This was just a portion of a piece the Chronicle is doing on the University of Houston drive for national relevancy. Its interesting because it tells us that some (or all) AAC schools will be providing the stipend to all their athletes and it gives us an idea of the cost. The article doesn't say this, but my sense is that UH may end up offering many of the other P5 benefits as well. I guess we will have to wait and see if I am correct on that. Regardless, it is clear from the article that the commitment to athletics at Houston has risen significantly and it is not haphazard in nature. It is by design.


Along the way, UH has taken the necessary steps to adopt similar services that will be provided by schools in the Power 5 conferences.

UH announced last September the opening of Cougar Café, which will provide food for student-athletes following the passage of legislation that allows schools to provide unlimited meals and snacks.

Rhoades said this week that UH plans to cover the full cost of attendance as part of a full scholarship for athletes. Details are being ironed out, but Rhoades says the hope is to provide full cost of attendance to students playing in all 17 sports at UH. That means students who get athletic scholarships will have costs of attending college covered beyond the traditional tuition, housing, meals and books.

"We certainly would like to implement it across the board for all our student-athletes," Rhoades says.

UH is estimating paying a $5,000 stipend per full scholarship each school year under the plan, which will likely take effect in August.

The plan will have between a $1 million and $1.2 million impact on UH's athletic budget, Rhoades says.

"It speaks to investment. It speaks that we care," he adds. "We're committed to our student-athletes. For us, we always felt it's the right thing to do."


http://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/a...er-premium

It may be behind a pay wall. If so, simply cut and paste the below phrase into the Google search box and you will be granted access by the link the google search provides. You must use google for it to work.

UH takes the steps for 'national relevancy'

Thanks for sharing Attackcoog

Houston is 3rd/4th largest city in the country, no reason why it shouldn't be big time, going to do whatever takes to be in the spotlight nationally now.

Go Coogs

How are schools like New mexico sate...Troy State,,Kent State every going to afford this?

(01-24-2015 02:21 PM)No Bull Wrote:  How are schools like New mexico sate...Troy State,,Kent State every going to afford this?

Who knows?

For the record, I don't like the whole stipend thing. That said, I'm glad we're going to be keeping up with the Entitlement-5.

(01-24-2015 02:42 PM)GeminiShamrock Wrote:  

(01-24-2015 02:21 PM)No Bull Wrote:  How are schools like New mexico sate...Troy State,,Kent State every going to afford this?

Who knows?

For the record, I don't like the whole stipend thing. That said, I'm glad we're going to be keeping up with the Entitlement-5.

I just wonder who teams like Houston and UCF are going to play in OOC games when 10 to 20 FBS schools drop football.

(01-24-2015 02:47 PM)No Bull Wrote:  

(01-24-2015 02:42 PM)GeminiShamrock Wrote:  

(01-24-2015 02:21 PM)No Bull Wrote:  How are schools like New mexico sate...Troy State,,Kent State every going to afford this?

Who knows?

For the record, I don't like the whole stipend thing. That said, I'm glad we're going to be keeping up with the Entitlement-5.

I just wonder who teams like Houston and UCF are going to play in OOC games when 10 to 20 FBS schools drop football.

We'll find a way. Oh, yes. We'll find a way.

Glad to see Houston doing this, but I am wonderifing if $5,000 will be enough. I believe UT has said they are budgeting $10,000 per athlete to cover these costs.

Like everything else, I am sure the cost will escalate. Soon and very soon, it appears some schools are going to have to make some hard choices.

(01-24-2015 03:16 PM)SMUmustangs Wrote:  Glad to see Houston doing this, but I am wonderifing if $5,000 will be enough. I believe UT has said they are budgeting $10,000 per athlete to cover these costs.

Like everything else, I am sure the cost will escalate. Soon and very soon, it appears some schools are going to have to make some hard choices.

Are not the NCAA going to put a limit on budget ?

There are a select few programs who will benefit from this arms race. Schools like Houston subsidize athletics as it is. Out of 125 FBS programs, maybe 35 have extra money sloshing around.

This is a way of the haves to spend the have nots out of the game.

(01-24-2015 03:16 PM)SMUmustangs Wrote:  Glad to see Houston doing this, but I am wonderifing if $5,000 will be enough. I believe UT has said they are budgeting $10,000 per athlete to cover these costs.

Like everything else, I am sure the cost will escalate. Soon and very soon, it appears some schools are going to have to make some hard choices.

I don't think 10K an athlete is going to fly as it would be over the full cost of attendance. That said, the P5 are going to add extended medical benefits, additional travel allowances for player families, additional time to finish degrees after eligibility expires, and other benefits that might cost more money. So it could be the 10K per athlete cost mentioned might include these other expected benefits as well.

These other benefits will be permissive (any D1 school can do it under NCAA rules, unless your conference agrees to prohibit it). My guess is the AAC will approve these other benefits, but they wont be mandated. Each schools will have to make their own decision about what P5 benefits they will offer based upon their individual financial situations. Could be every AAC schools offers a slightly different package of benefits. Its going to be interesting to watch this process unfold.

mark my words, this is the worst thing to ever happen to college football.

(01-24-2015 03:45 PM)Curumim Wrote:  

(01-24-2015 03:16 PM)SMUmustangs Wrote:  Glad to see Houston doing this, but I am wonderifing if $5,000 will be enough. I believe UT has said they are budgeting $10,000 per athlete to cover these costs.

Like everything else, I am sure the cost will escalate. Soon and very soon, it appears some schools are going to have to make some hard choices.

Are not the NCAA going to put a limit on budget ?

