Great West Future - UC Davis & Cal Poly

[CaBisonFan]

After watching a DVD of the UC Davis game, and an interview with the A.D. there, I became interested in the concept of their new stadium...and eventually tied it to the future of the Great West...which eventually led to this:

Being a 10-year resident of Southern California I can see UC Davis & Cal Poly moving up to DI-A as soon as it's possible. *No offense intended...but DII & DI-AA are off the media/public radar in this part of the country. *There are something like 40+ UC and Cal State universities...many of which are in DI-A, competing against each other in many cases. *I think that our two California Great West Conference members have only a limited time as members in I-AA and the Great West Conference. *I'm not sure what the timetable is for moving up to the next notch.

Tonight I went to the UC Davis website and found this:

http://ucdavisaggies.cstv.com/facilities/ucda-facilities.html

Their stadium is initially supposed to hold about 15,000 people...with expansion capabilities of up to 30,000. *In the interview, the A.D. mentioned 30,000 as the capacity. *So what does this mean? *

It means that UC Davis is aiming for DI-A. *The only way to come even close to filling a ballpark of this size in California is to compete consistently with California and regional DI-A teams. *DI-AA competition simply won't pull the fans in consistently. *I think that I also read or heard that the enrollment at UCD is 24,000...or thereabouts...and the surrounding population base is very large. *I had no idea that UCD was this big. *I suppose that this 'count' includes part-time students...but most universities use these numbers. *

I'm not sure of Cal Poly's intentions...but I think that what UCD is up to is pretty clear. *Cal Poly has an identity problem in SoCal...with other campuses named the same. *San Luis Obispo is located beautifully between to mega-metro areas...and their ability to draw recruits to a coastal campus would be very strong. *They're away from the concrete jungle...but close enough to lure DI-A athletes if they should go that route. *

As much as I like the Bison being in the Great West...I think that all of this suggests an even stronger argument for accepting the Gateway invitation if it comes. I realize that there's little argument going on...but for myself, it kind of swings my attitude toward the acceptance of a bid to the Gateway. There should be no hesitation or guilt, because I think the Great West...as we know it...will be gone in a matter of 4 or 5 years...or less. *Losing Davis & possibly Cal Poly would take a lot of the strength away...similar to the loss of SDSU and NDSU. *It is a conference that will eventually pull apart at the seams...possibly from the Dakotas and California.

I'd selfishly like the Bison to stay with the GWC because I can drive to three of the universities from where I live...but oh well. They belong in the midwest with all of those universities down the corridor.

I hope that the Gateway invitation comes. *

Has anyone heard any news?

[CaBisonFan]

After watching a DVD of the UC Davis game, and an interview with the A.D. there, I became interested in the concept of their new stadium...and eventually tied it to the future of the Great West...which eventually led to this:

Being a 10-year resident of Southern California I can see UC Davis & Cal Poly moving up to DI-A as soon as it's possible. *No offense intended...but DII & DI-AA are off the media/public radar in this part of the country. *There are something like 40+ UC and Cal State universities...many of which are in DI-A, competing against each other in many cases. *I think that our two California Great West Conference members have only a limited time as members in I-AA and the Great West Conference. *I'm not sure what the timetable is for moving up to the next notch.

Tonight I went to the UC Davis website and found this:

http://ucdavisaggies.cstv.com/facilities/ucda-facilities.html

Their stadium is initially supposed to hold about 15,000 people...with expansion capabilities of up to 30,000. *In the interview, the A.D. mentioned 30,000 as the capacity. *So what does this mean? *

It means that UC Davis is aiming for DI-A. *The only way to come even close to filling a ballpark of this size in California is to compete consistently with California and regional DI-A teams. *DI-AA competition simply won't pull the fans in consistently. *I think that I also read or heard that the enrollment at UCD is 24,000...or thereabouts...and the surrounding population base is very large. *I had no idea that UCD was this big. *I suppose that this 'count' includes part-time students...but most universities use these numbers. *

I'm not sure of Cal Poly's intentions...but I think that what UCD is up to is pretty clear. *Cal Poly has an identity problem in SoCal...with other campuses named the same. *San Luis Obispo is located beautifully between to mega-metro areas...and their ability to draw recruits to a coastal campus would be very strong. *They're away from the concrete jungle...but close enough to lure DI-A athletes if they should go that route. *

As much as I like the Bison being in the Great West...I think that all of this suggests an even stronger argument for accepting the Gateway invitation if it comes. *I realize that there's little argument going on...but for myself, it kind of swings my attitude toward the acceptance of a bid to the Gateway. *There should be no hesitation or guilt, because I think the Great West...as we know it...will be gone in a matter of 4 or 5 years...or less. *Losing Davis & possibly Cal Poly would take a lot of the strength away...similar to the loss of SDSU and NDSU. *It is a conference that will eventually pull apart at the seams...possibly from the Dakotas and California.

