This could be the end of WSU as P5 program

[CougPatrol]

Sorry for the doom and gloom, but if the college football season is shelved in 2020, it may signal the end of the NCAA as we know it. Eventually, things will be rebuilt, but with an entirely new foundation. In that scenario, smaller P5 programs like WSU will likely be closed out.

I have no evidence to support this fearful theory apart from my acquired business instincts. Wisconsin released a statement that their entire AD would be in jeopardy if the season gets shelved, as they would be looking at losses of $100M. That would be true for just about every superpower program, and one thing is for sure, when the rebuilding process begins, those programs are going to try and recoup their losses as quickly as possible. On the West Coast, conference affiliation with the WSU's and OSUs of the league won't be appealing given their TV market.

If this season is a wash, and I think it will be, WSUs inclusion at the big table of collegiate athletics may be over.

 

[dgibbons]

The answer is yes. Along with a number of others that are marginally funded.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

I have no idea where things will end up, but you are not wrong to be worried. Frankly, the entire notion of how to obtain a college education could be under attack if this goes on much longer. These are crazy times.

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

There is a part of me that wants college athletics to get completely blown up. Something that was supposedly based on amateurism is nowhere even close to it any longer and could use a hard reset. Let the NFL create and fund a development league and everyone (except college sports fans) would be happy: kids would get paid, wouldn't have to waste their time with academics, schools wouldn't have to maintain the charade that football is anything other than a revenue generator, and (my personal wish) the NCAA would get blown up.

Don't get me wrong: I'd be super bummed to not have Cougar Football and Basketball. But when I consider the greater good, I feel like colleges, students, and athletes would be better off in the long run without college athletics as they are now.

 

[dgibbons]

There is a part of me that wants college athletics to get completely blown up. Something was was supposedly based on amateurism is nowhere even close to it any longer and could use a hard reset. Let the NFL create and fund a development league and everyone (except college sports fans) would be happy: kids would get paid, wouldn't have to waste their time with academics, schools wouldn't have to maintain the charade that football is anything other than a revenue generator, and (my personal wish) the NCAA would get blown up.

Don't get me wrong: I'd be super bummed to not have Cougar Football and Basketball. But when I consider the greater good, I feel like colleges, students, and athletes would be better off in the long run without college athletics.

I certainly understand that point of view. Athletics provides an opportunity for a lot of people, especially students of color, to get an education. Guys that don't make it past the minor league system don't get a college degree when their athletic career comes to an end. Admittedly, plenty of student-athletes don't have much interest in being students, scrape by academically, etc.

 

[CougPatrol]

I certainly understand that point of view. Athletics provides an opportunity for a lot of people, especially students of color, to get an education. Guys that don't make it past the minor league system don't get a college degree when their athletic career comes to an end. Admittedly, plenty of student-athletes IN FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL don't have much interest in being students, scrape by academically, etc.

Necessary edit, I think.

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

The real power broker in college football.

Good read

 

[dgibbons]

Necessary edit, I think.

I recall a number of baseball players, golfers and track guys that just scraped by.

By and large the female student-athletes were much more... invested perhaps is a good word, in their education.

 

[KRUSTYtheCOUG]

Or, it could just be a pause and a reset lasting a variable length of time to be determined by the conclusion of this pandemic.

The major players in football (just to simplify since it is the most popular and revenue-generating sport) like tOSU BAMA, USC,TEXAS,MICHIGAN,LSU etc would reconstitute their programs. They would need to have opponents. They would not be able to claim all of the best skilled athletes. Costs woild still be a concern so they would need to structure regional affiliations forntheor scheduling. In this climate, tradition would still be a remaining factor. Markets woild still have demands. And the P5 schools would still have the infrastrucure and facilites of major research institutions. In that world itnwoild make sense to return to the most recently tested, workable model of revenue sharing. After all, the trend was set several years ago with conferences getting larger, not smaller. Being on the western half of the uSA offers fewer competitive choices for a conference looking for a university that checks all the boxes.

