This Montana NDSU game is wild!

[Skiblets]

Unreal!!

 

[nwhoopfan]

Griz take down the Bizon! Montana is a long time power in FCS but haven't been to the Championship Game for more than a decade. Can they break the stranglehold the Summit League has on the Title?

 

[uconnfan68]

Griz take down the Bizon! Montana is a long time power in FCS but haven't been to the Championship Game for more than a decade. Can they break the stranglehold the Summit League has on the Title?

SDSU smoked UAlbany the other day. They’ll be a tough match.

 

[nwhoopfan]

SDSU smoked UAlbany the other day. They’ll be a tough match.

Yeah, SDSU is the new NDSU.

 

[Jetskies]

the fcs final four would all smoke UConn 49-7, maybe with the exception of UAlbany, who would probably still win 34-17 or so.

 

[Hoophound]

the fcs final four would all smoke UConn 49-7, maybe with the exception of UAlbany, who would probably still win 34-17 or so.

Probably, but there’s a noticeable lack of speed on these teams too. It looks more impressive when they play each other but a lot of their skill players look a step slow to be good in FBS.

What I find most interesting is how 3 coaches in the northern plains/west can all find a way to get the best players to their programs.

 

[RC111]

Anyone else here think that being a big fish in a little pond, playing FCS and winning regularly like the Montanas of the world, wouldn't be so bad with the direction that college ball is going?

I know -- it's a step back, attendance would suffer, football money, conference affiliation, protecting bball when the big boys separate, TV dollars, etc etc etc.

 

[History Geek]

Anyone else here think that being a big fish in a little pond, playing FCS and winning regularly like the Montanas of the world, wouldn't be so bad with the direction that college ball is going?

I know -- it's a step back, attendance would suffer, football money, conference affiliation, protecting bball when the big boys separate, TV dollars, etc etc etc.

If what Chip Kelley verbalized comes to fruition then yes. I’ve heard AD Dave say pretty much the same thing in the past year.

 

[RC111]

If what Chip Kelley verbalized comes to fruition then yes. I’ve heard AD Dave say pretty much the same thing in the past year.

Had to look up Kelly's suggestion. Football breaking away makes sense. I'm not eager to see brand sponsoring teams or divisions, or for the revenue to balloon even more and the players become minor league professionals

 

[LBird33]

Let’s recruit that NDSU quarterback. He can throw

 

[DoctorWho85]

Let’s recruit that NDSU quarterback. He can throw

Also try to get Bo Belquist from North Dakota. The receiver averaged 11.5 yards per reception last year (I went to a couple games as I attend the school) and he consistently was dominating DBs all year.

 

[HCCForever]

Why do you think some of the best teams in FCS are in that part of the country? The Dakota schools are always at the top of the heap and I believe Montana has a successful history as well.

 

[RioDog]

Anyone else here think that being a big fish in a little pond, playing FCS and winning regularly like the Montanas of the world, wouldn't be so bad with the direction that college ball is going?

I know -- it's a step back, attendance would suffer, football money, conference affiliation, protecting bball when the big boys separate, TV dollars, etc etc etc.

No.

Became a fan as a UConn grad student 30 years ago because we became a national powerhouse in Men's and Women's hoops, winning championships and competing at the highest level of the sport. Anything less than that would just be a sad shadow of what was and what could have been, and holds no interest for me.

Honestly CFB has become such a grotesque caricature of its former self that my fandom is hanging by a thread, to the point that I am closely following only UConn Football.

 

[RSTuthill]

Anyone else here think that being a big fish in a little pond, playing FCS and winning regularly like the Montanas of the world, wouldn't be so bad with the direction that college ball is going?

I know -- it's a step back, attendance would suffer, football money, conference affiliation, protecting bball when the big boys separate, TV dollars, etc etc etc.

In my mind I said that when HCJM arrived that he should have 5 years to make UConn consistently competitive at the FBS level. I still feel that way. Only now it is three years and the whole structure of FBS has become a sheet show. So at the very least, the modelling study should be started now so some thoroughly vetted potential courses of action are available and openly discussed at the five year mark. Transparency regarding what calculations are in the model, what assumptions were input, and what the variation response surface showed. Finally the Monte Carlo results of each proposed course of action. I am tired of this kind of discussion happening with no serious analysis or full disclosure.

