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2026 is the designated breakout year

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PorkerPoke

Well-known member
Home games with North Texas, Northern Colorado and UConn with a road trip to Central Michigan round out the OOC.

Typically a schedule like that is one Burman has said previously should lead to bowl eligibility.

Would not be surprised if nothing changes with this staff prior to 2027 and a 5-7 sniff at 6-6 would lead to an extension.

It’s hard to look forward but I will be watching if Anderson stays on and healthy plus how well Batiste comes along. I would not be upset the least if a premium transfer comes along.

It’s hard to think forward with any optimism but anything can happen in this unstable environment college sports is in right now and it’s all I can do to hold out any hope I see success again in my remaining lifetime.
 
PorkerPoke said:
Home games with North Texas, Northern Colorado and UConn with a road trip to Central Michigan round out the OOC.

Typically a schedule like that is one Burman has said previously should lead to bowl eligibility.

Would not be surprised if nothing changes with this staff prior to 2027 and a 5-7 sniff at 6-6 would lead to an extension.

It’s hard to look forward but I will be watching if Anderson stays on and healthy plus how well Batiste comes along. I would not be upset the least if a premium transfer comes along.

It’s hard to think forward with any optimism but anything can happen in this unstable environment college sports is in right now and it’s all I can do to hold out any hope I see success again in my remaining lifetime.
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I think we will have a new staff in 2026. Exit fee moneys hit in June 2026. Can’t seriously keep a 1-11, 2-10 coach with actual money available . I just hope a new AD will handle the process.
 
OrediggerPoke said:
I think we will have a new staff in 2026. Exit fee moneys hit in June 2026. Can’t seriously keep a 1-11, 2-10 coach with actual money available . I just hope a new AD will handle the process.
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I get that 2026 makes the most sense from a financial perspective, but in my opinion, UW cannot afford another year with Sawvel at the helm. His level of ineptitude is completely unacceptable for a college football program at this level. It's embarrassing for the university and the state.

Ironically, I think the only way Burman has a chance at retaining his job is to fire Sawvel at the end of this year. The Sawvel hire has gone so horribly wrong that not even the "good ole boys network" will be able to save Burman if his plan is to double down on Sawvel for another year.

I'm hoping for radio silence from Burman through the last part of the season. If he plans to keep Sawvel for next year, I think he will tip his hand in the media in an attempt to gauge fan reaction. If we don't hear anything before the Washington State game on November 30th, then there is a chance he just may do the right thing and fire Sawvel...it's the only thing that gives me any hope at the moment.
 
Guys, don't worry. Sawvel is playing it on the sly (purposely losing games) this year and the Pokes will POUNCE on it during the '26 season, guaranteed.
What we're witnessing now is pure genius and will only be understood next season
Sawvel is lulling the 2026 competition so get ready for the college football playoff and a HUGE, big name bowl game (perhaps a showdown in the Natty game) next year
 
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TheRealUW said:
I get that 2026 makes the most sense from a financial perspective, but in my opinion, UW cannot afford another year with Sawvel at the helm. His level of ineptitude is completely unacceptable for a college football program at this level. It's embarrassing for the university and the state.

Ironically, I think the only way Burman has a chance at retaining his job is to fire Sawvel at the end of this year. The Sawvel hire has gone so horribly wrong that not even the "good ole boys network" will be able to save Burman if his plan is to double down on Sawvel for another year.

I'm hoping for radio silence from Burman through the last part of the season. If he plans to keep Sawvel for next year, I think he will tip his hand in the media in an attempt to gauge fan reaction. If we don't hear anything before the Washington State game on November 30th, then there is a chance he just may do the right thing and fire Sawvel...it's the only thing that gives me any hope at the moment.
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I totally agree that another year of this will be absolutely killer for the program. I’m just being realistic on what will likely happen given our AD and fiscal constraints.

A Hail Mary would be Craig Bohl willing to coach next year at a greatly reduced salary while the program transitions. He could probably salvage a 6 win season with the players remaining. The only incentive for Bohl would be to save his son’s career because after this Aaron Bohl will be looking for defensive back assistant positions in FCS. I know most people would be against Craig Bohl returning like that but I would welcome it knowing that it could save the program and set us up to bring in a real staff (maybe even a Vigen or Polasek - - arguably the 2 best FCS coaches right now).
 
