Cincy's Kelly on sustaining programs

[Jham]

BG gets a mention from a guy who's seen the program's downturn first-hand:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/preview07 ... id=2965756

Brian Kelly, who left Central Michigan in the Mid-American Conference to coach Cincinnati in the Big East in December 2006, echoed Leavitt's sentiments. The prize may be available to more teams, Kelly said, but the chance for any one team to win it remains markedly easier for the schools in the guaranteed conferences.

Kelly explained his reasoning in dollars: Central Michigan came home from the Motor City Bowl with a $75,000 deficit. Cincinnati, which he coached in the International Bowl, came home to find a $1.6 million check from the Big East.

"Does that not mean you can't once in a while have a team pop out? No, I think you definitely can," Kelly said. "But on a consistent basis? Look at Bowling Green."

The Falcons won 37 games in four seasons (2001-2004), the first two under Urban Meyer and the last two under his successor, Gregg Brandon. They have won 10 games over the past two years.

"Bowling Green was beating Big Ten teams left and right three or four years ago," Kelly said. "Gregg Brandon is a heck of a football coach. He didn't just all of a sudden get dumb. But they're nowhere where they were. It's because you can't keep progressing your program because of the lack of the monies. Cincinnati is able to reinvest its dollars into its program. It's a huge disparity.

"It's a little like the Yankees and their ability to free-spend, compared to a small-market team like the Twins that has to develop its talent. You've got to develop your talent in the MAC and hope that can offset the big-market, high-profile guys."

[ZiggyZoomba]

Already a topic here:

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