As convention realignment information has come to screeching halt, we’re nonetheless left with much more questions than solutions at this level. Ever for the reason that information broke of USC and UCLA heading to the Massive Ten, the faculty soccer world has been turned the wrong way up.

No one is aware of what’s going to occur and each reporter within the nation has been left scrambling checking all of their sources. That in fact means the recent takes are flying all throughout the web. Each Jimmy and Joe has their very own idea on what’s going to occur subsequent, and I’m wonderful with that. Nonetheless, one nationwide reporter went a bit too far when speaking in regards to the Massive 12 Convention.

Dennis Dodd is one the main nationwide faculty soccer author for CBS sports activities. On Sunday, he wrote an article speaking about how the Massive 12 and Pac-12 are higher off collectively. In that article, he talked about new Massive 12 commissioner Massive Yormark’s feedback in regards to the Massive 12 being “open for enterprise” and the way he needs the convention to be “hipper, youthful, and cooler.” Dennis then went on to say that, “There’s not a lot that’s hip, younger and funky about an Iowa State-Cincinnati recreation.”

I assume Dennis forgot about the truth that each Iowa State and Cincinnati have two of the perfect younger coaches in all of faculty soccer with Matt Campbell and Luke Fickell. And when is the final time Dennis went to Ames, Iowa for a recreation? Jack Trice has had renovations through the years and has the third largest stadium capability within the present Massive 12 with over 61,000. The Pac-12 presently has simply two faculties not named USC or UCLA which have a stadium that may maintain over 60,000 followers. Even Cincinnati has an even bigger soccer stadium than Oregon State and Washington State as a Group of 5 faculty.

However the dimension of the stadium doesn’t actually imply a lot for those who aren’t promoting tickets. What good is it to have a giant stadium with a ton of empty seats? Effectively, I assume we may ask USC or UCLA about that.

Whether or not you need to blame COVID-19 for attendance final season or the close by seashores on the west coast like Stewart Mandel, I believe it’s protected to say that few folks in Pac-12 nation genuinely care about soccer. Oh, and by the best way, Iowa State had the sixth-best stadium capability fill proportion in all of faculty soccer final season in accordance with ADU.com.

And talking about not being enjoyable, hip, or cool bear in mind the take Dennis had on the Duke’s Mayo Bowl final yr? He wasn’t a fan of the Mayo bathtub South Carolina head coach acquired after profitable the sport.

I additionally discover it fascinating that he used Iowa State and Cincinnati for instance of the Massive 12 not being hip, younger, or cool. Since 2017, Iowa State has the second-most convention wins within the Massive 12 (29) outdoors of Oklahoma. In the meantime Cincinnati is recent off a playoff look as a Group of 5 faculty. As I discussed earlier, each applications have younger head coaches that just about any faculty can be keen to rent.

In all honesty, I might a lot fairly watch a recreation between Iowa State and Cincinnati than any mixture of video games between Rutgers, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Northwestern, or Purdue. I simply listed half the Massive Ten Convention proper there. The identical may very well be mentioned about most faculties within the Pac-12, however hey perhaps some folks discover empty stadiums cool.

USC and UCLA may be as flashy as they need and whereas they’ve an enormous market in Los Angeles, let me know the way cool it’s to play in a giant empty stadium each Saturday.

Effectively, I assume it will be fairly cool to yell at a fan sitting on the opposite aspect of the stadium and have them hear you as a result of you possibly can depend how many individuals are in attendance. Then once more, Massive 12 followers name these spring video games.

Really, by no means thoughts, that’s an insult to Massive 12 spring video games.