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Interesting article about the Montana Schools!

Interesting stuff. The head-to-head comparison is interesting:

Montana -- Montana State

Budgets: $9.7 Mill -- $8.4 Mill
FB Attendance: 23,000 -- 12,000
Sports Sponsored: 14 -- 16

Women's Sports: 8 -- 9

Both have: Volleyball, Basketball, Soccer, Cross-Country, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track, Golf & Tennis; MSU has Skiing

Men's Sports: 6 -- 7

Both have: Football, Basketball, Cross-Country, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track & Tennis; MSU has Skiing

Looks like Montana has the longer road to travel on total scholarships and sports sponsored. Montana State has only to come up with 3K more people per home game, perhaps some facilities improvement, and they're home free in D-1A.

Maybe I've misjudged the Bobcats. Looks like they could make the jump. Perhaps being able to entertain Wyoming on occasion, as well as the Vandellas, Donks and NAgs, they might be able to make a go of it. They're certainly as credible as Arkansas State, Middle Tennessee, Troy State and La-Mo.

:D

From my talks to the ppl close to the AD dpt there, Montana has no desire what so ever unless the Big Sky was to become unstable of jumping I-A. Why this article was written I have no Idea. Not many in the area care to jump I-A or want I-A. They pretty much like the I-AA system.

Being a Montana native, I can tell you that a few years ago 80 to 90% of Montana fans did not want to go to 1A, now it is about a 50-50 split. They even admit that. Because of the budget shortfall Montana may have to go to 1A for a big payday from someone like Nebraska to keep the program at increasingly high levels.

I am for Idaho to the WAC but Montana State probably has a better team. They just renovated their stadium a year or two ago. Atleast they HAVE a stadium Idaho doesn't even have one. Bozeman is also easier to get to than Moscow. MSU has been the BSC co-champs they are improving. I don't look for them to move up any time soon but in 5 to 10 years who knows, personally I would rather have the Bobcats than most of the Sun Belt teams in the WAC. Montana could add some scholies and jump now, I sure wish they would.

So out of curiousity NavyBlue, if MSU has better facilities, similar budget, a better team, etc. Why advocate a loser program like idahos? They are further behind, with less momentum and more issues and have a history of using smoke and mirrors to 'acheive' their current level of 'prowess' in athletics.

What is it about idaho that USU fans love so much? Is it the land grant affinity or some other kinship? I guess we Bronco fans need to know officially where you stand with this so we know if you're freind or foe.

Roughrider:

I'll give it a whirl. We have a history with both Montana schools that goes back quite a way, almost as long as our history with 4 of the 5 airport cabalists. Idaho history doesn't go back quite as far, but we do share the "leftbehinder" syndrome with 'em. I personally thought Idaho made a huge mistake by dropping down to D-1AA. They'd've been a good partner for us in the late 70s in the PCAA. Why they didn't come (I understand there were explorations by both sides) I do not know. They chose the easier road out of leftbehinderdom only to be bypassed by your school facilities-wise.

Idaho at least has made the effort. The Montanas haven't at all.

Success in that little pond is pretty meaningless on a national scale. I would support all 3 schools in the WAC ('course, I'll never have a vote, will I?). Every western D-1A school is precious. We cannot allow any to fail: for every failure, our continuation in D-1Adom becomes more and more precarious. Our southern slimy swine will make sure of that.


:saber:

I pretty much agree with USU'78. Aggie fans do have sympathy for Idaho's situation, we wandered in the desert for 40+ years and will continue to until next July. I think we also worry that byu and utah's conference will expand around us again, and we will be left homeless again. It doesn't matter what we do the zoobs and pukes will not ever let us in their club. It does not matter how good we are either. We were pretty damn good when they left us behind in the first place, maybe that is why we were left behind, at the time we were a national power. So letting a fellow 1-a die could mean our own death in the future if we don't have enough schools for a league.

Also please don't think being pro-Idaho is anti-Boise State. We like both schools and would like both to succeed if possible. We do understand some relectance with the Vandals, though. They have NO stadium and appearanlty NO PLAN. That part is scarry.

The only thing I slighlty didagree with '78 on is the trying. The only thing Idaho has done is move up, I sure wish they would have improved their facilities the last 10 years or so, if they had this discussion would be moot. Yes, I hope Idaho succeds and BSU does as well. We don't expect BSU fans to hate byu and utah as much as we do. Anyway BSU is a WAC partner so I wish them the most success (other than USU ofcourse).

So wait a minute... that seems backwards... Montana has double the attendance, a higher budget, and all the sports except skiing... but it's Montana State that's ready to make the move now?

Roughrider, I realized I did not answer you question completly. The reason I advocate Idaho over MSU is that Idaho WANTS to come. If there were better western 1-a's wanting to come to the WAC I would be all for them. But right now only Idaho wants to join. Montana's stance against 1-a and the WAC might be changing, I sure hope it is. If it was a choice between Idaho and Montana, Montana would be the no-brainer choice. Right now atleast, the Grizzlies are not coming and we need a WESTERN school, so Idaho is it, there is no one else.

Thanks guys. I understand that it's not a Boise vs idaho thing with you, I just can't see for the life of me why, as you are finally getting your due and moving into the conference where you belong, that you advocate bringing in what is, at least today, dead weight into the WAC. I would think you would want to look forward.

And I agree Blue, they haven't tried at all beyond bending every rule or the spirit of every rule on order to hang on. And while it's hard to get behind them at all, because of the arrogance we have had to put up with for so many years (similar to the 7's arrogance that you deal with every hour of every day, but much less grounded in any reality), most of us Bronco fans know that if they are invited, they will improve, at least at first and our OOC schedule will immediately take a step up too, so all will not be lost. But I also fear that our administration will work even harder to kiss MWC hiney so we can get the he!! away from them again. And I honetly want to work on making the WAC better in the nation's eyes; we all know it's better than the MWC at the top, today. I'd love to sat screw the MWC and have them looking at member ship with us, which is less likely if we keep watering down our league at the bottom.

NavyBlue Wrote:I pretty much agree with USU'78. Aggie fans do have sympathy for Idaho's situation, we wandered in the desert for 40+ years and will continue to until next July. I think we also worry that byu and utah's conference will expand around us again, and we will be left homeless again. It doesn't matter what we do the zoobs and pukes will not ever let us in their club. It does not matter how good we are either. We were pretty damn good when they left us behind in the first place, maybe that is why we were left behind, at the time we were a national power. So letting a fellow 1-a die could mean our own death in the future if we don't have enough schools for a league.

Also please don't think being pro-Idaho is anti-Boise State. We like both schools and would like both to succeed if possible. We do understand some relectance with the Vandals, though. They have NO stadium and appearanlty NO PLAN. That part is scarry.

The only thing I slighlty didagree with '78 on is the trying. The only thing Idaho has done is move up, I sure wish they would have improved their facilities the last 10 years or so, if they had this discussion would be moot. Yes, I hope Idaho succeds and BSU does as well. We don't expect BSU fans to hate byu and utah as much as we do. Anyway BSU is a WAC partner so I wish them the most success (other than USU ofcourse).

I know Aggie fans can like both Idaho and Boise State! I like Oregon and Oregon State and they hate each other. I like Udub and Wazzu and they hate each other!

But I sure enjoy the Boise State and Rivalry and love to hate the vandellas!