Email from O'Day about the WAC, BSC & More.

[Cats2506]

If the UofM was funded like MSU, we would have an additional $3 million = difference of the Institutional Support and higher Student Fees

Both Universities get the same amount from the state, It is how that is redistributed within each university that is different.

Also MSU has access to more grant monies (science based rather than liberal arts) which aids in administrative expenses outside of the athletic department so the administration does not need to rob from athletics like UM does.

IMO the problem is that the universities administration has milked too much out of the cash cow, now the cow is sick so O'Day thinks a new barn will help, never mind that the new barn will cost too much.

 

[Potomac Griz]

I assume the email is legit. However, to me, it raises questions about how O'Day is handling this. He effectively released his info on BobcatNation? Does that give you confidence in the fact-gathering process and on how the process is being conducted generally? What's wrong with coming clean with Griz Nation on what's going on?

Seriously, do any of you believe:

I-AA is going away.

The playoffs are going away.

UM finances will cause it to go D-II.

UM can't figure out how to keep apace with relatively minor increases in costs.

UM football is breakeven.

UM can figure out how to pay for multi-millions of increased annual operating expenses to move to I-A.

This is the way for O'Day to release information to the public, and the UM fans.

Sounds like what might've happened is it got emailed to some Griz fan, who forwarded it, and then..well..it got passed around a ton after that including to some bobcat fans.

To answer your questions:

I don't believe the FCS is going away soon... However if some of the big time teams in the FCS that are responsible for a huge chunk of the playoff money (Montana, App, and Delaware) leave, along with some other teams like Georgia Southern and some CAA teams..the FCS won't be the same. Right now App and the Griz are the 2 dominant programs for the past decade, not only in getting to the NCs, but also in attendance. Losing both of them would be quite the blow to the FCS

I don't want to see the Griz get left behind in a weakened FCS. As has been mentioned before, this may be the only opportunity to move up for a while....we don't know for sure. If we don't and do end up having to cut out of state scholarships, how will that affect the Griz success?

I don't know if the playoffs would go away... I kind of doubt it.. I'm guessing the NCAA would figure out some way to keep the playoffs even without Montana's big bucks basically funding a huge chunk of it.

No way we go D-II... The riots in the street would be horrible..and I'd be right in the middle with a pitchfork and torch

As for the financial stuff.. I'm not sure. I only have O'Day's stats to go on, and what's been posted on eGriz in other threads. Why would O'Day not tell the truth about financial stuff to try to get people to want to move up?

 

[Grizmayor]

Question: If we're supplying $1.1 million of the playoff bootie... then exactly how much is App St. supplyinng... those folks throw a big party every playoff game, don't they?

 

[PlayerRep]

Question: If we're supplying $1.1 million of the playoff bootie... then exactly how much is App St. supplyinng... those folks throw a big party every playoff game, don't they?

It's not "supplying". Is it surprising that the team that had 3 home playoff games, of the 11 I believe--and is a big drawing team--"supplied" this much to the playoff equation?

If O'Day thinks this is an issue, why doesn't he negotiate a better deal for big-drawing playoff teams?

If App St has 3 home playoff games, then it would be "supplying" large sums to the playoff tourney.

As someone said earlier, if UM joins the WAC, then UM will receive no revenue for the playoffs (and the fans will recieve no fun) and Missoula will lose out on multi-millions of revenue.

 

[Grizmayor]

I've always been under the impression that O'Day wanted to stay in the playoffs... I find it odd to hear different and that some people already knew this. As far as his accuracy on the subject... look down at my signature from Mark Twain. He got his facts, and he can distort them anyway he wants. I took his facts, and got the exact opposite. Bigger debt, smaller revenue. We knew that already from the Georgia Southern study. Who's picking up the tab people? When we're losing, the donors don't donate. Ticket sales are going down. Businesses don't contribute cuz revenues are down from less games and less fans. We build a stadium that we don't have the population to fill and will cost $10's of millions of dollars. Additional sports, out of state schollies, increased student fees (which will drive students AWAY) will all combine for a cascading failure. That'll be my argument to the Board of Regents. But then again, they're budget will probably get sliced anyway. I'll be wasting my breath.

 

[Tokyogriz]

Makes me laugh seeing Playerrep, Grizmayor and other know it all mental rejects scramble trying to say how this isnt really happening like they have been for the last 6 months or so.

THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL !!!

PACK YOUR STUFF FOR THE FBS Baby !!! :thumb: :clap:


PS - Player and Grizmayor you could always become Kitty fans since you love the FCS so much. They will need the fanbase since we are going take most of theirs away.

 

[PlayerRep]

The playoffs have existed since the early 80's. I don't know if they ever operated without a loss.

Delaware has supplied nothing to the playoffs for several years, because they haven't been in the playoffs.

The Big Sky has been recently strenghtened, by adding CP and Davis. UM isn't going to be left behind. The WAC is going to keep losing schools, and if they don't fold, UM will have WAC move-up opportunities in the future.

There are multiple ways to increase revenues and cut cost.

O'Day is spinning. I'm not sure he fully understands the finances. I know he doesn't understand how to raise money from big financial backers, or at least one of them.

As to why O'Day might not tell the truth or the full story, remind me to PM you.

 

[Kodiak]

After adding up the Revenue, UM (14.1Million)has more than 7 FBS teams. They also have 22 less scholarships (just in football) to supply than those schools so their expenses are less. Now, I would think that UM probably has slightly higher travel costs than some FBS programs but UM also offers fewer overall sports and pays coaches less as well.

If those 7 schools can run a FBS Athletic department on less than 14.1 million in revenue, than UM has to be able to run a FCS on that amount. (I took my figures from that Orlando Sentinel link)

 

[Tokyogriz]

As to why O'Day might not tell the truth or the full story, remind me to PM you.

Oh Oday is a liar now? I see your always in the know arent you player? Your such a flat out liar and a jackazz. Attacking the personal integrity of our AD because he doesnt follow your idiotic thinking is real classy. :x

This denial BS is pretty funny from you and grizmayor.

 

[Kodiak]

If I was the MWC and lost TCU, I think Montana would be a better fit for another team than any other WAC school. Screw the WAC, get into the MWC if FBS is the what you are going to do. The WAC is a dead end.

 

[PlayerRep]

As to why O'Day might not tell the truth or the full story, remind me to PM you.

Oh Oday is a liar now? I see your always in the know arent you player? Your such a flat out liar and a jackazz. Attacking the personal integrity of our AD because he doesnt follow your idiotic thinking is real classy. :x

This denial BS is pretty funny from you and grizmayor.

Toyko, you are one of the biggest dummies on egriz this days. You know nothing and add nothing. I talked to O'Day today. I told him what I thought. He agreed with me on some of what I told him.

 

[Kodiak]

Here's another thing on why the NCAA is F'd up. If the FCS playoffs are losing money, why would you EXPAND them? You are just going to lose more money. Maybe that is thier goal to justify getting rid of FCS. I would be fine with going the other way, 12 teams. 8 conference champs and 4 at large. You are probably not going to win it all as a 13-16 team anyway.

 

[PlayerRep]

Here's another thing on why the NCAA is F'd up. If the FCS playoffs are losing money, why would you EXPAND them? You are just going to lose more money. Maybe that is thier goal to justify getting rid of FCS. I would be fine with going the other way, 12 teams. 8 conference champs and 4 at large. You are probably not going to win it all as a 13-16 team anyway.

The women's ncaa hoops lost multi-millions of dollars for years, like $3 million or so, but the ncaa was fine with that.

 

[Grizzlies1982]

If Montana moves into the WAC, I will still be a Griz fan and will support the team.
If Montana remains in the FCS, I will still be a Griz fan and will support the team.
If O'Day explains exactly where he found the millions needed to move, I'll support the decision.

O'Day paints a bleak picture for FCS pointing out its challenges. Yet he omits the challenges facing the WAC and glosses over the huge budget increases WAC membership entails. He points towards a little extra revenue from a variety of sources if we join the WAC. Yet all the revenue he cites is far less than the amount a move requires. The only other possible sources are quite limited;

1) More State funding (The Board of Regents will not provide a penny for this move).
2) President moves other Univ. revenue into athletics (They're doing the exact opposite now).
3) Student Fees (Requires an extra $300 per student, per year. Students rejected far less).
4) Ticket Prices (Requires raising prices to apx. double of today's price. Pony up folks).
5) GSA Donations (Requires a 300% to 400% increase in annual donations. They're slacking off).

