Yes, I am throwing ice-cold water in your face to start our little get-together, courtesy of Front Office Sports.
Friday, I attended the Arizona State Football Kickoff lunch, which was, as expected, a rah-rah fest. While there’s no question that the bottoming out of the football program is in the rear-view mirror, there’s also a reality that the bandwagon still has plenty of room on the booster side.
Disagree?
Head coach Kenny Dillingham spent part of his speech on Friday in front of a 99.9% maroon and gold crowd (I wore a green shirt with a little cactus on it), speaking on the topic of how the football program needs more from the community. Earlier in the week, he told the Phoenix Business Journal, “My goal right now is I want to get 200 businesses to give $1,000 a month to a player. That’s it,” Dillingham said. “It’s not an arm and a leg to get in, it’s way cheaper than people think.”
I get it. Everything is great to open the football season, but the bottom line is… well… the bottom line. If you are on the side that thinks NIL and paying players have ruined the game, you might want to check out—there are plenty of places to go, so you’re not frustrated. When San Tan Ford owner/big booster Tim Hovik spoke the truth to the crowd (in between his UofA jokes) about how Arizona State Basketball didn’t get some players that they should’ve because the finances couldn’t compete with what the University of Arizona was offering, it was another much needed splash of cold water in the faces of those who don’t consider it their problem to solve. I found it refreshing.
When I hear “I love Kenny” or “We bought season tickets this year,” I do ask some of them if they would feel the same if a seven or eight-win season happens in 2025? I’m sure a University of Arizona fan would be doing backflips with a winning season, while I am equally positive that those who follow Arizona State would say, “What’s wrong with the head coach?”
The maturity of the fan in this marketplace needs to happen, so that in thick and thin, the largest money-maker on campus doesn’t slide back into anonymity with a season where the team doesn’t end up in the CFP. As long as the football office doesn’t engage in nonsense, cheating, incompetence, or lack of accountability – as I’ve seen in Tempe at times in the past – I’m perfectly fine with a program that wins 8-9 games (sometimes more) every year.
In today’s competitive landscape, where acquiring and retaining talent has become increasingly challenging, can a program like Arizona State remain competitive? It shouldn’t come down to this: a head coach in year three, following a College Football Playoff semi-final, still having to turn over rocks in the community to get the program to where he wants it to be. Now is the time for him to coach, not be put in the role of fundraising…
Looks and sounds like the Fiesta Foundation and Arizona State are thawing out their next-to-zero relationship. I’ve written and spoken for years about the “fighting in the sandbox” between the two that needs to end. Good to see Erik Moses and the Yellow Jackets in attendance on Friday. Credit to Graham Rossini and Erik. Locking arms, rather than being on an island. It is the way to survive and thrive…
Now that the SEC has gone to nine conference games, will they still play a joke of a game in mid-November against schools like Mercer, Tennessee Tech, Western Kentucky, Samford, Eastern Illinois (all on the 2025 SEC schedule)…
Memo to Grand Canyon University – Reading between the lines of your recent press releases about Women’s Basketball. You don’t need to be passive-aggressive towards your former head coach going across town. You made a great hire. You open with South Carolina, and you’re going into the Mountain West.
“Toughest non-conference”
“Wants GCU to face some of the best programs in the nation”
“Ascend the Lopes”
“Most aggressive scheduling ever”.
There were more references, but I think you get the idea.
Really? Look, I had heard that there was frustration on campus about the lack of strength scheduling during the Molly Miller era (last time I checked, she beat the University of Arizona in Tucson last year).
VIDEO – Thursday July 7th Jon Wilner and Brad chop it up on Pac-12 future
Pac-12 survival guide: Five reasons San Diego State is the obvious expansion option
VIDEO – Brad and Wilner: Future of Bowl Games with expanded CFP
