UNI to join a conference with Kansas and ISU?

[GonzoCat]

Re: UNI to join a conference with Kansas and ISU?

Here is the first I've seen of someone (not sure who) thinking UNI might be headed to another conference.
http://twitter.com/jasonmeeker/status/15964186813

Just taking a wild guess, but I think it might be Jason meeker.

I think the biggest con to UNI moving to FBS is we would have to add 30 or so football scholarships and probably 4 or 5 more womens teams to match them. An additional 70 or so scholarships overall, I wonder how that would sit with the BOR?

Also I'd just like to take this opportunity to congratulate newsbreaker on finally finding someone on PN he could win an argument with.

[jegbomb52]

Re: UNI to join a conference with Kansas and ISU?

Just taking a wild guess, but I think it might be Jason meeker.

I think the biggest con to UNI moving to FBS is we would have to add 30 or so football scholarships and probably 4 or 5 more womens teams to match them. An additional 70 or so scholarships overall, I wonder how that would sit with the BOR?

Also I'd just like to take this opportunity to congratulate newsbreaker on finally finding someone on PN he could win an argument with.

You don't have to add scholarships. The 85 number is a maximum, not a standard. That being said, I don't know if anyone doesn't use them. The big thing is the partial / full rule. With FBS, it is a full, or nothing. You can't split them up like in FCS. I don't think the "Jump" would be as costly as the study showed. The pros out weigh the cons. We would turn a profit in the WAC, football wise. Now, that being said, our overall athletic department might take a hit between a possible loss in profit from basketball due to increased travel cost, less TV time, and travel of non-revenue sports. I don't think it would happen, but if a formal invitation was to be offered, I think we would be silly not to seriously entertain it.

[BCPanther]

Re: UNI to join a conference with Kansas and ISU?

Basketball revenue could be made up by all but guaranteeing that we would be in postseason play EVERY year.

Outside of Utah State and Nevada there isn't much in that league...

[TH1974]

Re: UNI to join a conference with Kansas and ISU?

Do people seriously want to go to the FBS? I thought it was nearly unanimous around here that everyone preferred FCS.

[BCPanther]

Re: UNI to join a conference with Kansas and ISU?

I personally would be 100% on board with an FBS move.

There is absolutely no money in FCS football and we will automatically get more respect statewide and regionwide just by being an FBS school. There wouldn't be a ton of investment needed to make the jump, especially after the weight room, film, and office improvements of the past few years. The Dome is most certainly sufficient. The checks for playing Iowa, and the like, would at least double.

Lower tier Bowl appearances, if travel money is reasonably spent, will net us substantially more than any playoff appearance we have ever made.

I also believe that we could step in and be competitive in the Mac, SunBelt, or WAC from Day 1.

[Newsbreaker]

Re: UNI to join a conference with Kansas and ISU?

I would be 100% against a move to FBS. We are no better suited for the move than any of the list of teams who have made the jump only to find wins fewer and further between.

Lower tier Bowl appearances, if travel money is reasonably spent, will net us substantially more than any playoff appearance we have ever made.

I also believe that we could step in and be competitive in the Mac, SunBelt, or WAC from Day 1

Ask WKU, who unlike us had a national championship in their pocket, how that went.

The ONLY team to make the jump and do well is Boise State. Hell, even Marshall is almost entirely irrelevant at that level, and they were UNI football on 'roids when playing at the I-AA level.

A move to FBS would be the end of everything good about UNI football which is precisely why the possibility is no more than message board fun. It's never going to happen.

[UNI83]

Re: UNI to join a conference with Kansas and ISU?

I would be 100% against a move to FBS. We are no better suited for the move than any of the list of teams who have made the jump only to find wins fewer and further between.



Ask WKU, who unlike us had a national championship in their pocket, how that went.

The ONLY team to make the jump and do well is Boise State. Hell, even Marshall is almost entirely irrelevant at that level, and they were UNI football on 'roids when playing at the I-AA level.

A move to FBS would be the end of everything good about UNI football which is precisely why the possibility is no more than message board fun. It's never going to happen.

This times a million

[BCPanther]

Re: UNI to join a conference with Kansas and ISU?

In our current, and what looks like our future, financial situation, we HAVE to follow the money. IMO, the best way to make money is at the FBS level.

Also, whether we want to admit it or not, being a mid-level FBS team will bring us more recognition on a national level than winning an FCS national title. The FCS title would be great for those of us that love UNI and FCS football, but on a national level its pretty much meaningless and it will COST us money to win one.

These are my personal opinions, don't kill me for sharing them

[UNI83]

Re: UNI to join a conference with Kansas and ISU?

In our current, and what looks like our future, financial situation, we HAVE to follow the money. IMO, the best way to make money is at the FBS level.

