Mid-major institutions face a different set of challenges than their Power Five counterparts in terms of competition both on and off the field. Five mid-major ADs gathered at the ’14 IMG Intercollegiate Athletics Forum this morning to discuss the unique landscape that they face, particularly in the wake of impending autonomy for high-revenue programs. With all of those institutions expected to begin providing their student-athletes with the full cost of attendance following a vote next month, mid-majors are faced with the decision of whether to follow suit. Toledo VP & AD Mike O’Brien said that the presidents of all MAC schools agreed to provide students with the added benefits after coaches reported being asked about it by both recruits and their parents. He added that it will cost most MAC schools $850,000-950,000 annually. St. Louis AD Chris May said that the A-10 has decided to provide cost of attendance for basketball, and that schools will decide individually whether to do the same for other sports. The Big East, represented by Xavier AD Greg Christopher, will do the same. Hawaii AD Ben Jay, who resigned earlier this week but is serving in the position until his successor is named, said that the Mountain West Conference will discuss cost of attendance this weekend. Rice AD Joe Karlgaard said that Conference USA has yet to make a decision, either.
KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES: Karlgaard raised concerns about the escalation of coaches’ salaries in both professional sports and the Power Five, and its “trickle-down” impact on mid-major schools. Karlgaard: “The marketplace extends beyond college athletics. You’ve got pressures from the very top resource schools. On the other hand, we’re trying to keep consistency in our coaching staffs to best serve the student-athlete. For us, that’s a fundamental tension and something that I don’t see an end to.” But Christopher said that Big East institutions generally are fortunate enough to hire top-tier coaches to compete at the highest level and “be at a break-even operational standpoint.” In terms of facilities, the panel’s consensus was that mid-majors do not need to keep up with upgrades and new venues being installed on Power Five campuses.
QUICK HITS
* Karlgaard, on athletic department finances: “As we raise more dollars, as we sign more sponsorships, as we sell more tickets, as we look under rocks and find money, this helps the institution invest more money in financial aid, in core faculty members. So it sounds like we’re this greedy, profit-hungry enterprise, but ... we receive significant funding from the university. And the question is, ‘Is that right?’ ... The thing that I think everybody aspires to is to be self-sufficient. How do you balance that with the potential to exploit your student-athletes?”
* O’Brien, on the MAC’s TV deal: “We play mid-week football -- Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays -- and that has had an effect in a variety of ways. On the positive front, more people are watching MAC football. On the negative, it has affected our attendance. ... It has added to our revenue stream, our specific relationship with ESPN, but it has had an effect on season-ticket sales.”
* Jay, on Hawaii’s financial challenges: “Hawaii is a very unique place in that our institution not only has to travel a great distance just to compete ... we’re having to pay travel subsidies to some of our opponents. Not just non-conference opponents coming in to play, but we’re also doing that with our conference teams. That’s a unique situation. It adds to our bottom line of expenses. There are things that are unique to our program that no other program in the country faces. It makes it a tough job, but it is a challenge that can be overcome.”
