NDSU to CUSA

[NDSU92]

Winning the CUSA every year is the pinnacle of the season. We still have to prove we will be able to maintain being the best while in the CUSA.

Right now we are at the top of the FCS every year even if we have a struggling team. Winning the MVFC is just the start of our post season. I don’t think our fans will enjoy not being the best team in the country every year……

So yeah, that's the problem. Right now we can just write off 6 or 7 of our 11 regular season games as the opposing team has literally no chance. Our fans were fine 15 years ago not being the best team in the country year in/out, they'll be just fine when we're FBS.

To the contrary, it's the fact that we're the best team in a subdivision where we obviously don't belong that's causing the fan apathy.

[HerdBot]

If we are not competing for CUSA championships every year our fan base will be going downhill. I think not being the best team in our division year in and year out will result in less support. Even if we get into the CUSA there is zero guarantee we will ever get invited to the MWC!

No, I think it's the opposite. We won 8 National Championships in 9 years and we saw our attendance decline consistently. Fans are bored playing cupcakes like Indiana State. Fans are bored playing Colgate Toothpaste, Wofford College, Furman, and some other no name team in the playoffs like San Diego. It's going to get worse with James Madison, Jacksonville State and Sam Houston going away. And the playoffs are getting worse with an expanded field.. Who is the most exciting playoff opponent now? There are none other than SDSU. Maybe Montana State or Montana. This miss the Georgia Southerns of the world

[HerdBot]

For me, it’s really not. I find the FCS playoffs to be better football. I understand that we have to get there year in and year out, but, for me, FCS is better football given the playoffs.

The Natty game, and some of the playoff games, just do me better than quirky Tuesday/Wednesday MAC games, along with some random POS Bowl Game. That’s just me, for now.

IMO, with all the good teams leaving, the playoffs are starting to look worse and worse. Enjoy this year because it will never be the same without JMU and Sam Houston

I'm not a fan of the occasional Tues/Wed game but when I saw Coastal Carolina at Appalachian State on the Big ESPN on a Wed, I was kind of jealous. Great game too

[El_Chapo]

No, I think it's the opposite. We won 8 National Championships in 9 years and we saw our attendance decline consistently. Fans are bored playing cupcakes like Indiana State. Fans are bored playing Colgate Toothpaste, Wofford College, Furman, and some other no name team in the playoffs like San Diego. It's going to get worse with James Madison, Jacksonville State and Sam Houston going away. And the playoffs are getting worse with an expanded field.. Who is the most exciting playoff opponent now? There are none other than SDSU. Maybe Montana State or Montana. This miss the Georgia Southerns of the world

this Herdbot & Mankato are killing it in these last posts.

if Matt Stony Brook Larson & Dean "Lame Duck" Bresciani reads those 2 posts & don't even muster up enough courage to do something, then just be gone, leave, you are not men ready to lead this university!

FCS will be regionalized even more in playoffs now *they will cite higher gas/plane fuel prices* and with 5 MVFC teams and Montana/Montana St in the playoffs we will play 4 of those teams to get title #9

[abc123]

4. we NEED a conference invite. No we do not NEED one. We would LIKE one. It is completely reasonable that we could get a wavier to go independent, if that was a priority of NDSU . If the only reason we arent being "invited" is geography (something completely out of our control), we could request a waiver. St Thomas got a waiver for something even more insane than that, and the basis being, they were put in a circumstance completely out of their control. I would imagine we would have a similar chance of being granted a waiver as St Thomas.

I think you should really focus your effort on this. It is going to get you to FBS much quicker than waiting for an invite that isn't coming. Ignore trying to persuade conferences and shoot for independent status. You get to keep your media deal and no other crappy teams to drag you down.

[1st&TennBison]

Alexa, define "Strawman" please. Alexa, also define "projecting"

I actually laughed out loud at the thought of the FBS crowd shifting the goalposts.
Here are actual "arguments" brought up by FCS4ever crowd that have no basis in reality

1. We dont have enough money. False- we have enough money. We already spend more than a handful of successful G5 schools in football. Additionally, our donors are extraordinarily willing to pony up when given a task. pound for pound, our donors are closer to SEC donors than they are G5 Schools. Our football budget is on par with the top half of MWC. sorry if this triggers you

2. Recruiting will suffer- No. Just no. there is no reality in which a recruit will be less interested in NDSU if we are playing Air force, instead of South Dakota. No, stop. get help. Again, if you were right, than FCS would be beating FBS players for great recruits constantly. We are happy when we get players with FBS offers because, GASP, we know the FBS gets better recruits.

3. We need a new stadium!!!11! No we dont. full stop, we do not NEED a new stadium for FBS. so stop f*cking bringing it up. It is a fact that we do not need a stadium.

4. we NEED a conference invite. No we do not NEED one. We would LIKE one. It is completely reasonable that we could get a wavier to go independent, if that was a priority of NDSU . If the only reason we arent being "invited" is geography (something completely out of our control), we could request a waiver. St Thomas got a waiver for something even more insane than that, and the basis being, they were put in a circumstance completely out of their control. I would imagine we would have a similar chance of being granted a waiver as St Thomas.