I'd selfishly like the Bison to stay with the GWC because I can drive to three of the universities from where I live...but oh well. *They belong in the midwest with all of those universities down the corridor. *

I hope that the Gateway invitation comes. *

Has anyone heard any news?



This has probably already been discussed several times...but I thought that I'd add my 2 cents from the SoCal perspective.

[lakesbison]

Dude.

ive been preaching this for months.

I have plenty of people that I trust that tell me CAL DAVIS and POLY will be Division 1A as soon as great west folds.

it was a temporary fix for them and NDSU/SDSU.... lets face facts.

The other thing is, many people dont realize HOW BIG california HS football is and how BIG california is. population wise and spread out wise.. *space*

it could easily hold up to 10 division 1A teams.


So PRAY for Gateway and just get ahead of the curve.

The Alternative SUCKS, CAL teams leave in 3-4 years and NDSU * SDSU are stuck in a GOD AWFUL CONFERENCE OF:

Ndsu, sdsu, usd, ___, Sutah, PUKE.. count me out on that!!!

[CaBisonFan]

Dude.

ive been preaching this for months.

I have plenty of people that I trust that tell me CAL DAVIS and POLY will be Division 1A as soon as great west folds.

it was a temporary fix for them and NDSU/SDSU.... * *lets face facts.

The other thing is, many people dont realize HOW BIG california HS football is and how BIG california is. *population wise and spread out wise.. *space*

it could easily hold up to 10 division 1A teams.


So PRAY for Gateway and just get ahead of the curve.

The Alternative SUCKS, *CAL teams leave in 3-4 years and NDSU * SDSU are stuck in a GOD AWFUL CONFERENCE OF:

Ndsu, sdsu, usd, ___, Sutah, * PUKE.. count me out on that!!!

I totally agree. *You're right about the population. *Even when you read the numbers....something like 20,000,000 in SoCal, it's still hard to imagine just how big that is. *And you're also right about the high school teams. *Some of the elite HS programs are filled with DI prospects...and even into the depth chart in some cases. *Some of those high school teams look and play like college teams....with less maturity, but MAJOR talent. *There's no problem with finding athletes to fill DI rosters down here. *Most of the DI programs in the western half of the country are filled with Southern California players. *The caliber of athletes comes from the diverse and huge populations, and from the emphasis on football. *Football rules in this region. *Basketball is like tennis or golf in most high schools. *Talented kids play to nearly empty gymnasiums. *Football is a 12-month commitment with 2 periods a day of weight lifting and meetings. *Weight lifting is a class, and PE is the other. *It just so happens that the entire coaching staff teaches weight lifting and PE to the varsity players. *There is spring football...like colleges...and practices for the fall begin the Monday after graduation...which is in mid-June. *These kids rarely play another sport. *It's football, football, football. *

No....no problem with athletes. *That's where UCD and CPSLO are headed. *Hopefully the invitation comes from the Gateway, and there should be no guilt or hesitation on the part of the two SU's. *The California schools will move as soon as they can. *

The proof is in the stadium at Cal Davis. *That...is a 'no brainer.' *Money doesn't seem to be a huge problem either. *The student body voted for this stadium and to raise their tuition to do it. *It's gonna happen.

USD & UND might get in on a couple of years with the CA schools, but after that they'll be scrambling to either rebuild the Great West or to find some other conference.

You've been right all along. *I missed those posts.

[NDSUFREAK10]

Dude.

ive been preaching this for months.

I have plenty of people that I trust that tell me CAL DAVIS and POLY will be Division 1A as soon as great west folds.

it was a temporary fix for them and NDSU/SDSU.... * *lets face facts.

The other thing is, many people dont realize HOW BIG california HS football is and how BIG california is. *population wise and spread out wise.. *space*

it could easily hold up to 10 division 1A teams.


So PRAY for Gateway and just get ahead of the curve.

The Alternative SUCKS, *CAL teams leave in 3-4 years and NDSU * SDSU are stuck in a GOD AWFUL CONFERENCE OF:

Ndsu, sdsu, usd, ___, Sutah, * PUKE.. count me out on that!!!

+++++++++

[Jeffdaryl3rd]

I'm not sure about 10 1-A teams, but I definitely agree that there is room for expansion and I think that both of these schools will make the jump some time soon. Cal Poly-SLO's ability/desire to go 1-A has been questioned by some on this board, and rightfully so, but on the surface this makes sense.

[2006gwfcchamps]

Davis I can easily see in I-A once their fan base builds up to the point where they're selling 20k tickets per home game.

Poly, I don't really see them as being a big enough school. They have great undergrad academics, low research, and they're in a small, but more importantly, isolated town. They seem like the prototypical I-AA team to me.

