Could it get any worse?

[tornado]

First - the greed in college athletics has split Division I apart with the big schools now calling the shots, making it tougher on the smaller schools (like Bradley)...

BUT - even worse - now the President is going to intervene ...
Nothing scares me more than the federal government saying they can fix something...and that they are going to step in and get involved...

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/2015/01/11/ncaa-white-house-president-obama/21595607/

[turtle]

like ISU in football - Bradley should be Division 2 anyway, at the rate they are doing things

[cpacmel]

like ISU in football - Bradley should be Division 2 anyway, at the rate they are doing things

Illinois State plays Division I football

[tornado]

cpacmel - how has ISU done historically vs. the BCS guys?
Have they ever gone & knocked one of them off?
Any chance one of the other FB conferences like CUSA or the weakened Big 12 might come calling, or only if they have a few more of these good years?

[Da Coach]

IMO, no. They'd need an enormous upgrade of their stadium and facilities, which isn't going to happen.

[RedbirdWarrior]

cpacmel - how has ISU done historically vs. the BCS guys?
Have they ever gone & knocked one of them off?
Any chance one of the other FB conferences like CUSA or the weakened Big 12 might come calling, or only if they have a few more of these good years?

This has been an argument around the ISU world for awhile. For those of you that have not swung by to see the 2013 Hancock Stadium renovation, I heavily encourage it. This is reportedly only step 1 of potentially 3. Step 2 would be the razing of Horton Field House and re-building of the West sideline along with a connecting bowl around the south endzone. This would TECHNICALLY give us enough seating (30,000+) to make an FBS move possible. Step 3 would have a possible second deck added to either the bowl or west sideline.

It will take time and money, but the more trips a team makes to the NCAA FCS National championship, the more budget they have. This past weekend was an excellent start.

Interesting question about BCS schools. We have not played a "BCS" conference opponent in some time. We did beat the MAC's Eastern Michigan in 2012 and take a loss to a Ball State team that went on to go 10-2 in 2013. This last year, Ball State paid ISU $300,000 to avoid playing at Hancock Stadium (where the birds have never lost since the renovation). Probably smart for them. ISU ended up winning its first 4 games this season by a combined score of 196-31.

We see the division of BCS/Major conferences and FBS small conferences to be a huge concern when considering jumping to the FBS. With schools like UAB contracting football and several dozen others losing millions each year, it makes more sense, for the foreseeable future, to remain in FCS until we see how the cards fall when it comes to conference realignment and financial issues that come with it.

ISU's next game is Saturday September 5th at University of Iowa. Both Valley POY Marshon Coprich and star QB Tre Roberson return for the birds for that game. It is a very winnable game for the Redbirds.

[tornado]

thanks - any worry that Iowa would buy out your agreement to play there in Sept?

[RedbirdWarrior]

thanks - any worry that Iowa would buy out your agreement to play there in Sept?

I think it is a distinct possibility, but it will set up a VERY expensive precedent. It would be a few hundred grand to buy out of our game and you have to assume that if they did so this year, they would also try to buy out of the game against the 4 time defending national champions, NDSU, in 2016. I imagine the clause on that game would be more expensive than ISU's agreement because NDSU prides itself on knocking off a BCS team as often as possible. Also, based on what we just saw in Frisco, there will be 15,000 fans in green taking over Iowa City that weekend.

I hope we get to play the game, but a buy out is just more we can add to our budget line for renovations and team improvements.

#silverlining

[RedbirdWarrior]

Also, to the point, I'm sorry to see Bradley so down. The rivalry is much more fun when both teams are up. My wife went there and I was very engaged in the Sweet 16 team back in the day. I hope you guys re-build quick...starting Sunday, of course.

[Vent]

Also, to the point, I'm sorry to see Bradley so down. The rivalry is much more fun when both teams are up. My wife went there and I was very engaged in the Sweet 16 team back in the day. I hope you guys re-build quick...starting Sunday, of course.

