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| Scott Barnes has more U-States in this photo than you have in your most dedicated photo. |
In case you didn't see yet, our friend Tony Jones over at the Trib threw down somewhat of a "Catching up with Scott Barnes" article Monday. In it, the topics of conference realignment, football coaches and scheduling were all touched on, particularly the things Barnes has done and pushed for that have USU athletics looking as good as they have in generations, conference affiliation aside of course.
But it was in the comments of that article where the idiots began taking over.
Not that any of the outlandish comments made were things I hadn't seen before in regard to Barnes, but I guess I've just always thought that trying to clarify the truth to everybody all at once on USUfans.com would be futile effort. All it takes is one person with a skewed perception of things to ignore one post and then the misinformed will keep on misinforming. So I'll write it on the site and hope that it's reach is great enough to clarify the facts for any and all who care to be properly educated on these matters.
Without beating around the bush any further, let me make known my stance that I think Scott Barnes has been absolutely phenomenal for Utah State athletics. If you have a strong disagreement with that stance, either keep reading or stop here and continue being very ignorant. Either way, let's hit on a couple of the major complaints that people of the not so smart variety have regarding Barnes.
1. "Barnes and Albrecht turned down an offer to join the Mountain West and screwed USU forever"
If you believe that out of all teams that the Mountain West had to choose from in August of 2010, that their first choice was Utah State, you are either A) a total jackass, or B) Um... Wait a second... No... No, you'd just be a total jackass to believe that (refer to A).
THERE WAS NEVER AN INVITE TO THE MOUNTAIN WEST FOR UTAH STATE TO DECLINE!!!
Yes, as stated by Barnes in a statement released following Fresno State and Nevada screwing everyone over, "USU was contacted by the Mountain West."
Maybe I'm crazy, but I feel like a lot more than just initial contact from a conference to a school goes into changing conference affiliation. How long did we hear about Texas A&M to the SEC before it actually happened? How long has Missouri's name been popping up in realignment discussions? How long has the Big East been talking about inviting six schools to replace what it has lost?
These things take time because both the schools and conferences have a lot to analyze as far as revenue, costs, scheduling, travel and whatever else you can imagine when considering a major move.
The main thing though is that Barnes never had an invite to turn down. Barnes HAS gotten USU's name at the top of the schools being considered still for a potential conference move to the MWC. While that MWC-CUSA-Big East mega conference plan was being discussed, USU's name was included in that. Four years ago would Utah State have even been mentioned in the conversation, let alone at the top of the wish list? The answer is no. Four years ago a mention of USU in any conference realignment would have been laughed off. Utah State's national profile is astronomically higher than it was before Barnes arrived.
2. Barnes screwed USU with a 12-seed when he was on the selection committee.
For starters, whenever Utah State is being discussed for NCAA Tournament selection or seeding with Barnes on the committee, Barnes must leave the room by rule. The rules also state that committee members aren't even allowed to speak unless spoken to when discussing other teams from their own conference.
So, what exactly should Barnes have done to better the situation? Throw a fit? Break the rules? What?
Yes, I believe Utah State got royally screwed with a 12-seed, but despite the 30-3 record, USU had only one win over a top 50 RPI team (St. Mary's). That is why we got screwed with a 12-seed.
3. He changed the rules on the family season ticket package
So he closed a loophole that people were abusing to get season tickets for a discounted price. As a recent graduate and now season ticket holder, I probably would have been happy as hell to use that loophole with some friends, but I'm not complaining that I can't either.
Are we really so cheap that our USU educations don't have us making enough money to actually pay the full $220 for a season ticket? Isn't that close to a backhanded slap at the quality of our own school?
People want the athletic department to get better and succeed, and when we're still severely under funded some people were furious that they couldn't be cheap about their season tickets when that loophole was closed under Barnes' watch. Even when a season ticket to USU basketball in The Spectrum is about as incredible of a deal as one could ask for.
Now for the good that Barnes has done.
First and foremost, the athletics budget is substantially higher than where it was when he arrived. A big part of that was the new student athletics fee passed in 2009. While it was the student body that voted to make that happen, Barnes busted his ass to get out there and educate the student body on what it would do, why it was important and what USU students get for their fees relative to other universities.
He also has seen the second and third floors of the north end zone facility finished, new locker rooms at The Spectrum for men's and women's basketball, hiring Gary Andersen (this site still fully believes in him), extending the contract of Stew Morrill, locking down the football and basketball scheduling to better fit the current demands of scheduling for success, and heaven knows what else that probably also goes horribly under appreciated.
Barnes has done an incredible amount of good with an incredibly small pool of resources to work with. The day Utah State loses Scott Barnes will be a dark day in USU history.
Great post, Faf. Love your stuff, keep it up.
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