[Jeffdaryl3rd]

I'll agree with what you say, but the fact that Cal-Poly should probably stay 1-AA doesn't necessarily mean they will. *I would argue that USD should stay D-II, but they think that with everybody else defecting their conference that 1-AA was their best option. *So who knows. *Regardless, we need to get into the Gateway.

[CaBisonFan]

Davis I can easily see in I-A once their fan base builds up to the point where they're selling 20k tickets per home game.

Poly, I don't really see them as being a big enough school. They have great undergrad academics, low research, and they're in a small, but more importantly, isolated town. They seem like the prototypical I-AA team to me.


I see your point. I'm not arguing. I do think that Cal Poly would really like to present a higher profile in California. To do that they need DI-A. You could be right though. I suppose it depends on the alumni and their potential for delivering big-time bucks to the program. Their academic mission does differ from a lot of the UC schools. Good comments.

[max_cool]

Just what the Pac 10 needs, more DI schools nearby :'(

Do you guys just want to give the "best college football conference" title to the SEC every year ;)

[BraxtonT]

I'm not sure about 10 1-A teams, but I definitely agree that there is room for expansion and I think that both of these schools will make the jump some time soon. *Cal Poly-SLO's ability/desire to go 1-A has been questioned by some on this board, and rightfully so, but on the surface this makes sense.

USC, UCLA, California-Berkeley, Stanford, San Jose State, Fresno State, San Diego State

That's 7 that I can think of off the top of my head. Are there any more? If not, a couple more wouldn't be much of a stretch for the state of California.

[twowheels]

1 AA no longer exists, it is all 1 A with the bigger schools playing the BCS series and the schools that were 1AA playing the CS series. This opens up all kinds of possibilities for movement, up or down, for everyone.

[RodentiaX1]

I-AA still exists, it just goes by a different name. As long as the scholarship differential exists, it's just a name change.

[Jeffdaryl3rd]

I guess I didn't sit down and count out the number of 1-A teams already in California. Whatever the numbers, California could easily support two more 1-A's.

[ucdtim17]

UCD's got 30,500 students now and is growing so we're obviously a little bigger than most I-AA schools. I-A seems inevitable at some point in the near future for many of the same reasons we left D2.

CP is smaller and in the middle of nowhere without a large population base to draw from. They could do it as well, who knows.

[sambini]

THANKS FOR YOUR INSIGHT +++++

[CaBisonFan]

UCD's got 30,500 students now and is growing so we're obviously a little bigger than most I-AA schools. *I-A seems inevitable at some point in the near future for many of the same reasons we left D2.

CP is smaller and in the middle of nowhere without a large population base to draw from. They could do it as well, who knows.


Does anyone know the rules/time-frame for moving up to DI-A ?? Is it a similar, blood-sucking experience like moving to DI-AA ??

[CaBisonFan]

UCD's got 30,500 students now and is growing so we're obviously a little bigger than most I-AA schools. *I-A seems inevitable at some point in the near future for many of the same reasons we left D2.

CP is smaller and in the middle of nowhere without a large population base to draw from. They could do it as well, who knows.


Does anyone know the rules/time-frame for moving up to DI-A ?? *Is it a similar, blood-sucking experience like moving to DI-AA ??


Also....has anyone heard what's going on with the Gateway ??

[Bisonguy]

UCD's got 30,500 students now and is growing so we're obviously a little bigger than most I-AA schools. *I-A seems inevitable at some point in the near future for many of the same reasons we left D2.

CP is smaller and in the middle of nowhere without a large population base to draw from. They could do it as well, who knows.


Does anyone know the rules/time-frame for moving up to DI-A ?? *Is it a similar, blood-sucking experience like moving to DI-AA ??


2 years

[CaBisonFan]

I guess I didn't sit down and count out the number of 1-A teams already in California. *Whatever the numbers, California could easily support two more 1-A's.

I agree...but I think that in terms of sheer population it could support 10 or 15. *The talent pool is incredibly huge. *And there's a ton of players that don't get recruited from high school teams that could play at different levels around the nation. *The kids don't really know about the potential to play in DI-AA, DII, DIII, or NAIA. *They get buried by the dominance of DI-A and all of the western region teams that swoop in here to get the blue chippers. *I still believe that if NDSU came into the area that I live in they could find a few gems that aren't being looked at by DI-A programs because they're 6' 1" instead of 6' 3"....etc, etc. *Wish you could see some of the high school teams down here. *Even the mediocre teams have some ultra-talented players. *In Hemet, Ca, where I live, there's 3 high schools that are average in comparison to teams from Temecula, Murrieta, Lake Elsinore, etc......but there ARE players here that could play college ball. *Lots of sleepers that get little to no attention. *I wrote a post about this a while back and someone wrote...."Blincoe." *He's from Imperial Valley, which in Fargo would be like saying a kid is from Madison, WI. *The Inland Empire is an untapped area....it's southeast of Riverside. *We play the mighty Riverside Schools, which is like playing college teams. *Riverside has fed USC for decades...Marcus Allen, and tons of other big names. *Our kids get lost in that sea of major talent. *A few extremely top-shelf blue-chippers here go to USC, UCLA, BYU, San Diego State, and just a few other places. *The surface isn't even skimmed here. *Lots of excellent football players pack it in when high school is done because they don't know what's out there. *I wish that SU would get in here and take a peak. *I could be way off base...but I don't think that I am. There are tons of huge linemen and some very, very quick backs, receivers, defensive backs, etc.

