Welcome Back Idaho........NOT!

[WILDCAT]

In case you didnt know, Today the University of Idaho has officially re-joined the Big Sky Conference in everything but Football. Whooptey doo. :roll:

http://bigskyconf.com/news/2014/6/30/GEN_0630145435.aspx

 

[oldrunner]

I think they are a good addition to the BSC. They have suffered some hard knocks lately, with the disintegration of the WAC and the small, remote nature of their city. However, they have a proud tradition and relatively good facilities. Before long, I think they will be in as full members. They just need to get over being butt hurt about Boise State's success in football and get on with their lives. They remind me of a smaller version of USU, but with far less resources. They are a very prideful bunch.

 

[hdqweber]

Agreed. The league got a bit stronger with the addition.

 

[boisebengal]

If you go over to Idaho's forum, people over there sure aren't very happy about their Olympic sports going back to the Big Sky.

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=205&f=3864&t=12969206" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[oldrunner]

The way things are changing in the world of high major football, I suspect that UI will find it quite hard to get home games at the FBS level. The same can be said for OOC games for the FBS conferences who are not part of the so called power five. There may well be a move to redefine D1 football in a way that is quite far removed from the current FBS/FCS subdivisions. The BSC is well positioned to be involved in an upgrade in scheduling power. Right now, UI is saying that they would rather be the worst program in FBS than a mediocre program at the FCS level of football. They would not win the BSC in football. The rest of their sports are a good fit for the BSC.

I totally understand their desire to maintain the status they think they deserve. However, todays market only respects money and TV sets. Frankly, Idaho State has them beat in this arena. In fact, most of the BSC has them beat as well. They seem to have a problem and are not dealing with it very well. :twocents:

 

[Skippy]

The way things are changing in the world of high major football, I suspect that UI will find it quite hard to get home games at the FBS level. The same can be said for OOC games for the FBS conferences who are not part of the so called power five. There may well be a move to redefine D1 football in a way that is quite far removed from the current FBS/FCS subdivisions. The BSC is well positioned to be involved in an upgrade in scheduling power. Right now, UI is saying that they would rather be the worst program in FBS than a mediocre program at the FCS level of football. They would not win the BSC in football. The rest of their sports are a good fit for the BSC.

I totally understand their desire to maintain the status they think they deserve. However, todays market only respects money and TV sets. Frankly, Idaho State has them beat in this arena. In fact, most of the BSC has them beat as well. They seem to have a problem and are not dealing with it very well. :twocents:

It's about two things for the Vandals: money and pride. They are going to get $1 million a year from the Sun Belt in shared revenue from the new playoff system, and they can charge twice what FCS team can to play body bag games. (Florida State, for example, will pay Idaho just short of a million bucks to play them this year -- most FCS teams are getting between $400 and $500 K for "money games.") And of course, Idaho will never get over the fact that Boise State left them behind.

And frankly, I can't blame Vandal fans. It's true, their football program has largely struggled, but the Big Sky offers them nothing very exciting to come back to. Who wants to travel to Greeley or Flagstaff when you've been playing FBS quality competition? It's awful hard to get 'em back on the farm after they've seen the big city.

College football is continually evolving -- the gap between the "haves" and "have nots" is only getting wider and programs like Idaho are really stuck in a no-mans land. They will never be competitive with the power conference teams, but they need the revenue to stay afloat. Frankly, if I were Idaho, I'd try to take a leadership role in creating a new D-1 model for non-power conferences. You could create a subdivision with budget, travel and facility limitations that works for like-minded schools. But most schools that would "belong" in such a subdivision would probably be too proud to admit it -- or join it.

 

[n.ogdencat]

The way things are changing in the world of high major football, I suspect that UI will find it quite hard to get home games at the FBS level. The same can be said for OOC games for the FBS conferences who are not part of the so called power five. There may well be a move to redefine D1 football in a way that is quite far removed from the current FBS/FCS subdivisions. The BSC is well positioned to be involved in an upgrade in scheduling power. Right now, UI is saying that they would rather be the worst program in FBS than a mediocre program at the FCS level of football. They would not win the BSC in football. The rest of their sports are a good fit for the BSC.

I totally understand their desire to maintain the status they think they deserve. However, todays market only respects money and TV sets. Frankly, Idaho State has them beat in this arena. In fact, most of the BSC has them beat as well. They seem to have a problem and are not dealing with it very well. :twocents:

It's about two things for the Vandals: money and pride. They are going to get $1 million a year from the Sun Belt in shared revenue from the new playoff system, and they can charge twice what FCS team can to play body bag games. (Florida State, for example, will pay Idaho just short of a million bucks to play them this year -- most FCS teams are getting between $400 and $500 K for "money games.") And of course, Idaho will never get over the fact that Boise State left them behind.

And frankly, I can't blame Vandal fans. It's true, their football program has largely struggled, but the Big Sky offers them nothing very exciting to come back to. Who wants to travel to Greeley or Flagstaff when you've been playing FBS quality competition? It's awful hard to get 'em back on the farm after they've seen the big city.

