(11-28-2019 01:00 PM)RutgersGuy Wrote: (11-28-2019 11:32 AM)EigenEagle Wrote: Absolutely not. Has nothing to do with them being an HBCU.
Basically, the only FCS members I'd be interested in are JMU and NDSU. The FCS is a complete wasteland outside those two programs.
SDSU, Montana, Eastern Washington, Mizz St and Delaware should be added to that list. Teams with strong fanbases and compete at the highest level of the FCS.
SDSU - Only as a partner with NDSU. They're good, but they aren't ready yet. They need to really lock in the Sioux Falls market, which they haven't been able to do yet. They've made inroads, but they need to kick it up a huge notch in SF if they were to make an FBS move. And they'd need to do it before the move, not after.
Montana - Probably not. Too isolated and their enrollment has been dropping. The state of Montana also suffers from multiple mid-sized cities(for their population) instead of one that is much larger than the rest. I don't think they're in a good position for an FBS move right now.
EWU - Are you kidding? They're not even close to the fanbase numbers to go DI. And they don't have anything near the financials to successfully go FBS, especially in terms of donor support. They can't get any major projects done.
Mizz St - Are you saying Missouri State? Are you f-ing kidding? Missouri St is a dumpster fire when it comes to football, and that's not changing. They are the annual whipping boy in the MVFC, and I don't know if anyone actually shows up to their games. Basketball is king there, and football an afterthought. Unless they have a massive culture shift, a conference where basketball is the highest priority is where they need to be.
Delaware - Nope for now. Their previous president and AD did major damage to their support base that they are only now starting to recover from. We're going to need at least another five years to see if any of the damage is permanent. I wouldn't want to add them to my conference until that question is answered.