(11-30-2014 09:18 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 08:48 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 08:46 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  Is there any way UAB could get an injunction to prevent the formal shutdown of Blazer football? They may lose in the end, but once the BOT pulls the plug no lawsuit will be able to heal the damage that's been done.

Who would have standing?

The coaching staff who will be on the unemployment line, the players who lose their scholarships, the teams who were scheduled to play UAB in 2015 and 2016, the City of Birmingham for terminating their lease at Legion Field, etc.

In reality I'm not very sure, I'm no lawyer. I'm just throwing out ideas to see if they could somehow save the program, this whole situation sucks for UAB. Sounds like Saban is running out of Andrew Jacksons to wipe his a$$ with. I wonder if the UAH hockey program is on the chopping block next.

Someone on the MAC boards was worried that this might be the start of a trend where football programs at non-P5 public universities are cut to maintain P5 ones. While that's not much of an immediate concern for the MAC (none of our schools are affiliated with the OSU or UM systems for example), are others in danger of having the same thing happen to them? In Texas, UTEP and UTSA are under the same umbrella as UT-Austin, although I have no clue about anything in Texas so this is probably a bad comparison.

Methinks you've been spending too much time with some of the UAB Kool-Aid drinkers.

This has been a long time coming. Ask yourself, why has nobody stepped forward and offered the football program anything of value to save the program? If somebody was going to shutdown Miami's FB team wouldn't you think one of your big time alums would step forward with cash in hand? That too hasn't happened, partially because there is no such thing as a big time UAB alum and also because there are not really any fans out there.

The answer is because nobody cares about UAB football. That's harsh; I know.

I feel sorry for the players, coaches, and the past players. I don't feel sorry for the fans, because none are willing to open up their wallets.

This isn't the heralding of doom for small programs or anything like that.

BTW, to get an injunction or anything like that you have to be able to show several different things all of which must be related to an underlying claim. None of it fits or applies here.

The Board let UAB make a go of this. UAB drowned on its own. The Board is just a convenient scape goat for their own failure to create a brand, create fans, create even a modicum of excitement, or make the program valuable in any way.

(11-30-2014 09:28 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 09:18 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 08:48 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 08:46 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  Is there any way UAB could get an injunction to prevent the formal shutdown of Blazer football? They may lose in the end, but once the BOT pulls the plug no lawsuit will be able to heal the damage that's been done.

Who would have standing?

The coaching staff who will be on the unemployment line, the players who lose their scholarships, the teams who were scheduled to play UAB in 2015 and 2016, the City of Birmingham for terminating their lease at Legion Field, etc.

In reality I'm not very sure, I'm no lawyer. I'm just throwing out ideas to see if they could somehow save the program, this whole situation sucks for UAB. Sounds like Saban is running out of Andrew Jacksons to wipe his a$$ with. I wonder if the UAH hockey program is on the chopping block next.

Someone on the MAC boards was worried that this might be the start of a trend where football programs at non-P5 public universities are cut to maintain P5 ones. While that's not much of an immediate concern for the MAC (none of our schools are affiliated with the OSU or UM systems for example), are others in danger of having the same thing happen to them? In Texas, UTEP and UTSA are under the same umbrella as UT-Austin, although I have no clue about anything in Texas so this is probably a bad comparison.

Methinks you've been spending too much time with some of the UAB Kool-Aid drinkers.

This has been a long time coming. Ask yourself, why has nobody stepped forward and offered the football program anything of value to save the program? If somebody was going to shutdown Miami's FB team wouldn't you think one of your big time alums would step forward with cash in hand? That too hasn't happened, partially because there is no such thing as a big time UAB alum and also because there are not really any fans out there.

The answer is because nobody cares about UAB football. That's harsh; I know.

I feel sorry for the players, coaches, and the past players. I don't feel sorry for the fans, because none are willing to open up their wallets.

This isn't the heralding of doom for small programs or anything like that.

BTW, to get an injunction or anything like that you have to be able to show several different things all of which must be related to an underlying claim. None of it fits or applies here.