College football is continually evolving -- the gap between the "haves" and "have nots" is only getting wider and programs like Idaho are really stuck in a no-mans land. They will never be competitive with the power conference teams, but they need the revenue to stay afloat. Frankly, if I were Idaho, I'd try to take a leadership role in creating a new D-1 model for non-power conferences. You could create a subdivision with budget, travel and facility limitations that works for like-minded schools. But most schools that would "belong" in such a subdivision would probably be too proud to admit it -- or join it.

I see what you are saying and I agree with you 100%. Money and Pride are the biggest reasons why the Vandals will continue to play FBS football. The Sun Belt will never admit them into the conference fully though due to travel. Funniest thing about Vandal fans is that they scoff at having to travel to places like Greeley or Flagstaff, when they are located in Moscow. Moscow, on July 1, just became the hardest city to get to in the conference. Biggest reason why the Vandals aren't going anywhere. They should be absolutely grateful that they have been admitted to the Sky. Reality suggests that they should have been forced to wallow in the WAC and the Sky could have admitted Seattle for Oly sports.

Now onto the funniest thing about the Vandals forum...Sac St. fans still acting like they are FBS calibre. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

 

[oldrunner]

Maybe Idaho and Sac should form their own level for football. They could be FDS, Football Delusional Subdivision. :yikes:

 

[SDHornet]

Now onto the funniest thing about the Vandals forum...Sac St. fans still acting like they are FBS calibre. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Link?

 

[Webergrad02]

Now onto the funniest thing about the Vandals forum...Sac St. fans still acting like they are FBS calibre. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Link?

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=205&f=3864&t=12969206" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

From Linked thread:
Wow that is definitely not the reaction I thought I would get. Please don't let me put you in the same arrogant catagory as the fizz fans

I can understand about the football thing. I would like us to move up. We have a 21,000+ seat stadium with room for expansion. Hopefully soon, though after the Power 5 get their way I think the rest of D-I football (Both FBS and FCS) will see a consolidation

Another Post from the delusional Hornet
Trust me, my Alma Mater is in a town that believes it should only be at the highest level. If we moved to FBS football, it would be like the greatest thing since sliced bread. A lot of our fanbase was hoping to move up to the WAC a few years ago had Fresno, Reno and San Jose stayed. We would have had 4 schools within a 250 mile radius (which would have been huge for lots of reasons).

So in our shoes, FCS is seen as something as not quite big time (all of our other sports are straight up D-I), even though FCS is still very much D-I football, IMO. I would just rather do away with the whole FBS/FCS and just have D-I football. I think that you could have a national championship playoff for all the best teams, and if you don't qualify but still have a winning record, go to a bowl game as a nice consolation prize.

 

[Webergrad02]

When I lived in Nothern Sac, I can't remember many people even recognizing that Sac State had a football team. There was way more buzz around Sierra College's football facilities because that is where the 49ers held camp during the Steve Young era.

 

[n.ogdencat]

Now onto the funniest thing about the Vandals forum...Sac St. fans still acting like they are FBS calibre. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Link?

I don't want to point fingers or anything, but the Sac fan posting on the Vandal's forum has the same avatar you use on our forum, and might I add, the same one you use on a bunch of other forums. Guessing, but I think the coincidence isn't much of a coincidence, since it is the same person posting. Are you struggling with dementia SD? :thumb:

Just razzing ya. I always like your posts. But I must say, we are where we are for a reason. Lets not get any illusions, or in the case of our Vandal brethren disillusions, of grandeur. The Sky is an extremely strong FCS football conference. The Big Boys are light years apart from the rest of FBS, and in fact, the top of FCS isn't too far from the bottom; or the "rest" of FBS. I don't think Idaho could have beat Sac last year. And this season, we all know, even with the additional scholies on their team, they couldn't beat the top 4 teams in the Sky. Weber is in the same position as Sac in some ways, even though our facilities are far superior (yes, I've been to Sac...the NEST!!). Surrounded by the Haves and suffering from a dose of an identity crisis. Just gotta appreciate what ya got.

 

[SDHornet]

Not sure what is so “delusional” about those statements. I don’t think you would find any Hornet fans who wouldn’t want to be in a conference with Fresno, San Jose, and Nevada. The WAC was a viable possibility at FBS prior to its implosion. Hindsight tells us that a move to the WAC would have been a disaster and we would probably be worse off than Idaho had we made a move once the dominoes started to fall. FCS doesn’t hold much traction, especially for us since we are a stone’s throw from 2 NFL teams and 2 Pac12 programs. Being associated with those programs in the WAC would have done wonders for our athletics department.

We are located in a metro area which is good for TV deals and recruiting, which have been and will be the main drivers for conference realignment. Sac is easy to get to regionally, and not hard to get to via connections from the major western hubs. Those facts alone will always make us a candidate if there ever is another western FBS conference formed. As seen from some of the recent “move-ups”; tradition, and historical success have absolutely nothing to do with whether or not a program is considered for membership.

