We have so much potential with our academic credentials and access to unique local community businesses, we just need to tap them.

1. We are the worlds #1 Wine school. Think about how unique that is. In my opinion, we should be marketing the heck out of the that. Everyone should think "wine school" when they hear about UC Davis. When you drive on the 80 everyone should see "Welcome to UC Davis the Top Wine Growing school in the world" or "Welcome to UC Davis the gateway to Napa/Sonoma wine"...something like that. A billboard is a cheap way to advertise on a very busy highway that connects the state capital to Silicon Valley....Use it. give people sitting in traffic and opportunity to learn about Davis.

2. Get rid of the Cows campaign. Maybe this was relevant decades ago, but the cows are no longer central to the university. There is still room for cows but it shouldn't be the central thing Davis is known for. I might be alone, but I remember seeing all this stuff about cows when I first came to Davis, but honestly I never saw them again (Although, I'll tell you if we opened up a Chick-fil-a in Davis, and used their marketing alongside Davis...that could work..

3. We should have a wine corner at the stadium. There should be a "Mondavi Corner" or something that provides wine/cheese/tapas etc. Bid this out to local growers. When TV cameras pan on the stadium we want the image of couples drinking win and eating cheese in beautiful weather. You want the national perception to be "I love going to Davis games, you get to drink wine, eat cheese, watch a game"....trust me, Silicon Valley and opponent fan bases will look forward to a "weekender at Davis".

4. We need a bar b q pit at the stadium. The smell of tri-tip, burgers, etc. should be smelled for miles. There are some great meat producers like Buck Horn that could fill this space.

5. Events: We need to entice students and fans to come to not only the games but for events around the games. One of the wasted opportunities would be to create an annual Tomato Fight Festival after one of the day games. We can utilize students to pick up all the wasted tomato's that spill out on the side of the roads. Pick those up. Ask farmers if we can have the left overs that are not needed. Then create a giant enclosed area around the stadium, where kids wear goggles and people pay $5 to enter. This tomato food fight would pick up steam. In Spain, this event is wild and a ton of fun. Let's copy their idea and deploy it here.

6. Music. We need to tap into the local music scene again. When I went to Davis there were a ton of rock bands you could watch perform here (deftones, etc). So lets build them a stage and get them back to play. Now when you want to decide to go to a Davis football game it isn't just a game its an experience. Students will flock to listen to music, sit in the sun, hang out with friends, and then watch a game.

7. Open and wine and Davis athletic store for merchandise at the stadium. We need more merchandise. We need better hoodies, noise makers, etc.

8. We need to create a players walk in area. I'd propose renting out the parking spots alongside the stadium where the player walk to the stadium. For example, I pay $1K for my tailgating spot. This "tailgate row" could be reserved by fans and they can do whatever they want in their space. Bar b ques, kegs, coaches, tv's, etc. When the players come off the bus they would walk through this area. The more elaborate and fun each place gets the more it is for everyone.

I guess i could go on but you get my drift. UC Davis is such a unique place with so much potential we just need to start tapping into it.

I watched it. What specifically are you targeting that would enlighten me?

1. They need to hire a local DJ to get a playlist together to get the music together. Have the band play between downs and music play during timeouts. Nor cal music

- College sports is not Pro sports. College emphasizes the band. How much are you willing to spend for this DJ?

2. Get someone to lead the student section in chants.
- this is already being done. However, you need to find a way to bring more students to games.

3. Have the team runout to music and pyrotechnics. Maybe pyrotechnics from water tower after touchdowns and wins? Actually would be cool if a horse led the team out.

- Although this sounds cool, you have to remember the city of Davis is really hard to work with. City hall already gets complaints about UC Davis football being too loud now (I know...) but if we put fireworks on the water tower you can bet a bunch of old people are going to sue the school with noise complaints...

The other factor you have to consider is cost. Where are you getting the funds to cover this expenditure?

4. Have billboards for Davis sports around Fairfield up to Sac. Advertise on TV. Run Facebook/ IG and YouTube adds High school teams and pop warner teams should get tickets. Get young people excited about going to games. Again, the attendance won’t really skyrocket until football is moved to FBS. Only die hard fans care about FCS football. As you can see how bad attendance drops in the playoffs. Can’t depend on students to fill the stadium.

- This i can agree with. Our marketing dept needs work. You are correct we should have a much better marketing plan for UC Davis. But his costs money. What are you solution for funding this?

5. Get better food options. I like Woodstock’s but there needs to be more. When they expand the stadium they need to add permanent concession stand.

- Agree 100%. What would you like to see at Davis?

6. Update the stadium store. It is bad. (I see Davis had been upping their game on apparel tho. Need more alumni gear. I only buy sweatshirts if they’re embroidered. Screen printing is cheap)

- 100% agree here. There is no excuse of not having a stadium store stocked with new items every game.

