Can Purdue Compete? (Guest Post)

Every now and again, someone makes a commet to us and we think it deserves more of a read than just within the comments section...Today, we got one of those.

If you visit here often, you might know 'zlionsfan' as he's a regular commenter.  He was thoughtful in his response to J's post, so I thought it warranted a post of its own...so here it is.

Keep in mind, the post isn't exactly in step with what J and I think...but I thought this might cause further discussion.  What are your thoughts?

Right now, there's obviously a gap between where Purdue football is right now (a barely-middle-of-the-pack program that struggles to get to bowls) and where we want it to be (perennial contenders). It's becoming very hard to make the case that Hope is still the right guy for the job. Burke isn't likely to make any changes, though, and in any event, he won't find good coaches willing to work for Hope's salary. With Daniels coming on as president, can he get Burke to put more emphasis on growing the football program, or will he let MJB continue to nickel-and-dime his way to bottom-tier bowls?

I don't think Daniels has a choice. The money to build an elite football program simply isn't there, and it isn't ever going to be, not unless he is able to find someone like T. Boone Pickens. (You know, the guy who donated $235 million to Oklahoma State's athletic program.)

Even with a season of sellouts, Purdue would be more than a quarter of a million tickets behind the top of the conference, and something like 100K-200K behind the next tier of stadiums. That's no less than $3M to $6M in revenue that they have no way to collect; of course when you get beyond the cheap seats, it turns out to be a lot more than that. 

In 2010, Purdue's football revenue was a little under $18.4M, dead last in the Big Ten. (Check the Revenues and Expenses tab for details.) You can probably see where this is going: Indiana's was about $24.2M. Iowa, in the middle of the conference, was $44.5M. Penn State and Michigan topped $70M. 

Basically, the conference elites make $60M-$70M ... but that's the result of decades of planning, support, and success. Beaver Stadium's capacity exceeded 80,000 in 1970; Ohio Stadium in 1960; Michigan Stadium in 1928. They were both lucky and wise, Michigan in particular: it was a lot cheaper to expand stadiums in the '50s and '60s than it is today. (Of course, renovations of a 100,000-seat stadium are expensive, too.) And it doesn't make sense to proceed with Phase II and III of the Ross-Ade expansion when Purdue doesn't even sell out now. 

I think it's reasonable to not be satisfied with catching and dominating the middle of the pack, but even for that, money is going to have to come from somewhere. Higher attendance will make up a little of the difference, but that still translates to IU- or Northwestern-level revenue. High-end JPC members can kick in some money. Where's the rest going to come from? 

In 2010, the cheapest adult ticket to the highest-demand home game cost $46. This was about 25% cheaper than the mean Big Ten price for similar games (right about $60). Burke has been working on department-wide measures to build and maintain a significant student presence, but that just deals with attendance, not revenue. How can a school with a low-capacity stadium and cheap tickets significantly build its revenue?

Well, it's hard. Revenue is suffering because of a lack of success, relative importance (basketball's obviously first here, and with good reason), and other factors. Raising attendance by dropping ticket prices is tricky: you don't want to lose revenue just to try to fill the seats. Raising prices isn't going to work unless you can point to a specific plan, and really, would we believe Burke if he laid one out? Hiring a marquee coach isn't going to happen without the revenue, and even a second-tier coach will think twice about coming here unless there's a plan in place to boost attendance ... which generally is going to require increased success. (And in the Big Ten, revenue is really about attendance: success itself doesn't help that much, because you're going to get a share of the bowl pool no matter what you put into it.)

Burke deserves criticism for not trying harder to build the program with the money he has available (Purdue had about $7M in "profit" from the 2010-11 season; no telling what it was earmarked for, though). Extending Hope because he'll work for next to nothing was a bad move. The root of the problem is deeper than that, and as much as it pains me to admit, it's likely beyond the ability of Burke and Daniels to change. 

