Can’t Compete at The Highest Level

[CatGrad-UMGradStu]

For now, I like the Griz being a "big fish in the small pond" however, if we win 1 or 2 national championships in the next several years, I can see us moving up to Group of 5 conference. Especially, if the Group of 5 conferences can set up their own playoff championship.
Our stadium has the same seating capacity as Utah State. If we were to move up, we could add 5,000-6,000 seats (to the west side and on each side of jumbotron) to increase our capacity to 30,000 - 32,000.
The top 5 teams of the Big Sky and MVFC could create a good Group of 5 (6) conference and become competitive with the MWC and Sun Brlt.

Said it before: Four Dakota schools, two Montana schools, two Idaho schools (flagship in lieu of a junior college), Weber.

Have to remember when the Great West fell apart what school kept them out of this geographical cluster f*ck and forced our flagship universities to associate with the pillars of academic achievement in Washington, Oregon, Utah and California. Such is life and the egos running these schools and athletic departments are so damn petty it's ridiculous. Why not add Colorado State, Wyoming and Utah State to a decent sized G5 conference that could compete with the Sun Belt? Egos. Arrogance. Those individuals who have absolutely zero ties to any of the schools they work for and draw a check.

 

[Spanky2]

I didn’t think I could ever believe this, but there are too many defeatists in Montana (especially Missoula) to do a damn thing about moving to FBS unless it is determined by the NCAA. The fans get all excited about running up the score on inferior opponents such as Northern Colorado rather than welcoming quality opponents to the stadium.We have a good chance of winning the NC of FCS this year so all of you goof balls can tell tall stories at the Stocks.

 

[CatGrad-UMGradStu]

I didn’t think I could ever believe this, but there are too many defeatists in Montana (especially Missoula) to do a damn thing about moving to FBS unless it is determined by the NCAA. The fans get all excited about running up the score on inferior opponents such as Northern Colorado rather than welcoming quality opponents to the stadium.We have a good chance of winning the NC of FCS this year so all of you goof balls can tell tall stories at the Stocks.

As stated in this article, this sport is the elephant in the room:

https://www-cbssports-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/candid-coaches-how-many-teams-should-be-playing-ncaa-division-i-basketball/amp/?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQIKAGwASCAAgM%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16631744106073&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbssports.com%2Fcollege-basketball%2Fnews%2Fcandid-coaches-how-many-teams-should-be-playing-ncaa-division-i-basketball%2F

 

[kemajic]

I didn’t think I could ever believe this, but there are too many defeatists in Montana (especially Missoula) to do a damn thing about moving to FBS unless it is determined by the NCAA. The fans get all excited about running up the score on inferior opponents such as Northern Colorado rather than welcoming quality opponents to the stadium.We have a good chance of winning the NC of FCS this year so all of you goof balls can tell tall stories at the Stocks.

Spank, why would you have trouble believing this? It's been real and very visible for many years. There is a significant portion of our fanbase that would far rather watch a beatdown of a patsy for a sure win than risk a 38-35 game with Utah St. or Nevada that could go either way. How scary would that be. This portion of the fanbase seems to have strong influence on UM administration, the AD and BH.

But quit whining, after all isn't this the University of Missoula? And don't believe the NCAA any longer determines conf moves in CFB.

 

[Spanky2]

Interesting article. Hopefully, the NCAA will look at all sports and the requirements of the schools to maintain Division 1 status. Tennis for example: is a school allowed to retain Division 1 status by playing few matches during the season, mainly against inferior opponents? Yes, I know, who cares about tennis?

 

[mthoopsfan]

1. "Another upside: the recruiting. Per capita, Georgia is routinely ranked as a top-three state for high school football prospects, if not No. 1. The Atlanta metro area is especially a hub. It’s a three-hour drive from here. Of the 22 high school players GSU signed last class, 19 of them were from Georgia.

“You don’t need to leave the state to find what you need,” Whitley says. “I’ve never been on a plane recruiting. And we’re not going to get on a plane recruiting.”

[Could UM either just recruit in MT for its FBS players, or move the school to Georgia?]

2. "The commitment was there, Helton says. His hire coincided with an increase in staff and athlete support and a fundraising boom. In his first year with the school, and despite the pandemic, Benko and staff raised $6.3 million in donations, by far the most in program history, he says. The department raised $10.6 million this past fiscal year. GSU is in the process of building a $15 million indoor facility and a $65 million dual-purpose basketball arena. Officials are planning for a baseball facility, too, hoping to take advantage of the baseball team’s success last year (the Eagles were an NCAA regional host)."

[Who is going to put up $10.6 million to move UM up?]

