(12-15-2023 06:29 PM)JSchmack Wrote:  Let's get real about A-10 football and FBS revenues.

The short answer is that you have to spend $30m every year to get the extra $15m every year.

AND spend roughly a half billion in startup costs if you're Dayton, Davidson, St. Bonaventure, Saint Louis, VCU or Duquesne. It's $150m cheaper if you're Rhode Island or Richmond.

For the first group, it's not JUST running a $15m football program. You'd be going from 350 student-athletes to 520; you'd be increasing spending not just FBS, but the women's sports menu for Title IX compliance. You'd have to hire the staff to support all of that and build a new athletics center to fit them in.

You'd need an FBS calibre stadium. And if you're VCU, SLU or Duquesne, you simply can't just say "We're building an FBS stadium" because they're land-locked by their communities.

But St. Bonaventure has the unused land right now to build an entirely new FBS stadium, FBS calibre basketball arena, athletics offices, practice field and training complex with no hurdles other than the cash. So the simplest comparison would be St. Bonaventure and Tulsa (Tulsa being smallest FBS school, twice the size of Bona).

Tulsa has 148 athletics department staff, Bona has 85. Tulsa has a $47m budget and Bona is at $15m.


If I HAD $20 billion dollars, I'd totally do it for St. Bonaventure. I'd also double the size of campus and enrollment so maybe we could support football; and I'd build a four-star hotel, an airport and run JSchmack Private Airlines between any P5 members who vote to invite us to their conference.

But absent the ultimate sugar daddy, FBS football simply isn't feasible for anyone most of us to consider.

...and all that would get Bona into CUSA or the MAC and they may not be any better off. Even in a "huge discretionary fund" scenario the money would be better spent on a basketball arena, elite basketball training facility, and an NIL fund for basketball recruiting plus various academic spending to boost school enrollment. The B1G/ACC/Big 12 aren't ever coming for Bona, but if they became Gonzaga East they'd have a shot at a Big East bid. Even if no invite ever came they'd boost their profile just by making the NCAAs out of the A10 every year regardless.

(12-15-2023 06:29 PM)JSchmack Wrote:  You'd need an FBS calibre stadium. And if you're VCU, SLU or Duquesne, you simply can't just say "We're building an FBS stadium" because they're land-locked by their communities.

Don't get me started on UR Stadium, er, City Stadium and the constant fumblin' stumblin' there.

SLU could use the Dome at America's Center, but that only makes sense if they're willing to seriously invest in an FBS program and a possible move to the AAC.