(06-20-2019 05:43 AM)CoastalVANDAL Wrote:  

(06-19-2019 03:56 PM)YNot Wrote:  

(06-19-2019 03:12 PM)CoastalVANDAL Wrote:  

(06-19-2019 02:58 AM)AuzGrams Wrote:  I always get a good laugh at the animosity between Idaho & BSU lately.

It is interesting lower level directional school catches fire in football.
Quits playing long time rival the state flagship school.
The flagship school becomes a dumpster fire in athletics .
The series was 17-10-1 Idaho's advantage then BSU wins twelve in a row.
They quit playing Idaho after thirty years of continuous play.
BSU will not even play basketball at Idaho.
Idaho played at BSU while they were a junior college once.
Other than those unique aspects its like any other two schools sharing a state.

MSU claims UM kept them out of the B1G .
They benefit from the rivalry even with the hate .
Idaho and BSU no one benefits long term from killing the rivalry .
BSU will be another G5 with no rival once their shine fully wears off.
Idaho would be better off keeping a rival but can learn to hate Montana again .

Now that Idaho is FCS, the rivalry is dead.

But the problems that led to the FCS downgrade stem from the fact that the University of Idaho is too far from the majority of the state's population...75% of the state lives much closer to Boise. In fact, isn't like 50% of the population in the Boise metro area? Idaho's enrollment is down to like 11K students. That's less than half of Boise State and even less than Idaho State.

Hard to sustain an FBS football team with such a small student body and small regional population. Add on that Boise State has been so successful and Washington State is less than 10 miles away.....not a good formula for support.

Yes they should never play in football again.
Basketball there is no reason not to play .
Even with Idaho's obvious hurdles they could have been fine in a stable conference in FBS.
CCU basically took their place 10k students two games above 15k in two years.
Not saying they are the model but Idaho needed a conference and rivals .
NMSU may drop to I doubt it but UTEP and UNM are a big advantage for them.

As long as those schools are willing to play NMSU home and home every year NMSU will stick around. Between those two guarantees and Liberty/Umass continuing to be independents they have enough to annually put together a full schedule.