Wisconsin’s offensive linemen outweigh Cal Poly’s defensive counterparts by about 60 pounds each, and the three-time Rose Bowl champion Badgers lured 81,746 fans per home game last season compared to Cal Poly’s 9,644.
Many have inquired why Cal Poly will face Wisconsin on Nov. 22 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison,Wis. Aside from competitive spirit, it’s all about the money.
Wisconsin paid an appearance fee of $500,000 to Cal Poly.
It was the highest amount ever paid by a Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) school to Cal Poly, a Football Championship Subdivision (I-AA) program.
“They do that because they have upwards of 80,000 seats and the revenue they would generate from that home game far exceeds what they are paying us,” Cal Poly athletic director Alison Cone said. “They don’t want to go on the road; they want to be at home and it’s hard to get home games.”
Not only are the Badgers looking to gain revenue, but they are “looking to buy a win,” Cone continued. “We take great pride in upsetting that.”
Cal Poly, which experienced difficulty trying to fill out its schedule with FCS teams because of the program’s recent success and the lack of fellow FCS teams in the West, used the money to fund two of its “guaranteed games,” Cone said.
Cal Poly paid Idaho State and North Carolina Central a total of $205,000 to venture to Alex G. Spanos Stadium, she said, and traveling to Wisconsin will amount to approximately $130,000.
About $50,000 from Wisconsin, Cone said, went to upgrading technology, helmets, shoulder pads, gloves, cleats and sideline communication with improved headsets.
The remainder will be used to fund improvements to either the team’s locker room or practice fields.
“We are hoping to roll some of the money to the locker rooms in the gym,” Cone said.
The Mott Gym locker room facility is in the transition of going to Crandall Gym, Cal Poly Athletics media relations director Brian Thurmond said.
“They split locker rooms between Mott and Crandall Gym,” he said. “Without question, (improvements will help) because when you have a better locker room facility, it will boost team morale and help recruiting.”
Although Cone said the team’s practice fields haven’t caused any injuries, they’re also in need of a makeover, and she stressed that players’ safety is the highest priority.
Yet there is not enough money to renovate both the locker rooms and practice fields adequately, so she’ll negotiate with the program to determine “how good we can get the field if we don’t put money into it.”
Depending on a marquee match-up can be a risky strategy, she warned.
“I don’t want to build a budget around that kind of game because that is not a game you can get every year,” Cone said. “If you start building your operating budget around those games and don’t get them, you are in trouble.”
With the state’s recent budget cuts, money is scarce throughout the university, and Cal Poly’s athletic department is no exception.
“Athletics has the same list of needs that academics does,” Cone said. “We all have our laundry list of needs, and ours is really lengthy.”