If it's true So. Miss to the Sun Belt...

[JDubyadawg]

Here is the latest from USA Today on athletic revenues and expenses that may be relevant to this conversation.

https://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/finances

So with a quick spread sheet & custom sort we can see the following:

1. La Tech is dead last in CUSA with revenue @ $23,317,495.00. That is more than2M behind the next to last which is Southern Miss.

2. La Tech is #129 in Total Revenue of 230 Colleges listed in this report.

The 5 Schools above us are:

124 Towson CAA $24,473,314 125 Massachusetts-Lowell AM East $24,350,572 126 Northern Arizona Big Sky $24,164,258 127 California-Irvine Big West $23,962,828 128 Montana Big Sky $23,570,369

The 5 Schools right below us are:

130	Binghamton	AM East	$23,257,079
131	Montana State	Big Sky	$22,969,450
132	Maine	AM East	$22,385,541
133	South Dakota State	Summit	$22,263,886
134	Vermont	AM East	$22,043,728

-
Apparently - we are already playing way above our league.

[johnnylightnin]

So with a quick spread sheet & custom sort we can see the following:

1. La Tech is dead last in CUSA with revenue @ $23,317,495.00. That is more than2M behind the next to last which is Southern Miss.

2. La Tech is #129 in Total Revenue of 230 Colleges listed in this report.

The 5 Schools above us are:

124 Towson CAA $24,473,314 125 Massachusetts-Lowell AM East $24,350,572 126 Northern Arizona Big Sky $24,164,258 127 California-Irvine Big West $23,962,828 128 Montana Big Sky $23,570,369

The 5 Schools right below us are:

130	Binghamton	AM East	$23,257,079
131	Montana State	Big Sky	$22,969,450
132	Maine	AM East	$22,385,541
133	South Dakota State	Summit	$22,263,886
134	Vermont	AM East	$22,043,728

-
Apparently - we are already playing way above our league.

More with less right?

[T1]

More with less right?

Tech didn't make any money in FBS. The G5 has been relegated to the poor folks of FBS. Would FCS be a viable option for Tech? What would Tech lose in joining the Southland, other than pride?

[T1]

I thought of this: (irony)

[SicemDawgz]

Well, if we’re going to be independent and keep loser Holtz, why not just schedule 10 money games every year and build up our budget? Every P5 in the nation would want to schedule us, and that’s a guaranteed dub for them.

[techman05]

10 away money games every year so we can build up basketball and baseball. I like it.

[DallasDog]

Well, if we’re going to be independent and keep loser Holtz, why not just schedule 10 money games every year and build up our budget? Every P5 in the nation would want to schedule us, and that’s a guaranteed dub for them.

He would probably still manage a couple of wins and we would be quite a bit richer. Spend it on MBB and BSB.

[SicemDawgz]

1.5 to 2 million per game.

[techman05]

He would probably still manage a couple of wins and we would be quite a bit richer. Spend it on MBB and BSB.

Maybe, if Kansas, Vanderbilt, and Wake Forest can be talked into giving us $2million to beat them. Otherwise, we will be 0 for whatever.

[SicemDawgz]

Maybe, if Kansas, Vanderbilt, and Wake Forest can be talked into giving us $2million to beat them. Otherwise, we will be 0 for whatever.

If we’re Indy, we are unlikely to get a bowl invite anyway, so it really doesn’t matter what our record is.

[techman05]

If we’re Indy, we are unlikely to get a bowl invite anyway, so it really doesn’t matter what our record is.

This is true

[T1]

If we’re Indy, we are unlikely to get a bowl invite anyway, so it really doesn’t matter what our record is.

Bowls don’t mean anything. I think the worst part would be scheduling and nothing to play for (championships)… but we don’t win those anyway. Sheesh… there is nothing to lose.

[techman05]

Bowls don’t mean anything. I think the worst part would be scheduling and nothing to play for (championships)… but we don’t win those anyway. Sheesh… there is nothing to lose.

So, we just need to be a non football member of some conference and not worry with football anymore. The suits have set the standard of concern for Athletics. Why waste any energy expecting something they care not to deliver?

[revf]

So with a quick spread sheet & custom sort we can see the following:

1. La Tech is dead last in CUSA with revenue @ $23,317,495.00. That is more than2M behind the next to last which is Southern Miss.

2. La Tech is #129 in Total Revenue of 230 Colleges listed in this report.

The 5 Schools above us are:

124 Towson CAA $24,473,314 125 Massachusetts-Lowell AM East $24,350,572 126 Northern Arizona Big Sky $24,164,258 127 California-Irvine Big West $23,962,828 128 Montana Big Sky $23,570,369

The 5 Schools right below us are:

130	Binghamton	AM East	$23,257,079
131	Montana State	Big Sky	$22,969,450
132	Maine	AM East	$22,385,541
133	South Dakota State	Summit	$22,263,886
134	Vermont	AM East	$22,043,728

-
Apparently - we are already playing way above our league.

Come on, they buried the lead on that misleading number comparing ourselves to Southern Miss.

Check it again, Southern Miss receives $8.3 Million in Student Fees.

Compare that to Louisiana Tech's $0 in Student Fees.

UTSA is $13.9 Million.

North Texas is $13.5 Million.

And FIU tops out at whopping $25.5 Million in Student Athletic Fees.

Yes the schools leaving with "bigger budgets" are playing a shell game with their students and Student Loans. They are propping up their athletic budgets at the cost of bigger student loans passed on to their students. Even worse that they are passing along all these "student athletic fees" to anyone who takes an online class with them.

Take away a lot of these "Student Athletic Fees" in the millions and those bigger C-USA budgets are on par with Tech's Budget.

Now. I am not saying Tech should not have a Student Athletic Fee, but I also think we should compare apples and apples vs apples and oranges.

[Blue Dawg]

Come on, they buried the lead on that misleading number comparing ourselves to Southern Miss.

Check it again, Southern Miss receives $8.3 Million in Student Fees.

Compare that to Louisiana Tech's $0 in Student Fees.

UTSA is $13.9 Million.

North Texas is $13.5 Million.

And FIU tops out at whopping $25.5 Million in Student Athletic Fees.

Yes the schools leaving with "bigger budgets" are playing a shell game with their students and Student Loans. They are propping up their athletic budgets at the cost of bigger student loans passed on to their students. Even worse that they are passing along all these "student athletic fees" to anyone who takes an online class with them.

Take away a lot of these "Student Athletic Fees" in the millions and those bigger C-USA budgets are on par with Tech's Budget.

Now. I am not saying Tech should not have a Student Athletic Fee, but I also think we should compare apples and apples vs apples and oranges.

I recognize the impact student fees have.

But at the same time, I'm very uncomfortable subsidizing athletics at the expense of higher academic costs (reflected in constantly ballooning debt and subsidy-driven inflation).

Yes, everyone else is doing it, yes that's part of the reason we've been left behind. But at what cost?