CSU joining Power 5 (or not) will be AD's legacy

Jack Graham brought CSU a new stadium. He hired Jim McElwain and Larry Eustachy.

Paul Kowalczyk fired Sonny Lubick.

Thurman "Fum" McGraw personified Colorado State University.

Every athletic director has a legacy. For Joe Parker, hired Tuesday at CSU, what his will be was decided before he agreed to a five-year contract worth $1.6 million. All he can control is success or failure.

Will he be the hero who negotiated the Rams into a Power 5 conference, or will he be the AD who was at the helm of a department that faded away with the rest of college athletics' have-nots when the big boys eventually split off from the NCAA's Division I?

It's an unfair state for Parker to reside in — university presidents ultimately control conference alignment — but it's the reality of the job he signed up for.

"I think there are a lot of ingredients here at Colorado State to aspire to be at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics," Parker said. "I'm confident that if we continue to be exactly who we are and work to be the preeminent program in the Mountain West Conference, as things might change in the landscape of intercollegiate athletics, there may be future opportunities for us."

Whenever Parker was asked at his introductory news conference Tuesday about potentially joining a new league, he'd gracefully answer, sure to pay respect and recognize CSU is a member of the Mountain West, while throwing in a caveat: for now.

Parker wants CSU to experience the joy of a national championship — something it's never achieved in a varsity sport — but the likelihood of doing so as part of a Group of 5 conference is growing exponentially more difficult. If watching UCLA and Indiana receive undue preference in the NCAA tournament ahead of the Rams' snub wasn't insulting enough, how does it feel to know there's nothing football coach Mike Bobo can do to that would have CSU competing for a national championship? Not as a member of the Mountain West.

The College Football Playoff was specifically designed to only place Power 5 schools in contention. Selection committee chairman Jeff Long — Parker's close friend and colleague — was the center of constant controversy last season when the CFP didn't try to hide its bias against the Group of 5 in weekly rankings.

Tom Hilbert's volleyball team could eventually make a run to contend for a national title, but outside of individual titles, the chances of another CSU program doing so are lacking. Parker has spent his entire career at Power 5 member institutions — Texas, Washington State, Oklahoma, Michigan and, most recently, Texas Tech — this isn't lost on him.

Nor can it be on university president Tony Frank — a dedicated sports fan — who, when asked about his school's place in the shifting conference landscape, said CSU is keeping an eye out but doesn't see any opportunities to make a change right now. Parker's ties to the Big 12 Conference may not have been the chief reason for hiring him, but they certainly didn't hurt.

"If the future unfolds and there are other opportunities, as there have been in the past for other schools, we'll assess those as they come along," Frank said. "I think Joe has experience that will allow us to be effective at assessing those, but first and foremost, I wanted someone who could lead us to success here and now."

CSU isn't as close to becoming a member of the Big 12 as anyone wants to admit. It lacks the athletic budget of the 10 current members, its new football stadium will seat 9,000 fewer fans than the Big 12's smallest (TCU) and because of the University of Colorado's recent affiliation, the conference knows the Rams don't occupy the Denver TV market. Three years ago, CSU, in simplest terms, had to pay KUSA to get it to air football games on its cable sister station, channel 20.

Big 12 deputy commissioner Tim Weiser was CSU's AD from 1997-2000, and his familiarity could equally help and hurt chances of entry.

The biggest selling point for CSU — more than rapidly improving athletic programs — is its consistent success in the classroom.

"The academic profile of (CSU) maps very well over anyone that's a Power 5 school," Parker said. "The beauty of our campus, the existing infrastructure and the nature of this community itself is phenomenal and could be a great asset to any conference."

CSU doesn't have to join the Big 12. If somehow Frank and Parker could convince the Pacific 12 or Big 10 to add one more — that would work just as well. So would the more likely scenario: combining the top schools from the Mountain West and American conferences to form the sixth power league.

What CSU can't do is be content sitting idly by while the ravine between it and the Power 5 erodes into a canyon.

Graham and former interim athletic director John Morris took care of securing the coaches necessary for developing a championship-caliber department; women's soccer was added to replace water polo, making the university more desirable. The athletic department's structure isn't expected to change and Parker said he's planning on being at CSU for a long time.

The foundation of CSU athletics is set. It's Parker's job to take the next step and lead the Rams into a Power 5 conference.

For insight and analysis of athletics around Northern Colorado and the Mountain West, follow sports columnist Matt L. Stephens at twitter.com/mattstephens and facebook.com/stephensreporting.