Why not D-2?

[Red Hill]

I’m starting to think moving down might not be a bad idea. What more can we do at the FCS level? We've already won a national championship. I’ll support the Bengals no matter where we end up but it would be a lot easier if we were the top dogs in our conference. How many people can tell you the difference between CSU-Pueblo and Cal State Sacramento anyway? http://www.d2football.com/stadiums/rockymountainathleticconference/c10/

 

[tigersmilk]

off the top of my head...

i think that if our football team moves to division II other sports programs at ISU would also need to. what we need is for this D2 caliber coach and his pal-coach-buddies to resign so we can get back into the mix with the big sky like we used to when Lewis was here.

 

[isusuperfan]

Football is perfect for Division 2, the facilities would be pretty good for that division and the fanbase is about right; we could be top dogs in D-2 and get some confidence.

Oneeee small problem...

You'd be dragging down everyone else too. Frank covered this a million times and nothing has changed since he left. Do you really wanna have teams like soccer, volleyball and the track programs competing at D-2 when they're in the hunt for Big Sky Championships every other year right now? And women's basketball has been the most successful squad in the past decade, with 5 post season appearances (2 NCAA, 3 WNIT, 2 Big Sky Championships) and plenty of good overall seasons.

Either football improves or dies. That simple.

 

[bengalharley]

I think D2 would be a perfect fit for ISU. All sports would do well, and our facilities are d2 already. Why not? I still think a change at the top needs to happen ie.. President, AD and football coaching staff.

 

[SLCBengal]

While the "academic peer" argument tends to be used more than it should, it still has some validity. Idaho State University is a research institution, and it offers undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degrees (along with millions of dollars in annual research). You can look at various publications which "rate" institutions of higher learning, and you are able to see which schools are similar to one another. US News and World Reports is one that's often referred to, and they rank colleges/universities into various categories. ISU is considered a Tier 2 national research instituion (MSU & UM rank higher), and other schools within Tier 2 include Portland State, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, New Mexico State, and Louisiana Tech.

Division 2 schools are generally schools of smaller enrollments, and who primarily offer undergraduate (and some masters) degrees with less focus on research.

Academic snobbery aside , what Division 2 conference would ISU compete, and what evidence is there we'd stay competitive (how do we know the budget wouldn't begin to decrease from what it is currently)? The RMAC isn't accepting new members -- Dixie State, a great geographic fit, was denied membership. The RMAC already has 14 members (10 who play football). The Great Northwest (which includes Northwest Nazarene in Nampa) also turned them down, because it already has 10 members (although they do offer football to affiliate members). In addition, the GNAC includes 2 schools in Alaska -- how will that help your travel costs for non-revenue sports? The only option ISU would have is the Pac West Conference, and Dixie State would be the closest member (with others in California and Hawaii). Again, ISU expenses for travel would increase from what they currently are, and I'd make a bet that gate revenue would sharply decrease from what it currently is as well.

 

[BengalSapper]

ISU will never go to D2 for one reason money. ISU still makes more money loosing at D1aa then wining at D2. I am just as mad as everyone but the negative attitude has got to go. I am so sick and tired of reading about the negative. If you want it changed change it. If you want wins it takes two things money and support. If you have money donate and do everything you can to get the student body and the community to fund the program. If you don’t have money donate time. Everyone needs to get involved, go to games scream loud support the team win or loses. Changes from the top down need to happen and will happen if you make you’re self heard. If you are not doing everything in your ability to change things then shame on us. Administration and coaching changes are needed. A new mindset and attitude in the marketing department the Bengal foundation needs a overall we need a game day supervisor to plan organize and run the tail gate pre and post game activates and make things run. WE NEED THE STUDENT BODY TO GET INVOLVED. The student body needs to put some money up a $35 fee a student per semester at about 15,500 students that’s $1,085,000.00. I will be the first student to pay were do I send my check. You get that kind of money and ISU will win. IF you want wins get people involved and put up some money.

 

[sasquatch]

Bingo, BengalSapper. If ISU went D2, your revenue would slide fast. Real fast. No NCAA basketball money. No guarantee games for hundreds of thousands of dollars against FBS schools. No TV coverage, rare as it is now.

In addition, D2 only lets you have something like 36 scholarships for football, versus the 63 FCS lets you have. Now if you're offering 30 less male scholarships, depending on how your school complies with Title IX, you may see ISU drop a women's sport (to match that). Good-bye volleyball or softball or soccer.

Nope, ISU will NEVER drop down to D2. Any recruits who read this don't have to worry. I am a little surprised though, bengalharley, that you would think moving down a division is a good idea. Didn't you say you are a women's athlete here at ISU? You are the first athlete I have ever known who would want to play a lower level of competition on a consistent basis, man or woman.

We all love ISU and are proud of it! If nothing else, times like this show we have the coolest fan base out there!

