HelenaHandBasket
Well-known member
But it does cost the athletic department, they have to have those funds. You add 30 scholarships, the athletic department has to come up with that money. So it is real money.
-
Hi Guest, want to participate in the discussions, keep track of read/unread posts access private forums and more? Create your free account and increase the benefits of your eGriz.com experience today!
Mountain West?
- Thread starter DayLaw
- Start date
I hear you. See, I think (and maybe it's common practice, IDK) the fee could be handled with the inviting conference. Like when you "buy-in" to a partnership and they just cut it out of your future distributions until you're paid up.
Not sure about the attendance because it's so personal. I'd be even more interested in watching us compete at the FBS level, but that's just me. It's impossible to predict, but I don't think we'd have perennial .500 teams. Who knows? It's fun to think about.
Right, I'm operating on the premise that the AD "pays" Main Hall. What I'm saying is that it doesn't cost UM as a whole significant money. AD pays, MH receives. OR, AD doesn't pay (receives), MH doesn't receive (pays). If UM added up all the pennies in all of its accounts, the balance would be the same. Which is why I suggested, if it's a problem for Peter (AD) to "pay" Paul (MH), they could find a different way to trade money within their joint checking account given that the conference revenue would be higher.
Absolutely, it is fun to think about. I know we don't agree on it, and that's cool. I'd love it if you are right and we performed much better than .500 the vast majority of the time.
I'm with you on the conference paying the buy-in. That is the only thing that makes sense when the money is high and they are adding teams to get a higher revenue broadcasting deal. My understanding, which could be wrong, was that the schools in the Mountain West had already balked at that option.
5280Griz
Well-known member
We led the FCS in attendance all 3 years under Stitt. Sure attendance slipped a little when the starting point is the record breaking attendance in his first game. The attendance was strong for all regular season games and not as strong for the playoff games under Stitt. The same that has happened under Delaney and Hauck.
HelenaHandBasket
Well-known member
Just how much do you think the conference revenue would be? You also have to remember that moving to FBS would entail more scholarships than just the 30 for football. Anyway you slice it though, the AD would have to generate more money no matter how the accounting is done with MH.Right, I'm operating on the premise that the AD "pays" Main Hall. What I'm saying is that it doesn't cost UM as a whole significant money. AD pays, MH receives. OR, AD doesn't pay (receives), MH doesn't receive (pays). If UM added up all the pennies in all of its accounts, the balance would be the same. Which is why I suggested, if it's a problem for Peter (AD) to "pay" Paul (MH), they could find a different way to trade money within their joint checking account given that the conference revenue would be higher.
5280Griz
Well-known member
Why would the Mountain West pay the buy in for Montana when NDSU is atleast more open to paying the buy in fee themselves unless UM and MSU generate a lot more revenue for the conference than NDSU does?
mthoopsfan
Well-known member
Does UM ever lead the FCS in attendance, in average per game? I didn't look it up, but I bet you are wrong,
HelenaHandBasket
Well-known member
From what I have heard, there were several MW schools that at were receptive to financial concessions for UM/MSU but UNLV and Air Force balked and then having the MW over a barrel, asked for increased shares. If UNLV leaves for the PAC, I could see the MW being somewhat receptive.
MontanaGrizSoccer
Well-known member
As operating MT could not afford to move up unless the MWC gave them a upfront lump
Sum. 1. Wyoming one of the worst school remaining has an athletic budget of 50-53 million which the state helps with 6-11 million each year.
If you add additional football scholarships you need to women scholarships or maybe fund a new sport. The AD can’t afford to hire a new soccer coach right now.
The TV deal hasn’t been announced but rumors are it’s between 6-8 million per year. UNLV the best remaining school has a budget of 67 million/year.
5280Griz
Well-known member
UM led the FCS in attendance per game every year between App State leaving for the FBS and Deion Sanders coming to Jackson State. Even since then UM has been second to only Jackson State and they were second to only App State under Delaney. I didn’t look up the years prior to Delaney.
I'm not sure how much more $ a MWC member school gets in revenue sharing than a BSC member school gets. Quick Google said MWC generated $92.8 million and members got an average of $5 million in 2024, and BSC generated $12.8 million total in 2023. Couldn't find the average BSC distribution per member, but I'd bet my house it wasn't $5 million. We'd have to spend more, and we'd get more, a.k.a. budget.
