Thoughts about moving up to FBS

[Mr_Tibbs]

Cincy was ranked number 2 in all the polls yesterday, but debuted at number 6 in the first CFP rankings, with teams like Oklahoma and Michigan poised to overtake them in the coming weeks and one loss SEC and BIG teams ahead of them. The CFP committee will never let the G5 into the playoffs. If they expand it, it’s going to be the same thing unless they create auto bids. I have no interest plying in a division where we can’t compete for a shot at playoffs. A New Years 6 bowl is possible I guess, but you still have to be the best G5 out there: your chances go from 1 in 24 of making a title to 1 in 60+ of being the highest ranked G5 team. And the New Years non-playoff bowls do not carry the same weight they did now that the playoff has been implemented. If the G5 create their own playoff or the CFP is expanded to include auto bids, I’m all for it. Without that, it just doesn’t excite me. And I grew up a fan of a P5 school in a state without much of an fcs presence. Playoffs are better than bowl games in my opinion.

[mnjackrbt]

I have an ugly feeling that this time next year we may be back in Div II, figuratively speaking. Sadly I don’t know that we have a choice, I don’t know that we have the money for FBS football, even if there was a willingness

That's my worry as well. I don't want to, nor think we should move up. But I don't want to be competing in what becomes a glorified D2 division as well. Wish it could all stay the same and the FBS could fix their own problems without dragging the FCS into it.

[THEsocalledfan]

That's my worry as well. I don't want to, nor think we should move up. But I don't want to be competing in what becomes a glorified D2 division as well. Wish it could all stay the same and the FBS could fix their own problems without dragging the FCS into it.

This pretty much sums up my thoughts as a Bison. However, NDSU and SDSU are going to have to move to FBS due to all this bull****.

[rabbits64]

We have one of the best AD's in the nation at our level. He has been innovative and brought our athletic department to new levels. I would bet that there is a plan, or plans in place on how we proceed.
If do fear that if we wait too long and sit at the FCS level this will be a severely watered down product.

At the end of the day, I think we will have no choice but to move up. But I also think that the NCAA FBS level is going to look massively different soon anyway. I think there will be the Power 5 and everyone else. which will eventually be just like a stronger FCS.

All I know it is going to look a lot different in 5 years.

[JACKGUYII]

We have one of the best AD's in the nation at our level. He has been innovative and brought our athletic department to new levels. I would bet that there is a plan, or plans in place on how we proceed.
If do fear that if we wait too long and sit at the FCS level this will be a severely watered down product.

At the end of the day, I think we will have no choice but to move up. But I also think that the NCAA FBS level is going to look massively different soon anyway. I think there will be the Power 5 and everyone else. which will eventually be just like a stronger FCS.

All I know it is going to look a lot different in 5 years.

This captures my sentiment on the topic. What Stig thinks is kind of irrelevant as this goes above his pay grade and well beyond his tenure.

[mnjackrbt]

But I also think that the NCAA FBS level is going to look massively different soon anyway. I think there will be the Power 5 and everyone else. which will eventually be just like a stronger FCS.

This I could get behind. Have the Power 5 conferences basically be D1 P5 (FBS). Have all others (the stronger schools of the MVFC, Big Sky, CAA, etc. and the Mountain West, MAC, C-USA, etc) all form what is basically a new FCS.

[tbcruiser]

I believe that is what most people who advocate for "moving to FBS" have in mind. Be included in that group of non P5 conferences which today are in purgatory when the P5 group split off.Call it the new improved FCS if you will. That new more powerful version of "FCS" is what those jumping now are jockeying for. SDSU and some others may want to do the.same?

[rabbits64]

I believe that is what most people who advocate for "moving to FBS" have in mind. Be included in that group that today (the non P5 conferences) in my view are in purgatory when the P5 group split off.Call it the new improved FCS if you will. That new more powerful version of "FCS" is what those jumping now are jockeying for. SDSU and some others may want to do the.same?

Exactly! All conference members of the P5 are already in the process of expanding, they will break away on their own, with the rest on the outside. Then it becomes the new "FCS". Not sure if they have a separate championship, but it should be something.

[rabbits64]

This I could get behind. Have the Power 5 conferences basically be D1 P5 (FBS). Have all others (the stronger schools of the MVFC, Big Sky, CAA, etc. and the Mountain West, MAC, C-USA, etc) all form what is basically a new FCS.