Getting rid of Burman should be the priority. Sawvel is virtually a lock to stay until at least the end of next season. The money is just not there for a buyout. Do not forget Wyoming is on the cusp of an election where it is likely the majority of the Legislature will be extremely against spending more at the University if not cutting funding. Like it or not Sawvel has all the leverage to keep his job. There was a big write up in the Casper Star this morning but at least to me it read like a story planted by Burman to make Sawvel the sacrificial lamb to save his own backside.
 
Ha ha, ummm ok...with transfer portals between then and now...ummmm stay optimistic...I don't see a 8-4 season for the next 5-6 years...college football is hard to root for when players aren't loyal anymore....maybe a bolt of lightning hits 7220 and then I'll get excited again
 
stymeman said:
Ha ha, ummm ok...with transfer portals between then and now...ummmm stay optimistic...I don't see a 8-4 season for the next 5-6 years...college football is hard to root for when players aren't loyal anymore....maybe a bolt of lightning hits 7220 and then I'll get excited again
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The players are about as loyal as the coaches - not much.
Only schools with mega donors and huge budgets are going to survive. Sawvel's entire contract for 5 years is less than Deon Sander's contract for a single season. But we can't afford to get rid of him. I know we are not P5 or P4, whatever it is. But we are cheapskates even in our own conference. Csewe bought out 1 coach after another. We didn't even have to pay off Linder and Bohl stuck around for 10 years. Yet we have no money. We are going to be at or near the bottom of the conference as long as were broke and stupid.
 
PBJ can be let go. Acting like 1 mill/year buyout is insurmountable, is silly.

For 2026, add in the dilapidated mwc schedule and I'll venture that will be the weakest schedule any WYO team has played since the formation of the MWC.
 
ragtimejoe1 said:
PBJ can be let go. Acting like 1 mill/year buyout is insurmountable, is silly.

For 2026, add in the dilapidated mwc schedule and I'll venture that will be the weakest schedule any WYO team has played since the formation of the MWC.
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Definitely not insurmountable. The sentiment seems to be that even though we could, that money should be used elsewhere or something. I would love to see them somehow double the amount of money that is used for coaching compensation/buyouts. One of the strongest correlation of wins is how much the coach gets paid.

The attitude towards large spending in Wyoming needs to change if it's ever going to get better. You can complain about results or you can complain about spending .... you don't get to do both. I get the sense from a lot of University supporters (not necessarily athletics supporters) that they don't really care that much about the football team's ability to win championships...they just don't want the budget to balloon and they don't want to get embarrassed. They'll hold their nose and fund athletics to some level and then move on to whatever UW social gathering is happening next.

Complicating this is that, on paper, UW is not "underfunded" in any sort of comparative sense. The folks who are writing the checks aren't willing to go higher if that means paying more than others. The problem is that if you are a program (or company for that matter) that wants to shake things up, the investment cost of that is typically very high compared to the cost of competitors who already are occupying the heights you want to reach.

Ultimately...if you could ensure a successful, dominant team, there is almost no $ amount that is too much because the exposure and revenue it will generate will only spiral upwards.
 
OrediggerPoke said:
I totally agree that another year of this will be absolutely killer for the program. I’m just being realistic on what will likely happen given our AD and fiscal constraints.

A Hail Mary would be Craig Bohl willing to coach next year at a greatly reduced salary while the program transitions. He could probably salvage a 6 win season with the players remaining. The only incentive for Bohl would be to save his son’s career because after this Aaron Bohl will be looking for defensive back assistant positions in FCS. I know most people would be against Craig Bohl returning like that but I would welcome it knowing that it could save the program and set us up to bring in a real staff (maybe even a Vigen or Polasek - - arguably the 2 best FCS coaches right now).
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No, Bohl is doing what he’s wanted to be doing for a long time. He knew his style of coaching was not going to work in this new era of college football. From a pro style playing point, to the NIL and transfer portal. The game passed him up, and he was ready to walk away. He actually got to exit like most coaches wish they could, without a pink slip.
The true test will be in a month, when the portal opens. If most of our key players stay, then they believe in the staff and will be better down the road. I like the new scheme on offense and am hoping that the defense improves. Injuries haven’t helped that side of the ball much and I think we all know they’ve underperformed because of those. Offensively, if Anderson can stay accurate, the future is bright! Again, that will all hinge on whether or not our best players return on that side. If we end up needing a new coaching staff, there better be a search, and take time to get the best candidates possible. There are plenty of D1 coaches out there. We don’t need another FCS experiment unless it’s our last option. Polasek inherited a juggernaut and his true ability is yet to be seen. Vigen is running the same stuff he ran here, but that level is a lot different and it has worked for him, until he runs into speed on defense. Same issues as when he was OC here. I’m willing to be patient with this staff. And hopeful that someone helps Sawvel with his press conference ability. If there’s mass exodus in December, I may think differently…
 
