Just announced a desire to move to a P5 conference, expanding seating from 20-45,000 at their stadium, and extending Fritz and a 5 mil per year salary. Wow!
Tulane and SMU to the PAC?
8 Likes
They should do it w SDSU and _____.
If they don’t it feels like they think the next TV deal is all she wrote for the current teams together.
I guess is just where we are with raises and extensions. I guess it just where the market is. I just don’t see how one good year warrants this. So, if he reverts to form next season, record wise, does everyone in their fanbase claim the AD is an idiot and such? Even though the AD and school are fighting the threat of his flight (real or bluffed).
I just feel a winning trend needs to occur before extensions and raises are deserved, but my opinion is worth less than a hill of beans.
3 Likes
Lol Tulane is going to have P5 facilities before Memphis
14 Likes
Sure Tulane, you and everybody else wants to go to a P5 conference.
4 Likes
It’s tougher for private schools. I doubt the pac takes smu and Tulane bc both are private. Tulane would be far away for the pac. Wanting to and getting there is like said, everyone wants to including Memphis. We barely got in.
2 Likes
Why would the fact that they’re private be a hang up?
Has to do with many p5s already have 1 or 2 private schools. The big12 is unique in that way of having 2. Private schools don’t have the wider fanbase like a state school does. We don’t have room to talk attendance wise but more people watch UH on tv than rice all things being equal and tv is a big driver.Regular fans can relate to public universities vs a private bc their kids can’t get in rice etc so they have trouble even bandwagoning when rice is good. I think Tulane can make a living off the aac and become more relevant than the more difficult competition in a p5. Tulane couldn’t compete when they were Sec up until 1972 or so then they left the sec. Ga tech was sec and left for similar reasons. We could have the same issue in the big12 but we at least have a higher ceiling in theory and the Houston market. Plus on weekends fans in the New Orleans area have lots to do that is very fun so they shouldn’t expand the stadium either. They have 30 k seats now which is perfect for them. We could almost say the same that a smaller stadium is better vs half empty which is what Tulane would have.There’s just no way the pac takes both smu and Tulane and Tulane is farther away and in a smaller market than smu.
Tulane didn’t sell out a single game this year in their stadium that “holds” 30,000.
I’ve been there many times. It’s a really cool venue with solid concessions but no way that place has 25,000 seats much less 30,000.
6 Likes
Says 30k and it’s what I read a bunch of times which is perfect for Tulane in lean yrs. They go 40 k and over then it’s a negative.
The AD should just pay fritz the 5 mil and try and dominate the aac which is still tough bc upstart utsa , smu and Memphis etc will have good teams and rise up. Teams will grow and become Cincy and ucf there. Fritz is 62 so Tulane will become Tulane again after or even with him there. We needed a p5 to survive bc Texas is still a football state where as Tulane can thrive in the aac.
I didn’t think Yulman was expandable – I had heard local NIMBYs were up in arms about the potential noise.
It can be expanded per this 2014 article.
Again, 30k is enough and it’s better to have it look fuller vs half empty
The area around it could fight it bc it’s way to the side of campus and not really on campus like ours. It’s off broadway down some from the main Tulane area. The old Tulane stadium that was torn down bc of the superdome was in the middle of campus then Tulane put dorms there and went to the new dome around 1974 or so.
They did stupid things like us but worse. They left the sec and demolished Tulane stadium. They should have rebuilt on campus in that same spot but 30k. Old Tulane stadium needed renovations that would cost a lot but they could have put a smaller one there that would have been perfect. The one now is off the main path so it feels like off campus to me.
One question I have is regarding the B1G expansion into DC (.Maryland) and NYC ( Rutgers); did this move the needle in regards to conference value? If so, an invite to SMU , Tulane and/or Memphis might make some sense…but call me skeptical.
Fritz obviously did not got the job at GT.
1 Like
I think the big just wanted TV sets in those areas and recruiting but I generally agree, it seems a flop now. We would have been the better add hypothetically.
I think the pac adds sdsu and 1 other but they might add another west coast bc smu would be on an island and their name and religious affiliation holds them back. They have added more Dallas on helmets and jersies to maybe get away from the religious thing but the name univ of Dallas is taken already but if not, I’d see them taking that name. Again the pac isn’t adding 2 private schools if they want to regroup so it’s one or the other and maybe they take Boise st or another west coast with sdsu.
Tulane is going back to the sec.
PRINT IT
1 Like
Tulane should’ve stayed in the SEC, they’ll never make up for that blunder
1 Like
Totally agree that this feels like an ill-fated big money extension. Fritz had 18 starters returning from last year.
Fritz is their longest-termed winningest coach in nearly a century. Bowden is the only one who did as well, but bounced out of Tulane after two seasons.
He is on the cusp of taking Tulane to their first conference championship since 1998. He tied for the division title with Memphis in 2018.
He has been there for seven seasons, with four of the last five seasons finishing bowl eligible.
Willie Fritz earned every penny Tulane can afford and he has shown some loyalty to them now. Good luck to Tulane. I hope they win the conference title. A small private school in Louisiana possibly going to the NY6. Fantastic.
8 Likes