When will Matt Larsen contact someone from the FBS about NDSU moving up?

[Bisonator98]

This thread is ridiculous. Will you FBS or bust people just shut the hell up already!! What is Matt Larsen supposed to do? Send a letter to every FBS conference commissioner and tell them they are interested in going FBS?! Teams don't choose conferences, conferences choose teams that they want to join. Can you lobby? I suppose. But lobbying to get into the MFVC is a hell of a lot different then lobbying an FBS conference. Just face the facts, I know it is hard for some here. In the current state of college football, NDSU IS NOT MOVING TO AN FBS CONFERENCE. Say that over and over again so it sinks in. How many times do the realization of facts need to be stated? FBS conferences choose to add teams based on money. Mainly the money that their media market can bring the conference. Sorry, but Fargo is a small media market. That is the main reason. The other equally big reason is money. NDSU would have to increase it's budget by 3 or 4 times to afford it. So unless there are a lot of donors that are secretly in the waiting to donate millions of dollars, it aint going to happen. I don't know if some of you just don't want to hear these facts, or if you just have this blind hope that things will magically happen simply if Matt Larsen just says "We are looking at going FBS." The NDSU athletic department and administration are smart. They know what is going on. They have gone on record saying that they will look at the landscape of college football and put NDSU in the situation that is best for NDSU. Matt Larsen has said that NDSU needs to be in the second tier of college football. If the day comes where the P% split and form their own division, I believe NDSU will be in the position to be in that next tier. NDSU handled the transition to DI pretty well. I trust they will make the best decision for the future of football. Just take a deep breath, enjoy continued success, and let the powers that be continue to do what they are doing.

If you don't like it don't read it. Stay in your happy place.

[Bisonator98]

Comes down to two things: geography and money. Enough money can overcome the lack of a geographic fit.

Closest FBS members are UofM and Iowa State: Big 10 smallest enrollment/endowment (Northwestern: 21000/ Maryland $283 million), Big 12 (TCU: 10323/ K-State: $488 million), Big 10 average (41000, $3.2 billion) Big 12 averages (28700, $1.3 billion). Safe to say we can exclude P5 conferences from the discussion, from a strictly financial standpoint.

Closest G5 conference members: Northern Illinois (597 miles from Fargo to Dekalb) and Wyoming (790 miles). NDSU would have smallest enrollment in MAC by 4000 and third smallest in MWC (Air Force and Wyoming). NDSU currently has larger endowment than 5 MAC schools and 3 MWC schools. Much better fit financially, worse geographically. Need to consider facilities, coaching salaries, additional scholarships and COA for football and women's programs: would athletic programs need to be added to comply with title IX and/or new conference requirements? $$$$$$$$$$$

I'm all for moving up if the right situation comes along, but NDSU doesn't need to beg conferences for an invite. Raise a bunch more money (any chance for state support with, or even without, the current budget difficulties?) and become attractive enough to them that it overcomes the geographic hurdles and increased costs to the current conference members. The original post also said this is about moving forward; not certain that a move to the MAC is a move forward for the university.

As a football only affiliate, it could work. Like I said, NDSU just needs to get their foot in the door. None of those schools started out as big as they are today. I'm confident NDSU would succeed, probably more then most of them.

[bisonmike2]

Comes down to two things: geography and money. Enough money can overcome the lack of a geographic fit.

Closest FBS members are UofM and Iowa State: Big 10 smallest enrollment/endowment (Northwestern: 21000/ Maryland $283 million), Big 12 (TCU: 10323/ K-State: $488 million), Big 10 average (41000, $3.2 billion) Big 12 averages (28700, $1.3 billion). Safe to say we can exclude P5 conferences from the discussion, from a strictly financial standpoint.

Closest G5 conference members: Northern Illinois (597 miles from Fargo to Dekalb) and Wyoming (790 miles). NDSU would have smallest enrollment in MAC by 4000 and third smallest in MWC (Air Force and Wyoming). NDSU currently has larger endowment than 5 MAC schools and 3 MWC schools. Much better fit financially, worse geographically. Need to consider facilities, coaching salaries, additional scholarships and COA for football and women's programs: would athletic programs need to be added to comply with title IX and/or new conference requirements? $$$$$$$$$$$

I'm all for moving up if the right situation comes along, but NDSU doesn't need to beg conferences for an invite. Raise a bunch more money (any chance for state support with, or even without, the current budget difficulties?) and become attractive enough to them that it overcomes the geographic hurdles and increased costs to the current conference members. The original post also said this is about moving forward; not certain that a move to the MAC is a move forward for the university.

Great post but allow me to post some of my alternative facts. FOOTBALL! Big 10 baby! Rose Bowl! We are big time! FCS is a joke! Total NCC D2 days! What a joke!

[scottietohottie]

Huge fish in medium pond but now the pond is infested with carp. Pond is ruined. I'd rather be with the big carp in the big pond then a medium pond with carp. Now row damit.

We ain't trolling anymore this ship is setting sail.

Who's coming with me?

[ZHerd]

Huge fish in medium pond but now the pond is infested with carp. Pond is ruined. I'd rather be with the big carp in the big pond then a medium pond with carp. Now row damit.

We ain't trolling anymore this ship is setting sail.

Who's coming with me?

Well according to Dom Izzo, the new carp from up north will improve NDSU's strength of schedule/resume so why would you skip the pond and miss such a magnificent opportunity?

[scottietohottie]

Let's see how big this fish can grow!

[Bisonator98]

Well according to Dom Izzo, the new carp from up north will improve NDSU's strength of schedule/resume so why would you skip the pond and miss such a magnificent opportunity?

Dom is dead to me....might as well change the "Bison Media Blog" to the "ND Media Blog".

[Bison Loaf]

Unfortunately, due to age, an irritable bowel, and extreme erectile dysfunction ..................I will not be able to help row the boat this time.

I will, however, throw a line over the side and bring the Cheetos.

Go Bison!!

[Bisonator98]

Unfortunately, due to age, an irritable bowel, and extreme erectile dysfunction ..................I will not be able to help row the boat this time.

I will, however, throw a line over the side and bring the Cheetos.

Go Bison!!

Can you at least bail if we spring a leak?

[tony]

Less naysaying, more paddling