Doubt it....basically it seems the NCAA is out of it with the new autonomy rules

(01-24-2015 05:56 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-24-2015 03:16 PM)SMUmustangs Wrote:  Glad to see Houston doing this, but I am wonderifing if $5,000 will be enough. I believe UT has said they are budgeting $10,000 per athlete to cover these costs.

Like everything else, I am sure the cost will escalate. Soon and very soon, it appears some schools are going to have to make some hard choices.

I don't think 10K an athlete is going to fly as it would be over the full cost of attendance. That said, the P5 are going to add extended medical benefits, additional travel allowances for player families, additional time to finish degrees after eligibility expires, and other benefits that might cost more money. So it could be the 10K per athlete cost mentioned might include these other expected benefits as well.

These other benefits will be permissive (any D1 school can do it under NCAA rules, unless your conference agrees to prohibit it). My guess is the AAC will approve these other benefits, but they wont be mandated. Each schools will have to make their own decision about what P5 benefits they will offer based upon their individual financial situations. Could be every AAC schools offers a slightly different package of benefits. Its going to be interesting to watch this process unfold.

Exactly. That is what I was referring to when I said some schools would be making hard choices. Those that can keep up will, but some will not be able to financially. If a school offers athletes more than another school that will effect recruiting.

(01-24-2015 02:21 PM)No Bull Wrote:  How are schools like New mexico sate...Troy State,,Kent State every going to afford this?

There seems to be this wide belief that a lot of the G5 can't afford cost of attendance,. when in reality, it's not much money, and most every single one was in favor of it.

For Arkansas State, it's going to cost us 500K roughly. That's a drop in the hat for us, we get triple that from the NCAA in revenue in a given year.

(01-24-2015 06:39 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(01-24-2015 02:21 PM)No Bull Wrote:  How are schools like New mexico sate...Troy State,,Kent State every going to afford this?

There seems to be this wide belief that a lot of the G5 can't afford cost of attendance,. when in reality, it's not much money, and most every single one was in favor of it.

For Arkansas State, it's going to cost us 500K roughly. That's a drop in the hat for us, we get triple that from the NCAA in revenue in a given year.

If the big schools like UT give all scholarship athletes $10,000 per year (one way or another) and is there any doubt those costs will escalate rapidly.

I do not understand how it could only cost Arkansas State 500k if they match what the P5 schools do. I would think ASU has at least 200 kids on scholarship. 200 times $10,000 equals $2million per year.

Am I missing something........

(01-24-2015 07:09 PM)SMUmustangs Wrote:  

(01-24-2015 06:39 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(01-24-2015 02:21 PM)No Bull Wrote:  How are schools like New mexico sate...Troy State,,Kent State every going to afford this?

There seems to be this wide belief that a lot of the G5 can't afford cost of attendance,. when in reality, it's not much money, and most every single one was in favor of it.

For Arkansas State, it's going to cost us 500K roughly. That's a drop in the hat for us, we get triple that from the NCAA in revenue in a given year.

If the big schools like UT give all scholarship athletes $10,000 per year and is there any doubt those costs will escalate rapidly.

I do not understand how it could only cost Arkansas State 500k if they match what the P5 schools do. I would think ASU has at least 200 kids on scholarship. 200 times $10,000 equals $2million per year.

Is that not correct.............

Cost of attendance is not a random number that gets thrown out there. It's based partially on how much the school deems is necessary for someone to live on.

I'm not sure on how Texas comes up with its numbers. I just know the numbers that were quoted to fans the other day. About 4-5K per athlete. AD quoted 650K, but our financial aid people believe he's on the high side.

FYI, COA only covers head count sports. (Football, Volleyball, M and W Basketball, Gymnastics) Schools may offer COA to equivalent sports (Baseball, Softball, Track, Soccer etc) but it can only be a percentage of COA based on the percentage of scholarship

At least thats how its been explained to us.

(01-24-2015 06:21 PM)SMUmustangs Wrote:  

(01-24-2015 03:45 PM)Curumim Wrote:  

(01-24-2015 03:16 PM)SMUmustangs Wrote:  Glad to see Houston doing this, but I am wonderifing if $5,000 will be enough. I believe UT has said they are budgeting $10,000 per athlete to cover these costs.

Like everything else, I am sure the cost will escalate. Soon and very soon, it appears some schools are going to have to make some hard choices.

Are not the NCAA going to put a limit on budget ?

Doubt it....basically it seems the NCAA is out of it with the new autonomy rules

Now I agree with No Bull.

By the way, looking at Texas numbers, I think they are associating costs for Stipends for family travel, meals and several other things into the equation, that most P5 will offer, but not all G5 will. They can't actually just decide to randomly give 20K per athlete for example.

(01-24-2015 02:21 PM)No Bull Wrote:  How are schools like New mexico sate...Troy State,,Kent State every going to afford this?

They probably won't but don't get too cocky about the AAC being 100% on this either. We have teams in the league they may not do this, Tulsa, Tulane have both been less than certain....(my opinion based on a few things I've heard) .and USF come to mind as a school that needs to put up stipend $ while trying to get an OCS paid for as well....I know, I know Bull fans, building an OCS is no big deal for you guys. You've been telling me for awhile how easy it is to do. Still don't know why something so easy to do hasn't been done yet? Same with stipends: no problem for anyone in this league. Easy, done deal right?

Also, as someone else mentioned, what about schools that don't have baseball teams like SMU, Tulsa and Temple going forward? Are they saving 10k per by not having the sport? Schools with baseball, soccer and wrestling are going to be paying a lot more than those who've cut those sports. The Big 10 and PAC 12 sponsor every sport. The SEC doesn't sponsor soccer or wrestling....the AAC doesn't have wrestling etc. I bet sports get cut all around the country because of this stupid quasi professional stipend thing. Oh, by the way, I'm against it.