2008 Woodie Awards
Heeke: Financial struggles dictate football schedule
Road games giving trouble; CMU losing by 40-point average
By: Daniel Monson
Issue date: 10/24/07 Section: Sports
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But coach Butch Jones said it's possible CMU could get to that point.
"I like playing those games, because eventually, we're going to win one," Jones said. "I want our mentality to be, 'we'll play anybody, anywhere.'"
Jones said it was unfortunate the team caught Clemson after a bye week and late in the season.
"That's the situation we were presented with - you can't change it and you've got to move on," he said.
The contrast between the schools was never more evident than when he saw Clemson's brand-new $41 million recruiting center, Jones said.
"I still say my vision hasn't changed - if Boise State can do some things like that, Central Michigan can do some things like that," he said. "I don't know when that'll happen, but I do know it will happen at some point in time."
Athletics Director Dave Heeke said the department's financial situation is a main factor why the football team is scheduled to play several of the top teams in the nation each season on the road.
"The power conferences, and the power schools, with large revenue sources, are able to dictate their schedules and entice teams to come because of the money they can pay them," Heeke said. "It's a reality in our situation that those revenues are important."
CMU has lost its non-conference road games by an average of more than 40 points this season. But Heeke said the conference schedule is a problem for MAC athletics directors.
"As a conference, we don't have a conference schedule done early enough," he said. "That complicates our ability to schedule non-conference games. I'm trying to schedule five years and beyond out, and I don't know what our conference schedule will look like in those years."
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
Steve McGregor
posted 10/24/07 @ 11:13 AM EST
Another blowout loss to a top-tier opponent. How embarrassing to the team, the university, its students and alumni, of which I am one. It's time to admit that CMU is not a Clemson, a Kansas or a Purdue and stop scheduling these one-sided contests against big-time schools. (Continued…)
Bill
posted 10/24/07 @ 4:47 PM EST
Although I respect the fact that CMU alums like myself do not like to see this kind of loss on national TV we must play these games. Whatever happened to the "strive for the best" attitude. (Continued…)
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