UNLV Stadium next step
- Thread starter reb4life777
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I thought UNLV already owned this land? Some funny dealings going on here if you ask me. I like the part of the article where is says "A campus stadium would be necessary if UNLV wants to join the Big 12 or Pac-12 conferences in the future" and then TKM is quick to move everyone along with nothing to see here! Lol errrrrr..... "We are proud members of the Mountain West (Conference) and that is where our focus is. With that said, who knows what the landscape of college athletics will look like in the next few years,". The way this conference has continually gave UNLV the business with the like's of the YBU and Boise fiasco's I can't wait to get the "F" out of this conference and leave one of the worst commish's Craig Thomson hold the bag.
When the intention to purchase this land was announced last spring I remember that (at that time) is was said that it was going to be funded by RAF. I do remember that the deal wasn't expected to go through until late fall. But I wonder what changed with the financing (?)
I believe the RAF put up a multimillion dollar deposit on the land to secure it for future purchase but it was predicated on UNLV securing financing for the balance.
When I spoke with Coach Sanchez at the UNLV Football Foundation welcome coaches cocktail party, he said the PAC-12 wanted to add UNLV, along with San Diego, Wyoming, and Boise State. He said UNLV was told they needed to make the football program competitive in order to join. The writing is on the wall, step up or be left behind.
Wow, that's about as direct of an answer as you can get. If that's the case, that would be huge. Personally, I don't see why they would want to add Wyoming though. It's a nightmare traveling to that place.
I think it is about controlling tv markets. They already have the Colorado market, Wyoming could be a new market share. Coach Sanchez sounded like he had to get the program turned around within a couple years or lose the opportunity. It makes sense why all of a sudden millions are being spent on a program previously left for dead.
I think UNLV and That School Up North would be a better fit with the Natural Rivarly and it would lock up the state for them.
We helped them get into the MWC and they've done what for us? Take funding away from our school?
That seems fair..
That seems fair..
I would question the list of four schools:
BSU - The sports program will meet the requirements, but the academics of the school would not even be close. The school is a transition and I do not believe even has a doctoral program. I also do not believe they have either a law school or a medical school. I am not sure how this school could meet the PAC12 academic requirements. This is also a very small TV market that is held together due to a good football program that would disappear if the football program was to struggle in the PAC12. This school would never be able to fill a 60K stadium.
Wyoming - The sports programs are middle of the pack for the MWC and they would be far behind programs like SDSU, BSU, UNLV (exception football) and CSU in most cases. They also have the smallest market in the MWC and would bring nothing to the PAC12 in regards to TV market. A state with far south of 1 million people would bring nothing to the PAC12. They also would have a hard time filling a stadium even for the PAC12 conference games.
SDSU - This program is by far the most PAC12 ready school. I may hate the school but they have the best overall sports department, by far the largest TV market, and they have the best academics in the MWC outside of Air Force. They would easily improve the PAC12 by locking up the San Diego market which is the largest market outside of the big 5 conferences.
UNLV - With the exception of the football program (which looks like is on its way up if you ignore the comments of Will) is ready for the PAC12. The market is a very good market that would improve the overall TV deal, also the City of Las Vegas offers a lot to the PAC12 in regards to national and international exposure for numerous events outside of just football. UNLV has a very good law school, and is within 2 years of the medical school, with full scholarship to the first class, starting classes. The school has moved leaps and bounds forward on the academic side and has also added one of the best supercomputers that is located on a college campus, etc., etc... The biggest need for UNLV is to quickly find the finds for badly needed training facilities and to show that the program can start to win games and bring something to the PAC12 table. There is a very short time frame of only a couple of years or UNLV will miss that opportunity.
Most likely programs for the PAC12 (MWC)
BYU - has religious requirements that may continue to keep them out, but they have the academics and sports programs to qualify. Added since this is by far the biggest school in regards to sports that is not in a major conference out West. If they get rid of the stupid Sunday rule, they would have been picked way before Utah would have been accepted to the PAC12.
CSU - I think this would be a natural fit with Colorado and they have a decent size TV market that could draw in more of the midwest to the PAC12 TV viewership.
Fresno State - not sure what the situation would be for a program that is already surrounded by PAC12 schools.
Community College of Northern Nevada - I really don't see anything that they could offer. Academics are OK, but this is a school that has a winning football program year after year but still only draws very marginal crowds (23,862 tickets distributed per game for 2014 - including an almost sold out 30k for the boise game). They have a small town mentality and would bring a very small TV market that would even be smaller than that of Wyoming. They may have a natural rivalry with UNLV, but that is mostly because UNLV let the football program collapse over the last 25+ years.