5. The FCS is akshully better. No. stop. You are not living in reality.

6. Our fans will care LESS if we play better teams! Hmmm it seems that all of human history disagrees with you lol. We are willing to pay more and care more when stakes are higher. To disagree with this concept is again, anti reality.

We can all have our own opinions about what we SHOULD do, but it seems the FCS crowd cant even accept established verifiable facts about the situation. I have heard Each one of these reasons.... literally 30-40x each on BV since June, often from the exact same people.

1. So we do need more money than what is being spent right now! So you feel the privilege to just speak for others about how they are going to spend their money. Sure, it might not be a problem to come up with the increased cost of going FBS, but no one should just say "well everyone is just going to donate more".
2. Never heard one person bring up a legit argument that recruiting would suffer. We would be the only FBS school within 200+ miles, should be relatively easy to grab high level talent that is at the top of the current MVFC away from the schools in our footprint.
3. Our stadium for the most part just barely meets the attendance requirement for G5 schools. And many pro FBS'ers want a bigger stadium. It has been talked about a lot. Might seem like a joke, but many people on here want to keep the program moving up in every phase, only a matter of time they will be serious about joining a P5 conference=BIGGER STADIUM for sure.
4. Just because you don't need a conference invite doesn't mean you don't need a conference invite. Going independent is just a bad idea period at the FBS level for a school our size just joining. Getting teams to come to Fargo will be harder, less home games against quality opponents and year after year we need to fill a full schedule. Mid season through the end of season teams are looking for a bye week to give themselves a rest before conference championships and bowl games. Their OOC is usually over with and they are in conference play.
5. No one is saying the FCS is better as far as level of play overall/per player or team. They are saying that the format of the FCS is better for playoffs and deciding a national champion. True, there are some teams in the FCS that are better than some FBS teams, but then, there are some D2 schools that are better than some FCS teams.
6. You are correct on this one.

[ByeSonBusiness]

I prefer to stay with FCS as the playoff format is so much better. Look at 2010 season and how close NDSU was to the finals after a mediocre season. So much excitement. This town will not be happy with FBS toilet bowl games. Only the press will like the MWC because then they get a free trip to Oahu every other year from Joel Heitkeamp or Dana Mook or Adam Laadwik or little stevie holstrom or west fgo dingbtat not to mention their drama queen weather people who have orgasims when mount vesuvius erupts, wth, lets keep it down people there are enough non helmeted bikers out there going 90 in a 30, right? and dont fire Bubba as he cant beat us.

The fact that a mediocre NDSU team was made it to the quarterfinals seemed like a Cinderella team. In reality it just showed us how bad most FCS teams are.

[1st&TennBison]

The fact that a mediocre NDSU team was made it to the quarterfinals seemed like a Cinderella team. In reality it just showed us how bad most FCS teams are.

So in college basketball during march madness when a Cinderella team makes it to the sweet 16 or elite 8 everyone is pumped. But you sit there are say it happened because the level of play from the traditional super teams sucks!!
I am still waiting for the big move that so many guaranteed was going to happen with P5 schools. Remember how it was a sure thing that they were going to break away from the NCAA? And that at that moment we would be our perfect time to move up. Well I am still waiting for that Nostradamus moment to happen. That was 5+ years ago and they said it would happen in 3.

[Hammerhead]

It's the same thing when the a good team from one of the better conferences is left out of the playoffs/tournament because each conference gets an autobid.

So in college basketball during march madness when a Cinderella team makes it to the sweet 16 or elite 8 everyone is pumped. But you sit there are say it happened because the level of play from the traditional super teams sucks!!
I am still waiting for the big move that so many guaranteed was going to happen with P5 schools. Remember how it was a sure thing that they were going to break away from the NCAA? And that at that moment we would be our perfect time to move up. Well I am still waiting for that Nostradamus moment to happen. That was 5+ years ago and they said it would happen in 3.

[NDSU92]

So in college basketball during march madness when a Cinderella team makes it to the sweet 16 or elite 8 everyone is pumped. But you sit there are say it happened because the level of play from the traditional super teams sucks!!
I am still waiting for the big move that so many guaranteed was going to happen with P5 schools. Remember how it was a sure thing that they were going to break away from the NCAA? And that at that moment we would be our perfect time to move up. Well I am still waiting for that Nostradamus moment to happen. That was 5+ years ago and they said it would happen in 3.

Right, it's not happening and it was never going to. At least not in the way they thought. It was just an excuse to stick our thumbs up our bum.

One could even draw a parallel to NDSU and FCS. NDSU admin loves FCS because all the other schools are pud and it makes us look good to beat up on teachers' colleges. Teachers colleges love NDSU because we subsidize a good chunk of the playoff, additional visibility, and an excuse on why they never achieve high levels of success. "Look what we're supposed to compete with, just be happy we aren't at the bottom of our conference..."