New Mexico St as an FBS independent could easily schedule a slate like this. The ultimate goal would be CUSA or MWC membership for all sports or at least basketball, or any upgrade from the bottom FBS and NCAAB conference.

Home and home series:
Hawaii, UTEP, New Mexico, Idaho, F(A/I)U, UMass, (2 of Army, Navy, or Air Force)

2 FCS home games
2 road P5 games

On the Basketball front, OOC games against:

UTEP, NM, Gonzaga, Wichita St, VCU, Florida Gulf Coast, Davidson, Hawaii, any P5 team on road, any CUSA team, any MWC team, any Big West team.

(10-13-2015 10:05 PM)Hashtag Wrote:  New Mexico St as an FBS independent could easily schedule a slate like this. The ultimate goal would be CUSA or MWC membership for all sports or at least basketball, or any upgrade from the bottom FBS and NCAAB conference.

Home and home series:
Hawaii, UTEP, New Mexico, Idaho, F(A/I)U, UMass, (2 of Army, Navy, or Air Force)

2 FCS home games
2 road P5 games

On the Basketball front, OOC games against:

UTEP, NM, Gonzaga, Wichita St, VCU, Florida Gulf Coast, Davidson, Hawaii, any P5 team on road, any CUSA team, any MWC team, any Big West team.

Why is basketball involved? They would still be in the WAC while football is independent.

Why be content to remain in the WAC when they can explore an upgrade for bball and their other sports. Their bball squad has a history of being very competitive. Maybe that's an avenue for their fball team to move up.

(10-13-2015 10:53 PM)Hashtag Wrote:  Why be content to remain in the WAC when they can explore an upgrade for bball and their other sports. Their bball squad has a history of being very competitive. Maybe that's an avenue for their fball team to move up.

Maybe, but so far it hasn't done the trick.

I'm starting to think FBS independence is doable - if it comes to that. The hypothetical schedule the OP mentioned might have to be tweaked (doubt NMSU could get the service academies on any kind of regular basis), but it is mostly realistic.

I would even go with 3 money games. Might talk the Sun Belt into a scheduling arrangement whereby NMSU has a home and home each year, rotated among several SBC schools. Home and home against the MWC, MAC and/or CUSA are probably possibilities also. Should be enough scheduling options to get 5 home games each year. Maybe 6 in some years. Three money games each year would make it more financially feasible.

Bad for recruiting - and no bowl game opportunities, but NMSU may have no other FBS choice for a few years.

(10-13-2015 11:15 PM)NuMexAg Wrote:  I'm starting to think FBS independence is doable - if it comes to that. The hypothetical schedule the OP mentioned might have to be tweaked (doubt NMSU could get the service academies on any kind of regular basis), but it is mostly realistic.

I would even go with 3 money games. Might talk the Sun Belt into a scheduling arrangement whereby NMSU has a home and home each year, rotated among several SBC schools. Home and home against the MWC, MAC and/or CUSA are probably possibilities also. Should be enough scheduling options to get 5 home games each year. Maybe 6 in some years. Three money games each year would make it more financially feasible.

Bad for recruiting - and no bowl game opportunities, but NMSU may have no other FBS choice for a few years.

Stranger things have happened.

I don't think there would be a home and home each year, unless you mean there could be two Sun Belt games each year, one home and one away. No single SB school is going to do a home and home in a given year.

Re: bowl game, New Mexico bowl would at least consider a backup slot for them. No skin off their back if not bowl eligible, and good for attendance in the long shot that they are.

(10-13-2015 11:15 PM)NuMexAg Wrote:  I'm starting to think FBS independence is doable - if it comes to that. The hypothetical schedule the OP mentioned might have to be tweaked (doubt NMSU could get the service academies on any kind of regular basis), but it is mostly realistic.

I would even go with 3 money games. Might talk the Sun Belt into a scheduling arrangement whereby NMSU has a home and home each year, rotated among several SBC schools. Home and home against the MWC, MAC and/or CUSA are probably possibilities also. Should be enough scheduling options to get 5 home games each year. Maybe 6 in some years. Three money games each year would make it more financially feasible.