However, they can at least make a start. Big-name coaches are not going to take a major pay cut to coach at a school with adequate facilities and a frustrated fan base, but there are up-and-coming coaching candidates available every year; all it takes is one of them who'll be willing to prove himself here. Find someone who can build a decent program at Purdue ... but don't make a long-term commitment to someone just because he's cheap. Give the next guy a few years, and if he doesn't work out, keep moving on until one does. Get the program back to where it was in Tiller's heyday, and maybe then, we'll start to see opportunities to close the revenue gap that is currently making it a challenge to keep up with Indiana and Northwestern, never mind Michigan and Ohio State.

Don't expect much B1G love this weekend.

J and I aren't fans of much of Purdue's conference.

It's fun to see these guys lose.

I won't be rooting for Penn State as long as their fans continue to worship at JoePa's altar.  aOSu, while not as bad as PSU, has a history of cheating and skirting rules...they rectified the situation by hiring the squeaky clean Urban Meyer.  On top of that, no one likes their fans...but people in their fan base.  Same goes for Wisconsin...and their head coach is a classless jerk who strives to be known as that. And IU, in spite of being completely unimportant, is still IU.

Outside of those four, the rest of the league is OK, I guess- we kinda like Fitzgerald, Dantonio and Hoke.  Sure, Pelini seems to be a surly, foul-mouthed jerk...but we still don't know enough about the 'Huskers to make a call...Minnesota is pretty harmless and the same goes for Illinois. And while Iowa is our most hated rival, we find their fans to be pretty fun to interact with.

As conference loyalty goes, I guess we don't have much of it...especially early in the season. Every time I choose to root for a team like Michigan, something like this happens.

We get a hard time on Twitter for not pulling for the B1G...and we really don't care.  The media (read as EsPN) doesn't like the conference...because they have vested interest in the SEC. Nothing changes that.  Our wanting to see Ohio beat PSU surely isn't going to change a damned thing.  But, days like today don't help the conference at all.

-The good guys, aOSU, Nebraska, MSU and Illinois all handled their business today.  The rest of the conference didn't fair well.

So I should be sad to see these guys lose?

-UM's shellacking at the hands of Alabama looks pretty horrible.

-Watching PSU get worn down by Ohio in Happy Valley was as bad as it seems.

I'll admit I almost like these Wisconsin fans.

-IU struggling with the mighty Sycamores of Indiana State and Wisconsin doing the same v. Northern Iowa might hurt more than about anything, short of losing to an FCS foe.

-Northwestern nearly giving away a game to a bad Big East team won't be received well by anybody...even those who choose to wear purple on the weekends. The same can be said about Iowa's squeaker over Northern Illinois.

Are our fellow Purdue fans angry at us not rooting for Wisconsin and others because they believe our opinion might change top-25 voters' opinions? Sure, BS is a powerful website...no doubt about that, but we don't affect polls too much.

And speaking of polls, when was the last season a BCS poll had our alma mater even mentioned in it? I'm not saying it's impossible, but it surely shouldn't be a big concern or worry for any us at this point.  When Hope elevates the program to the point in which Purdue is in the conversation, we'll probably change the way we think about and view the rest of the conference...until then, we are who we are, and some fanbases, teams and coaches don't deserve or receive any love.

It might be best for teams to just win and not play like IU did v. ISU...things generally work themselves out when that happens.

NCAA Sanctions PSU

The NCAA has ruled on the Sandusky cover-up by Paterno...I'm sure I'll miss something, but here's what I've gleaned:

-The terms were agreed to by PSU...so there will be no counter lawsuits
-4 year bowl ban
-$60 million fine that will be given to victims of children victimized by sex crimes as well as associations that strive to prevent such crimes (to be paid over 5 years)
-10 scholarships lost for four seasons
-All PSU football players will be able to leave immediately without punishment or loss of eligibility

B1G will release additional sanctions and penalties at 11:00am...According to numerous sources, multiple presidents in the conference are for PSU's removal from the conference.  The conference bi-laws state that 8 sitting presidents in the conference must demand the removal of a member for it to occur.

Paterno's Blemish to Remain at PSU

The Joe Paterno statue was removed from outside of Beaver Stadium early Sunday morning...but prior to it being removed, PSU students and fans came by to pay even more respects to the Demigod that is Joe Paterno's myth. I know that many PSU fans have come to grips with the size and abhorrent nature of this scandal...and the fact that their leader betrayed them, and most-importantly, innocent children by covering up a scandal for at least 15 years- those people seem saddened, disgusted, rightfully angry and shell-shocked.  But many PSU fans, students and alums still don't get it.

