After a loss to Cal Poly ended one winning streak, the Aggies started a new one with an emphatic sweep of UC Riverside on Tuesday, followed by a tougher 3-1 match against Hawaii. Coach Dan Connors squad now has a 10-day break to rest and prepare for the stretch run. Davis is a game ahead of both Val Poly and The Beach, and 2 up on Santa Barbara.

Go Ags!

If the Griz were "Pandas", what will the Age be called?

Outstanding!

This guy has been pretty realistic about Sac State's FBS ambitions from the beginning, and I usually agree with his take. But I really doubt that going FBS would add value to a CSUS degree, particularly outside CA. For either a prospective student, or for a CSUS graduate. Especially in the short run.

I can see that SUCCESSFULLY going FBS - which means:

• winning seasons year after year,

• being competitive in bowl game appearances

• seeing on TV an enthusiastic student body attending football and basketball games

would eventually raise Sac State's visibility and encourage out-of-state students to look at the school's academic programs. Especially those that are really good, like the jazz degree. But the out of state tuition would still discourage many from following through.

Maybet his source was a guy named 'Wood'?

Yeah…that would’ve been a bad fashion statement when playing a school from an actual cowboy state.

100%. Joe Davidson seems to have hopped on the GO-GO bandwagon.

I didn’t watch the game, but I’m curious if Brennan wore his cowboy hat?

Everything out of Sacramento recently leans heavily into some version of “…it takes time to get 71 new players on the same page…” refrain. Sure a different tune than what was being played earlier. Maybe up through the Nevada loss?

[Edit] Isn’t getting all your players why Sac pays their SEC-sized coaching staff all that money? Wonder how many of those heads roll at the end of the season?

UCD takes down Santa Barbara in 5 sets. Davis came back from a set down (twice), fighting off 4 match points in the 4th set.

Also got an assist from CSUN, who defeated 2nd place Long Beach, also in 5 sets.

UCD as a Buick turnaround for the next game, traveling to Cal Poly for a Saturday afternoon contest.

GO AGS!!

Big match at home on Thursday vs. Santa Barbara, currently tied with Cal Poly for 3rd (6-2 BW, 14-6 overall).

UCD takes down CSU Bakersfield in straight sets to improve to 7-0 in conference, 11-4 overall. Quick turnaround for a 6PM start tomorrow night at CSUN. The Matadors are currently 5th in the Big West at 3-3, 10-7 overall. Definitely a tougher matchup than the last place Roadrunners (1-6 BW, 4-15 overall).

GO AGS!!

I imagine that when Plough took the UCD job, he knew the support wouldn't increase dramatically overnight. And that he'd have to produce winning teams for it to happen. He produced in Y1, and so far in Y2. Hopefully, support, both institutional and boosters/alumni have started to increase as well.

UCD is moving to the Mountain West in Y3 - though not in football. But we will get a revenue share from the MW media deal, some of which will likely be allocated to football. If the on-field success continues, then he should reasonably expect that support also continue to grow.

That being said, UCD isn't going to match the Dakotas in the next couple of years. Even if we did, it would take some time for the money to take effect, at least in terms of facilities. So the hope here is that Plough understands all this and is reasonably patient. If he continues to produce winning teams, and he doesn't get the support he wants, there will be other, and probably better, opportunities in the future.

Even if the support meets or exceeds his expectations, at some point Plough may want a new challenge.

I agree that Gundy may not be interested for any number of reasons. He was my best example of a guy who checks the boxes that Oregon State should have on their list:

Proven HC record in a power conference.
Track record of building a historically bad program (OK State has never had an Erickson or Riley) into a contender for conference championships and beyond.
Success at a school/town not unlike OR State/Corvallis
A name that would give OR State football instant credibility with Alimni, boosters, potential recruits and transfers.
Record of developing hidden gems into standout players
Some potential of bringing players from previous school with him (maybe)

Concerns that need addressing through interviews:
Embracing NIL and the transfer portal
Building an effective staff

I agree with you that Oregon State wouldn't be a good fit for Plough, and I'm thinking OSU probably realizes he wouldn't be a good fit for them at this point. You're absolutely correct that Oregon State is a really tough place to win, especially right now.

To get back to any type of relevancy, first in Oregon, then at the Group of 6 level, and (hopefully) eventually beyond, OSU needs someone who has more than a good coaching resume. They need someone whose name and/or background brings instant credibility to Corvallis. Someone whose hire might also raise the stature of the new Pac 12 as a whole. Not sure they can get that kind of person, but a rising star with a successful 1 1/2 year HC stint isn't going to be that guy.

I think Plough is smart enough to know that he would be the type of hire OSU settled for, rather than being the guy they really wanted. He wouldn't even have the built in connection that Bray had. Given the condition the Oregon State football program...and maybe the whole athletic program, his situation would likely be exactly as you described, "3-4 years of aggravation before you're fired." Career killer.

My nomination as the guy that should top their list, would be Mike Gundy. In addition to the "name/credibility" quality, he shown he can rebuilt a program in a P%/4 conference, that when he arrived, was probably much like Corvallis is today. The caveat would be, could Gundy better adapt to the NIL era than he did at the other OK State?

It seems the Big10's private equity partner will be the UC Pension Fund. Can't imagine that the SEC will be far behind. Especially if the private equity firms that the Big 10 turned down are seriously interested in this type of investment.

https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/46553869/big-ten-closes-2-billion-capital-agreement-vote-per-sources

Aggies take down The Beach in 4 sets. Atop the Big West at 6-0!! Congrats to Coach Dan Connors, his staff and the players!

GO AGS!!!

After another tough 1-nil loss, the Aggies host The Beach at 1PM today. Kudos to Coach Kay Mertz, her staff, especially the players for continuing to grind and play with Aggie Pride through a difficult season.

Coming off a tough win over UCI on Saturday, Davis is in a first-place tie with Long Beach State.

Next up: UC San Diego (2-2 BW; 4-12 overall) comes to town in Thursday.

Go Ags!

The women's soccer team continues to play hard, but still have difficulty finding the back of the net, having recorded only 9 goals in 13 outings this season. Defensively, the backline and goalkeeping have been better than statistics indicate, but they're under constant game-long pressure. Until the midfield and frontline do batter at A) maintaining possession, and B) scoring, wins will be tough to come by.

Next up: UC San Diego at home on Thursday. The Tritons are having similar struggles, so hoping the Aggies can start righting the ship.