2019 MAC Preseason Poll

[Schadenfreude]

Antimob wants BGSU to be all in on football.

I do, too. But, unfortunately, I'm not T. Boone Pickens, and neither is he.

[Antimob]

You don't need T. Boone Pickens, you need a Board of Trustees and a President that is willing to make a financial commitment towards the success of the football program.

Here's what then-Ohio AD Tom Boeh said when he hired Frank Solich back in 2005:

"We do want to thank the Board of Trustees. As many of you know, this past spring the board, with the leadership of our president, talked about providing athletics with a few more dollars for enhancement of the athletics program. That enhancement and the leadership that (President) Dr. McDavis has, his vision and his support, have got us today to the point where we can have a defining moment for Ohio Football."

https://www.ohiobobcats.com/sports/fbal ... 04aaa.html" target="_blank

They've gone from total laughingstock to consistent winners and the favorites to win the East. There is zero reason we can't do the same thing administratively. Doing it on the cheap for so long and lucking into the right combinations of coaches/players like hammb said has spoiled the decision-makers that don't understand football into thinking that's the norm and that you don't have to spend money to be successful. The last 3 years proved otherwise and we cannot afford to backslide while others are advancing so dramatically on the facilities & salary front.

[TalonsUpPuckDown]

You don't need T. Boone Pickens, you need a Board of Trustees and a President that is willing to make a financial commitment towards the success of the football program.

Here's what then-Ohio AD Tom Boeh said when he hired Frank Solich back in 2005:

"We do want to thank the Board of Trustees. As many of you know, this past spring the board, with the leadership of our president, talked about providing athletics with a few more dollars for enhancement of the athletics program. That enhancement and the leadership that (President) Dr. McDavis has, his vision and his support, have got us today to the point where we can have a defining moment for Ohio Football."

https://www.ohiobobcats.com/sports/fbal ... 04aaa.html" target="_blank

They've gone from total laughingstock to consistent winners and the favorites to win the East. There is zero reason we can't do the same thing administratively. Doing it on the cheap for so long and lucking into the right combinations of coaches/players like hammb said has spoiled the decision-makers that don't understand football into thinking that's the norm and that you don't have to spend money to be successful. The last 3 years proved otherwise and we cannot afford to backslide while others are advancing so dramatically on the facilities & salary front.

As an alum, a Falcon Club donor, a hockey season ticket holder, and a current tuition payer of a BGSU junior, I don't see it the way you do. What you so casually refer to as "a financial commitment towards the success of football" is, in actuality, an increase in the tuition I'm paying. As an alum I think I'm contributing at an above average level and I kinda resent the cavalier manner with which you're willing to throw money that we don't have at a sport that consumes cash like a Saturn F1 engine consumes kerosene.

[FalconTurf]

You don't need T. Boone Pickens, you need a Board of Trustees and a President that is willing to make a financial commitment towards the success of the football program.

Here's what then-Ohio AD Tom Boeh said when he hired Frank Solich back in 2005:

"We do want to thank the Board of Trustees. As many of you know, this past spring the board, with the leadership of our president, talked about providing athletics with a few more dollars for enhancement of the athletics program. That enhancement and the leadership that (President) Dr. McDavis has, his vision and his support, have got us today to the point where we can have a defining moment for Ohio Football."

https://www.ohiobobcats.com/sports/fbal ... 04aaa.html" target="_blank

They've gone from total laughingstock to consistent winners and the favorites to win the East. There is zero reason we can't do the same thing administratively. Doing it on the cheap for so long and lucking into the right combinations of coaches/players like hammb said has spoiled the decision-makers that don't understand football into thinking that's the norm and that you don't have to spend money to be successful. The last 3 years proved otherwise and we cannot afford to backslide while others are advancing so dramatically on the facilities & salary front.

If I were an OHIO booster I would be disappointed that a lot of money was spent and they have made it to solid MAC program, not dominant, just solid. I would expect something approaching Boise State by now and Boise State they are not.

Starting in 2003 BG has been in the championship game 4 times and won it twice. OHIO has been there 4 times and NEVER WON IT! If I want to be jealous of anyone in the MAC football scene over the same period I would pick Northern Illinois.

And on facilities BG has always pushed the other schools in the MAC to get involved. First with a new stadium, one of the first with indoor turf, one of the first with an endzone building and I suspect will sooner or later will renovate the stadium. History says BG is the leader.

And I can go on about the faculty at OHIO, as my sister heard as a student in Athens, thinking the university made mistakes with the Big Zit (Convo) overbuilding for basketball, creating a cheap football press box that doubled as a faculty rec center that many consider extravagant and some even questioned whether OU should be in DI athletics. AntiMob has a mythical representation of OHIO. Great party school, great scenery and great haters of everything Mi-Audi but not an ALL IN ATHLETICS COLLEGE through the years. Actually Mi-Audi has put more emphasis with even less success lately.

Tirade done.

[roguewarrior]

The model for new facilities is simple, and you can see examples of how High Schools did it successfully:
1) win big , ideally in dramatic fashion
2) embrace the ride with the community/students along the way
3) grandly celebrate and memorialize the winning season.
4) immediately fund raise and set in motion the facility upgrade on the heals of the win.

