(10-07-2018 11:38 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(10-07-2018 04:07 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  

(10-07-2018 10:15 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(10-07-2018 01:01 AM)58-56 Wrote:  UAB 28
Louisiana Tech 7

UAB moves to 4-1, first place in conference. Every bammer dies a little more on the inside.

Do you seriously think that even 1 bama fan in a million thinks about UAB for a millisecond a year?

Given that the UABOT used the genetic legacy of the Bear to try to kill off UAB's football program -- ostensibly for cost savings -- while simultaneously successfully lobbying the same UABOT for 9 figures for improved jumbotrons for Bryant-Denny ..... yes.

No. They didn't want to kill off UAB they wanted to dedicate more space to medical research in an area of Birmingham where space is critical and expensive and do so by eliminating undergraduate studies, and it wasn't just the UABOT but some who are looking at long range utilization strategies for UA, UAB, TU, and AU.

The major construction in Tuscaloosa and Auburn has been to increase undergraduate enrollment. There is going to be a re-tasking coming to higher education in Alabama, and likely a streamlining of systems. It has precious little to do with sports. And the state got deuce tired of funneling major money to the City of Birmingham which didn't spend a dime of it to keep up the facilities at a very aged Legion Field.

But as usual things get blown up and conflated into issues that are wholly ancillary to the overall purpose. UAB can expand in post graduate work and branch out in its research breadth if they had more space. It's a simple matter of how to use the space they already have at their disposal to maximize their revenue and undergraduate isn't the most efficient utilization.

But people in the state who map out these strategies try to accomplish their objectives with a minimum of backlash because they are politicos. So the Alabama BOT became an easy scapegoat. Does anyone really believe for a second that UAB gets athletes that Saban and Gus were hot for? It's not about athletics. Change will still come but the timing of it will just be delayed.

I'm happy that the UAB football team is 4-1 and I hope they get a good bowl to boost their revenue, but it really wasn't about what everyone wanted to make it about.

The issue like in many other states, the state politicians are not coming from the P5 schools. There are school pride if you try to kill their sports. It is a fight from the politicians who are alum of the non-Alabama/Auburn people vs the rest. The majority of the politicians here in Arkansas are not from University of Arkansas. Arkansas Tech do have a lot. If Alabama legislatures want to expand research? Tell University of Alabama to drop their football team, build a medical school on campus, and go after an AAU status. That is stopping Alabama from ever get an AAU invite. They are an R2 as it is.