Jim O'Day Letter

[andtheHomeoftheSIOUX!!]

Bobcat Nation

Pretty interesting letter from Jim O'Day in this post. Enjoy reading.

[GeauxSioux]

Fullerton's response to O'Day's letter.......

Fullerton’s stance is that O’Day didn’t make things any easier with the e-mail.

“His job is to get all the information out there,” Fullerton said, before adding that that’s his job as well.

“My job is not to stand at the door, arms out, saying, ‘You can’t leave,’ ” he added.

O’Day apparently sent out a follow-up e-mail apologizing for his remarks, though Fullerton didn’t confirm that. Whatever the case, this may take a while to blow over Griz Nation and the rest of the FCS.

“It’s going to be hard to get this back in the bottle,” Fullerton said.

I happen to agree with O'Day...... If you are trying to increase revenue, FBS is where it is.

[MplsBison]

I didn't think the letter was real, but ODay admitted it was in that link from what I read.

I made the point on AGS and it's probably even more valid now that the letter is genuine: FCS football is just DII football with more scholarships. FBS is where the money is.

Hopefully it doesn't take NDSU (and UND) another 30 years to follow their peers up to the next level. Ideally, we should be where Utah State is by now.

[farce poobah]

Bobcat Nation

Pretty interesting letter from Jim O'Day in this post. Enjoy reading.

Great "old-school" letter, with the kind of candid in-depth discussion of issues that has all but disappeared. Today, leaders too often take the route of vague public communications that leave us all wondering whether the person is competent. O'Day, whatever your position, has to have earned respect with his candor.

Bringing this back to UND, would like to see that kind of candor from our leaders on topics like nicknames and conferences ...

[The Sicatoka]

Pretty scary when an AD at a major FCS player says something like ...

Should the FCS fail

[MplsBison]

Pretty scary when an AD at a major FCS player says something like ...

Just by saying it means that he and other FCS folks consider it within the realm of possibilities.

Tough to imagine 100+ (or however many FCS schools there are) moving to FBS or DII/DIII. How else could FCS "fail"? If anything, they'll just lower scholarship maximums and try to reduce travel as much as possible, to save money.

[The Sicatoka]

How else could FCS "fail"?

How?

FCS doesn't come up with an option other than FBS (one level of DI FB) or DII.

If that were to happen I wonder how many FCS schools would look at dropping football.

[GeauxSioux]

How?

FCS doesn't come up with an option other than FBS (one level of DI FB) or DII.

If that were to happen I wonder how many FCS schools would look at dropping football.

There are also rumors of dropping the number of scholarships for FCS from 63 to 50 according to a poster over on AGS.

[The Sicatoka]

There are also rumors of dropping the number of scholarships for FCS from 63 to 50 according to a poster over on AGS.

Well, that'd be the fastest way to ... make schools move from FCS to FBS.

If you don't believe me, look at the number of schools that jumped from DII to DI-AA when DII lowered its number.

[Matt]

Tough to imagine 100+ (or however many FCS schools there are) moving to FBS or DII/DIII. How else could FCS "fail"? If anything, they'll just lower scholarship maximums and try to reduce travel as much as possible, to save money.

That would mark the beginning of the end as it did for division 2. Top schools don't tolerate a lowering of the bar for the benefit of the rest of the membership, again, see d-2. It took what, approx 10 years after the first scholly reductions?

[star2city]

Well, that'd be the fastest way to ... make schools move from FCS to FBS.

If you don't believe me, look at the number of schools that jumped from DII to DI-AA when DII lowered its number.

But the NCAA has also changed the rules for both FCS and DII. There is no longer freedom - institutional discretion - to change divisions. That's been taken away.

A school can no longer leave and go to a higher classification without being invited by a current conference at the higher level (a bit like attempting to aspire to a better position in the USSR circa 1960). If you are in FCS - you are stuck in FCS without having a 25,000 seat stadium (or that appears to be the criteria that the WAC, MAC, and Sunbelt use). DII schools are also now stuck there without an invite.

If FCS cut scholarships (to just above DII levels), it's very possible that FCS at FBS games would no longer be considered counters - making FCS hurt even more financially. In turn, it would then become almost impossible for FCS schools to financially move to FBS, as the scholarship increase (including Title IX) would be monumental. DII level scholarships would probably also get reduced into the 20's (fewer and fewer DII schools grant the DII maximum 36 anyway).

The FBS / FCS line becomes a thick brick wall instead of one with a small window.