• Hi Guest,

    We've updated the site to combine all the forums that were part of the Big Sky Fans Network into one location. This will make it easier to navigate and participate in all the discussions for each school without having to have multiple accounts, etc. We are still working out some tweaks but please let us know if you notice anything.

    With the migration, in some circumstances, your username could have been merged with one of your other usernames from the other forums. If this is the case, you can request to change your username in your account details page of your profile.
  • Hi Guest, want to participate in the discussions, keep track of read/unread posts and more? Create your free account and increase the benefits of your eGriz.com experience today!
  • Guest, do want an ad free experience on BigSkyFans.com among other benefits? Upgrade your account today!

    Simply click your profile name > account upgrades > BigSky Club > choose between the year long subscription (two free months) or month to month

    Thanks for the continued support. Cheers!

Weber State vs Montana moving to the WAC..

W

WSUfan1

Active member
This may not be a good time to bring this topic up. I have read alot of articles and such saying that Montana has "out grown" the Big Sky is football. Granted this might be true. But does this really give them that much credit and reason to move on and leave the Big Sky behind? So just becuase they have a good football program all the other programs such as basketball move up as well? How does that work?
Now on to Weber State. Lets suppose in 2-5 years WSU wins the title each year, and is in the Big Dance every year winning games. Lets say that we average one or two loses each year in conference play. The DEC averages 8k per game and so on. Why does that not give us the right to "move" up as well. Just because Montana has a good football program is that their ticket in? If WSU basketball moves up that would help the Football program as well move up. Why does it have to be Football as the deciding factor. With all honesty our basketball team can beat any WAC team. I would beat the Football team can as well. So when it comes down to it, can our Basketball program help out our Football program move up to lets say FBS?

Our basketball schedule would be alot better and instead of playing montana tech we could play the Big Sky team in OOC games. All the way around its a good fit. Any thoughts of your to add to this?
 
If football was the deciding factor the USU aggies would have never made it into the WAC :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
It ain't gonna happen in the near future. First, USU would blackball Weber and limit any invitation we might receive from the WAC. Second, Weber would need to add more team sports (16 is what the WAC requires and WSU sponsors 14. Third, Weber would have to spend a lot more on football (offer more scholarships, pay more in coaches salaries) and then would have to upgrade facilities in order to compete in the recruiting battles. Fourth, Weber would need to increase attendance (at a minimum triple it to meet the 15k average required for BCS division schools).

In order to move up, it would require one or both of the following to happen:
1. The university admin to throw a lot of money at football and athletics (which is very, very, very unlikely).
2. Have private donors throw a lot of money at football and athletics (again, not very likely).

It comes down to $ - and Weber simply does not have enough to move up right now. I don't see it happening soon.
 
WSUfan said:
This may not be a good time to bring this topic up. I have read alot of articles and such saying that Montana has "out grown" the Big Sky is football. Granted this might be true. But does this really give them that much credit and reason to move on and leave the Big Sky behind? So just becuase they have a good football program all the other programs such as basketball move up as well? How does that work?
Now on to Weber State. Lets suppose in 2-5 years WSU wins the title each year, and is in the Big Dance every year winning games. Lets say that we average one or two loses each year in conference play. The DEC averages 8k per game and so on. Why does that not give us the right to "move" up as well. Just because Montana has a good football program is that their ticket in? If WSU basketball moves up that would help the Football program as well move up. Why does it have to be Football as the deciding factor. With all honesty our basketball team can beat any WAC team. I would beat the Football team can as well. So when it comes down to it, can our Basketball program help out our Football program move up to lets say FBS?

Our basketball schedule would be alot better and instead of playing montana tech we could play the Big Sky team in OOC games. All the way around its a good fit. Any thoughts of your to add to this?
Click to expand...

Because thats the only sport Montana is any good at.

I had a argument with one of the more self-centered Griz fans on this subject, yeah they may be good at football, but in other sports I dont think so, In mens basketball we are the "Big Dogs" and Montana on a regular basis cannot beat us, and we dont beat Utah State all that often, so if Montana cant beat the Best of the Big Sky, what makes them think they can beat the best of the WAC? They cant, I almost would like to see them go, especially for the reason to see them crash and burn, to see thier "great stadium" more than half empty as thier football team continues to 4-8,3-9,2-10,1-11,0-12 and so on, and watch that great football tradition go winding down the toilet, to watch their basketball program become a middle of the road to bottom feeder in the WAC.

