NCAAbbs

... depending on what Rice officials do.

Associated Press
HOUSTON -- Rice University's board of trustees has commissioned a study that looks at everything from doing away with athletics at the school to enhancing facilities for athletes, according to a broadcast report Wednesday.

Houston television station KRIV, citing sources close to the Rice faculty, said the study was done by Houston-based McKinsey and Company to determine the fate of Rice athletics.

According to the sources, options outlined also include dropping to Division III status, dropping football, keeping the programs as they are now and building new facilities to enhance the athletic programs.

Rice athletic director Bobby May confirmed that the study was commissioned, but added that he has not seen the confidential report meant only for the board of trustees.

The school's baseball team is the defending national champion and both the men's and women's basketball teams made it to postseason play in 2004.

I wonder if Rice is concerned about travel expenses (ala Tulane, SMU, UAB, Houston, and others who've done similar evaluations of their athletics program).

FYI, San Jose State is pulling the 1-A plug on it's football program due to their red ink.

There is no way in hell rice is dropping athletics. An SJSU is not pulling the plug on football. They got a vote by the student senate to drop footbll, however the student senate has no power. The public attack on the athletic program has actually benefitted SJSU it has rallied local buisness leaders behind the athletic program. SJSU football will survive.

SJS is more likely to drop I-AA than Rice is to drop their athletic program. I think there is a possiblity that SJS drops in a couple years. These ppl have been talking about this for about 3 years now. And it finally goes public and to a vote.

rice isnt going no where.... dropping back was just 1 of many options... they just made the investment to switch... they wont do anything real fast.. my guess they will as recomended in one alternative.. upgrade n try to raise revenues.

bingo.

Smart Money says CUSA will invite UTEP or Stay At Eleven

Something doesn't make sense here. Why would Rice pay millions to join C-USA for all sports and then drop athletics? The more likely scenario, IMO, is that Rice will keep all its programs and invest in new facilities.

If anyone was wondering what the definition of "Schadenfreude" is, it's the title post of this thread.

Actually, SJSU's student government has a HUGE amount of power. They have a $6 million operating budget! Their student government operates as a not-for-profit corporation, completely funded by students, and independent from the university. They have so much extra cash lying around they just purchased and remodeled a house called the "White House". If the University does something they don't like, they can basically shut down the campus because they provide most of the services on campus.

Sorry for the non-athletics related post, but I just did a research study on student governments that operate as not-for-profit corporations.

Wow....that's a killer setup for the students at SJSU. I hate to see any team drop down from 1A, but to me it's even worse when a team tries to hang on when it obviously isn't working. Good job by the students in seeing the smarter choice.

For the people who are still wondering:

schadenfreude \SHAHD-n-froy-duh\, noun:
A malicious satisfaction in the misfortunes of others.

What great savings does tech offer over utep- perhaps 80-100k per year for the western teams. Not enough to make a difference.

The best way to save on travel is to get USM into the west and add an eastern team.

Let's assume some scenarios where Tulane is playing 1) at UTEP 2) at LA Tech, 3) home vs UTEP, and 4) home vs LA Tech the first weekend of October '04. You'll fly to El Paso on Friday 10-1 and fly back to N.O. on Sunday 10-3 or drive to LA Tech and back.

1. Tulane @ UTEP: Per Expedia.com <a href='http://www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll?qscr=fexp&flag=q&city1=New+Orleans%2C+LA+%28MSY%2DNew+Orleans+Intl%2E%29&citd1=El+Paso%2C+TX+%28ELP%2DEl+Paso+Intl%2E%29&date1=10/1/2004&time1=362&date2=10/3/2004&time2=362&cAdu=1&cSen=0&cChi=0&cInf=&infs=2&tktt=&ecrc=&eccn=&qryt=8&bund=1&load=1&rfrr=-429&&tpid=1' target='_blank'>airfare is expensive! click here</a> the cheapest airfare from New Orleans to El Paso is $326/person. $326 x approx 155 coaches, players, trainers, equipment personnel, athletics admin, select boosters,... is ~$50,000 loss for Tulane only in travel- ignoring lodging, meals, meeting rooms,... for one football game. Do the same exercise for Tulane's other ~15 NCAA sports- this gets extremely expensive for a program trying to keep 1-A football!

2. Tulane @ LA Tech. Rent 5 buses ~$100 each and gas them up- travel expense is ~$1,000 loss for Tulane. Spend Saturday night & drive home the next day. No need for the Friday stay, more fans can attend the road game,... Tulane's other sports can travel for less than this $1,000. Tulane's travel expense for all sports to LA Tech for the year is <$15,000!

3. UTEP @ Tulane. 20 UTEP fans spend ~$30 each on tickets & concessions- Tulane's additional revenue= $600. UTEP is out the same $50,000 loss as Tulane in scenario 1.