 

[RC111]

I

In my mind I said that when HCJM arrived that he should have 5 years to make UConn consistently competitive at the FBS level. I still feel that way. Only now it is three years and the whole structure of FBS has become a sheet show. So at the very least, the modelling study should be started now so some thoroughly vetted potential courses of action are available and openly discussed at the five year mark. Transparency regarding what calculations are in the model, what assumptions were input, and what the variation response surface showed. Finally the Monte Carlo results of each proposed course of action. I am tired of this kind of discussion happening with no serious analysis or full disclosure.

I'd love to see more substance to the discussion. It would be great to have some real criteria and metrics, as you've mentioned. And the current system is turning into a sheet show.

As naive as it sounds, however, I already know where I stand: I'd still buy tickets and drag some family to tailgate if it were Holy Cross, UMass, Buffalo and the like coming down for a Saturday. I realize that's not the popular point of view though.

 

[Nostical]

As naive as it sounds, however, I'd still buy tickets and drag some family to tailgate if it were Holy Cross, U Mass, Buffalo and the like coming down for a Saturday. I realize that's not the popular point of view though.

Unfortunately, that idea runs contrary to where UConn sees itself in the pantheon of college athletics. And self-perception must come first before others see you in that light. We are NC, Kentucky, Kansas and Louisville. Great in basketball, but generally perceived as meh in football. Until they weren't meh anymore. How about when KU, UK, NC and UL were struggling with football. They doubled down--on coaching hires, facilities, and the like. Sure they have more resources, but we spit the bit when leadership and some daring would have helped. Now, we absolutely need to find those resources, and become relevant in football. Some schools will never get there. They have an inferiority complex. We are 5 time NC's in Men's Basketball with a National (International ) brand. We can never perceive ourselves as anything but elite. Some schools had advantages when criteria were different. Rutgers had more eyeballs for the B10 Network. They also had an aggressive AD and a stadium expansion plan that seemed ludicrous at the time, but showed commitment. Other than that they had no juice, no championships, no luster. We have all of that, and translating it to football is not beyond our reach. But we can't wish it so. We have to make it happen.

 

[RC111]

Unfortunately, that idea runs contrary to where UConn sees itself in the pantheon of college athletics. And self-perception must come first before others see you in that light. We are NC, Kentucky, Kansas and Louisville. Great in basketball, but generally perceived as meh in football. Until they weren't meh anymore. How about when KU, UK, NC and UL were struggling with football. They doubled down--on coaching hires, facilities, and the like. Sure they have more resources, but we spit the bit when leadership and some daring would have helped. Now, we absolutely need to find those resources, and become relevant in football. Some schools will never get there. They have an inferiority complex. We are 5 time NC's in Men's Basketball with a National (International ) brand. We can never perceive ourselves as anything but elite. Some schools had advantages when criteria were different. Rutgers had more eyeballs for the B10 Network. They also had an aggressive AD and a stadium expansion plan that seemed ludicrous at the time, but showed commitment. Other than that they had no juice, no championships, no luster. We have all of that, and translating it to football is not beyond our reach. But we can't wish it so. We have to make it happen.

I like this attitude. I do. It's not so much that I don't see us getting there, or think we can't -- it's that I hate what the game is turning into, so I find myself wondering if I'd rather we be part of the other approach. The one that's closer to what I recognize and remember about college sports when I was attending. Where natural rivalries exist and make sense. Battling the same teams year in and out, developing some history. But I guess it's probably better to invest, go along for the ride and see where it takes, versus wondering what could have been. If we stick with it long enough, I suppose the football conferences might eventually sort themselves in a way that makes a bit of sense.

But man do I dislike what the sport is turning into.

 

[RSTuthill]

Agree with both of you. But if UConn gets to no better than three wins for the next three seasons, there will have to be some reckoning. And in order to make an intelligent decision in three years, the analysis has to start now so that the model is mature and calibrated by then. I would also note that the points Nostical made, while valid, were relate to P4 member schools.

 

[Jetskies]

Probably, but there’s a noticeable lack of speed on these teams too. It looks more impressive when they play each other but a lot of their skill players look a step slow to be good in FBS.

What I find most interesting is how 3 coaches in the northern plains/west can all find a way to get the best players to their programs.

i'm sorry but idk how that can be said for SD State - those guys are friggin ballers and 100% have mid-tier Big 12 talent. That oline alone has at least 3 NFL-starters or competitive 2nd stringers on it.