Wanting to get the thoughts of the football board

[TBS_20]

With Loyola leaving and teams leaving every time they get good instead of the MVC doing whatever it takes to keep good teams it's painfully clear that the league never will try to become a premier basketball conference. It's basically a sinking conference. The football conference is great but it's not realistic to expect most of the teams to move up so that leaves us with 2 options, stay in a sinking conference and in a division of football soon to be non-relevant once there is a breakaway from the NCAA. I believe now is the time to jump. Yes, it will cost an estimated $5-million per year in expenses according to WKU's move up and of course a minimum of 2,500 temporary seats until a permanent solution can be found. The basketball board is slowly coming around. Currently, it's 60/40 in favor of going to the MAC or CUSA since the Sun Belt isn't realistic as of yet. What are the thoughts of the football board? I realize these aren't great conferences but they're places to go to raise our stock. No harm in trying. If we fail then were in the same boat we would be in if we didn't try. So, why not try?

 

[Redhawk]

It's now or never! The ISU administration and AD's have been complacent to long. ISU (and MSU) have outgrown the Valley. It is a collection
of small private schools and dwindling enrollment publics. The best potential future for ISU is to take a chance on FBS. The cost will hurt up front but the long term benifits of exposure, enrollment increases and hopefully more competitive teams can only occure with this bold step!

Although the MAC is preferable and a more stable destination...CUSA is desperate. Take advantage and jump now!

 

[fourthandshort]

Now is just real bad timing ... sports crowds/support/etc were waning before the pandemic. It will likely not return to pre-pandemic levels. I don't see probability of success being good right now. I was very open minded to the seriously exploring the idea after Natty run and decent 2016 season after most of roster from 2014 and 2015 turned over, and we still had successes in 2016, albeit inconsistency was understandably an issue.

Anyway, you should should add 2 options to above answers .. my answer is that latter at this moment. Aske me again in a year after pandemic is hopefully mostly behind us and we see how things look in fall.

- yes, but not at this time .. give it a couple years
- maybe, but not at this time .. give it a couple years

Given your options, my answer is No .. right now.

 

[Redhawk]

What will change in two years?

Last 10 full Seasons/5 Playoff appearances:
7-4
9-4
5-6
13-2
10-3
6-6
6-5
6-5
6-5
10-5
4-5

Very competitive in a really strong league.

Will the CUSA be that much more competitive?

Will ISU be more attractive to recruits than SIU, EIU, WIU, UNI, INst or even NIU if they are FBS?

Will attendance and program excitement increase if ISU is FBS?

 

[Adunk33]

I get the desire for moving up and whatnot. I think something worth mentioning, if you look at the kids brought into ISU, I'd say over 70% either have interest or an offer from a MAC school. Would being in that conference get coaches into different living rooms that they previously had access to? I tend to be a basketball-first guy and if they did a MAC vs MVC challenge I think the MVC would go 7-3/6-4 pretty consistently. Heck, you could probably do the same for Football and the MVFC would at least go 5-5. It seems to be pretty comparable. In the current set up, I'm not sure how you get the 7k extra seats needed to go FCS unless they rebuild the zoo or finished the horseshoe, connecting the sides. With how challenging it was to raise money for the IPF, I can't image they've got the coin lying around to make this move.

 

[TBS_20]

What will change in two years?

Last 10 full Seasons/5 Playoff appearances:
7-4
9-4
5-6
13-2
10-3
6-6
6-5
6-5
6-5
10-5
4-5

Very competitive in a really strong league.

Will the CUSA be that much more competitive?

Will ISU be more attractive to recruits than SIU, EIU, WIU, UNI, INst or even NIU if they are FBS?