307bball said:
Definitely not insurmountable. The sentiment seems to be that even though we could, that money should be used elsewhere or something. I would love to see them somehow double the amount of money that is used for coaching compensation/buyouts. One of the strongest correlation of wins is how much the coach gets paid.

The attitude towards large spending in Wyoming needs to change if it's ever going to get better. You can complain about results or you can complain about spending .... you don't get to do both. I get the sense from a lot of University supporters (not necessarily athletics supporters) that they don't really care that much about the football team's ability to win championships...they just don't want the budget to balloon and they don't want to get embarrassed. They'll hold their nose and fund athletics to some level and then move on to whatever UW social gathering is happening next.

Complicating this is that, on paper, UW is not "underfunded" in any sort of comparative sense. The folks who are writing the checks aren't willing to go higher if that means paying more than others. The problem is that if you are a program (or company for that matter) that wants to shake things up, the investment cost of that is typically very high compared to the cost of competitors who already are occupying the heights you want to reach.

Ultimately...if you could ensure a successful, dominant team, there is almost no $ amount that is too much because the exposure and revenue it will generate will only spiral upwards.
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They don't need additional money; PBJ buyout + new coach salary is very near Bohl's salary. They just need to reallocate parts of the existing budget.
 
OrediggerPoke said:
Great idea - pay Sawvel his annual buyout and then attract a new coach with a low salary.
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They already have salary savings from 1 year which would cover year 1 of PBJ buyout (look up salary savings and universities--very common and often used as startup packages). The next year would require reallocation of 300-500k to cover buyout and reasonable salary. The next year should see the MWC money.

It's not that big of hurdle.
 
ragtimejoe1 said:
They don't need additional money; PBJ buyout + new coach salary is very near Bohl's salary. They just need to reallocate parts of the existing budget.
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I get that if they decide to do it the way that you are advocating, your post is exactly how they will spin it.

Per the Casper Star, if he is fired without cause, he is owed the remainder of his base and guaranteed compensation...so at the end of this year he would be owed 1.1m+1.1m+1.25m+1.25m=4.7m. If that happens, they then go out and hire a new coach...I hope that they don't try to pay somebody at the bottom of the conference so let's assume that they get what Sawvell got. This would mean that there is no delta between the cost of paying the new guy or paying Sawvell....the delta is in the buyout. Or, in other words, You are pretty much paying for two head coaches for the next 4 years (roughly).

Bohl was payed 2.3m in 2023 which included a retention bonus (base pay of 1.7m). I assume that if he had not retired he would not be recieving another retention bonus so his pay in 2024 would have been 1.7m. I know that was the last year of his contract...if we run that forward there is a savings of 600k for three years and then the savings drops to 450k for the final 2 years of Sawvel's contract for a total savings of 2.7m

The case can be made (and it will be if they go the route you are advocating) that the way to look at this is to compare what Sawvell makes to the fictional contract Bohl would be getting if he stayed. In this comparison there is roughly 2m of extra spending represented by the buyout scenario since the amount they were paying Bohl would have accounted for 2.7m over what Sawvell makes.

Do these numbers add up? Is this your understanding?
 
307bball said:
I get that if they decide to do it the way that you are advocating, your post is exactly how they will spin it.

Per the Casper Star, if he is fired without cause, he is owed the remainder of his base and guaranteed compensation...so at the end of this year he would be owed 1.1m+1.1m+1.25m+1.25m=4.7m. If that happens, they then go out and hire a new coach...I hope that they don't try to pay somebody at the bottom of the conference so let's assume that they get what Sawvell got. This would mean that there is no delta between the cost of paying the new guy or paying Sawvell....the delta is in the buyout. Or, in other words, You are pretty much paying for two head coaches for the next 4 years (roughly).

