The Bobcat Nation

Delaware is leaving the FCS, as I've said before I hope the powers that be are figuring this out. We either move forward or be left behind.

I think we would be very competitive in the Mountain West, although all the best teams might be in the PAC12 and we’d be stuck with the bottom feeders.

Sad

And the FCS division continues to crumble to pieces around those who remain... who's next to go?

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?

This has been my position on this. If App State, JMU, Sam Houston were still around I would be happy where we are but they aren't and I don't think the xDSU's are around much longer as well. MSU needs to be in a position that if the opportunity arises, we're ready.

This season Cats played in Bozeman:
A team that doesn't offer athletic scholarships
A team that plays their home games at a high school (even Northern has a stadium now)
A team the seriously considered dropping football

Mtcatfan wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 10:34 am

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.

this is getting bad. Looking at scores this weekend and seeing so many teams that were just recently FCS now a FBS team is crazy! Outside of MT, ND, SD FCS is very irreverent. I love the playoffs of FCS but it already feels like there are only about 3 or 4 teams that have a shot to win it all.

There isn’t a G5 conference out there that’s going to want MSU. They’ll either have to make a new one that has the Dakotas and some other western schools in it, or stay in the FCS.

I’m not sure MSU and UM can afford to be a competitive FBS school. The coach at UConn was just saying they need $1.5 million in NIL money a year to be competitive recruiting. We can’t do that, our fan base isn’t that big. I have no desire to be a mid to low level FBS school either.

I think in 10-15 years we see a lot of schools drop football. It’s just getting to be too expensive.

MSU01 wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 10:40 am

Mtcatfan wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 10:34 am

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 4 conferences due to regionalization. If not for that it would be 2 with maybe one outlier.

MSU01 wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 10:40 am

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.

I agree. Our best opportunity will be with what happens with WSU and OSU and the PAC 12 and the MWC. The MWC will likely be looking for teams in the next year or 2.

I can’t wait for the magic pot of money to drop to make this switch happen.

luckyirishguy25 wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 9:52 am

Delaware is leaving the FCS, as I've said before I hope the powers that be are figuring this out. We either move forward or be left behind.

Over time it seems that as enough FCS teams have moved up they are playing the same teams they did when in FCS. So what is the benefit of moving up. If our conference was essentially old FCS teams or low level FBS we still probably end up with a drop down FCS game to get home game non conference and then similar schools who have moved up. We pay higher salaries, give more schollies and NIL to win a Conference and a bowl game? The TV money will be watered down and not as big a boost as some expect.

tetoncat wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 12:28 pm

luckyirishguy25 wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 9:52 am

Delaware is leaving the FCS, as I've said before I hope the powers that be are figuring this out. We either move forward or be left behind.

Over time it seems that as enough FCS teams have moved up they are playing the same teams they did when in FCS. So what is the benefit of moving up. If our conference was essentially old FCS teams or low level FBS we still probably end up with a drop down FCS game to get home game non conference and then similar schools who have moved up. We pay higher salaries, give more schollies and NIL to win a Conference and a bowl game? The TV money will be watered down and not as big a boost as some expect.

but...but...but...we get to call ourselves FBS!

Prodigal Cat wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 10:36 am

This has been my position on this. If App State, JMU, Sam Houston were still around I would be happy where we are but they aren't and I don't think the xDSU's are around much longer as well. MSU needs to be in a position that if the opportunity arises, we're ready.

This season Cats played in Bozeman:
A team that doesn't offer athletic scholarships
A team that plays their home games at a high school (even Northern has a stadium now)
A team the seriously considered dropping football

Agreed. This year's playoff bracket just seemed so watered down outside of the Dakota & Montana schools.

ND0479 wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 2:21 pm

Prodigal Cat wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 10:36 am

This has been my position on this. If App State, JMU, Sam Houston were still around I would be happy where we are but they aren't and I don't think the xDSU's are around much longer as well. MSU needs to be in a position that if the opportunity arises, we're ready.

This season Cats played in Bozeman:
A team that doesn't offer athletic scholarships
A team that plays their home games at a high school (even Northern has a stadium now)
A team the seriously considered dropping football

Agreed. This year's playoff bracket just seemed so watered down outside of the Dakota & Montana schools.

Wait until the Mountain West schools form a new Pac 12(+-) with OSU and WSU. The Montana schools and the Dakota schools form a new Prairie-Mountain West conference and play each other for the chance of......uh..... playing other low end FBS programs, with the same 3-star or below talent we've always had, for the chance at the Jimmy Kimmel bowl.

