UCO Stadium Receives $10 Million and Renamed

[Predatory Primates]

I don't know why the Oklahoma schools are down and have been for so long. OU and OSU don't recruit OK players as much as they used to. But the D2 OK schools have traditionally been bringing up the rear in the GAC. Oklahoma has roughly a million more people than Arkansas.

Pitt has targeted ok d2 talent for 30 plus years. the rest of the conference has been building recruiting bases down there and doing it for 25 or so..

[the Northeasterner]

Uco has everything it needs to move the southland is desperate to survive and would invite a okc based school since they added tamuc.

But uco will not be ok in an ok only conference with Cameron or panhandle. And I don't blame them. They have been positioning themselves for years for the move .

[UCObluejay]

The most likely non-DI team in Oklahoma to move to D I is OCU. They used to be D-I and have the men's basketball history on their side.

I would have thought Langston could have been in the SWAC but the FAMU/BC move makes that idea moot unless the SLC raids the SWAC.

Personally, I have always had mixed feelings at a possible move. I just won't believe it unless I see it.

[GetGRIFFedUp]

If this is the case, why aren't all the MIAA schools reclassifying? They've all made improvements.

I get what you're saying, but I'm thinking about more than just major facility enhancements. It's a big investment in facilities plus this:

Edmond, Oklahoma	1890	Public	16,428	Bronchos		2012
Hays, Kansas	1902	Public	14,658	Tigers		2006
Warrensburg, Missouri	1871	Public	14,148	Mules & Jennies		1912
Tahlequah, Oklahoma	1909	Public	8,276	RiverHawks		2012
Topeka, Kansas	1865	Public	7,971	Ichabods		1989
Kearney, Nebraska	1905	Public	7,504	Lopers		2012
Pittsburg, Kansas	1903	Public	7,102	Gorillas		1989
Maryville, Missouri	1905	Public	6,530	Bearcats		1912
Joplin, Missouri	1937	Public	6,229	Lions		1989
Emporia, Kansas	1863	Public	5,887	Hornets		1991
St. Joseph, Missouri	1915	Public	5,388	Griffons		1989
Claremore, Oklahoma	1909	Public	4,300	Hillcats		2019
Jefferson City, Missouri	1866	Public	3,583	Blue Tigers		1970; 2010
Wichita, Kansas	1933	Private (Catholic)	3,170	Jets		2019

The column headers didn't copy over for some reason, but, as I'm sure you can tell, the bolded red number is UCO's enrollment. While I didn't double check to make sure that these enrollment figures are accurate enough still to make UCO the top dog in the MIAA, as far as I know, UCO has the highest (or close to the highest) enrollment. I don't have any inside information, but it just seems like the leadership at UCO and the institution's overall trajectory is pointing towards a move to D1/FCS sometime in the near future. To me, their situation seems pretty similar to many of the recent schools that we have seen "moving up" in the last couple years. The recent exodus of a few schools from the LCS in particular makes me wonder what would stop UCO from making a similar move if that is what the leadership wants. Infusions of big money like the subject of this thread don't exactly throw any cold water on the idea. Someone made a good point earlier in the thread, why expand their stadium right now when, as far as I know, they haven't had a single sell out crowd at their stadium's current capacity, which at 10,000, is already on the large side for a D2 facility.

Yes, other schools have made major upgrades to their football (and other) facilities in recent years (see MWSU in particular), but most of them (again see MWSU) don't appear to be in a financial position to make such a move any time in the near future. UCO on the other hand? I don't really know anything about their financials, except that it seems to me, the schools with the larger enrollments tend to have bigger wallets. It's not hard to imagine UCO leaders looking at the University of Tulsa (FBS) with a measly student population of under 4,000 (albeit with a huge endowment $$$) and thinking, wait a minute, the only two schools in Oklahoma with more students than us are OU and OSU, why shouldn't we be at least D1-FCS? Especially when they look around and see the North Alabama's, ACU's, Tarleton's, and Commerce's of the D2 world leaving for "greener pastures".

Brandon, I'm with you, I think D2 is a great place to be, and that there are already too many teams in D1/FBS/FCS as it is that probably don't belong there or can't sustain that level of financial commitment forever, but as you know well, the draw of the ESPN ticker and the occasional appearance in the D1 Basketball tourney are sometimes too much for university leadership to resist. Time will tell, but UCO just seems to fit the profile of schools that we have recently seen leave D2 and "move up" as they say. You could probably even make an argument that they may be better positioned to make the move than a couple of the institutions that I listed.

[GetGRIFFedUp]

"Someone made a good point earlier in the thread, why expand their stadium right now when, as far as I know, they haven't had a single sell out crowd at their stadium's current capacity, which at 10,000, is already on the large side for a D2 facility."

Admittedly, as others have pointed out, improving and expanding the stadium in hopes of getting the Oklahoma high school football championships would definitely be a reasonable answer to this question. But having a football facility ready to go for FCS if/when the time comes is a nice bonus, so who knows.

[Predatory Primates]

Enrollment wise, the ucm, gv , and UCO sized schools are kind of tweeners.they are about half the size of the small to medium D1s like ku and about twice the size of the competitiv.e d2 schools.

Not sure what the enrollment is at an average 1aa school, though.

[northwest missouri state]

[GetGRIFFedUp]

Enrollment wise, the ucm, gv , and UCO sized schools are kind of tweeners.they are about half the size of the small to medium D1s like ku and about twice the size of the competitiv.e d2 schools.

Not sure what the enrollment is at an average 1aa school, though.

[GetGRIFFedUp]

Enrollment wise, the ucm, gv , and UCO sized schools are kind of tweeners.they are about half the size of the small to medium D1s like ku and about twice the size of the competitiv.e d2 schools.

Not sure what the enrollment is at an average 1aa school, though.

[GetGRIFFedUp]

[GetGRIFFedUp]

UCO would also need to add a 6th men's sport. Yes, it can be a cheap sport like cross country but until that is actually done they are going nowhere.

[Tech Boys]

It's not that adding a men's sport is an obstacle, it's the fact that UCO with only 5 men's sports will prevent them from moving to D1.

[Predatory Primates]

Wayne and GV would be average sized big 12 schools. That said, there are a ton of factors other than enrollment numbers.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame is standing in the corner laughing at this discussion.

[the Northeasterner]

If uco wasn't in Edmond with our and osu fifty miles or less away this would be a no brainer move up. They should be better in miaa but keeps under achieving in the years they should be good like this year.

Ok schools have struggled in last 15 years even uco. The mid level talent is pulled out of state by a variety of factors but the biggest pullers are Pitt, moso ( from neo am) but the worst is emporia. Higgins time at nwosu has given him coaching connections throughout state. But there are other factors involved as well.

[GetGRIFFedUp]

Wayne and GV would be average sized big 12 schools. That said, there are a ton of factors other than enrollment numbers.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame is standing in the corner laughing at this discussion.