Will attendance and program excitement increase if ISU is FBS?

its about league perception. say the birds do well. theyll have more credibility the next time expansion happens. yes, cusa looks better to those in charge. on paper the mvfc is right up there with them but they dont believe so...unless you play on easy mode and win 52 championships in a row

 

[Redhawk]

I get the desire for moving up and whatnot. I think something worth mentioning, if you look at the kids brought into ISU, I'd say over 70% either have interest or an offer from a MAC school. Would being in that conference get coaches into different living rooms that they previously had access to? I tend to be a basketball-first guy and if they did a MAC vs MVC challenge I think the MVC would go 7-3/6-4 pretty consistently. Heck, you could probably do the same for Football and the MVFC would at least go 5-5. It seems to be pretty comparable. In the current set up, I'm not sure how you get the 7k extra seats needed to go FCS unless they rebuild the zoo or finished the horseshoe, connecting the sides. With how challenging it was to raise money for the IPF, I can't image they've got the coin lying around to make this move.

I agree that the MAC is the conference whose members most closely match with ISU. Unfortunately at this time the best we could hope for is to align with WKY to try to gain entry. The CUSA is just desperate now and if MoSt would have said yes they would be a member.

They really only need to get to 15000 seats. They could achieve that with temporary bleachers. Look at some of the other FCS call ups that a have joined or rumored to CUSA. ISU has bigger facilities than most all of these schools (also larger enrollments and endowment!)

As for the IPF...maybe a transition to FBS would actually motivate fundraising!

 

[TBS_20]

I get the desire for moving up and whatnot. I think something worth mentioning, if you look at the kids brought into ISU, I'd say over 70% either have interest or an offer from a MAC school. Would being in that conference get coaches into different living rooms that they previously had access to? I tend to be a basketball-first guy and if they did a MAC vs MVC challenge I think the MVC would go 7-3/6-4 pretty consistently. Heck, you could probably do the same for Football and the MVFC would at least go 5-5. It seems to be pretty comparable. In the current set up, I'm not sure how you get the 7k extra seats needed to go FCS unless they rebuild the zoo or finished the horseshoe, connecting the sides. With how challenging it was to raise money for the IPF, I can't image they've got the coin lying around to make this move.

As I've said it's more about perception. The perception is fbs is better even if the mvfc is on par they'll get immediately overlooked for even the mac and cusa.

 

[NashvilleBirdFan]

We need to do whatever Missouri St does, if they choose to leave the MVC is void of like institutes..

 

[Virginia Redbird]

I have not had a burning desire to move to FBS. I like FCS and the playoffs, etc. Unfortunately, everything is changing around the college football world and I am beginning to feel it may be time to make a move before your options are no longer there. I don't think most conference USA teams will entice more fans to Hancock. Still, non-conference games can be scheduled that may pack the stands. When Old Dominion University moved to conference USA they were able to eventually schedule a home and home with VA Tech. I never expected to see a school like VA Tech in that crummy tiny stadium they have at the ODU campus but it happened and the stands were packed. They were also treated to a 49-35 upset of the Hokies. App State played U of Miami in Boone after moving to FBS and gave them a good game. Who would have ever expected to see the Hurricanes in Boone, NC? Maybe it is time to make the move.

 

[TBS_20]

I have not had a burning desire to move to FBS. I like FCS and the playoffs, etc. Unfortunately, everything is changing around the college football world and I am beginning to feel it may be time to make a move before your options are no longer there. I don't think most conference USA teams will entice more fans to Hancock. Still, non-conference games can be scheduled that may pack the stands. When Old Dominion University moved to conference USA they were able to eventually schedule a home and home with VA Tech. I never expected to see a school like VA Tech in that crummy tiny stadium they have at the ODU campus but it happened and the stands were packed. They were also treated to a 49-35 upset of the Hokies. App State played U of Miami in Boone after moving to FBS and gave them a good game. Who would have ever expected to see the Hurricanes in Boone, NC? Maybe it is time to make the move.

I agree with most of with most everything just that odu stadium was renovated by that time. It's actually pretty nice now but small for fbs at 23,000

 

[StLRedbird]

I would really just like ISU to be in a conference that considers football when making membership decisions. The MVC doesn’t because it has no charter to do so

 

[fourthandshort]

What will change in two years?

