"Let’s be frank, the FCS fatigue in Fargo has become unbearable. Fargo media members, who I like and respect and communicate with weekly, have told NDSU fans for years that the FCS has become a joke as other teams have left for the FBS. That has, in part, increased Bison fans’ apathy of FCS football. When the fan base and media of the FCS’ top brand is constantly taking swipes at the subdivision, it’s not good for anyone. It’s not good for the FCS, and it’s not good for the NDSU football program. The more FCS titles the Bison win, the more the fans want to leave the FCS. Not great for either side!
-There is also NDSU fatigue across the FCS outside of the SDSU fan base (who is also now hoping for a football-only MWC invite). UND fans also probably wouldn’t love this NDSU to the MWC move. And Montana and Montana State fans, while excited that their door to win an FCS title opens more, are also realizing how watered down the FCS is getting. But how many people want to watch NDSU win two or three more titles in the next five years? Because that is probably going to happen if the Bison stay in the FCS.
-NDSU’s fan base is great and passionate about their own team. But honestly, NDSU fans have gotten less and less engaging with FCS national content. There’s a lack of FCS intrigue in that fan base. Which I do understand! At some point of winning titles and seeing other teams leave, it’s understandable Bison followers want to go FBS. If the Bison are out of the picture, it allows other teams to step into being contenders. It opens the door a bit more for someone else to make a run. And then those fan bases become more engaged with the FCS national discussion — we’ve seen this with Idaho, UIW, Furman, Mercer. When more teams can realistically compete deeper in the playoffs, it creates better engagement from different corners of the country. I was concerned about HERO’s analytics when JMU, JSU, SHSU, and Kennesaw left for the FBS. But our traffic, podcast numbers, and Twitter analytics continue to have year-over-year growth. Because other fan bases have stepped into being those quarterfinal-to-semifinal-type teams and become more engaged with the FCS title conversation.
-Would an NDSU move to the FBS suck for rivals SDSU and UND? Yes. Would it suck for schools like Montana and Montana State who are watching most of the FCS schools who take football as seriously as they do leave? Yes. Will those three (SDSU, UM, MSU) be the usual contenders for the FCS title? Yes. But NDSU outgrew the FCS a long time ago. It was time for the Bison to leave the FCS. Hopefully, SDSU and the Montanas find themselves in the MWC someday soon too. Or in a new middle subdivision of G5 and top FCS teams."
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