I concede that the smaller programs would have the greatest risk of being sent to the proverbial kids table (WSU to the Big Sky) but hopefully UW could be our insurance policy . That's all I have to say about that.

 

[dgibbons]

Or, it could just be a pause and a reset lasting a variable length of time to be determined by the conclusion of this pandemic.

The major players in football (just to simplify since it is the most popular and revenue-generating sport) like tOSU BAMA, USC,TEXAS,MICHIGAN,LSU etc would reconstitute their programs. They would need to have opponents. They would not be able to claim all of the best skilled athletes. Costs woild still be a concern so they would need to structure regional affiliations forntheor scheduling. In this climate, tradition would still be a remaining factor. Markets woild still have demands. And the P5 schools would still have the infrastrucure and facilites of major research institutions. In that world itnwoild make sense to return to the most recently tested, workable model of revenue sharing. After all, the trend was set several years ago with conferences getting larger, not smaller. Being on the western half of the uSA offers fewer competitive choices for a conference looking for a university that checks all the boxes.

I concede that the smaller programs would have the greatest risk of being sent to the proverbial kids table (WSU to the Big Sky) but hopefully UW could be our insurance policy . That's all I have to say about that.

I disagree. I think I mentioned it here before. This accelerates the rise of the superconference(s). The Athletic departments at schools like WSU and Oregon State just don't survive. I don't think UA, ASU and Cal do either. You can't lose 50 percent of your revenue. Scaling down just doesn't work.

Instead of a power 5, we end up with three superconferences. An East/Southeast that is the remnants of the SEC and ACC, a Central that is the remnants of the B1G and some Big XII schools, and a West that is the remnants of the Pac-12 and some Big XII schools.

 

[425cougfan]

My base case isn't that this comes to pass. This certainly is a non-zero possibility, though. I can't give a likelihood since so much depends on whether there is a CFB season or not, and on whether there's some kind of massive bailout.

Either way, even if all or nearly all P5 athletic departments survive and/or are bailed out, this may be used as the impetus for the superconference model coming to pass.

People have been saying for years that the model of incurring massive debt to keep up on facilities, coaching salaries, and other lavish expenditures just wasn't sustainable, but a tipping point wasn't clear. We may have it now.

 

[M-I-Coug]

Sorry for the doom and gloom, but if the college football season is shelved in 2020, it may signal the end of the NCAA as we know it. Eventually, things will be rebuilt, but with an entirely new foundation. In that scenario, smaller P5 programs like WSU will likely be closed out.

I have no evidence to support this fearful theory apart from my acquired business instincts. Wisconsin released a statement that their entire AD would be in jeopardy if the season gets shelved, as they would be looking at losses of $100M. That would be true for just about every superpower program, and one thing is for sure, when the rebuilding process begins, those programs are going to try and recoup their losses as quickly as possible. On the West Coast, conference affiliation with the WSU's and OSUs of the league won't be appealing given their TV market.

If this season is a wash, and I think it will be, WSUs inclusion at the big table of collegiate athletics may be over.

Remember, the Feds will (electronically) print the money with a rescue bail out for all schools, including their athletic departments.

The Federal Reserve has unlimited printing execution, (not taxpayer money). The Federal Reserve Chairman on 60 Minutes said to Scott Pelley, "not to worry, we have unlimited resources to help those in a financial bailout". Congress has been continually approving and funding everything since March. No need to worry that the United States government would abort our public (and private) universities, including athletics.

Why would they allow devastation? To add water to the soup, bridge funding is being approved, as well as resources for National Parks. All of these are treasured, including our amazing higher education and research facilities, including college football and other athletics.
.
100% confident without a doubt, the Feds will rescue our colleges and universities. They won't let these programs be devastated.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

I disagree. I think I mentioned it here before. This accelerates the rise of the superconference(s). The Athletic departments at schools like WSU and Oregon State just don't survive. I don't think UA, ASU and Cal do either. You can't lose 50 percent of your revenue. Scaling down just doesn't work.

