American Athletic Conference

[ShockdaWorld]

That's the most creative idea yet -- Wichita State University-Pittsburg, home of the Shoxilla (sorry to steal your handle, man) football program along with whatever women's sports are required to balance the scholarships. Everything else stays in Wichita.

Now we're talking good practical reality.

We could use their basketball team to replace those useless guys that scrimmaged against the Lady Shocks at Madness

[KC Shox]

If WSU brought back football and could make the Title 9 requirements with just as much enthusiasm and focus, we would need a 150 million dollar stadium w/ no track surrounding the field (if you keep the track around the field, it would be 'bush league'). Then who know how much for the other football costs involved.

We'd love to be the Boise State of the midwest but non P5 football is so hard to be successful at. The coaching carousel in college football is so dynamic and fluid, WSU football would be considered a stepping stone program and that would hurt long term success. Heck, Boise St., couldn't even keep Pederson before he bailed to P5 Washington. If we did attain success, the head coach is going to bounce to a P5 program and then we're right back where we started and will take years to achieve success again. Don't give me that argument about GM and Coach Lamb sticking around, football is an entirely different monster.

WSU would be better served to use that money toward investing in it's academic profile and improve its existing sports. Upgrade Wilkins Stadium, think about constructing a volleyball specific arena, raze Cessna stadium and construct a top tier soccer facility for a men's and women's program. Continue to keep the baseball and basketball facilities top notch.

If you're going bring football back, its got to be done right the first time. No half arse job where promises are made to add on to the program at a later date. We all know how well that works out. 250 million up front will do the job, but only one person in the nation can help WSU with that pipe dream.

[ShockerPrez]

I have not doubt that WSU could get football if it was hell bent on doing so.

My concerns would be many, but the main 2 are, 1. what does it look like 10 years in? 2. What is football in general going to look like 10 years? Seems that fewer and fewer kids are playing football, which will make it that much more difficult to get players to play. Just look at KU. If there is even a 50% chance that it looks like that... I would say not only no, but Efffff no! And while it sucks to high heaven, that is an established program with an Alumni base and metropolitan area how many more times bigger than WSU?

If every fan that currently goes to BB games and, say 5k more go to football games, you have a core of 15k fans. That would be great... and still be terrible with respect to college football. What does everyone think the attendance would be?

[Kung Wu]

That's the most creative idea yet -- Wichita State University-Pittsburg, home of the Shoxilla (sorry to steal your handle, man) football program along with whatever women's sports are required to balance the scholarships. Everything else stays in Wichita.

Now we're talking good practical reality.

I graduated from W'SUP!

[UNLVpride]

I haven't read your previous posts, so I'm sorry if this is a repeat of what you have already talked about. But if you bring football back and had to choose between the AAC and the MWC, which conference would you choose?

[Dave Stalwart]

I haven't read your previous posts, so I'm sorry if this is a repeat of what you have already talked about. But if you bring football back and had to choose between the AAC and the MWC, which conference would you choose?

MOUNTAIN WEST.

[Dave Stalwart]

AAC won't even be around in another five years. The next wave of any big realignment will end that conference and turn it into conference USA number two

In the basketball discussion, I always hoped the MVC wouldn't suck forever and that it would get back to being competitive. It's been long enough now I'm not so sure that's even going to happen. And that was when I'm thinking about a new basketball conference like the a10 for WSU. To me, a revived valley is my choice over bumping up to an a10 situation.

But if WSU is seriously going to look at football, that changes my tune. No more "revive the valley." If football is on the table, I want the mountain west. Good basketball, good football, and it would actually be feasible as opposed to trying to get in the big 12 right off the bat. AAC would be fine but I don't trust that thing at all.

[SHOCKvalue]

I haven't read your previous posts, so I'm sorry if this is a repeat of what you have already talked about. But if you bring football back and had to choose between the AAC and the MWC, which conference would you choose?

Absent any future concerns in realignment - AAC by a large margin.

In consideration of future concerns in realignment - MWC probably.

[wusphlash]

I haven't read your previous posts, so I'm sorry if this is a repeat of what you have already talked about. But if you bring football back and had to choose between the AAC and the MWC, which conference would you choose?

I would choose the AAC simply because of having a few schools reasonaby close. Although The MWC has a little more attractiveness namewise it is just too far reaching.

[Metalkatz]

As long as we have some donors willing to pony up and do it right I'm all for it. I will support football and basketball with my heart and my wallet even with years of sub .500 performance. I just want to sit and watch the highest level college football in my hometown city, with my family enjoying the Shocker life every fall.

[pogo]

Dr Bardo has made and re made the statement that if anything is done it will not be third rate. I like the idea of culling the wisdom of the ksu athletic folks about what they feel they did right and what they would do differently or not at all. It will take a ginormous amount of money and don't look for it to try and renovate Cessna stadium because it will be the home of Track and Field and the womens soccer team. It will not be the common man or woman that buys season tickets or Quik Trip giving away game day tickets that will fund this venture but from different individuals/corporations. Depending on what the fact finding groups come up with, will the large donors have the same vision or be convinced that this is beneficial for not only the University but for Wichita and the region. Time will tell. Time will tell.

[1972Shocker]

Seems to me that Bardo is trying to generate some excitement and passion while at the same time perhaps trying to keep expectations from getting too high.

“This is not about football. This is about who we are and what we can do."

“I’m not committed to making a big change. I’m committed to understanding it.”

I think @pogo is exactly right when he says a decision on football will not be determined by the common run-of-the-mill fan or season ticketholder like me. What the student body might be willing to do in terms of ongoing student fees might be an important component however.

[_kai_]

I just think it's funny everyone focuses on football when the man said the word once, and it was included in a list of basically every major sport we don't have that we could bring to WSU.

[Dave Stalwart]

Bardo scares me. The man gets things done. If Bardo has even mentioned football, that equals a new level of interest that the university hasn't seen in 20 years. If Bardo believes that's where he wants the university to be, I'm planning on it getting rolling way faster than what seems humanly possible.

He was president for like a week and buildings were already going up. Huge, university changing buildings. And within a year or two, the golf course is gone. The man is a university presidential equivalent to Gregg Marshall.

The fact that he's even mentioning football along with leaving the MVC in a serious context has me on edge. We'll probably be in the freaking SEC next season. I don't know if it's a good idea or not, but darnit, Bardo will jam it through by the end of next semester and he'll be onto the next agenda item... like putting the first Shocker on Mars.

[Shock Top]

Bardo scares me. The man gets things done. If Bardo has even mentioned football, that equals a new level of interest that the university hasn't seen in 20 years. If Bardo believes that's where he wants the university to be, I'm planning on it getting rolling way faster than what seems humanly possible.

He was president for like a week and buildings were already going up. Huge, university changing buildings. And within a year or two, the golf course is gone. The man is a university presidential equivalent to Gregg Marshall.

The fact that he's even mentioning football along with leaving the MVC in a serious context has me on edge. We'll probably be in the freaking SEC next season. I don't know if it's a good idea or not, but darnit, Bardo will jam it through by the end of next semester and he'll be onto the next agenda item... like putting the first Shocker on Mars.

I agree. No way he brings it up if they are only, just now, maybe, thinking about the possiblty of looking into the idea.

This is something that have been working on, for quite some time IMO.