Mountain West Moves

[Fishy]

It’s like an arena football atmosphere, but I guess it’s okay. There is no attendance requirement, apparently, and that place holds less than 20K. Being snarky.

There’s one football stadium in Fargo, North Dakota and it’s on their campus, so it seems likely that they will be playing there for the foreseeable future. It’s probably the right size for a football stadium in Fargo, North Dakota.

 

[Kolumbo]

30 years ago!

this is troubling. when Carl buries the money and looks right, there are 3 single strands of barbed wire. when Carl looks left, there are 2 strands of barbed wire and a lower grid section of wire. So he would have been able to easily find the money, had he not been, well, no spoiler here

 

[Chonky]

30 years ago!

this is troubling. when Carl buries the money and looks right, there are 3 single strands of barbed wire. when Carl looks left, there are 2 strands of barbed wire and a lower grid section of wire. So he would have been able to easily find the money, had he not been, well, no spoiler here

Oliver Platt found it OK

 

[uconndogs]

Their due diligence discovered that NDSU is in North Dakota and they wisely opted out.

LOL! Yes, but that's very detailed due diligence, most would not have detected that......

 

[Rufus]

North Dakota State to petition for immediate College Football Playoff, FBS postseason access

The Bison's move challenges a long-standing rule that bars new FBS programs from competing for championships for two years. NDSU joins the FBS as a member of the Mountain West in July.

www.cbssports.com

Financially, NDSU will not receive a full revenue share from the Mountain West through the 2031-32 season, the length of the conference's current media rights deal. However, the Bison would receive 50% of the CFP and bowl revenue distributed to full members beginning in 2026 if they reach the postseason, and 100% after their second postseason appearance, according to the conference's membership agreement obtained by CBS Sports through an open-records request. NDSU would also earn a $1 million bonus for reaching the CFP before 2032.

NDSU is paying the Mountain West a $12.5 million entry fee over six years, in addition to the NCAA's $5 million reclassification fee, which increased from $5,000 to $5 million in 2023. The NCAA's probationary period was designed to give transitioning programs time to meet FBS benchmarks, including scholarship expansion and facility upgrades.

Larsen contends that many modern programs already meet or exceed those standards upon entry. NDSU opened a $54 million football facility in 2022, funded solely by private gifts.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Imagine being New Mexico State and still overlooked by the Mountain West even after it imploded.

Setting aside UNM likely not wanting their in-state little brother, highly contentious rival in the new MWC, imagine many of the other schools not being particularly enchanted with a long unsuccessful second program/brand from the so called Land of Enchantment.

 

[Fishy]

New Mexico State is like UMass of the desert.

There's not gonna be a lot of suitors there.

 

[How Sway?!]

North Dakota State to petition for immediate College Football Playoff, FBS postseason access

The Bison's move challenges a long-standing rule that bars new FBS programs from competing for championships for two years. NDSU joins the FBS as a member of the Mountain West in July.

www.cbssports.com

Financially, NDSU will not receive a full revenue share from the Mountain West through the 2031-32 season, the length of the conference's current media rights deal. However, the Bison would receive 50% of the CFP and bowl revenue distributed to full members beginning in 2026 if they reach the postseason, and 100% after their second postseason appearance, according to the conference's membership agreement obtained by CBS Sports through an open-records request. NDSU would also earn a $1 million bonus for reaching the CFP before 2032.

NDSU is paying the Mountain West a $12.5 million entry fee over six years, in addition to the NCAA's $5 million reclassification fee, which increased from $5,000 to $5 million in 2023. The NCAA's probationary period was designed to give transitioning programs time to meet FBS benchmarks, including scholarship expansion and facility upgrades.

Larsen contends that many modern programs already meet or exceed those standards upon entry. NDSU opened a $54 million football facility in 2022, funded solely by private gifts.

They are getting absolutely fleeced by the Mountain West. At this rate, they won't make back the entry fee until 2032 at the earliest.

 

[Purple Stein]

Sure seems to me like NDSU cut them in line.

 

[Bongo Fury]

They are getting absolutely fleeced by the Mountain West. At this rate, they won't make back the entry fee until 2032 at the earliest.

It is possible that this is privately funded kind of like SMU to ACC. North Dakota is rich with natural resources

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Sure seems to me like NDSU cut them in line.

Or, new MWC-member UC Davis intelligently is transitioning first with non-football sports for 2026-27. Then, gradually building on the Aggies FCS success and new MWC membership, financially and operationally positioning to join as a football member in a few years. if so, what appears to be a smarter UC approach than their Cal State brethren struggling 40 miles to the east in Sacramento.

 

[huskymedic]

Does South Dakota State have FBS aspirations? Not right now

-> “I feel really good about where we’re at,” Sell said. “… The FCS is pretty strong right now. And so you sit there and you go, we’re filling our building most every Saturday, right? We have fans that like our competition. We’re extremely relevant. I’m not afraid of that. Do we have to pay attention to the tea leaves? Do we have to understand where we need to position ourselves if that were to change? Yes. But for right now, I think our fan base loves making the opportunity to get into the playoffs and then make a run and then go win a national championship.” <-

 

[Purple Stein]

SDSU throwing shade at NDSU -- that essentially says "NDSU sees they won't be able to compete at their same, historical level, so they're seizing the moment and getting out."

 

[huskymedic]

Why the Mountain West’s new media deal is bigger than it looks

The MW changes the math to build a better media future

www.mwcconnection.com

-> The enhanced MW app, expected July 2026, signals a philosophical shift that many conferences talk about but rarely execute. This isn’t content dumped into a digital void. It’s aim at being a subscription-based, reinvestment-driven model where revenue flows directly back to member institutions. Basically, fans choose a school and schools benefit. All of a sudden, Olympic sports have a potential sustainable platform. <-

 

[huskymedic]

'It's going to take the entire herd:' Inside North Dakota State's $25 million race to become FBS contender

For a North Dakota State program that dominated the FCS, the move to the Mountain West isn't about survival; it's about positioning itself before college football's next great divide

www.cbssports.com

 

[ZooCougar]

'It's going to take the entire herd:' Inside North Dakota State's $25 million race to become FBS contender

For a North Dakota State program that dominated the FCS, the move to the Mountain West isn't about survival; it's about positioning itself before college football's next great divide

www.cbssports.com

How much will it cost UConn to secure a place in the Big 12 or ACC?

 

[Rufus]

Commissioner Gloria Nevarez discusses MW's 'aggressive' approach toward exit fee retrieval

When Gloria Nevarez was hired as the Mountain West's commissioner in January 2023, she was warned some schools were trying to flee the league. Some of those s

nevadasportsnet.com

 

[azfan]

Commissioner Gloria Nevarez discusses MW's 'aggressive' approach toward exit fee retrieval

When Gloria Nevarez was hired as the Mountain West's commissioner in January 2023, she was warned some schools were trying to flee the league. Some of those s

nevadasportsnet.com

Thx for posting..... Very helpful contacts and update to the litigation.

I understand that big time College athletics is Big Time Business but it is indeed interesting how litigation is generated from what seems to be clear black letter law and agreements.