 

[bengalcub]

For ISU to rebuild and get competitive again, it is going to take each and every one of us. This will be the largest and most critical rebuilding process that Bengal football has ever undertaken. Things are bad, very bad. APR penalties and reduced practice time may be the 'norm' for the near future. ISU in the short term may have to make do with more 'walk-ons' and more Idaho kids. Strategically, they need to get APR issues behind them. We can't bitch and moan 2-3 years into the next staff, because there is no way in hell that anyone can turn this mess around quickly.

 

[isusuperfan]

ISU will never go to D2 for one reason money. ISU still makes more money loosing at D1aa then wining at D2. I am just as mad as everyone but the negative attitude has got to go. I am so sick and tired of reading about the negative. If you want it changed change it. If you want wins it takes two things money and support. If you have money donate and do everything you can to get the student body and the community to fund the program. If you don’t have money donate time. Everyone needs to get involved, go to games scream loud support the team win or loses. Changes from the top down need to happen and will happen if you make you’re self heard. If you are not doing everything in your ability to change things then shame on us. Administration and coaching changes are needed. A new mindset and attitude in the marketing department the Bengal foundation needs a overall we need a game day supervisor to plan organize and run the tail gate pre and post game activates and make things run. WE NEED THE STUDENT BODY TO GET INVOLVED. The student body needs to put some money up a $35 fee a student per semester at about 15,500 students that’s $1,085,000.00. I will be the first student to pay were do I send my check. You get that kind of money and ISU will win. IF you want wins get people involved and put up some money.

Now before biobengal slams me as not supporting this measure, I would wholeheartedly support this. 35 dollars included in student fees, per student would not be a horrible burden to bear and we could honestly say we have a stake in ISU Athletics. Making a good 1.085 million a year off a $35 dollar fee would be a small yet very valuable asset to ISU. This is far more feasible than trying to shove a 100 million dollar complex down the throats of students

 

[Sniper]

Maybe someday we'll join the RMAC, so we can finally renew that old rivalry with Colorado Mines.

 

[bengalogic]

The students at ISU already send money to the athletic department why do you think you get in to games for free as a student. Look what happened when they wanted to raise fees to help pay for a new gym the students eather didnt care or fought tooth and nail to stop any increase in fees even when it would have benifited them.
The Athletic Administration at ISU works hard to balance puting a good product on the field and provide the STUDENT athletes an education. If you want to help solve the ARP issues help the athletes you have in classes with you. Dont do their work for them but if they are having problems invite them into a study group. Yes they are provided study hall but studying alone or with teamates is not the same as studying with people that are in the same class doing the same work. If athletes are missing class on a regular basis for things other than games let the athletic department know so something can be done. You cant learn if your not in class.
The student body needs to see athletes as students that play sport at a high level, but they are still students and the majority are not dumb jocks, they have one of the higher retention and graduation rates for the university . Dropping down a divistion will not help because the extra money that you would hypothesis would be available would be realocated by the university for other uses. While it might help football superfan is right it would hurt all the other sports. So decide are you a fan of the ISU Bengals or just a fan of football. I am sure volleyball and soccer would love to have half the attendance that show up for football games even when we are looking at a losing season.
And please lay off the coaches they work hard at recruting the best athletes they can get. How many top recruited athletes come to ISU where they would be starters when they could play on the practice squad at Ohio or Texas Tech? I will admit that I would like to see more local athletes on the football team but that is a decistion left up to the coaches. The coaches are having to balance the same issues as the athletic department only on a smaller scale so give them a break. As a coach it tears me up when my athletes dont preform up to what I know they can. It makes me wonder if I did everything I could to help them to shine. No one goes into coaching for the money they do it to help people see the possibilities. I have coached athletes that where not the most gifted but to see the excitment in their faces and the sence of acomplishment when they perform the best they have all season and finally not finish last reinforces why I like to coach. College coaches are the same way after each loss I can bet the coaches are going over the film looking for ways to improve seeing what they can do better no coach likes to see their athletes fail.

 

[isusuperfan]

I never agreed with the idea of study hall. You force these kids to sit in a room for a few hours and some of them still fail their classes! If you want to really emphasize the "student" in "student-athlete", let them study and mingle with the student body. Making them sit in a room and look at books for a few hours to satisfy a time requirement makes no sense and they aren't learning anything from it anyways...not to mention it's a gigantic waste of their (athletes) and the coaches' time.

 

[bengalogic]

I never agreed with the idea of study hall. You force these kids to sit in a room for a few hours and some of them still fail their classes! If you want to really emphasize the "student" in "student-athlete", let them study and mingle with the student body. Making them sit in a room and look at books for a few hours to satisfy a time requirement makes no sense and they aren't learning anything from it anyways...not to mention it's a gigantic waste of their (athletes) and the coaches' time.

Amen