The Holiday Bowl ended at 8:46 p.m. Friday night, as did Washington State's collapse.
Not way back, the Cougars were on the verge of the College Football Playoff race. But inside 42 days, they lost three straight games, their tailback, offensive coordinator, quarterback, head coach and bowl games.
They placed on a formidable performance against Syracuse at Snapdragon Stadium, but with a banged-up roster they didn't have enough of anything to maintain up with the Orange within the 52-35 loss.
Now all attention turns to the search that can shape WSU's future. This is crucial, especially within the short term. The Cougars need stability at the highest of this system in order that they can put together a roster for next season.
Much more vital is filling the vacant position at the highest of the university: the seek for the subsequent president.
Kirk Schulz, WSU's leader since 2016, is stepping down this summer.
Will his successor know whether a football is inflated or stuffed?
Will he (or she) realize that a successful football team is probably the most cost-effective marketing tool for any university, especially given the upcoming enrollment apocalypse for universities across the country?
Will he (or she) work with the Washington State Board of Regents, stand firm with the school and work with athletic director Anne McCoy to offer the resources crucial for the Cougars to achieve the rebuilding Pac-12?
The leadership structure at Pullman is somewhat unusual and requires context.
The campus has one chancellor, Dave Cillay, but he reports to Schulz, who oversees your entire WSU system. This reporting line is anticipated to stay in place when Schulz's yet-to-be-named successor comes on board within the second half of 2025.
“Cillay will not have full control over Pullman campus expenses, including athletics,” a source acquainted with the WSU operation told Hotline (via text message). “The new system president who replaces Kirk will continue to have ultimate authority.”
The situation is analogous, not less than when it comes to designation, to the leadership structure of the University of California. Except UC System President Michael Drake doesn't control campus-specific spending. Cal's chancellor sets the Bears' athletic budget. UCLA's chancellor is doing the identical for the Bruins.
But the WSU system president, together with the regents, controls the budget in Pullman and the campuses in Spokane, Tri-Cities, Everett and Vancouver, which function more like satellites than equals. Pullman has roughly thrice as many undergraduate students because the 4 branches combined.
The source called it a “bad setup” because “the Pullman chancellor is the most important person; the other system schools are glorified junior colleges.” Yet the Pullman chancellor has no control over the Pullman budget and resource allocation.
Schulz began transitioning into his oversight role for the system in 2021, naming Principal Elizabeth Chilton as chancellor of the Pullman campus. But Chilton “wasn’t prepared for the scope of Power Five athletics,” the source said, forcing Schulz to proceed to compete at a high level.
(Chilton left Washington state last spring to develop into president of the University of New Hampshire.)
“A lot of the dysfunction at WSU is due to all the system junk,” the source said, “instead of us focusing all of our time and effort on the main campus.”
Making matters worse for the Cougars, the number of scholars in Pullman has dropped from 18,346 in fall 2019 to simply 14,346 in fall 2024 — a 22 percent decline. in response to WSU.
Even more ominous: Enrollments of foreign and international students who pay full tuition fell by 37 percent during this era.
Add to that the large lack of athletic department revenue resulting from the demise of the Pac-12 and the brand new era of revenue sharing with athletes (in the summertime of 2025), and the Cougars face a monumental budget crisis rooted in existential issues, not day-to-day costs that goes into running a serious college football program.
Will the subsequent WSU president grant Cillay, the Pullman chancellor, control of the athletic department budget? This seems unlikely given the outsized role that campuses play within the economic model that underlies your entire system.
That's why finding a alternative for Schulz is so vital.
That won't be a difficulty for the Cougars next season: The 2025-26 budget will probably be finalized well before the subsequent president takes office.
But Schulz's successor could have authority over the athletic department's spending within the 2026-27 academic yr – the rebuilding Pac-12's first football season.
One area (of several) to contemplate: Will the salary pool for coordinators and assistant coaches remain stable?
The Cougars spent $3.7 million on personnel salaries in 2024. in response to USA Today's compensation database.
That's barely lower than Oregon State ($4.3 million), but significantly greater than the highest tier of the Mountain West, where Boise State and UNLV spent $2.9 million and $2.8 million, respectively .
Or will the Cougars reduce their employees' salaries to a level comparable to the Mountain West's middle class?
Another vital area: the cash pool for revenue sharing.
Most Power Four football programs share about $15 million with athletes. The Group of Five schools won't come near that quantity, but where will the Cougars compare to Oregon State, Boise State and San Diego State?
The way forward for WSU football isn’t about one-time allocations. It's not a $500,000 issue here or a $1 million issue there.
The success of the rebuilding Pac-12 will depend on committing hundreds of thousands of dollars for the remaining of the last decade.
It's about more – much, rather more – than simply picking the fitting alternative for Jake Dickert.
Originally published:
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