mthoopsfan
Well-known member
Okay. I hear your feeling. How about some explanations and reasons?
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What's so good about moving up?
- Thread starter hardycreek1
- Start date
Only thing I disagree about is the NDSU part, going into this year NDSU has more questions at key spots than the had in the past.. I think they will do very well this year, im going with anywhere from 8-4 to 10-2 depending on the non-conference schedule.
The following years they will be very, very good in the MWC.
mthoopsfan
Well-known member
I don't see NDSU "steam rolling" in the MW. I am still not sold on MSU, despite its national championship and wins over the Griz. UM should and could have beaten MSU in the first game, and I think the 2d game would have been different had UM not lost its 2 receivers early on and its good safety later. But obviously both great wins for Cats. Cats didn't exactly steamroll Yale, the no. 2 team in the Ivies. As I have posted, nice win by Cats in championship game, but that has to be the luckiest win in championship history. Somme of you act like the Cats are a hundred miles against of Griz, but they aren't.
Had the Griz gotten a few more ball bounces in first game, and the 2d game then been in Missoula, things might have been different. These things didn't occur, and the Griz and fans have to live with that. However, I keep laughing at all the egriz posters who think the world has ended and the Cats are miles ahead of the Griz, and will be in the future. Obviously, I don't agree. Get back to the ledge and feel free to jump. That would improve egriz, in my view.
I agree 100%. First, our state doesn't fund education as well as it needs to, for MSU and UM to move up. Secondly, having playoff games is really lots of fun. If we move up maybe would would end up in the Potato Bowl or Motor City Bowl, or some other silly bowl game. I will take two or three playoff games over this any day. Third, We would be switching from being a big fish in a small pond to being a small fish in a big pond. Fourth, we would lose more games. The fans probably would over react to the loses and bring a lot of negative energy to the team. Finally, we traveled to Pocatello to watch the Griz play ISU. The guys (6) sitting in front of us were from the east coast. They have been traveling to FCS games for about a decade. Their belief is that FCS football is the best football in college. They talked about loving the playoffs, players not getting millions to play, games that more evenly matched, and watching various offensive and defensive sets that varied from the norm. They mentioned moving up would be a big risk.
Colter_Nuanez56
Well-known member
Who wins if the Griz played New Mexico or UNLV next year? I'm taking the Griz. And that's the two team that who played in the MW title game last year.
I would take NDSU, Montana State and Montana against every team on a neutral field, let alone if those teams were in the same conference and had to come to the hostile environments that exist in Fargo, Missoula or Bozeman.
Maybe I am just speculating. If the FCS can survive, then great. I like what Ut-Grizfan said on this post earlier. . .in many areas the FCS is likened to DII in most peoples eyes these days.
With the FBS growing and solid teams trying to get in the mix, we have already seen the FCS become much more watered down very rapidly in the last 4-5 years. I feel like we may have hit a high at 2019 with perception, talent and overall competitiveness in the FCS. Since then, we have seen a steady decline in teams, somewhat in talent, and the entire college football landscape and structure has taken on a new tone that may make it very difficult for the FCS to survive in a pay players to play environment. I, actually, don't think it will be bad for Montana. Shoot, the entire FCS depends on Montana and Montana State now. We seem to be the last true fan bases and high profile teams left standing. Maybe, the Montana schools can save the FCS by staying and continuing with their great product(s). Hope so. However, they each could do well in the FBS. They may be ready to do it, if circumstances finally dictate it to be what is best for them. Not sure.
mthoopsfan
Well-known member
I don’t know. Don’t follow the MW, except casually. But another huge factor will be playing every game in a tougher conference week after week. It’s a lot easier to gear up for 1 or 2 tough FBS games, and then to a normal FCS schedule. I can’t image that the bottom half of the MW is alot tougher than than the bottom half of the MW and BS.