Please inform me which one of these options O'Day cites as the source he intends to use for all the extra expense of joining the WAC (or any FBS conference). Or, for that matter, choose your favorite option and let us know which one we should do. :ugeek:

If Montana moves into the WAC, I will still be a Griz fan and will support the team.
If Montana remains in the FCS, I will still be a Griz fan and will support the team.
If O'Day explains exactly where he found the millions needed to move, I'll support the decision.

 

[Kodiak]

Here's another thing on why the NCAA is F'd up. If the FCS playoffs are losing money, why would you EXPAND them? You are just going to lose more money. Maybe that is thier goal to justify getting rid of FCS. I would be fine with going the other way, 12 teams. 8 conference champs and 4 at large. You are probably not going to win it all as a 13-16 team anyway.

The women's ncaa hoops lost multi-millions of dollars for years, like $3 million or so, but the ncaa was fine with that.

True. But women's sports overall have always been a money losing venture. They are protected by title IX, Football is the sport targeted due to that law many times. I see the NCAA trying to marginalize FCS programs by pushing them up(fbs), down (DII), or out (dropping FB). I find this criminal but don't doubt that this is what they are doing.

The easiest fix to title IX that would help even FBS schools is to make a football exemption as there is no equilivant womens sport in terms of number of scholarships. Thus, most schools have to offer many more womens sports than men's to make up this disparity. All women's sports lose money except for a few basketball programs. They suck a lot of money out of athletic departments, as do men's non-revenue sports.

 

[Kodiak]

If Montana moves into the WAC, I will still be a Griz fan and will support the team.
If Montana remains in the FCS, I will still be a Griz fan and will support the team.
If O'Day explains exactly where he found the millions needed to move, I'll support the decision.

O'Day paints a bleak picture for FCS pointing out its challenges. Yet he omits the challenges facing the WAC and glosses over the huge budget increases WAC membership entails. He points towards a little extra revenue from a variety of sources if we join the WAC. Yet all the revenue he cites is far less than the amount a move requires. The only other possible sources are quite limited;

1) More State funding (The Board of Regents will not provide a penny for this move).
2) President moves other Univ. revenue into athletics (They're doing the exact opposite now).
3) Student Fees (Requires an extra $300 per student, per year. Students rejected far less).
4) Ticket Prices (Requires raising prices to apx. double of today's price. Pony up folks).
5) GSA Donations (Requires a 300% to 400% increase in annual donations. They're slacking off).


Please inform me which one of these options O'Day cites as the source he intends to use for all the extra expense of joining the WAC (or any FBS conference). Or, for that matter, choose your favorite option and let us know which one we should do. :ugeek:

If Montana moves into the WAC, I will still be a Griz fan and will support the team.
If Montana remains in the FCS, I will still be a Griz fan and will support the team.
If O'Day explains exactly where he found the millions needed to move, I'll support the decision.

Great Points.

 

[Silenoz]

If O'Day explains exactly where he found the millions needed to move, I'll support the decision.

Student fees

Look how much other schools lean on them, and considering how paltry ours are in comparison to other schools, it would only make sense that most of it comes from there.


And the students voted down an increase to turn an art annex into a members-only study lounge. Hard to see the average liberal arts major being against that :?

 

[GrizLA]

I like to think I am an average Griz fan..certainly not knowledgeable about the x's and o's but not entirely lacking in basics. I like to think I would support the Griz in whatever they decide, but, to be honest, this constant issue of money, move up or down, or whatever is taking the bloom of the rose...I see tonight that App State is also considering a move....I really hate what ESPN and the money guys have done to what should be fun....I don't understand the race to do anything, immediately. The WAC is desperate that is obvious...Why not play out the season and see what develops? All this is very disheartening...college football is out of control...at what point does someone say "enough"....?

 

[PlayerRep]

If O'Day explains exactly where he found the millions needed to move, I'll support the decision.

Student fees

Look how much other schools lean on them, and considering how paltry ours are in comparison to other schools, it would only make sense that most of it comes from there.


And the students voted down an increase to turn an art annex into a members-only study lounge. Hard to see the average liberal arts major being against that :?

Student fee increases would solve the relatively small current budget issues, easier than fund the bigger I-A shortfalls.

 

[Spiffy_Magoo]

Screw it let's move to the NAIA and call it good.