so we’re joining the FBS?! This is monumental news holy shit what

bad wording, more meant it seems like they have more then just renderings.

here’s your Aggie ascent renderings. They seem to already have construction plans.

https://aggieascent.ucdavis.edu/ucdavis-health-stadium

I can’t believe I missed talking about the beer garden section. That was freakin awesome! I also loved the foliage around it and the whole walkway area around that side. Thanks for the pic of it during a game, gives really good perspective compared to my random day of the week visit.

SLO definitely is blessed to have some of the best views from a stadium I’ve seen. Super underrated when we hear people hype up views like that of Montana and UCLA all the time.

I really wish we did a beer garden thing like that on the student side of the stadium. We kinda have a beer section near the big screen, but it’s a bit janky and temporary placed on grass and concrete. Right now in general we have concessions and food trucks that have really long lines, you can’t see the game from there (they have mini tvs with the game but still). I know the suite upgrade also plans to include a big industrial kitchen and bar area, which would probably help with some of that stuff. Hopefully they can do something like that with the renovations, especially when they plan to give so much love to the suite side.

I think the madden center on one end, the beer garden on the other, seating or not, creates a more bowl/stadium like field which is really nice. Davis building the stadium like a sunken bowl has helped us with that. I think poly was smart to put the center at the end instead of to the side, I agree though that it’s kinda weird how they didn’t do seating/a more cohesive design like the beer garden side.

I think most Aggie fans for now think keeping the grass berms and expanding the grandstands/adding suites is a better idea than putting seats at the end zones to close the bowl. With the new suites, potentially more seats on the student side (which would also help us upgrade concession stuff), I think we would end up with a pretty nifty 18-20k or something stadium that wouldn’t be overkill but would be a good upgrade.

The design of the Davis stadium IMO has been one of the better modern FCS (or just smaller college football) stadium designs recently when it comes to holding in noise, creating a “bowl” feel and design that’s pretty timeless. What I think they did an especially good job (partially since it was originally supposed to be bigger before construction costs) with was the expandability built into the design. Being able to expand off of the 360° concourse and on top of the press box gives room for a ton of expansion (without tearing out or reworking campus infrastructure).

Little upgrades like bar tops at the top of the stands, adding lights to the water-tower and having tailgating on the practice field have already been nice to see, hopefully with continued success on the field the bigger upgrades can come soon.

Happened to be visiting slo on new student visiting day or something. I was really confused why it seemed like the entire campus was packed on a random summer Tuesday at first lol.

Checked out a few places (that new rec center is cool, the mountains are gorgeous!) but I’ll focus on athletic stuff:

-the new John Madden Center is really cool (especially from the side facing the stadium). The memorial for the 1960 team is well done. I found the other side of the center to be pretty weird with like no windows. It also struck me as odd they didn’t add much seating facing the stadium side.

-the side of the stadium with suites is world class. Really well done for a smaller stadium and I loved the Spanish style design. The side of the stadium across the way looks like a 1960s high school stadium. I know they have renderings of a potential future renovation which hopefully can be done soon (it reminds me of the bleachers of toomey).

- the swim facilities and tennis facilities are nice. I like how they have the athletic core next to the rec center stuff and dining stuff like Davis.

-the basketball arena was really confusing and underwhelming. You have this HUGE rec center next door and then a basketball court that looks like the high school I went to. It was all retractable bleachers with these tiny doors to enter. It kinda reminded me that while Davis is on the smaller side for the MW, we were sorta an outlier for Big West arenas when it came to capacity.

-the landscaping was amazing!

I’ll bite my words if I’m wrong, but I really don’t think Les is going to work with this move to the MW. I believe it’s going to be a difficult transition anyways and don’t see a stale formula being the thing that helps bring us to the next level. I have personal gripes with how he seems to talk to players and his general demeanor, but I think he’s overall been a good coach, assuming good dude, but it feels like it’s time to pass the torch imo.

Now I can also see a scenario where Les is the exact coach we need to continue providing a sense of consistency in perspective and staffing in a big move, but even then I don’t see this staff (the longest continuously tenured unit) making sense in our new conference long term.

not unprecedented in the widest sense (has happened with qualifying matches) but very bad look and corrupt considering the nature of a head of state-commissioner call, 1 day before the game, in the actual tournament. I think it’s a ridiculous move coming from a commissioner who has already lost a lot of trust.

same! I’ve thought that the staff must be telling recruits things we don’t know…

The athletic departments communication speed is so strikingly slow sometimes it bothers me. Whether its getting the word out about free student tickets, putting out high quality promo videos quickly or changing the conference affiliation banners at the bottom of the website. I obviously am nitpicky but how does a casual fan notice things like this faster than the department?

