Poor Cal fans are in full-on meltdown mode
TL;DR - Cal is in some serious trouble, and their fans are buying up torches and pitchforks. The B1G presidents (who are supposedly pushing for Cal and Stanford to be invited) might be their only hope.
I'm not posting this for schadenfreude because no one really wishes ill upon Cal. If anything, I'm guessing that most of us want to see Cal do well since UC-Berkeley is basically Michigan's West Coast twin (albeit the dirtier, poorer, and more disheveled twin).
https://writeforcalifornia.com/p/oregon-washington-big-ten
The comments give a window into how angry their fans are at the university leadership that has driven their AD completely into the ground over the past 10+ years. They've incurred a massive amount of debt that would have taken them the better part of the next century to pay off even if the Pac-?? were on solid financial footing. Now, with the Pac facing imminent collapse, they may not ever be able to pay it off.
As a Michigan alum in the Bay Area, I definitely want to see Cal get its act together and thrive. But if they can't manage to snag a B1G invite, their athletic department might literally be facing total disintegration. Given that it's Berkeley, there are influential nutjob factions within the university that hate college football and everything it represents. The impending collapse of the Pac could energize those factions and force a shutdown of the program altogether. It seems inconceivable that an FBS football program would go from Power 5 status to defunct seemingly overnight, but here we are.
Relatedly, I'm hearing that the B1G university presidents are pushing hard for Cal and Stanford to be invited, but that Fox Sports and the other media partners are pushing back (I can't find the link where I read that). For mostly selfish reasons, I'm hoping they can find a way to get a deal done.
Roll on, you Bears
August 5th, 2023 at 12:42 PM ^
We are Sons of California,
Fighting for the Gold and Blue.
Psalms and story and titration
Soon will be all through.
Stanford’s men will soon be routed
By Lab-ra-tory
And when we stir this goo,
The red will turn to blue,
In this hour of Chemistry!
ROLL ON YOU BEARS!!!
I never got to see the Big Game Titration, except in video--I AP'd out of Chem. I did spend a couple summers as a CalSO counselor and Coordinator, though, where we made sure to show the newbies The Play.
Also on the subject: the Big Game Bonfire Roll On still gives me the chills.
This sums up Cal:
I’d love to see Michigan at Memorial stadium.
Would rather have any other of the rumored teams than Cal/Stanford, gimme UNC, FSU, Virginia, Clemson, etc.
August 4th, 2023 at 10:09 PM ^
You’re gonna be waiting a long, LONG time for any ACC teams. I seriously doubt that the FSUs, Miamis and Clemsons of the ACC will have the votes to dissolve the grant of rights.
BC? Wake? NC State? Syracuse? They’ll never vote to leave because they know that the SEC or B1G will never want them. Heck, I’m not even sure the Big XII would want them. And that’s not counting Virginia Tech, Louisville or Pitt, who may have tough times finding anyone to want them, either.
I do believe FSU, Clemson, UNC, UVA, Duke and Miami will all be in another conference eventually. But they’re not going anywhere anytime soon because the small fries in the ACC will never, ever vote to dissolve. Why would they? Why would they crash their gravy train when they have 10-13 more years to ride it and they know that no one is waiting on the other end to pick them up?
Seems like we might see a bunch of FB commits and players changing from Stanford, Cal, WSU and Oregon State to better more competitive teams. Especially. If those players have any bit of talent. This is going to get very interesting.
Ya, but are you sure it's "both" of Cal's fans?
No more schools please. Especially those with mediocre football/basketball programs. Even if it meant swapping them with Rutgers and Maryland, it's probably better to still say no and just kick Maryland and Rutgers out.
August 4th, 2023 at 11:30 PM ^
Agree on Rutgers. Find some way to use expansion to kick them out. "Sorry, we can only take a bajillion more teams, meaning we have to sacrifice one of our current members to make room..." It just feels gross playing Rutgers.