Instead of a power 5, we end up with three superconferences. An East/Southeast that is the remnants of the SEC and ACC, a Central that is the remnants of the B1G and some Big XII schools, and a West that is the remnants of the Pac-12 and some Big XII schools.

As I said above, the fear that WSU could be left on the outside looking in is a legitimate fear. Athletics disappearing completely? That's not going to happen. Hundreds of colleges have fully functioning athletic departments without Power 5 football contracts. Wichita State hasn't had football in three decades and they have an athletic department that is doing just fine. It would suck for WSU to get left out, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.

The main reason that I am not panicking about this is the fact that there isn't a "need" for college super-conferences that are pared down to the point you are suggesting. You start cutting too deep and nobody gives a rat's ass about college football except the fans of those schools. The big money in college football lies in the fact that a$$holes in Arkansas care about the SEC because they dream of rising to glory again. You leave them out and they are not going to become LSU or 'Bama fans. They're going to watch the Chiefs or the Cowboys instead.

WSU could get hosed, but for the NCAA to be relevant, it can't just turn into a mini-version of the NFL.

 

[425cougfan]

As I said above, the fear that WSU could be left on the outside looking in is a legitimate fear. Athletics disappearing completely? That's not going to happen. Hundreds of colleges have fully functioning athletic departments without Power 5 football contracts. Wichita State hasn't had football in three decades and they have an athletic department that is doing just fine. It would suck for WSU to get left out, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.

The main reason that I am not panicking about this is the fact that there isn't a "need" for college super-conferences that are pared down to the point you are suggesting. You start cutting too deep and nobody gives a rat's ass about college football except the fans of those schools. The big money in college football lies in the fact that a$$holes in Arkansas care about the SEC because they dream of rising to glory again. You leave them out and they are not going to become LSU or 'Bama fans. They're going to watch the Chiefs or the Cowboys instead.

WSU could get hosed, but for the NCAA to be relevant, it can't just turn into a mini-version of the NFL.

I don't know if your cited example is the only reason for big money in college football, but the more general point has merit. Unattached fans watch the NFL because it's the highest level of the sport with elite athletes. Not the same in college football, even if the superteams would be even more loaded with "elite" talent than they are now due to further concentration of top talent. There isn't that much more incremental concentration that could occur, nor would it be meaningful. Random people in, say, Wyoming aren't going to be meaningfully more likely to watch USC play Ohio State in a "superteam" scenario than they would now, IMO.

The superconference scenario also decreases the value of the inventory provided by games involving non-superconference teams. I don't think TV network executives understand that, though, nor do those running the show at the "big" schools care ... quite the contrary, in fact. The bigwigs at USC and Ohio State are all too happy to get a bigger chunk of a more concentrated revenue pie that no longer includes schools like WSU or Oregon State taking a cut, and once a team is included in the superconference, there would be little chance of any who are excluded hoping to catch up or be included in the future.

 

[cr8zyncalif]

I have a different take on how this is likely to progress.

I don't see a lot more football consolidation within the P5. Why? Media needs content. Competing media needs even more content. Unless we consolidate the media to just one or two platforms, I'm not concerned about the P5 shrinking into just two or three super-conferences. The demand is too great for us to see any significant restriction of supply.

I have more concern about the "pay for play" move with licensing, trademarks, etc., for players. That is likely to fuel a lot more corruption. The result is likely to be a greater disparity between the haves and the have nots.

It will be interesting to see if a bailout is put together for universities. If so, will it be public uni's only (hard to see how that would fly politically, but you never know)? Inevitably if money is injected into universities, some of it will find its way into athletics, though it will likely be indirectly. I suspect that there will be a bailout, with some sort of student loan relief measures thrown in to give it more widespread political support.

