What is Kirk Schulz's plan if the Pac-12 starts to unravel?
- Thread starter PeteTheChop
- Start date
FWIW, we are on the same page. For the Pac-12 and WSU to remain relevant, we need to look at programs that bring the right kind of value. Smurf turf guys are not the solution.
The trigger was the PAC attack on the Big 12, spring of 2010, when Scott damn near got Texas, TT, Oklahoma and Kansas - according to the Dallas Morning News. All Big 12 schools freaked and during June of 2010, Colorado and Nebraska left the Big 12 - citing the instability created by Texas. The following year, Missouri and Texas A&M left for the SEC.
The last time I checked -- a few years ago -- Boise State wasn't even ranked nationally by U.S. News, and instead was ranked in "western regional universities" within a couple spots of Central. Seriously. Boise's academic profile is ridiculously bad, even if it is slightly better than it used to be due to Idaho trying to get it more respectable and its little bit of football success causing its academic profile to increase slightly.
The thing about the mutts and the Quacks, and Stanford and Cal for that matter, is they have plenty of money. So why bolt to a conference that will wax their asses when they have a seat at the PAC table. Although I guess we could say the same about the LA traitors. Like USC needs the extra money?
But ya know, if we end up in a PAC-Mountain West league with CSU, Wyoming, Fresno, SDSU, UNLV, Utah State, New Mexico, Hawaii, Air Force and Utah State, I can deal with it. Frankly that's pretty much where the little old Pullman Cougs fit. As long as Boise State isn't invited. Hate those redneck F-ers down there.
All the more reason to "whip their butts" every single season
Those games could be epic
Maybe Boise St. would help with the new TV package with Apple, Amazon and ESPN?
Gotta figure if Stanford and Cal leave, there wouldn't be so much emphasis on academic prestige as opposed to football and basketball? 🤷♂️
If Klinkorf (spelling?) did let Boise in, he should stipulate the hideous blue turf has to go. Period
A thought just hit me as I read your comment about the Cougs landing in a Mtn West group like you listed. What is some mighty force came along and eliminated all leagues, all historical rivalries, and all prior conference affiliations and told everyone to start from scratch-where would WSU end up? I think we just might end up in a grouping like that, possibly with MT, MSU, ND State, possibly Oregon State.
If that DOES happen to WSU today, I would be sad because I know of the historical association with the PAC. It would be a disappointing step down for us. In the fantasy scenario I described, that grouping into a conference would not be too bad. We might be the Big Boys of the league.
I think everyone is underselling how losing a PAC (or P5) membership will really hurt WSU enrollment. I've said it before, but it immediately makes the university that much less attractive.
Don't mean to come at you hard, but that second paragraph is likely to be inaccurate. Yes, WSU would be a big boy vis-a-vis Montana and Montana State if it gets that bad, but if it's something more like a Mountain West hybrid, WSU wouldn't be a big boy against any leftover Pac schools and even some of the Mountain West schools like UNLV, SDSU, etc. The Pullman location is always going to be an issue and we get nearly all of the legit P5 recruits we get due to P5 status. If that goes away, WSU would settle into a role as a middling member of a Mountain West kind of conference. Yes, we have a pretty good FOB, but so does everyone else (even in the Mountain West) and unlike most others, we still don't have an IPF.
It's hard to overstate how big of a deal this would be. One of those things that I hate to be proven right on since there's no realistic way to fix it once it happens, but it would suck much worse than most realize.
I'm not so sure it would hurt that bad. Hell we are already hurting. But from my oservations most young people don't pay attention to Athletics or conference affiliations. But I could be wrong - I don't hang out with a lot of 17 year olds.
I hadn't given it much thought, just posted quickly when it hit me. Definitely losing the Power 5 association would be harmful, no argument there. I think WSU would get some residual benefit for a few years, and hopefully would be able to adapt to the new life and be at the top of the new group.
Let's just hope it doesn't come to pass.