[RedRiver]

UCD's got 30,500 students now and is growing so we're obviously a little bigger than most I-AA schools. *I-A seems inevitable at some point in the near future for many of the same reasons we left D2.

CP is smaller and in the middle of nowhere without a large population base to draw from. They could do it as well, who knows.


Does anyone know the rules/time-frame for moving up to DI-A ?? *Is it a similar, blood-sucking experience like moving to DI-AA ??


Also....has anyone heard what's going on with the Gateway ??

Conference officials stated that there would be no further expansion discussion until after the football playoffs and the holidays.

[ucdtim17]

UCD's got 30,500 students now and is growing so we're obviously a little bigger than most I-AA schools. *I-A seems inevitable at some point in the near future for many of the same reasons we left D2.

CP is smaller and in the middle of nowhere without a large population base to draw from. They could do it as well, who knows.


Does anyone know the rules/time-frame for moving up to DI-A ?? *Is it a similar, blood-sucking experience like moving to DI-AA ??


2 years

And it's definitely not the bloodsucking years we've both endured going to DI

[ucdtim17]

I guess I didn't sit down and count out the number of 1-A teams already in California. *Whatever the numbers, California could easily support two more 1-A's.


All it takes is a look at the rosters of Boise, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Washington State, etc etc etc to realize California produces a lot more talent than the schools here can tap. We're already beating out those schools for recruits who get passed over by the 4 CA Pac-10 schools but want to stay in California and get a UC education.

[CaBisonFan]

1 AA no longer exists, it is all 1 A with the bigger schools playing the BCS series and the schools that were 1AA playing the CS series. *This opens up all kinds of possibilities for movement, up or down, for everyone.


No argument....just a question. *Do you mean that DI-AA is kind of like the old DII ?? *If so, I agree. *That's why I wonder what the big deal is with the 5-year pergatory. *SU was there decades ago. *We got watered down by stupid rules...and then had to suffer to move back home to where we belong. *I agree about the BCS priority for DI-A school....and the potential for most schools to move up to DI-A....which I believe definitely includes the Bison...in time....but not too much time. We waited too long the last time...for sure. Entzion and other leaders were asleep at the wheel. ;)

[Bisonguy]

1 AA no longer exists, it is all 1 A with the bigger schools playing the BCS series and the schools that were 1AA playing the CS series. *This opens up all kinds of possibilities for movement, up or down, for everyone.


No argument....just a question. *Do you mean that DI-AA is kind of like the old DII ?? *If so, I agree. *That's why I wonder what the big deal is with the 5-year pergatory. *SU was there decades ago. *We got watered down by stupid rules...and then had to suffer to move back home to where we belong. *I agree about the BCS priority for DI-A school....and the potential for most schools to move up to DI-A....which I believe definitely includes the Bison...in time....but not too much time. *We waited too long the last time...for sure. *Entzion and other leaders were asleep at the wheel. * ;)


I thought he was rubbing people the wrong way? :P. :-X ;)

[ucdtim17]

1 AA no longer exists, it is all 1 A with the bigger schools playing the BCS series and the schools that were 1AA playing the CS series. *This opens up all kinds of possibilities for movement, up or down, for everyone.


Nothing has changed other than the name

[mikelsch]

1 AA no longer exists, it is all 1 A with the bigger schools playing the BCS series and the schools that were 1AA playing the CS series. *This opens up all kinds of possibilities for movement, up or down, for everyone.


Nothing has changed other than the name

100% Agreed

[CaBisonFan]

1 AA no longer exists, it is all 1 A with the bigger schools playing the BCS series and the schools that were 1AA playing the CS series. *This opens up all kinds of possibilities for movement, up or down, for everyone.


Nothing has changed other than the name

Which is why I call the ncaa a farce...and their probationary rules a nasty joke that punishes a school for wanting to move up the ladder. The punishment is more harsh than when a school is convicted of breaking a laundry list of ncaa infractions. DII used to be a powerhouse, and a good home for medium-sized universities that could financially cope with the old scholarship levels. The travel was reasonable and regional rivalries were common throughout the upper midwest...and other parts of the country. I agree with you.

[RodentiaX1]

On the other hand, if D-II had made it difficult for teams to move up, D-II might never have gotten watered down.