GoldenWarrior11
Heisman
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RE: PAC Expansion Strategy
(01-06-2019 04:23 AM)Stugray2 Wrote: It would take a whole lot more money than you realize for Boise State or UNLV to "fix" their research problem. Graduation rates are another issue for these two schools as well. (The ACC definitely has a case of indigestion and heartburn from Louisville).
Even Houston is not close to Pac-12 level (although the much lower B12 level is reachable). They would have to double their research spending (and extra $150M per year) just to be the bottom school in the Pac-12; or put another way $1B extra over 6 years to be even with WSU. It's a little easier to spend $5M on coaches.
The Pac-12 is not too far from B1G in what it's Presidents and Chancellors will sign off on. To be invited you need the California schools and Washington to agree that the school is acceptable. Like the SEC and B1G, recent additions have beenflagships and AAU members or close. (R1 ranges from Memphis and FIU to Harvard and Cal; so that alone is not telling). A good rule of thumb would be a combined $400 million in research and athletic budgets, with research at least double, and preferably more than triple athletics budgets.
Below a real comparison, by the numbers. You can see how much higher the standards are on the reserach side than the B12 or ACC.
Some Pac-12 schools:
Washington
Research: $1,180,563,000
Athletics: $123,503,513
UCLA
Research: $1,021,227,000
Athletics: $104,106,646
Cal
Research: $788,505,000
Athletics: $ 90,976,576
// has another $16M/year in stadium debt service Chancellor has decided to eat this for now
Washington State
Research: $333,134,000
Athletics: $ 71,801,820
Colorado
Research: $420,775,000
Athletics: $ 90,640,627
Arizona
Research: $606,219,000
Athletics: $ 91,756,963
Utah
Research: $518,928,000
Athletics: $ 81,620,307
B12 School (we are looking at, they are also the top along with Iowa State)
Texas
Research: $650,608,000
Athletics: $207,022,323
Oklahoma
Research: $253,344,000
Athletics: $132,910,780
Kansas
Research: $311,383,000
Athletics: $ 94,709,233
Some G5 for Comparison
Boise State (R2 School)
Research: $ 31,341,000
Athletics: $ 45,456,789
Houston
Research: $150,628,000
Athletics: $ 55,277,308
Colorado State
Research: $317,219,000
Athletics: $ 43,965,622
UNLV
Research: $ 42,000,000
Athletics: $ 47,476,606
San Diego State (R2 school)
Research: $ 93,572,000
Athletics: $ 51,569,852
// below for fun
Idaho (FCS)
Research: $ 97,493,000
Athletics: $ 22,817,285
UC Davis (FCS)
Research: $721,077,000
Athletics: $ 34,625,583
UC San Diego (no football; note they are ramping up to around $17M for Big West; were $8.9M 2 years ago)
Research: $1,101,466,000
Athletics: $ 12,535,867
There really isn't a school beyond the three B12 I listed, that checks the boxes for academic stature, athletic credibility and market. No G5 schools checks all those boxes off, or even two of them. And we can rule out both Texas and Oklahoma from consideration, given the economic disparity between the Pac-12 and it's rivals the B1G and SEC. No doubt many of the little 8 would come running, each asking for a life boat from the Pac-12. Only an orphaned Kansas with no offer from the B1G or SEC strikes me as intriguing -- especially if division-less football is adopted (so you can have an odd number like 13 or 15).
Nice data. It really presents the conundrum that the PAC faces moving forward, if/when expansion is required again. Unless there is a substantial change with research and athletic spending, there will undoubtedly need to be some type of compromise (whether that is on the academic side or the athletic side).
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