Ludwig makes a bunch of cash

[Basketball Junkie]

Jon Wilner on the Utes.

“Rising: Utah football investment.

Last month, the Utes announced a $17.5 million donation earmarked for the Rice-Eccles renovation.

This week, the Salt Lake Tribune reported new offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig will receive a three-year, $2.5 million contract, instantly propelling him to the top tier of coordinator compensation in the Pac-12.

At $833,000 per year, Ludwig will earn 50 percent more than any Utah assistant in 2018, according to figures listed in the USA Today database.

Both the donation and Ludwig’s salary, although different in practical application, speak to the same essential development unfolding in SLC:

Investment.

Whether it’s facilities or staff, the Utes appear committed to the resource allocation needed to compete (on a sustained basis) at the top level of the conference.

The next step is the non-conference schedule.

There are numerous openings in the second half of the 2020s, and those must be filled with Power Five opponents in home-and-home series.

BYU, Weber State and Wyoming was a suitable noncon lineup for the Utes when they joined the Pac-12 and were compiling a Power Five-level roster.

But the program has reached the point — it’s past the point, frankly — that Utah should have an A-level game every year.

“I don’t think there’s any question that what we’re going to try to work for is more P5 home-and-homes,” first-year athletic director Mark Harlan recently told ESPN700.

“It’s something that we know is in our future … It’s something that we need to do.”

Get rid of every year BYU… Rotate with in-state schools. 

[Gugstanley]

Get ride of the FCS games! They are boring and they charge full price. Open with a mountain West school for a tune up.

P5 needs to go with six home and six road games with everyone playing each other.

[GameForAnyFuss]

Get rid of any year BYU. Give me a P5 H&H and 2 G5s 2-for-1 in big recruiting areas.

[Mr Chainsaw]

I’m really starting to like Harlan.

[EastCoastUte]

is it just me that enjoys playing against BYU? I’d hope we could keep the ABC schedule and have BYU & Utah State as our B-C team, and the A team would be some P5 opponent!

[Central Coast Ute]

It must just be you.

[EagleMountainUte]

I don’t mind rotating USU and TDS as the B game. You have to schedule down that A game though because of the 9 game in conference schedule. As long as the P5 is a low level P5. I also don’t think a Home and home should be done for TDS anymore. I love the drive to Logan and don’t mind a game up there. 

No more FCS please. Unless you are doing like a big opener that year. Like a blue blood program then schedule down the third OOC.  

[Duhwayne]

If we win the conference and are excluded from the playoff, it is because of the dog OOC games this year. We should be opening against a midtier B1G or ACC/SEC team.

[EagleMountainUte]

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[AlohaUte]

I do, don’t listen to the idiots that want us to get rid of playing BYU but want us to schedule a random MWC team instead. BYU is a great game every year. It is a better game than most any other G5 team, and rivalry is what CFB is all about and it’s one of the very few games that may actually get some attention beyond our Ute world.

I will say, though, that I’d like our OOC to be P5, BYU, G5 every year. I don’t like have BYU as our premier noncon game unless they can get their stuff together and do more winning.

[KiYi-Ute]

Never hope for BYU to win at anything, ever.

[noneyadb]

Until Utah has A top 25 recruiting class, and follows up every year, they haven’t reached that next level. Right now- they compete when other teams are down. Continue to schedule a guaranteed 3 win OOC schedule and worry about the Pac12 schedule first.

[whitlessham]

Sad but truee

[FtheY]

I caught that oh so subtle Metallica reference. 

[iamthepreacher]

Nailed it. The non-conference schedule is only a big deal if you have national championship aspirations, i.e. you think you’ve got a top 4 quality team. We’re not to that stage yet. Right now we need to show we can win the South again, and hopefully even win the whole conference.

[Tednab]

….. well we’re playing BYU through 2022 …so

[UteThunder]

It’s even worse than that . . . BYU is on the schedule thru 2024.

[EagleMountainUte]

[ayoriver]

Personally, I can’t think of many things more satisfying than being the only loss on BYU’s schedule. I would love for them to win all their other games while Utah’s streak grows and grows. That’s just me though. I figure that allows the game to aid us to some degree.

[fosternano]

It’s nice to see Utah investing in a offensive coordinator, hopefully this one does well and stays for 3 or more years. Utah desperately needs consistency on the offensive side, that happens and they’ll be fighting for the championship every year.

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