Future of FCS

[TBirdz]

With today's news that UTSA plans to bypass FCS and go straight to FBS, and with all of the speculation that Texas St., Lamar, Sam Houston St., Jacksonville St., App St., Georgia Southern, JMU, ODU, Georgia St., Montana, Sac St., Cal Poly, UC-Davis, Liberty, and Charlotte could potentially make the jump, curious as to what you guys thought about all of this. Is it realistic that all of these schools will make the jump when the moratorium is lifted and how will this affect not just their respective conferences but FCS football as a whole?

[FargoBison]

With today's news that UTSA plans to bypass FCS and go straight to FBS, and with all of the speculation that Texas St., Lamar, Sam Houston St., Jacksonville St., App St., Georgia Southern, JMU, ODU, Georgia St., Montana, Sac St., Cal Poly, UC-Davis, Liberty, and Charlotte could potentially make the jump, curious as to what you guys thought about all of this. Is it realistic that all of these schools will make the jump when the moratorium is lifted and how will this affect not just their respective conferences but FCS football as a whole?

Maybe two or three of them will make the jump...

[UAalum72]

How will the new programs prove their 15,000 attendance requirement for FBS? Will the NCAA take it on faith that they'll get there? Of the existing programs, the California schools are handicapped by not being close in attendance. So are Sam and Jax St. (that is, they've "proved" they don't draw enough fans).

For the rest, how many have a conference waiting to accept them?

[TBirdz]

A lot has to happen but I could potentially see this....

First, BCS conferences have to have 12 teams and a conference championship and the MWC is added to the auto-bid status along with indi's Notre Dame, Army, and Navy...

Big East football schools break away and add ECU, UCF, Memphis, and So Miss to give them 12

Big10 adds Missouri to give them 12

BigXII adds TCU to give them 12

MtnWest adds Boise, Fresno, and Hawaii to give them 12

CUSA East remaining schools (Marshall, UAB) join the Sun Belt giving them 11 which would in turn create the space for an FCS to move up after North Texas leaves to join...

CUSA West remaining schools (Rice, Houston, Tulane, UTEP, SMU, Tulsa), LA Tech, North Texas form an all TX-LA-OK conference adding UTSA, Texas St, and potentially Lamar if they all make the jump

That leaves the WAC with NMSU, San Jose St., Nevada, Idaho, and Utah St. thus making room for Montana, UC-Davis, Montana St. and Poly...

Will never all happen but fun to talk about...

[guinzone]

People are blowing up these FCS to FBS rumors. Many of these schools do not qualify due to attendance or have not even shown interest. People see one rumor on one website and then it spreads.

[TBirdz]

So whats real and what is not?

Liberty, JMU, App, Texas St, Jacksonville St. have either already or are in the process of renovating stadiums that would get them primed for a jump...

[slycat]

Schools that are serious are UTSA, Texas St, Jax St, Georgia St, and Charlotte.

I'm not sure about Georgia Southern and Liberty.

[∞∞∞]

I think the BCS will fold under a national investigation which leads to huge national outcry, forcing the NCAA to suspend all BCS and some FBS football programs for at least a decade. During this time, with wide public support, the FCS will rise to prominence as the premier collegiate football market, integrating whatever FBS programs were left behind. That same year, 11-0 Idaho State will win the National Championship at a sold-out Rose Bowl, defeating an 11-0 Kennesaw State team on a hail mary with no time left. They become media darlings and end up dominating the FCS for the forseeable future.

[Saint3333]

With today's news that UTSA plans to bypass FCS and go straight to FBS, and with all of the speculation that Texas St., Lamar, Sam Houston St., Jacksonville St., App St., Georgia Southern, JMU, ODU, Georgia St., Montana, Sac St., Cal Poly, UC-Davis, Liberty, and Charlotte could potentially make the jump, curious as to what you guys thought about all of this. Is it realistic that all of these schools will make the jump when the moratorium is lifted and how will this affect not just their respective conferences but FCS football as a whole?

