OT - Purdue Football plans $60M facility upgrade
Purdue is planning a $60 million football training / practice facility upgrade. That alone isn't as interesting as their analysis of other B1G facilities along with Notre Dame (I know, the Hell with ND).
There is a chart (and who doesn't like charts?) that shows each school's metrics for different things Purdue thinks is important to a football center. At the top of the list is "Wow Entry". This sounds like a metric that Dave Brandon would have made up and placed at the top of the list. Somehow, Michigan gets a mediocre score. They must have missed the larger-than-life status of Bo and the non-ending wall of footballs for every freaking game we have ever won. They also don't include Michigan's stellar academic center, maybe because it isn't attached to the football building(?).
The interesting analysis is how far behind ND has fallen with their football facility. I know their stadium has recently undergone major renovations, but it still lacks many of the things we take for granted. Their football building sounds like a real dump. They are lucky to have a tradition to fall back on, unlike Purdue which has only had spotty periods of success.
Chart? You bet!
There is a bigger version of the chart in the story.
I'm not sure what to make of the split red/green that makes up the majority of PSU, Maryland, Minnesota, and Northwestern. Purdue and Rutgers are fighting for the cellar though.
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:16 AM ^
October 22nd, 2015 at 9:08 AM ^
Exactly - I'm like "what the ..."
October 22nd, 2015 at 2:38 PM ^
Yeah, that seemed...strange to me. It's in the name, you guys.
October 22nd, 2015 at 4:20 PM ^
I assumed the empty "academic spot" was meant for MSU.
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:17 AM ^
They might want to start with a coaching upgrade and then worry about facilities.
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:20 AM ^
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:39 AM ^
I understand your point, but new facilities can only help so much. As other posters have said, you're still Purdue. They are in a tough situation because any really good coach they get is going to move on to a better job. Maybe facilities are the way to go so you can keep good young coaches coming in. Now I've confused myself. I'm pretty hopped up on allergy medicine right now.
October 22nd, 2015 at 11:42 PM ^
All green dots gets you a shiny new Mike Riley.
October 22nd, 2015 at 9:43 AM ^
October 22nd, 2015 at 11:26 AM ^
Pitt is a P5 job. Its as a 'tiny' as IL or rutgers.
October 22nd, 2015 at 11:40 AM ^
I remember when Pitt was considered a top 10 program
October 22nd, 2015 at 12:13 PM ^
October 22nd, 2015 at 1:39 PM ^
At first I was like "wut?" and then I looked it up: Pop Warner years, then some "off brand" polls like MSU and Auburn have also "claimed."
I'd like to see them build their own stadium on campus a la Minnesota. Wish we would have brought them into the Big Ten instead of you-know-whos. Should have grabbed them and Missouri when we had the chance.
B10 East
Indiana
Michigan
Michigan State
Ohio State
Penn State
Pitt
Purdue
Now THAT'S a fooball division!!! And in the west...
Illinois
Iowa
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska
Northwestern
Wisconsin
That looks pretty good too. All geographically concise too. I hate Delaney.
October 22nd, 2015 at 3:12 PM ^
Pitt was also a serious candidate in 1949, when the vote ended up going to MSU.
October 22nd, 2015 at 10:48 AM ^
I'm just surprised that it costs $60mil to pave over the entire football stadium.
October 22nd, 2015 at 1:03 PM ^
Like getting back to hiring guys with mustaches?
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:33 AM ^
October 22nd, 2015 at 7:05 PM ^
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:43 AM ^
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:32 AM ^
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October 22nd, 2015 at 8:39 AM ^
October 22nd, 2015 at 9:56 AM ^
For a hockey tournament with my son. We went for the entire athletic complex tour. Very well done and impressive. They have undergone allot of upgades over the past 3-4 years and the renovations to their stadium are really going to be nice. The renovations are more than just for football. They are actually installing a student Rec Centre complete with gym, etc for all students on the west concourse. The South end expansion will be the Music Department with a concert hall and the west side will be classrooms and labs for some sort of Human Kenetics Department.
They really stressed integrating the athletic building with regular student life as a way of making athletics a more intimate part of the sudent experience.
October 22nd, 2015 at 10:28 AM ^
So I guess you would award the Purdue consultant who did the study a big RED circle for accuracy.
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:32 AM ^
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:32 AM ^
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:35 AM ^
This +1000
October 22nd, 2015 at 9:38 AM ^
Absolute +1. From TWIS past:
"Getting high off beating Purdue is the college football equivalent of drinking mouthwash for the alcohol content"
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:34 AM ^
can add some of the quality coaches floating around out there. With our bags and bags of cash, Justin Fuente, Matt Campbell, Dino Babers, Brent Venables, PJ Fleck, Rich Rod (?), Mark Richt, Tom Hermann, Scott Frost... this year's coaching crop is MUCH better than last years was (Harbaugh and McElwain excluded) and I really hope that Purdue, Illinois, and Maryland can land some top-quality coaching.
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:56 AM ^
October 22nd, 2015 at 9:17 AM ^
I see Frost's name thrown around a lot but it seems early for him considering how poor Oregon has been this year and his lack of head coaching experience. Same with Venables but Clemson's D seems legit despite losing their best players from last year.
October 22nd, 2015 at 9:36 AM ^
Rutgers is having some bad behavioral problems and if there is one the thing besides the D line that Hoke did well it's clean up the program. Rutgers should only realistically be looking at being good every 3 or 4 years.
Illinois- P.J. Fleck
Fleck is a great coach at Western and Illinois needs a culture change. Similarly, they are both party schools!
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October 22nd, 2015 at 11:53 AM ^
Rich Rod would be perfect for Purdue. They have the type of athlete that his system was designed for. But I don't think he would leave AZ to come back to the B1G.
October 22nd, 2015 at 5:26 PM ^
But the spread would never work in the B1G!
/s
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:46 AM ^
Green = good
Yellow - average
Red = bad
split green/red = schizophrenic?
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:47 AM ^
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:53 AM ^
where they "interpret" the red/green dot to mean major upgrade started/planned.
I LOL'd at the red/yellow dot for Purdue's coaching offices.
Does they mean they are in the process of moving them from the lightless basement into the posh new lighless storeroom?
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:56 AM ^
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:52 AM ^
My guess is the split green/red stands for ongoing or future construction or renovation. I think Maryland, Minnesota, and Penn State all have new facilities or renovations in the works.
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:56 AM ^
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:44 AM ^
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:47 AM ^
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:58 AM ^
October 22nd, 2015 at 9:07 AM ^
October 22nd, 2015 at 10:10 AM ^
October 22nd, 2015 at 10:09 PM ^
Tiller did take Purdue to 9-3 one year--still not great. It seems every 10-20 years a coach has Purdue where they're pretty decent, Jack Mollenkopf in the 1960s, Jim Young in the late 70s, and Tiller in the late 90s. Maybe they're due for another 8 or 9 win season.
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:50 AM ^
Yeah, it's about time. That place is a dump, seriously. No wonder nobody wants to play at Purdue. Let's face it, nice, new facilities draw recruits.
October 22nd, 2015 at 8:53 AM ^
October 22nd, 2015 at 9:07 AM ^
You know. That's where they have the hookers, booze and anything else to help get a commitment.
October 22nd, 2015 at 9:11 AM ^