Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Utah State Makes Name For Self in ‘Money Games’

Utah State Makes Name For Self in ‘Money Games’

By Scott Springer The Utah Statesman (Utah State U.)

(U-WIRE) LOGAN, Utah, Feb. 19 – When the Utah State football team travels to the University of Georgia to open the 1999 season Sept. 4, its trip will earn the athletic department $450,000. A similar road game at Kansas State, Oct. 16, will bring in an additional $350,000.

These “money games” are a normal and needed part of the athletic department, said USU Athletics Director Bruce Van De Velde.

“We have 15 sports here at USU and only one program brings in those kind of (financial) guarantees,” he said. “Where does that money come from? Football.”

Scheduling `Money Games’

Each year when Van De Velde sits down to plan the upcoming football schedule with head football coach Dave Arslanian and Kim Peterson, the director of finances for the athletic department, he has a three-fold mission to accomplish: 1) build USU’s national profile, 2) add to the department’s budget and 3) find ways to make needed capital improvements.

The best way to accomplish all three goals is to face a high-profile team in a road game on a one-game basis, Van De Velde said. That’s why the Aggies played at Colorado and Washington last season and will travel to Georgia and Kansas State this season.

All four schools are recognized – and frequently ranked – nationally for their football programs. Both Georgia and K-State finished last season among the top 15, with K-State spending most of the season ranked second nationally. The national press, and sometimes national TV audience, helps to lure the most talented athletes to the university, Van De Velde said.

“Our kids want to play against the best teams,” he said. “That’s why we try to schedule teams that fit this national profile.”

The strategy must be working. Kansas State Senior Associate Athletic Director Jim Epps said Utah State has gained recognition even in Kansas.

“USU does have some marquee value in this neck of the woods,” he said. “People generally realize that state schools like Utah State are real football programs.”

Where the Money Goes

The money earned from the money games is used to fund capital improvements, Van De Velde said. This year the athletic department plans to add seats to the football stadium over the summer as well as continue to pay off the Stan Laub indoor practice facility, finished last year.

Another reason the money games are so crucial, Van De Velde said, is that his operating budget is so much smaller than that of other universities. The national average is $14 million, while USU’s is only $7 million.

“Even though football brings in the most money, it also incurs the most expenses,” he said. “Each road game costs us $50,000 in travel expenses. But without football, we couldn’t fund our Olympic sports such as track and field and some of our women’s sports.”

Van De Velde is proud of USU’s athletic accomplishments despite having a smaller operating budget, he said.

“Our coaches and athletes do a lot with little resources,” he said. “We’re also doing a good job balancing our budget. We’ve been in the black for the past eight years.”

Factors in Scheduling

While the football team plays 11 games a year, Van De Velde says he actually schedules only three. USU generally faces Brigham Young and the University of Utah each season, either at home or away. In addition, the Aggies play six Big West Conference games, bringing the total to eight games already accounted for.

One of the remaining three is almost always a lower division opponent. Hence, the USU win against Sam Houston State last season and the matchup against Stephen F. Austin on Sept. 11 this year.

“These games give our team some needed early experience,” Van De Velde said.

He said that is why he tries to schedule these games for early in the season. This year Stephen F. Austin is the Aggies’ second opponent. Van De Velde is currently working to use the Division I-AA game to play Utah universities, especially Southern Utah University.

The number of games Van De Velde schedules will also shrink in 2001, when Wyoming will join BYU and Utah as annual opponents.

The Kansas State Game

USU landed the KSU game thanks to the relationship Van De Velde has with the Kansas institution. Before coming to Utah State, he spent five years as an assistant and then later an associate athletic director.

“We had a gap in next year’s schedule and I knew Bruce was looking to land a road game, so I called him up,” Epps said.

Epps said KSU’s philosophy is to play all of its non-league games at home, which makes it difficult to schedule some upper-echelon teams. Most are unwilling to schedule opponents on a one-game basis rather than a home-and-home situation. USU was willing to travel to play the Wildcats on a one-time basis, and the deal was finalized.

Kansas State didn’t always attract the attention it does today, as Epps acknowledged.

“At one time our team was arguably the worst in Division I, and the program was the worst in America in the years since World War II,” he said. “We used to play money games, but when (head coach) Snyder came, the first thing he wanted to do was get out of these head-banger games where we go somewhere just for one game to earn some money. He said he preferred we play games we actually had a chance to win and start from there.”

 

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