Next Round of Realignment

[Stanger86]

WT is an every sport but football, school. They used to be good at football back when the conference was good. Step into the LSC forum and just type, “Don Cathel”. You’ll get all kinds of WT old timers ready to talk the good ol days :)

The rest of the schools? More in line with Texas as a whole. Football first. Tarleton had a decent basketball program as well.

Whoops. I just remember hearing about their stadium and assumed WT was big in football, but I guess it's probably just par for the course in the facilities arms race down there.

[Purple Mav Man]

Whoops. I just remember hearing about their stadium and assumed WT was big in football, but I guess it's probably just par for the course in the facilities arms race down there.

WT probably has the best stadium in D2. And it’s a real stadium too, not half done like most in D2. But the product on the field in that beautiful stadium is poor. They do very well in seemingly all other sports though, and also have nice facilities for those. Their basketball arena is also very nice.

[SW_Mustang]

Thanks, I didn't realize it had been rescinded.

Personally, I think it would be a mistake for these schools to go to the FBS division. You go from FCS where you are competing for a National Championship almost every year, the FBS, where you have to have a winning record just to get into some minor bowl in Mobile or Detroit. Would these teams even get a sniff at the 12 spots for that play for the FBS championship? It would take a pretty special team, probably a once in a generation or two team to squeeze their way past a Power 5 team.

I honestly didn't either until I looked it up to clarify what the attendance rule was. I do know that even though it was technically a rule, the NCAA didn't enforce it nor had a way to verify the obviously false attendance numbers some schools (MAC) were pushing out.

IMO, our current divisional structure acts as a Ponzi scheme. It should function as a way to sort schools into like-categories so they can compete amongst themselves and have opportunities for their own playoffs. The way it actually functions is schools are moving up for financial incentives and not because they can compete. ADs might tell their boosters and fans that they'll go FBS and be the next Alabama dynasty, but they won't. The real reason is that a Bob's Meat Market Bowl in Akron is a bigger financial incentive than a run in the FCS playoffs.

Personally, I think it's a joke and one well continue to drain the well if nothing is done, but I'm in the minority in that one.

[SW_Mustang]

Whoops. I just remember hearing about their stadium and assumed WT was big in football, but I guess it's probably just par for the course in the facilities arms race down there.

Key word here is "Texas"

[njmav1]

I honestly didn't either until I looked it up to clarify what the attendance rule was. I do know that even though it was technically a rule, the NCAA didn't enforce it nor had a way to verify the obviously false attendance numbers some schools (MAC) were pushing out.

IMO, our current divisional structure acts as a Ponzi scheme. It should function as a way to sort schools into like-categories so they can compete amongst themselves and have opportunities for their own playoffs. The way it actually functions is schools are moving up for financial incentives and not because they can compete. ADs might tell their boosters and fans that they'll go FBS and be the next Alabama dynasty, but they won't. The real reason is that a Bob's Meat Market Bowl in Akron is a bigger financial incentive than a run in the FCS playoffs.

Personally, I think it's a joke and one well continue to drain the well if nothing is done, but I'm in the minority in that one.

So just out of curiosity, how do you think should it work? Should there be no divisions? Should there be stricter requirements for divisions?

I personally have no problem with any schools reclassifying for whatever reason as long as it doesn't overly burden the student body. Same goes for conference affiliation.

[SW_Mustang]

So just out of curiosity, how do you think should it work? Should there be no divisions? Should there be stricter requirements for divisions?

I personally have no problem with any schools reclassifying for whatever reason as long as it doesn't overly burden the student body. Same goes for conference affiliation.

Pro-rel is the easy answer but it's just not practical for a plethora of obvious reasons. I'd keep the three divisions and make the entry requirements a lot more strict for DI. I thought about a cap for the number of schools but I don't think it's practical and there's not much difference between having 100 DI schools and 150 anyway.

I think the only change I'd make to the divisional structure is to set up a fourth division for schools that wish to compete regionally rather than nationally.