The Board let UAB make a go of this. UAB drowned on its own. The Board is just a convenient scape goat for their own failure to create a brand, create fans, create even a modicum of excitement, or make the program valuable in any way.

Sounds like the board refused to let them do serious fundraising.

(11-30-2014 09:57 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 09:28 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 09:18 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 08:48 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 08:46 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  Is there any way UAB could get an injunction to prevent the formal shutdown of Blazer football? They may lose in the end, but once the BOT pulls the plug no lawsuit will be able to heal the damage that's been done.

Who would have standing?

The coaching staff who will be on the unemployment line, the players who lose their scholarships, the teams who were scheduled to play UAB in 2015 and 2016, the City of Birmingham for terminating their lease at Legion Field, etc.

In reality I'm not very sure, I'm no lawyer. I'm just throwing out ideas to see if they could somehow save the program, this whole situation sucks for UAB. Sounds like Saban is running out of Andrew Jacksons to wipe his a$$ with. I wonder if the UAH hockey program is on the chopping block next.

Someone on the MAC boards was worried that this might be the start of a trend where football programs at non-P5 public universities are cut to maintain P5 ones. While that's not much of an immediate concern for the MAC (none of our schools are affiliated with the OSU or UM systems for example), are others in danger of having the same thing happen to them? In Texas, UTEP and UTSA are under the same umbrella as UT-Austin, although I have no clue about anything in Texas so this is probably a bad comparison.

Methinks you've been spending too much time with some of the UAB Kool-Aid drinkers.

This has been a long time coming. Ask yourself, why has nobody stepped forward and offered the football program anything of value to save the program? If somebody was going to shutdown Miami's FB team wouldn't you think one of your big time alums would step forward with cash in hand? That too hasn't happened, partially because there is no such thing as a big time UAB alum and also because there are not really any fans out there.

The answer is because nobody cares about UAB football. That's harsh; I know.

I feel sorry for the players, coaches, and the past players. I don't feel sorry for the fans, because none are willing to open up their wallets.

This isn't the heralding of doom for small programs or anything like that.

BTW, to get an injunction or anything like that you have to be able to show several different things all of which must be related to an underlying claim. None of it fits or applies here.

The Board let UAB make a go of this. UAB drowned on its own. The Board is just a convenient scape goat for their own failure to create a brand, create fans, create even a modicum of excitement, or make the program valuable in any way.

Sounds like the board refused to let them do serious fundraising.

In order to raise money you have to have graduates with money. That is UAB's real problem.

Nobody has given UAB athletics anything sizable.

(11-30-2014 09:28 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  Methinks you've been spending too much time with some of the UAB Kool-Aid drinkers.

This has been a long time coming. Ask yourself, why has nobody stepped forward and offered the football program anything of value to save the program? If somebody was going to shutdown Miami's FB team wouldn't you think one of your big time alums would step forward with cash in hand? That too hasn't happened, partially because there is no such thing as a big time UAB alum and also because there are not really any fans out there.

The answer is because nobody cares about UAB football. That's harsh; I know.

I feel sorry for the players, coaches, and the past players. I don't feel sorry for the fans, because none are willing to open up their wallets.

This isn't the heralding of doom for small programs or anything like that.

BTW, to get an injunction or anything like that you have to be able to show several different things all of which must be related to an underlying claim. None of it fits or applies here.

The Board let UAB make a go of this. UAB drowned on its own. The Board is just a convenient scape goat for their own failure to create a brand, create fans, create even a modicum of excitement, or make the program valuable in any way.

Oh, I don't know...

I certainly don't think this is the "start" of anything, but I do think it is a sign of things to come. UAB is on the block right now, Hawai'i has started talking about closing their FB program... I think that these are but two of the earliest casualties in what the CFB realignment will cause. It's a matter of simple economics that "non-Power" programs are going to be squeezed out of viability. Some will drop football altogether. Others will drop down to FCS. But the handwriting is on the wall... FBS has been segregated into two distinct divisions.