The slide will continue.

[Redwyn]

I'd suggest that if a situation ever arose where the BCS collapsed or was forcibly opened up, I'd believe that FCS and FBS would become one, very similar to college basketball. Of course there will be a talent disparity, but no one seems to mind in basketball.

[CatMom]

I'd suggest that if a situation ever arose where the BCS collapsed or was forcibly opened up, I'd believe that FCS and FBS would become one, very similar to college basketball. Of course there will be a talent disparity, but no one seems to mind in basketball.

or baseball, softball, volleyball, soccer (and the list goes on)

[MrTitleist]

MtnWest adds Boise, Fresno, and Hawaii to give them 12.

Mountain West will not add Hawaii. There's a reason they were not invited when the MWC split from the WAC.

Liberty, JMU, App, Texas St, Jacksonville St. have either already or are in the process of renovating stadiums that would get them primed for a jump...

Building a stadium and filling it don't go hand in hand. If you're going to move up you better be prepared to put 15,000 asses in the seats a game or you're quickly going to be sent down. I have no doubt that JMU, App, and Texas State could meet that requirement, but Liberty and Jacksonville St are probably dreaming. There are only two Big Sky teams that could probably meet this requirement, and they both reside in the state of Montana.

[Seawolf97]

I'd suggest that if a situation ever arose where the BCS collapsed or was forcibly opened up, I'd believe that FCS and FBS would become one, very similar to college basketball. Of course there will be a talent disparity, but no one seems to mind in basketball.

or baseball, softball, volleyball, soccer (and the list goes on)

Exactly! This is the only D-1 sport I know of that is split into 3 Tiers BCS, FBS and FCS . Maybe this will be the future in 10 to 15 years.

[GA St. MBB Fan]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/coll ... 84527.html

“We have worked really hard looking at all our options,” Hickey said. “As a start-up program in a major city, with the aspirations we have, the facility we have, the head coach we have, the best thing we can do is move as quickly as we can to FBS status. And until we’re in a conference that has FBS football, we need to stay independent.”

Is that all it takes? I know of a school in a similar situation.

[CatMom]

I say kick 'em out of the SLC for everything ...see how all their sports do then.

[Fresno St. Alum]

No one can go straight to the FBS you must spend 2 years in FCS. Also did WKU avg 15K? S.Alabama is going to be FBS without proof. They have 64K seat stadium. Maybe they got a pass because they were already in the Belt?

[Fresno St. Alum]

Out of all of those listed that could go, I say UTSA(2015), Texas St.(2011), Charlotte(2015), Georgia St.(2012)

Texas St. is the only one that can make the move in 2011. UTSA could technically make the move in 2013 since they start in 2011.

In the east, maybe if anyone I'd guess JMU as a football only member in the MAC and maybe a full if the CAA kicked them out. If the Big East splits that changes everything.

[TexasTerror]

Let's clarify Sam Houston State's situation...

SHSU has begun one of those analysis. They've hired one of those big-time companies to look into the specifics of the athletic department. What we are doing right. What we are doing wrong. What we could do better. What we should not be doing. And FBS is part of the equation.

Already, surveys have hit the alums regarding what schools we feel we should be on equal footing - athletically and academically. Also, about whether or not we'd increase our donations if XYZ happened.

I've been quoted on numerous boards saying that if TXST and Lamar both went FBS, SHSU would follow. I think if TXST and SHSU made the jump, Lamar would follow. SFA would too.

I say kick 'em out of the SLC for everything ...see how all their sports do then.

CatMom - the funny thing is that this is EXACTLY what I was saying about you guys when you started 'The Drive'. The TXST fans were in an uproar about it and now they are doing it to UTSA...funny how when the shoe fits...

No one can go straight to the FBS you must spend 2 years in FCS. Also did WKU avg 15K? S.Alabama is going to be FBS without proof. They have 64K seat stadium. Maybe they got a pass because they were already in the Belt?