ISU and SIU have both made major upgrades to their football facilities. I have no doubt that most schools in the MVFC can compete very well in FBS conferences such as the MAC and Sun Belt. Once all the dominos fall, I think all of the schools in the Valley that play football in the MVFC, will leave to form a new conference or join an existing conference. There is just too much money to be made with football, if you have decent football. A couple years ago Western Illinois was given over $500,000 to play at LSU. That's over a half million dollars. That would go a long way in buying out our basketball coach. That money does not have to be shared with other schools in their conference as it does when playing in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. As for UAB, they were the ugly sister in the state of Alabama. Nobody went to their games because they are either Alabama or Auburn fans there. UAB was in a no win situation.

[CubbieBear]

Illinois State plays Division I football

Thinking perhaps the NCAA needs to look to re-name the Division I teams yet again??

It was called DI-A and D-IAA ( for the smaller Division-I schools who had fewer scholarships to offer)

Then the switched the terminology to FBS and FCS (bowl and championship playoff)

Now that the big boys have finally woke up and gone to a playoff format--they probably need to change the terminology yet again

And I agree--the good teams in the top of the best FCS conferences (like the Missouri Valley) would do very well against many lower level FBS conference teams (MAC - Sunbelt etc)

[tornado]

here we have the first open admission that once schools start paying their athletes - it will get MORE difficult - even next to impossible
to sort out violations identify the rule-breakers...

"..the NCAA would continue to enforce rules pertaining to prohibited benefits, although that may get a little bit harder to define ??”"

http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/2015/01/14/ncaa-could-cost-of-attendance-become-recruiting-tool/21775091/

.. so as we all kinda suspected - the rule change to allow schools to start paying the players is just a smoke screen so they can assure they'll be able to lure & buy all the best players and that none will ever again fall to the mid-majors...

[Vent]

here we have the first open admission that once schools start paying their athletes - it will get MORE difficult - even next to impossible
to sort out violations identify the rule-breakers...

"..the NCAA would continue to enforce rules pertaining to prohibited benefits, although that may get a little bit harder to define —"

http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/2015/01/14/ncaa-could-cost-of-attendance-become-recruiting-tool/21775091/

.. so as we all kinda suspected - the rule change to allow schools to start paying the players is just a smoke screen so they can assure they'll be able to lure & buy all the best players and that none will ever again fall to the mid-majors...

This really is already happening and has been happening for some time. This is what allowed the Big 5 conferences to make the changes that will give them more self governance. Isn't this a lot like our country? The rich and powerful make the rules that best help them but there are more of us "middle class and poor people". Just look at the NCAA, there are a lot more schools that aren't in the Big 5 conferences than are, but they just sat idly by and allowed things to happen. Sounds kind of like the Board of Trustees at BU. The people that didn't like the direction the BOT was going, bailed out instead of staying to fight and make things better. Hmm.........

[Vent]

Thinking perhaps the NCAA needs to look to re-name the Division I teams yet again??

It was called DI-A and D-IAA ( for the smaller Division-I schools who had fewer scholarships to offer)

Then the switched the terminology to FBS and FCS (bowl and championship playoff)

Now that the big boys have finally woke up and gone to a playoff format--they probably need to change the terminology yet again

And I agree--the good teams in the top of the best FCS conferences (like the Missouri Valley) would do very well against many lower level FBS conference teams (MAC - Sunbelt etc)

I think you are exactly right. It really started to happen a few years ago. Remember when they started the "Bracket Buster" games? That was something to get mid-majors some non conference games against other non BCS teams. Just a few years ago they started the "Alphabet Soup" post season tournaments, where non qualifying NIT and NCAA teams, got the tremendous opportunity to pay a minimum of $40,000 to play in a post season tournament, because they weren't good enough to play with the Big Boys. It did however, let those schools pump their chests by playing enough games in these tournaments, a chance to win 20 games and thump their chests as if they were world beaters. The mid-majors are mid-majors for a reason. Year in and year out they can't compete with the Big Boys. The few that do join the Big Boys conferences.

[tornado]

Looks like paying the players is already bankrupting plenty of schools

http://chronicle.com/article/New-Benefits-for-Athletes/151211/