As a fan of the University of Cincinnati, I could well envision a day where the State of Ohio's board of Higher Education puts such pressure upon UC, Kent State, Miami (of Ohio) and other Public/State schools to make a decision on their FB programs that are hemorrhaging money. UC right now subsidizes it's FB program to a huge degree. That will only go up with FCoA and other measures, all while our TV revenue either stagnates or shrinks. Meanwhile, up the road at Ohio State, they will be able to afford such things because they are reaping 10 to 20X the media revenue. There will almost certainly come a moment where the State...which is dominated by OSU...looks at the smaller programs and says "You just cannot afford to do this any more."

FBS...outside of the Power Conferences...just will not be a viable option. UAB and Hawai'i may be the first of the demise, but they are not the last.

(11-30-2014 10:02 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 09:28 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  Methinks you've been spending too much time with some of the UAB Kool-Aid drinkers.

This has been a long time coming. Ask yourself, why has nobody stepped forward and offered the football program anything of value to save the program? If somebody was going to shutdown Miami's FB team wouldn't you think one of your big time alums would step forward with cash in hand? That too hasn't happened, partially because there is no such thing as a big time UAB alum and also because there are not really any fans out there.

The answer is because nobody cares about UAB football. That's harsh; I know.

I feel sorry for the players, coaches, and the past players. I don't feel sorry for the fans, because none are willing to open up their wallets.

This isn't the heralding of doom for small programs or anything like that.

BTW, to get an injunction or anything like that you have to be able to show several different things all of which must be related to an underlying claim. None of it fits or applies here.

The Board let UAB make a go of this. UAB drowned on its own. The Board is just a convenient scape goat for their own failure to create a brand, create fans, create even a modicum of excitement, or make the program valuable in any way.

Oh, I don't know...

I certainly don't think this is the "start" of anything, but I do think it is a sign of things to come. UAB is on the block right now, Hawai'i has started talking about closing their FB program... I think that these are but two of the earliest casualties in what the CFB realignment will cause. It's a matter of simple economics that "non-Power" programs are going to be squeezed out of viability. Some will drop football altogether. Others will drop down to FCS. But the handwriting is on the wall... FBS has been segregated into two distinct divisions.

As a fan of the University of Cincinnati, I could well envision a day where the State of Ohio's board of Higher Education puts such pressure upon UC, Kent State, Miami (of Ohio) and other Public/State schools to make a decision on their FB programs that are hemorrhaging money. UC right now subsidizes it's FB program to a huge degree. That will only go up with FCoA and other measures, all while our TV revenue either stagnates or shrinks. Meanwhile, up the road at Ohio State, they will be able to afford such things because they are reaping 10 to 20X the media revenue. There will almost certainly come a moment where the State...which is dominated by OSU...looks at the smaller programs and says "You just cannot afford to do this any more."

FBS...outside of the Power Conferences...just will not be a viable option. UAB and Hawai'i may be the first of the demise, but they are not the last.

I agree with most of what you said.

However, I think it is in part due to a different reason. I am a big believer that there is a tuition bubble getting ready to pop. Smaller programs and smaller schools are going to be squeezed hard. TV contracts, bowl tie-ins, and the like are all just warning signs.

There needs to be deep, meaningful reform within the various states to put their education systems back on track. Programs, both athletic and academic, need to be scaled back to fit within demand.

That's just my 2 cents.

(11-30-2014 10:06 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 10:02 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 09:28 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  Methinks you've been spending too much time with some of the UAB Kool-Aid drinkers.

This has been a long time coming. Ask yourself, why has nobody stepped forward and offered the football program anything of value to save the program? If somebody was going to shutdown Miami's FB team wouldn't you think one of your big time alums would step forward with cash in hand? That too hasn't happened, partially because there is no such thing as a big time UAB alum and also because there are not really any fans out there.

The answer is because nobody cares about UAB football. That's harsh; I know.

I feel sorry for the players, coaches, and the past players. I don't feel sorry for the fans, because none are willing to open up their wallets.

This isn't the heralding of doom for small programs or anything like that.

BTW, to get an injunction or anything like that you have to be able to show several different things all of which must be related to an underlying claim. None of it fits or applies here.

