Potential Door Opening with Big 12

[tjbison]

Addition:

The shift is on. Elite programs 'will' move to the highest level possible. People have written about the lousy TV contract that a new Big-12 would have. Wouldn't it be bigger than the current MVFC contract?...

Sorry to bring up UND again...but they had Ralph to help out. I would suggest that there are several Ralphs that would support the Bison in the FBS...and that they're chomping at the bit for the program to elevate itself.

A super-high profile 'thing' is needed in Fargo. Look at what the Big Dance did. Just getting into the tournament was bigger than any DII playoff game we've ever been in. Same in football. 99.99 percent of the country doesn't have the slightest clue who won the FCS championship this past year...nor do they care. But a game in the Citrus Bowl or something like that...off the chart fun...off the chart benefits for the program and the whole university...and the state. A real bowl game atmosphere. People might actually get out a map and figure out the difference between North & South Dakota.

If/when the shift in conferences takes place...will we be moving up or down? Standing still appears to be the 'down' scenario. There won't be a status quo. Watch UNI & SIU make the move if the door opens. As for Montana...it's Montana...the provintial capital of the US.

These schools are also in states that are not run by 90 yr olds that only care about....................NOT SPENDING ANY MONEY, AND KEEPING THE STATE ISOLATED.

Right now with the MONSTER and GROWING state budget there shouldn't be any second thoughts on supporting any state school to get them elevated with the rest of the country.

[Tatanka]

These schools are also in states that are not run by 90 yr olds that only care about....................NOT SPENDING ANY MONEY, AND KEEPING THE STATE ISOLATED.

Right now with the MONSTER and GROWING state budget there shouldn't be any second thoughts on supporting any state school to get them elevated with the rest of the country.

Oh, they'll spend all right. Isn't UND getting more funding for their school of medicine? Don't they need more money to catch up with the other school in their own state? Sure they do.

Oh, you meant spend it on NDSU... HA! Right!

[bigskybears]

NDSU AND MONTANA WOULD BE AMAZING FOR THE "NEW" BIG 12 !!!

our PRESIDENT is BIG 12

FBALL coach is BIG 12.

FANS are BIG 12.

LETS DO THIS!!

I know you're an UBERFAN. You're unreal though. I live in Big 12 country (Colorado) and no one even knows North Dakota has a college football team.
Look at the attendance and the facilities of the B12 schools and you'll see NDSU doesn't even come close to other Big 12 schools. Do you follow college football much? I know, you're going to come back with some lame smack about UNC. I don't care.

[TheBisonator]

I know you're an UBERFAN. You're unreal though. I live in Big 12 country (Colorado) and no one even knows North Dakota has a college football team.
Look at the attendance and the facilities of the B12 schools and you'll see NDSU doesn't even come close to other Big 12 schools. Do you follow college football much? I know, you're going to come back with some lame smack about UNC. I don't care.

No, but I will. Even less people know about or care about UNC than NDSU. You are the shame of the Big Sky Conference. We have twice as many season ticket holders as you have in average football attendance. Your whole program is high school all the way.

[lakesbison]

BIG SKY!

WE COMING!! dont be jealous, it'll be allright. NDSU is known for WOODSIDE (summit buzzer beater, beatin #8 wisc. @ home)& beating 3 FBS teams (including Minnesota at their place).

we'll be just fine, thanks for your interest!

[Panther Fan]

These schools are also in states that are not run by 90 yr olds that only care about....................NOT SPENDING ANY MONEY, AND KEEPING THE STATE ISOLATED.

Right now with the MONSTER and GROWING state budget there shouldn't be any second thoughts on supporting any state school to get them elevated with the rest of the country.

