I believe that the core Admin support has completely gone for Football because it matters to the competition of getting students, and the Board is with us now. The repairs are being made rapidly, and institutional support is growing exponentially. The reason I have now realized that we HAVE to be in the B1G and why the Administration knows that is the Research Coalitions that exist there versus in the Big12. We all joked that it is the Truck Stop league, and ironically it is. We are the largest and most dedicated Research University in the group, and have lost the partnerships with folks like Washington and Stanford.You are correct that attendance has been solid despite subpar performance by the football team. The fans have done everything to make CU relevant. The problem is the administration support over the years. Despite having a new system president that supports the football team and also a new chancellor, it's going to take years to change the overall perception of the CU administration from outside the CU alumni base and fan base.
I do see us making a go of the Big12, and it might work, but I would ask the school to do everything possible to get into the B1G as soon as possible.