 

[dgibbons]

I have a different take on how this is likely to progress.

I don't see a lot more football consolidation within the P5. Why? Media needs content. Competing media needs even more content. Unless we consolidate the media to just one or two platforms, I'm not concerned about the P5 shrinking into just two or three super-conferences. The demand is too great for us to see any significant restriction of supply.

I have more concern about the "pay for play" move with licensing, trademarks, etc., for players. That is likely to fuel a lot more corruption. The result is likely to be a greater disparity between the haves and the have nots.

It will be interesting to see if a bailout is put together for universities. If so, will it be public uni's only (hard to see how that would fly politically, but you never know)? Inevitably if money is injected into universities, some of it will find its way into athletics, though it will likely be indirectly. I suspect that there will be a bailout, with some sort of student loan relief measures thrown in to give it more widespread political support.

ESPN and Fox are your two platforms. Kinda like right now. How often do you see Oregon State, Purdue, or Wake Forest in prime time? The conference networks can be easily consolidated.

 

[CougEd]

As I said above, the fear that WSU could be left on the outside looking in is a legitimate fear. Athletics disappearing completely? That's not going to happen. Hundreds of colleges have fully functioning athletic departments without Power 5 football contracts. Wichita State hasn't had football in three decades and they have an athletic department that is doing just fine. It would suck for WSU to get left out, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.

The main reason that I am not panicking about this is the fact that there isn't a "need" for college super-conferences that are pared down to the point you are suggesting. You start cutting too deep and nobody gives a rat's ass about college football except the fans of those schools. The big money in college football lies in the fact that a$$holes in Arkansas care about the SEC because they dream of rising to glory again. You leave them out and they are not going to become LSU or 'Bama fans. They're going to watch the Chiefs or the Cowboys instead.

WSU could get hosed, but for the NCAA to be relevant, it can't just turn into a mini-version of the NFL.

I could see a big cram down in salaries. Yeah I get they signed contracts, but how does Mississippi State pay Leach, how does WSU pay rolo, how does ASU pay Edwards. Never thought we would see Paul Wulff salary again, but we just might.

 

[BiggsCoug]

The $ for kids will come from IG, twitter, FB, etc as influencers.

Get ready to see schools hire people to manage biz accounts for kids. Dont believe me??? Texas has already hired a guy.

You will see schools show kids spread sheets on how many followers they were able to create and how much revenue they generated.

 

[KRUSTYtheCOUG]

ESPN and Fox are your two platforms. Kinda like right now. How often do you see Oregon State, Purdue, or Wake Forest in prime time? The conference networks can be easily consolidated.

They are your 2 PRIMARY platforms. CBS sports and NBC sports are 2 other major networks that would/could step in. Again, there will be a market for content and since college is the de-facto minor leagues of the NFL, I maintain there will be a place for competitive college football in Pullman.

I also kinda agree with M-I that there will be Fed/congressional help if necessary. If anything, TV contracts through sports networks (whether local or national) likely will be more coveted...continuing the trend over the last dozen years. That's all I have to say about that.

 

[dgibbons]

They are your 2 PRIMARY platforms. CBS sports and NBC sports are 2 other major networks that would/could step in. Again, there will be a market for content and since college is the de-facto minor leagues of the NFL, I maintain there will be a place for competitive college football in Pullman.

I also kinda agree with M-I that there will be Fed/congressional help if necessary. If anything, TV contracts through sports networks (whether local or national) likely will be more coveted...continuing the trend over the last dozen years. That's all I have to say about that.

Because they are far more invested in college football. CBS airs one SEC game a week (conference games) and some Group of 5 conferences.

 

[95coug]

I disagree. I think I mentioned it here before. This accelerates the rise of the superconference(s). The Athletic departments at schools like WSU and Oregon State just don't survive. I don't think UA, ASU and Cal do either. You can't lose 50 percent of your revenue. Scaling down just doesn't work.