3. [Here are some things GS did]

"Over 75% of the season ticket prices (not including donations) will remain the same as 2021;

There will be several new and upgraded premium areas for the 2022 football season, and when combined with our existing inventory, we now will provide at least nine different premium seating opportunities at various price points with others on the horizon;

[Ready to buy these expensive seats?]

We are transitioning to a per-seat donation model, and there will be variable increases in minimum donation amounts for select seating sections within Paulson Stadium;

[Ready to pay more? Minimum donations on the North End Zone seats?]

Parking lot season passes and minimum donations will increase for all donor lots;

[Minimum donations for parking? Perhaps for tailgating spots too?]

Parking lot passes will be allocated by priority points and giving society status, which is awarded through lifetime giving, season ticket purchases and Erk Russell Fund contribution levels."

[Okay to lose your long-time parking or tailgate spot to people who give more to UM?]

4. [Could UM get into GS's conference, or would that be a literal stretch?]

 

[MissoulaMarinerFan]

Interesting article. Hopefully, the NCAA will look at all sports and the requirements of the schools to maintain Division 1 status. Tennis for example: is a school allowed to retain Division 1 status by playing few matches during the season, mainly against inferior opponents? Yes, I know, who cares about tennis?

Can you expand more on what you mean by this? Currently all the sports except football and club are "D1". I don't see why that would change with an official move for football to non-FCS.

 

[CatGrad-UMGradStu]

Interesting article. Hopefully, the NCAA will look at all sports and the requirements of the schools to maintain Division 1 status. Tennis for example: is a school allowed to retain Division 1 status by playing few matches during the season, mainly against inferior opponents? Yes, I know, who cares about tennis?

I sure hope they leave leave it as it is now. To me, 78 was the worst piece of legislation the NCAA ever made, breaking football into three divisions. I know Div III is NCAA, but for the sake of argument, DI, I-AA and DII are the three divisions. Imagine if the NCAA were to break basketball apart like that...

 

[AZGrizFan]

1. "Another upside: the recruiting. Per capita, Georgia is routinely ranked as a top-three state for high school football prospects, if not No. 1. The Atlanta metro area is especially a hub. It’s a three-hour drive from here. Of the 22 high school players GSU signed last class, 19 of them were from Georgia.

“You don’t need to leave the state to find what you need,” Whitley says. “I’ve never been on a plane recruiting. And we’re not going to get on a plane recruiting.”

[Could UM either just recruit in MT for its FBS players, or move the school to Georgia?]

PR, let me ask you a serious question: Is there a single Montana-born player NOW on our starting 22 that you believe couldn't be playing for a MWC team? Hauck? Graves? Welnel? Hill? Roberts? Bergen?

How about the 2-deep? Simpson? Flink? Janacaro? Gradney? What about Special Teams? I mean they're LOADED with Montana-born players. Do we have current players ON the roster that we'd say "sayonara" to if we went FBS?

 

[mthoopsfan]

1. "Another upside: the recruiting. Per capita, Georgia is routinely ranked as a top-three state for high school football prospects, if not No. 1. The Atlanta metro area is especially a hub. It’s a three-hour drive from here. Of the 22 high school players GSU signed last class, 19 of them were from Georgia.

“You don’t need to leave the state to find what you need,” Whitley says. “I’ve never been on a plane recruiting. And we’re not going to get on a plane recruiting.”

[Could UM either just recruit in MT for its FBS players, or move the school to Georgia?]

PR, let me ask you a serious question: Is there a single Montana-born player NOW on our starting 22 that you believe couldn't be playing for a MWC team? Hauck? Graves? Welnel? Hill? Roberts? Bergen?

How about the 2-deep? Simpson? Flink? Janacaro? Gradney? What about Special Teams? I mean they're LOADED with Montana-born players. Do we have current players ON the roster that we'd say "sayonara" to if we went FBS?

I don't know. There's a difference between being on a team and starting/playing. A question for you. Which MT players had FBS offers out of high school?

 

[Berkeley_Griz]

I didn’t think I could ever believe this, but there are too many defeatists in Montana (especially Missoula) to do a damn thing about moving to FBS unless it is determined by the NCAA. The fans get all excited about running up the score on inferior opponents such as Northern Colorado rather than welcoming quality opponents to the stadium.We have a good chance of winning the NC of FCS this year so all of you goof balls can tell tall stories at the Stocks.