Utah State and SJSU have possibilities based on growth over next 5+ years. Both have plus and minus attributes towards the PAC12.
BSU - The sports program will meet the requirements, but the academics of the school would not even be close. The school is a transition and I do not believe even has a doctoral program. I also do not believe they have either a law school or a medical school. I am not sure how this school could meet the PAC12 academic requirements. This is also a very small TV market that is held together due to a good football program that would disappear if the football program was to struggle in the PAC12. This school would never be able to fill a 60K stadium.
Wyoming - The sports programs are middle of the pack for the MWC and they would be far behind programs like SDSU, BSU, UNLV (exception football) and CSU in most cases. They also have the smallest market in the MWC and would bring nothing to the PAC12 in regards to TV market. A state with far south of 1 million people would bring nothing to the PAC12. They also would have a hard time filling a stadium even for the PAC12 conference games.
SDSU - This program is by far the most PAC12 ready school. I may hate the school but they have the best overall sports department, by far the largest TV market, and they have the best academics in the MWC outside of Air Force. They would easily improve the PAC12 by locking up the San Diego market which is the largest market outside of the big 5 conferences.
UNLV - With the exception of the football program (which looks like is on its way up if you ignore the comments of Will) is ready for the PAC12. The market is a very good market that would improve the overall TV deal, also the City of Las Vegas offers a lot to the PAC12 in regards to national and international exposure for numerous events outside of just football. UNLV has a very good law school, and is within 2 years of the medical school, with full scholarship to the first class, starting classes. The school has moved leaps and bounds forward on the academic side and has also added one of the best supercomputers that is located on a college campus, etc., etc... The biggest need for UNLV is to quickly find the finds for badly needed training facilities and to show that the program can start to win games and bring something to the PAC12 table. There is a very short time frame of only a couple of years or UNLV will miss that opportunity.
Most likely programs for the PAC12 (MWC)
BYU - has religious requirements that may continue to keep them out, but they have the academics and sports programs to qualify. Added since this is by far the biggest school in regards to sports that is not in a major conference out West. If they get rid of the stupid Sunday rule, they would have been picked way before Utah would have been accepted to the PAC12.
CSU - I think this would be a natural fit with Colorado and they have a decent size TV market that could draw in more of the midwest to the PAC12 TV viewership.
Fresno State - not sure what the situation would be for a program that is already surrounded by PAC12 schools.
Community College of Northern Nevada - I really don't see anything that they could offer. Academics are OK, but this is a school that has a winning football program year after year but still only draws very marginal crowds (23,862 tickets distributed per game for 2014 - including an almost sold out 30k for the boise game). They have a small town mentality and would bring a very small TV market that would even be smaller than that of Wyoming. They may have a natural rivalry with UNLV, but that is mostly because UNLV let the football program collapse over the last 25+ years.
Utah State and SJSU have possibilities based on growth over next 5+ years. Both have plus and minus attributes towards the PAC12.
The fact that the pac12 would look at Wyoming over the community college of northern nevada, downtown truckee meadow, makes me soooo happy.
The San Diego TV market is and always has been a PAC market, there really is nothng to gain viewership wise by adding SDSU. The other reasons are certainly valid.
Not doubting anything people may have heard but any such back channel info guaranteeing a major conference affiliation would basically slam dunk money coming in for a stadium. Everything from a fiscal standpoint seems to not remotely point in that direction.
Hate to be a wet blanket but there is no way the Pac-12 ever adds another California school, a school in Laramie, WY (Population 30,000), a school with Boise's academics or UNLV's poor football performance. I heard coach making the same claims and I wrote it off as hype. It's nice to dream about but I don't see it happening in the next 20 years.
The Denver TV market and recruiting market, CU academics are PAC standard. CU was always a better PAC fit than Big!2 fit. The state they are in the culture every thing was more West Coast than the states of Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa that comprises the Big12.
The PAC had to expand and it looked like they would get to 14 or 16 with OU and TExas too, but I think CU was always the first piece to their expansion.
I'm glad someone could corroborate what I was told. I can't speak about the other schools, but to me UNLV is a perfect fit when they get the football program up to par. We have a strong market and are doing a lot to up our academics and our athletics.
UNLV is attractive to both the Pac-12 and Big-12.
