A new and better FBS thread

[SDbison]

I think it's all about continuing to grow NDSU football. Staying in the FCS and keeping the Fargodome as a football venue for the next 30 years provides no growth. So did the best times ever already occur for NDSU football? The four peat titles, back to back Gameday, etc. What if after the ESPN game to start next season at Montana everything falls apart. No Gameday and during the season NDSU does OK, yet doesn't go far in the playoffs due to some team pulling a comeback win on us? The following season the last FBS game at Iowa and regardless of outcome where do we go from there? Who has a vision to keep things moving forward. I for one don't care to just keep playing the same teams in the playoffs and occasionally win a national title.

[bisonaudit]

So, other than the 2013 team, the other 3 Championship teams would be scrambling to get a Bowl invite. Even at 13-1 Marshall wasn't even in the discussion for a playoff. We could have gotten a better Bowl invite if we were in the MWC and won the Championship there. Any idea how we'd have fared against Boise State?

Sagarin: NDSU -2.5 v. Boise on a neutral field.

[TransAmBison]

I think it's all about continuing to grow NDSU football. Staying in the FCS and keeping the Fargodome as a football venue for the next 30 years provides no growth. So did the best times ever already occur for NDSU football? The four peat titles, back to back Gameday, etc. What if after the ESPN game to start next season at Montana everything falls apart. No Gameday and during the season NDSU does OK, yet doesn't go far in the playoffs due to some team pulling a comeback win on us? The following season the last FBS game at Iowa and regardless of outcome where do we go from there? Who has a vision to keep things moving forward. I for one don't care to just keep playing the same teams in the playoffs and occasionally win a national title.

So let's say we move up and join a lower tier FBS team. Would we not play the same teams and occasionally win a obscure bowl game? Would we not get bored with the level of competition then as well? I do agree there would be the opportunity for some bigger games...but I'm just wondering if it is worth it. The playoffs are a blast...is one obscure bowl game worth that much more? Not trying to be a smarta##...just trying to create real dialogue. I am curious about this subject.*


















*Like RTO is about how it would be to kiss an actual woman.

[ndsubison1]

Let's not kid ourselves Boise would beat us.

[scottietohottie]

NDSU would throttle Boise state.

[tony]

Let's not kid ourselves Boise would beat us.

Only one way to find out.

[td577]

I think it's all about continuing to grow NDSU football. Staying in the FCS and keeping the Fargodome as a football venue for the next 30 years provides no growth. So did the best times ever already occur for NDSU football? The four peat titles, back to back Gameday, etc. What if after the ESPN game to start next season at Montana everything falls apart. No Gameday and during the season NDSU does OK, yet doesn't go far in the playoffs due to some team pulling a comeback win on us? The following season the last FBS game at Iowa and regardless of outcome where do we go from there? Who has a vision to keep things moving forward. I for one don't care to just keep playing the same teams in the playoffs and occasionally win a national title.

I have said this before but will say it again because it falls into my answer for your question. I don't know if it is right, but it is my opinion.

I am in the camp that wants to move forward, when the time is right. To me, the time is right when the P5 and G5 go through a major shakeup. It will happen, it is just a matter of when. The reason why you wait is because any move is going to require a lot of money. I do think you get into full fundraising mode now with the goal to start building endowment funds to finance the entire future. If we move now, we are going to have to put up the $6-7M a year right away with no guarantee that is the home we will be at in 5 years. We wait until the shakeup, we move once. We move twice and it will require needing big money again. If the ultimate goal is a P5 conference with other "football" schools, I don't think moving into a G5 conference now does anything but eat up resources with no guarantee or advantage. Unless the shakeup means there is a movement towards a P6, which doesn't seem to be the case. The P5 won't want Wyoming, they will just cherry pick G5 programs to round out their new division. If our goal is the second tier, then the G5 will actually migrate more towards our model then the other way around. They won't try to compete with the P5 conferences with scholarships and all that, they will look at a way to build a 75 scholarship model (as an example) to make football more affordable for their schools. The FCS model will already have everything the G5 level would want in terms of commitment, playoffs, and other features they don't have to rebuild. The bottom feeders in FCS want to get out of scholarships all together or at least move to a lesser commitment model. The second tier becomes the top half of FCS and the remaining G5 schools. NDSU doesn't have to blow their wad getting somewhere they will be anyways.

