Our athletic budget in 2023 was 40.8 million. The median FBS budget was 83.6 million.
We are not competitive with the top 1/2 of FBS. We are not competitive in NIL.
This NIL story demonstrates how messed up this system is and how MT won’t be successful in this system, especially with M&M in charge for at least a few more years.
We have to subsidize 2/3 of our athletic budget with student fees school funding. This is just to remain not competitive FBS. The worst budget in the SEC, Mississippi State, subsidized their budget with $0 from student fees and school funds.
There’s no way a reasonable person can look at the budget and results then say our it’s worth it or our “leadership” is meeting their fiduciary responsibility.
We had a narrow path to success to make the FBS move make sense and we let M&M pilot the ship.
We are not with the P4. Why subsidize at this rate to stay in the G6?
We should drop back to FCS for football, cut our subsidizes significantly and refocuses our resources where we can be competitive.
Not that it matters in the big scheme of all this, but Mississippi State students have to purchase their tickets to all athletic events. But I totally agree with what you're saying in regard to the student fees and the subsidizing of athletics.
Bama students do as well, but they have to choose between two packages that only carry half the season, and seniors get first choice.
MT definitely cannot afford to take that position; students would never go. I totally agree that maybe should drop down or focus on basketball.
I saw it in a previous post that the other kids at UNLV did not back the QB. I don't mind kids getting money, but for love of God, get it in writing. Did his parents not think: "Hey, we going to need this in writing", or the agent? Was he hired after the fact? Are any of us going to take a job for "life changing money" based on what a recruiter says without talking to a decision maker and signing a formal deal. Everyone in here seems smart, I don't think anyone in here would.
I still contend that this model, as it currently allows each individual state to set their own rules, is failing and will continue to fail the overall world of college football. Not all schools, but majority. Honestly, I don't think Mississippi State is going to be able to keep up with this arms race. They have for decades focused on baseball. It's like a five-year waiting list, if not longer, to get a chair back season ticket at Dudy Noble Field, not reference any secondary market sites.
I think, just random ideas, the rules with NIL need to be equal across the board with some type of national governance (this is interstate commerce since crossing state lines) so that each school is playing by the same set of rules.
I also wouldn't mind seeing some type of salary cap, if it's good enough for the big leagues, it should be for the NCAA. Maybe P4 has a limit and G5 has a limit. Maybe, hopefully, it might help schools like ours get closer to where we are competing financially with other peer schools in the NIL realm. Honestly, I have no idea where we sit with NIL and who is getting paid and how much.
How about pay scales based on academic year in school, kind of like the rookie deals in the NFL, but can earn more as sophomore and so on. Maybe, just maybe, give some of the kids an incentive to get that degree.
I wouldn't mind a performance-based contract, incentives if you will.
I also do not believe a freshmen player, having never played a down in college football, should be making more than league minimum in NFL. At least those dudes have some college experience. I understand how the market works, and yes, there will come a correction. But leadership could help speed it up. There has to be a time coming, if not already, where a player didn't live up to expectations and a group finally says no more. Has it happened already? I am assuming these NIL deals are yearly, is that fair to say?
I don't know if all or any are feasible, maybe it's time for a CBA. I just believe that college football cannot continue on its current trajectory. MT has bigger problems in addition to the NIL world. Jesus, we are so far behind.
My thoughts are purely opinions, some wrong and some right, but we all know what they say about opinions.
