Jerry Moore, Appalachian State Head Coach
Moore won 215 games at App State, 10 conference titles and oh yeah that run of 3 straight FCS titles from 2005-07, perhaps even more impressive was App State’s 2007 win at Michigan that every college football fan will remember. Moore was outspoken that the Mountaineers should stay in FCS, where they draw 30K for each game and are consistently a playoff contender. App State Charlie Cobb thought differently, even going so far back in May to publicly court Conference USA for App State, this is a letter he sent to the student base about C-USA.
Georgia Southern’s longtime athletic director Sam Baker resigned over just this disagreement over the summer. You’ll remember the story came out in April that GSU was all for moving up to FBS, just waiting for a conference invite that never came. The student body voted for an increase in fees to make it happen fiscally but Baker never got behind the move that his president wanted so badly. There is one striking contrast to these schools where Moore was pretty public about staying FCS, Jeff Monken has tweeted constantly about moving the Eagles up to FBS.
Each of these schools have not received any official invitations from FBS leagues, with the Sun Belt’s recent additions, one figures that Georgia Southern can’t be too far away from an invite, while Appalachian State’s long-time hope of playing in the same league with East Carolina seems to be shot with the Pirates on their way to the Big East. I wonder if moving up to the next division is worth losing two guys who helped lead the schools to national prominence and distinction.
Too bad the App State opinion column can’t be read. All it does on the link is try to get you to an advertisement and when you try to close it you are taken to their home. Wish I knew what the difference of opinion was.
Yes, it can be read. By pass the flash by just clicking on the “SPORTS” tab in the banner at the top and scroll down to the Dec 3rd article: Jerrett: When Moore is not Enough.
App St. will be successful at the next level, good size stadium, large fanbase and their athletic budget is in line with other Sun Belt members. Big East seems very unstable even though it is traditionally one of the big conferences.
Any program can go Division I (FBS) if you have enought money. Calling yourself Division I is no longer a big deal…playing in a respected conference seems to be more of an achievement.
Look at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix if you want to see how money can buy you a Division I program. Here is a link to the recent article in the New York TImes: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/sports/ncaafootball/for-profit-universitys-shift-to-division-i-stokes-debate.html?_r=0
I’m still skeptical whether Grand Canyon will still be around at the end of their 4 year transition. They were close to going “out of business,” which in itself is funny to say about a “university”
They are a publicly traded university/company under the ticker “LOPE” with a market capitalization worth $1.05 BILLION and their stock has nearly doubled over the last 14 months….probably not going out of business.
Every time this topic comes up, there is at least one out there on this blog who chimes in about NDSU moving up. My thought is this, in 3-5 years, it will be time. Let the conference merry go round settle down and start positioning for the best fit. I love NDSU and as an alumni want to keep moving forward continually, but I have to say as big as we are or think we are, we have a long way to go. We have done very well in our transition, but do we want to play football games in the middle of the week? We make a lot of noise in the 20000 enclosed building, but that is when we are winning. If and when we do go, I think the combination of the two large state schools need to be combined with NDSU keeping football,Track, Baseball, Wrestling, Softball, and Maybe Basketball. The no namers can have the hockey and a few other non-revenue sports. A large two campus school with multiple programs and one State University similar to Nebraska. Then we could go full speed ahead and beat everyone around us in all sports. This is my thought even though I cannot stand the school to the North without a nickname, but sometimes you have to step two back to move one ahead.
God i hope you were drunk when you wrote that.
I like both hockey and football, and sorry but don’t hate on the Sioux for having the best hockey team in North Dakota…that’s right…NDSU doesn’t have a hockey team, so go be a Gopher traitor that you are. Hockey is a more phsyical demanding sport so don’t hate on it just because you know nothing about it and NDSU doesn’t have a team.
(That Citizen-Times website is an abomination.)
Is there any example in recent history of a school moving from FCS to FBS (or whatever the nomenclature was at the time) and it having a positive impact on the university culture, its athletics, its education, its research, the students, or the community?
Seems to me it’s usually an ego thing that ends up being an expensive boondoggle. It’s hard to afford the scholarships, donors and alumni get tired of getting hit up for increased donations, other parts of the university budget get reduced, and the team goes from being the big fish in a small pond to a small fish in the big pond (apologies for the cliché).
