What If the Big Sky Dropped to D2 in Football?

[PapaG]

Funding 63 equal scholarships in women’s sports is a lot more difficult than funding 36 scholarships, which is the D2 football limit. The financial game has changed for universities, likely permanently. The correction needed to happen at some point, certainly not like with this catalyst, yet here we are.

Would it make sense long-term to reduce Title IX scholarship obligations by lowering men’s limits in football is I what I’m trying to get across. Cut men’s scholarships to all other sports except basketball and then it’s only 49 total men’s scholarships and maybe 51 women’s depending on breakdown of men/women on campus.

The time to be brainstorming was a month ago but let’s get it rolling.

[coloradocat]

Funding 63 equal scholarships in women’s sports is a lot more difficult than funding 36 scholarships, which is the D2 football limit. The financial game has changed for universities, likely permanently. The correction needed to happen at some point, certainly not like with this catalyst, yet here we are.

Would it make sense long-term to reduce Title IX scholarship obligations by lowering men’s limits in football is I what I’m trying to get across. Cut men’s scholarships to all other sports except basketball and then it’s only 49 total men’s scholarships and maybe 51 women’s depending on breakdown of men/women on campus.

The time to be brainstorming was a month ago but let’s get it rolling.

That's one way to turn off major donors for any future athletic department project. The school just put in a ton of effort to get funding for the stadium expansion and then we drop down a level? If the Big Sky dropped to D2 we wouldn't go with them maybe for this reason alone.

An alternative that would save much less money and also ruffle fewer feathers in the wider Bobcat community would be to take a hard look at the specific sports we offer. Are there better options from a cost/participant standpoint? If you don't count football which sports are costing the school the most money? Would we be better off dropping a sport or switching to club teams?

We have both Men's and Women's Tennis and between the two teams there are four coaches. There are the same number of men as women participants so it would seem somewhat easy to just drop tennis (assume the scholarships are also the same).

I think we'll most likely just keep doing what we've always done because with any change, especially downsizing, comes a lot of politics.

[imacat]

I do not believe this is permitted by the NCAA unless the conference goes DII in all sports. This why the FBS / FCS subdivisions were created for football.

[PapaG]

I do not believe this is permitted by the NCAA unless the conference goes DII in all sports. This why the FBS / FCS subdivisions were created for football.

Then what’s wrong with D2 for all sports? It’s not like an FCS title means more.

[allcat]

Scholarships don't really cost money, it's all just bookkeeping. The real expenses are the coaches and admin. You still have to get the same amount of players to the games.

[bobcatozzy]

[rivercat]

Not going to happen. This is a flagship, land grant University that has experienced a record setting decade of growth, a wbb program aiming at the upper echelons of D1 mid-major powers, and football in FC's semifinals last year....

MSU's next move will absolutely not be down. Wow

[BozoneCat]

Quite possibly the dumbest OP in the last several months, and that is no small feat.

[BleedingBLue]

hahahahahahaha

Oh man what a post. Sure let's do it. Goodbye Bobcat Stadium. Adios awesome football upgrades. See ya donors. Ta ta 16,000+ enrollment. Shall I go on?

[PapaG]

hahahahahahaha

Oh man what a post. Sure let's do it. Goodbye Bobcat Stadium. Adios awesome football upgrades. See ya donors. Ta ta 16,000+ enrollment. Shall I go on?

See, this is about what I expected. Short-sightedness. What does the future hold?

[BleedingBLue]

hahahahahahaha

Oh man what a post. Sure let's do it. Goodbye Bobcat Stadium. Adios awesome football upgrades. See ya donors. Ta ta 16,000+ enrollment. Shall I go on?

See, this is about what I expected. Short-sightedness. What does the future hold?

Not D2 sports at MSU.

[Joe Bobcat]

hahahahahahaha

Oh man what a post. Sure let's do it. Goodbye Bobcat Stadium. Adios awesome football upgrades. See ya donors. Ta ta 16,000+ enrollment. Shall I go on?

See, this is about what I expected. Short-sightedness. What does the future hold?

