Why would you go anywhere else?

[Gopherocious]

The facilities at TCF Bank Stadium are first class as well.

<img src= http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__dew5VPlnDk/TMcF_vQBeQI/AAAAAAAACZY/rbGd-fKMqaQ/s1600/MNocker.jpg>

TV's and lockboxes at each locker
<img src= http://cdn2.sportngin.com/attachments/photo/2177/1319/IMG_6351_medium.JPG>

<img src= http://populous.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/UniversityofMinnesotaTCFBankStadium-Minneapolis-TeamLockerRoom.jpg>

And while the practice complex is nowhere near what those of Texas A&M and Alabama have, ours are on the way!
<img src= http://cdn2.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/14535353/gophers_ipf_002.0_standard_352.0.jpg>

<img src= http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1702977/533598_10151712522437943_713748911_n.jpg>

<img src= http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site569/2013/0710/20130710__7-10%20Gophers%20facilities_400.jpg>

I'm on board with TexasAggie11 on this one. While very impressive, the only thing that stood out to me was the hot/cold tub. Weight rooms and training lounges that extensive can be found all over the country.

 

[TexasAggie11]

Really, each new facilities improvement only gives a team 4-5 years of a slight competitive advantage until all the others catch up and someone comes up with something new. It won't be long until ten other teams have a waterfall hot/cold tub and then someone else puts a touchscreen computer at each locker or builds a mini IMAX theater to watch game footage in.

Facilities alone won't seal the deal for any recruit who has been to 4-5 other major schools, but a lack of facilities sure can hurt. You don't want to be last in that category, for sure.

 

[RailBaronYarr]

^Which is exactly why it's called an arms race. We're talking about locking ourselves in to a perpetual spending race. My problem is that 95% of the stuff we'll be spending doesn't actually make the players stronger, faster, smarter, etc. It's spending heaps of cash for very marginal improvements to actual workout facilities (the ability to train, learn, etc) with much of the money going in to flashy stuff to impress people (ex. the waterfall tub).

Like many things in certain industries (education, healthcare, a few others), there is no way to tie investment to return on any of this. You can ask for basically an unlimited amount of money to make a research facility better, or an athletic complex, etc, and use the "we'll fall behind if we don't" argument to make up for lack of proof that it does anything substantial. Problem is, who was doing it first that caused other people to fall behind?