BeaversEdge.com continues its exclusive Q&A series as we spoke with Oregon State Athletic Director Scott Barnes. Scroll down to read the Q&A with Barnes and check out our recent Q&A pieces as well.
DON'T MISS: BeaversEdge Q&A with Gary Andersen - Part I | Part II
1-on-1 interviews with Oregon State's Coordinators: Kevin McGiven | Kevin Clune
You've been coast to coast. What are some challenges you see Oregon State facing that might not be as apparent in the East?
Barnes: “We all deal with the same challenges around finance, revenue generation, personnel issues, but I think generally, conference alignment, television, coaching salaries, student athlete issues, etc. We all deal with the same group of issues. The extent of the issues and nuances are different. If there is a difference that I’ve come to realize since I’m back home in the Pacific Northwest, it’s that our fans are more forgiving. There are only two universities in the country that have sold out their four main revenue sports, (Football, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, and Baseball), South Carolina and Oregon State. I thought that was a nuance difference that it exciting. It gives us an unbelievable foundation to work from.”
What are your thoughts about the Pac-12 Network? In what ways do you want to see it improve, and in what ways is it helping Oregon State?
Barnes: “Where we sit now, is that we have to figure out how to grow the distribution and the revenues. We are all looking for that next pop. That next pop isn’t readily available or in front of us. The expansion of the olympic sports coverage has been huge. We all want additional distribution, because that comes with additional revenue and exposure. There is new leadership that will be coming on board at the Pac-12 Network, and I think we all view that as an excellent job that was done, but always a chance to put fresh eyes on it. DIRECTV is an opportunity that as athletic directors, and the conference office are chomping at the bit to see that materialize, because of the revenue and exposure.”
Oregon State has struggled in getting home-and-home games with big time programs, like Michigan and Ohio State. Are you looking to change that? If so, how?
Barnes: “We’ve got Minnesota coming in this year as part of a home and home. That’s a really sweet spot for us. You can talk both sides about going to play an Ohio State. One of the nuance’s in football scheduling is, where is your football program now and where is it going? Because we schedule so far out, in some cases a decade, you can’t always match that up. The balance is around thinking of six to seven home games, thinking about is there a year you're going to go play a top-5 program and not a return, or a two-for-one. We want to be able to deliver to the fans an interesting rivalry, and games and yet we want to bring balance to our schedule with our program and not get punched in the face as we are growing. I think once we get where we are going, which is an opportunity to vie for a Pac-12 Championship, than that looks different and our scheduling philosophy changes.”
