Delaware to CUSA

[84CatGrad]

There are 160+ D2 teams out there. Why aren't any of them moving up?

[onceacat]

Might want to ask Idaho how well it worked out.

Or JMU. Or Boise State. Or Liberty.

We can play this game all day. Or Nevada. Or Marshall. Or Georgia Southern. Now you go.

Yes. Teams that have a high level of fan/institutional support do fine. And programs without that (like Idaho & Nevada) struggle.

MSU already puts more fans in the stands than most of those teams. Institutional (e.g. state of Montana) support is the only hangup.

[MinnesotaBobcat]

I still don’t get why FCS teams are so determined to bump up to FBS. Most of them are going to nothing conferences and will be forgotten about. I look forward to the playoffs and the opportunity to go to the famous potato bowl doesn’t appeal to me. The only way it would be semi-attractive is if both Montana Schools were invited to the existing Mountain West (which isn’t happening) or if the Montana/Dakota schools started conference and added a few Wyoming/Weber/New Mexico/Utah State type schools. I’m honestly surprised more teams aren’t trying to move into FCS. Montana and Dakota schools draw better than half the Mountain West, Conference USA, Sun Belt, and it’s much cheaper to run a football team in FCS. To each their own….but I would hate to see the Montana schools make the jump into a garbage FBS conference just because everyone else is doing it.

[onceacat]

Total attendance for all 8 FCs games last weekend was less than 50,000 and that includes both North Dakota schools which were less than half full. Excitement for this league of football is almost limited to UM and MSU it seems. Is it sustainable?

I think it's a very telling statistic that all 16 teams left in the FCS playoffs this year come from four conferences. The pool of FCS teams good enough to contend for a National Title is rapidly shrinking and nobody wants to be the last one left in the bottom of the pool when it dries up completely. Hopefully once WSU and OSU figure out what they're going to do there can be movement towards some kind of Western realignment involving the Montana and Dakota schools moving up to FBS.

It's nothing new, that the FCS playoffs are being dominated by just 4 conferences this season. The BSC, MVFC, CAA, and SoCon have been the 4 dominant conferences by far, for as long as I can remember. In the past you probably could have added the Southland to that list, but they weren't usually too competitive nationally, except for SHSU. Over the years, very few teams from outside of those 4 (or 5) conferences have ever made it beyond the QF.

I think the big difference is that the Southland has usually had at least one good team. Plus, the CAA is a shell of its former self.

And there was always one or two good teams (i.e. a seed) from a smaller conference.

[onceacat]

There are 160+ D2 teams out there. Why aren't any of them moving up?

They are. 3 teams moved up this season:

Lindenwood, Stonehill, Texas A&M Commerce.

To say nothing of Dixie State, Incarnate Word, Houston Baptist, Tarleton State...

The list goes on and on and on...

Its just that MSU should be playing teams like JMU, Wyoming, Utah State week in and week out.

Not Dixie State & Stetson & Northern Colorado.

[Bobcat Sig]

There are 160+ D2 teams out there. Why aren't any of them moving up?

They are. 3 teams moved up this season:

Lindenwood, Stonehill, Texas A&M Commerce.

To say nothing of Dixie State, Incarnate Word, Houston Baptist, Tarleton State...

The list goes on and on and on...

Its just that MSU should be playing teams like JMU, Wyoming, Utah State week in and week out.

Not Dixie State & Stetson & Northern Colorado.

This.

As realignment is now the reality in college football, the G5 conferences (which probably should include Oregon State and Wazzu) really ought to break away from the P4 system to form their own championship. In this scenario, MSU would most certainly belong and be competitive.

Otherwise, we're stuck with the xDSU schools and a pile of sorry programs that include several Big Sky members. As it was posed earlier, would we rather be playing teams that are forced to play in a shabby, barely-a-high-school stadium, and ones that considered dropping their program? Or compete against other, like-minded schools with a similar outlook on scholarship and athletics. I know which I'm choosing, and it's the latter.

