Per Jeff's table, it looks like Ohio and the other MAC schools just need to SPEND at least $50 mil on Athletics and $5 mil on basketball to get on "par" with the big boys...good luck getting that kind of money. So, this really is about the schools the draw 50k forr football and 10+k for basketball REGULARLY and have committed/can commit that kind of money. Those that draw 20k for football and 5k for basketball are probably just dreaming for that one big game every 10 years...
And let me make one thing clear, I am NOT a defeatist! I played a "minor" sport at OHIO and I want the school to compete on the highest level it can and I wish that could be BCS. I have simply changed my opinion over 40+ years of watching the MAC and Ohio and where both find themselves today.
And, by the way, you can make all the excuses about coaching, recruiting, etc but the FACT is still that the MAC is at a lower level NOW then ever. And, if we are closer to anybody in funding, coaches and players it is the Southern and CAA, NOT the Big 10/12 and SEC.
Oops one other comment about coaching and recruiting. We certainly have a "name" FB coach. One might assume he could recruit 4 and 5 star players? Not quite so. As I told the Temple guy, there is a pecking order in College and OHIO and the MAC are not and probably cannot get to the top tier schools. So, we willl always hope for a few 3* recruits at best.
Unfortunately, I believe that is just the reality of the current situation...
Weird that Mr Swank puts up a line that most only played HS sports. Um Yeah, maybe just maybe, if you polled the majority of message board participants and fanbases you would find that to be true almost 100% of the time. Who else cares enough about sports (besides parents and grandparents) to watch and comment on sports on a regular basis. Those who have been raised in the game and know it are most likely to watch and be passionate about it. So what is the point made here?
Mr Casper and others, the practice facility at least for winter sports is a must given the multi purpose use of the Convocation Center. It is closed several weeks of the year to the ball clubs while 2 weeks of graduations, Presidents welcome to incoming classes and a variety of tourneys while all those teams (2 basketball, volleyball, and wrestling are working with each other to juggle practice times. If an athlete desires to improve shooting skills he/she must enter the gym when it is not set up or active in another activity. If you have a truly dedicated athlete who is willing to work individually and constantly they are soon broke of good work habits once they encounter the constant and ongoing barrier to spending extra time in the gym. It would not take long to take a look at surrounding schools and stick a head in the extra gym at Xavier, Louisville, Dayton, Wright, UC, WVU, Marshall, UK, Butler (the list goes on) and realize that our athletes have to be really creative with their time and schedule to get in a gym while athletes at other facilities merely walk in and set up a machine to do this in 5 minutes so there is no barrier to a self avowed gym rat. SInce Ping is only for students in session and very rarely can our guys work out while the other gyms near Well Works are off limits and neither has a
shooting gun, just going in and shooting is less efficient, becomes a pain to do and is really laughable at this level of competition for our male and female athletes. Looking at our current stats I would think we would be doing all we can to get guys a place to work on their shots with Absolutely NO barriers.