UAB to the MVC?

[uniftw]

So UNI is bringing back baseball?

Probably the the same time Drake and Loyola start a program. Or MSU adds a cross country program. Or ISUb a golf program. Or Bradley, Evansville or MSU bring start indoor track (and outdoor in the case of MSU and Evasnville).


I've never asked but why does Bradley sponsor an outdoor team but not an indoor team for track and field?

[UEACES80]

Playing the what if game how sweet would it be to add UAB & Murray State. Then to move us to 16 teams add ND State, SD, SD State and Belmont. (a little uncertain what SD and SD State bring so this is a what if game)

That would add 4 football schools and if UAB ever brings it back a 5th.

Geographically can split either East / West or North / South

East West
Belmont * Bradley
ISUb Drake
ISUr # MSU #
LOC # ND *
Murray * SD *
SIU SD State *
UAB * UNI
UE WSU #

* Newbies
# flip for North / South splits

The East becomes the South by adding MSU and WSU and the West becomes the North moving LOC and ISUr

[Wufan]

Nm

[stl scooter]

Here's the deal; NOBODY cares about FCS football, not even the FCS teams. They only have it in a hope that some bottom tier FBS conference will be desperate enough to take the. In. Then the hope is that after a decade some middling FBS will take them in. The whole idea of FCS football is about haves and have nots, and if you have FCS football, then you have not.

If you are a have not in the world of collegiate football, then why not drop it and put more resources to the second major sport and actually compete on a national level? Dropping FCS football is a good thing for basketball and could actually make the conference a fierce competitor on a national stage with increased funding.

Are the FCS schools better than the non-FCS schools at basketball? Absolutely not! Could they be? You bet your ass. ISUr, SIU, and UNI have a legit shot to be national contenders on an annual basis if they were just able to stop the diversification and focus on being good at something. Stop dreaming about being an also ran FBS and start focusing on being a second weekend NCAA team! That is where the future of the Valley is!

I read this using the voice of a baptist minister in my head. Preach!

[unipanther99]

I always love it when fans of schools without football tell us our football is worthless. It's anything but worthless at UNI.

We don't have football at UNI because we're hoping to somehow sneak into a FBS conference. We still have football because we have a strong tradition at the level in which we compete. Fall = football. Football at UNI keeps alumni engaged. Our games are well attended in the UNI-Dome, and what else would we do with the building that has become an iconic part of our campus if we didn't have football? We are content to participate at the FCS level, but we've shown our in-state rivals we can compete with them in both football and basketball, helping to elevate the perception of the university within the state.

Basketball should always come first at UNI, and Coach Jake's new contract clearly shows our priorities are in the right place. However, I can't imagine UNI without football --- I don't even want to try.

[Mikovio]

Iowa is 16-1 vs UNI in football. I don't think you've shown them you can compete.

You'll get the warm tinglies from fall football if you dropped the scholarships or went club just the same, right? What does it matter if you're beating Murray State or Drake? Either way you're just the tallest midget and everybody knows it. Might as well pour those dollars into basketball so maybe you can get to the next weekend in March while America is paying attention.

**** or get off the pot.

[Redbird Recon]

Here's the deal; NOBODY cares about FCS football, not even the FCS teams. They only have it in a hope that some bottom tier FBS conference will be desperate enough to take the. In. Then the hope is that after a decade some middling FBS will take them in. The whole idea of FCS football is about haves and have nots, and if you have FCS football, then you have not.

A question for UNI fans: How do you value the intrinsic rewards of football compared to basketball? The Birds have never gotten to the Sweet 16 and I was single digits the last time they made the tourney. I have a hard time comparing the feelings. With that said, I had a blast on ISU's run to the FCS Championship game. It felt like a big deal making it to Frisco. It was nationally televised. The game was sold out or close to it. It was a can't miss experience for myself, my family and a huge chunk of Redbird nation. On that day, it was as good as it gets for me as a sports fan. This idea that "club football" would bring the same feelings just doesn't seem true to me.

I love seeing Redbird football on national TV and getting players drafted 3 years in a row now. We don't have the same football history as UNI, but if we're moving in that direction, I wouldn't trade that in for a chance to be a little bit better at basketball.

[Wufan]

Nm

[Wufan]

nm

[Redbird Recon]

It's great that FCS football means something on your campus. WSU bowling has won 20 national championships so I can pretty much relate.

If you wan't to compare WSU baseball's success as a comparison, that would make sense. People buy tickets and it gains a sliver of national attention when it rolls around. UNI averaged 13k to their football games this year, and there are years when that number is higher. There's no reason to be rude.