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Big Sky or MVC

Explain how we would compete in football by joining the MWC?

We barely tread water where we are, if we were not in a weak conference like the BSC we wouldn't even be a .500 team.

The last above average team we had was 2000-2001, some people need to wake up
 
ALPHAGRIZ1 said:
Explain how we would compete in football by joining the MWC?

We barely tread water where we are, if we were not in a weak conference like the BSC we wouldn't even be a .500 team.

The last above average team we had was 2000-2001, some people need to wake up
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:lol: :lol: :lol:
Yeah, 2008 and 2009 weren't very good teams. :lol:
 
OrgonGriz said:
In all seriousness looking at how things have gone the past say 5 years would UM and MSU be better off in the Missouri Valley Conf? Better football being played. Looking like better B Ball as well. Overall especially in the Dakotas the fans seem to follow there teams better. Also the fan bases are the same type of people as found in MT, ranchers, farmers, hardworking people.
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Understatement of the decade
 
ALPHAGRIZ1 said:
Explain how we would compete in football by joining the MWC?

We barely tread water where we are, if we were not in a weak conference like the BSC we wouldn't even be a .500 team.

The last above average team we had was 2000-2001, some people need to wake up
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What it means is that UM would no longer be able to get by playing to the past mediocre level of its former BSC brethren. Any move would be almost as much one of overcoming a failed philosophy as it would be of economics. UM and its supporters would have to aspire to getting better and becoming competitive with schools that otherwise academically are already its peer. After half a century in the BSC treading water is no longer an option for any reasonable hope for an improvement in Griz athletics
 
UM and MSU are pretty much stuck in the Big Sky for football, given that travel is so expensive for Western teams and the limited FCS football options, like Mo Valley, don't really have teams located near major airports. Seriously, you can do PSU, SAC, Davis and No. CO way cheaper than you can fly to Mo Valley schools, not to mention that none of the Mo Valley schools are going to like the cost of flying to Missoula or Bozeman.

If we're going to peel away participation from the Big Sky, why not leave football alone and shop around the other sports, namely men's and women's basketball and soccer. Big Sky basketball is among the worst in the nation. The Big Sky Conference is no longer an all-sport conference. Maybe the Montana's should take advantage of that and look elsewhere, even the Summit might work, given that travel costs for basketball are significantly less than for football.
 
griz4life said:
UM and MSU are pretty much stuck in the Big Sky for football, given that travel is so expensive for Western teams and the limited FCS football options, like Mo Valley, don't really have teams located near major airports. Seriously, you can do PSU, SAC, Davis and No. CO way cheaper than you can fly to Mo Valley schools, not to mention that none of the Mo Valley schools are going to like the cost of flying to Missoula or Bozeman.

If we're going to peel away participation from the Big Sky, why not leave football alone and shop around the other sports, namely men's and women's basketball and soccer. Big Sky basketball is among the worst in the nation. The Big Sky Conference is no longer an all-sport conference. Maybe the Montana's should take advantage of that and look elsewhere, even the Summit might work, given that travel costs for basketball are significantly less than for football.
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Football teams fly charter - not commercial. Forget United, Frontier or Delta in or out of Missoula or Bozeman with their exorbitant fares. There's no reason to think a negotiated charter flight to and from Ft. Collins or Reno would necessarily be any more expensive than to and from Ogden or Portland. Time in the air - not competing airfares - influences cost.
 
Simply not going to be MWC...only other stepping stone is the Sun Belt. I was serious with Sun Belt west comment. Idaho, & New Mexico State would love for at least 4 FCS schools to move up. Sun Belt commish has always had a desire to get us when he was with the WAC.

Pick up NDSU, SDSU, MSU and the Griz. Add them to a "western division" with Idaho, New Mexico State. The "southeastern" division would have App State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Louisiana-Layfayette, South Alabama, Arkansas State, Troy, & Louisiana Monroe.

Of course that's an 8-6 split for football only, so perhaps one of the southeastern's would have to go "west". Or just go crazy and add the other two Dakota schools.

Do I think it would happen? Probably not ever, but a much better chance then a MWC move up. Plus for now, it looks like conference shifting is settling down. Sun Belt would allow us to continue to play ASU & GSU at home every few years. I think we once stomped Troy in NCAA playoffs something like 72-7 also.

I still believe it much more likely that a mid-major football division forms with the top FCS conferences and the lower FBS conferences.
 
ordigger said:
I still believe it much more likely that a mid-major football division forms with the top FCS conferences and the lower FBS conferences.
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I think that is likely to happen as well. I also believe the uncertainty of mid level to lower level BCS teams/conferences is the main reason why the GRIZ chose to stay where we are at. In hindsight, at the time the right decision was made.

With that said, Montana has to better prepare for the ever changing college football world. It is a matter time before we are faced with another tough decision. :thumb:
 
ALPHAGRIZ1 said:
Explain how we would compete in football by joining the MWC?

We barely tread water where we are, if we were not in a weak conference like the BSC we wouldn't even be a .500 team.

The last above average team we had was 2000-2001, some people need to wake up
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I'm not saying you'd compete next year, but I do think you could be a competitive program. Your facilities are on par with many of the schools in the MWC. Although the MWC is not the gem of exposure, you'd get much more than in the BSC. I think you'd be able to recruit well. You'd already be in line with the mid to bottom of the MWC. The top of the BSC is near as good as the bottom of the MWC. Next year you'd have a shot against UNLV, UNM, Hawaii, Air Force and I think Wyoming is possible. I think you'd win games your first year and become competitive after a few seasons. I'm not arguing this should or will happen. I just think if you were to move from the BSC, the MWC would be the most logical choice.
 
