We need to stand up and let CU administration know that the CU fanbase does not want Pac-12 expansion WITHOUT pod scheduling. Everything I'm reading right now indicates if expansion happens it will happen WITHOUT pod scheduling. Arizona AD came out last night and said he was "concerned" about expansion for these reasons. Therefore, we need to capture momentum about this issue right now, because the expansion train is rumbling by very, very quickly.
E-mail addresses are Mike.Bohn@Colorado.Edu; Bruce.Benson@Colorado.Edu; and Phil.DiStefano@Colorado.Edu. WE REALLY NEED TO LET CU ADMIN, ESPECIALLY BENSON, KNOW ABOUT THE POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH PAC-12 EXPANSION.
Text of my message (feel free to cut/paste where appropriate):
Hello Mike.
I am a proud CU fan and a CU season ticket holder. My parents, my wife, my brother, and my sister all graduated from the University of Colorado. My family has held football season tickets since 1962.
I wanted to e-mail you regarding my concerns about Pac-12 expansion. If newspaper reports are to be believed, after Pac-12 expansion CU will be placed in the Eastern Division of the Pac-16 conference with Texas, Texas Tech, OU, OSU, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State. This move would remove most if not all of the positive momentum that our conference affiliation switch to the Pac-12 created.
If CU is placed in the Eastern Division, it would mean 7 conference games against Eastern Division foes and only 2 games per year against “Pac 8” schools. This means that Colorado will play in California only every other year, and that a California school will play in Boulder only every other year. This severely limits our ability to reach our alumni base on the West Coast, which would cost CU material fundraising dollars in the future. This also places CU in a division with schools that are not culturally aligned with the University of Colorado.
I note that the Arizona Athletic Director last night mentioned that he was “concerned” about expansion. Please note that a huge percentage of CU fans are also deeply concerned about expansion -- particularly the scheduling aspect. There is one potential solution to CU’s problem with Pac-12 expansion ? pod scheduling. Pod scheduling (with 4 pods of 4 teams each, and a pod comprised of each of the Northwest schools, the California schools, the Mountain and Arizona schools and the Big 12 South schools) would be a much better way to preserve conference unity. In such a scenario, CU would play each team in its “pod” (Arizona, Arizona State and Utah) every year, and 2 teams from each of the other pods. This would ensure a game in California each year, and a home game versus a team from California each year. This also allows CU to continue our work in reaching alums on the West Coast. This is the only way that a majority of CU fans could stomach conference expansion.
In conclusion, I ask that you work with the Arizona, Arizona State and Utah Presidents/ADs to ensure that pod scheduling is implemented in the event of Pac-12 expansion. Without pod scheduling, expansion is a bad deal for the University of Colorado, its fans and alums. If you have any questions, or if I can help in any way, please let me know.
Regards,
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
I've read that expansion requires unanimous approval of Pac-12 schools, and I've also read it only reqiures 9 of 12 "yes" votes. Does anyone know what the necessary vote is?
Regardless, we need to get an e-mail campaign going. Please shoot Benson and DiStefano an e-mail about this issue -- it will affect CU athletics for many, many years.
If anyone has a netbuffs account or a scout account, please help with a similar post on those sites. Also feel free to cut&paste my letter -- the easier we can make it for people to e-mail the 3-headed monster, the better.
Thanks!!!!!!!
This is stupid. This is thinking LIKE TEXAS. We are a conference and conference decisions should be made for the benefit of the conference as a whole.
Your e-mail begins probably about the same way 30,000 CU people could begin their e-mail.... by validating that you are a CU fan..... and your mother father, cousin, aunt, son, daughter, 3rd cousin once removed, grand uncle, step great-grand aunt, and grandson are all fans and donate $.
Larry Scott is well aware that Texas wants to rule the roost.
Larry will do what is in the best interest of the Conference as a whole....
remember, Colorado was INVITED to join what may very well become 1 of 4 Super Conferences in college football.
We are IN the game and we are a member of a conference. Larry and the school Presidents/ Athletic Directors will what they think is in the best interest of the Conference and not necessarily Colorado.
Josh Rosenblum 9/11/2001
philly is right... sadly... as much as id like to agree with you sportsfan... i cannot he has to do whats best for the conference...
Sacky's reaction to a text alerting him to Embree's dismissal.Originally Posted by absinthe
Philly,
We fundamentally disagree. I think the President's job is to do what is best for the University of Colorado, not the Pac-12 conference. The benefit to CU of the Pac-12 is to reengage alums on the West Coast. This means more fundraising $$$ for the university, and I can sure as hell tell you that Bruce Benson believes his #1 job as president of the University of Colorado is to be a fundraiser. I think that CU getting put into the Eastern Division of the Pac-12 Conference hurts our fundraising potential, and therefore Bruce Benson should be aware of the issue.
Last edited by Sportsfan101; 09-04-2011 at 03:15 PM.
im sure benson is aware of the issue email or not
Of course he is aware of the isuse. I should have said that I hope he's aware that CU can and should flex some muscle on this issue given the fact that I believe the vast majority of CU fans are against this, and I believe this will hurt CU fundraising efforts.
how much pull are we going to really have with the Pac at this point? sure, i know about the alleged "all it takes is one nay vote" thing.
as far as i know, while an idea i like if superconferences are inevitable, the pod system is something hatched on message boards more than anything Larry Scott has talking about in any official capacity. i don't want the net effect of realignment to be back in a new Big XII South with OU, UT, and Tech.
might as well be emailing Benson about cable TV balls.
ill take a zipper schedule if i have to...
Wow....after reading the title of this thread, I was thinking that you were going to ask us to email the administration to get rid of Jon after last night's performance....
after not seeing any mention on the scout board, I was beginning to wonder if any CU fans were paying attention.
If the Texas four (UT, OU, Tech and oSu) and get their way in defining the east/west divisions, you will have lost any recruiting advantages in Texas and at the same time, lost any advantages in California.
I've been told repeatedly by UCLA and Cal admins that the Pac 12 wants KU and its legendary basketball program. I hope they're right, but the only logical way of going about this is to convince MU to go west and be paired up with KU and invite both, invite OU and then tell Texas you either drop the bevo net and become the 16th member, or we go after either Tech or oSu and you can take your network all the way to independence hell as you end up scheduling SMU, Houston, Texas State and UT-San Antonio to fill out your schedules.
If Larry Scott allows DeLoss Dodds to dictate terms, CU ends up getting screwed. And don't think that one point is not on DeLoss' radar to accomplish while he barrels over those in the way. He is still ticked at you for leaving without Texas.
first of all, sports fan, I am wrong to say that this was stupid. It isn't stupid and you are not stupid. I know I have had pleasant dialogue with you in the past.
I think in general, the college landscape is about to undergo a dramatic change..... and because we are going to be in one of the super conferences, then the damage to us will be far less if we are grouped with some former big 12 members. There will now be less "BCS" teams fighting for the same recruits and we will get better... just by being a "have"
While I think we need to be in California as much as we can, The PAC 12 Presidents and Larry Scott know this because if what they did with the current split.
I think you may agree as well, that a lot of times, the media has it wrong.....
for example... Chip Brown broke it first that Baylor was in the PAC and CU was not....
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
