Looks like we might have a new football school

[stebo]

Post from Hilltopper Board:

Email from WKU prez to faculty and staff on Football (Main Board)

posted by Prime Rate , 08-25-2006, 03:50, from 65.80.33.198

Fellow Faculty and Staff:

As I indicated in our opening Convocation, we will discuss throughout our University family, the matter of division I-A football over the next several weeks. This has been a matter that has received considerable attention on our campus for the last few years. The time has come to engage our campus in a thoughtful, thorough, and objective dialogue. I will be collecting as much information as possible in order to make an informed recommendation to our Board of Regents.

In this regard, we will use the following schedule as a means to bring as much insight and discussion among key groups in our University family as possible.

August 15 Meet with football coaches.

August 16 Meet with football team.

August 17 Notify Patty Viverito, the Commissioner of the Gateway Conference, that discussions are under way.

August 18 Meet with Wright Waters, Commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference, to seek insight and inform that discussions are under way.

August 18 Meet with Hilltoppper Athletic Foundation Board of Directors/W-Club Board.

August 29 Meet with University Athletics Committee.

September 13 Meet with WKU Touchdown Club.

September 13 Conduct faculty/staff forum.

September 19 Conduct forum for HAF members.

September 20 Conduct forum for students.

September 21 Conduct forum for WKU alumni.

September 21 Discuss with University Senate at the first Senate meeting in FY 06-07.

October 2 Board Committee meetings.

I look forward to discussing this matter with all interested parties over the next several weeks. Thank you.

Gary Ransdell

[ADLER]

WKU to MAC....."Can you hear me now?"

[MeanGreen61]

WKU to MAC....."Can you hear me now?"

←

They've been callin', but MAC won't answer the phone

[stebo]

Adler,

The WKU to the MAC is about like our NT to the CUSA.. they want it, a lot of the MAC wants it but it just didn't quite work out. So they are settling for thr Belt it looks like. They are now involving WW in their talks and will ask the SBC to help them make the transition the same way that we did with FIU and FAU. You have to look at FAU and FIU (as a WKU fan) and be kicknig yourself in the ass that you waited this long. Sure, the Belt is a fancy turd - but it is better then no turd at all. They have gone through with their stadium renovations now and are ready to move up to IA. I feel that they will be looking at the MAC and CUSA as soon as possible, but so is the rest of the Belt. Until then - we will have a balanced schedule every year of 4 home and 4 away game in conference play and 4 OOC games.

BTW - Some rumours said that if MTSU would have gone with WKU then they would have gotten a MAC bid... Kind of like a package deal. But MTSU balked at that and stayed loyal to the Belt; much like NT did when the WAC came calling. I feel like our schools are very solid in making the Belt work until a true move "UP" comes along - lateral moves just aren't worth it...

[NT80]

I'd rather have La Tech. WKU football does nothing for the SBC except to reinforce it's image as a conference for 1-A newbies and orphans.

[shaft]

Psst... LA Tech ain't returning our calls.

WKY is great pick up for the the Belt. The Hilltoppers are the best d1aa ready to make the move. They'll be a better add than the FAU & FIU and alot more competitive.

[NT80]

Psst... LA Tech ain't returning our calls.

WKY is great pick up for the the Belt.  The Hilltoppers are the best d1aa ready to make the move.  They'll be a better add than the FAU & FIU and alot more competitive.

←

Go ask any local college football fan if they have EVER heard of Western Kentucky football. We are sinking deeper into the Twilight Zone of conferences.

[MeanGreen61]

I'd rather have La Tech.  WKU football does nothing for the SBC except to reinforce it's image as a conference for 1-A newbies and orphans.

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La Tech ain't happenin' unless it's their absolute last gasp.

[galojah]

Stebo, very good observations and all agreeable I think. I do think MTSU and WKU are a package deal wherever we/they go. I do think their was some heavy consideration by the MAC and WKU/MTSU and like you said, MTSU wasn't as interested.

WKU is making the move at the time that is best for them. The move from I-AA to I-A is not easy and is not cheap. To do it without every duck in a row, makes your transition that much more difficult. A couple things had to happen, first and foremost our stadium renovation. That has been a project we have been working on the state to get funding for, for quite a while. The funding is there, metal gates are wrapped around the stadium, hard hats are required and renovation/expansion is underway. That won't be done until 2008. Going I-A before then doesn't work. We don't have the stadium right now to bring in other I-A schools or big enough to hold the crowds we need to meet the I-A attendance requirement.