The Big-12 has been wanting to expand their brand west for years now. They also need to add teams to create a conference title game if for no other reason than to avoid the debacle they had last year. Not to mention the revenue a conference title brings. I actually think if we were to get an invitation to a POWER 5 conference it might be the Big 12.
For this to happen, UNLV doesn't have to become another TCU or Boise. They just need to get football to a respectable level. That probably means getting to the 6 win mark on a consistent basis.
The Big-12 has been wanting to expand their brand west for years now. They also need to add teams to create a conference title game if for no other reason than to avoid the debacle they had last year. Not to mention the revenue a conference title brings. I actually think if we were to get an invitation to a POWER 5 conference it might be the Big 12.
For this to happen, UNLV doesn't have to become another TCU or Boise. They just need to get football to a respectable level. That probably means getting to the 6 win mark on a consistent basis.
There was a story explaining why that location was/is not being considered. I'll see if I can find it.
The PAC12 does not even come close to owning San Diego. While they may have what is currently a lower tier sports program, they have a lot of support, which would quickly grow if they get into a major conference. If the PAC12 doesn't jump on them sooner or later, and to a lesser extent UNLV (with an improved football program), they may see the Big12 sweep in to the Southern Nevada and San Diego markets which will take away that exclusive deal they had before with the cable stations.
I have always believed that the two schools should work together, even with the early exit that failed by SDSU, to make the two schools a package deal to either the PAC12 or Big12. The combined markets of these two schools are far more desirable than those of Colorado (they only have a portion of the Colorado market), Utah, Oregon State, Washington St, and combined they would even be a better market than the combined Arizona schools.
I have always believed that the two schools should work together, even with the early exit that failed by SDSU, to make the two schools a package deal to either the PAC12 or Big12. The combined markets of these two schools are far more desirable than those of Colorado (they only have a portion of the Colorado market), Utah, Oregon State, Washington St, and combined they would even be a better market than the combined Arizona schools.
It's always about the money once you have the academics in order. After that the most important considerations for admittance to a Power Conference are MONEY, MONEY & more MONEY. If you look at the results from every Power Conference in the nation last year you will notice that every one of them had somebody finish in last place. If we could show that we would bring them more MONEY than any of the other candidates they would gladly allow us to be the new last place team. And if we ever learn to play football at a high level that would just be icing on the cake.
The money in no way would explain why they brought in Utah. I am sure if UNLV had a decent football team they would have brought in UNLV way before they would have even looked at Utah. The TV market for Utah as a state is only a little bigger than the TV market for the Southern Nevada area and Utah is split between utah, BYU, and Utah St, as well as a bunch of smaller lower division schools.
LVRJ - "UNLV seeks to pursue commercial development at stadium site":
http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/stadium/unlv-seeks-pursue-commercial-development-stadium-site
I like where this is going.... PLEASE...
http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/stadium/unlv-seeks-pursue-commercial-development-stadium-site
I like where this is going.... PLEASE...
I don't know about the meeting but the discussions have gone well and continue to do so.
Worst thing about this is that the price tag for the land is simply outrageously high. The price is being set based on comps for casinos and businesses that could never build on that property. Great location for the stadium but barely worth $15 Mill for those 42 acres subject to FAA height restrictions, plus the sound restrictions that will need to be addressed for occupancy ratings.
Interesting article in the RJ on the new approach, which I think is perfect and brings the bigger vision together...
UNLV stadium as part of tourism package:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/opinio...er-pitching-unlv-stadium-part-tourism-package
UNLV stadium as part of tourism package:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/opinio...er-pitching-unlv-stadium-part-tourism-package
What the hotel execs don't want is another facility, like the T&M, that they don't control. They don't care about the indirect benefit. They will be happy to have UNLV as a resident in any new facility they control, but they don't want us being the primary benefactor.
1. 40 years of living in Las Vegas and seeing arena project after arena project fail.
2. Casual dinner conversations with an MGM VP.
I hope, Hope, Hope I'm wrong and this time it finally happens. But I've seen this rodeo so many times before I think we'll see high-speed rail between LA and Las Vegas before we'll see a football stadium.
2. Casual dinner conversations with an MGM VP.
I hope, Hope, Hope I'm wrong and this time it finally happens. But I've seen this rodeo so many times before I think we'll see high-speed rail between LA and Las Vegas before we'll see a football stadium.
I've got you beat in years here, but no dinner with an MGM VP. Thanks for sharing, I'm with you, I hope you're wrong.
