One commenter I had this week said the following...
I have also seen no reports indicating that the Mtn. West is looking to
send an invitation to Montana. Why would they elevate an FCS school when
there are plenty of FBS candidates will to join their league? If you
are going to report that, provide a link to an article or press release
backing it up.
Seriously, do a little research and include some actual facts in these
posts
OK, here is the research.
1. This is not my theory, it did not come from my imagination. It was something from Bleacher Report from last November.
Here is a link to the article...http://bleacherreport.com/articles/529481-tcu-leaving-for-big-east-what-options-remain-for-mountain-west
Here is the quote...
Again, Thompson made a swift and wise decision. Hawaii was added (as a
football-only member) to the (then) 10-team MWC, and the conference made
it clear they were looking at options for team 12. Prognosticators
(myself included) began considering and debating the merits of about a
dozen programs. SMU, Houston, UTEP, Utah State, Tulsa and Montana were
some of the most common names.
2. Does it make sense to elevate an FCS program when there are FBS schools wanting into your conference.
Let's do a comparison between Utah State and Montana...
Utah State
Logan/Preston Metro 125,000
~22,000 undergraduates
~3,700 post-graduates
~29% 4-year graduation rate. 53% 6-year graduation rate
Endowment 172 million
USNWR Ranking: 170 National
Student/Faculty ratio: 19:1
16 varsity sports. Men: Football, basketball, track & field (Indoor and outdoor), golf and cross country. Women: basketball, track & field (Indoor and outdoor), volleyball, softball, soccer, gymnastics, golf, cross country and tennis
Football Stadium: Romney stadium, 25,000 and usually about 3/4 full.
Basketball Arena: Dee Glenn Smith Spectrum, 10,000 which usually sounds more like 50,000.
Montana
Missoula Metro 109,000
~12,000 undergraduates
~3,200 post-graduates
~20% 4-year graduation rate. 43% 6-year graduation rate
Endowment 108 million
USNWR ranking: 194 National
Student-Faculty ratio: 20:1
14 varsity sports. Men: Football, basketball, track & field (Indoor and outdoor) golf and cross country.
Women: basketball, track & field (Indoor and outdoor), volleyball, soccer, golf and cross country
Football Stadium: Washington Grizzly stadium, 23,000 and usually full
Basketball Arena: Dahlberg Arena 7,500
Now, you might say that Utah State is clearly the better choice for the MWC by the numbers. Until you consider some other factors.
1. How do you get a football team into Logan? You fly to Salt Lake City and board a bus and drive 1 and 1/2 hours to Logan. Where you can fly directly to Missoula.
2. Recent success. Yes, who knows how Montana would really do at the FBS level, but winning 10 conference championships in 12 years is difficult no matter what conference you are in.
3. Fan support. SRO crowds look good on TV.
Those three negatives are holding Utah State back. USU can do nothing about fact #1, but the other two are completely in their control. Now, what about the others wanted to jump off the sinking WAC ship and onto the MWC life boat?
San Jose State? Where do they stand with fans when competing against Stanford, Cal, the 49ers, the Raiders, the Giants, the Athletics, the Sharks, the Warriors and the Quakes for publicity and exposure? Close to the bottom, but they often beat out the MLS team. There is a lot of competition for media time and print space in San Jose. In Missoula, Montana gets top billing.
Idaho? Attendance, attendance, attendance.
New Mexico State? Academics. Success on the field of play. Etc.
And would anyone leave Conference USA and their TV deal for the mtn?
Finally, what the MWC does not need is another Wyoming, or Colorado State or any program that can put together a winning season once every 10 years. They need another Utah or another Boise State. That program is really not out there, but what has happened in Missoula has turned a few heads. Can they be the next Boise State? That is really doubtful, but they could help the MWC get better.
3 comments:
Bleacher Report isn't what I'd call a reliable source. The overwhelming majority are fans simply posting their opinions. They have no real inside knowledge of anything.
I agree - Bleacher Report is a POS. There's no way the MWC would invite Montana. I doubt USU would even get a serious look. I think if the MWC is going to expand they are going to look to Texas. They will probably try to poach a CUSA school or maybe even look to UTSA who has averaged 30K+ for their first games as an FCS school.
Question to ponder, then. Why would anyone leave Conference USA and their TV deal to be on the mtn?
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