Alas, the discussion was about how much money an athletic scholarship costs UM out-of-pocket.
HelenaHandBasket
Well-known member
Reports from Wyoming is the new media deal will actually be $1 million less per year for each school.
HelenaHandBasket
Well-known member
At a $ for $ transaction between the AD and MH for an additional 60 scholarships is probably $1 to 1.5 million per year. And yes, I know that MH used to make it $ for $.
5280Griz
Well-known member
fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/Attendance/2015.pdf
led by over 3,000 fans per game average
fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/Attendance/2016.pdf
led by over 5,000 fans per game average
fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/Attendance/2017.pdf
led by about 1,800 fans per game average. The second place team after UM, JMU had won the championship the prior season.
Stop_HammerTime69
Well-known member
Yeah it would take an actual collapse of membership I think for the remaining members to give us a look.
Stop_HammerTime69
Well-known member
That was exactly it. The MW had a war chest from the PAC-12 departures’ exit fees, and were planning on using that money to invite UM, MSU, NDSU, and SDSU and pay the move-up fees. But then UNLV and Air Force threatened to leave after Utah State announced, so then the league committed those funds to keeping UNLV and Air Force. I may have the timeline wrong, but I also think they used the remainder of those funds to add Northern Illinois and UTEP as well, but those two could have joined before the threatened departure.
2026 is going to be weird.
Sure, but still at no significant additional cash outflow from UM.
HelenaHandBasket
Well-known member
I think the inflow is the issue.
GriznMN
Well-known member
This is from AI so take it for what that is worth.
Expenses for Montana Grizzlies to move up from FCS to Mountain West:
1. NCAA Reclassification Fee: $5 million upfront to apply for FBS status. This is a mandatory payment to the NCAA for any school moving up from FCS.
2. Conference Entrance Fee: The Mountain West may charge an entrance/buy-in fee, though exact figures vary by negotiation. Some conferences offset this by deducting from future revenue distributions
3. Scholarship Expansion: FBS requires at least 90% of allowable scholarships across 16 sports and 210 total scholarships, costing $6 million annually in athletic aid. Montana would need to add roughly 30 football scholarships and increase support for other sports.
4. Operating Budget Increase: Annual athletic budget would need to rise significantly for:Coaching salaries (FBS programs pay more).Travel and recruiting costs (larger geographic footprint).Game-day operations and compliance staff.Industry estimates suggest $10–15 million more per year for a school like Montana to compete at an FBS level.
5. Facilities and Infrastructure: While Montana already has strong facilities, upgrades for:Locker rooms, training centers, and stadium amenities.Media and broadcast requirements for FBS.These costs vary widely but could easily add $10–20 million over several years.
Total Estimated Cost: Initial move-up cost: $5 million NCAA fee + possible conference fee.
Annual increase: $10–15 million in operating costs + $6 million in scholarships.Capital projects: $10–20 million (optional but likely for competitiveness).
Two-year transition total: $30–40 million, depending on scope and donor support.
Expenses for Montana Grizzlies to move up from FCS to Mountain West:
1. NCAA Reclassification Fee: $5 million upfront to apply for FBS status. This is a mandatory payment to the NCAA for any school moving up from FCS.
2. Conference Entrance Fee: The Mountain West may charge an entrance/buy-in fee, though exact figures vary by negotiation. Some conferences offset this by deducting from future revenue distributions
3. Scholarship Expansion: FBS requires at least 90% of allowable scholarships across 16 sports and 210 total scholarships, costing $6 million annually in athletic aid. Montana would need to add roughly 30 football scholarships and increase support for other sports.
4. Operating Budget Increase: Annual athletic budget would need to rise significantly for:Coaching salaries (FBS programs pay more).Travel and recruiting costs (larger geographic footprint).Game-day operations and compliance staff.Industry estimates suggest $10–15 million more per year for a school like Montana to compete at an FBS level.
5. Facilities and Infrastructure: While Montana already has strong facilities, upgrades for:Locker rooms, training centers, and stadium amenities.Media and broadcast requirements for FBS.These costs vary widely but could easily add $10–20 million over several years.
Total Estimated Cost: Initial move-up cost: $5 million NCAA fee + possible conference fee.
Annual increase: $10–15 million in operating costs + $6 million in scholarships.Capital projects: $10–20 million (optional but likely for competitiveness).
Two-year transition total: $30–40 million, depending on scope and donor support.