Last 10 full Seasons/5 Playoff appearances:
7-4
9-4
5-6
13-2
10-3
6-6
6-5
6-5
6-5
10-5
4-5

Very competitive in a really strong league.

Will the CUSA be that much more competitive?

Will ISU be more attractive to recruits than SIU, EIU, WIU, UNI, INst or even NIU if they are FBS?

Will attendance and program excitement increase if ISU is FBS?

I agree with your inference. I'm just saying, now is not the time to even consider it. Consider it down the road in 2 years or 5 years, I don't know. Just not now.

 

[MadBird]

I would really just like ISU to be in a conference that considers football when making membership decisions. The MVC doesn’t because it has no charter to do so

Come on, we're in a football only conference that only has to take football into consideration. The last 4 schools they let in are having their way wth the rest of us. We're in arguably the best conference, year in and year out, in FCS football.

I would be fully in favor of merging the MVFC and MVC and letting the Dakotas and WIU compete in all sports with the "rest of us".

 

[topiarydan]

FCS is now the minor leagues of FBS - have eiither your D1 or D2 and have strict transfer requirements now that you have players getting paid.
Also lower minimum of seats and attendance - heck some D1 schools are averaging 9000 a game. Look for more to jump to FBS.

 

[StLRedbird]

Come on, we're in a football only conference that only has to take football into consideration. The last 4 schools they let in are having their way wth the rest of us. We're in arguably the best conference, year in and year out, in FCS football.

I would be fully in favor of merging the MVFC and MVC and letting the Dakotas and WIU compete in all sports with the "rest of us".

I agree with that. But you see the conundrum, right? If you consider the strongest appeal the Dakota schools have to a prospective conference to be their football programs, the a conference must be able to consider it when making the evaluation - which the MVC cannot do. And there’s no way the privates in the MVC will allow the merger.

I think the only way for it to happen is for all the state schools in the MVC to leave and turn the MVFC into an all-sports conference. The Dakotas would gladly sign up for that. However, the public schools leaving the MVC would surrender NCAA payments from Big Dance, which they would never do

 

[redbirdfan04]

TBS I am not one that has wanted us to move to FBS. I will say if we had an indoor practice facility and the new AD has a thought out financial plan I could get behind it. I am just not sure how that is possible, but maybe he does.

 

[DannyCooksey]

I am strongly in fav of FBS move. Any conference we can join. Do it

 

[Birddog]

It is likely the FCS to FBS movement is done until schools see what the new NCAA constitution looks like - likely some time next year. It is possible that the new structure makes it near impossible to move up, or at least without a conference invite. Then schools that don’t have a plan in place, including relationship with FBS conferences, and want to move up will be scrambling.

Its critical that ISU athletics knows what and where it wants to be and does the necessary homework to get us there. I believe this has been looked at in the not-so-distant past, but a new president, a new AD, and a new landscape might have changed the university’s position.

 

[MadBird]

It is likely the FCS to FBS movement is done until schools see what the new NCAA constitution looks like - likely some time next year. It is possible that the new structure makes it near impossible to move up, or at least without a conference invite. Then schools that don’t have a plan in place, including relationship with FBS conferences, and want to move up will be scrambling.

Its critical that ISU athletics knows what and where it wants to be and does the necessary homework to get us there. I believe this has been looked at in the not-so-distant past, but a new president, a new AD, and a new landscape might have changed the university’s position.

Great screen name.

Sort of agree with you, BUT you point out schools will want to wait to see the new constitution, the new structure might make it impossible to move up --- but schools should have a plan in place and know what they want to do BEFORE the new constitution. Hard to know if and how to move up if you have no idea what will be. Leave NCAA? Fully fund as many schollies as the new FBS requires - 80, 100, more? NIL factors? Impact on non-revenue sports? Attendance requirements? Etc.

To me, at this point, it's all a bunch of BS, turning college sports into the minor leagues for NFL and NBA, gonna cost the average fan mucho. Deal me out. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised and some good options will be presented.