(05-14-2017 01:55 AM)Stugray2 Wrote:  None of you guys have a clue about the CSU system. If you knew what it was, you'd realize it is a miracle there are three FBS schools from their ranks.

These various Cal States are not comparable to the likes of Mississippi State, Kansas State, Oregon State, Colorado State, or even Utah State. They are not residential schools (Cal Poly the lone exception), they are by and large commuter schools, with a majority of community college transfers finishing their degrees. They are drive-by schools with all the school spirit of a community college - yes these places are dead. They don't have any Carnegie R1 or R2 ratings (SDSU an exception).

We sometimes say, in California we have the best tier-1 system (UC) in the nation, and a below average tier-3 system (CSU). The gap is massive and greater than any other state I can think of with two statewide systems.

On the west coast, probably more than anywhere else in the nation, to have strong support you need to draw from the alumni and the students. The students must attend in large number (school spirit) and it must be part of the culture, which gets carried over to their later life as alumni. Beyond Cal Poly and San Diego State that is largely missing in the CSU system, but is abundant in the UC system. This corresponds to high graduation rates and younger average student age. If you don't have that you struggle. The reason you go to a Cal State is because you did your first couple years of GE and you can;t get in (or dropped out of) a UC. So you go to the one nearest home and get the degree you need to go to work. Not surprising donation rates are lower, and the low research rankings result in many fewer corporate sponsors and alliances. I am exaggerating a bit for dramatic effect, but the numbers back up the basic description.

If UC Davis ever gets sound leadership (right now it has very weak leadership), it is the one school in the Sacramento (and frankly all of California) that could move up to FBS. The CSU schools are as far up the latter as they can go. None are moving up in the next quarter century.

We shall see. I listened to my UCLA grad sister and brother in law comment the kids of their peers could get in the UC's people wanted to attend. These people donated money to the school and are starting to turn their back on it. Ca is ripe for the taking by the Big 12 if they had any clue.