Before we go any further, I want everyone to keep an eye out for the signs a god figure is being created by man:  The impression of infallibility, the belief that no one ever has, nor ever will do their job close to as well as them, the thought that a person is bigger than the institution for which they work...and any erection of permanent statues and structures in a living person's honor are all good ways to spot fans that have become truly fanatical and finally have resigned themselves to simply worshipping at the altar of a false god.

If the stories of the myth of Paterno are true, at one point, he was humble enough to worship a God higher than himself. But sometime, while being genuflected to over a five decade span, he began to believe that very few that came before him, if any, were as important as he.  His actions, statements and even silence tell the tail to a great extent, but allowing people to raise a statue in his likeness while his lungs still drew breath was probably the greatest sign of his hubris.

But it's pretty obvious how this monster was created. Do a quick search for the statue, and you'll find what I found- photos of posters and notes along with articles still defending a man and a legend that's indefensible.

That's why the NCAA's impending actions are of the utmost importance.  Tomorrow, both the NCAA, and possibly the B1G, will announce how they plan to punish this structure that created an outlaw assistant coach, a head coach without a moral or ethical compass or any respect for the law or human decency and high-ranking officials that believed the family was more important than anything else.  That family needs to be destroyed.  Sadly, through firings, guilty verdicts, resignations and more and more proof of atrocious, repetitive actions and behavior, JoePa still remains a gleaming legend in the minds of tens of thousands...if not more.

The NCAA, nor a conference has ever had to hand down a punishment for something like this...Thank God something like this has never happened before. We're in unchartered, murky, foul, wretched waters.  And if the message is sent loudly and clearly enough, hopefully, we'll never have to witness anything like this again.

But those that continue to worship at the altar of Papa Joe clearly are too dense to understand anything but a nuclear winter.  A football season in which Beaver Stadium sits cold and silent might finally send the message in a manner that they understand.

Just to clarify: NCAA tourney thoughts

There are a lot of people on Twitter who seem to not understand what J was talking about last night; so here's the deal:

Neither of us pulled too hard for the B1G last night.

In short, we don't have a ton of love for the conference.

A few years ago, J and I discussed how Purdue people tend to root for the conference when the Boilers have been knocked out of the tourney or during bowl games.  But J started seeing the error of blindly following the conference when living in SEC country as SEC shills would root for the entire conference rather than their alma mater.  I think this behavior pissed him off, so he made an about face.

I, on the other hand, have had a problem with the conference for a long time.  Let's not forget that in the first 50 years or so of the existence of the conference, teams like aOSU would get special treatment.  For instance, those teams wouldn't have to play road games but about once in every four years when playing conference foes.  It's a bit easier to dominate opponents when you never have to leave the friendly confines, don't you think.  But that's an old axe to grind...let's fast-forward a few years.

When all of the problems came up a few seasons ago about aOSU players receiving cars, tattoos and gear in exchange for SWAG, one of their defenses were that the kids didn't have enough money because of NCAA rules and regulations.  Nearly immediately, Delany and company started using their soap box to try to get some more money in the hands of athletes...the timing just kind of stunk.

On top of this, aOSU's history of cheating makes me dislike them a lot...and Wisconsin's style of basketball a few years ago, which set college basketball back 30 years or so, coupled with their unlikable fan base forces me to almost-never root for Bucky.  And most-recently, MSU players and coaches alike seem to have come together to brush a very serious situation under the rug...while the media tells us how squeaky-clean Sparty really is...And then, there is the shady summer of '10.

But honestly, last night was an awful night to pick whom to root for in the NCAA tournament.

aOSU v. Cincy
Outside of Aaron Craft's defense and his blush-covered cheeks, what's there to love in this match-up?

L'Ville v. MSU
Old Slime v. New Slime

Wisc v. 'Cuse
I rooted for Bo...see where that got me??

Fla v. Marq
Once again, thanks for nothing, Marquette.  That might be the last time I root for you guys.