The forward thinking has always been NDSU will be no worse than the second tier. The final shakeup will create those opportunities without breaking the bank. The Big 12 has already acknowledged they have to make changes to remain relevant. This will involve G5 schools. G5 schools remaining will have to reorganize to rebuild their brand as a viable football division. So we end up with FCS1 and FCS2? The P5 is already splitting out, they just need that final push of adding more schools to a couple of conferences to make it even across the board as far as numbers. We will be in the new FCS2 with remaining G5 programs with a system ripe for new TV deals, new conference affiliations, and hopefully less scheduling issues. Pre-conference season OOC ESPN sponsored matchups or maybe this is the opportunity for FS1 to become the flagship for the second tier of college football. We become part of a new all sports Midwest Conference. Lastly, we see better football competition across the board while further developing natural rivalries and every sport wins. If this isn't close to the vision, something is wrong.

[SDbison]

So let's say we move up and join a lower tier FBS team. Would we not play the same teams and occasionally win a obscure bowl game? Would we not get bored with the level of competition then as well? I do agree there would be the opportunity for some bigger games...but I'm just wondering if it is worth it. The playoffs are a blast...is one obscure bowl game worth that much more? Not trying to be a smarta##...just trying to create real dialogue. I am curious about this subject.*


*Like RTO is about how it would be to kiss an actual woman.

Bowl games would have a better chance of a different opponent every year. Just sayin.

[SDbison]

I have said this before but will say it again because it falls into my answer for your question. I don't know if it is right, but it is my opinion.

I am in the camp that wants to move forward, when the time is right. To me, the time is right when the P5 and G5 go through a major shakeup. It will happen, it is just a matter of when. The reason why you wait is because any move is going to require a lot of money. I do think you get into full fundraising mode now with the goal to start building endowment funds to finance the entire future. If we move now, we are going to have to put up the $6-7M a year right away with no guarantee that is the home we will be at in 5 years. We wait until the shakeup, we move once. We move twice and it will require needing big money again. If the ultimate goal is a P5 conference with other "football" schools, I don't think moving into a G5 conference now does anything but eat up resources with no guarantee or advantage. Unless the shakeup means there is a movement towards a P6, which doesn't seem to be the case. The P5 won't want Wyoming, they will just cherry pick G5 programs to round out their new division. If our goal is the second tier, then the G5 will actually migrate more towards our model then the other way around. They won't try to compete with the P5 conferences with scholarships and all that, they will look at a way to build a 75 scholarship model (as an example) to make football more affordable for their schools. The FCS model will already have everything the G5 level would want in terms of commitment, playoffs, and other features they don't have to rebuild. The bottom feeders in FCS want to get out of scholarships all together or at least move to a lesser commitment model. The second tier becomes the top half of FCS and the remaining G5 schools. NDSU doesn't have to blow their wad getting somewhere they will be anyways.

The forward thinking has always been NDSU will be no worse than the second tier. The final shakeup will create those opportunities without breaking the bank. The Big 12 has already acknowledged they have to make changes to remain relevant. This will involve G5 schools. G5 schools remaining will have to reorganize to rebuild their brand as a viable football division. So we end up with FCS1 and FCS2? The P5 is already splitting out, they just need that final push of adding more schools to a couple of conferences to make it even across the board as far as numbers. We will be in the new FCS2 with remaining G5 programs with a system ripe for new TV deals, new conference affiliations, and hopefully less scheduling issues. Pre-conference season OOC ESPN sponsored matchups or maybe this is the opportunity for FS1 to become the flagship for the second tier of college football. We become part of a new all sports Midwest Conference. Lastly, we see better football competition across the board while further developing natural rivalries and every sport wins. If this isn't close to the vision, something is wrong.

I don't disagree with what you are saying, but at the same time sitting around waiting sucks. How many years will it take for the football subdivision thing to get settled? Also, where are things going with a Fargodome expansion or alternate facility in future? All this status quo means is the program has peaked and stagnation will prevail. Just don't see how NDSU football can grow with all the constraints on the gameday facilities, the subdivision status and lack of any plans to have regional TV coverage every week. With some effort regional TV coverage is the only thing that could possibly get better in the next 5 years (i.e. contract with Fox Sports North). The Montana ESPN game is a one off and then after 2016 with no FBS games our national coverage will be limited to late in the playoffs.

[SDbison]

One final comment........what is NDSU doing to keep things rolling and continue to have the national media take notice of FCS and NDSU? Seems to me the lack of attention given to the 4peat shows the media has already grown tired of our story since NDSU is only FCS. And please don't give the we need to focus on basketball crap. Basketball at NDSU has one tenth the interest and following, and this thread is about FBS football.