Post by acutrackfan on Dec 10, 2022 10:35:20 GMT -6
From what I know from conversations on campus, ACU joined the WAC fully expecting it to go FBS within 10-15 years. SHSU and NMSU got antsy and jumped at the chance to move to an established G5 league. UIW, McNeese and Lamar got cold feet about their ability to move to FBS and stayed in or returned to the safe confines of the SLC. The expected plan was falling apart. So, the WAC/A-SUN football-playing schools are trying to resurrect the idea of FBS in a unique way and it might work. AND, it might not work. Is there ever a great time to try to make a leap like this? Probably not, but fearing that SFA and Tarleton might leave us behind is not very attractive either.
I do wish that ACU was in a stronger athletic budget position right now before we try to add millions to the budget for FBS. We improved our football budget this past season (and it showed in an improved team), but the improved budget was funded partially by donated money and partly by shaving off budget from most of the other sports. Track and field is headed to fewer track meets this year and will be going almost exclusively to meets within driving range. Probably few, if any, ACU athletes will be able to go Mt SAC out in Cali. Last year ACU was headed to College Station for an indoor meet and the bulk of the team was driving to College Station early that morning for an 11 a.m. start -- to save money on housing the team at a hotel the night before the meet. Bad weather came in and the bus driver refused to leave until the temp reached a certain level. So, the team missed some of the early events and some of the sprinters literally changed on the bus and ran from the bus to the starting blocks for their races. Being in a position where we are constantly trying to compete at the D-1 level on a healthy D2 budget is not easy, but ACU has done a relatively good job at it.
I have to think that ACU will have some donor support for this possible FBS move, but I hope it is significant enough to prevent continued cannibalization of other programs. I do think that having an AD who thinks outside the box, like Zach Lassiter, as well as a university president who is a fantastic fund raiser like Phil Schubert, will make the move more feasible than it might have been in previous years.
I do wish that ACU was in a stronger athletic budget position right now before we try to add millions to the budget for FBS. We improved our football budget this past season (and it showed in an improved team), but the improved budget was funded partially by donated money and partly by shaving off budget from most of the other sports. Track and field is headed to fewer track meets this year and will be going almost exclusively to meets within driving range. Probably few, if any, ACU athletes will be able to go Mt SAC out in Cali. Last year ACU was headed to College Station for an indoor meet and the bulk of the team was driving to College Station early that morning for an 11 a.m. start -- to save money on housing the team at a hotel the night before the meet. Bad weather came in and the bus driver refused to leave until the temp reached a certain level. So, the team missed some of the early events and some of the sprinters literally changed on the bus and ran from the bus to the starting blocks for their races. Being in a position where we are constantly trying to compete at the D-1 level on a healthy D2 budget is not easy, but ACU has done a relatively good job at it.
I have to think that ACU will have some donor support for this possible FBS move, but I hope it is significant enough to prevent continued cannibalization of other programs. I do think that having an AD who thinks outside the box, like Zach Lassiter, as well as a university president who is a fantastic fund raiser like Phil Schubert, will make the move more feasible than it might have been in previous years.