Big Ten: No more FCS

[andtheHomeoftheSIOUX!!]

The Big Ten has decided not to schedule any more FCS games.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/190943281.html

According to Alvarez, Big Ten officials recently agreed to stop scheduling nonconference games against FCS programs.

[jodcon]

I can see their point, between teams like Minnesota losing to FCS schools and having to pay FCS schools big money to even play them it doesn't really do much for the big schools.

Downside is it hurts the FCS schools who want to play up for the financial gain.

[bincitysioux]

Agree.

They can buy low end FBS teams for the same or less that they can buy top end FCS teams for. One could probably thank App St., NDSU, and USD for this legislation. Good for them for influencing Big 10 policy.

[Shawn-O]

With the four team playoff and subjective selection coming...the other power leagues will follow don't ya think?

[nodakvindy]

Maybe this will encourage more high quality inter-regional FCS matchups.

[Uncle_Rico]

Big 10 football is a joke. Straight up butt crack.

[SiouxVolley]

What this will actually do is encourage more FCS schools to move to FBS. N Iowa needs games against Iowa (and Iowa St) to balance their football budget.

[jodcon]

What this will actually do is encourage more FCS schools to move to FBS. N Iowa needs games against Iowa (and Iowa St) to balance their football budget.

I don't know how many could really afford to move up...the extra 22 scholarships, much higher travel and recruiting costs, more and higher paid coaches, improved facilities, plus to move up to FBS football you have to have an average home attendance of 15,000/game for 2 or 3 years...that would be sticky for some, if they even have that many seats.

When Montana was looking at the WAC a couple years ago they hired a firm to study the costs and it came back that they would have to increase their budget by $4.7 million to move, and make about $25. million in improvements to their facilities, and their facilities are pretty decent so most schools would be looking at a much higher number.

For the schools who can afford to go that route...great! I just wonder how many really could.

[Cratter]

This is going to fast track UND to FBS.

[Matt]

This is going to fast track UND to FBS.

By "fast track" do you mean move out of D2 fast track, or indoor practice facility fast track?

[geaux_sioux]

By "fast track" do you mean move out of D2 fast track, or indoor practice facility fast track?

Or fire Bunning fast track?

[darell1976]

Could UND realistically afford to move up? No matter what conference it is could UND afford the extra scholarships? I know we can't unless Memorial Stadium gets over 15,000 seats but if we had a stadium of say 20-25k could UND make enough money to support an FBS move?

[darell1976]

I wonder if more and more FBS conferences will ban playing FCS teams. If so we could see NDSU, USD, and SDSU more often since more schools will be looking to cut costs and play more regional teams.

[IrishSiouxFan]

Why couldn't UND, NDSU, USD, SDSU, UM, MSU, UI, ISU, and possibly a few others form an FBS conference and grow together?

[CMSioux]

This is going to fast track UND to FBS.

Guaranteed this quote will show up on bisonswille. You just earned some fantasy league points.

[UNDColorado]

Why couldn't UND, NDSU, USD, SDSU, UM, MSU, UI, ISU, and possibly a few others form an FBS conference and grow together?

I think that would be the best situation possible, however I believe there are limitations when starting new conferences like no playoffs or auto bids for x amount of years. the best solution would have been these teams moving over to the WAC before they absolved football.

[darell1976]

Why couldn't UND, NDSU, USD, SDSU, UM, MSU, UI, ISU, and possibly a few others form an FBS conference and grow together?

You can't startup a conference in the FBS or move an FCS conference into the FBS. I thought I read there is some rule or something. The best we could have done is all join the WAC before the WAC disappeared.

[darell1976]

I think that would be the best situation possible, however I believe there are limitations when starting new conferences like no playoffs or auto bids for x amount of years. the best solution would have been these teams moving over to the WAC before they absolved football.

Beat me to it, I guess great minds think alike.

[UNDColorado]

Beat me to it, I guess great minds think alike.

For sure, that would have been the best conference possible for UND but just too many limitations to get it off the ground.

[The Sicatoka]

(The following is a repost of a post of mine from another thread. It seems to fit here again ... exactly.)

The more I think about this it's just another step on the path to the vision that Nick Saban vocalized recently:

http://www.footballscoop.com/news/7144-saban-wants-only-60-70-teams-at-the-fbs-level

And that makes sense given what the Sun Belt commissioner said recently.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sun-belt-sets-sights-catching-084224055--ncaaf.html

Notre Dame "consolidating" into one of the "above the line" conferences ensures them a seat "above the line" or in the 70 or so that Saban mentions.

I don't believe Saban or Benson created the vision, but I do believe they're talking about it because forces are in motion to make it happen.

Why will it happen? Money.

So if the B1G will only play with themselves ( ) and that screams to me as a step on the path to Saban's vision (bold above). Not playing FCS is a step to creating their own new "top tier" where they only play with each other.

[darell1976]

I see UND playing MVFC teams more often since they are close to Grand Forks, but what about teams like Eastern Washington. If there is a whole FBS ban on FCS games then how much could it cost them since besides other BSC teams who is close to them....NDSU or maybe a TX team.

[bincitysioux]

This could also just lead to BCS schools having to pay alot more for MWC, MAC, Sun Belt, etc. schools. In turn, those non-BCS schools are going to have more money to pay FCS schools.

[Hammersmith]

I think that would be the best situation possible, however I believe there are limitations when starting new conferences like no playoffs or auto bids for x amount of years. the best solution would have been these teams moving over to the WAC before they absolved football.

The current rule is that an FCS school cannot move to FBS without an invite from an FBS conference. That's why Georgia Southern and App State are currently waiting with bated breath for a phone call from the Sun Belt. Without an invite, they're stuck in FCS. That being said, these rules seem to be rewritten every two to four years. I think there have been at least three major rule changes just in the period since NDSU announced it's intention to move to DI. Just because a conference can't move up as a group today doesn't mean it won't be possible tomorrow.

[mg2009]

any attempt to lock out schools or conferences again would be met with swift anti-trust action. As it is, teams wanting to move up would have a solid case in court if they wanted/needed to.

Anyway alverez, like the saban and bensen also quote in this thread, was talking out his ass.

[jdub27]

any attempt to lock out schools or conferences again would be met with swift anti-trust action. As it is, teams wanting to move up would have a solid case in court if they wanted/needed to.

Anyway alverez, like the saban and bensen also quote in this thread, was talking out his ass.

Is there a requirement for schools to play certain other schools? If the top 4 or 5 conferences only want to schedule games against each other to keep their strength of schedule up how would that give others a solid case? They can still claim that other teams have a chance to make it into the playoff, which would be true, just very, very unlikely under the current format.