Mario Moccia is an alumnus and former standout baseball player at New Mexico State where he now serves as Athletic Director. Moccia starts by sharing how he took a different path to the AD chair than former Mizzou colleagues Ross Bjork (Texas A&M AD) and Chris Del Conte (Texas AD) by heading to an FCS school before arriving in Las Cruces. NMSU recently announced their transition from the WAC to Conference USA in all sports. This interview was recorded in the summer before conference realignment and I asked Moccia about the long-term plan for their independent football program and the positioning of the WAC, which will help the change make sense. He did say Conference USA and Mountain West were the only two likely FBS conferences. Moccia also shares all the details on their unique approach to consumable product licensing, now boasting their own beer, wine, whiskey, tequila, coffee, and even a candle. This has been an incredible (and fun) revenue generator for NMSU athletics and has other ADs wanting in on the idea. And if you’ve ever wondered how a football schedule is created for an independent, Moccia talks about their strategy that they probably won’t miss once they begin conference play in their new conference.

• 0:10 AD Chair as an Alumnus
• 3:20 Differences in AD Jobs at Different D1 Levels
• 7:00 Dealing with Indirect Financial Implications in NIL for the Athletic Dept
• 13:50 Long-Term Strategy for NMSU Football
• 19:35 Scheduling Decisions of an Independent Football Program
• 24:15 College Football Playoff Expansion Changes to Scheduling Money Games
• 28:40 Innovating Licensed Consumable Products
• 37:40 Taste Test Event for Salsa as the Land Grant Institution
• 45:55 Other Potential Revenue Ideas for College Athletics
• 47:30 The Eventual Future of Sponsored Uniform Patches