Kolek planning to go pro
Newer is all relative, but UCF is 55 years old. And it's nuts to think that record donations to the athletic fund coming immediately after unprecedented success on the football field is a mere coincidence.In fact, there's a proven link between athletic success and donations. Loyola, for example, says its donations were up 660 percent after their Final Four run.
Its just not as simple as you are claiming it is.
So then, are general donations to UCF up as significantly as those to the athletic fund? Should be if it's not athletic success driving this, right?
And they are, they brought in a record setting $81M last year, including their largest donation ($10.25M) ever (for a business school).
How does that compare to 2012?Actually, that largest donation you mention came from a couple who described themselves as "ardent UCF Knights football fans" and they earmarked a chunk of that money specifically for the football program. And the photo the university put out with the announcement of the donation has them posing with a football jersey.So probably football had a part in it.https://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/school-zone/os-ucf-donation-alumni-20180907-story,amp.html
Regarding #5, FCS, D2 and D3 teams that advance far enough are already playing as many games as you are suggesting for FBS schools. In the case of D2 and D3, they are doing so all before Christmas as well.
$12.5M in 2012. So approximately a 7-fold increase since then in charitable giving.
I don't think you're doing an apples to apples comparison.I presume you're getting the $12.5 million from the school's FY2012 financial report (let me know if that's wrong).Looking at the same line item in the FY2017 report, the figure is $29.9 million ... well short of a 7-fold increase, and a lesser growth rate than athletic department giving. Also, if you read the report, it appears "The UCF Athletics Association, Inc." is among the "component units" included in the overall statement, so that the total donations includes donations to the athletic departments. Again, if I'm mistaken about that, let me know. But regardless, according to the financial reports at least, giving to the general university definitely has not increased 7-fold, and has not grown at a rate faster than the athletic department.Lastly, I'll just drop this here and won't derail this thread any further. It's a 10-year study of the link between contributions and athletic success at D-1 schools. TL;DR version: Schools with athletic success see more than twice the contributions as schools without.The results show a significant statistical difference of more than double in the percent increase of overall private contributions for institutions with athletics success compared with all higher education institutions. Furthermore, a small statistical difference was found for the athletics success in private institutions compared with public institutions that experienced similar athletics success. No difference was found by region, for history of athletics success, or between basketball or football athletics success for those institutions experiencing athletics success. The study concluded that there are significant implications for overall private financial support for institutions that experience athletics success, especially those with a private affiliation.https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2158244015611186
7. I never watch meaningless bowl games -- not even one second of any of them -- but I do watch these playoffs, and I think I'm a fairly typical "casual college football fan."
Urban retiring after Rose bowl due to brain cyst No way he ends up somewhere else in a couple years, right?
Probably. Can't seem to handle the job physically but doesn't want to do anything else.EDIT: So USC in about a year?
Is Brian Kelly going somewhere?
I don't think so - Urban Meyer refuses to subject himself to oversight of any kind. USC's Helton hire shows how much power the athletic department holds there. Notre Dame is even worse. I would bet on an SEC school or southern ACC/B12 school desperate to win and willing to make Meyer the king of his own castle. Two years is pretty far out to look, but I would put my order of likelihood as (1) FSU, (2)Oklahoma State, (3) Tennessee, (4) Oklahoma.
Well I have a feeling that Swann might be run out of USC after next year too which could open the door for him.But the idea of him at FSU coaching against his former assistant at Florida would be interesting.
Or Notre Dame
https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/12/4/18125398/urban-meyer-retiring-ohio-state-florida
If you are only watching 3 games. Semi & finals, I'm not sure casual fan is the correct term. So, you will not watch the Rose, Peach, Fiesta or Sugar Bowls?