Rooting for the state of Wisconsin was the easiest thing to do last night.  A Wisconsin win would have insured no more entitled whining from Boeheim in my TV.  Sadly, that didn't work out because Taylor and co. have no offense other than shooting 22 footers.  Next up, I rooted for Marquette because the Golden Eagles' coach and I look like brothers (so handsome)...and Donavan is a dirty gangster who made a bad deal with the devil to get two national titles.  Root for the other four?? I'd only feel dirty and disgusting this morning.  It's best to stay neutral...something that I clearly am not a fan of.

Tonight, do yourself a favor and root for the underdogs, sans IU of course, and Baylor instead of X.  It'll be the easiest way to respect yourself in the morning.

Now, specifically addressing the IU v. Kentucky game-  There are Purdue fans out there who say they must root for IU...Huh?

Clearly, these people don't live in Indiana and never get on the interwebnets.  I can tell you that the last thing that this state needs is all news being pushed aside for yet another week of Crean's shiny forehead being on the HD screen.  Don't get me wrong, I can't stand Calipari...but all of this year's wins will be vacated by 2015, so none of this will matter in the not-too-distant future.  The best case scenario is IU gets lambasted tonight and none of it counts after Calipari has headed to the NBA (again).  That way, no one really wins...and the ideal scenario occurs: everyone loses.

Boilers/Hope Get What They Deserve: Trip to Detroit (and B1G Bowl notes)

Last night when Purdue was given the news that they'd be making the short trip to Detroit to play Western Michigan, many players weren't celebrating, but instead were complaining about the draw.  Hours, if not minutes later, the tune changed...and this morning that continued.

Hope and some of the Seniors weighed in on GBI saying they were grateful for getting the invite...and honestly, they all should be.  Two teams eligible for bowls, Ball State (6-6) and Western Kentucky (7-5), didn't receive bowl bids...but everyone who was eligible to go from the B1G got an invite.  That's right TEN of the 12 teams in the conference are going bowling.  That's the most ever invited from one conference.  But is it something to brag about when four of those teams are .500? I think not.

The Real Big One?

A year ago as the BT began to test the waters of mega expansion, the college sports nation reacted. But when it was all said and done and the B1G had made its move, a super conference in the midwest wasn't a reality, but a 12-team Big Ten was.

The Big 12 tried to slap a band-aid on its wound with a hastily- designed TV deal and conference re-structuring and everyone knew it wasn't a permanent solution...little did we know how temporary it would be.

The 10-team Big 12 will soon be an 9 team and with Texas A&M leaving...and like when the BT was changing, rumors are swirling about other parts- Mizzou (who clearly wants out of the B12), FSU and Clemson could all move to the SEC as well, and help form a 16 team, all-sport super conference. If this were to happen, what would happen in the BT?

My thought is that without a whale wanting to join and a greater stake in the Northeast TV market, no move will come from Delany and Co. In fact, I would guess it would take other schools coming to the B1G boss, not vice-versa.

EsPN was first to report the rumors of the new quasi-Southeast Mega Conference...and some reports directly contradict the whispers...but why wouldn't Mickey & Co. try to grease the wheels a bit? EsPN already has a heavy vested interest in the SEC and making this conference have longer arms and more TV interest would do nothing but help Disney.

We'll see what happens in the coming days/weeks...but it's getting interesting...Again.

Might not be smiling for too long

It Could Have Been Worse...Much Worse

By now, you've probably all seen the new Keady Court graphics. In my opinion, they're very well done. J thinks the concept is sneakingly-familiar to ours from last week, but I think good design is good design and similarities happen in the design world quite often.

The new concept gets rid of the Special in center court, which is a positive. It puts focus on Keady by placing his signature on the court and doesn't genuflect at the altar of the B1G too much (it gives the right amount of respect to the conference, in my opinion).

There are a few people complaining about the change at center court and the overall design on the Purdue Athletics page on Facebook...but you won't hear any of that on this site. The Athletic Department got this one right, in our opinion as we were never huge fans of the train at center court and always like things that lean toward classic and simple.

With all of the poor decisions and near mistakes made over the last few years by the Purdue marketing family, this is a victory...and they needed one.

Coulda been worse.