Instead of a power 5, we end up with three superconferences. An East/Southeast that is the remnants of the SEC and ACC, a Central that is the remnants of the B1G and some Big XII schools, and a West that is the remnants of the Pac-12 and some Big XII schools.

I disagree. I think a more likely scenario would be more of the blue bloods going independent, and skipping the Conference revenue sharing. Set up their own streaming networks and owning their own rights. Those teams don’t gain a benefit from larger conferences and splitting the pie more ways.

 

[etowncoug]

I'm curious where the money to support the expenditures which have already been made will come from once the current TV contracts expire. The next round will be nowhere as lucrative.

 

[Cougsocal]

It could happen, if WSU is among a few isolated schools that decide to pull the plug and their isn't unity among the "have nots." We were in a world of hurt before this happened. That said, major college football needs "have not" fodder, if the "have nots" band together, the "haves" will prop them up. None of the "haves" want "super Leagues" because of fear of losing their status and revenue streams as a "have." A third to half of any super league will become the new "have nots." That is why the EPL and other euro leagues thrive. Man U, Chelsea, Barcelona ect don't want to be at the bottom of a super league table, it is very bad for business.

 

[PeteTheChop]

More reason to focus existing resources on getting the new IPF built within the next 12 months.

Bill Moos himself said that first-class facilities were the difference between the haves and the have-nots.

 

[PeteTheChop]

I think a more likely scenario would be more of the blue bloods going independent, and skipping the Conference revenue sharing.

This could lead to a more regional conference with WSU, UW, OSU, UO, Cal, Stanford, Boise State, BYU, Utah and maybe a few others. Less travel. more rivalry games.

That might be an even better set-up than the current alignment of the Pac XII, where WSU more than held its own under Coach Leach.

 

[BiggsCoug]

This could lead to a more regional conference with WSU, UW, OSU, UO, Cal, Stanford, Boise State, BYU, Utah and maybe a few others. Less travel. more rivalry games.

That might be an even better set-up than the current alignment of the Pac XII, where WSU more than held its own under Coach Leach.

All of those schools will want exposure in SoCal.

I wouldnt let BSU or BYU in either.

 

[BiggsCoug]

More reason to focus existing resources on getting the new IPF built within the next 12 months.

Bill Moos himself said that first-class facilities were the difference between the haves and the have-nots.

If you want 4 and 5 star kids you need to have 4 and 5 star facilities. A 33,000 seat stadium aint that.

 

[PeteTheChop]

All of those schools will want exposure in SoCal. I wouldnt let BSU or BYU in either.

Could you substitute SDSU and UNLV?

Easier flights and better travel destinations.

 

[PeteTheChop]

If you want 4 and 5 star kids you need to have 4 and 5 star facilities. A 33,000 seat stadium aint that.

Most things I've read here at the other three of the "Big 4" Cougar sites seem to pinpoint the right number (for now) at about 45,000.

100% confident without a doubt, the Feds will rescue our colleges and universities. They won't let these programs be devastated.

To M.I.'s point here and Biggs' earlier in the thread, redirect the government bailout cash to expand and add few more bells and whistles to Martin Stadium.

Dr. Schultz and Dr. Chun could sell it to politicians and faculty as the cost of competing successfully in the Power Five.

 

[Observer11]

Most things I've read here at the other three of the "Big 4" Cougar sites seem to pinpoint the right number (for now) at about 45,000.



To M.I.'s point here and Biggs' earlier in the thread, redirect the government bailout cash to expand and add few more bells and whistles to Martin Stadium.

Dr. Schultz and Dr. Chun could sell it to politicians and faculty as the cost of competing successfully in the Power Five.

The country is facing perhaps the largest overhaul of priorities in the last 75 years, teetering on economic collapse and, quite possibly, violence.

But, hey, let's pour a few more million down the hole on something that may never be used. Makes total sense.

Anyone who thinks life is going to return to 'normal' has their head in the sand.

