I'm gonna be a bit harsh but it needs to be said:

1. The plan under the current renovation is to be complete within 5 years. Adding addition seating to that plan to increase capacity doesn't seem impossible. - Have you ever managed a construction project? Do you know the costs associated with building, especially in California? The zoning and environmental impacts that have to be done? Project overruns? Labor shortages? etc. Let's pretend the goal is for 2028, you think the stadium can do all this in 24 months? Not happening.


2. I think this whole changing this is possible, but its all guessing at the moment. I still think positioning ourselves in that lower FBS bracket instead of FCS before those hypothetical changes happen is a good idea. NDSU moved to the MW after the media deal was completed.

What is the benefit of paying millions dollars to join a conference you are not even sure will exist in 2030? What economic benefit does being grouped with the Ball ST, Reno, etc. have prior to the next TV deals? There is none. Whether this happens in 2029 or 2039 there is no incentive to rush playing FBS football. NDSU is a 10 time national champion with a national reputation and a state support, Davis is not even close to that. To compare NDSU to UC Davis is like comparing apples to oranges. NDSU is now on the hook for some serious $$$. That bill isn't going away, they will have to pay a lot of money.

You need to show how UC Davis can make more money moving to FBS vs just adding expenses.

3. I think the third one is more complicated, but I think joining the conference that all our other sports are in, continuing to compete in a regional conference like the MW, and increased exposure make it worth it, especially considering the MW schools we have close by.

I get it. You want to UC Davis on ESPN and playing bigger schools for the pure entertainment of it, but that is not how life works. Davis is not a big time sports school. It never was and it will never be. Davis at its core is a research university. Athletics are a byproduct of the university. That is it.

I want you to go to campus and go stand on our old field by Hickey Gym. Go look at that area. That was the site of UC Davis football for decades. I can't tell you the amount of time my butt was numb from sitting in those metal bleaches. The current stadium didn't come about till 2007. That means in 20 years we have gone form a DII school to people wanting Davis to join the MWC. That is a pretty big move already and you want us to move even faster? For what?

Here is what you have to understand. Everything costs money. A lot of money. I want you to start putting a price tag on ever wish you want to happen for UC Davis.

Example: "I want to move to the MWC by 2028." Breakdown how much that will cost and where you are going to get the money do make it happen. This will help you better understand the effort needed to move to the FBS.

yeah that isn't happening. Davis isn't close to moving up before 2030 at the earliest if at all. Why?

1. Stadium is not ready for an FBS invite (this will take years to complete. Funding, construction, etc.)
2. TV deals are set for 2029. The FBS as we know it will change from how we know it. Nobody knows what happens to the current FCS teams or the lower FBS teams in the new TV deals.
3. Economic benefit: Cost of moving to FBS has to show a positive net income vs an added expenditure. What is the point of moving up to FBS if it costs the university $5M in expenditures?

If you want an honest timeline, look more for a 2030-2040 timeframe.

And what is your current time frame?

Why? What is it that you hope he will say?

Why are you in such a rush to move to the FBS? Explain what is the difference between moving in 2026 vs 2030?

Yup it looks like one last stab....this might actually kill the entire program.

Yup. SACST is not getting any shared revenue from the MAC and must pay for all visiting teams travel? OMG.....this thing will be lucky to last 2 years....

That has to be one of the worst business deals I've ever see. It's completely unsustainable.

I've got a couple I'll be taking him :)

I'll be there.

Great for SACST to move to the MAC. I wish them well. However, none of SACST has anything to do with the future of UC Davis sports. Nothing.

UC Davis is moving slowly on purpose. There is no need to rush to FBS. When we move it will be on our timeline not anything SACST or other school decides to do.

Looking forward to the next season!!

You are great my man, don't lose your enthusiasm!! Talking Davis sports is so fun today, because we are close to taking the next step. We can all feel it. Wait till next year, I'm telling you 2026 might be the year we break through :)

Ah yes, the classic “in what world?” question — probably the same world where conference realignment makes sense and geography still matters. So… clearly we’re already in a fantasy novel.

Look, I’m not saying Stanford and Cal are about to hand-deliver an invite wrapped in a bow and an NIL collective, but college athletics has been operating on pure chaos lately. Ten years ago if you told me teams would be flying across three time zones for a “regional” conference game, I would’ve asked what you were drinking and if you brought enough for the class.

You’re not wrong that the Mountain West feels like the more logical fit today. But logic hasn’t exactly been driving this bus — it’s more like money grabbed the wheel while tradition was shoved into the trunk.

And the whole “move up to FBS ASAP” idea sounds great until you remember it costs roughly the GDP of a small island nation. You don’t just wake up one morning and decide, “You know what? Let’s double the athletic budget and see what happens.” That’s how universities end up hosting emergency bake sales outside the stadium or the university drops the program.

As for academics, I get the flagship comparison — but let’s not pretend conference invites are based on who has the prettiest research labs. If that were true, half these leagues would look like a TED Talk instead of a football schedule. UC Davis can compete with anything Cal or Stanford can do in the classroom --->you are just in love with silly narrative that both programs are elite.

Honestly, the real move is winning. Win a lot. Pack the stadium. Become annoying to ignore. Conferences don’t chase you because you fit neatly into a spreadsheet — they chase you when you start messing with their TV numbers.

So yeah, Mountain West might be the practical path… but in this era? Think bigger. Just be patient.

Before you go crazy with the MW talk, just keep in mind the conference might not even exist as it does now when the next TV deals are negotiated. The conference realignment isn't close to being done. There are real geographical and financial problems out there in college football that need to be fixed. All I'm saying is be patient. Who knows maybe in 2030...Stanford, Cal, UCLA....all are looking for a new home...and they might be looking for a high academic school in a growing TV market is all I'm saying.

Fantastic post!!

Excellent news! Congrats coach!

I agree. I've said it before I was never the biggest CP fan, but in a season you are going to lose games. Are you expecting perfection every week? If so, you are going to be disappointed watching any sport.

A digital board with needs....like "Help support our local athletes...our goal is fund XX parking passes...food...etc" Put a QR code so people can donate and see where their donation is going. Love this idea.

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?