If Illinois State goes FBS in football, who replaces them?

[valleychamp]

Maybe MSU will be joining UNI in D2, grillz.

[uniftw]

The D2 comment was uncalled for but the fact remains that UNI is at the minimal number of scholarship sports to remain D1.

false

How is anyone suppose to believe that the Iowa BOR is looking to move up. The push has to start at the leaders of the university

. I don't disagree, but UNI isn't "looking" to move up...doesn't mean if s*** hits the fan and an invite is extended by a decent conference that UNI doesn't take a good look at it.

I also have a hard time believing tha UNI has the donors to make the move, but I am no expert on the fundraising at UNI so I won't comment any further.

I don't know if we do either, however, coach Farley and Coach Jacobson's salaries are both privately funded. I also believe that the VB and WBB coaches salaries are mostly privately funded as well. UNI has recieved some 7 figure donations from people in the community. It is there, but there hasn't be a "call" for the dontations other than the Panther Scholarship Club, to endow some scholarships, and for some upgrades to the dome, build the Mcleod Center, build the Human Peformance center, etc... (wait that is millions and millions of dollars as well donated). The donors can be there if we "wanted/needed" them.

The attendance isn't an issue but increasing the capacity in the Dome would be.

Correct. However, Idaho is FBS in a dome that is nearly identical to the UNIDome. The dome can hold over 17K, and given the average attendance of MAC teams...we aren't far behind. Again, if there was some serious movement and UNI got an offer from CUSA, MWC, WAC, MAC the BOR very well may rethink how certain things are funded and a 25K seat stadium could appear with some of the aforementioned donors.

Lastly, it has been documented That FCS success doesn't automatically translate FBS success. If a school is gonna make a move they just need to jump and be prepared to take their lumps cause it could be a long road. All the more reason I call for MSU to jump in and do it. They aren't winning here so might as well go lose at the next level. That way when we do succeed it's on the highest level. 

True....However, UNI is a damn good position to compete in the MAC and WAC, and isn't *that* far off of the middle of the pack CUSA

[beatingrillz]

Scratch that, it seems I was mistaken. I did not take into account that MSU had neither a men's CC or T&F team. So assuming we are counting both men's and women's T&F and CC as separate programs, UNI actually sponsors more sports than MSU.

MSU has 17 varsity sports all I can find is 16 for UNI. This could be wrong, I wasn't attacking UNI as I believe competition wise they are most ready for FBS competition. It's the other aspects of what the move requires I would worry about. FBS is another 35 scholarships minimum on the school plus room and board. Who Is gonna pay for that? You already take money from the students something MSU is looking to do for the first time this year. The east side bleachers at MSU are coming down and just the other night at the booster auction they unvieled the plans for the east side. So I say let's just start our own FBS conference.

[uniftw]

Scratch that, it seems I was mistaken. I did not take into account that MSU had neither a men's CC or T&F team. So assuming we are counting both men's and women's T&F and CC as separate programs, UNI actually sponsors more sports than MSU.

MSU has 17 varsity sports all I can find is 16 for UNI. This could be wrong, I wasn't attacking UNI as I believe competition wise they are most ready for FBS competition. It's the other aspects of what the move requires I would worry about. FBS is another 35 scholarships minimum on the school plus room and board. Who Is gonna pay for that? You already take money from the students something MSU is looking to do for the first time this year. The east side bleachers at MSU are coming down and just the other night at the booster auction they unvieled the plans for the east side. So I say let's just start our own FBS conference.

FBS is NOT 35 extra scholarships....

Plus UNI is looking at adding a womens sport or two right now (sounds like it's probably going to be bowling at some point, and maybe moving the rugby team from club to NCAA.) That would cover the extra FB scholarships.

MSU students have never paid an athletic fee before this year? s***, you guys could have been FBS years ago had you been doing that.


I will guarantee it may not have been called an "athletic fee", but it was coming out of the student service fees that are assessed.


Oh, of the schools I found that charge an "athletic" fee in the MVC, UNI charges the least...and could easily make up a couple million dollars if we charged more than we do.

Illinois State - $7,900,000
Indiana State - $5,247,776
Southern Illinois - $5,028,000
Wichita State - $2,328,419
UNI - $1,212,500

[valleychamp]

Scratch that, it seems I was mistaken. I did not take into account that MSU had neither a men's CC or T&F team. So assuming we are counting both men's and women's T&F and CC as separate programs, UNI actually sponsors more sports than MSU.

MSU has 17 varsity sports all I can find is 16 for UNI. This could be wrong, I wasn't attacking UNI as I believe competition wise they are most ready for FBS competition. It's the other aspects of what the move requires I would worry about. FBS is another 35 scholarships minimum on the school plus room and board. Who Is gonna pay for that? You already take money from the students something MSU is looking to do for the first time this year. The east side bleachers at MSU are coming down and just the other night at the booster auction they unvieled the plans for the east side. So I say let's just start our own FBS conference.

I'm just going off of what is listed on the MSU athletic website.

Men:
Baseball
Basketball
Football
Golf
Soccer
Swimming

Women:
Basketball
CC
Field Hockey
Swimming
Volleyball
Softball
T&F
Golf
Soccer

Does that not add up to 15? What am I missing?

[Aargh]

Bowling? Bowling?? Bowling is not an NCAA sport. It's some kind of "club sport" or something like that. It doesn't count for anything as far as the NCAA is concerned. The organization that does the national championships and anything else has nothing to do with the NCAA.

I might mention that going to a higher level in FB is NOT 35 schollies - it's 44. 22 in FB and a matching number for women.

[beatingrillz]

Your right FBS is more like 45 scholarships. 22 on the mens side, same or more for the women. MSU's athletic department receives no student support that I am sure is well documented.

[AndShock]

Bowling? Bowling?? Bowling is not an NCAA sport. It's some kind of "club sport" or something like that. It doesn't count for anything as far as the NCAA is concerned. The organization that does the national championships and anything else has nothing to do with the NCAA.

I think it's both.

[Snaggletooth]

Bowling? Bowling?? Bowling is not an NCAA sport. It's some kind of "club sport" or something like that. It doesn't count for anything as far as the NCAA is concerned. The organization that does the national championships and anything else has nothing to do with the NCAA.

You are wrong. Bowling is a sanctioned NCAA div 1 sport for women.

[Fargobison]

I have a question, does anyone know of the rules regarding a conference moving to 1-A, oops, FBS? With interest from two or more Valley schools looking to move up, is the MVFC considering the move? And if not, why? This could be the move that would keep the conference in one piece and possibly grab a few smaller Big XII teams when that debacle finally implodes.

When NDSU joined a few years ago there was rumors that going FBS as conference might happen sometime down the road but I haven't heard anything like that since. I wouldn't mind seeing it but a few school in the MVFC would have to undertake some massive facility improvements. A few other MVFC schools might have to be left behind while others(likely current FBS schools) brought in.