(04-16-2014 04:34 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  EKU doesn't have the time like Western to build first. What EKU needs is to set out a plan and sell the SBC on they can get it done in 2 to 3 years. That's what EKU is doing laying out their plain even without the needed bonding in place and hoping that will be good enough for the SBC.

If the reports from SBC fans are correct that the SBC wants to go east at almost any cost EKU is still in the game. Especially if the other two schools have backed out. Actually I think MSU never was in the game just more of fans thinking something and building something from nothing...especially ASU fans. JMU was the only team the SBC wanted and if they said no...a for sure no that really only leaves a few schools and EKU is most likely close to the top....

other words a school with less warts and a football program with some history behind it. If that's the case selling the SBC on "we can built it" if we have a home might just work for EKU. I still think the finial upgrade project will be far from what EKU wants but that's just half the battle. Getting a home is the most important one. To me that's a lot closer for EKU to achieve today than a week or so ago.

Not being "on the ground" my opinion obviously lacks knowledge of some of the nuances.

But never stopped me before.

I perceive the WKU/EKU situations as vastly different.

WKU had as positives a long track record of being a broad based athletic program and was used to paying competitive salaries at least in a selective manner as needed. WKU could add 25 athletes to campus without taxing the support structure of academic counselors and such.

WKU's negative was the football stadium had to be redone to be viable. At less than 18k it wasn't viable to use the facility even as a stop gap while moving, WKU had to attack the facility issue before FBS was viable.

EKU is the polar opposite.

While the stadium does not appear to be a showplace, it is functionally large enough to be used immediately, though I suspect it would be an unpopular stop for ESPNU and deemed inadequate for ESPN/ESPN2 in press box facilities (ESPN hates our set-up, that's one of the motivations for moving the press box remodel from third on our to-do list to second). I doubt the offices and dressing rooms would be deemed competitive by Sun Belt standards but would be functional, and EKU would just have to lump it until they could be improved.

The negative for EKU is in staff size. they have to fund about 30 more more positions and bump scholies up by about a million.

WKU's most pressing need was capital outlay, EKU's most pressing need is annual outlay.

WKU needed a larger sum up front to be functional and wasn't looking at a big (in percentage of budget) increase in annual funding while EKU can kick the can down the road on a lot of capital issues but needs around $2.5 million more per year in annual funding.

WKU could make the annual commitment and capital outlay in full confidence of a waiting home. EKU can defer $1 million to $1.5 million until actually accepted but needs to know with some confidence they can meet that within 12 to 18 months of acceptance.

Maybe I'm missing something, but the only real similarity I see in the two situations is that each school is located in Kentucky.