Hi there! I love when fans come over to the Aggie forum (we seem to migrate to others too haha). I am really excited to visit UTEP, especially to see the architectural design of campus. Y'all really built a Himalayan inspired oasis in the rugged desert, I dig it dude. I was blown away by the Don Haskins Center, its freakin huge! I also looked and even your soccer setup is in the middle of a little bluff, so cool.

I wanted to leave an entire section for the Sun Bowl. Davis obviously is not moving to the FBS (this forum is like 20 percent speculation and summing that its gonna happen with the MW move lol), but your football stadium is a top 10 stadium n the country. I love the classic bleachers, the mountains, and the outside facade is pretty cool at the entrance.

Now to answer your actual question. UC Davis moved to D1 in 2007 but has fielded athletic teams since 1915. The Aggies were a bit of a perennial powerhouse in D2 with something like 8 national championships (including MBB in 1998) and 20 consecutive conference titles in football. Davis won four consecutive NACDA Director’s Cups (1999–2003). This award specifically recognizes the institution with the highest overall athletic success across all sports in a given year. Winning it four years in a row is perhaps the best evidence of their dominance.

Since moving to D1, Davis has won 6 regular season titles in MBB, 9 total championships in conference WBB, a dozen or so water polo conference championships, 2018 Big Sky FB championship and more.

UC Davis Soccer has sent multiple players to the MLS, most notably Max Arfsten who is on the current Team USA world cup team. Football's Teddye Buchanan is a standout on the Ravens, Lan Larison plays for the New England Patriots, Dan Whelan plays for the Packers and former Sac Kings BB forward Chima Moneke was formerly an Aggie BB player.

In earlier years, UC Davis cemented themselves with historic NFL talent like Ken O'Brien, Rolf Benirschke, and J.T. O'Sullivan.

Now for fun facts
-UC Davis hosts a "First-Year Field Storm". Gunrock (our horse mascot) leads the incoming class of freshmen onto the field to celebrate the start of their collegiate experience. It’s a rite of passage that makes the students feel like true members of the Aggie community.
-The Doxie Derby where Dachshunds race to the finish line. It is organized by the School of Veterinary Medicine to raise funds for their licensing exams.
-Davis is famous for its bright red London double-decker buses. They aren't just for show, they are a functional, primary part of the public transit system, and most of the drivers are UC Davis students.
-Davis is widely considered the Bicycle Capital of the United States.
-At 5,300 acres, UC Davis is the largest campus in the entire University of California system by land area. It’s significantly larger than many other major research universities, which helps contribute to its "small town, big campus" feel.
-While it started as a "University Farm" (the research arm for UC Berkeley) in 1908, it grew into a powerhouse. UC Davis is widely regarded as a top-10 public university in the nation. Our forestry, Ag and Vet programs are #1 or #2 in the country or world.
-UC Davis has a nuclear reactor, space debris, an arboretum and our original mascot buried somewhere ALL on campus :rofl:

UC Davis Athletic Facilities: We announced a plan to improve our facilities shortly after announcing the MW move. Some pretty exciting stuff totaling over $265 million dollars. Find it here: https://aggieascent.ucdavis.edu/

Capacity & Attendance:

UC Davis Health Stadium (Football/Lacrosse) has a capacity of 10,743 with a record attendance of over 17,000 (set in 2025).

The University Credit Union Center (Basketball/Volleyball) has a capacity of 6,000 and a historical record attendance of 7,926.

Dobbins Baseball Complex has a capacity of 3,500.

Toomey Field (Track & Field) has a historical capacity of 10,000+ (now a thousand or so). Aggie Soccer Field has a capacity of approximately 1,000.

Schaal Aquatics Center (Swim/Dive/Water Polo) has a capacity of approximately 500.

La Rue Field (Softball) has a capacity of approximately 300.

I could keep going but let me know if you have any questions! Excited to be in the MW, super excited!

Hi there! I love when fans come over to the Aggie forum (we seem to migrate to others too haha). I am really excited to visit UTEP, especially to see the architectural design of campus. Y'all really built a Himalayan inspired oasis in the rugged desert, I dig it dude. I was blown away by the Don Haskins Center, its freakin huge! I also looked and even your soccer setup is in the middle of a little bluff, so cool.

I wanted to leave an entire section for the Sun Bowl. Davis obviously is not moving to the FBS (this forum is like 20 percent speculation and summing that its gonna happen with the MW move lol), but your football stadium is a top 10 stadium n the country. I love the classic bleachers, the mountains, and the outside facade is pretty cool at the entrance.

