Griz AD Jim O'Day's take on moving up
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As all things Grizzly seem to be at a stand still, one discussion continues to stagnate. The topic of that discussion is whether or not the University of Montana football team should make the jump to Football Bowl Subdivision (I-AA to I-A). Every eGrizzer has heard all the arguments and most are pretty sick of it, but they haven't heard Athletic Director Jim O'Day's take on the situation. For as much as the fans talk about it, you'd think the administration would discuss the matter once in a while. Nope."No, we really don’t spend much time discussing this issue. It, most likely, would have to be made by the university, then the Board of Regents, and possibly, the state legislature," said O'Day. "At this time, there does not seem much interest by any of the decision-makers to even look at a move – or even talk about it. I haven’t heard anything."
In an exchange of emails, O'Day pointed to some of the issues most eGrizzers have raised. Starting with, 'which conference would the Griz go to?'
"If you did move to the Football Bowl Subdivision (I-A), which conference affiliation would you be aligned with? That is a big question mark and would be critical in the decision-making process," said O'Day. "It’s hard enough to schedule now… let alone if you’re an independent."
O'Day also posed the question of whether or not this would mean less Montana kids making it on the team. He offered no answer because no one really can. He pointed to Robin Selvig's success building a competitive program with local kids but also stated "that would be hard to duplicate if you were starting from scratch today."
O'Day brought an issue I haven't heard much about: the fact that most I-A conferences require 16 varsity sports. We only have 14.
"Which sports would you add (the minimum is 16, and UM currently offers 14) – and where would the money come to pay for the needed facilities, scholarships, travel, coaches salaries, etc." asked O'Day.
"Right now, the UM Athletics budget is approximately $11.5 million. To move into I-A (we are in I-A in all sports except for football) would probably result in a budget of at least $16 million … to even be competitive. Would fans be willing to pay considerably more to watch these teams in football and men’s and women’s basketball. Hard to say. It is very doubtful taxpayers would be willing to make up the difference."
A solution I've proposed before was that the UM athletic program take something of a financial hit to play some lower I-A or WAC teams, just to see how we would stack up against potential competition. O'Day thoroughly explained why this may be very tough to do.
His exact response: "As for scheduling, it is becoming increasingly demanding – for all of our revenue-producing sports. Few want to play a top I-AA opponent in football, and others don’t want to travel to a Big Sky Conference school to play basketball unless they’re rewarded with healthy financial guarantees (say $50,000 for men’s basketball --- and right now we can only afford $15,000 ---- Wyoming paid us $55,000 last year). Many conferences are now establishing policy to not allow their schools to play football at the home sites of FCS schools --- especially ones like Montana, Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, etc. They really have nothing to gain. As far as game guarantees are concerned, we’re already paying large sums to get other I-AA schools here. For example, we’re paying Albany $125,000 to come to Missoula… while Boise State is offering slightly more at $175,000 to Weber State (who can make some money by busing as opposed to flying). Appalachian State paid Northern Arizona $175,000 to travel to the east coast… The trip alone will cost NAU at least $100,000… resulting in a net $75,000 --- or about the same as one of their home games. Currently, UM home conference games “net” us about $350,000 --- with any non-league guarantee taken out of that figure… Thus, Albany will help our bottom line in our financial picture by about $225,000. It is a “must” that we do our best to meet our budgetary needs – and that becomes increasingly more challenging each day with mounting expenses for salaries, travel, utilities, etc."
O'Day went on to acknowledge that the FBS scene "is not a rosy one." O'Day said he is meeting with the FBS Athletic Directors in Florida this week and "we may know more after that."
"In the meantime, we will continue to improve facilities, build the program and do our best to make UM Athletics the special place it has become --- knowing that some day we might have to make a decision that will affect the future of our athletics program and its fans. Only time will tell. Stay tuned."
UM athletics is an anomaly,a highly successful program that has outgrown its traditional opponents, but continues to be governed by those satisfied to watch Griz football serve its primary purpose as a cash cow against largely inferior competition.