We also have to secure financial support to fund 22 more scholarships, higher/more coaches salaries, more recruiting costs, travel costs, guarantee games we must fund, etc, etc. It's going to cost probably $2-$3 million more than what football is costing us now. First thing we're doing is working towards a $10 million endowment specifically to fund football scholarships. From what I understand, no other SBC school has such an endowment. We are currently pushing $4 million I believe. The second is the likelyhood that an additional student fee will be needed. Two years ago we were having 10%+ tuition increases and even mid-year tuition increases because of a lack of support from the State. (Our overall university budget was funded 40% by state 10 years ago, no closer to 25%). We were not in a position to ask even more of the students with an athletic fee. The state has stepped it up more (never enough) and tuition increases have become more stable and typical. But a student fee is still not going to be popular but probably needed for this to happen.

Yes, we could have gone I-A two years ago but it would have had to been funded with guarantee games much like MTSU was doing, playing 3-4 "money" games, getting beat up and demoralized every pre-conference schedule and then tank in the conference. Our administration is committed to only ONE guarantee game a year, like we do now against Auburn, UGA, Kansas State, etc. That should allow us to play a schedule that is winnable and hopefully make us bowl eligible.

WKU has put a lot of thought and research into the dos and don't of moving I-AA to I-A. We are determined to do it right, if we are going to do it at all.

I look forward to competing in the SBC for football.

[stebo]

I have been closely watching the WKU situation and I think you are hitting it on all cylinders. Couple of thoughts... no matter how much your coaches will reason with your administration (and with your fans) - they won't be able to resist the big money games the first couple of years. Nobody will expect you to be any good, so they will take their punishment and the check at the same time. It is a smart move... here is why - once you announce that you are moving up, every IA player unhappy at his current school that is looking to transfer for immediate eligibility will come knocking on your door knowing that they will have a IA schedule/bowl game the next year. Troy stockpiled transfers under the 4 year plan and fielded a hell of a team that knocked off some big names. They have made a name for themselves, revitalized their school (actually SAVED their school), and brought pride back to Troy. Marshall did the same thing. Boise did the same thing. Hell, even FAU did it, they had a hell of a final season in IAA with all the transfers; knocking us off at home and Hawaii off on the road.

I have been waiting for your stadium to actually start the renovation process before I believed it would happen... but - like Troy, there is no way that your administration would be putting that kind of money into renovating/expanding your stadium just to fit more people in for IAA games - those games are simply too hard to sell to the fans. I am sure that you know that it is impossible to buy quality visiting teams to come to a IAA stadium or even schedule a home and home with them - the only reason you are expanding/renovating is to move up to IA. Now, I think the wheels got kicked into motion by trying to woo the MAC but cooler heads have come out and your admin can see that the Belt will be a nice starting point. If the MUTS had agreed to go MAC, you probably would have made the announcement already - the Belt is a harder sell to the whole support group. But listen to WW when he comes to town... he will sell it like it has never been sold before.

If you want to see what membership in the Belt can do for your school, look no further then North Texas. Like you, we are in the shadows of the bigger in state schools and fight for every penny that we get. We have been able to take out little athletic program from a $7 million dollar a year budgeted program to a $12 million dollar a year program. We have built an entire Athletic Complex (about a $27 million project) and we have increased our coachs' salaries across the board about 40%. The Belt might not get mad respect - but teams can build in it. We get a piece of the BCA pie monetarily, we have our own little bowl game in a fun destination city, and we are the consumate underdogs of th football world... but we are all building facilities... all of us. North Texas has done things that we only dreamed of before the Belt came along... little things like Jumbotrons and Field Turf - believe it or not, those were things we couldn't raise money for, now we are paying cash for them.