The Board let UAB make a go of this. UAB drowned on its own. The Board is just a convenient scape goat for their own failure to create a brand, create fans, create even a modicum of excitement, or make the program valuable in any way.

Oh, I don't know...

I certainly don't think this is the "start" of anything, but I do think it is a sign of things to come. UAB is on the block right now, Hawai'i has started talking about closing their FB program... I think that these are but two of the earliest casualties in what the CFB realignment will cause. It's a matter of simple economics that "non-Power" programs are going to be squeezed out of viability. Some will drop football altogether. Others will drop down to FCS. But the handwriting is on the wall... FBS has been segregated into two distinct divisions.

As a fan of the University of Cincinnati, I could well envision a day where the State of Ohio's board of Higher Education puts such pressure upon UC, Kent State, Miami (of Ohio) and other Public/State schools to make a decision on their FB programs that are hemorrhaging money. UC right now subsidizes it's FB program to a huge degree. That will only go up with FCoA and other measures, all while our TV revenue either stagnates or shrinks. Meanwhile, up the road at Ohio State, they will be able to afford such things because they are reaping 10 to 20X the media revenue. There will almost certainly come a moment where the State...which is dominated by OSU...looks at the smaller programs and says "You just cannot afford to do this any more."

FBS...outside of the Power Conferences...just will not be a viable option. UAB and Hawai'i may be the first of the demise, but they are not the last.

I agree with most of what you said.

However, I think it is in part due to a different reason. I am a big believer that there is a tuition bubble getting ready to pop. Smaller programs and smaller schools are going to be squeezed hard. TV contracts, bowl tie-ins, and the like are all just warning signs.

There needs to be deep, meaningful reform within the various states to put their education systems back on track. Programs, both athletic and academic, need to be scaled back to fit within demand.

That's just my 2 cents.

JR agrees with you. Seems to be more of a problem in the slower growing states. States like Georgia and Texas don't have problems filling their schools. But mission creep is a problem everywhere. Every state school wants to be like Cal.

(11-30-2014 10:16 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 10:06 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 10:02 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 09:28 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  Methinks you've been spending too much time with some of the UAB Kool-Aid drinkers.

This has been a long time coming. Ask yourself, why has nobody stepped forward and offered the football program anything of value to save the program? If somebody was going to shutdown Miami's FB team wouldn't you think one of your big time alums would step forward with cash in hand? That too hasn't happened, partially because there is no such thing as a big time UAB alum and also because there are not really any fans out there.

The answer is because nobody cares about UAB football. That's harsh; I know.

I feel sorry for the players, coaches, and the past players. I don't feel sorry for the fans, because none are willing to open up their wallets.

This isn't the heralding of doom for small programs or anything like that.

BTW, to get an injunction or anything like that you have to be able to show several different things all of which must be related to an underlying claim. None of it fits or applies here.

The Board let UAB make a go of this. UAB drowned on its own. The Board is just a convenient scape goat for their own failure to create a brand, create fans, create even a modicum of excitement, or make the program valuable in any way.

Oh, I don't know...

I certainly don't think this is the "start" of anything, but I do think it is a sign of things to come. UAB is on the block right now, Hawai'i has started talking about closing their FB program... I think that these are but two of the earliest casualties in what the CFB realignment will cause. It's a matter of simple economics that "non-Power" programs are going to be squeezed out of viability. Some will drop football altogether. Others will drop down to FCS. But the handwriting is on the wall... FBS has been segregated into two distinct divisions.

As a fan of the University of Cincinnati, I could well envision a day where the State of Ohio's board of Higher Education puts such pressure upon UC, Kent State, Miami (of Ohio) and other Public/State schools to make a decision on their FB programs that are hemorrhaging money. UC right now subsidizes it's FB program to a huge degree. That will only go up with FCoA and other measures, all while our TV revenue either stagnates or shrinks. Meanwhile, up the road at Ohio State, they will be able to afford such things because they are reaping 10 to 20X the media revenue. There will almost certainly come a moment where the State...which is dominated by OSU...looks at the smaller programs and says "You just cannot afford to do this any more."

FBS...outside of the Power Conferences...just will not be a viable option. UAB and Hawai'i may be the first of the demise, but they are not the last.

