Economic divide drives debate over Bowl Championship Series
Economic divide drives debate over Bowl Championship Series
Want proof there really are two different worlds in Division I-A? Just consider that last week trustees at the University of Alabama approved $6.5 million for football coaches next season. The Tide will spend more on 10 football coaches this fall than 32 non-BCS schools spent on their entire football programs in 2007-08 (the most recent data available – see chart below).
Alabama, one of the richest athletic departments in America, certainly can afford to employ the college football’s highest paid coaching staff. The Tide football program generated $57.3 million in revenue in 2007-08.
Those numbers demonstrate a gap that seems likely to grow wider in this flailing economy. The rich might not necessarily get richer, but the poor will undoubtedly grow poorer. Cuts in budgets will disproportionally affect those already operating in the red.
From desperation comes BCS debate…
The BCS commissioners will gather in Pasadena, Calif. later this month for what are certain to be contentious meetings. Everyone, it seems, wants a say in altering college football’s postseason.
Tags: BCS