While NDSU rests this Saturday and heals up after a bruising win at Colorado State, there’s some interesting matchups for the rest of the Valley teams in this the last non-traditional weekend before conference play begins. Illinois State hosts Eastern Illinois; interesting game here, the Panthers won at home against Southern Illinois two weeks ago, the Redbirds may have a letdown after their win against Eastern Michigan, ISU has shown they’ll be a contender all year long. SDSU has its home opener this weekend with a Big Sky foe, Cal Davis in Brookings; Indiana State hosts non-scholarship Drake, Missouri State finally gets to play an FCS school after 2 payday games when they host Murray State. Dale Lennon has to be nervous in Carbondale these days, the Salukis got lit up in their opener with Eastern, then lost at Miami of Ohio last weekend. Now they come home to host Southeast Missouri, a team that made the FCS playoffs a couple years ago, Lennon and company cannot afford an 0-3 start even before Valley play begins. The game that’s caught my eye will be in Youngstown this Saturday when the Penguins host Albany, the champs of the Northeast Conference. Great Danes gave Stony Brook a good game in playoffs last year, this will be a good test for YSU, especially before conference opener next week with UNI. Two teams play FBS games this weekend, Western Illinois, who has barely won games against Butler and Indianapolis, now gets an Iowa State team that just beat Iowa for the 2nd straight year, Cyclones are going in the right direction under Paul Rhoads, that game with NDSU in 2014 should be great. Finally, Northern Iowa plays its 2nd FBS game of the season at Iowa this Saturday in a game that might be a lot closer than we thought even a month ago. I’m not sure honestly what to make of the Panthers yet, the score with Wisconsin I think surprised even the most faithful readers of this blog, it did me, but then the Badgers go and lose to a bad Oregon State team. So let’s see what happens this week, remember UNI nearly got Iowa in 2009, they had 2 field goal tries at the end of the game and had both blocked. Jeff and I detailed the gauntlet that the Panthers had to start the year with Wisconsin, Iowa, Youngstown and NDSU as 4 of their first 5 games, they may come out better than anyone would have thought.
Speaking of UNI, plenty of news has circulated this week after Troy Dannen, the AD said he’s contemplating a move up to FBS. Of course I know how this will spark Bison fan outrage here, cause if UNI moves up NDSU has to as well, and while I don’t disagree with that take, I don’t think Northern Iowa is in any hurry to make the move. From what I’ve read on this subject, Dannen has plenty of ideas on his plate, from going to non-scholarship football to make the ultimate move. I interviewed Mark Emmert from the Des Moines Register on this subject, he talked to Dannen on the move, you can listen to that interview here. I posted the question on Twitter a couple days ago and I know it’s a sore subject with some here, but I’m afraid the topic isn’t going anywhere until the new structure of college football is settled, could the Valley as a conference make the move up to FBS? I don’t think so, I only believe four schools could pull it off at this moment (NDSU, UNI, Youngstown and Southern Illinois); Illinois State has talked about it, but needs renovations to it’s stadium, plus the four schools I just mentioned would all need to do some major improvements before they can think FBS. They also need a league so if the entire Valley doesn’t go, that’s the other stumbling block. I know some will think I’m beating a dead horse, but topic isn’t going away. FCS Pick ‘Em games back tomorrow.
Have you seen how talent poor the WAC is now. Seven teams. Mmm. Missing one school. Who could that be. Fargo is far enough west.
WAC will cease to function as an FBS conference after this season left only with Idaho and New Mexico State. Idaho is in conversations with the Big Sky to move all of their athletic programs (except football) to the Big Sky Conference. I bet within 3 to 4 years there is a good chance Idaho is a full member (including football) of the Big Sky Conference. Heck Idaho can’t even beat Eastern Washington, they fit better in the Big Sky Conference.
You’re kidding, right? The WAC is dead.
“Illinois State has talked about [FBS move], but needs renovations to it’s stadium,”
Illinois State’s stadium will be completely renovated by the fall of 2013 (small…15,000 capacity) and they also have an indoor football facility already. (Kaufman Football Building).
I hope NDSU fans have the opportunity to tour or visit a FBS program with all its football amenities. Its night and day as to what NDSU currently considers top level football facilities. NDSU doesn’t even had its own stadium…it rents the FargoDome from the city of Fargo.
NDSU has top notch facilities they are just smaller in scale. The football offices are in the FargoDome and when they were built Coach Bohl said they were nicer than many FBS schools offices.
Both Jeff and Dom have said many times that NDSU has better support and facilities than most MAC programs.
