article in the Monroe News Star with the LATech AD quoted heavily:
https://www.thenewsstar.com/story/s...tball-key-money-not-driving-force/3110304001/
...C-USA formed the Future Planning Committee, a seven-person task force exploring money-saving options for members schools, back on March 26. McClelland along with Rice Athletic Director joe Karlgaard, Middle Tennessee AD Chris Massaro, UTEP AD Jim Senter, Old Dominion Athletic Director Wood Selig as well as UTSA athletic faculty representative and Charlotte senior women’s administrator make up the committee. They have met virtually close to 20 times in the last two months and is charged with forming official recommendations to send to the rest of Conference USA’s ADs before the board meeting for university presidents in early June.....
...So far, the committed has reportedly looked at cost saving options like trimming regular-season schedules for some programs, changing championship tournaments to potentially decrease the number of teams that qualify as well as shortening the length of the formats.
Arguably the most notable reported discussions have been whether the league could compete based on divisions and conduct some home-and-homes during football season as well as whether or not C-USA could partner with other regional leagues to form scheduling alliances and if it’s possible that those contests to be counted as conference competition.
The group is still working through myriad of options, but McClelland did say that he didn’t think it were possible for Conference USA to run home-and-homes or teams play teams in different conferences and it count toward league play even in a cost-saving case.
“I think that’s just pie in the sky. I don’t think that would even work. It’s not realistic and it’s very problematic with football,” McClelland said. “Heck, we’ve got games scheduled out to 2032. It’s not like other sports, which you schedule from year-to-year and you have the ability to change the format quicker. There’s so much value in those games. Now, that doesn’t mean we can’t get out of them, but for the whole system to move forward that way, it’s not practical.
“There are other ways within sports to save money. It’s not just simply how you schedule and who you play, there’s other things we can do to create efficiencies and cost savings.” .....
The reality is that each school within Conference USA will ultimately at its own decision that’s most efficient for it within how it operates its individual sports. Last week, ODU’s athletic director lofted the question of whether it would be better to not have football season this year.
When he looks at Louisiana Tech’s current situation, McClelland said he believes football will happen and having the season is the most optimal result.
“I think each school has its different set of pressures and stresses. That doesn’t mean what (Selig) said not valid or applicable to them. But that’s not applicable to me,” McClelland said. “I’m not in position to make that statement.”
For McClelland, his major concern is cutting too deep as he and his department sift through the best ways to cut back costs. The money is crucial, but it can’t be at the top priority for Tech.
“How do you reconcile between cutting and maintaining and understanding? You can’t do something so damaging that it kills the organism and it can’t do what it’s meant to do,” he said. “Where’s that happy medium? Conferences can’t solve budget issues at every school; the schools are doing that. It’s up to them how they’re continuing to exercise those issues.” .....