Athletics is important, but my daughter went to the Colorado School of Mines for the prestige of the university's engineering programs...not for sports. There are a lot of kids in her shoes. Most of her friends did not pick schools with FBS football programs. Getting demoted would hurt but I would have gone to a non-FBS nerd school if I had the means to do so back in the day. I did pick Wazzu over Wichita State because the Shockers dropped football not long before I graduated from high school.
We'd still have football though and honestly, given what I've seen from our fans actually supporting athletics, not that many people would care all that much. I could see a 5-10% hit initially but from there, I think it's all in how things go. Biggest hit would be losing out of state kids from California. I could see that being an issue.
I don’t think it will hurt nearly as much as some of you do.
WSU will still be in a DI (FBS) league. We’ll remain the 2nd biggest school in WA State. We’ll remain the most preferred destination for in-state students who can’t get into UW.
I think what a lot of you guys are underestimating is how disinterested young people are in collegiate sports. Trust me on this. There has been a colossal shift away from college sports in the minds of kids out West. The ones who do follow sports heavily favor the professional teams.
I’m not saying that the step down will be painless, but it’s not going to be devastating. For the majority of students, the game day experience will largely be the same. We’ll continue playing Apple Cup, we’ll still have homecoming, we’ll still have parents weekend. We’ll still have games vs. Boise State, Oregon State, San Diego St., Fresno State, Idaho, etc. That’ll be lame for us older diehards, but 20 year old kids won’t care at all. It’s not going to impact how they view WSU. We’re remain the 2nd best public school and the #1 most fun place to live on campus.
WSU will still be in a DI (FBS) league. We’ll remain the 2nd biggest school in WA State. We’ll remain the most preferred destination for in-state students who can’t get into UW.
I think what a lot of you guys are underestimating is how disinterested young people are in collegiate sports. Trust me on this. There has been a colossal shift away from college sports in the minds of kids out West. The ones who do follow sports heavily favor the professional teams.
I’m not saying that the step down will be painless, but it’s not going to be devastating. For the majority of students, the game day experience will largely be the same. We’ll continue playing Apple Cup, we’ll still have homecoming, we’ll still have parents weekend. We’ll still have games vs. Boise State, Oregon State, San Diego St., Fresno State, Idaho, etc. That’ll be lame for us older diehards, but 20 year old kids won’t care at all. It’s not going to impact how they view WSU. We’re remain the 2nd best public school and the #1 most fun place to live on campus.
I will disagree (I know you and I have a bit on this subject). I wouldn't have even looked at WSU if it weren't a P5 school. I'd imagine there's plenty like me still out there in youth-ville (and I really don't enjoy the college athletics landscape as much any more). If/when this happens, what does WSU offer that is exciting? G5 sports aren't going to be a selling point. The "No. 2 public school in the state" isn't going to hit for the major academics, who likely go out of state, private, or to the state's No. 1 public university. It's fun? Sure. I had a great time - and the weekends around alumni were super fun who came for football, but those numbers will likely dwindle to a MWC/PAC hybrid.
I was on campus for the "game day experience" with Paul Wulff years. Pullman during those weekends were a major bust (I envied those kids during the Leach run years). Although it wouldn't drop to that level, there's likely a shift in that experience, too.
There absolutely should be no Apple Cup, assuming UW bolts elsewhere. WSU doesn't owe UW anything (as UW owes WSU nothing back). Even when Utah and Colorado joined, those were "meh" type of game weekends. It was about the Oregon, U$C, UCLA (and Oregon State, regional purposes) types of games people got excited for.
WSU will have to really maneuver their marketing of the university as a whole if/when that time comes.
Let’s also not forget that if and when the P12 implodes, it doesn’t necessarily mean that WSU won’t receive a P5 offer somewhere else. Our media numbers are very strong, and most pundits expect there to be at least 60 P5 football programs when the dust settles. That could increase to 80.
If UW and WSU split from one another, I think you can count on WSU taking a more aggressive position in the Seattle market, including playing more football and men’s and women’s basketball games here annually.