One other way to look at this is the English Premier League for soccer. The biggest and strongest teams formed the Premier League for themselves about 20 years ago. The rest of the teams had their own divisions, very similar to D1, FCS, D2, D3, NAIA etc... the P5 are going to capture their money and set their own rules. Nobody in the P5 cares about anyone in the MAC, or Mountain West, etc. So as they do this, I would venture the guess the rest will band together. IF we banded together with the rest, we can and will compete with them. We out draw most MAC games regularly, and we have already shown we can beat their teams. So under this structure we should consider moving up, otherwise we become irrelevant.

[SoDak]

My thought is a three tier D1 league is coming with the P5’s at the top, the Ball State, Wyoming, Boise States in the second one, and Dixie State, Dayton, and U of San Diego. It may be easier to line ourselves up with where we want to be now than in 5 years. But, again, money is hard to come by. If I win the powerball I’ll give generously.

Best option if we tried to make the leap is to put NDSU, SDSU, UNI, Montana, Mont State, WY, ID and Missouri St together

[mnjackrbt]

It's tough to watch some MAC games though, the conference is a joke when you view "Maction" on weeknights on ESPN. I watched some of the Northern Illinois (coached by former SDSU coaches and/or players Eric Eidsness, Dan Jackson, Nic McKissic Luke, Pete Menage, Jake Menage) game last night at Kent State, and it's embarrassing how few people are in the stands. I get that they are probably playing it for TV money from ESPN rather than ticket sales, but still.

[ringthebells]

I would guess that pretty much every FCS conference would kill to have a game featured on ESPN no matter which day of the week it is. Yes for money, but also, you are the only game on. I've watched a ton of Wednesday night games on ESPN. It's great exposure...and I am assuming a nice check.

[jakejc795]

I would guess that pretty much every FCS conference would kill to have a game featured on ESPN no matter which day of the week it is. Yes for money, but also, you are the only game on. I've watched a ton of Wednesday night games on ESPN. It's great exposure...and I am assuming a nice check.

It'd have to be, considering attendance that was just over 1/4 of their current capacity. Also, consider that NIU's next three games are also on weeknights, almost inevitably detrimentally impacting attendance for a considerable number of games.

The payout may not be that lucrative considering ancillary obligations. Is even $900k annually worth a decade of seasons where a 1/4 of the games have minimal attendance and institutions are hamstrung by stipulations to broadcast nonfootball events?

Here's additional context which begs the question -- would you rather have what would likely be double the attendance on Saturday and have the game available online (and occasionally on TV regionally) or drastically reduce attendance for multiple weeknight games just to gain ESPN2 viewership?

[mnjackrbt]

It'd have to be, considering attendance that was just over 1/4 of their current capacity. Also, consider that NIU's next three games are also on weeknights, almost inevitably detrimentally impacting attendance for a considerable number of games.

The payout may not be that lucrative considering ancillary obligations. Is even $900k annually worth a decade of seasons where a 1/4 of the games have minimal attendance and institutions are hamstrung by stipulations to broadcast nonfootball events?

Here's additional context which begs the question -- would you rather have what would likely be double the attendance on Saturday and have the game available online (and occasionally on TV regionally) or drastically reduce attendance for multiple weeknight games just to gain ESPN2 viewership?

I can make an argument on either side of this but I think I'd vote for Saturday games and better attendance. I personally think it's kind of embarrassing to be on national tv with a nearly empty stadium. Does a future recruit or potential donor view ESPN on a weeknight with an empty stadium as cool? Or do they view ESPN3/+ on a Saturday afternoon with a rocking atmosphere as cool?

[JackJD]

We know that several schools in the top tier of FBS, make a boatload of money on football. I wonder how many Athletic Directors at FBS schools that do not make a lot of money on football, are a little envious of the FCS financial model and they dream stepping down a notch to FCS so they can sleep better at night not having constant budget worries. (I suppose something like that can be said about lower-tier FCS schools -- dreaming of going to DIII so they can sleep at night).

I think an argument can be made that the FCS model: is a more balanced approach to college football (after all, we refer to the player on the team as "student-athletes". I know, I know...in big-time college football, there's increasingly less "student" and more "athlete" in the term "student-athlete". And, as others have noted, the very top-level FBS programs appear to be the NFL's Triple-A farm clubs. I won't be surprised if in the very near future the top-tier FBS schools go independent with their pockets stuffed full of lucrative TV contracts.

SDSU should continue on its upward trajectory and when the top FBS programs finally announce their plan to leave the NCAA, SDSU will be well positioned to have a seat at the table that re-thinks college football. Maybe that table will be set this year but I think we're a few years away from the top-tier teams walking out the door (and I hold out a little hope that some college presidents will pull back on the reins controlling their football programs and thereby save FBS)..

For the Jackrabbits, the only concern is preparing for Saturday when we can send the Bison back to Fargo where they can look at old photographs of the Dakota Marker.