I agree with most of what you said.

However, I think it is in part due to a different reason. I am a big believer that there is a tuition bubble getting ready to pop. Smaller programs and smaller schools are going to be squeezed hard. TV contracts, bowl tie-ins, and the like are all just warning signs.

There needs to be deep, meaningful reform within the various states to put their education systems back on track. Programs, both athletic and academic, need to be scaled back to fit within demand.

That's just my 2 cents.

JR agrees with you. Seems to be more of a problem in the slower growing states. States like Georgia and Texas don't have problems filling their schools. But mission creep is a problem everywhere. Every state school wants to be like Cal.

I wouldn't go as far as to say there is a problem filling the schools. In fact, it is quite the opposite. UA accepts less than 50% of those who apply. Auburn accepts something like 60%.

The problem is that the best schools, in line with what you said, are creating programs which aren't needed within the state and other programs are being expanded to ridiculous levels. This is all being done to pander to out of state students.

A friend of mine in the AEA told me that UA and AU alone produce enough teachers every year to fill every teaching job within the state. That's unreal, considering that UNA, UAH, UAB, UofM, UWA, Jack State, AUM, USA, and Troy are all also producing prodigious numbers of teachers every year as well.

Ua is denying admission to half of those who applies? Link please

Didn't the UA Board prevent UAB from hiring Jimbo Fisher?

https://www.parchment.com/u/college/1338...ma/profile

this says 99% admission

(11-30-2014 09:57 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 09:28 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 09:18 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 08:48 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 08:46 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  Is there any way UAB could get an injunction to prevent the formal shutdown of Blazer football? They may lose in the end, but once the BOT pulls the plug no lawsuit will be able to heal the damage that's been done.

Who would have standing?

The coaching staff who will be on the unemployment line, the players who lose their scholarships, the teams who were scheduled to play UAB in 2015 and 2016, the City of Birmingham for terminating their lease at Legion Field, etc.

In reality I'm not very sure, I'm no lawyer. I'm just throwing out ideas to see if they could somehow save the program, this whole situation sucks for UAB. Sounds like Saban is running out of Andrew Jacksons to wipe his a$$ with. I wonder if the UAH hockey program is on the chopping block next.

Someone on the MAC boards was worried that this might be the start of a trend where football programs at non-P5 public universities are cut to maintain P5 ones. While that's not much of an immediate concern for the MAC (none of our schools are affiliated with the OSU or UM systems for example), are others in danger of having the same thing happen to them? In Texas, UTEP and UTSA are under the same umbrella as UT-Austin, although I have no clue about anything in Texas so this is probably a bad comparison.

Methinks you've been spending too much time with some of the UAB Kool-Aid drinkers.

This has been a long time coming. Ask yourself, why has nobody stepped forward and offered the football program anything of value to save the program? If somebody was going to shutdown Miami's FB team wouldn't you think one of your big time alums would step forward with cash in hand? That too hasn't happened, partially because there is no such thing as a big time UAB alum and also because there are not really any fans out there.

The answer is because nobody cares about UAB football. That's harsh; I know.

I feel sorry for the players, coaches, and the past players. I don't feel sorry for the fans, because none are willing to open up their wallets.

This isn't the heralding of doom for small programs or anything like that.

BTW, to get an injunction or anything like that you have to be able to show several different things all of which must be related to an underlying claim. None of it fits or applies here.

The Board let UAB make a go of this. UAB drowned on its own. The Board is just a convenient scape goat for their own failure to create a brand, create fans, create even a modicum of excitement, or make the program valuable in any way.

Sounds like the board refused to let them do serious fundraising.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/...ledge.html

http://collegeapps.about.com/od/collegep...labama.htm
of course this one say 57% admitted.

(11-30-2014 10:42 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 09:57 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 09:28 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 09:18 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 08:48 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  Who would have standing?

The coaching staff who will be on the unemployment line, the players who lose their scholarships, the teams who were scheduled to play UAB in 2015 and 2016, the City of Birmingham for terminating their lease at Legion Field, etc.

