Yep. I think eventually we will end up back in regional conferences with a model like this, which is where this all started, only this time, we would have a playoff, and if my other suggestion takes, we also wouldn’t be exploiting the kids as much.
I think there would be very real pushback on this from the established powers and some of the bowl heads (though to be honest, my model still preserves the revenue for those big bowl games, so why fight it?), but if the public at large wanted this, it would happen. You’d have to drown out the voices of the interested parties who are already used to defending the current model, which, lets face it, is stagnating and stupid, because only a few programs actually have any chance at the prize, as UCF proved last year. If they couldn’t get in last year, no one outside the elite programs ever will, so it will be 4 of the same 8 or 9 teams every season. No Cinderellas = Snooze.
yep, eventually people will tire of seeing Bama, Clemson, another SEC west team, and OSU/UM/Penn State.
Give it 10 years. If the PAC 12 and Big XII can only manage to get teams in a time or two per decade, there will be some big money programs pushing back against the system. They won’t be advocating for schools like ours of course, but it will likely indirectly help G5 conferences at least have a sliver of a chance.
Amazon and others are bidding for the Fox Regional networks. This could create more outlets for college sport content outside of ESPN. This may improve the TV deals for G5 conferences.
Just saw one of those Grand Canyon University commercials and noticed that it listed the school as a non-profit. That caught my eye since the main criticism of the NCAA’s approval of GCU’s application for Division I status was the school’s for-profit status, making it the only such NCAA D-I institution.
Anyway, just checked the GCU wiki page and see that the school reverted to non-profit status on July 1st after 14 years as a for-profit.
The standard goal in our Athletic Department is to finish in the top 4 in the conference. That level of success is typical for all of our track & field teams, men’s golf, and men’s soccer. Baseball and women’s basketball are there this year.
We have made coaching moves to position men’s basketball and football in that group. A couple of recruiting classes will be required to get us there, but if we can begin to make noise in the conference, and win a few OOC marquis games like we used to, then our attendance should look good and people will be talking about us.
We may not be able to control where we end up, but we certainly have a good hand to play.
30k students and growing
50% of the growth of the 17 campus UNC System in the past 5 years has been at Charlotte
doctoral research university with strong STEM programs
beautiful campus
Most diverse student population in NC
better athletic facilities across the board than most of our peers
we have a $49 million athletics war chest, and are completing a facilities master plan study
solid financial standing
we are not a one or two sport program
17th most populous city in the US
while TV is not driving the non-P5 market now, we are in the 22nd largest TV market and that is still added value
7 Fortune 500/16 Fortune 1000 companies HQ’ed in the Charlotte metro area
Charlotte Douglas Airport is the 5th busiest in the world, and 3rd most connected in the US
weather
growing new south city
the SEC and ACC have built their conferences surrounding, but not in, the largest MSA between Washington, DC and Atlanta
for Conference events Charlotte has
Spectrum Center (20,200) and Halton (9105) which are connected by light rail, and Bojangle’s (8600)
BofA Stadium (73,778), Jerry Richardson Stadium (15,310 for now)
BB&T Ballpark (10,200), Hayes Stadium (3000), new Kannapolis ballpark in 2020 (5000)
More than enough hotel rooms and restaurants to host anything
Marriott Convention hotel will open on campus in 2020
I would love, love, love for the old metro to come back bigger than ever. My dream scenerio:
Charlotte, Louisville, Memphis, UAB, Cincinnati, Tulane, Southern Miss, GA Tech, South Carolina, South Florida, Florida State and VA Tech.
The way UAB brought their football program back from the dead to how they did this year, Mike HIll and the UAB AD needs to get with the AAC commish and talk about them taking us for the east and UAB for the west.
I think they would need to take 2 for logistics, right now the AAC is pretty symmetrical with 6 in the east and 6 in the north for football and 12 basketball teams, 14 would be fine for both sports.