Flip side: there are too many delusional FBS supporters who don't seem to have any grasp of what it would actually entail, and instead just want to throw out feel-good phrases like we should "run with the big dogs" or "upgrade our program." I respect that you want FBS. There's many good reasons to do so. But if Montana pursues that, it should be for the reasons that are real, and not for incorrect/ delusional goals that are not even remotely realistic. We have to be honest and realistic about what either scenario means, so that we can make an informed decision. And just to reiterate: I'm not anti-FBS. IF we got invited to the MWC and had Wyoming, Utah State, Colorado State, Boise, maybe even Oregon State and Washington State coming through (if the PAC implodes) - ya, that would be a blast. I would miss the ability to play for a national title, but that's one of the many tradeoffs you make in that scenario.

 

[Spanky2]

I didn’t think I could ever believe this, but there are too many defeatists in Montana (especially Missoula) to do a damn thing about moving to FBS unless it is determined by the NCAA. The fans get all excited about running up the score on inferior opponents such as Northern Colorado rather than welcoming quality opponents to the stadium.We have a good chance of winning the NC of FCS this year so all of you goof balls can tell tall stories at the Stocks.

Flip side: there are too many delusional FBS supporters who don't seem to have any grasp of what it would actually entail, and instead just want to throw out feel-good phrases like we should "run with the big dogs" or "upgrade our program." I respect that you want FBS. There's many good reasons to do so. But if Montana pursues that, it should be for the reasons that are real, and not for incorrect/ delusional goals that are not even remotely realistic. We have to be honest and realistic about what either scenario means, so that we can make an informed decision. And just to reiterate: I'm not anti-FBS. IF we got invited to the MWC and had Wyoming, Utah State, Colorado State, Boise, maybe even Oregon State and Washington State coming through (if the PAC implodes) - ya, that would be a blast. I would miss the ability to play for a national title, but that's one of the many tradeoffs you make in that scenario.

Good post!

 

[CatGrad-UMGradStu]

When did the WAC fall apart? Have I mentioned egos? Look at the Sun Belt since his departure.


https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/34591936/mountain-west-conference-commissioner-craig-thompson-step-dec-31

 

[UncleP]

Here it is in a nutshell for this admittedly selfish fan. I bought my tickets to the Natty this morning. Now I will spend the rest of the season hoping we get there. Extremely exciting! I do this every year. If we don’t get there I’ll sell my tix to a fan in need for face value. I love the hope of it. When we move up I won’t be pre buying tickets to the championship. I also have less than zero interest in attending the “Joes Corner Bar/Discount Oil Changes Here Bowl”. Not because I don’t love Griz football but because the winner gets absolutely less than nothing and the loser doesn’t experience the pain of the loss of a significant game.

Let the name calling and hate begin but this is how it is for this fan. Winning is fun. Trying to scratch out a .500 season every year sucks!

 

[EverettGriz]

Here it is in a nutshell for this admittedly selfish fan. I bought my tickets to the Natty this morning. Now I will spend the rest of the season hoping we get there. Extremely exciting! I do this every year. If we don’t get there I’ll sell my tix to a fan in need for face value. I love the hope of it. When we move up I won’t be pre buying tickets to the championship. I also have less than zero interest in attending the “Joes Corner Bar/Discount Oil Changes Here Bowl”. Not because I don’t love Griz football but because the winner gets absolutely less than nothing and the loser doesn’t experience the pain of the loss of a significant game.

Let the name calling and hate begin but this is how it is for this fan. Winning is fun. Trying to scratch out a .500 season every year sucks!

Do you support the remainder of UM’s programs moving to DII?

 

[CatGrad-UMGradStu]

Here it is in a nutshell for this admittedly selfish fan. I bought my tickets to the Natty this morning. Now I will spend the rest of the season hoping we get there. Extremely exciting! I do this every year. If we don’t get there I’ll sell my tix to a fan in need for face value. I love the hope of it. When we move up I won’t be pre buying tickets to the championship. I also have less than zero interest in attending the “Joes Corner Bar/Discount Oil Changes Here Bowl”. Not because I don’t love Griz football but because the winner gets absolutely less than nothing and the loser doesn’t experience the pain of the loss of a significant game.

Let the name calling and hate begin but this is how it is for this fan. Winning is fun. Trying to scratch out a .500 season every year sucks!

Tell that to the band and the drill team putting on the halftime shows. Tell that to the families who would love to spend Christmas Break on the beach, taking in Disneyland or Disney World, tell that to the old college buddies who only get together two or three times a year, tell that to the old college teammates who get together for each and every game come hell or high water. There's more to a college football game than just the game. The tailgates that last over a week between games. I knew families who told their kids to not get married on the Georgia-Florida week because they wouldn't be there! And then the bowls.

 

[CDAGRIZ]

Here it is in a nutshell for this admittedly selfish fan. I bought my tickets to the Natty this morning. Now I will spend the rest of the season hoping we get there. Extremely exciting! I do this every year. If we don’t get there I’ll sell my tix to a fan in need for face value. I love the hope of it. When we move up I won’t be pre buying tickets to the championship. I also have less than zero interest in attending the “Joes Corner Bar/Discount Oil Changes Here Bowl”. Not because I don’t love Griz football but because the winner gets absolutely less than nothing and the loser doesn’t experience the pain of the loss of a significant game.