As it stands now, the Griz would get destroyed in the MWC, and as an example, the 2013 UNLV team would have beaten the 2013 Griz, and dare I say handily. And I consider myself a sugarcoater.

However, I strongly disagree with Alpha that the 2001 team was the last above average team, and my question for AG1 is, would you think differently of Glenn coached the 2008 and 2009 teams instead of Bobby? Would they then have been above average in your opinion.?
 
havgrizfan said:
As it stands now, the Griz would get destroyed in the MWC, and as an example, the 2013 UNLV team would have beaten the 2013 Griz, and dare I say handily. And I consider myself a sugarcoater.

However, I strongly disagree with Alpha that the 2001 team was the last above average team, and my question for AG1 is, would you think differently of Glenn coached the 2008 and 2009 teams instead of Bobby? Would they then have been above average in your opinion.?
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So you're assuming we'd recruit the exact same athletes as a member of the MWC?
 
AZ. No. Swoop said the Griz could compete RIGHT NOW. I take RIGHT NOW to mean the 2013 and 2014 teams. Hence I said, the 2013 Griz team, and I believe the 2014 Griz COULD NOT compete in the MWC. And I used the 2013 Rebs as an example. I DID NOT say, the Griz couldn't compete in 10 years if they were to move up to the MWC. Nope. Didn't say that.
 
havgrizfan said:
As it stands now, the Griz would get destroyed in the MWC, and as an example, the 2013 UNLV team would have beaten the 2013 Griz, and dare I say handily. And I consider myself a sugarcoater.

However, I strongly disagree with Alpha that the 2001 team was the last above average team, and my question for AG1 is, would you think differently of Glenn coached the 2008 and 2009 teams instead of Bobby? Would they then have been above average in your opinion.?
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Why do people think the 08-09 teams were that great? They wouldn't even be in the top 5 best teams we have ever had at UM. If Glenn was still coaching the Griz in 08-09 we probably would have had 2 or 3 more NC flags by then and we would still be getting the best recruits in the BSC so it's possible those teams would have been above average.

Too bad we will never know, now we just have to live in the past because it's been 15 years since we have been relevant.
 
havgrizfan said:
AZ. No. Swoop said the Griz could compete RIGHT NOW. I take RIGHT NOW to mean the 2013 and 2014 teams. Hence I said, the 2013 Griz team, and I believe the 2014 Griz COULD NOT compete in the MWC. And I used the 2013 Rebs as an example. I DID NOT say, the Griz couldn't compete in 10 years if they were to move up to the MWC. Nope. Didn't say that.
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We will never know, but it is fun to speculate. I meant 2014-2015 forward, but I honestly think if Griz brought their A game they could have beat 13-14 UNLV. I'm certainly no expert and maybe over critical of the teams I follow (EWU-UNLV), but I just don't think they were very good after watching them all year. UNLV was 7-6 by beating 6 really pathetic teams. They had one real solid win. In all but one case they were destroyed when they played a decent (not great) team. I certainly would not have counted Griz out in that match up.

Maybe I was off on competitive next year. I don't think they would be the door mat though. I absolutely think they could be upper tier in 5-8 years. I also think they would get dismantled in basketball and would need MANY years to become competitive. In my opinion, unless it was the MWC, it would be best for Griz to stay put. I guess I don't see many advantages to MVC/Sun Belt. But, I'm just an armchair AD with nothing better to do on a Tuesday night.

Either way, I hope Griz stay as I love the EWU/UM games each year. Have always had a great time in Cheney, Missoula, and at the Griz bar in Vegas. Hope you guys beat Wyoming/NDSU.
 
ALPHAGRIZ1 said:
havgrizfan said:
As it stands now, the Griz would get destroyed in the MWC, and as an example, the 2013 UNLV team would have beaten the 2013 Griz, and dare I say handily. And I consider myself a sugarcoater.

However, I strongly disagree with Alpha that the 2001 team was the last above average team, and my question for AG1 is, would you think differently of Glenn coached the 2008 and 2009 teams instead of Bobby? Would they then have been above average in your opinion.?
Click to expand...

Why do people think the 08-09 teams were that great? They wouldn't even be in the top 5 best teams we have ever had at UM. If Glenn was still coaching the Griz in 08-09 we probably would have had 2 or 3 more NC flags by then and we would still be getting the best recruits in the BSC so it's possible those teams would have been above average.

Too bad we will never know, now we just have to live in the past because it's been 15 years since we have been relevant.
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I don't think #19, #39 and #53 from that team would agree with you.

And Glenn was more of a head cheerleader than head coach.
 
havgrizfan said:
AZ. No. Swoop said the Griz could compete RIGHT NOW. I take RIGHT NOW to mean the 2013 and 2014 teams. Hence I said, the 2013 Griz team, and I believe the 2014 Griz COULD NOT compete in the MWC. And I used the 2013 Rebs as an example. I DID NOT say, the Griz couldn't compete in 10 years if they were to move up to the MWC. Nope. Didn't say that.
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Well I'd certainly hope it wouldn't take 10 years, but I agree with the sentiment.
 
havgrizfan said:
As it stands now, the Griz would get destroyed in the MWC, and as an example, the 2013 UNLV team would have beaten the 2013 Griz, and dare I say handily. And I consider myself a sugarcoater.

However, I strongly disagree with Alpha that the 2001 team was the last above average team, and my question for AG1 is, would you think differently of Glenn coached the 2008 and 2009 teams instead of Bobby? Would they then have been above average in your opinion.?
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Wow, I am really surprised by your comments on this.

I saw the 2013 UNLV team play three times (once in person), and I strongly disagree with this assessment. Not sure Bobby himself would concur. There is not that big of gap with that level of FBS competition.

I know most fans have delusions of grandeur in regards to the Griz playing at the FBS level, but this is pretty extreme on the other end.
 
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