I do believe it was inevitable and has been for over a decade. Just watching at how things slowly shifted, how gaps increased incrementally over the years. Not just UNLV, but every “have not” school may not have had direct warning, but the signals have been there for years. There was some time to get crap into gear and few did. Strong AD leadership was required - and athletic success needed to follow - and not just sporadic success, sustained success. It didn’t have to be final fours or orange bowls, but it needed to be emphatic. Hell, for years, Boise did “enough” with football and it wasn’t enough. TCU did enough with football and they happened to have a better market and they made the cut. Utah might be the best example, the Majerus and Meyer years helped them get into the group that matters.
Even though UNLV and others have been on life support for years, this would be the final nail in the coffin in terms of mattering to anyone. Oh, I can see competitive athletics being “saved”, but the haves will matter, they’ll have the eyes of the nation and media, the rest of us will get the equivalent of D2, JC fandom.
Even though UNLV and others have been on life support for years, this would be the final nail in the coffin in terms of mattering to anyone. Oh, I can see competitive athletics being “saved”, but the haves will matter, they’ll have the eyes of the nation and media, the rest of us will get the equivalent of D2, JC fandom.
The Fight Over the Future of College Sports Is Here: 'It Needs to Implode'
Division I, much like the NCAA as a whole, is fractured. A drastic change to the system of college sports may be coming.
www.si.com
