the next five years. The study projected the operating costs at $21 million in 2012-13, which is when UM would've joined the WAC.

http://billingsgazette.com/sports/college/big-sky-conference/university-of-montana/football/article_f11624ee-7fd2-531d-a771-f2bdabb8f12d.html

[PaladinFan]

That's not monopoly money I imagine.

[TexasTerror]

Isn't the WAC supposed to make some sort of decision on expansion by the 1st of April? That's this week...

[Uncle Rico's Clan]

I was never a fan of the idea of moving up, I was glad when Montana announced we would stay FCS. It appears the price tag was too high, and more news suggests the Griz would not have earned very much tv revenue. ESPN recently announced they may cut their tv contract with the WAC by 75%, from $4 million annually to $1 million with possible future cuts.

http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20110327_the_future_of_uh_sports_on_tv_is_a_big_un known.html

The article is from a paper in Hawaii, it begins to talk about the WAC tv deal in the fifth paragraph.

[jmufan999]

i don't know, that's not as much of an increased budget as i expected... not bad. i won't claim to know anything about FCS to FBS moves, all the finances, etc. just figured it would be a higher number than $22M.

[Hammerhead]

I'm sure the amount of money depends on whether or not you want to have any success in FBS. :)

[Anovafan]

From what I have seen with the Villanova debate about FBS, the TV money makes up a lot. The new Big East TV deal is supposed to be very lucrative and will bring Villanova to a break even proposition if it moves up. If the WAC TV deal isn't great, Montana is likely better off where they are making money and making the playoffs just about every year.

[TheBisonator]

i don't know, that's not as much of an increased budget as i expected... not bad. i won't claim to know anything about FCS to FBS moves, all the finances, etc. just figured it would be a higher number than $22M.

There was some guy who was a consultant for FBS moves who said not too long ago (I think it was around the time Mont. was making a decision), you need at least a 25 million dollar athletic budget while spending at least 7 million a year on football in order to be competitive for bowl appearances in lower-level FBS. Also it;s important to know that to move to FBS will cost not just a minimum of 14 more football schollies (minimum of 77 for FBS), but a matching 14 more for womens sports. This would mean that 1 or 2 more womens sports would have to be added. And we're talking just schollies here, not counting new facilities for that women's team, coaches salaries, equipment, etc.

So, if NDSU ever moved to FBS with a minimal 77 scholarship committment in FB, that would mean:

14 more FB scholarships
14 scholarships for, just throwing it out there, let's say, womens lacrosse
Extra salary amounts and salaries for new staff in football
Salaries for staff for womens lacrosse
New lacrosse facilties/upgrade (in our case, we could just play at Schlanser Field, NDSU's "auxilary" outdoor stadium which holds soccer and track)
A LOT MORE football equipment
Lacrosse equipment
Lacrosse travel, food expenses
Increased football travel, food expenses

And that's just off the top of my head. You're talking about basically funding a new team from scratch (maybe 250,000 annually for lacrosse) and basically doubling (in NDSU's case) the football budget from 3.4 million to 7 million. Then you have to basically grow every year from that point just to keep up.

The Nova fan just above me earlier said something, and it was a good point. TV revenues become a big part of funding this. If NDSU went to a refurbished WAC, for example, TV revenues would go from basically DICK (what we have now - Thank You Jeremy Jorgenson for your supposed "vision" of NDSU athletics on TV, you SUCK) to maybe, modestly estimating, half a million a year. That could fund all of lacrosse and contribute to FB's budget. Increase ticket sales by an average of 5-7 dollars a game (extra 100,000 bucks for 6 home games) gives you another 600 grand. Football's budget is increased right there from 3.4 million to 4.25 mill. Add an extra 500 grand a year in extra money that the big name schools will pay you for a guarantee (400,000 more each for 2 games at BCS schools than if you were an FCS program), you're at over 5 million a year in FB's budget. It can be done, but you have to be careful.

[CrazyCat]

Montana is going to add softball and it is reported to cost $500,000/year. That is covering their Title IX requirements right now. If they move up they would have to add another womens sport in addition to softball. Like Uncle rico said the Wac tv contract is under review by ESPN and is rumored to be dropping to $100,000/year/team.

[Twentysix]

Montana is going to add softball and it is reported to cost $500,000/year. That is covering their Title IX requirements right now. If they move up they would have to add another womens sport in addition to softball. Like Uncle rico said the Wac tv contract is under review by ESPN and is rumored to be dropping to $100,000/year/team.


THATS WAC!