Seriously...we live in a state that barely checks in with a little over a million people. We don't have the financial horsepower or tax base or industry to think we can even sniff at anything more than FCS participation. And I am OK with that. If it means beating up NOCO and Puttland State on the way to playoffs and a CHANCE at a NC, then so be it.
Totally hypothetical
Montana schedule for 2026 non-conference games..
Western Washington
Central Arkansas
Southern Illinois ..
You run that schedule undefeated, and finish the season with 2 losses and a second round loss in the FCS tournament ..or
As an FBS team your non-conerence schedule looks like
At USC
Home with Georgia southern
Home with James Madison
You go 2-1,with that and finish the year 9-3 and a bowl game against Tennesse in San Diego.. which gets you more excited?
mthoopsfan
Well-known member
Yuck. That would be awful. And I doubt the 9-3. Pipe dream. Who wants to play USC on the road? No me. Doubt Georgia Southern or James Madison, especially JM, would be at home.
I am fine with the non-conference schedule. We could recruit the best WW guys for the next year. Central Ark and So Ill would be fun OOC home games.
You've convinced me. UM should stay at FCS level.
mthoopsfan
Well-known member
I agree. It seems so simple and straight-forward to me.
MikeyGriz
Well-known member
Totally hypocritical indeed! A bowl game with Tennessee? Put down the pipe and back away!
Id take a bowl game with Buffalo over any fcs team.Totally hypocritical indeed! A bowl game with Tennessee? Put down the pipe and back away!
Boise state a g6 team from the MWC went to a bowl game last year, guess who they played?..Answer..Totally hypocritical indeed! A bowl game with Tennessee? Put down the pipe and back away!
Boise state played Big Ten Washington Huskies.. keep proving how little you know!!!
This speaks to the Bison (Bozo ) no brainer decision to move up along with a big oil money checkbook. Montana doesn’t have big money industries anymore, nor the demographics. Oil replaces demographics in NoDak.
701Grizfan
Well-known member
agree which makes me wonder, why move up to the FBS label now? Let’s be honest here - MWC, FCS = same sh@t different pants. I’d rather ride out the next couple years in the fcs until more dominos drop with P4 conferences. Play for a natty in a watered down league versus a low tier FBS conference and a meaningless bowl game. Although the $$ for a bowl game is attractive. One conference loss by any MW team automatically eliminates them from CFP and great chances are nobody runs the table. Please share your thoughts folks.The obvious upside for the Griz is a National Championship, which the way the FCS is right now is a legit shot as long as Montana State isn't as good as advertised.
The downside is a loss to Oregon state on the road, a loss to UC Davis on the road, a loss to Montana State on the road.. those are games right now looking like they would be the under dog in every one that's 9-3, throw in a game they slip up on and their 8-4. You happy with that?
Colter_Nuanez56
Well-known member
The downside in the big picture is what if the Griz get locked into the third tier of D1 football and don’t ever get invited or have the opportunity to “move up” even when there’s a second College Football Playoff for the non Power 5?
That’s on the table. It’s why NDSU didn’t just wait. They are betting that the $17 mil they paid will be a screaming deal in a few years.
I understand the finances are way more challenging. I just don’t have the stomach for watch the Griz beat Northern Colorado and Portland State annually forever more.
That’s on the table. It’s why NDSU didn’t just wait. They are betting that the $17 mil they paid will be a screaming deal in a few years.
I understand the finances are way more challenging. I just don’t have the stomach for watch the Griz beat Northern Colorado and Portland State annually forever more.
Perhaps this could devolve to the remnants of the BSC and other FCS conferences into a Division II level with an FBS facility? That would be a lock up!
5280Griz
Well-known member
For what it’s worth, the G6 it sounds like currently has no interest in leaving the CFP and creating their own playoff system. I recently talked to someone high up in Colorado State’s athletic department who said their prerogative is to stay eligible for the top level of the CFP even if that means they have to move up conferences out of the Pac.