NDSU isn’t comparing their facilities to Michigan, Ohio State, Florida, Texas, Nebraska, Georgia etc.
I agree they don’t have their own stadium but it is OK because it isn’t big enough anyway. They need to build something new and much larger, at least 30,000 with the ability to be expanded to 45 or 50 thousand. They need an indoor practice facility. I have often wondered why they can’t use the new indoor track facility???? They have a first class baseball facilty, the basketaball facility wiill be top notch. Volleyball has a great place to play as well. Track and field will have a nice outdoor track and great indoor facility. Granted they need a new, larger football facilty but it would probably cost over $250 million! Go Bison!
If you are talking 5 years from now I think you have three more additional schools from the Missouri Valley that could be part of a Missouri Valley Football Conference move:
1) Illinois State is wanting to make the move (President of the University has spoken of this desire) and is making the infrastructure investments to make it happen. (i.e. several stadium improvements, practice facilities, etc).
2) Missouri State. They are already been approached on multiple occasions by the Sun Belt. They could make the move if institutionally they made it a priority.
3) Indiana State last year purchased the riverfront property next to campus in which the long range plan calls for a $30 million dollar on campus stadium. Campus leadership says they are 8 years from making it a reality. Again you have an administration (the President of the University) supportive of this project. Quote from the athletic director at ISUb a year ago (from a TribStar article)
“It’s my vision to have a riverfront football stadium, where people can bring their boats up the Wabash, park their boats and walk to the football game,” Prettyman said. “That’s the concept of being part of the city development of the riverfront project, and our president is very supportive of the riverfront project, as is John McNichols, who’s on the committee. I think it’s a wonderful plan.”
Then you have the dark horse Wichita State University that has an FBS capable stadium already on campus. The community has a go big or go home fan base. They have again been restarting the conversation of bringing football back to campus. If that happens they will not want to do FCS. They will want to go straight to FBS. (The connection here is that WSU is already in the Missouri Valley in other sports so has a relationship with UNI, Indiana State, Illinois State, Southern Illinois, and Missouri State could create pressure on them to move up)
So much change will occur in 5 years that I think the conference could be in a very different place than it is now……so I say anything is possible. I think the Missouri Valley Football Conference could go toe-to-toe, top to bottom with the MAC, MWC, SunBelt, and Conference USA right now. I think that the top 48 teams will break away from what is now FBS anyway. So why not be ready to move up to that next level.
Tailgating on the water?
Brilliant!!!!
Well, if this dead horse doesn’t fly I’m sure you can find another dead horse in the next week or two to try resurrect, or drag around as your heart desires.
UNI might go FBS to solve their budget issues? That seems like the worst reason to make the move.
You should go FBS when you know your facilities, athletic budget and fan base can make you successful at the next level. I guess they could be a decent MAC school but that stadium issue can’t be solved very easily when you play in a dome.
NDSU is more ready to move its football program to FBS than UNI is but I don’t believe either program is ready right now.
UNI has had its funding reduced by the State of Iowa. That is why UNI has to play 2 FBS games to make up for the funding shortfall.
If the AD from UNI is really looking at either making the football team non-scholarship or moving it up to FBS that shows they aren’t even close. If NDSU even mentioned looking at non-scholarship for football the administration would be run out of town on a rail. If non-scholarship is one of your considerations you don’t have anywhere near the money necessary to go FBS.
I heard today that all of the players who were involved with the petition debacle, will be lined up for a firing squad and shot dead in cold blood.
Although this is not probably true, maybe the freekin media in this town will quit running a story every five minutes regarding it. Do some investigative work into Heitkamp and Berg and see how much more crap is in their closets. It seems all of the political junkies want more of that crap news anyway.
I couldn’t agree with you more…It is absolutely ridiculous that the Forum is writing an article every day. Those kids don’t have a chance. You might as well kick them out of school. Even better, kick them out and they can transfer to UND and then the Forum can run an article on how great these kids are and how they deserve a second chance.
Kolpack and Dom do a great job, but you guys have to agree that until new information is brought forward the media is just beating a dead horse. I get it…People like to read about the Bison but writing about nothing everyday only creates speculation about the Forum’s motivation. Is it really about petition fraud or the fact Gene Taylor tried to put an end to this and now you are just paying him back?
How about the idea of running a “poll” right in the middle of the investigation? I’ve seen the Forum close less volatile topics to public comment, especially when involving UND. The Fargo media is demanding their judgement be included in this matter, there is nothing that Bohl/Taylor/Bresciani can do to stop this.