CUSA's Central Florida team to get new $51M stadium

[Cheesesteak]

Thursday, December 15, 2005
Central Florida team to get new $51M stadium

Associated Press l ESPN

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The University of Central Florida is set to build a $51 million stadium for its vastly improved football team.

The school's board of trustees on Wednesday approved a financial plan for the 45,000-seat stadium, which could open for the 2007 football season.

The Golden Knights have made the second-biggest turnaround in NCAA history. They went from 0-11 last season to 8-4, playing for the Conference USA championship and going to a bowl for the first time. UCF will play Nevada on Dec. 24 in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.

"If you had said two years ago that by now we'd have formal approval for a stadium, I think people would have been dubious," university president John Hitt said. "We've broken the losing streak. We're confident where we are with the fan base. Everything looks more rosy."

The team will move out of the downtown Citrus Bowl when the new stadium is finally ready.

The approval came only after trustees were assured the stadium could generate enough revenue to cover costs.

[magnolialeague]

It is schools like this that are the biggest threat to SMU football. It isn't the BCS. Pretty soon governors will demand state schools play state schools to raise $$ and shut out the small privates.

[Cheesesteak]

magnolialeague -

I don't see politics in state capitals as being a significant near-term threat to non-BCS D-1A private schools.

A recent example of a governor's office leaning on in-state public schools exists - West Virginia and Marshall begin a seven-year series next season that was basically forced on WVU by the WV governor.

As far as I know, this move hasn't affected any private schools.

[magnolialeague]

It is the grumblings about how Vanderbilt is costing the conference money that has me concerned coupled with these sizable second tier schools growing their programs and gans bases.

College football is all about the Benjamins.

MTSU
Troy
Central Florida

I am sure you are seeing it in Texas.

College Football is huge and new schools want a piece of the action.

I had forgotten the WVA/Marshall example...you are right.