Also, whether we want to admit it or not, being a mid-level FBS team will bring us more recognition on a national level than winning an FCS national title. The FCS title would be great for those of us that love UNI and FCS football, but on a national level its pretty much meaningless and it will COST us money to win one.

These are my personal opinions, don't kill me for sharing them

In order to make money at the FBS level you have make a bowl, or be in a conference who shares massive amounts of bowl money. We wouldn't be in a situation for either of those.

[Panther/Statesman]

Re: UNI to join a conference with Kansas and ISU?

This was my thought when this whole BOR thing came up. If the status quo is unsustainable, then you must drop or escalate. I like UNI at this level, being a small population state that will lose even more ground over the next 20 years we can't really expect to support three major sports programs. However...

The future belongs to the fighters. Texas is brokering a deal where they'll throw the B-12 member teams a few bones and keep the lions share of revenue for themselves. (thank you sir, may I have another...) So who knows how that soap opera plays out?

But if ISU drops in status, who is to say there wouldn't be a nitch for UNI in the BCS at a mid level? Maybe an aggressive move rather than station keeping is the long term sollution to our budget problems. I sure as hell don't want to see UNI drop to Drake's level, if we go for the brass ring (relatively speaking) we may avoid that scenerio.

BSU made it, Marshall made it for awhile, until they left the MAC, and Louisiana Monroe (NE Louisiana) is better off than they were. I think the consultants report says it all, a move is feasable as better competition brings in bigger crowds. Play some big time games on the road, and here comes the revenue stream.

We may have great trouble being able to bridge the gap between here and there, and Title IX is a consideration, but what the hell! If we try to stay where we are, we may lose all that generations have worked to build anyway. Go for it.

[jegbomb52]

Re: UNI to join a conference with Kansas and ISU?

For those of you using the "don't do it because it didn't work out for WKU," you are comparing apples and oranges. WKU had very moderate success over a 30 year period competing in a terrible conference that was dominated by Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Illinois, and Murray State. They were in the bottom 15 of FCS schools in attendence every year, any success they ever had ESPECIALLY in 2002 was due to a dominant running game. Dominant running games don't work at the highest level, they don't even work at FCS anymore. Those things are not going to transfer well into the FBS.

If you want to find a team to make a negative argument against look at Idaho. They had sustained, long term success, great fan following (12,000 + per season), balanced offense, and went into a cake conference at the time.

Nevada also was I-AA at one time in the past 30 years, they haven't been "great" but haven't been "terrible" either.

[TravelingPanther]

Re: UNI to join a conference with Kansas and ISU?

I'm not sure FBS sucess really has anything to do with how you did in FCS. Western Kentucky is in no place to succeed. Bowling Green, KY and in the Sun Belt. At least in Iowa we could easily become the second team in the state and be in the WAC. I don't really care if we stay or move up. I just don't want to downgrade.

[TH1974]

Re: UNI to join a conference with Kansas and ISU?

How are those teams doing money-wise?

[BCPanther]

Re: UNI to join a conference with Kansas and ISU?

For those of you using the "don't do it because it didn't work out for WKU," you are comparing apples and oranges. WKU had very moderate success over a 30 year period competing in a terrible conference that was dominated by Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Illinois, and Murray State. They were in the bottom 15 of FCS schools in attendence every year, any success they ever had ESPECIALLY in 2002 was due to a dominant running game. Dominant running games don't work at the highest level, they don't even work at FCS anymore. Those things are not going to transfer well into the FBS.

If you want to find a team to make a negative argument against look at Idaho. They had sustained, long term success, great fan following (12,000 + per season), balanced offense, and went into a cake conference at the time.

Nevada also was I-AA at one time in the past 30 years, they haven't been "great" but haven't been "terrible" either.

Great Post!

The other thing about Idaho is that at the same time that Idaho was making the jump they went through a coaching change. John L. Smith left for greener pastures and they tried to rebuild their whole system at the same time that they were making the jump.

[Casey'sitsallgood]

Re: UNI to join a conference with Kansas and ISU?

For those of you using the "don't do it because it didn't work out for WKU," you are comparing apples and oranges. WKU had very moderate success over a 30 year period competing in a terrible conference that was dominated by Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Illinois, and Murray State. They were in the bottom 15 of FCS schools in attendence every year, any success they ever had ESPECIALLY in 2002 was due to a dominant running game. Dominant running games don't work at the highest level, they don't even work at FCS anymore. Those things are not going to transfer well into the FBS.

Nevada also was I-AA at one time in the past 30 years, they haven't been "great" but haven't been "terrible" either.

Nevada lead FBS in rushing last year by almost 300 yards and nearly 200 attempts fewer than the #2 team. just sayin'...