[84CatGrad]

I still don’t get why FCS teams are so determined to bump up to FBS. Most of them are going to nothing conferences and will be forgotten about. I look forward to the playoffs and the opportunity to go to the famous potato bowl doesn’t appeal to me. The only way it would be semi-attractive is if both Montana Schools were invited to the existing Mountain West (which isn’t happening) or if the Montana/Dakota schools started conference and added a few Wyoming/Weber/New Mexico/Utah State type schools. I’m honestly surprised more teams aren’t trying to move into FCS. Montana and Dakota schools draw better than half the Mountain West, Conference USA, Sun Belt, and it’s much cheaper to run a football team in FCS. To each their own….but I would hate to see the Montana schools make the jump into a garbage FBS conference just because everyone else is doing it.

This. I want a shot at a national championship. Anything less will be meaningless.

[lakesbison]

NDSU will go FBS alone

[onceacat]

I still don’t get why FCS teams are so determined to bump up to FBS. Most of them are going to nothing conferences and will be forgotten about. I look forward to the playoffs and the opportunity to go to the famous potato bowl doesn’t appeal to me. The only way it would be semi-attractive is if both Montana Schools were invited to the existing Mountain West (which isn’t happening) or if the Montana/Dakota schools started conference and added a few Wyoming/Weber/New Mexico/Utah State type schools. I’m honestly surprised more teams aren’t trying to move into FCS. Montana and Dakota schools draw better than half the Mountain West, Conference USA, Sun Belt, and it’s much cheaper to run a football team in FCS. To each their own….but I would hate to see the Montana schools make the jump into a garbage FBS conference just because everyone else is doing it.

This. I want a shot at a national championship. Anything less will be meaningless.

In that case the Cats should drop to D2 or NAIA. Meaningful championship assured.

(Only partly snarky. I want playoffs & a real championship too...but I also want a competitive landscape, not playoff games with Drake or home games against McNeese, Stetson, and Bryant. What we want as fans might not actually matter.)

[SnowGriz]

There are 160+ D2 teams out there. Why aren't any of them moving up?

Central Washington was looking to move up a few years ago, not sure where that stands. They could compete. Tarleton State moved up this year and competes well. They averaged over 18k in attendance this season. I honestly don't know why more powerhouse upper midwest D2 programs don't make the jump. Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, for example, don't have any FCS schools. I think it has to do with how their BOR wants to funnel all talent to their FBS schools but I could be wrong. If something were to change there we could see some interesting developments.

I don't believe that going FBS would help either UM or MSU.

[Grizfan7]

Tarelton St was ranked no. 23 this season. 8-3. Played TCU in 2022. Was paid $550,000.

[Grizfan7]

I still don’t get why FCS teams are so determined to bump up to FBS. Most of them are going to nothing conferences and will be forgotten about. I look forward to the playoffs and the opportunity to go to the famous potato bowl doesn’t appeal to me. The only way it would be semi-attractive is if both Montana Schools were invited to the existing Mountain West (which isn’t happening) or if the Montana/Dakota schools started conference and added a few Wyoming/Weber/New Mexico/Utah State type schools. I’m honestly surprised more teams aren’t trying to move into FCS. Montana and Dakota schools draw better than half the Mountain West, Conference USA, Sun Belt, and it’s much cheaper to run a football team in FCS. To each their own….but I would hate to see the Montana schools make the jump into a garbage FBS conference just because everyone else is doing it.

Good post. I agree with you.

[catbooster]

If we moved up we might get to play football on Wednesday nights!

[The Butcher]

There are 160+ D2 teams out there. Why aren't any of them moving up?

Central Washington was looking to move up a few years ago, not sure where that stands. They could compete. Tarleton State moved up this year and competes well. They averaged over 18k in attendance this season. I honestly don't know why more powerhouse upper midwest D2 programs don't make the jump. Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, for example, don't have any FCS schools. I think it has to do with how their BOR wants to funnel all talent to their FBS schools but I could be wrong. If something were to change there we could see some interesting developments.

I don't believe that going FBS would help either UM or MSU.

If Eastern Washington has a hard time affording their athletic program, I would expect Central Washington might face the same challenges.

St. Thomas in MN is a FCS, but in the Pioneer league. I am not sure any school currently in MN's D2 ranks have the resources to move up.