Let's Welcome Nebraska

Well, today is Nebraksa's first day in the Big Ten, and we thought it would be neighborly of us to not only welcome them, but to show them around a bit.

So, welcome friends! We can't say we're big fans of your colors, but hey, at least you seem to call it just "red" and not something goofy like "crimson" or "scarlet." ("OOOh, scarlet! Do you like my lovely scarf! It's fan-TASSSS-tic! And it's scarlet! It makes me feel daring!")

We think you'll find the Big Ten a very nice home. We're mostly decent people and, as you're probably fairly used to, there's a lot of pride here. One thing about Big Ten people -- they are fiercely loyal to their school. And it's just that -- to their school, not necessarily to their conference. SEC dolts will cheer for other schools within the SEC and actually talk smack about it to people like us. That's something you won't find much of here. When OSU beats down another school, it's rare that a non-OSU'er would chirp about it.

So let us show you around...

Over there you'll see Northwestern. They're kind of like Kansas State. Oddly successful in a quiet way, but whenever they're on a bowl game stage, they make a sloppy mess of things. Last season: Played in a weird-ass, shared-sideline, one-direction football game in Wrigley Field.

Down there you'll see IU. They're kind of like Iowa State. Weakening program, listliss fan support, beating their rival (Purdue) sets off wild celebrations that make even us think, "Wow, for beating Purdue?" Last season: Took back the Old Oaken Bucket in one of the ugliest football games in recent memory. Still wasn't enough to save their coach, who threw his gum to the ground in disgust.

In that direction you'll see Ohio State. They might remind you of Texas. Kind of (unfortunately) the "crown jewel" of the conference, as the media likes to put it. And like Texas, they're always good and also always a lightning rod for criticism of the conference as a whole. Last season: Beat the SEC at their own games -- on the field and in improper benefits.

To the North is Michigan. They might remind you of Oklahoma. Loyal fanbase, proud tradition, packed house all the time, they also engender joy in others when they fall on their faces, probably because it doesn't happen all that often. Last season: Rode their coach out of town on a rail and brought in a slovenly doofus who will only call Ohio State "Ohio." Word has it the doofus can coach, though.

Michigan State might seem a little like Oklahoma State. Little brother syndrome, though often talented in their own right. Rises up and snatches big fish with some regularity, but also finds a way to fire a bullet through their foot, too. Last season: Tried to kill their own coach. Fortunately, a football team is no match for Mark Dantonio.

Way out East is Penn State, who is a little like Texas A&M in that they too have a proud tradition, a crazy loyal and vocal fan base... and there's a certain smug righteousness that eminates from there. Last season: Their coach turned 215 years old and has learned to Skype. Or at least stare at the talking picture box.

In the middle of nowhere is Iowa, who may remind you of Texas Tech. Other conference schools snicker at their education credentials and when it comes to football, they can certainly be good, but nobody really takes them seriously. On the basketball court, it's even more hilarious. Last season: Lost to Northwestern AND Minnesota, so how serious can their athletic programs be?

Wearing that creamsicle color over there is Illinois. They might remind you of Texas Tech during the Leach era. That is, sometimes potent offense, ability to beat up bad teams, completely insane coach. Last season: Muddled to a 7-6 record and the Zooker kept his job probably because everyone is worried about how he'll react if he's asked to depart. He's using the George Costanza patented "Look irritated and everyone will assume you're busy and doing great things" approach.

Up there playing in an outdoor stadium (and acting like it's a brilliant idea in Minnesota) is the Minnesota Golden Gophers. They refuse to admit they need to change their school colors and they may remind you a bit of Baylor: Once in a while, they're bowl-level decent, but never are they spectacular, except in creative ways to lose ballgames. Seriously, their fans will probably even admit this. Last season: Things got so bad their coach was fired after losing to Purdue.

Also way up North and playing outside is Wisconsin, who might remind you of Mizzou. Big, strong farm boys with annoyingly in-your-face alums, despite the fact that Wisconsin is always very close to contending on a national level yet never seems to get over the hump. When you and they play on Oct 1, it's going to look like one of your spring games, with color schemes remarkably similar, which might be confusing to Badger fans. Last season: Made some enemies around the conference after hanging 70 on Northwestern and 83 on Indiana, including a late passing touchdown. I think it's safe to say the rest of us will be pulling for NU on 10/1.