4. LA Tech @ Tulane. 5,000 LA Tech fans (many of which live in New Orleans, Baton Rouge,...) spend ~$30 each on tickets & concessions- Tulane's additional revenue= $150,000. LA Tech is out the same ~$1,000 loss as Tulane in scenario 2.

I already know how the CUSA presidents will vote- they'll go with the significantly lower cost & significantly higher revenues that Louisiana Tech brings in scenarios 2) & 4).

Eight of the eleven CUSA programs will see positive $$$ results with LA Tech. Eight of eleven CUSA programs will see $$$ losses with UTEP.

You're pointing out what a La Tech would do for Tulane and not CUSA as a whole. And I could bust all kind of holes in your airfare info.

But if what you are saying have any validity then why is it that the majority of CUSA AD's are in favor of UTEP? Is it because they're stupid and don't know what they doing? You and I both know that isn't true and I think it's safe to assume that you and I both know the reasons why UTEP is a favorite over a La Tech or UNT.

The vote was not by SJSU's STUDENT SENATE. The vote was by the school's FACULTY SENATE.


BIG difference. I highly doubt the students would vote to drop to 1-AA, I don't care how few of them go to games.

the cheapest airfare from New Orleans to El Paso is $326/person. $326 x approx 155 coaches, players, trainers, equipment personnel, athletics admin, select boosters,... is ~$50,000 loss for Tulane only in travel- ignoring lodging, meals, meeting rooms,... for one football game. Do the same exercise for Tulane's other ~15 NCAA sports- this gets extremely expensive for a program trying to keep 1-A football!

Well, you charter football flights- but I'll buy your analysis- 50K for football, which is once every OTHER year, or 25K per year.
There are 15 other sports- to be conservative, let's say they, too, travel to UTEP every other year (many don't- tennis, for example, doesn't play a conference schedule). At an average of 15 persons per team, that would be 1/10 of the football cost or 2,500 per year x 15 sports, or $37,500 per year.
That's a total of $87,500 per year in costs travelling to UTEP. Not enough to make a difference. Re your stuff on hotels and busses- I'll call that a wash - teams will have to stay the night in La Tech.

5,000 LA Tech fans (many of which live in New Orleans, Baton Rouge,...) spend ~$30 each on tickets & concessions- Tulane's additional revenue= $150,000. LA Tech is out the same ~$1,000 loss as Tulane in scenario 2. I'm sure TEch fans will go to the games better than UTEP. Unfortunately, in Tulane's case, we get nothing on concessions. I'm not sure that we get ticket revenue if tech sells the ticket. But let's say we do- 3,000 x $20 = 60K every OTHER year.

Now compute the difference between southern miss and tech for tulane, if c-usa could have gotten an eastern team.

The cost issue is overstated and the cost burden is on UTEP not everyone else.

And then there is new revenue for the league...0

Tulane has turned down such cost saving opportunities to play la tech for the last 60 years. They may support tech in this mess, but it's not for the small cost differences- it's for political reasons, and they will be begging for the cover of the east to save them from the ramifications of the support.

No offense Tech man...but if you lived in a large city in the USA....you would know now that Southwest Airlines doesn't participate and sell tix via Expedia/Travelocity/Orbitz, etc.

Southwest Airlines only sell tix via the internet on their own website.

Also...I can't remember ONE Div I-A Team "busing" up to a game on GAME DAY (as in your scenario of Tulane taking a 4 plus hour bus ride up to La Tech on GAME DAY!!!)

Heck..even schools 120 miles apart (like UF and FSU) bus over to a nearby town the night before the game.

I can't recall ANY Div I-A Team busing over 4 hours on the same day as a game.

Also...for most CUSA Fans...its cheaper in many instances to fly Southwest Airlines to El Paso from Houston, Dallas, New Orleans, Birmingham and Orlando...then it is to fly a major carrier to a hub...then "connect" on a commuter/jet/prop and fly to Monroe, LA...then drive to Ruston.

It's all about supply and demand.

KL

Good explan on the airfare KnightLight.

Most teams don't bus on game day and few bus over 4 hours. (Tulane doesn't bus 6 hours to Houston, for example).

But welcome to the world of La Tech.

Then why did Tulane bus to Louisiana-Monroe, Paul? :laugh:

It's not a 6 hour bus ride.

1. Rice apparently routinely does this. While I joked about it, it's not going to happen.

2. SJSU is not officially dropping from D-1A. It was recommended, but that hardly constitutes a decision.

YEAH. So quit your joking, Jokey McJokerson.

Hey, watch your sassin', young lady! :D :wave:

Awww... you called me "young lady". That's so sweet. :D

:laugh: