Big programs bring their own AC benches in college. SMU supplies visitors with the misting fans.

Here is a quote from ESPN
“The SMU sideline had eight air-conditioned benches with shade coverings, plus the shade of the press box in the second half. No such relief for UC Davis on the east sideline, where a half-dozen misting fans had to do all the work. The stands behind the UC Davis bench were virtually empty after halftime. Almost all of what was left of the crowd was in the shady west stands.” — Riveraggie

I find it really disappointing to see things like this where the very wealthy, power teams will take any advantage they can get no matter what in order to win at any cost. Of course, Le Fan, says that these teams travel with their own air conditioned benches. Stuff like this is what makes it difficult for me to get excited about the top power teams and don't get me started about how the referees found an extra second for Michigan...

a big reason I stopped wishing for Davis to join the FBS. I just don't want to become a punching bag that never has a real shot at winning anything. FBS is about money. I'm not sure I want to play in those waters.

Yes, it's about losing vast amounts of money.

The fact that Davis does not have covered bench units, or at least rent some big sideline misters, was baffling to me. That's some Mickey Mouse operations work. Buy four of those covered benches, you'll use them at some point. And the misters can be rented locally if you're too cheap to buy your own. Really bush league by the ops staff.

Despite all the improvements program-wide, this is still a tight budget operation. It really shows on a road trip like SMU.

Which is why a trip to Dallas for 460k is just stupid. Montana State got 400k to go to Reno. Whoever scheduled the SMU game made a dumb decision IMO.

There are donors that would get on board for specific projects like this or this because they're tangible. Buy four of these things, including the helmet coolers and the shade covers, and throw them in the back of the jenky equipment truck only when we travel to an extreme climate like Texas or the South. Otherwise, use them at home. They look cool with the branding and the players would appreciate it. Seems meaningless to some, but it points in the right direction. Football needs a dedicated fundraiser who understands these things (and stupid, practical items like cleat/glove dryers, real performance nutrition needs, etc) and is less concerned with charging people for tailgates and social events. Those have a place, but there are things our team needs that our program can do better, and people will often give if they see what they're giving to.

All the FCS vs. FBS Payouts can be found here:
https://herosports.com/2026-fcs-vs-fbs-payouts-bzbz/

Going through the Big Sky, in order for payday:
Weber State got $700,000 to play @ Colorado
Montana is getting $675,000 to play @ Oregon State
Idaho @ Utah - $600,000
Portland State @ Oregon - $590,000
Eastern @ Washington - $575,000
Northern Arizona @ Arizona - $550,000
Portland State @ San Diego State - $475,000
UC Davis @ SMU - $460,000
Cal Poly @ SJSU - $450,000
Utah Tech @ BYU - $450,000
Southern Utah @ Colorado State - $425,000
Idaho State @ Utah State - $400,000 (a 1 hour and 40 minute bus ride)
Montana State @ Nevada - $400,000
Northern Colorado @ Wyoming - $400,000 (a 1 hour and 50 minute bus ride)

Other Notables:
McNeese @ LSU - $750,000
Northern Iowa @ Iowa - $700,000
Youngstown State @ Kentucky - $575,000
North Dakota @ Nebraska - $550,000
Towson @ South Carolina - $550,000
Wagner @ Cal - $525,000
South Dakota State @ Northwestern - $500,000
Furman @ Tennessee - $500,000
Villanova @ Louisville - $500,000
Mercer @ Georgia Tech - $475,000
South Dakota @ Boise State - $475,000
Tarleton State @ Bowling Green - $360,000
Illinois State @ Northern Illinois - $350,000
The Citadel @ UNC Charlotte - $300,000

*Bold - FCS Teams who won their FBS matchup.

Wow. So the only program who got fleeced harder was Utah Tech when you compare P4 vs. BigSky matchups. I would've hoped we had more negotiation power than Utah Tech..

Does anyone remember how much we're paying Stetson?

$170,000 guaranteed.
Stetson resides in Deland, FL - just a bit north of Orlando.

This is a poor reflection on whomever brokered this game to take such a paltry deal from a P-4 conference and an institution with the resources SMU possesses. $460k is embarrassing. How are we going to pay for our covered cooling benches?!

We probably need the equivalent in snowy or cold conditions.

This D1 football stuff is EXPENSIVE.......

Seems to be true that - the lower tier the FBS team, the less you get paid, the better your chances of competing...you know 5 of those lower 6 were FCS wins, and UNC was in that game @ Wyoming.

I'll say that NDSU may be the most impressive Mountain West Football team this season if things continue to play out -- results from last week alone:
North Texas smokes UNLV 44-6
Northern Colorado battles Wyoming and loses 13-21
New Mexico stomps Mercyhurst 70-7
Illinois State beats Northern Illinois 28-24
San Jose State gets past Cal Poly 20-30
UTEP whoops FCS Texas Southern 51-10
NDSU outlasts Air Force 38-32, that was in Colorado Springs by the way, and a huge Bison fan turnout.
Montana State beats Nevada 20-7 in Reno
Hawai'i wins at home against a not so good New Mexico State squad 29-19

NDSU outlasts Air Force 38-32, that was in Colorado Springs by the way, and a huge Bison fan turnout. — AggieFinn

Impressive turnout by NDSU

We got the worst deal, playing an elite FBS team for a low payout in extreme conditions at a fairly distant location. If we're going to settle for such a low payout, let's at least play someone closer we have a better shot at being competitive with.

Leadership made a bad decision. UC Davis gained nothing from that aside from a "meager" 460. Could have done much better

According to Plough's last interview, UCD did try to schedule against Mountain West teams, but they declined. UCD didn't really have an option other than schedule P4 teams. Plough said he embraced that, but I think that's just spin.

Embrace it fine, but demand a commensurate payout! $400k is a reasonable amount of money from a MWC team; don't accept less than $700k from a rich P4 program like SMU. Cal is playing Wagner this weekend, Stanford is playing Elon this season. Surely we were not in such a bind that $460k from SMU was the best deal we could come up with. Someone was lazy and not considering if this was the best possibility for the program this season.

Absolutely spin. The Mountain West has hosted Idaho State, Montana State, Cal Poly, and probably some others.

This is all true...literally 3 Big Sky vs. Mountain West games on last weekend.

Cal is paying Wagner $525k. We could have undercut that (if we even needed to) to give Cal a much more attractive opponent that would bring a much larger visiting contingent. More interesting for our fans, probably more competitive, easy trip, etc.

...and less jet fuel exhaust coming out from Staten Island!

Some contracts have a payout (like $400,000), but also pay for travel and lodging which is a big expense. It is quite possible SMU might have done that and that is why the payout is less than you would expect from a P4.

Well, that's a good point. If travel/lodging was paid for as well, I don't know, is that standard (?), not the worst trip to FBS-land

This is fact. Not uncommon for the cost of the charter, all the buses, fuel expenses and accommodations for the equipment truck and crew, plus player hotel night and meals to be covered by the host/money school. That brings the $460k up to a little over $500k in my estimation.