Originally Posted by
MrAugustana
I agree with almost all of this.
I understand the gap is bigger. But if the goal is for Augie to go D1, the only way to do it is to get started with the right financial commitments to be as competitive as possible immediately and, after achieving some success, continue working toward closing the gap from there. I don't know the details, but I'm guessing by the time USD made the jump, the gap between NDSU/SDSU and the Coyotes was reasonable. I'm guessing not as wide as the gap between NDSU and Augie is today, but it's not like USD was financially in the same place as NDSU on the day they officially moved up. (Right? I could be wrong on that, for sure.) But it's not like they sat there and said, "Hey, it's a pretty big gap right now...maybe let's keep chillin' here at D2 just in case." They had the resources to make the jump, made the jump, and are now accomplishing things that are increasing their financial resources and closing the budget gap (like fielding a highly successful women's basketball team, getting better in men's basketball and football, etc.).
It all comes down to whether or not Augie really can or can't secure the finances necessary to start with. The local D1 fans can all sit and talk about how it's impossible/improbable that they will and the media can sit and speculate all day on how it's going to get paid for, but the reality is that the funding will either be there or it won't, and the administration will need to make a decision accordingly. If they make an ill-advised decision and things go poorly, the school will undoubtedly irritate and/or alienate a staggering portion of its alums and boosters. My guess is everyone involved is aware of that.
I hope they are having the right conversations with the right people about FCOA, coaches' salaries, facilities updates/upgrades, etc. and whether or not they can afford to compete with all of those factors being considered appropriately. Because if they AREN'T able to pull that together, I would much rather see us stay Division II and compete at the highest level in D2 (in several sports), which we have been doing for the past 8-10 years.
Regarding your last point, I think everyone is in agreement that there's a 0% chance Augie does this successfully without planning for how to handle football. But if everyone on the local message boards is having more intelligent and insightful conversations about that decision than Augie's administration and athletic department, then Augustana University is screwed anyway, regardless of which decision they make. Like, super duper screwed (no offense, everyone on here...I'm including myself in that remark).
Ultimately, if the decision is being made by Augie's administrators saying, "Eh, we're not totally sure where the money's gonna come from, but let's give it a shot. #yolo" then a jump to D1 will be a colossal, Centenary-esque failure. I would hope throughout this process that they've been accounting for the factors you've been mentioning. If there even is a process. At this point, neither the president nor nor athletic director has even remotely indicated Augie will be going D1.