Bison06

2 things. Why not engage with the questions I posed? Again, if ndsu moved to FBS, by definition they’d now be an FBS team with FBS scholarships and FBS depth. So yeah, as it sits, ndsu as an FCS team would struggle with a full FBS schedule, but the parameters would be obviously different if ndsu had FBS depth. Which they would if they moved up.

His comments are certainly premature and overzealous and I don’t agree with him about this years ndsu team. But look at it this way, on NDSUs best years, where do you think they would rank among only G5 teams? I think they would have been near the top of G5 teams in 2013 and maybe a few other years in this 10 year run. If that’s true, and maybe you disagree with that, are you saying that in a 12 team playoff a G5 team or two wouldn’t find their way into the tournament?

You seem to be under the illusion that every FBS team is Georgia, Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State. Every year there are anywhere from 2-6 teams that are so far above everyone else that nobody, even at the FBS level can touch them. The rest of FBS is filled with 3 star recruits with 4 stars occasionally and extremely rare 5 star guys. NDSU will almost certainly never be in that elite 2-6 teams. I have no illusion of that. They play a different game, they are the NFL minor league. Everyone else on any given year is beatable and I think over the course of many years NDSU could find itself competing with them if they were to move up.

You are overlooking a key point. In this hypothetical recruiting situation, NDSU would no longer be FCS, they’d be G5 FBS. G5 teams win recruiting battles against P5 teams hundreds of times a year. Playing time, culture, connection with the coaching staff…etc.

English must not be too good at UND.

There are 3 major sports to everyone outside of Grand Forks.

What conference was UND in 20 years ago? How many conferences has UND been affiliated with in the last 20 years. Would you have predicted that path in the year 2000?

The MAC has 16 teams in January 2021. Things can change. The AAC has been a revolving door and is adding 6 teams in two years. Not saying that the footprint is a fit, just noting the ever changing landscape of the conference. Why is this so controversial to some here? Conference affiliations change constantly especially at the G5 level. And Cincinnati, Houston and UCF are joining the Big 12.

Lol, yes, my god the embarrassment that I’ll endure.

That’s your opinion and you’re welcome to it. The landscape is ever shifting, reality today won’t be reality tomorrow and vice versa. To speak in such absolutes I believe is foolish in most everything in life. These are the exact same conversation I had 20 years ago with NDSU’s move to DI. We’ll see what happens.

I agree, the path isn’t clear. But if the ambition is there from leadership and alumni, a path will present itself.

Everything you listed has improved at NDSU in the past 20 years, as an optimist I choose to believe that trajectory will continue. Time will tell I suppose. Of course we are all speculating here. You choose to see a future that isn’t as favorable for your rival school, I choose to see a future where we move ever closer to the potential NDSU and the Fargo market has/will have. There’s no right or wrong here. Is it unlikely, sure. But, again, many on this board and around the state mocked and ridiculed NDSU for ever dreaming they would have the success they’ve already had at the DI level. Guess we’ll just have to see how it plays out.

Disagree that Fargo is growing and will continue to grow based on all projections making Fargo a more desirable TV market in the future than it currently is.

We are specifically talking about NDSU here. If you'd like to talk about a different FCS team and the potential they have to move up to FBS feel free to bring up a specific team. Absent another team to discuss, I brought up the assets NDSU has in regards to a move up. Objectively, the fargo area is booming with growth, others have said as much on this thread. Which part of that do you disagree with?

Thank you for that valuable input. Markets do change however. Population growth in Fargo could make it a much more attractive TV market in 20 years.

True

Have you even read any of my comments. Start there.

You lack an understanding of how time can change things. The landscape today will look nothing like what it will look like in 20 years.

The interest in an 8-12 team tournament would be so high. I would absolutely love to see an AAC/MAC/MW champion line up against a 2nd or 3rd best team from a P5 in that first round.

I don’t disagree with any of that.

I’m a realistic guy too and I would fully expect Georgia and Alabama to dominate most every team in the country this year. Would they? You’d have to play the game. If I had money on it of course I’m picking those two teams all day. But that’s not the point. The point is, upsets happen, they are called upsets because you don’t expect them to happen. Anybody can beat anybody, that’s why the game is played.

Ya da ya da yada? Why even watch sports if there isn’t drama and surprises, the whole point of watching is you don’t know how things will play out isn’t it? I’m amazed at how cynical some here are about the possibility of upsets. For me they are the main thing that makes sports worth watching. If we knew for sure who would win a game before it starts, that would be a pretty boring game.

They’ve never had the opportunity either. Can’t happen under the current structure. On paper, Georgia and Alabama would dominate Houston or Utah or Boise St. But any given Saturday as they say.

These exact conversation were had as NDSU transitioned to DI if you’re old enough to remember. See my post above, G5 first then P5 is the scenario I laid out. So I agree with you. The landscape is ever changing, a lot can happen over the course of a couple of decades.

https://sports.betmgm.com/en/blog/10-biggest-college-football-point-spread-upsets-2021/ This is just from this year. Going into these games, nobody would’ve given any of them a legit shot.