In reality I'm not very sure, I'm no lawyer. I'm just throwing out ideas to see if they could somehow save the program, this whole situation sucks for UAB. Sounds like Saban is running out of Andrew Jacksons to wipe his a$$ with. I wonder if the UAH hockey program is on the chopping block next.

Someone on the MAC boards was worried that this might be the start of a trend where football programs at non-P5 public universities are cut to maintain P5 ones. While that's not much of an immediate concern for the MAC (none of our schools are affiliated with the OSU or UM systems for example), are others in danger of having the same thing happen to them? In Texas, UTEP and UTSA are under the same umbrella as UT-Austin, although I have no clue about anything in Texas so this is probably a bad comparison.

Methinks you've been spending too much time with some of the UAB Kool-Aid drinkers.

This has been a long time coming. Ask yourself, why has nobody stepped forward and offered the football program anything of value to save the program? If somebody was going to shutdown Miami's FB team wouldn't you think one of your big time alums would step forward with cash in hand? That too hasn't happened, partially because there is no such thing as a big time UAB alum and also because there are not really any fans out there.

The answer is because nobody cares about UAB football. That's harsh; I know.

I feel sorry for the players, coaches, and the past players. I don't feel sorry for the fans, because none are willing to open up their wallets.

This isn't the heralding of doom for small programs or anything like that.

BTW, to get an injunction or anything like that you have to be able to show several different things all of which must be related to an underlying claim. None of it fits or applies here.

The Board let UAB make a go of this. UAB drowned on its own. The Board is just a convenient scape goat for their own failure to create a brand, create fans, create even a modicum of excitement, or make the program valuable in any way.

Sounds like the board refused to let them do serious fundraising.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/...ledge.html

That's a promise, not cash in hand.

Nobody is stepping forward with anything but a promise, and promises are what they've been dealing in since the beginning, none of which have materialized.

I tend to believe this one. Ua at 77% and au 84%

It's hard to get support for your football program when you've been to only one bowl game, your BOT prevents you from hiring Jimbo Fisher, and prevents you from trying to raise money for an on-campus stadium. There's no reason that UAB, near the center of the football-crazy south, wouldn't be able to receive adequate support from their alumni and local community if the team is winning. It looks like Clark has (or had) them on that path, and attendance doubled this year as a result.

UAB was put in an impossible situation through decisions beyond their control, and when they weren't successful despite all that, that was used as rationale for shutting them down. That stinks. I will be anti-Alabama from this point forward. That's really screwed up.

(11-30-2014 11:07 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  It's hard to get support for your football program when you've been to only one bowl game, your BOT prevents you from hiring Jimbo Fisher, and prevents you from trying to raise money for an on-campus stadium. There's no reason that UAB, near the center of the football-crazy south, wouldn't be able to receive adequate support from their alumni and local community if the team is winning. It looks like Clark has (or had) them on that path, and attendance doubled this year as a result.

Those are nice talking points, and that's a nice sentiment. But, the facts say otherwise. They couldn't support a football team.

Doubling attendance isn't hard when the numbers are that low.

(11-30-2014 11:13 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 11:07 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  It's hard to get support for your football program when you've been to only one bowl game, your BOT prevents you from hiring Jimbo Fisher, and prevents you from trying to raise money for an on-campus stadium. There's no reason that UAB, near the center of the football-crazy south, wouldn't be able to receive adequate support from their alumni and local community if the team is winning. It looks like Clark has (or had) them on that path, and attendance doubled this year as a result.

Those are nice talking points, and that's a nice sentiment. But, the facts say otherwise. They couldn't support a football team.

Doubling attendance isn't hard when the numbers are that low.

If the decision was theirs to make on their own, would they really choose to shut it down? I doubt it. That's the difference. But that is life for a branch campus, I guess.

(11-30-2014 07:39 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 06:34 PM)ClairtonPanther Wrote:  Why doesn't CUSA keep UAB for all sports but football and add UMass for just football. Seems like a quality solution to me.

They might. UAB is not automatically out if they drop football. John Infante, who blogs about NCAA compliance and rules, looked at the CUSA bylaws and writes that it would take a three-fourths vote of CUSA presidents to kick UAB out of the league.