Also, government funds can't be used for discretionary projects not specifically designated. There's not a chance in hell an indoor practice facility will be paid for by federal money.

 

[PeteTheChop]

There's not a chance in hell an indoor practice facility will be paid for by federal money.

M.I Coug posted earlier that Colleges and Universities and their Athletic Programs would fall under "The Too Big to Fail" category and thus would be taken care of by the bailouts.

He's succesful enough to live on Mercer Island, so gotta figure he knows something.

 

[PeteTheChop]

But, hey, let's pour a few more million down the hole on something that may never be used.

Never used?

If RoLo wins like a lot of people expect, selling 12,000 more seats shouldn't be too tall of a mountain to scale.

 

[Observer11]

Never used?

If RoLo wins like a lot of people expect, selling 12,000 more seats shouldn't be too tall of a mountain to scale.

MAY never be used.

Intentional omission is almost as bad as keeping your head buried in the sand as to current events, Pete. If the powers that be aren’t considering worst-case scenarios, they shouldn’t be in positions of leadership.

Fortunately I believe Pat Chun to have more awareness than that.

 

[PeteTheChop]

MAY never be used.

I stand corrected. Sorry about the mistake.

I freely admit I'm optimistic that CNR is going to build upon CML's success and WSU will remain among the upper 3-4 programs in the conference.

If that happens, Schultz-Chun might need to get closer to the 55,000 capacity that Biggs, Tron and Yaki (RIP?) have championed in the past.

 

[Coug90]

I stand corrected. Sorry about the mistake.

I freely admit I'm optimistic that CNR is going to build upon CML's success and WSU will remain among the upper 3-4 programs in the conference.

If that happens, Schultz-Chun might need to get closer to the 55,000 capacity that Biggs, Tron and Yaki (RIP?) have championed in the past.

I agree that I think Rolo will continue to win. I’m not sure that size of stadium is going to be any determining factor in WSUs remaining a P5 football program or not. Stadium revenue is peanuts compared to TV revenue. WSU at capacity is a helluva lot better showing than Cal, Furd, or UCLA half full. And with many WSU alums being in Seattle we have a pretty strong following there (around 12th biggest market I think?) when it comes to TV.

I’d argue the biggest danger to the PAC-12 and WSUs standing as a power 5 in particular isn’t the pandemic or resulting economic depression...it’s Larry Scott. You can’t have ass hats like him running things when the chips are down.

one last thing to consider. Many jokes about the flag waving, especially when the program was awful. But WSU is a national brand because of it. That ain’t nothing.

 

[425cougfan]

Nobody is going to expand the stadium, certainly not to the 55,000 Biggs has been calling for. It's asinine for so many reasons I'd need hours to write them all.

There's a reason you didn't hear a peep about it despite Leach giving the school one of its best runs in history ... and that was before this pandemic and a potential reshuffling of the deck in college athletics.

No WSU AD or President is going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to significantly expand the stadium in today's environment, even pre-COVID-19. All the games are on TV or streamed. There's little lodging. There is no marginal demand. This isn't 1994, where games aren't on TV and they're all at 2pm on Saturday. Games are at 7:30pm and on Thursdays and Fridays. Few will leave their warm theater room with the 80" TV to drive 5 hours each way, getting home at 4:30am, spending hundreds of dollars for the privilege. Some will make a weekend out of it a couple times a year. Almost nobody will do it every week. If they wanted to, there's no lodging. There will not be lodging. It's not economically viable.

Add to that the current situation, where an AD might expand a stadium right before some kind of reshuffling that sees a more sustainable situation in athletics, with lower revenues and, potentially, less interest, especially among unattached fans. That would be disastrous. Calls for a significant expansion of the stadium are among the dumbest things I've ever read on any WSU-related forum. They were asinine a few years ago and even more absurd now.

 

[PeteTheChop]

Nobody is going to expand the stadium, certainly not to the 55,000 Biggs has been calling for. It's asinine for so many reasons I'd need hours to write them all.