ND0479 wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 2:21 pm

Prodigal Cat wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 10:36 am

This has been my position on this. If App State, JMU, Sam Houston were still around I would be happy where we are but they aren't and I don't think the xDSU's are around much longer as well. MSU needs to be in a position that if the opportunity arises, we're ready.

This season Cats played in Bozeman:
A team that doesn't offer athletic scholarships
A team that plays their home games at a high school (even Northern has a stadium now)
A team the seriously considered dropping football

Agreed. This year's playoff bracket just seemed so watered down outside of the Dakota & Montana schools.

It would be hard to imagine a 6 seed with 3 FCS losses with JMU or Sam Houston still around.

AFCAT wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 2:33 pm

ND0479 wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 2:21 pm

Prodigal Cat wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 10:36 am

This has been my position on this. If App State, JMU, Sam Houston were still around I would be happy where we are but they aren't and I don't think the xDSU's are around much longer as well. MSU needs to be in a position that if the opportunity arises, we're ready.

This season Cats played in Bozeman:
A team that doesn't offer athletic scholarships
A team that plays their home games at a high school (even Northern has a stadium now)
A team the seriously considered dropping football

Agreed. This year's playoff bracket just seemed so watered down outside of the Dakota & Montana schools.

Wait until the Mountain West schools form a new Pac 12(+-) with OSU and WSU. The Montana schools and the Dakota schools form a new Prairie-Mountain West conference and play each other for the chance of......uh..... playing other low end FBS programs, with the same 3-star or below talent we've always had, for the chance at the Jimmy Kimmel bowl.

Playoffs are slowly turning into Big Sky vs MVFC... You have to go back to 2013 to find a University that is still in the FCS that played in the championship game that is not from either of those conferences (Townson).

The Butcher wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 2:46 pm

AFCAT wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 2:33 pm

ND0479 wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 2:21 pm

Prodigal Cat wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 10:36 am

This has been my position on this. If App State, JMU, Sam Houston were still around I would be happy where we are but they aren't and I don't think the xDSU's are around much longer as well. MSU needs to be in a position that if the opportunity arises, we're ready.

This season Cats played in Bozeman:
A team that doesn't offer athletic scholarships
A team that plays their home games at a high school (even Northern has a stadium now)
A team the seriously considered dropping football

Agreed. This year's playoff bracket just seemed so watered down outside of the Dakota & Montana schools.

Wait until the Mountain West schools form a new Pac 12(+-) with OSU and WSU. The Montana schools and the Dakota schools form a new Prairie-Mountain West conference and play each other for the chance of......uh..... playing other low end FBS programs, with the same 3-star or below talent we've always had, for the chance at the Jimmy Kimmel bowl.

Playoffs are slowly turning into Big Sky vs MVFC... You have to go back to 2013 to find a University that is still in the FCS that played in the championship game that is not from either of those conferences (Townson).

The FBS isn't any different. SEC, Big Ten and a rotation of the ACC or Big12. Won't change next year either when the top G5 team gets a playoff spot, and the other 11 are from the SEC, Big Ten, Big12 (maybe) and ACC.

The Butcher wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 2:46 pm

AFCAT wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 2:33 pm

ND0479 wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 2:21 pm

Prodigal Cat wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 27, 2023 10:36 am

This has been my position on this. If App State, JMU, Sam Houston were still around I would be happy where we are but they aren't and I don't think the xDSU's are around much longer as well. MSU needs to be in a position that if the opportunity arises, we're ready.

This season Cats played in Bozeman:
A team that doesn't offer athletic scholarships
A team that plays their home games at a high school (even Northern has a stadium now)
A team the seriously considered dropping football

Agreed. This year's playoff bracket just seemed so watered down outside of the Dakota & Montana schools.

Wait until the Mountain West schools form a new Pac 12(+-) with OSU and WSU. The Montana schools and the Dakota schools form a new Prairie-Mountain West conference and play each other for the chance of......uh..... playing other low end FBS programs, with the same 3-star or below talent we've always had, for the chance at the Jimmy Kimmel bowl.

Playoffs are slowly turning into Big Sky vs MVFC... You have to go back to 2013 to find a University that is still in the FCS that played in the championship game that is not from either of those conferences (Townson).

We might as well call any league the Cats move up to FBS-light. The Cats won't be playing in any FBS playoffs. The talent and competition level will be basically the same but the costs will be a lot more. I bet a lot of these schools that have moved up from FCS will eventually eat themselves alive with higher costs and less revenue.