Correct - already in the Sun Belt

And you had a school like ULM and North Texas who heavily fabricated attendance in their final year(s) in the SLC to get to FBS. Attendance is all irrelevant when it comes down to it. It comes down to whether or not you have the $$$ and facilities.

[Fresno St. Alum]

How many years did ULM stay in the SLC for other sports after they went FBS?

[TexasTerror]

How many years did ULM stay in the SLC for other sports after they went FBS?

1993-2005...they retain all-sports status (sans football)

North Texas stayed two seasons after departing in football...

[CatMom]

TT- not me cause I don't want them to move but UTSA is blatantly saying we're too good for the SLC/FCS. At least we're in the SLC/FCS currently and know it won't happen overnight. I want TXST to at least get respectable in football first. UTSA is gonna field guys that haven't seen real PT for a few years and are all over how wonderful this is going to be for the U. I think it's arrogant and they deserve whatever happens.

TXST has declared an intent to want to move up. UTSA is saying they are only going if they are allowed to be FBS. There's a difference (In my mind anyway)

[TexasTerror]

TT- not me cause I don't want them to move but UTSA is blatantly saying we're too good for the SLC/FCS. At least we're in the SLC/FCS currently and know it won't happen overnight. I want TXST to at least get respectable in football first. UTSA is gonna field guys that haven't seen real PT for a few years and are all over how wonderful this is going to be for the U. I think it's arrogant and they deserve whatever happens.

TXST has declared an intent to want to move up. UTSA is saying they are only going if they are allowed to be FBS. There's a difference (In my mind anyway)

You obviously do not recall that several committee members and those proponents of going FBS made it clear of what they thought of the SLC from both an athletic and academic standpoint. Those remarks are what led me to call for Tom Burnett and the league presidents to boot the Bobcats. Though they would not confirm it, I know from a really good source that several league presidents did discuss the option of doing so...

Funny enough - some of the rules Bobcat fans are hoping are used against UTSA are In fact, some of the rules pertaining to membership in the SLC stem from the efforts of then-Southwest Texas in the early 2000s to leave the league for what was then I-A.

[Fresno St. Alum]

How many years did ULM stay in the SLC for other sports after they went FBS?

1993-2005...they retain all-sports status (sans football)

North Texas stayed two seasons after departing in football...

So why couldn't Texas St. or UTSA be allowed to do the same?

Tarleton St. said D-I by 2017 so why screw up all other sports for 2 years waiting for TSU. Also with the new high entry fees it will be harder to get D-II schools to want to come. SLC will hope to replace those 2 w/ Tarleton St. and C.Oklahoma. They might end up with one of those and UTPA.

Delta St. president along with all Gulf South Presidents signed something saying they would not leave D-II.

[CatMom]

Those remarks are what led me to call for Tom Burnett and the league presidents to boot the Bobcats.

Why doesn't this surprise me in the least? You don't even work for the SLC, nor attend games but I see you were all over this one.

I wasn't around in 2000 to care. As for the calling out of UTSA, it's my opinion, give it a rest. You seem to miss the point that I don't want TXST to move up and if they do, they will get what they deserve too. But, the 2 schools are going about it in a different way.

I don't spend my life trying to dismantle other schools, nor do I have the time to read every damn thing that happens in committees, etc. I actually have a life.

Edit: I forgot you don't get the difference between totally serious and a bit of fun.

[JSU02]

Out of all of those listed that could go, I say UTSA(2015), Texas St.(2011), Charlotte(2015), Georgia St.(2012)

Texas St. is the only one that can make the move in 2011. UTSA could technically make the move in 2013 since they start in 2011.

In the east, maybe if anyone I'd guess JMU as a football only member in the MAC and maybe a full if the CAA kicked them out. If the Big East splits that changes everything.

Like TxST, Jacksonville State will also go in 2011. The study was done right after the moratorium was announced and the Trustees have already said they want us to go FBS.