Not D2 sports at MSU.

Not saying that bleedingblue is spot on by any means but all that he said has some possibility at least if we dropped down to D2. Thinking that we should drop down to D2 sounds more shortsighted than anything else I've read here. Papa maybe you should let us in on your long range vision and plan for MSU as a D2 school.
I don't know but it wouldn't surprise me that if you floated that idea past president Cruzado she'd verbally if not physically beat you to a pulp, or she might just laugh you out of her office similar to what 95% of BN will do with your suggestion. lol. lol. hahahahaha!

[allcat]

I think people ridiculing this post are the idiots. Greg posted a legit question among the concerns that we all have. After he posts then people go into Idaho mode about the possibility. I have read many more stupid comments about masks and Dr Fauci.

[iaafan]

Ahhh, nothing like some good old-fashioned fear-mongering from the usual source to get my Monday going. If the Big Sky wants to drop down to DII, so be it. See ya later. MSU is NOT going DII.

The NCAA may restructure its divisions, but rest assured MSU will go where it fits best, which is with teams out of the G5 conferences (Sun Belt, MWC, Conf. USA, MVFC, CAA, Southland). It won't be going into a division with Cent. Washington, Chadron, etc.

[bobcatozzy]

I'm glad your not part of the Big Sky commission. What you say doesn't make any sense. Do you know how the scholarships are funded? If others in the Big Sky can't make it maybe they should looking at going DII.

[BleedingBLue]

I think people ridiculing this post are the idiots. Greg posted a legit question among the concerns that we all have. After he posts then people go into Idaho mode about the possibility. I have read many more stupid comments about masks and Dr Fauci.

Comparing Idaho's drop down to a drop down to D2 is like comparing dog poop to bear scat. Sort of similar cause they're both sh*t, but that's where the similarities end.

[Cataholic]

If the Big Sky was going to move to D2, MSU, UM, NAU, Davis and Weber would immediately start looking at the Mountain West. It is hard to include EWU and Idaho in this group since they struggle financially.

There are some current Big Sky programs that probably are a better fit in D2. Most notably UNC and probably Portland State since they don’t have a dedicated stadium. The rest of the teams have strong arguments that they should be FCS, but clearly not FBS.

Given Papa G’s hypothetical, there is no chance that the Big Sky alienates MSU, UM, Weber, NAU and Weber by considering D2.

[RationalGriz]

I think something like this would be dictated more by the overall landscape of College football than and individual school. For example, what if the fallout of Covid is the viability of only a handful of schools being able to maintain football at the FCS level and the remaining having to either drop to D2 or drop football. For those 4-5 schools, a big part of the decision would be dictated by either finding other schools that they could join to remain FCS or follow the others to remain viable.

[rivercat]

I think something like this would be dictated more by the overall landscape of College football than and individual school. For example, what if the fallout of Covid is the viability of only a handful of schools being able to maintain football at the FCS level and the remaining having to either drop to D2 or drop football. For those 4-5 schools, a big part of the decision would be dictated by either finding other schools that they could join to remain FCS or follow the others to remain viable.

Wow, so your scenario is 97% of all FCS teams drop down or drop football altogether? That's realistic.

[BleedingBLue]

I think something like this would be dictated more by the overall landscape of College football than and individual school. For example, what if the fallout of Covid is the viability of only a handful of schools being able to maintain football at the FCS level and the remaining having to either drop to D2 or drop football. For those 4-5 schools, a big part of the decision would be dictated by either finding other schools that they could join to remain FCS or follow the others to remain viable.

I think the conversation then becomes what group of 5 teams are better off moving to FCS though. Because the same conversations are going to be had at that level. Teams like San Jose State, NMSU, New Mexico, UNLV, Nevada etc. could all be looking at dropping down and a new BSC could be formed.

The power 5 could very well decide the NCAA is no longer a necessary evil and make their own college athletics group. They could include the American as well. The group of 5 may see teams fold or want to drop down so maybe the remaining FCS teams form a new division with the group of 5 and have a real playoff format still. It will be very interesting to see what happens with college football in the next couple years.