Facilities Inquiry

[All-American]

And here is a picture of BYU's locker room. Not sure if this is football or not, and not...just something I grabbed off Google.

It's either football or it looks just like football. I've been in it before.

[kccougar]

And here is a picture of BYU's locker room. Not sure if this is football or not, and not...just something I grabbed off Google.

[Devildog]

Here are a couple pics taken before the finishing touches were installed.... wrapped columns, Under Armour graphics, flatscreens, etc.

They give you the basic idea though...

[Devildog]

My friend was involved with renovating the home locker room at RES. He got me in to see it. It was completed just before the official PAC invitation came.

The upgrades were cosmetic, but they made a dramatic difference in there.

[BoylenOver]

I saw a picture of the renovated locker rooms at RES. Very nice. Definitely needed and improved.

[LA Ute]

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/footbal...adiumexpansion

Nebraska expanding, at least in part, to keep up with large Big10 stadiums.

I wonder when/if Utah is moving forward on expansion of stadium size anytime soon. I know that there are issues re: money coming into the PAC12 but it could still happen.

This was beaten to death in another thread, but there are no plans to expand the stadium in the near future. It makes no economic sense and the PAC is not demanding it. The U is going to upgrade its indoor practice/training facility first, a $17-20 million project that they think is much more important. For example, the medical/therapy section of the current facility is about 6,000 square feet, IIRC, and peer facilities devote about 20,000 square feet to that. Also, the athlete dining facilities are in a tent-type structure. That's going away too, with the renovation and expansion. They think it's really important for recruiting.

[Katy Lied]

My niece toured both facilities this week. She said that BYU has way better on-campus sports facilities, but that the athlete dorms at the U (olympic village rooms) are much larger and nicer.

[OrangeUte]

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/footbal...adiumexpansion

Nebraska expanding, at least in part, to keep up with large Big10 stadiums.

I wonder when/if Utah is moving forward on expansion of stadium size anytime soon. I know that there are issues re: money coming into the PAC12 but it could still happen.

[Sizzle]

I guess Hot Lunch is the authority on this. I've only seen the stadiums and practice facilities of both schools, but HL has seen more and therefore, I accept that his call is accurate.

As a second witness who has spent time in both locker rooms, I give the nod to BYU. BYUs visitor room isn't nearly as nice as the home locker room, but it is top notch. The only nicer one I remember was Notre Dames.

Utahs visitor locker room felt like a dungeon made of concrete. BYUs visitor locker room was at least a little more open.

Also, BYUs practice facilities are fantastic. I'm less familiar with the U's but I cant think of much else to really add to BYUs to make it much better.

[OrangeUte]

I also think that when Utah fills in the south end zone, it will be won of the nicest set ups for a stadium of that size in the college football landscape. Except for the south end zone, RES is an incredible set up. Fill in the south and you have 60k and a full bowl. Full bowl stadiums are by far the best IMO. I would also love to see the U put "UTAH" in big red block letters on the roof of the field house. I love the set up that has in the North seeing the old field house. I think that would be a cool little touch.

i have been thinking about stadium expansion lately... this afternoon i spent some time looking at maps ( http://www.stadium.utah.edu/guest_in...office_map.pdf ) of RES and wondered what they will actually do with expansion.

assuming this map is to scale, will they complete the bowl by filling in the south endzone, which will take away part of the cauldron park? i would assume that would be a definite yes.

another question, will they finish the north endzone at the same level of heighth as the rest of the stadium? as hotlunch says, a bowl is an awesome stadium, and maybe there is a way to do that and still keep south campus drive useable with pillars, etc... then again, trax also uses that road, so maybe not...

another idea i had is that maybe they will do an upper-level-add-on like kyle stadium at aTm on the east side of the stadium... that would eliminate some of the parking lot there, but it's a smaller lot anyway. http://www.aggieathletics.com/facilities/kylefield.html

even with no conference payout from the pac12 in 2011, i am expecting that expansion of the stadium will be announced within the next year... no info, just my gut instinct. demand is very high for season tickets, and that will just continue to be so.

the U has proved that a stadium renovation can be done quickly as well as with quality work. the expansion from rice stadium to rice eccles was amazing and the new stadium is fantastic.

just something to think about.

[BlueHair]

what makes the locker rooms crappy in RES? And what would make them really boss?

Topless female locker room attendants.

[Brian]

what makes the locker rooms crappy in RES? And what would make them really boss?

[OrangeUte]

the 'interior' of LES is nice... the concession areas always seem very crowded and inadequate. but, i think coach is wrong that it's a dung pile. the mountains and the steepness of the stands is pretty awesome. maybe game-day atmosphere isn't so great, but that doesn't seem to be a priority at all to the cougs' program (in other words, they haven't embraced tailgating).

[Shaka]

Washington recently announced a huge stadium renovation plan, $150+ million if I remember right. Very much needed, Husky Stadium is a great setting without a good seat in the place.

The stadium is a pile of doggy doo. The fact that you can drive your boat or sea plane to the game makes up for it in a big way.

[Shaka]

LES is a pile. Every game I go to I think it is a pile. Scenery? Great. Atmosphere? good. The design and finish of the stadium just doesn't hold up. I am pretty sure that is why the PAC 10 didn't invite BYU.

It's better than the majority of CF stadiums I've visited. With that said it's a little bit spartan looking.