Bad for recruiting - and no bowl game opportunities, but NMSU may have no other FBS choice for a few years.

Well I'd rather NMSU be an all-sports member, but if that isn't going to happen, as much as I hate to say it, ending the football only is the second best move available (I rate all sports #1).

Having the home/homes with UTEP and New Mexico gives the Aggies a nice starting foundation and I tend to think between MWC, CUSA, and Sun Belt that NMSU can get enough games. AState scheduled Idaho non-conference before the football only affiliation and our AD said he had called NMSU first and couldn't make a date work.

You gotta think byu would appreciate a late season fbs game that could be consistently relied upon. Also if byu can get late season mwc gamesim sure nmsu could work something out. The mwc would be wise to help out nmsu in case they ever need an immediate replacement

(10-14-2015 06:22 AM)solohawks Wrote:  You gotta think byu would appreciate a late season fbs game that could be consistently relied upon. Also if byu can get late season mwc gamesim sure nmsu could work something out. The mwc would be wise to help out nmsu in case they ever need an immediate replacement

BYU would need NMSU to fill out the schedule just as they did with UMass for a 4 game series. NMSU can get P5 schools and had Minnesota play in Las Cruces during there first stint with Indy.

There would be a few other MW, CUSA and Sunbelt schools to schedule. For those November dates: UMass, BYU and Army can fill those in, along with possibly Idaho if they choose Indy too. Probably Hawaii also since they basically need to play 13 games.

Bowls possibilities, may be slim but not impossible if bowl eligible as some conferences may not have enough teams.

NMSU and Idaho are going to be just fine as FBS independents until the third tier Western FBS conference can be reborn. No idea how many years that will take, but both of them can hang in there until then. Plenty of Western FBS teams to schedule throughout the year. Five FBS home games, plus a Big Sky FCS home game.

(10-13-2015 11:28 PM)NotANewbie Wrote:  

(10-13-2015 11:15 PM)NuMexAg Wrote:  I'm starting to think FBS independence is doable - if it comes to that. The hypothetical schedule the OP mentioned might have to be tweaked (doubt NMSU could get the service academies on any kind of regular basis), but it is mostly realistic.

I would even go with 3 money games. Might talk the Sun Belt into a scheduling arrangement whereby NMSU has a home and home each year, rotated among several SBC schools. Home and home against the MWC, MAC and/or CUSA are probably possibilities also. Should be enough scheduling options to get 5 home games each year. Maybe 6 in some years. Three money games each year would make it more financially feasible.

Bad for recruiting - and no bowl game opportunities, but NMSU may have no other FBS choice for a few years.

Stranger things have happened.

I don't think there would be a home and home each year, unless you mean there could be two Sun Belt games each year, one home and one away. No single SB school is going to do a home and home in a given year.

Re: bowl game, New Mexico bowl would at least consider a backup slot for them. No skin off their back if not bowl eligible, and good for attendance in the long shot that they are.

Reduce fball scholarships to 75 but make them full cost of attendance.
Make last game of season at Hawaii or at a Florida school, and it will feel bowl-ish with warm weather.
Continue to promote the University brand with high profile basketball games.

(10-14-2015 08:44 AM)MplsBison Wrote:  NMSU and Idaho are going to be just fine as FBS independents until the third tier Western FBS conference can be reborn. No idea how many years that will take, but both of them can hang in there until then. Plenty of Western FBS teams to schedule throughout the year. Five FBS home games, plus a Big Sky FCS home game.

There will never be a 3rd FBS western conference. Only a 2nd FCS western conference.

(10-14-2015 08:59 AM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(10-14-2015 08:44 AM)MplsBison Wrote:  NMSU and Idaho are going to be just fine as FBS independents until the third tier Western FBS conference can be reborn. No idea how many years that will take, but both of them can hang in there until then. Plenty of Western FBS teams to schedule throughout the year. Five FBS home games, plus a Big Sky FCS home game.

There will never be a 3rd FBS western conference. Only a 2nd FCS western conference.

The PAC has always been the 1st tier Western FBS conference.

From when the MWC started playing in the 1999 season through the present, it has been the 2nd tier Western FBS conference.

