The harsh financial truth about FCS football

[danefan]

From the mouth of one of the most sound programs in the country.

 

http://www.montanagrizzlies.com/pages/news_item.aspx?n=8648&m=175

[Dane96]

Yikes!!!!

[jpg_91]

This is why we need to increase the scholarship level to counter status. Without a significant pay day game in the future the program can not prosper and might not survive.

[danefan]

This is why we need to increase the scholarship level to counter status. Without a significant pay day game in the future the program can not prosper and might not survive.

 

 

Agreed. If we don't have a significant revenue source, whether its via attendance or guarantee games, the program will always be the subject of significant scrutiny because of the $$$$ that gets committed.

 

While its no guarantee that you'll have a revenue source with 63 rides and a stadium (see e.g. Hofstra), it is guaranteed that we definitely can't have a revenue source without counter status and some kind of stadium.

 

Gotta spend money to make money right?

[UBBulls]

Agreed. If we don't have a significant revenue source, whether its via attendance or guarantee games, the program will always be the subject of significant scrutiny because of the $$$$ that gets committed.

 

While its no guarantee that you'll have a revenue source with 63 rides and a stadium (see e.g. Hofstra), it is guaranteed that we definitely can't have a revenue source without counter status and some kind of stadium.

 

Gotta spend money to make money right?

 

This is true, though money games aren't required. In UB's 6 seasons we only played at Ohio and didn't get much for it. The key was UB Stadium. Being Indy was no issue when there were other Indy schools to schedule. We were playing YSU, Patriot, old Gateway, and Yankee teams home-and-home, and paid a D-2 to play at UB every year. This lead to always having 6 home games, and even having 7 in 1995. UAlbany has never had more than 5. FCS scheduling is just as hierarchical as FBS (Montana having 7 home games sometimes), and UB had everything going except yearly success: 63 rides, the stadium, and getting 6-12K at home games, can make an average FCS team one of the haves. I think Albany can do the same. I realize FCS costs have changed since the 90's, but Albany's location is an advantage.

 

Edit: Maybe not, though. Looking over SBU I see they have had 6 home games once, and last year had 4. That's quite odd, and I guess the reason why they are collecting money games. I would guess the expansion and strengthening of the CAA and MVFC has squeezed even the Eastern 63 ride schools not in those conferences.

[danefan]

SBU is an interesting test-case, but I don't think its comparable to Albany. The best comparison for what Albany can achieve at the FCS level is UMass, IMO. UMass averages about 13,000 per game and has had great success, winning 1 national title and playing for another this decade.

 

The CAA has really taken over FCS football, sending 5 different teams to the National Championship in the last 7 years (and winning the last 2). But the it is the Southern division that has really been dominate. UMass is the only Northern team to make any real noise in the playoffs with its NC.

 

My point is that I still think there is room in the Northeast for a 2 more FCS "haves" in UA and SBU. This is even more true now since Northeastern and Hofstra dropped their programs.