Let the name calling and hate begin but this is how it is for this fan. Winning is fun. Trying to scratch out a .500 season every year sucks!

A ship is safe in harbor . . .

 

[AZGrizFan]

I didn’t think I could ever believe this, but there are too many defeatists in Montana (especially Missoula) to do a damn thing about moving to FBS unless it is determined by the NCAA. The fans get all excited about running up the score on inferior opponents such as Northern Colorado rather than welcoming quality opponents to the stadium.We have a good chance of winning the NC of FCS this year so all of you goof balls can tell tall stories at the Stocks.

Flip side: there are too many delusional FBS supporters who don't seem to have any grasp of what it would actually entail, and instead just want to throw out feel-good phrases like we should "run with the big dogs" or "upgrade our program." I respect that you want FBS. There's many good reasons to do so. But if Montana pursues that, it should be for the reasons that are real, and not for incorrect/ delusional goals that are not even remotely realistic. We have to be honest and realistic about what either scenario means, so that we can make an informed decision. And just to reiterate: I'm not anti-FBS. IF we got invited to the MWC and had Wyoming, Utah State, Colorado State, Boise, maybe even Oregon State and Washington State coming through (if the PAC implodes) - ya, that would be a blast. I would miss the ability to play for a national title, but that's one of the many tradeoffs you make in that scenario.

Lol. :roll: So because I used the phrase “run with the big dogs” I’m somehow delusional? I have a very FIRM grasp of what it would entail, but MY grasp doesn’t mean shit. I’m just a delusional fan who would like to spend my hard earned money watching us play teams that actually MEAN something, as opposed to 15 directional schools a year. What you SHOULD be concerned about is whether the administration has any grasp of what it would take, any plan in the eventual certainty of the changing landscape, and how they’re going to communicate that to the community, the school, the BOR and the teams affected.

 

[mthoopsfan]

Here it is in a nutshell for this admittedly selfish fan. I bought my tickets to the Natty this morning. Now I will spend the rest of the season hoping we get there. Extremely exciting! I do this every year. If we don’t get there I’ll sell my tix to a fan in need for face value. I love the hope of it. When we move up I won’t be pre buying tickets to the championship. I also have less than zero interest in attending the “Joes Corner Bar/Discount Oil Changes Here Bowl”. Not because I don’t love Griz football but because the winner gets absolutely less than nothing and the loser doesn’t experience the pain of the loss of a significant game.

Let the name calling and hate begin but this is how it is for this fan. Winning is fun. Trying to scratch out a .500 season every year sucks!

Tell that to the band and the drill team putting on the halftime shows. Tell that to the families who would love to spend Christmas Break on the beach, taking in Disneyland or Disney World, tell that to the old college buddies who only get together two or three times a year, tell that to the old college teammates who get together for each and every game come hell or high water. There's more to a college football game than just the game. The tailgates that last over a week between games. I knew families who told their kids to not get married on the Georgia-Florida week because they wouldn't be there! And then the bowls.

A lot of bowl games are not on the beach. Boise, Dallas, Nashville, Tucson, El Paso, Charlotte, San Antonio, NYC, Houston, Memphis, Annapolis, Phoenix, Birmingham, Detroit, Montgomery, Shreveport, Frisco, Mobile, Albuquerque, Boston. And several around LA and not on the beach.

 

[AZGrizFan]

PR, let me ask you a serious question: Is there a single Montana-born player NOW on our starting 22 that you believe couldn't be playing for a MWC team? Hauck? Graves? Welnel? Hill? Roberts? Bergen?

How about the 2-deep? Simpson? Flink? Janacaro? Gradney? What about Special Teams? I mean they're LOADED with Montana-born players. Do we have current players ON the roster that we'd say "sayonara" to if we went FBS?

I don't know. There's a difference between being on a team and starting/playing. A question for you. Which MT players had FBS offers out of high school?

That is a complete cop out of an answer.

Do you think Buschini leaves if we’re FBS?
Does Toure leave if we’re FBS?
Does the Oregon State and Boston College recruits stay local if we’re FBS?

And to answer my own question since you won’t….IMHO our LB crew (almost ALL Montanans) could play on just about any MWC team and not even look remotely out of place. As could Bergen. Honestly, aside from the 23 additional scholarships, I don’t think the actual makeup of the roster would need to change all that much to be competitive in that conference. More depth, I suppose. And more quality O-linemen, one could hope.