FCS schools that should probably be in D2

[4_tattoos]

A conversation with a friend of mine earlier led to talking about low tier Division 1 colleges (all sports). I forget what her exact occupation is, but businesses (and I guess some colleges) call in people from her field whenever they're having financial issues and need help figuring where cuts could/should be made. She pretty much said whenever the low level D1 schools have those type of issues, the first suggestion made is usually to move the athletic program to Division 2 depending on how bad the situation is. When that's suggested she said they all pretty much give an "ego driven excuse" on why the school can't do that.

I know financial problems are the primary reason teams move down divisions in NCAA, but there are other reasons as well. So I'm curious to know which schools Division 1 FCS schools (let's limit this to schools with football) you guys think should be in Division 2 and why?

[tsull]

Chicago State (no football), school is on the verge of closing, yet they hang onto D-1 athletics in the Western Athletic Conference. Surely, there's a nearby D2 conference they could play in. They're 500-person hoop crowds would be no more indifferent to the change.

Northern Colorado in the Big Sky, Sac State and their bad football program and 1,200-seat hoops gym, and no attendance in either program.

To be honest, about half of the 355 men's D-1 hoop programs should be D2. If you draw 500 or so a game in hoops, you need to quit chasing the Dukes and Kentuckys of the world ... and I don't care about you once catching lightning in a bottle in a post-season tournament and losing by 50 in the first round of the NCAA tourney as a 16 seed. You don't belong.

[4_tattoos]

Off the top of my head there's 3 schools from the MEAC that probably should be in D2 based on the fact they've all had recent financial issues go public. Bethune-Cookman, Norfolk State & South Carolina State.

Bethune-Cookman and SC State in particular because their situations are/were so bad that chatter began about the schools possibly closing. SC State is a public university so that probably wouldn't have happened to them. Bethune-Cookman is private though, they don't have the safety net of a state university system to save them in case **** hits the fan.

[4_tattoos]

Northern Colorado in the Big Sky, Sac State and their bad football program and 1,200-seat hoops gym, and no attendance in either program.

Are any of the California based FCS schools good at that level? Honestly I can't think of any CA team in about the last 20 years that have made a deep playoff run in FCS.

[laker]

Are any of the California based FCS schools good at that level? Honestly I can't think of any CA team in about the last 20 years that have made a deep playoff run in FCS.

UC-Davis has been a playoff team. They were up on Cal yesterday, lost but gave them a really good game.

[4_tattoos]

UC-Davis has been a playoff team. They were up on Cal yesterday, lost but gave them a really good game.

Ohhh. What about Sac State, Cal Poly and San Diego?

You know what. Now that I think about it, San Diego has had a recent playoff appearance. Don't remember how far they advanced though.

[CalifOKRA]

This is an interesting topic. Is it pretty rare for schools to move down?

[laker]

Ohhh. What about Sac State, Cal Poly and San Diego?

You know what. Now that I think about it, San Diego has had a recent playoff appearance. Don't remember how far they advanced though.

I watched Cal Poly a few years ago in Brookings. Tremendous speed. Haven't followed them much lately. I was in Fargo when NDSU beat San Diego a couple of years ago in the playoffs- SD had beaten one of those two teams- UCD or Poly- in the first round of the playoffs. So they got past the first round. Pretty good for a non-scholarship team.

[Wildcat Khan]

UC-Davis has been a playoff team. They were up on Cal yesterday, lost but gave them a really good game.

They are also the pre-season #5 in FCS coach's poll and lost to Pac-12 Cal 27-13 yesterday. Last year they beat Northern Iowa before losing to EWU (#3 pre-season FCS) in the playoffs.

Idaho State has been talked about in the GNAC forums as maybe needing to move down, but that talk has died off as they have improved over the team that CWU demolished.

[CALUPA69]

The reluctance of some of these schools comes from a sense of failure if they move down. The administrators seem to think it's better to drive their institution into the ditch, both athletically and economically, rather than reset their mission and compete realistically with schools of similar aims. Another factor is the mega payday known as MARCH MADNESS. It is very much within reach to field a competitive D1 MBB even if you stink in all other sports. Occasional trips to the DANCE will carry your program for some time. The truth is that scenario is fool's gold and costs many an administrator their good life.

[4_tattoos]

This is an interesting topic. Is it pretty rare for schools to move down?

Yes it's rare. The most recent to do that is Savannah State who's returning to D2 this season (SIAC). They were in D1 from 2000 to 2019. They were Independent in FCS from 2000-2010 before they joined the MEAC in 2011. As far as football goes they were never competitive in FCS and became notorious for taking on more money games than most teams in the division usually would. Not to mention they'd get totally destroyed in those games. Pretty much the same for their men's basketball program during that time.

Prior to that Winston-Salem State returned to D2 in 2010 after about three years being a transitional member in Division 1 (MEAC). The story from some of the guys in the CIAA forum is the WSSU never had the finances to be D1 and the decision to make the move to D1 was divisive amongst the school's administration and alumni.

[4_tattoos]

Another factor is the mega payday known as MARCH MADNESS. It is very much within reach to field a competitive D1 MBB even if you stink in all other sports. Occasional trips to the DANCE will carry your program for some time. The truth is that scenario is fool's gold and costs many an administrator their good life.

How much are schools making just to have their team eliminated in that Play-In round at Dayton?

[tsull]

How much are schools making just to have their team eliminated in that Play-In round at Dayton?

Most of them, crazy business model: suck at everything, tiny gym, give your fans nothing to cheer for or support, but get that NCAA 1st-round hoops money to finance your entire athletic program.

In defense of UC Davis, they should be in the Mountain West and D-1. Darn near 40,000 students, top 30 school academically, and new $40 MILLION football operations/athletic facility being built. In the Sacramento metro area (15 miles away), they spent too much time in D2. They finally hired a great coach (alum Dan Hawkins) and really profile as an FBS school.

The MEAC, Chicago State, Northern Colorado, and others? Insane that they play D1, and Augustana and others moving up will do no better.

[4_tattoos]

I can honestly say I've never heard of Chicago State before you guys replied to this thread.

[laker]

I can honestly say I've never heard of Chicago State before you guys replied to this thread.

No football- terrible in other sports- freshman class of about 72 a couple of years ago. Typical Chicago administration- they should be merged with another school like Governor's State or just be closed altogether. But politics probably won't allow that.