That said, if you really understood our situation I think you would have a better understanding about where this sentiment comes from. We were one of the few CA D1-AA schools to keep football in the early 90s when others were closing up shop and there is certainly a yearning to have full membership in a conference with other CA schools. The window for FBS has closed for all FCS programs and all we can hope for is that our new AD keeps his eyes open and a pulse on conference realignment and has the stones to pull the trigger on a move if the opportunity arises.

 

[SDHornet]

Now onto the funniest thing about the Vandals forum...Sac St. fans still acting like they are FBS calibre. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Link?

I don't want to point fingers or anything, but the Sac fan posting on the Vandal's forum has the same avatar you use on our forum, and might I add, the same one you use on a bunch of other forums. Guessing, but I think the coincidence isn't much of a coincidence, since it is the same person posting. Are you struggling with dementia SD? :thumb:

Just razzing ya. I always like your posts. But I must say, we are where we are for a reason. Lets not get any illusions, or in the case of our Vandal brethren disillusions, of grandeur. The Sky is an extremely strong FCS football conference. The Big Boys are light years apart from the rest of FBS, and in fact, the top of FCS isn't too far from the bottom; or the "rest" of FBS. I don't think Idaho could have beat Sac last year. And this season, we all know, even with the additional scholies on their team, they couldn't beat the top 4 teams in the Sky. Weber is in the same position as Sac in some ways, even though our facilities are far superior (yes, I've been to Sac...the NEST!!). Surrounded by the Haves and suffering from a dose of an identity crisis. Just gotta appreciate what ya got.

SHA is a different poster. I use the same handle on all FB message boards. The avatar was something the owner of these sites made a while back. I haven't had much time to troll the Idaho board yet...although I can't blame them for being butthurt about having to rejoin the BSC.

 

[Webergrad02]

I don’t think you would find any Hornet fans who wouldn’t want to be in a conference with Fresno, San Jose, and Nevada.

I am not sure you would find many Fresno, Spartan or Wolfpack fans that would consider Sac State a strong addition to the conference. In my opinion Sac would have been viewed in the same light as the other desperation schools that the WAC tried to add at the 11th hour to save themselves. (Nevada and Fresno were moving on to the MWC by that point)

 

[SDHornet]

I don’t think you would find any Hornet fans who wouldn’t want to be in a conference with Fresno, San Jose, and Nevada.

I am not sure you would find many Fresno, Spartan or Wolfpack fans that would consider Sac State a strong addition to the conference. In my opinion Sac would have been viewed in the same light as the other desperation schools that the WAC tried to add at the 11th hour to save themselves. (Nevada and Fresno were moving on to the MWC by that point)

Well the MWC has it's own political struggles between the front range schools and the populated metro western schools. We have solid showings from fans of those programs you mentioned when we have Oly match-ups. If there was a reason to consider another addition, I can't see why they wouldn't consider us if we position ourselves properly. :twocents:

 

[SDHornet]

Double post.

 

[Skippy]

I don’t think you would find any Hornet fans who wouldn’t want to be in a conference with Fresno, San Jose, and Nevada.

I am not sure you would find many Fresno, Spartan or Wolfpack fans that would consider Sac State a strong addition to the conference. In my opinion Sac would have been viewed in the same light as the other desperation schools that the WAC tried to add at the 11th hour to save themselves. (Nevada and Fresno were moving on to the MWC by that point)

I think the WAC would have survived as a football conference if the two Montanas, Sac and Portland State would have been willing to take the leap. The two Montanas bring full stadiums, and Sac and PSU bring metro populations with television sets. I'm not saying it would have been an easy road, but all four schools could have been immediately competitive in the WAC pre-implosion. I'm thankful they all stayed around and kept the Big Sky viable, and now that the WAC is out of the football business, I don't see any place for any of them to go that's in the Western U.S. But never say never when it comes to conference realignment. If the Mountain West gets raided again, doors will open and I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see those four Big Sky schools step through them.

 

[WILDCAT]

Idaho never wanted to come back to the Big Sky, it wasnt until they didnt have any other options that they said Fine we'll go back. The move back to the BSC was done grudgingly by the university, and now that they are officially in the University talks about how great it is to be back among traditional rivals, I dont believe a word of it. They dont want to be here and will bolt the chance they get...........if any.

And Idaho's fans are so butt hurt about moving from one D1 conference to another that they spend all thier time badmouthing and trashing the only conference they ever had success in. Talking about how the Big Sky is a step down when in all actuality it was a latteral move. I cant believe there would come a time I would hate another fanbase more than Montana's :yikes: Well except maybe the other instate morons.

As for Sac State, Im glad they are with us in the Big Sky and hope they stay with us for a while longer

 

[oldrunner]

As for Portland State and Sac moving up to FBS, (LMFAO). It is not just the number of seats in your stadium. It is also the number of butts in the seats. It is true that they have large metropolitan areas to draw from, so does WSU, MSU, and UM, but they are going to need a larger fan base first. It has already been said, leagues like the MWC are finding it hard to stay with the big boys, in football, and realignment is a high likelyhood.