The Bobcat Nation

That's a new twist.

NDSU might get about as good of a deal as they could ever get. MWC football-only member, but stay in the Summit League for everything else. Football team gets to play with the big boys, while every other team plays in a smaller regionalized conference with less travel/expenses. That deal is hard to pass up, unless they value their rivalry games and being one of the elites of FCS/winning championships more (which for them is their biggest draw to attend. I'm not sure how great their recruiting pitch to Fargo would be without being able to say you're competing for a national championship every season)

Here we go! NDSU and SDSU leaving the FCS without taking anyone else with them has always been the worst possible outcome to me.

NDSU has set the standard in the FCS. Now, let them set the standard of the State schools moving up too. Let them show them we can be competitive, we have great fans, and we can provide a decent media market (although NDSU's media market is vastly greater than both Montana schools combined).

NDSU should accept this invite as soon as it comes in. They can still schedule the Marker every year, or every other year, as a non-conf game.

CodyCat wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 06, 2024 2:19 pm

NDSU has set the standard in the FCS. Now, let them set the standard of the State schools moving up too. Let them show them we can be competitive, we have great fans, and we can provide a decent media market (although NDSU's media market is vastly greater than both Montana schools combined).

About 265k for Fargo vs 200k for Missoula/Butte-Bozeman combined.

Not sure I'd qualify that as "vastly", but it is certainly meaningful.

onceacat wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 06, 2024 4:22 pm

CodyCat wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 06, 2024 2:19 pm

NDSU has set the standard in the FCS. Now, let them set the standard of the State schools moving up too. Let them show them we can be competitive, we have great fans, and we can provide a decent media market (although NDSU's media market is vastly greater than both Montana schools combined).

About 265k for Fargo vs 200k for Missoula/Butte-Bozeman combined.

Not sure I'd qualify that as "vastly", but it is certainly meaningful.

Fair. I was also counting Minneapolis.

Don’t like to see it. Was hoping for us, the dakotas, and the gris if a move was ever going to happen. I also hate how they play games on Thursdays and Fridays in the MW. I really hate the Tuesday/Wednesday games in the MAC and C-USA. I hope we never go that route, because that would kill the game day vibe in Bozeman.

Hi-Line Bobcat wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 06, 2024 4:27 pm

Don’t like to see it. Was hoping for us, the dakotas, and the gris if a move was ever going to happen. I also hate how they play games on Thursdays and Fridays in the MW. I really hate the Tuesday/Wednesday games in the MAC and C-USA. I hope we never go that route, because that would kill the game day vibe in Bozeman.

This. With the teams Mountain West lost, I would bet they end up with Tu-Th games also. Horrible for MT schools with all the travel.

RockyBearCat wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 06, 2024 5:47 pm

Hi-Line Bobcat wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 06, 2024 4:27 pm

Don’t like to see it. Was hoping for us, the dakotas, and the gris if a move was ever going to happen. I also hate how they play games on Thursdays and Fridays in the MW. I really hate the Tuesday/Wednesday games in the MAC and C-USA. I hope we never go that route, because that would kill the game day vibe in Bozeman.

This. With the teams Mountain West lost, I would bet they end up with Tu-Th games also. Horrible for MT schools with all the travel.

Yep. I'm cool staying in the BSC and FCS. I sometimes watch those MACtion or CUSA midweek games on TV, and they have like 5 fans there. Looks like a great way to kill fan interest in a proud program, while also competing for absolutely nothing but the Shreveport, Louisiana ****** Bowl against some school that stopped caring about football in the Eisenhower administration. No thank you, I'll take FCS even if the XDSUs leave

I think the answer is a hard NO, but just for sake of discussion: Would there be a possibility of the MWC adding Montana and Montana State for just football with the rest of our sports joining the Summit League...assuming the Big Sky would boot us without football?

BelgradeBobcat wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 06, 2024 6:46 pm

I think the answer is a hard NO, but just for sake of discussion: Would there be a possibility of the MWC adding Montana and Montana State for just football with the rest of our sports joining the Summit League...assuming the Big Sky would boot us without football?

Hmm, that's an intriguing possibility. I doubt the travel would be significantly worse than it currently is in the Big Sky since the Summit League has the four Dakota teams plus five others in major metro areas - Denver, Omaha, St. Thomas (MSP), Oakland (Detroit), and Kansas City. The existing members may not be thrilled though about adding Montana road trips to their travel schedules.

MSU01 wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 06, 2024 7:03 pm

BelgradeBobcat wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 06, 2024 6:46 pm

I think the answer is a hard NO, but just for sake of discussion: Would there be a possibility of the MWC adding Montana and Montana State for just football with the rest of our sports joining the Summit League...assuming the Big Sky would boot us without football?