Is it ideal? No. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Is it a good place to get a football team up and running? Perfect fit. You will have a chance to come in and compete right off the bat. You will build a fan base and an atmosphere around your games that do not exist at the IAA level (trust me, I have watched NT move from IAA to IA and would never wish IAA on my worst enemy)... I know sometimes it seems like it is better to be a big fish in a small pool rather then a doormat in IA; but with the Belt - you can kind of do both. You can have your cake and eat it, too... and you can laugh all the way to the bank. Play good, attract big crowds, and either the Belt will grow with you and become the next CUSA or you will move on to a bigger and better conference. Who knows, we might be there with you or we might be waving goodbye to you guys on our way out... but the Belt is absolutely a great place to start and build a IA program.

[good_ken]

Stebo - That is one of the most objective examinations ofthe 'belt I have read yet. Very well worded.

Now I will let those folks that are pissed to be in the 'belt start lambasting you.

[stebo]

Thanks Ken, sorry for the typos - was just punching away at it... For those of you that haven't really followed WKU's stadium project, they are currently going through a $37.5 million dollar renovation and expansion project that is adding enough seats to put them at about 25K, adding a West side to their stadium (they only had an East side before) - adding an athletic center much like ours in the endzone, and cleaning up the old stands in the process. They have removed the track and moved it across the street - added Field Turf and believe it or not, they just added lights to their stadium about 9 years ago so that they could host night games. The bulldozers are working right now - construction is underway... I feel that (like Troy), they will make an immediate impact on the Belt race. They are guaranteed membership into the football conference because they are already members for all other sports. They simply need to make the announcement now. Their President is moving it forward this month and will probably announce for their transition years to be 2007 and 2008; making them a member in 2009. Seems like a long ways off; but it will be here before we know it.

WKU recently won the IAA National Championship - I think it was in 2003 or 2004. They struggled with crowds even though they had success on the field. Last year they averaged about 12K so they have a little ways to go in terms of support; but we have all been there and their 12K a year is still better than half of the MAC teams. Adding the new stands and cleaning up the old ones will posture them for better crowds... and as soon as they can get MTSU back on the schedule, they will be just fine. They seem to sell out every single time that the Blue Raiders come to town... it is just that MTSU hasn't made a trip there since moving up to IA.

Here is a link about their $37.5 Stadium Renovation Project... Hell of an undertaking for a team that wouldn't plan on moving up to IA football... They will be makig that announcement as soon as the public seminars are completed, I totally am sold on that:

http://www.wkusports.com/news.cgi?article=4566

[galojah]

Stebo, good posts, thanks for your support and encouragement.

Did want to correct a couple things. It might not have always been this way, but once we announce we are going I-A and apply with the NCAA, we can no longer take I-A transfers without them sitting out a year. They will then have to sit out a year.

Our track has not been moved yet, but it will be after this football season. All they have done thus far is clean up the existing side of the stadium.

We won the I-AA championship in 2002.

While I believe it will indeed happen, It is going to be an interesting couple months. As you mentioned, the President is having several forums with various volunteer boards, alumni, boosters, students, and fac/staff.

Ulitimately it will be up to the Board of Regents which meet on November 2nd. Obviously the President must feel confident he has the votes needed or he wouldn't put this out there.

WW was in town earlier this month and did make a good presentation I heard. It's all out there. The Gateway has been informed that we are officially exploring this and a vote will be taken.

[stebo]

Galojay,

Your announcement to the NCAA will be after your announcement to the general public. I am going to guess that you all will announce sometime this fall that you will intend to move up and then wait until the deadline of June 1, 2007 to officially submit your application with the NCAA. This will give you two advantages: first, your coaches will be recruiting high school players that want to play IA ball - so they can offer them that... the whole "building something special" pitch. In addition, you will have the whole Spring to bring in transfers before it is official. As long as they transfer in before you submit your application, they won't have to sit out a year. Your first year will be transitional and you will probably get quite a few Sun Belt teams on your schedule. Probably Middle to get the turnstiles moving and get those numbers up along with Troy... names that local folks can recognize. Anyways, I hope it works out for you guys; it would be a great move for your program and for the Belt as a whole.

[BleedGreen64]

Great job, Stebo. I for one want to see the SBC with NT continue to grow and become the top non BCS conference. If our GMG fans would support it as well as they do the Mean Green it can not help but build its reputation amongst fans and recruits. Bad mouthing the SBC hurts the conference and NT.

Welcome WKU and thanks for all you do for the SBC>