Great insight from the Rivals board Re: CU Administration & CU Athletics

[Buffsfan09]

Great post, great info, very insightful or the very least, confirming. I think most of us understood there were deeper seeded reasons behind the moves made last fall. Still not sure Mac is the answer right now to the question of a fresh start going to the PAC-12 but it would be a digestible alternative. With a few good seasons under our belt in the new conference, I wouldn't be surprised to see the revenue engine driven in part by donations really start to hum.

 

[Razorbuff]

I understand the reasons why he was retained for another year, and I'm pretty sure he will be gone after this season. However, the frustration with CU football arises from the fact that they rely so much on the administration. Sure it hurts to have to keep a poor coach for another season, and there have been reports about the AD's budget being increased, which is a great thing for CU athletics, however, that overlooks CU's main issue. Who are the big donors? The big time FB programs run off of donor money... even with improved revenue from a PAC-12 new TV contract, will that be enough? Will moving to the PAC-12 really cause all the alums in California to open their checkbooks and start dropping money into the FB program? That's what holds CU back the most, the lack of the big money donors.

 

[FlatironsBuff]

I understand the reasons why he was retained for another year, and I'm pretty sure he will be gone after this season. However, the frustration with CU football arises from the fact that they rely so much on the administration. Sure it hurts to have to keep a poor coach for another season, and there have been reports about the AD's budget being increased, which is a great thing for CU athletics, however, that overlooks CU's main issue. Who are the big donors? The big time FB programs run off of donor money... even with improved revenue from a PAC-12 new TV contract, will that be enough? Will moving to the PAC-12 really cause all the alums in California to open their checkbooks and start dropping money into the FB program? That's what holds CU back the most, the lack of the big money donors.

And big doner money means more of the money generated by the football program can be invested back into other sports programs and the school itself. Which helps the academics like the program better.

 

[Hugegroove]

I like what I read here, I hope it doesn't turn out to be mostly window dressing.

 

[Buffnik]

I wanted to bump this for those who may not have seen this before.

Especially since some new quotes from President Benson re-inforce the message that the CU administration finally gets it and will be much more of a friend to athletics going forward:

CU President Bruce Benson acknowledged in an interview that Saturday's loss to Kansas was the final straw: The Buffs blew a 28-point lead, and the Jayhawks scored 35 points in the last 11 minutes of the game. Kansas won 52-45.

Benson, who is in New York meeting with donors this week, was on a plane Saturday and watched the final plays on an iPhone when he landed.

"It's time to pull the plug and get this over with," Benson said.

He said academics are the school's No. 1 priority, but nationally televised football games are critical to CU's outreach, with shots of the Boulder campus capturing the attention of potential students and donors.

"That's huge for us," he said. "It hits the donors. It hits the students. We want everybody to know that we have great programs. You can't buy better publicity."

Thanks go to SDBuff at Rivals for finding this info and posting it for Buff fans.

 

[Timbuff10]

I wanted to bump this for those who may not have seen this before.

Especially since some new quotes from President Benson re-inforce the message that the CU administration finally gets it and will be much more of a friend to athletics going forward:

CU President Bruce Benson acknowledged in an interview that Saturday's loss to Kansas was the final straw: The Buffs blew a 28-point lead, and the Jayhawks scored 35 points in the last 11 minutes of the game. Kansas won 52-45.

Benson, who is in New York meeting with donors this week, was on a plane Saturday and watched the final plays on an iPhone when he landed.

"It's time to pull the plug and get this over with," Benson said.

He said academics are the school's No. 1 priority, but nationally televised football games are critical to CU's outreach, with shots of the Boulder campus capturing the attention of potential students and donors.

"That's huge for us," he said. "It hits the donors. It hits the students. We want everybody to know that we have great programs. You can't buy better publicity."

Thanks go to SDBuff at Rivals for finding this info and posting it for Buff fans.

The game was not televised and no one was broadcasting it.

 

[El Gringo]

The game was not televised and no one was broadcasting it.

game cast...

 

[Buffnik]

The game was not televised and no one was broadcasting it.

Autoupdates from places like ESPN and BuffsTV (plus the CU twitter feed). That's all it could have been.

 

[Mick Ronson]

Benson needs friends. might as well find it in football. the "academics" think he's a joke and creature of the oil biz. i laugh when people post that Benson is an "academic".

really.

 

[Deleted member 807]

If anything, it reinforces the reality that Bohn is a lap-dog.

When DiStephano said MB has authority to make hiring/firing decisions, I was skeptical. Now, moreso.

Conclusion: Benson is going to micromanage the hiring process.

 

[BuffFan]

I don’t buy that thread for a minute. It is the spin doctors at work. The buyout money was coming from donors to specifically to fire Hawkins. That act stands on its own, and has no connection or bearing on the legislative stuff at all. It also in no way shape or form indicates that those donors could or would fund the other changes asked for. If Benson couldn’t communicate that to the people that mater, he has no business being in charge of this university.