Let them leave and become a DOORMAT, i'll be fine with it.
 
I admire what U of Montana football has built but I am frustrated by the arrogance and delusions that years have winning have produced in a small, but very vocal, element of their fan base.

I think football will eventually (but not immediately) see some success if the school does move up but it will be done at the expense of the rest of their athletic programs. I can see positive and negative aspects to their moving up or staying in the Big Sky. I'm on the fence about whether they should go or not but it matters not since I'm an outside observer. I merely lived in MT in grade school as well as the 2006-2009 before returning to AZ. A few of my friends and cousins went to school in Missoula. My cousin played football for the Griz in the 80s. I don't tend to wish their teams ill and definitely root for them (fellow Big Sky) against most east coast/midwest competition.

It takes more than one single sport to make an athletic department successful. Some credit is due to their womens basketball program, though, as they've been to the NCAAs and have been competitive for years. But football is the big money maker and money talks.

State funding is in bad shape here in AZ. There aren't too many places that funding seems to be going up. Often, things like athletics are the first on the chopping block. I'm not in the know but have a hard time seeing the state of Montana making a case to validate moving up a division right now. I'll be surprised if it happens but will wish them luck if so.

In closing, I'll offer up a prediction re: football......their fanbase will drop once they start losing a few games each season if they're up against the WAC. Many fans are there for the party/tailgating atmosphere. People love a winner and the U of M's done that well in football for many years. So long that a lot of people I talked to up there couldn't remember the pre-Don Read era. There's a noticeable difference between pre-halftime vs. post-halftime butts in seats as a lot of folks just continue the party after first half and don't come back in. This is by no means a dis to the Griz. Many a passionate, die-hard fan inhabits Washington-Grizzly Stadium but when the crowds are that big a good percentage are of the fair-weather variety as well.

This debate will continue to rage on egriz as sure as the sun will rise on the eastern horizon.

I'm just happy it's college basketball season. ;)

MTJack
 
Only sport that matters is football when moving up to an fbs conference. Were right where we need to be and Montana is like a whale in a duck pond. They have way to strong of a brand and a tight hold in a decent sized sports market. They arent Idaho or Utah State or San jose state where if they are loosing people have other choices. Montana will be a winning program and if not they will still get 20 k a game. Any season they go bowling they will sell 22k season tickets. We want montana to move up so we can be in the drivers seat to own to conference. They would have probably went bowling this year in the WAC.
 
I don't want to be able to win only because Montana has left. I'd rather be in a conference where Weber has to play the best possible candidates to win a conference crown. Also, the level of competition dictates the attendance. A lot of people think Weber plays watered down programs and that the Sky isn't that great, so they don't give Weber must respect, hence the poor attendance. I think if Weber were to join the WAC, attendance would sky-rocket. Renew lost rivalry's Boise State, Idaho, and Nevada, and build a strong instate rivalry Utah State. The Big Sky, like it or not, needs Montana. In all reality its an anchor school for the conference. Weber is, in my opinion, in the same position. If either Weber or Montana left the Sky would implode. Its not strong enough without their membership.

UM has peaked fan wise.
 
Here is the way I see it, Montana has never beaten Wyoming. The Pokes are 13-0 against the Griz, Utah State leads the overall series with Wyoming 34-24.

So if Montana cant beat the dump of the Mtn.West(Wyoming) who cant beat the dump of the WAC (USU) tell me then just how successful that football program will be when they move up, Montana is 8-26 vs the Faggies.

And I dissagree with you PurpleBlood, if Montana moves up and continuously goes 4-8, 2-9, 2-10, 1-11, or 0-12, fans will stop going to watch Montana games, and only the diehards will show up, Montana will start playing in a 25,000 seat stadium in front of 7,000. And when they move up, they wont be able to play all thier games at home, they will ahve to go on the road eventually.

2 more things that I catch that tells me they wont be as successful as Boise or Utah, the last 2 times Montana actaully played up, the got humiliated (vs Oregon L 44-14, vs Iowa L 42-6)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top