Bohl was payed 2.3m in 2023 which included a retention bonus (base pay of 1.7m). I assume that if he had not retired he would not be recieving another retention bonus so his pay in 2024 would have been 1.7m. I know that was the last year of his contract...if we run that forward there is a savings of 600k for three years and then the savings drops to 450k for the final 2 years of Sawvel's contract for a total savings of 2.7m

The case can be made (and it will be if they go the route you are advocating) that the way to look at this is to compare what Sawvell makes to the fictional contract Bohl would be getting if he stayed. In this comparison there is roughly 2m of extra spending represented by the buyout scenario since the amount they were paying Bohl would have accounted for 2.7m over what Sawvell makes.

Do these numbers add up? Is this your understanding?
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I agree with your analysis. The only thing not clear from the Trib article is if Sawvel’s buyout is paid upon termination or yearly over the course of the original 5 year contract. Either way - it’s a sunk cost and any firing we are essentially paying for 2 head coaches because of this apparently awfully structured deal Burman negotiated.
 
307bball said:
I get that if they decide to do it the way that you are advocating, your post is exactly how they will spin it.

Per the Casper Star, if he is fired without cause, he is owed the remainder of his base and guaranteed compensation...so at the end of this year he would be owed 1.1m+1.1m+1.25m+1.25m=4.7m. If that happens, they then go out and hire a new coach...I hope that they don't try to pay somebody at the bottom of the conference so let's assume that they get what Sawvell got. This would mean that there is no delta between the cost of paying the new guy or paying Sawvell....the delta is in the buyout. Or, in other words, You are pretty much paying for two head coaches for the next 4 years (roughly).

Bohl was payed 2.3m in 2023 which included a retention bonus (base pay of 1.7m). I assume that if he had not retired he would not be recieving another retention bonus so his pay in 2024 would have been 1.7m. I know that was the last year of his contract...if we run that forward there is a savings of 600k for three years and then the savings drops to 450k for the final 2 years of Sawvel's contract for a total savings of 2.7m

The case can be made (and it will be if they go the route you are advocating) that the way to look at this is to compare what Sawvell makes to the fictional contract Bohl would be getting if he stayed. In this comparison there is roughly 2m of extra spending represented by the buyout scenario since the amount they were paying Bohl would have accounted for 2.7m over what Sawvell makes.

Do these numbers add up? Is this your understanding?
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Unless Burman really screwed up, typical buyouts are over the term of the contract and not a lump sum. Additionally, there is usually a stipulation that if they are employed at another coaching gig, the buyout is reduced by whatever their new salary is. Who knows on the latter but the former should be true.

The bonus money for Bohl still likely came from AD budget. 2.3 mill - PBJ salary means there's already 1.2 mill in salary savings. That covers next year. The new coach could be hired at PBJ level or so.

2.3 mill - PBJ buyout the next year is 1.2 mill left for new coach.

Etc etc. I'm sure that's not exact but the hurdle isn't 4.7 mill lump sum and there's wiggle room in the existing budget to manage until the conference money comes. As I said before, internal "loans" are also possible.

The hurdle is inconvenient but not large.
 
ragtimejoe1 said:
Unless Burman really screwed up, typical buyouts are over the term of the contract and not a lump sum. Additionally, there is usually a stipulation that if they are employed at another coaching gig, the buyout is reduced by whatever their new salary is. Who knows on the latter but the former should be true.

The bonus money for Bohl still likely came from AD budget. 2.3 mill - PBJ salary means there's already 1.2 mill in salary savings. That covers next year. The new coach could be hired at PBJ level or so.

2.3 mill - PBJ buyout the next year is 1.2 mill left for new coach.

Etc etc. I'm sure that's not exact but the hurdle isn't 4.7 mill lump sum and there's wiggle room in the existing budget to manage until the conference money comes. As I said before, internal "loans" are also possible.

The hurdle is inconvenient but not large.
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Yes...I would imagine it's not lump sum...I was just trying not to muddy the water too much.

I'm sure the bonus money for Bohl is from the AD budget but it would not have been payable for 2024 right?
 
307bball said:
Yes...I would imagine it's not lump sum...I was just trying not to muddy the water too much.

I'm sure the bonus money for Bohl is from the AD budget but it would not have been payable for 2024 right?
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He recieved the 600k bonus in 2023 I think and Burman made a comment that it took years to build from private donations.

Look all I'm saying is that the AD budget is what 50 mill? Didn't they also claim 1.7 mill in profit that allegedly goes back to UW central funds?

It's inconvenient but manageable for a couple of years especially if there is a clause about gaining new employment, which I would guess there is.
 
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