Meanwhile,Griz fans pay ticket prices equal to a substantial number of FBS schools while paying minimal guarantees to the Albany State's and Southern Utah's of the world. Visiting BSC teams collect zero for their bus trip.
A good deal for the bottom line? Sure, but a lousy deal for GrizNation paying filet prices for hamburger. Griz football is the sand box bully who needs to give up his pail and shovel and grow up. As long as the status quo continues none of us will ever really know how good Griz teams could be.
There is growing dissent from fans who pay ever-escalating ticket prices for lackluster home schedules. How long will they walk in lock step with the adminstration's dictates before the cash cow goes on a restricted diet?
Forever? I don't think so.
Personally, I think the move is going to take a major donation from ambitious boosters. The program seems very very hesitant when considering taking any kind of financial hits/risks. Their stuck in a tough spot financially, but on of the reasons is bc their in the FBS.
Until someone comes along and donates a huge chunk of money dedicated solely towards pushing the Griz to I-A status. We need someone influential who's willing to put money towards a study, paying travel prices or for guarantee games against better opponents, or for building better facilities for non-revenue sports to make us more appealing to a FBS conference.
I just don't think it's going to happen if we continue on our current financial course. The program recently climbed its way out of major debt and I highly doubt the athletic department wants to fall back in anytime soon.
It has become obvious that we are having an increasingly tough time getting good FCS opponents to our stadium. The majority of good FCS teams out west are in the Big Sky. Outside of those schools we have Davis, Cal Poly, and Southern Utah. That's it! Cal Poly has said they won't come here again till we play them there. Hence we get Albany, Ft. Lewis, and S. Utah. Montana should be ashamed of this schedule but they aren't. Mr. O'Day made the Non Conference schedule sound like we were playing some powerhouses when he announced it. We should score about 130 points against these cupcakes.
Here is an interesting quote from a Boise State fan over at the WAC message board.
"You are correct of course, but the problem arises when you look at the "old school" fans of UM who loathe change or fear possible losses to similar competition impacting the program negetively or worry about the loss of (nonexistent) prestige that playing in the "FCS" (isn't that a femine hygeine spray) division brings them or the loss of the "magic" of a lower division playoff. These fans enjoy testing their metal against Southern Utah, Ft. Lewis, and Albany in non-conference (or if they don't like these matchups they find them more tolerable than the daunting task of taking on regional BCS competition OOC). They tend to enjoy "competing" in a conference where they hold huge budgetary, attendance and facilities advantages over all of their confernce mates. If Montana loses at any time in any sport in the BSC, they should be ashamed but they are not. Why play regional and traditional rivals like UI, UN, USU and BSU when you can knock the snot out of Northern Colorado at their high school-esque stadium? They really need to drop the "Grizzly" nickname and replace it with the more fitting "Ewes".
That about sums it up.
quote: "Which sports would you add (the minimum is 16, and UM currently offers 14) - and where would the money come to pay for the needed facilities, scholarships, travel, coaches salaries, etc." asked O'Day.
"Right now, the UM Athletics budget is approximately $11.5 million. To move into I-A (we are in I-A in all sports except for football) would probably result in a budget of at least $16 million"
I don't get the math - 14 sports, including the most expensive, cost 11.5mil, or $821k each - to add 2 more sports is going to cost at least $4.5 mil more, or $2.25 mil per sport? As for stadiums, add swimming, you already have a pool. Add gymnastics, you already have a gym. Add women's softball, Lacrosse, or hockey, and use existing facilities in the community. Figure an extra 60 scholarships, (28 for football, 32 for women's sports) at $20k each would cost $1.2 million. No extra costs for football uniforms (there are already 90+ on the team, but 32 new girls uniforms and equipment at $500 each, travel for the new sports at $250k per year, 4 new coaches at $50k each, and I get a cost of $1,665,000 or $833k per new sport, about the same as the average for the current budget.
Either something stinks, or O'Day can't do math.