IIRC,the reasoning for stadium expansion from Biggs, Tron and Yaki was that perception matters to:

• recruits
• sponsors
• stadium naming rights opportunists
• fans who want upgraded season tickets
• image-concious TV executives
• future WSU students, most of whom reside in one of the fastest-growing regions of the country
  
• others

Not saying your wrong 425; I wholeheartedly agree that adding even 10,000 seats is a risk considering everything that's happened in 2020.

Just pointing out that there are a number of posters on this board (and other Cougar sites) who have repeatedly called for expanding Martin Stadium.

 

[M-I-Coug]

Nobody is going to expand the stadium, certainly not to the 55,000 Biggs has been calling for. It's asinine for so many reasons I'd need hours to write them all.

There's a reason you didn't hear a peep about it despite Leach giving the school one of its best runs in history ... and that was before this pandemic and a potential reshuffling of the deck in college athletics.

No WSU AD or President is going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to significantly expand the stadium in today's environment, even pre-COVID-19. All the games are on TV or streamed. There's little lodging. There is no marginal demand. This isn't 1994, where games aren't on TV and they're all at 2pm on Saturday. Games are at 7:30pm and on Thursdays and Fridays. Few will leave their warm theater room with the 80" TV to drive 5 hours each way, getting home at 4:30am, spending hundreds of dollars for the privilege. Some will make a weekend out of it a couple times a year. Almost nobody will do it every week. If they wanted to, there's no lodging. There will not be lodging. It's not economically viable.

Add to that the current situation, where an AD might expand a stadium right before some kind of reshuffling that sees a more sustainable situation in athletics, with lower revenues and, potentially, less interest, especially among unattached fans. That would be disastrous. Calls for a significant expansion of the stadium are among the dumbest things I've ever read on any WSU-related forum. They were asinine a few years ago and even more absurd now.

You get my vote for "post of the month". Couldn't have said it better.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

Nobody is going to expand the stadium, certainly not to the 55,000 Biggs has been calling for. It's asinine for so many reasons I'd need hours to write them all.

There's a reason you didn't hear a peep about it despite Leach giving the school one of its best runs in history ... and that was before this pandemic and a potential reshuffling of the deck in college athletics.

No WSU AD or President is going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to significantly expand the stadium in today's environment, even pre-COVID-19. All the games are on TV or streamed. There's little lodging. There is no marginal demand. This isn't 1994, where games aren't on TV and they're all at 2pm on Saturday. Games are at 7:30pm and on Thursdays and Fridays. Few will leave their warm theater room with the 80" TV to drive 5 hours each way, getting home at 4:30am, spending hundreds of dollars for the privilege. Some will make a weekend out of it a couple times a year. Almost nobody will do it every week. If they wanted to, there's no lodging. There will not be lodging. It's not economically viable.

Add to that the current situation, where an AD might expand a stadium right before some kind of reshuffling that sees a more sustainable situation in athletics, with lower revenues and, potentially, less interest, especially among unattached fans. That would be disastrous. Calls for a significant expansion of the stadium are among the dumbest things I've ever read on any WSU-related forum. They were asinine a few years ago and even more absurd now.

I agree that 55,000 seats is unlikely to happen in our lifetimes. The only two expansion options that I see happening in the next 20 years is one of the two:

1. Add 6,000 seats in the endzone to get us closer to 40,000
2. Add 2,500 to 3,000 club and luxury suites over the north stands.

In time, I believe that both of these will happen but I wouldn't hold my breath on either. Getting both of those in place would get the stadium around 42,500. Unless things change a lot, I can't envision the need for anything bigger than that.

With the current uncertainty and debt, I don't believe that either will happen in the next decade.

 

[BiggsCoug]

Could you substitute SDSU and UNLV?

Easier flights and better travel destinations.

No. The PAC 12 is first and foremost an academic conference. The end. Pandemic or not.