Now to answer your actual question. UC Davis moved to D1 in 2007 but has fielded athletic teams since 1915. The Aggies were a bit of a perennial powerhouse in D2 with something like 8 national championships (including MBB in 1998) and 20 consecutive conference titles in football. Davis won four consecutive NACDA Director’s Cups (1999–2003). This award specifically recognizes the institution with the highest overall athletic success across all sports in a given year. Winning it four years in a row is perhaps the best evidence of their dominance.

Since moving to D1, Davis has won 6 regular season titles in MBB, 9 total championships in conference WBB, a dozen or so water polo conference championships, 2018 Big Sky FB championship and more.

UC Davis Soccer has sent multiple players to the MLS, most notably Max Arfsten who is on the current Team USA world cup team. Football's Teddye Buchanan is a standout on the Ravens, Lan Larison plays for the New England Patriots, Dan Whelan plays for the Packers and former Sac Kings BB forward Chima Moneke was formerly an Aggie BB player.

In earlier years, UC Davis cemented themselves with historic NFL talent like Ken O'Brien, Rolf Benirschke, and J.T. O'Sullivan.

Now for fun facts
-UC Davis hosts a "First-Year Field Storm". Gunrock (our horse mascot) leads the incoming class of freshmen onto the field to celebrate the start of their collegiate experience. It’s a rite of passage that makes the students feel like true members of the Aggie community.
-The Doxie Derby where Dachshunds race to the finish line. It is organized by the School of Veterinary Medicine to raise funds for their licensing exams.
-Davis is famous for its bright red London double-decker buses. They aren't just for show, they are a functional, primary part of the public transit system, and most of the drivers are UC Davis students.
-Davis is widely considered the Bicycle Capital of the United States.
-At 5,300 acres, UC Davis is the largest campus in the entire University of California system by land area. It’s significantly larger than many other major research universities, which helps contribute to its "small town, big campus" feel.
-While it started as a "University Farm" (the research arm for UC Berkeley) in 1908, it grew into a powerhouse. UC Davis is widely regarded as a top-10 public university in the nation. Our forestry, Ag and Vet programs are #1 or #2 in the country or world.
-UC Davis has a nuclear reactor, space debris, an arboretum and our original mascot buried somewhere ALL on campus :rofl:

UC Davis Athletic Facilities: We announced a plan to improve our facilities shortly after announcing the MW move. Some pretty exciting stuff totaling over $265 million dollars. Find it here: https://aggieascent.ucdavis.edu/

Capacity & Attendance:

UC Davis Health Stadium (Football/Lacrosse) has a capacity of 10,743 with a record attendance of over 17,000 (set in 2025).

The University Credit Union Center (Basketball/Volleyball) has a capacity of 6,000 and a historical record attendance of 7,926.

Dobbins Baseball Complex has a capacity of 3,500.

Toomey Field (Track & Field) has a historical capacity of 10,000+ (now a thousand or so). Aggie Soccer Field has a capacity of approximately 1,000.

Schaal Aquatics Center (Swim/Dive/Water Polo) has a capacity of approximately 500.

La Rue Field (Softball) has a capacity of approximately 300.

I could keep going but let me know if you have any questions! Excited to be in the MW, super excited!

I would love to see/get a "Mondavi family has donated $100 Million to UC Davis Athletics" when I wake up tomorrow upon joining the MW... but alas probably not lol

Where/what do you see? Yes, I agree that is probably the move they would do if I guessed. It would get us in line with SJSU, NDSU and Hawaii. I feel like this type of reno is something that would actually be able to get filled, give more revenue generation through beer/wine stuff, make the stadium feel more like a bowl and get us in line with quality of other MW stadiums.

I like Idaho State too. Last year they easily could have been a 7-8 win team.

Goal!!

I have a haircut at 1. Do you think by the time I’m done it’ll be over :( hahah

(tune in at the 20 minute mark for Davis stuff I think)Some really interesting thoughts on the "Bluebloods" podcast about the upcoming season. Pretty reputable podcast that works with Sports Illustrated and FCS Central. They think Davis is prime to move into that 2-3 spot in the Big Sky and think this season could be the one where they become a great team not just a really good one.

The perspectives on QB were striking. They seem all in on Kollack, suggesting that he could be the Jerry Rice winner this year (as a ceiling). They actually think that he has a higher ceiling than Pinnick in some ways. Lots of talk about returning talent and stuff too.

I was also happy to hear that others think Idaho State could be a dark horse next year. We all love the Hawkins and I am so glad that ISU is getting some momentum (granted it would be nice if they were not conference competitors haha).

I would recommend listening. I don't have the energy to summarize it all lol.

Link to the episode

Better game than my giants! Sheesh!

Chose Davis over multiple FBS schools - a few MW schools and 2 MAC schools. Impressive get especially from Folsom.