thanks for the information - I think we agree there’s a lot to learn from our competitors about how to improve the experience.

sounds like Rocko was scared or knew Sac would end up FBS and we’d be perpetually FCS.

Ideally, we SHOULD have moved to the Pac# or MWC as a package. Probably would’ve been cheaper for both schools AND ultimately generated a lot more revenue for both with the whole region behind it.

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!!

+1. Sac has to fund $23M plus for a no-name FBS league 2,000 miles away, and fund Cal Expo field, grandstand remodel, temporary structures and possibly temporary stands - any pro's here w an idea of that cost?

Some things I left out, due to length:

When the news about UCD being invited to join the Mountain West, broke, it surprised everyone - to put it mildly. But conference commissioners, university chancellors and athletic directors don't do this kind of thing spontaneously - especially in the current realignment-driven environment of college athletics. These are lengthy, give and take discussions. We all, or most of us, thought joining the MW for all spots it sponsored, except football was a great move. And the option for football, as explained then, was also seen as a great move. One we all agreed was played exceedingly close to the vest by Rocko DeLucca and Gary May.

The MW announcement was followed by the unveiling of a five-year facilities plan designed to boost several sports. Again, it seems well-thought out, and was well-received on this site.

Since then, Sac State continued to look for a way into FBS, and they finally found a will buyer. Not a big surprise, since Dr. Wood was committed to living or dying (Keeping or losing his job?) on fulfilling that promise. NDSU is also making the jump to FBS by joining the same conference we're soon to be a member of. Not really surprised after Coach Polasek signed a lengthy contract extension, and then explained his decisions he did. Then Tim Plough ALSO signed an extension here at UCD.

Do we really think Plough signs that extension if he was unhappy with the decision-making or the university's commitment to his vision for the football program? I don't.

Do we think that Plough is excluded from the room when those decisions are going down? I don't.

Do we think that Plough, DeLucca and May were all clueless about either the Sac State - MAC negotiations or the NDSU - MW negotiations? I don't. Certainly, there were legalities that ensured UCD was in the loop about NDSU - MW.

If Sac is willing to pay $18M for the MAC, it stands to reason they pitched the same to MW. MW saying no is saying they already have their Sac metro area team. UCD will be FBS by ‘30-‘31 and playing in the MW.
Sac St went FCS first and spent the better part of two decades floundering around. I was at UMass when they joined MAC and they were far better positioned than Sac is.

The proposed suites are a totally different product. Expect they will provide buffet/bar access to some of the box seat holders between the 40s for a fee, which is a good idea. What I’m referencing are the new sections designed for a more social experience. Like, I went to this great outdoor bar and grill and a football game broke out in the background. That product helps to capture the local Cal/Oregon/SC/9ers fan in a way that the current options do not and you can put a more premium price tag on this compared to just some end zone beer garden. Kind of like SJSU on the east side or Poly’s north end zone. Boise is reconfiguring one of its end zone sections to do the same.

Plough also wasn’t about to sign up for the postseason ban during the transition since that’s getting waived when espn and Fox make their deal on league 1. Spend that 15m on the football program over the next 4 years and things will be in good shape.

Agreed.

There's a reason why Plough is a D! HC, Delucca is a D! AD and Gary May is a UC chancellor, while we're all blogging and second-guessing them on AST. :rofl:

Like everyone, they'll make mistakes that provide grist for our word mill, but overall I think they do an excellent job.

This has been posted on other threads but can a potential stadium renovation please include something like this?

An Endzone bar area like Colorado St or San Jose Soccer. How about the Mondavi/Sierra Nevada Endzone Porch?

It seems like something the UC Regents wouldn't like but come on, this would be great.

We ain't buildin' nothin' yet. Stick around a while (20+ years) and you'll see how long this stuff takes at Davis....They've only just asked us to pay for it.

Sac may be excited today, but they've placed the entire cart in front of the horse. At least Davis is smart enough to not do that.
Sac is waaaaay overextended the way they've gone about this. Hey, they did say "FBS or bust." Hopefully they can make it work.

Wasn't it the plan to get the renovation done in the next 5 years?

That would be amazing. I'm looking forward to when all the money comes in to get started.

Bought, not built.

So, yeah, I still feel good.

@RollOnYouAgs (mixed metaphor?). I’m fine too. If Sac does end up in the MAC it seems like a desperation move with no financial or geographical sense. Not sure where the money comes from - pledges don’t mean anything until it hits a bank account.

by that justification you also must admit Luke Wood is a D1 university president, and knows more than us.

It’s probably private. This will actually be very good for them. The amount of advertising they are getting from this is crazy. Location wise they are a much better destination than Fresno. They might poach their recruits now.

Does anybody know the status of the contract for expanding Aggie Stadium with the Club Suites? it's a nice contract - was thinking McCarthy or Turner or somebody along those lines would be competitive enough to win this contract.

I was wondering the same thing. I will be curious when they actually start working on it.

Touche! :grin:

The distinction being that Gary May is a UC Chancellor who seems to pay attention to the whole university; your categorization of Luke Wood as a "D1 university president" seems to indicate he's more like an NFL Director ion Football Operations. I think you'd get quite a bit of pushback from CSUS faculty, staff, students and alumni about his stewardship of the whole university. Our youngest son and his wife (alums) certainly think he's a bust.

Don't see it on the current projects list --- if they don't award it and have it off and running by April, it will be tough to complete by early September I reckon. Hell, don't even see it in Environmental Review - which sounds like a nightmare where projects and campus progress go to get stalled for no good reason.

It'd be another year of no upgrades, there needs to be aggressive annual progress to keep the luster strong. The Football Program is producing a quality annual product, Sac is gone, NDSU is gone - two perennial FCS teams of recent years making the transition, Sac moving too quickly and botching the job, but moving just the same, NDSU saving all their money and making a proper move after decades of dominance...Davis will likely fall in the middle of those two scenarios.

https://environmentalplanning.ucdavis.edu/current-projects

Yeah I look at that website of projects more often than I should :lol: . I always look at the interactive map they have that seems to be updated often to see if it has started.

I agree with @AggieFinn that they need to be aggressive in progress or actual timeline assignments of projects beyond "like 5 years" to keep Aggie Ascent actually on peoples minds and not become this folder of renderings sitting in the black hole of university planning. Maybe at the Wine Fundraiser coming up in 2ish weeks Plough or the athletic staff will have an update on it. I think its really important (especially after resigning him as coach and spending all this time on these big plans) to actually put them into action if we want to solidify ourselves as a top FCS program, even more if we are planning to move to the MW. Getting those premium seating options and expanded concessions is an important step in the programs future, and it seems like now we have really hit this stride of ascension in the past few years that we need to tap.

I would definitely raise the issue - however, talking to the Football Staff isn't where the energy should go, it should definitely go to Athletics Administration and DCM (UC Davis Design and Construction Management). Knowing that office they will treat the Suite expansion as just another project and queue it up for 3 or 4 years, when it should take 18 months max from start to finish...and I get it, everything needs to be paid for and accounted for, but to be big time you have to raise your game at all levels and that includes the design teams, the construction planning teams and the campus administration teams. I know the contractors will work diligently to keep schedule and complete things on time - University just needs to make it worth their time and keep a healthy bonus schedule for milestones.

I agree, I have sent an email to the departments twice now (DCM and Athletics). First response was early on and they basically said that they are in the timeline planning stage. Sent an email a few days ago and waiting on response. I agree with you on that queue issue, hoping that the AD and DCM are in tandem working on a quicker timeline, especially since it seems like the plans have already been drawn up.

They don’t have plans yet from a real design firm. Just conceptual stuff from the space planning group. That is why it would be smart to do some other stuff while they work through this.

I feel like they could easily setup a better done version of the bar area they have by the video board in the time being. Also improving the concession areas seems pretty realistic by the entrance where its basically cinderblock squares.

Just copy what Cal Poly has done in one of the endzone areas. No need for Regents capital planning review and they will print money.

You are speaking my language!

This is insane.

Yeah that deal is really bad. Like selling the university out bad. I'm all good giving us a few years and getting our renovations and money lined up before joining the MW then doing whatever they are doing.