Maryland is OK. Every other year, the DC alumni club gets a home game.
You're right. It's bizarre that Cal might go from big time football to virtual D3.
But it's tough to see how they can handle the debt while dealing with reduced income.
Cal and Stanford should go the independent route
August 4th, 2023 at 10:16 PM ^
Cal can't afford to do that. Their AD will go under. Stanford can do whatever the hell they want since they're rich af.
August 4th, 2023 at 10:39 PM ^
Yeah, Cal is neither dirty nor disheveled. The campus is immaculate, and maybe even a bit more interesting than Michigan's.
August 4th, 2023 at 11:44 PM ^
Have you ever been to Berkeley? It's a crime-riddled, trash-infested mess (and it's still staggeringly expensive). When the financial crisis hit in 2008, things got so bad for UC-Berkeley that they had to scale back basic services like security and trash collection.
Ann Arbor and the Michigan campus blow Berkeley out of the water.
It sounds like you haven’t been to Berkeley much either.
I live here in the East Bay and go to Berkeley all the time. I know the campus and just about every city park and neighborhood. Nothing at all wrong with Berkeley. They do have some issues that many other towns have since covid.
On the other hand, The town and the school have many programs that lead the nation. You mentioned trash. Berkeley led the nation in sustainable recycling and probably still does. And I definitely don’t see garbage left on the streets the way I do in so many other places across America.
It seems you don’t know Berkeley. Either you are in SF, the peninsula, or the other side of the tunnel. I bet you’re in SF or maybe Marin since you are talking Berkeley and not Stanford.
Ann Arbor is a great town too. Probably the best college town in the states. I do remember parts of downtown Ann Arbor pre 1990 that were far worse than anything Berkeley has today.
August 5th, 2023 at 10:13 AM ^
Damned double-post.
August 5th, 2023 at 10:14 AM ^
I've only been there once and will be going back for a conference in the spring. I thought it was a great city and a beautiful campus. The UC Botanical Gardens at Berkeley were amazing as well.
August 5th, 2023 at 10:28 AM ^
Many great parts of town and campus.
I do read that tourists in Nor Cal are common victims of theft. Especially from leaving valuables or anything in a car. Like many places these days, don’t leave anything in a car. Not even for a minute. Didn’t even get a rental car.
Born and raised in AA, lived in Berkeley and/or the Bay for last 10+ years. Just going to chime in with everyone else to say you're completely wrong. One of the most beautiful campuses I've ever seen and a wonderful city to live in.
Ann Arbor and Berkeley are more similar than anything. Both are great places to have dinner, terrible places to park, and have book stores and record shops with deep memory.
August 5th, 2023 at 12:32 AM ^
The campus is gorgeous. The town is still a little 1960-centric with a generous helping of 2023 problems.
August 4th, 2023 at 10:40 PM ^
There are cal fans?
August 4th, 2023 at 10:58 PM ^
I live in the Bay Area and would also love for the B1G to take Cal and Stanford at this point. That would be so much fun, and feels great from a cultural alignment standpoint (way better than USC). That would be a silver lining in all of this.
August 4th, 2023 at 11:01 PM ^
I would only be down with taking Stanford.
August 4th, 2023 at 11:05 PM ^
If tradition is what people want then Cal and Stanford make the most sense. It essentially would be the same as the earlier discussed PAC-12/Big Ten scheduling tie-up that was eventually abandoned. It also ups the ante academically in the prestige department to further take on the Ivies and the ACC as far as the composition of the Academic Big Ten/CIC component of the conference is concerned.
August 4th, 2023 at 11:33 PM ^
I have no ill will against Cal. It's heartbreaking (in a sports way) reading those comments. Their whole sports existence is being wiped away. Poor damn Cal. (And Stanford, Washington State and Oregon State.)
August 4th, 2023 at 11:39 PM ^
Cal and Stanford don't make real sense. It's just some vanity thing so we can stick up our noses and say we're better than those cow colleges and not just 100% about football (even though we are really if we're honest).
