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Interesting Conversations on Idaho's Board

S

sasquatch

Active member
Sounds like their AD pretty much said in a halftime interview today that they are headed back to the Big Sky. Most of the people there say he thinks the Vandals will be aligned with those schools considered upper tier research schools (UC Davis, Montana, MSU, Poly and so on).

http://www.scout.com/college/idaho/forums/2661-ui-facilities-admin/14288266-spear-halftime-interview" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.scout.com/college/idaho/forums/2661-ui-facilities-admin/14288311-spear-s-halftime-comments" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
I suspected this for some time. The Sun Belt Conference wants to return to a regional conference. Idaho is an outlier and one sport 1-A school. They are Big Sky Conference in everything but football. They are up for re-evaluation at the end of this season, renew their status or get rid of them. The cost of travel to Moscow, and how bad they are as a football team(AppSt kicked their ass 47-20 IN MOSCOW), leads me to suspect the SBC has given Idaho an ultimatum to win or get the boot. Coastal Carolina has taken their place anyway. Spear just putting lipstick on his pig. Back to the Big Sky Conference. Say bye bye to Petrino AND Spear. Doubt the donors/alum are too happy with either of them. JMHO.
 
I know an administrator at ISU, who I won't name, that said that he's really not in favor of Idaho returning to the Big Sky and here's why. Right now ISU's done a fair amount to improve our facilities, but we're still behind Idaho in the arms race and therefore it would definitely be a recruiting advantage for Idaho if we were to go head to head with them in trying to get someone. For example just a few years ago they spent millions to upgrade their dome, including getting a new press box, and we haven't done anything to ours as of yet. Also they have a nice, new football team meeting room, an aquatic rehabilitation center and a new training room. We have a new practice field like they do and a nice weight room like Idaho does, but we still could stand improvement in some other areas. And I know we're doing our best and it does take some time to raise money for things.
 
orangeandblack said:
I know an administrator at ISU, who I won't name, that said that he's really not in favor of Idaho returning to the Big Sky and here's why. Right now ISU's done a fair amount to improve our facilities, but we're still behind Idaho in the arms race and therefore it would definitely be a recruiting advantage for Idaho if we were to go head to head with them in trying to get someone. For example just a few years ago they spent millions to upgrade their dome, including getting a new press box, and we haven't done anything to ours as of yet. Also they have a nice, new football team meeting room, an aquatic rehabilitation center and a new training room. We have a new practice field like they do and a nice weight room like Idaho does, but we still could stand improvement in some other areas. And I know we're doing our best and it does take some time to raise money for things.
Click to expand...

Right now, Idaho State is the only school in the state competing for FCS level kids. That would obviously change if the Vandals came back down.
 
sasquatch said:
Sounds like their AD pretty much said in a halftime interview today that they are headed back to the Big Sky. Most of the people there say he thinks the Vandals will be aligned with those schools considered upper tier research schools (UC Davis, Montana, MSU, Poly and so on).

http://www.scout.com/college/idaho/forums/2661-ui-facilities-admin/14288266-spear-halftime-interview" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.scout.com/college/idaho/forums/2661-ui-facilities-admin/14288311-spear-s-halftime-comments" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Click to expand...

What does the part about aligning with "upper tier" research shcools even mean? BSC supporting FBS and FCS? It doesn't seem like Fullerton is working towards the best interest of all schools. If anything, the addition of Idaho just made it more difficult to win the league.
 
Skippy, in most cases Idaho couldn't compete with the Pac-12 and BSU and most teams in the MWC for recruits. I can think of many cases whereby they were competing with Big Sky teams for recruits even as a 1-A team, according to the scout and rivals websites. With more scholarships I think that was advantage because it provided a lot more depth.
 
ISU's had some success recruiting the Boise Valley lately -- Madison Mangum, Mario Jenkins, Hayden Stout, the Graves boys...largely because Idaho didn't recruit them. If they go FCS, we'd have to start fending off the Vandals again, who also used to recruit fairly heavily in eastern Idaho when they were still in the Big Sky.
 
biobengal said:
What does the part about aligning with "upper tier" research shcools even mean? BSC supporting FBS and FCS? It doesn't seem like Fullerton is working towards the best interest of all schools. If anything, the addition of Idaho just made it more difficult to win the league.
Click to expand...

I never heard the interview, so I'm going by the conversations on their board. If I was a betting man, and Cactus Pete's would disagree, I'd say the AD said something like Idaho would be in a division with their academic peers such as Montana, UND, MSU. I'd guess division and conference are meaning the same thing.

There's no way teams would agree to be placed in two divisions with one openly knows as the top tier academic research institutions, or whatever they are. I also don't see the Big Sky supporting both FBS and FCS programs for a number of reasons. For one, what happens to that extra FBS money they'd receive? Would it go to all members, such as ISU, or would it only go to the FBS schools? It would seem fair to only go to the FBS schools, but then you're building a big disadvantage budget wise over the other schools, because that extra money would be spread over all the sports.

If the conference gets too big, then what's to stop the top 8 or 10 teams to break away and say see ya! Don't forget New Mexico State is probably out there hanging, too.
 
I doubt the Sun Belt Conference WANTS to keep UI around. UI just doesn't fit, and it sucks at big time football. Besides, Fullerton wants them back.
 
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