Schools To Start Cutting Football?

Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle, had an interesting column today. He was his usual self with the tongue-and-cheek language, but his point has been ringing all around the country. In tough economic times it is time for colleges to start cutting their football programs.

Ratto is not the only columnist who shares these thoughts. Mark Zeigler of the San Diego Union-Tribune shared the same thoughts about San Diego St about a month ago. And they both share one point. Football programs are big money drainers.

Sure, college football is not the biggest deal in California, but other schools are feeling the same aliments around the country.

It costs a lot of money to run a college football program. You have to pay for a head coach, assistants, and recruiting trips. Big schools like Alabama, Florida, and USC make up for this with stadiums sold out with over 80,000 people. But schools that are not as successful and have smaller stadiums do not share the same success.

While I don't see schools cutting their football programs, they should be thinking about it. Because not only are the small schools who haven't are losing money, small schools that have won are losing in other categories.

Utah, who has two undefeated season in the past four years, has lost many assistants after the season because they couldn't afford them. And recently they lost an assistant to Washington because they double his salary.

These schools just don't have a big enough following to keep injecting money into the schools budget. So why would an assistant want to stay, if they can make more money at another school?

And why would a school start cutting other programs to keep football? Because of Title 9, they will not cut a women's program without cutting a men's program. I know football is a big deal with fans and boosters, but it is still a school.

With the times we are in now, don't be surprised if your football program disappears.