And us, well, we're Purdue. Some in our own conference don't even know where we are. Notre Dame tells us every year that we're not their rival, despite playing every season for 60 years. IU is technically our rival, though the Big Ten has decided that we hate Iowa as well, so we're doing our best to play along. We won't meet Nebraska on the field for a couple of years so you'll likely forget we exist, too. As for our football program, we only accept coaches with mustaches (a decree made in 1997 and continued to this day) and while our offense used to be referred to as "basketball on grass," right now we'd simply settle for slow pitch softball on grass. Last season: We don't want to talk about last season.

We will admit, at least for now, that we are in awe of the fact that Nebraska has had 19 double-digit win season since Purdue's last 10-win season in 1979. We also found it kind of amazing that from 1993 to 1997, NU went 60-3 (yes, that's right) including three national titles. Some point to Nebraksa having an "easy" schedule in many of those years and others intimate that there might have been some shenanigans going on under the revered Tom Osborne. Regardless, those numbers are nutty.

So again, welcome friends, we look forward to having you join us. And, in West Lafayette, we look forward to seeing you on the hardwood.

Homestretch Power Ranking

As we talked about on the HH and ad nauseaum during this season, our wish is that Purdue will be playing its best basketball of the season come March. It looks like we might get our wish as they continue to roll along- they've been the really beating good teams and winning the games that they're simply supposed to. Plus, with the exception of DJ Byrd, pretty much everybody's healthy and Byrd is playing through multiple injuries (as he has most of the season).

With all that said, and in the wake of a nearly-unblemished February, here's what we think of the BT right now:

1. aOSU
The only way they lose this spot is if the Forces of Good win out and they stumble...but I don't see it happening. They reminded Illinois why they're on the bubble and who's in the lead in the conference a few days ago. It gets easier for them Sunday before a few tougher tests.

2. Purdue
I'm fond of this team for some reason...and the more they play, the more I like what I see. The media will tell you that it's JJ and Smooge carrying the squad- people that watch every game know that players like Byrd are really the lifeblood of Painter's system. Plus, it seems that everyone has not only accepted, but embraced their roles.

3. Wisconsin
Bo Ryan might rival Gene Keady (in his prime) as the best regular season BT coach I've ever watched. This season has followed Ryan's blueprint for success and Bucky is in great position for the NCAA tourney.

4. MSU
After beating Illinois and Minnesota, Sparty now has a chance to beat UM and help to pop three bubbles in a two week span. Plus, they host our Boilers Sunday and can affect the BT regular season race as they scratch and claw their way back to respectability and into the dance.

5. Penn State
A win over aOSU might be enough to get PSU into the dance...their quality wins are pretty astounding and the fact that they've played much better in conference would be taken into account by the committee.

6. Michigan
Even when they don't win these days, they compete...which is better than much of the conference this February. The middle of the BT seem to be competing for the most creative way to play themselves out of the dance...UM & PSU, conversely, both seem to be playing solid basketball.

7. Illinois
The loss to IU might have been the straw that completely broke this heartless camel's back. Poor Senior leadership, listless effort, poor shot selection and underwhelming rebounding effort for a tall, athletic team are the hallmarks of the Illini the last month and one-half.

8. Northwestern
They'll get to the NIT, but Thompson deserves to go out on a higher note than the record that the Wildcats currently have.

9. Minnesota
One win in the month of February is a sign of just how far this early conference leader has fallen. I can't see how they get into the NCAA tourney with the way they've played since Nolen went down.

10. Iowa
Clearly Iowa has run out of gas and their lack of depth is killing the at this point. Iowa has zero four-star athletes on the roster.

11. Indiana
The Hawkeyes record might be the same, but their situation is quite different. McCaffrey is a hands-on coach that focuses on Xs & Os and execution. Crean seems to be a pre-game motivator and in-game cheerleader and allows his assistants to worry about the details. The result this season is an underachieving, but talented squad. IU has probably won its last game of the '10/'11 campaign, and without another win, the Hoosiers will have one fewer win than '09/'10.