In this order, you easily get everyone on board and it happens with ease.... a Program is born!

[TommyG]

BG Football’s facilities are more than enough to compete for and win MAC championships. If you want to make an argument that the stadium needs structural improvements or a few cosmetic upgrades I wouldn’t necessarily disagree. However, trying to fund another indoor facility or locker room/meeting room/weight room building is ridiculous.

If the MAC was smart they’d be planning an exit from FBS football altogether....they definitely shouldn’t be looking for more ways to go all in on Football.

[roguewarrior]

BG Football’s facilities are more than enough to compete for and win MAC championships. If you want to make an argument that the stadium needs structural improvements or a few cosmetic upgrades I wouldn’t necessarily disagree. However, trying to fund another indoor facility or locker room/meeting room/weight room building is ridiculous.

If the MAC was smart they’d be planning an exit from FBS football altogether....they definitely shouldn’t be looking for more ways to go all in on Football.

Curious the rationale on how an exit from FBS football would be a good thing for MAC schools?

[BillyLP]

BG Football’s facilities are more than enough to compete for and win MAC championships. If you want to make an argument that the stadium needs structural improvements or a few cosmetic upgrades I wouldn’t necessarily disagree. However, trying to fund another indoor facility or locker room/meeting room/weight room building is ridiculous.

If the MAC was smart they’d be planning an exit from FBS football altogether....they definitely shouldn’t be looking for more ways to go all in on Football.

Curious the rationale on how an exit from FBS football would be a good thing for MAC schools?

It wouldn't. MAC schools would lose even more money than they already do with the loss in television and ticket revenue. Even if teams were successful, they wouldn't generate regional interest outside of their alumni and local residents necessary to fill stadiums. For some individual schools it could make sense because of their geographic location and lack of competition for attendance, but even then, it would probably be disastrous. Look at Idaho. They made the drop and lost a ton of revenue, donors, athletes, and struggled at the FCS level right out of the gate.

[TommyG]

If you think Football generates more revenue than they spend in the MAC then you need to do some research. It’s only a matter of time before the P5 breaks away completely.

[Schadenfreude]

If you think Football generates more revenue than they spend in the MAC then you need to do some research.

I don't think anyone has said that. The point drumstix was making, I imagine, is that football would be even more expensive for Bowling Green in FCS. The reason: Revenue would fall faster than expenses.

It’s only a matter of time before the P5 breaks away completely.

I doubt any of us will see that in our lifetimes.

[Flipper]

Rising costs and stagnant or falling revenues can make a lot of things that don't seem possible...possible.

[BillyLP]

If you think Football generates more revenue than they spend in the MAC then you need to do some research.

I don't think anyone has said that. The point drumstix was making, I imagine, is that football would be even more expensive for Bowling Green in FCS. The reason: Revenue would fall faster than expenses.

It’s only a matter of time before the P5 breaks away completely.

I doubt any of us will see that in our lifetimes.

Exactly. And I’ve done some research on this, Timmy. Part of my master’s thesis was based on NCAA revenue.

One thing I do agree on is that I think the P5 will eventually break away, and I do think it will happen in our lifetime.

[TommyG]

In everyone’s defense, it is difficult to grasp how much money is lost every year on MAC football because the universities all use such creative accounting.
So much of their advertising and sponsorship revenue is tied into meeting the NCAA ticket requirements. They’ll get sponsorship revenue from say Meijer. Meijer pays $10,000 per year to put their logo on the scoreboard and get announced over the PA a couple times a game.

Unfortunately of that $10,000 in revenue, probably $7,500 of it is going to discounted tickets. That way BG can announce attendance of 9,500 for a game that had 4,000 in the stands. This is true of a majority of MAC football sponsorships.

Same thing with the big ESPN contract. Each school probably gets around $800,000 per year from ESPN. Each school loses a big chunk of revenue from playing Tues and Wed games in
Oct/November that draw no fans.
Additionally, ESPN requires each school to televise a certain amount of events for ESPN+ each year. Which is good for fans, but every event BG televises, the money to produce that event comes out of BG’s revenue from ESPN.

All of this is lied about and covered up with creative accounting....people would be shocked if they knew exactly how much FBS football cost each school in the MAC. Now you can make the free advertising argument or Alumni support argument, all would be valid points, but it still costs each school a shitload of money.

[jpfalcon09]

Football is a losing proposition long-term for all the mid-majors as long as there's no access to the playoff. The MAC and Sun Belt have sold their souls to ESPN for such a small piece of the revenue pie just to try and stay afloat. The bubble is going to burst at some point in the future, especially as the same 8-10 programs begin to have an autonomy on the sport.

[daspollak]

Football is a losing proposition long-term for all the mid-majors as long as there's no access to the playoff. The MAC and Sun Belt have sold their souls to ESPN for such a small piece of the revenue pie just to try and stay afloat. The bubble is going to burst at some point in the future, especially as the same 8-10 programs begin to have an autonomy on the sport.

Even the top of the sport is starting to feel the pinch. Dwindling attendance numbers, and more choices on TV mean lower ratings. Also if the XFL can start to poach talent, it can lead to a poorer on field product.