7. Do some cool video board graphics

- Not sure how this helps but if it can be done with within a budget I'm sure you would find support.

Great suggestions! The more the better.

So what is your solution to these problems?

Everyone here dreams of the day UC Davis is playing in the FBS, lining up against Notre Dame and USC. That day will come… just not yet.

Let me be clear:

We are not ready.

Before we make that leap, we need fans in the stands — sellouts, packed games, real energy. And the only way to do that is by winning. Not just occasionally, but consistently. UC Davis football has to become an event people don’t want to miss.

The administration understands this and is already building toward it. We have a great President, a strong Athletic Director, and an outstanding Head Coach. They are laying the foundation for a culture of winning while protecting the university’s reputation.

You’ll know when the time is right — trust me.

Watch this season closely. My gut says we’re about to take the next step. And imagine if we win the FCS championship next year… maybe even repeat. What’s right around the corner in 2029? New college football TV deals. Do you think conferences won’t be forming or looking to expand? Programs like ours will be on the radar.

The transition is coming.

Be patient, my friend.

Yes mistakes happened, but the offense itself was pretty good. CP panicked and tried to play hero ball and there were breakdowns on execution, but overall the offense was fine.

He reminds me of a young Urban Myer (not the corrupt part) with his ingenious play calling. The one thing I took away from the Ill St game was, the offense didn't lose the game, we just ran out of bodies. His offense I think scored on 11 of 13 possessions....which is really really good. You guys know I was not the biggest CP fan, he has a ton of talent athletically but I always felt his mental development lacked...I'm super excited to see what he does with this new QB crop....

Agreed. I would argue he is the best college football coach in the state. We won't be able to keep him long, but I really hope he can bring a title to the school before he goes...but coach is the real deal.

I'm with you. If you would have told me we would have a 4 star FR QB under center, with a ton of 3 stars on our roster...plus we get the Conners back....next season is the one we have all been waiting for.

Well that really depends on their schedule. I'll have to see how it lines up, but I'll be honest If Nebraska who has a much more successful history in football can't win, I'm not sure how successful NDSU will be. They probably will follow App St progress....really powerful at the FCS level...lower tier at the FBS level.

Just give it some time.I think Davis is the in a great spot overall. Those games on ESPN are having a huge effect. Will we move to FBS sometime? Sure. But I'll be honest, I'd rather follow the NDSU route and win a couple championships first. And that can easily happen here. Let's do that first and then move to the FBS or whatever league is formed after 2030. There is no need to jump to FBS right now.

I can understand your frustration with UC Davis when you try to compare it to FBS schools, however you need to take into the general landscape of college athletics as a whole. The entire college athletics you and I grew up with has changed. This change is still in its infancy.

I find your defense of Cal as hilarious. What has Cal ever won? When was the last time Cal won its conference? When will it win a national championship? Probably never. And you want Davis to follow that model? Yeah....nah. I'm good.

I would much prefer staying at the FCS level and making the playoffs and competing for a national championship vice being in Cal's position. And before you talk about talent, let me remind you the Seattle Seahawks had 9 FCS players on its roster, New England had 9 including our own Lan on the team. So its not about talent.

Davis is building a solid program and it will take time. It will take $$$ too. But don't be in such a rush to join an FBS league that might not even exist in 2029. I keep saying it, Cal and Stanford begged to be in the ACC....don't be surprised if the ACC decides the travel costs and fit just don't work and cut both programs in 2029. Then what? Where is Cal and Stanford going to go? See what I mean? Things are really fluid right now and the best option is to take it slow.

For the all the hub bub about FBS, I find it funny the only school who has made the college football playoffs since FBS joined the playoff format is UC Davis. USC Nope. UCLA Nope. San Diego St. Nope. Fresno St. Nope. Cal Nope. Stanford. Nope. And you want Davis to follow these schools? Nah...I'm good.

I think it’s prudent to wait before making any decisions right now. I get the feeling that the super league the powers that be have wanted might be established at the next tv negotiations. If that happens all conferences will be remade and there will be a ton of opportunities.

I would rather dominate the FCS then move to the FBS right now. We are not ready to move to the FBS. Just my opinion.

OMG I love this idea!! I live in Spain half the year, and they have the a tomato fight festival that is so much fun. We should totally do a tomato fight either before or after a game....the kids would love it

Let me break it down for you, CP is irrelevant. He isn't an Aggie. He didn't get his degree here. I think most are like "Whatever" he is irrelevant. Come this fall, nobody will be thinking about him at all.

?? Why? He isn't an Aggie. In 3 years from now, nobody will remember him. I'll put up money that CP's replacement will be a better football player once their careers are over and the a Davis degree is much more valuable than a WAZZU degree, especially if he want to live in California.

LOL, that is awesome man.

Like the "Wine Grape Crushers?" That would be hilarious...I could see a foot on grapes as a logo...lol

This is absolutely the right perspective.