Hmm, that's an intriguing possibility. I doubt the travel would be significantly worse than it currently is in the Big Sky since the Summit League has the four Dakota teams plus five others in major metro areas - Denver, Omaha, St. Thomas (MSP), Oakland (Detroit), and Kansas City. The existing members may not be thrilled though about adding Montana road trips to their travel schedules.

The biggest benefit for MSU moving up is all other sports besides football.

MSU01 wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 06, 2024 7:03 pm

BelgradeBobcat wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 06, 2024 6:46 pm

I think the answer is a hard NO, but just for sake of discussion: Would there be a possibility of the MWC adding Montana and Montana State for just football with the rest of our sports joining the Summit League...assuming the Big Sky would boot us without football?

Hmm, that's an intriguing possibility. I doubt the travel would be significantly worse than it currently is in the Big Sky since the Summit League has the four Dakota teams plus five others in major metro areas - Denver, Omaha, St. Thomas (MSP), Oakland (Detroit), and Kansas City. The existing members may not be thrilled though about adding Montana road trips to their travel schedules.

It would mean conference basketball tournaments in Sioux Falls instead of Boise. I do like Boise better than SF.

Anyway, I throw out the possibility if the MWC wants to grow by 4 instead of 1 (NDSU, SDSU, UM, MSU). With 12 fb playing members they can set up a conference championship game.

MSU01 wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 06, 2024 7:03 pm

BelgradeBobcat wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 06, 2024 6:46 pm

I think the answer is a hard NO, but just for sake of discussion: Would there be a possibility of the MWC adding Montana and Montana State for just football with the rest of our sports joining the Summit League...assuming the Big Sky would boot us without football?

Hmm, that's an intriguing possibility. I doubt the travel would be significantly worse than it currently is in the Big Sky since the Summit League has the four Dakota teams plus five others in major metro areas - Denver, Omaha, St. Thomas (MSP), Oakland (Detroit), and Kansas City. The existing members may not be thrilled though about adding Montana road trips to their travel schedules.

Oakland is in the Horizon League. Summit League is the Dakotas, Denver, UMKC, Omaha, Oral Roberts (Tulsa), and St Thomas

BelgradeBobcat wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 06, 2024 7:11 pm

MSU01 wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 06, 2024 7:03 pm

BelgradeBobcat wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 06, 2024 6:46 pm

I think the answer is a hard NO, but just for sake of discussion: Would there be a possibility of the MWC adding Montana and Montana State for just football with the rest of our sports joining the Summit League...assuming the Big Sky would boot us without football?

Hmm, that's an intriguing possibility. I doubt the travel would be significantly worse than it currently is in the Big Sky since the Summit League has the four Dakota teams plus five others in major metro areas - Denver, Omaha, St. Thomas (MSP), Oakland (Detroit), and Kansas City. The existing members may not be thrilled though about adding Montana road trips to their travel schedules.

It would mean conference basketball tournaments in Sioux Falls instead of Boise. I do like Boise better than SF.

Anyway, I throw out the possibility if the MWC wants to grow by 4 instead of 1 (NDSU, SDSU, UM, MSU). With 12 fb playing members they can set up a conference championship game.

NCAA changed that rule a couple years ago. Now you can have a championship game if you have less than 12 if you play a full round robin or have 2 divisions. If they have 9 or 10 members, they can play a full 8 or 9 game conference slate with a championship game

damnyoutuesday wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 06, 2024 7:14 pm

MSU01 wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 06, 2024 7:03 pm

BelgradeBobcat wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 06, 2024 6:46 pm

I think the answer is a hard NO, but just for sake of discussion: Would there be a possibility of the MWC adding Montana and Montana State for just football with the rest of our sports joining the Summit League...assuming the Big Sky would boot us without football?

Hmm, that's an intriguing possibility. I doubt the travel would be significantly worse than it currently is in the Big Sky since the Summit League has the four Dakota teams plus five others in major metro areas - Denver, Omaha, St. Thomas (MSP), Oakland (Detroit), and Kansas City. The existing members may not be thrilled though about adding Montana road trips to their travel schedules.

Oakland is in the Horizon League. Summit League is the Dakotas, Denver, UMKC, Omaha, Oral Roberts (Tulsa), and St Thomas

Very true! My bad, confused the Oakland Golden Grizzlies with the ORU Golden Eagles.

Stay where we are at....let them go. There is no benefit to moving up, it will literally kill this program. Maybe a good year every so often and the best you get is to go to some no name bowl with zero views and no real pageantry(and less money because you won't draw as much for mid week games).

For MSU it would better and more beneficial to be a big fish in a small pond vs a very small fish in an ocean....

BobcatBuiltTexan wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 08, 2024 8:29 am

Stay where we are at....let them go. There is no benefit to moving up, it will literally kill this program. Maybe a good year every so often and the best you get is to go to some no name bowl with zero views and no real pageantry(and less money because you won't draw as much for mid week games).

For MSU it would better and more beneficial to be a big fish in a small pond vs a very small fish in an ocean....

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