Interesting topic. I hope it is OK for me to join in.
I doubt you would see UNI make any jumps to a FBS conference just for the sake of it. UNI, its administration and fans all feel that FCS football is the right fit for UNI for many reasons, not the least of which is $$. In fact, UNI just had a study done by an outside agency of its athletic department health and comparing / contrasting everything from moving up to FBS, to dropping to non-scholly FCS football, to dropping football altogether. They did this to objectively see how much impact (positive or negative) having football is for the university and the state. The study showed without a doubt that FCS is the optimum bang for the buck for UNI.
With that as background, IF all of this realignment comes to fruition, the Big XII (even IF it survives) would not be our fathers' Big XII. It would be a mid-major level college football conference with Iowa State and Kansas and maybe Baylor that would be on par with (but maybe slightly better than) the MAAC or the Sunbelt in football. That scenario ain't attractive in today's college athletics landscape because the increased expenses associated with fielding a FBS football team are nowhere near covered by any increased revenues. There is a reason that elite schools are looking to form super conferences: t.v. revenue. Football (and an athletic department as a whole) are very tough to turn a profit, let alone break even, without these major t.v. network revenues. I think that NDSU, Montana, Appy State would all find the same thing that UNI found: that the juice ain't worth the squeeze on moving to FBS unless you are a part of one of these mega-conferences which bring in huge BCS dollars and will soon bring in huge t.v. dollars. I don't see any of "us" being invited to a mega-conference so it becomes a futile effort to move to FBS. In fact, I could see more schools making moves down to FCS once all of this realignment takes place rather than the opposite. I actually think we will see a mandated shift by the NCAA in years to come, one that will end up with us watching either "BCS" schools or "FCS" schools on Saturdays (subdivision names would probably be changed, of course). The current mid-major FBS schools (Toledo, N. Illinois, Wyoming etc.) will either be invited to join a mega conference in the next year or so or they will be playing all of "us" on Saturdays.

[SDbison]

Interesting topic. I hope it is OK for me to join in.
I doubt you would see UNI make any jumps to a FBS conference just for the sake of it. UNI, its administration and fans all feel that FCS football is the right fit for UNI for many reasons, not the least of which is $$. In fact, UNI just had a study done by an outside agency of its athletic department health and comparing / contrasting everything from moving up to FBS, to dropping to non-scholly FCS football, to dropping football altogether. They did this to objectively see how much impact (positive or negative) having football is for the university and the state. The study showed without a doubt that FCS is the optimum bang for the buck for UNI.
With that as background, IF all of this realignment comes to fruition, the Big XII (even IF it survives) would not be our fathers' Big XII. It would be a mid-major level college football conference with Iowa State and Kansas and maybe Baylor that would be on par with (but maybe slightly better than) the MAAC or the Sunbelt in football. That scenario ain't attractive in today's college athletics landscape because the increased expenses associated with fielding a FBS football team are nowhere near covered by any increased revenues. There is a reason that elite schools are looking to form super conferences: t.v. revenue. Football (and an athletic department as a whole) are very tough to turn a profit, let alone break even, without these major t.v. network revenues. I think that NDSU, Montana, Appy State would all find the same thing that UNI found: that the juice ain't worth the squeeze on moving to FBS unless you are a part of one of these mega-conferences which bring in huge BCS dollars and will soon bring in huge t.v. dollars. I don't see any of "us" being invited to a mega-conference so it becomes a futile effort to move to FBS. In fact, I could see more schools making moves down to FCS once all of this realignment takes place rather than the opposite. I actually think we will see a mandated shift by the NCAA in years to come, one that will end up with us watching either "BCS" schools or "FCS" schools on Saturdays (subdivision names would probably be changed, of course). The current mid-major FBS schools (Toledo, N. Illinois, Wyoming etc.) will either be invited to join a mega conference in the next year or so or they will be playing all of "us" on Saturdays.

Still don't believe things are going to change as much and as soon with FBS and BCS as you and others are saying. Montana and NDSU have several things in common that separate them from UNI and Appy. Both are non directional state schools in states that are not represented at the highest level of football. Also, both schools have a huge base of fans that already exceed the bottom 10-15% of FBS schools in attendance. Also both of their facilities are on par with the top half of FBS schools. NDSU has great football tradition (although not much time in FCS) and of course everyone knows about Montana's tradition. Iowa already has two FBS football teams and that is the biggest reason why UNI will not be moving up to FBS.

[bigskybears]

No, but I will. Even less people know about or care about UNC than NDSU. You are the shame of the Big Sky Conference. We have twice as many season ticket holders as you have in average football attendance. Your whole program is high school all the way.

No doubt our football team isn't any good. However that doesn't have anything to do with NDSU and the Big 12. They don't belong in the same sentence and any level headed obsever would agree. The average football stadium in the Big 12 probably seats on average 50,000 (off the top of my head, no research). What does your stadium seat???

[met1990]

What does your stadium seat???

Recently expanded to 41,300

[4mcruenomore]

No doubt our football team isn't any good. However that doesn't have anything to do with NDSU and the Big 12. They don't belong in the same sentence and any level headed obsever would agree. The average football stadium in the Big 12 probably seats on average 50,000 (off the top of my head, no research). What does your stadium seat???

UNC? LOL I didn't think you were still even on this board.
All time record NDSU vs. UNC 22-8 in favor of the Herd
Last time we played UNC we won 44-0
That's where your program stands, go back to Colorado