That means that if UAB can find four CUSA presidents to vote in their favor, they can stay in CUSA without football.

Quote:My reading of the C-USA bylaws (admittedly from 2011-12 so a little out of date) did not find a requirement that schools field a football team. For instance the Mountain West does require that institutions sponsor football (as well as volleyball, and men’s and women’s basketball). C-USA only requires that institutions participate in conference competition for all sports an institutions sponsors if those sports are conference sports. That means if the conference no longer wants UAB as a member, it would have to take action to expel UAB from the conference, which requires a 3/4 vote of the Board of Directors.

http://30mileradius.com/2014/11/what-uab...all-means/

I love John, but he missed CUSA blyaw 3.01 regarding eligibility. It states that institutions must be US universities and designated as members of the FBS subdivision to be eligible for membership in the conference.

That said, they currently have Charlotte and Old Dominion who aren't full FBS members yet (both are in transition, though), so there could be some precedent for staying. But Dan Wolken's article and the letter to the UAB president earlier this month sure made it sound like it's truly a possibility that they would have to leave CUSA.

(11-30-2014 10:02 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 09:28 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  Methinks you've been spending too much time with some of the UAB Kool-Aid drinkers.

This has been a long time coming. Ask yourself, why has nobody stepped forward and offered the football program anything of value to save the program? If somebody was going to shutdown Miami's FB team wouldn't you think one of your big time alums would step forward with cash in hand? That too hasn't happened, partially because there is no such thing as a big time UAB alum and also because there are not really any fans out there.

The answer is because nobody cares about UAB football. That's harsh; I know.

I feel sorry for the players, coaches, and the past players. I don't feel sorry for the fans, because none are willing to open up their wallets.

This isn't the heralding of doom for small programs or anything like that.

BTW, to get an injunction or anything like that you have to be able to show several different things all of which must be related to an underlying claim. None of it fits or applies here.

The Board let UAB make a go of this. UAB drowned on its own. The Board is just a convenient scape goat for their own failure to create a brand, create fans, create even a modicum of excitement, or make the program valuable in any way.

Oh, I don't know...

I certainly don't think this is the "start" of anything, but I do think it is a sign of things to come. UAB is on the block right now, Hawai'i has started talking about closing their FB program... I think that these are but two of the earliest casualties in what the CFB realignment will cause. It's a matter of simple economics that "non-Power" programs are going to be squeezed out of viability. Some will drop football altogether. Others will drop down to FCS. But the handwriting is on the wall... FBS has been segregated into two distinct divisions.

As a fan of the University of Cincinnati, I could well envision a day where the State of Ohio's board of Higher Education puts such pressure upon UC, Kent State, Miami (of Ohio) and other Public/State schools to make a decision on their FB programs that are hemorrhaging money. UC right now subsidizes it's FB program to a huge degree. That will only go up with FCoA and other measures, all while our TV revenue either stagnates or shrinks. Meanwhile, up the road at Ohio State, they will be able to afford such things because they are reaping 10 to 20X the media revenue. There will almost certainly come a moment where the State...which is dominated by OSU...looks at the smaller programs and says "You just cannot afford to do this any more."

FBS...outside of the Power Conferences...just will not be a viable option. UAB and Hawai'i may be the first of the demise, but they are not the last.

I think your spot on about how things are going to play out. At Charlotte we just finished year 2 of football. There was a lot of debate and argument on our board about why we don't have definitive plans to expand our 15.5k on campus stadium. Some of the folks have mentioned that having a small stadium is going to be an asset in the future due to needed cost containment.

The real issue is exactly what you said. The revenue line between G5 and P5. The P5 are going to be able to survive easily on the money pouring in.

If the G5 don't get significant revenue increases in the next round of TV negotiations then it's just going to be a simple matter of some accountants who run the numbers and realize it either is or isn't sustainable.

Just a couple more programs fold and some serious changes are going to have to happen. Regionalized conferences and dropping to FCS or some split is going to happen or else the whole thing is going to slowly disintegrate.