August 5th, 2023 at 12:23 AM ^
But we certainly have proven we are vain, haven't we? Could happen.
And that bit about the BIG Presidents pushing for Standard and Cal is eminently believable. Maybe we get to see what happens when the BIG Presidents throw down vs the BIG ADs and our sports media overlords. It might be more interesting than we imagine. There was a stat recently pointing out that UM' AD budget was less than 8% of the general university budget.
Compared to the hospital and research - athletics is nothing.
The president wins 11 times out of 10.
August 5th, 2023 at 12:35 AM ^
I'm pretty sure Michigan would be more than happy with another reason to stick our noses up. It's practically in the school's charter. Probably.
August 5th, 2023 at 12:22 AM ^
Again, purely selfish reasons, but since I live 10 minutes from Palo Alto I'd love to see Stanford join up. They're the most consistently successful overall athletic department in the country if the Sears Cup (or whatever it's called these days) is any indication. And it's Richie Rich.
August 5th, 2023 at 12:24 AM ^
Cal and Stanford bring zero that the B1G needs. This is about football and eyeballs, not quiz bowls. They aren't good enough, nor attractive enough on those fronts. This is one case where I hope the B1G Presidents lose out to the TV execs. The four remaining Pac-12 schools need to either join the MWC or see if the Big 12 is willing to include them.
August 5th, 2023 at 12:48 AM ^
"but that Fox Sports and the other media partners are pushing back"
Why would the TV networks push back on having two universities from the fifth largest TV market in the US becoming members of the B1G and at the same time provide schedule balance in the PST? This makes zero sense.
Because no-one's watching their games? I think the time of local TV markets being the single major determining factor is kind of over. I don't think Rutgers would be added to the Big Ten in 2023. It's all about national visibility now, not getting the Bay Area cable providers to add the BTN to their basic packages.
August 5th, 2023 at 12:56 AM ^
No fucking way with Alameda Cal. I don't want any Calcutta on the Bay school or another California Government school in the B1G.
Also, I live in CA so that's my opinion.
WTF? That’s wildly inappropriate.
Calcutta on the Bay
I really hope this doesn't mean what I think it means. If it does mean what it sounds like, then WTF, man?
You’re a way better poster than this.
Cal and Stanford are dilutive to revenue. It would seem unwise to add them to the Big10.
Considering that all these expansions are 110% about money, I don’t see any future where Cal or Stanford get invited to the BIG 10.
Neither institution has anything of value to bring to the table. They don’t expand the BIG 10 recruiting footprint nor the tv market. Also, their brands are not impressive from either a football perspective or a basketball perspective. So you’d be bringing in two lame ducks who will almost assuredly never move the needle athletically while simultaneously shrinking the slice of pie for everyone else.
Expect to see them in the MWC in the next week or two.
No, I’ll be shocked if they ever see an invite to the BIG 10. Fox Sports runs the conference now. If anything, I’d look out for two more additions on the southeast Atlantic coast. A move there would open up both new recruiting territories and new tv markets AND offer potential for actual powerhouse brands.
I would NOT be shocked at all to see Florida State get invited soon. They’re already working with JP Morgan to find a way to get financing to buy out their contract and exit the ACC.
Regional anything is gone. The only thing that matters to those in power now is $$$$. It’s sad but that’s our present reality.
August 5th, 2023 at 11:38 AM ^
I’m a Cal alum. This sucks, but there are worse things than following in U. Chicago’s footsteps.
And also as a Cal alum, our status as a Power 5 program has always been a bit laughable, minus a few years with Tedford. You practically have to go back to Pappy Waldorf for them to be relevant for more than a minute.
August 5th, 2023 at 12:47 PM ^
Personally I am fine with whatever breaks the Stanford monopoly on the Director’s Cup.
it only took a century, but the robber barons finally got their comeuppance.
The Memorial Stadium reboot is beautiful.