One of the most important decisions in modern Sacramento Statehistory will be made April 27-28 -- will students fund the proposedRecreation/Wellness/Events Center on campus?
Another question nearly as important will be asked very soon,but only one person -- not 25,000 -- holds that answer in hisgrasp.
President Gonzalez, which athletic conference do you fancy?
The vaunted Athletics Task Force first raised the question: Isthe Big Sky Conference really where the Sacramento State Hornetsbelong in 2010? With Gonzalez's monumental new vision for 6000 JSt., the Big Sky just doesn't seem like the right fit. The problemis that Sacramento State is the capital university of the fifthlargest economy in the world. Should our teams be playing rivalrygames in Ogden, Utah? Would Florida State ever travel to Stroud,Okla. for a conference game?
Sure, we don't compete with the cream of the Big Sky crop inmost sports. We finished fourth in men's basketball and finisheddead last in both football and women's hoops this season. What theGolden State Warriors are to the NBA's Western Conference, we areto the Big Sky: brief flashes of brilliance sprinkled throughout aneternity of mediocrity.
We aren't too good for the Big Sky; after all, Montana, WeberState and Eastern Washington all have great athletic programs.Nevertheless, we will be too big. Look at the University ofCalifornia's flagship school at Berkeley. They play in thePacific-10 Conference, with national powerhouses Stanford, USC andArizona.
Now don't go off the deep end -- Sac State belongs in the Pac-10like the Detroit Tigers belong in Major League Baseball. But thereis middle ground between the off-the-radar Big Sky and the big-namePac-10, and it can be found in the Big West Conference.
It makes perfect sense in many ways. Starting next year, UCDavis is in the Big West. That means rivalry games in all sports.Stockton's University of the Pacific is in there, too. Two teams --Utah State and Idaho -- are leaving the Big West this year, makingit an all-California conference.
The athletic department could save tons of money on travel --Long Beach State may be a bit of a drive, but Ogden isn't muchcloser. Natural rivalries would form easily and quickly. The Davisrivalry is already there, and one with UOP would be inevitable amidfrequent conference battles. And imagine the fun intra-systembanter should Sac State beat up on the other CSU campuses in theconference - Fullerton, Northridge and Cal Poly.
UOP may be a lot better at basketball than Sac State, andFullerton's baseball team would surely knock our own back to thedugout, but it would build a strong sense of spirit at home. Howmany more students would show up to Hornet Gym to see the UOPTigers instead of the Northern Arizona University Lumberjacks?
The Big West seems tailored for Sacramento State, but there isone little problem: the Big West doesn't sponsor football.
That will be the critical question for Gonzalez: What do we dowith football?
Gonzales shouldn't drop the sport, but shouldn't let it stand inthe way of smart business, either.
One possibility is the newly created Great West FootballConference. Before it joined the Great West this year, UC Davis'football team was without a conference for 10 years. Just ask anyAggie -- it's impossible to build any non-Causeway Classicrivalries with an inconsistent annual schedule.
Critics of the Great West will argue that Sac State shouldn'tleave the Big Sky -- where the regular-season champion earns anautomatic berth in the Division I-AA playoffs -- for a conferencewithout an automatic bid. But seriously, when was the last time SacState was a threat to make a playoff run? Does anyone see ithappening before 2007, the first season the Great West championwill be playoff-bound? Give the program time -- Coach Mooshagianand his staff will make the team matter, but not before thebasketball team makes it to ESPN.
Until then, let's prioritize our sports -- get our respectableteams in the Big West and figure out the rest later. The future ofthis destination campus depends on it.
Contact Tom Hall at [email protected]