My philosophy is that athletics above the high school level should exist for the purposes of competition - so if organized teams of adults don't exist to compete, then what is the point? I understand that's not a popular philosophy, but it's what I believe. I also think we're burning the candle at both ends financially in college athletics. I would not blame the FBS teams for wanting to split.

All that being said - I do think you're points are valid too. It doesn't really affect the FBS championship if Montana-Billings wants to have a DI basketball program, so maybe the system is sustainable?

[CheapSkate]

Correct. St Cloud will close down before they can afford to move all athletics to D1.

St Cloud is a mess. I question whether any conference would even want them.

SCSU has quickly become Chicago State west of the Mississippi.

[WPHB]

Spend some time in the LSC boards… (at your own risk, of course. Ha) WT could do it, but it seems they may not have the interest currently. And perhaps not the backing of the A&M system? Not sure what it’s all about. However A&M-Commerce is really struggling at D1.

The Southland Conference basically became the former LSC, then some teams split out to other conferences from there. They could probably pretty easily put a decent FCS inference together in the state of Texas.

Most certainly, at your own risk. It gets a little interesting. From watching what they say, I understand that Commerce was the crown jewel, and not Tarelton is for the A&M system. If the WT folks on the LSC board are reliable, then there would never be enough consensus of the boosters, university system, or fans to make that move. According to them, the University would rather not spend the money on athletics (don't know if this is true or hyperbole). Plus, they would lose their advantage in all the women's sports that they believe they have if they were to move all products to D1.

[laker]

SCSU has quickly become Chicago State west of the Mississippi.

And I played on their field when it was east of the Mississippi.

[Runnin' Cat]

Idaho is another to watch for Moutain West

No.

The Vandals already tried FBS and they failed greatly
They are only now making noise in FCS.

[Stanger86]

No.

The Vandals already tried FBS and they failed greatly
They are only now making noise in FCS.

Is their success only due to being FCS or is it because they made a good hire? I'd argue the latter because they've had plenty of coaches that couldn't even help them win at FCS. Sure it'd be no guarantee of success but I don't think it'd be guaranteed failure either.

That being said, I think that "failed" stretch will likely kill any chances they'd have of being chosen.

[HardRockin'Nerd]

Something we never talk about is the RMAC schools that may look to move D1 and either MVFC/Summit or whatever else presents itself.

This is an interesting topic as a resident RMAC lurker. The only football school that was in the RMAC that wanted to go D1 already has done so imo. That was the artist formerly known as Dixie State (now Utah Tech). They had the size and necessary recruiting pipelines to pull it off. The only schools that have a realistic opportunity to move up in the RMAC are Mines, Mesa, or Pueblo. I think all of them collectively look at the downfall of Northern Colorado as once a D2 power turned eternal D1 cellar dweller and choose to remain where they’re at.

[MrMustang]

The defending 2-time FCS NC Jacks football beats D2 Augustana 24-3 in front of their 2nd largest home crowd ever,
then fly down to Louisiana and beat SE Louisiana and win 42-0. This makes me question how good FCS football is in its mid to lower levels

I feel like the top NSIC teams are better than most of the mid or lower FCS I think most of us agree on this

[SW_Mustang]

I feel like the top NSIC teams are better than most of the mid or lower FCS I think most of us agree on this

Ferris State lost by a TD to eventual FCS runner-up Montana last year and frankly should have won.

I don't think FCS is as good as everyone says it is outside of a few exceptions. i know I'm not allowed to say that, but I said it.

It's why I believe the top half of FCS should get kicked up to FBS and the bottom half get kicked down to DII, or even DIII in the case of the PFL.

[tony]

I don't think FCS is as good as everyone says it is outside of a few exceptions. i know I'm not allowed to say that, but I said it.

Well, apparently you are allowed to say that, and I agree with you for the most part. A lot of FCS conferences don't prioritize football. Augustana could go to a non-scholarship conference and compete for conference championships right away, but I think the current Missouri Valley lineup would chew them up and spit them out.

Northern Colorado, USD, UND, UC Davis - those were all schools that were considered top-notch DII programs, but none of them are above .500 as FCS schools because they joined conferences that prioritize football.