The actions of App St and Georgia So seem insane to me.
Boise State is the obvious poster child for the move up, but aside from that university, I can’t think of another situation where the move up has been worth it.
Troy is one of the better success stories; this is a post I wrote back in April about recent schools moving up, the good and bad: http://bisonmedia.areavoices.com/2012/04/10/be-careful-moving-up/
Great post back in April. Foregoing the fact that NDSU just doesn’t have the funds to go Division I in football…which recent FCS move to FBS mentioned in Dom’s post should NDSU model the move after?
UConn (5-7), Troy (5-7), S. Florida (3-9), Florida Atlantic (3-9), Florida Int’l (3-9), W. Kentucky (7-5), S. Alabama (2-11), Texas St. (4-8), Texas-SA (8-4), or UMass (1-11)?
Be happy with this national FCS title run and last years…it won’t happen every year.
And next year’s. This entire team basically comes back next year. I like their chances again next season.
I get it. Moore is kind of old. The team wants to move up to the FBS and he doesn’t. Might as well start building their vision of an FBS team now.
I think if NDSU would move up, there isnt a more perfect coach than Bohl and hes obviously a lot younger.
With Georgia Southern, Appalachian, and a few other teams moving up, there is a perfect storm for us to build another dynasty similar to the 80′s except at the FCS level.
Keep winning and make the jump in about 10 years. Then we will be in a better position to compete
Moving up has nothing to do with “sports” and everything to do with “economics”. NDUS could not get the grants and programs as a DIV II university that they are more likely qualified for as a DIV I institution. “Sports” just happens to be part of the package; not the driver. If NDSU moves up to FBS, it will because of institutional economics; not because of some overwhelming desire to compete in sports at the FBS level.
From a sports perspective, it is typically better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a sea. Big fish in a small pond occassionally get recognized at the national level; small fish in the sea are always dinner.
We’re already D1 in all sports except football. Our total athletic budget is about 15 million per year (and less than 50% is a subsidized) By comparison, Northern Illinois (who won the MAC and is going to the Orange Bowl) has a 23 million dollar budget and they get nearly 8 million in student fees. 70% of their expenses are subsidized. Georgia Southern was going to abandon their move to D1 until the students voted to subsidize the costs through activity fees. I think everyone agrees we could compete in the MAC immediately. (heck we beat Ball State with a D2 roster). And I believe you get money for the ESPN deal too.
I would rather be a big fish in a big pond. We’re a football school first and with 22 more full ride scholarships and some upgrades to facilities, we would be outstanding. No question about it.
I think the Bison are capable of doing many great things in D-I football but when I think of Big Fish in a Big Pond I think of Alabama, Florida, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Penn State, Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma, USC, Miami, Florida State, LSU and Georgia. I just don’t see how we could ever compete against those guys in football unless Sanford, Microsoft, KIlbourne Group and Scheels feel like building a $400 to $500 million dollar dome that holds at least 40,000 people. Even at that I feel it would be tough against that group of teams. You did say Big Fish in a Big Pond right? Well those are the big fish in college football. Go Bison!
Jerry Moore knows more about football and winning than any football coach they can bring in here or can afford……They should have kept him, moved up, played that last year…. and then hired their new coach. Interesting about life ….. how it comes back around to bite you on your rear! Watch out what you wish for you might get it!
NDSU can’t find $2-3million to complete the BSA improvements. Students and parents are screaming about fees and tuition prices. Shervani didnt get the money he asked for in the budget the governor released yesterday. Where is the other $8-10 million and thr political will it would take to make that last jump come from?
Glass half empty? Or you could say that NDSU has raised 30 million for the bsa and completed a new indoor track facility , built new coaching offices, 2 new field turf fields, renovated the Benson Bunker, and completed dozens of upgrades in about 6 years using all private money.
Thanks for the link, Dom. I remember that post, but don’t dig far enough back to find it.
Where will the additional players come from? Will it be more imported players who are “‘not smart enough, grown up enough or sophisticated enough’ to understand the consequences of their actions, and should not be penalized for being football players.”
Found one