Prior to that, the Big West had football champions going from the 1969 season and the WAC had football champions going from the 1962 season. Those were the 3rd tier and 2nd tier Western FBS conferences, respectively.


For the 1999 and 2000 seasons, there were four tiers of Western FBS conferences: 1 PAC, 2 MWC, 3 WAC and 4 Big West. The Big West dropped football after the 2000 season, leaving three tiers.

From the 2001 season through the 2012 season, there were three tiers of Western FBS conferences.



There is a rich history of the West (and Mountain) having (at least) three FBS conferences.

If only Pacific and Mountain timezone schools are included (and excluding UTEP), I agree that there currently aren't enough FBS teams to have three conferences of modern size.


Hence why I said that it would require more Big Sky teams moving up.

A modern 3rd tier Western FBS conference might look like this, some day:

Montana/Montana St
Idaho/Eastern Wash
Portland St/Sac St
UC Davis/Cal Poly
NM St/ non-football member (Denver?)
(Seattle?/UVSU?)


It would make sense to make that under the WAC brand, given its history. But with so many Big Sky teams, they might try to have it be called the Big Sky, instead. Don't know.

When the conferences were only 8 or 9 teams, then 3 FBS conferences would be possible but now with the MW at 12 and the Pac at 12, there is really not enough room for a viable 3rd FBS conference.

(10-14-2015 10:19 AM)MWC Tex Wrote:  When the conferences were only 8 or 9 teams, then 3 FBS conferences would be possible but now with the MW at 12 and the Pac at 12, there is really not enough room for a viable 3rd FBS conference.

I did explain what I meant, in post #13.

I did the math for UMass, going Indy costs them $1M/yr in lost earnings from conference affiliation. On top of that you've got to try to recruit players to a program that has no TV contract, no built in rivalries, no championship game, and no bowl guarantees.

If you're not a school that has national appeal as a service academy or is the preferred choice of a major religion then Indy is an absolute nightmare.

(10-14-2015 11:18 AM)perimeterpost Wrote:  I did the math for UMass, going Indy costs them $1M/yr in lost earnings from conference affiliation. On top of that you've got to try to recruit players to a program that has no TV contract, no built in rivalries, no championship game, and no bowl guarantees.

If you're not a school that has national appeal as a service academy or is the preferred choice of a major religion then Indy is an absolute nightmare.

CFP media deal only pays each G5 conference $1M/year per team ... up to 12 teams.

So UMass couldn't join AAC, CUSA or MAC right now and instantly boost revenue by a million.

(10-14-2015 11:18 AM)perimeterpost Wrote:  I did the math for UMass, going Indy costs them $1M/yr in lost earnings from conference affiliation. On top of that you've got to try to recruit players to a program that has no TV contract, no built in rivalries, no championship game, and no bowl guarantees.

If you're not a school that has national appeal as a service academy or is the preferred choice of a major religion then Indy is an absolute nightmare.

UMass is much worse off as a FBS Indy than NMSU for reasons u stated. NMSU has UTEP and NM as natural rivals.
But I'd take FBS Indy and all other sports in MWC/CUSA/Big West/Southland over their current situation.

(10-14-2015 11:18 AM)perimeterpost Wrote:  I did the math for UMass, going Indy costs them $1M/yr in lost earnings from conference affiliation. On top of that you've got to try to recruit players to a program that has no TV contract, no built in rivalries, no championship game, and no bowl guarantees.

If you're not a school that has national appeal as a service academy or is the preferred choice of a major religion then Indy is an absolute nightmare.

Texas?

Um... You guys obviously haven't been keeping up on your UMass as an Independent news.

We're doing very very well with scheduling and have pay games that are making up the lost conference money. As for the TV contract, we're currently working on a deal for next year with a regional sports network to show our games.

As for rivalries, we just signed a new deal with UConn and Boston College to play one of them each year, alternating home and away.

You are correct that we don't have a bowl guarantee yet, but I am confident our new AD (who is already doing a tremendous job) will get that taken care of by the 2017 season.

Recruiting might be tough as an Indy, but players will be enticed by our schedule and the big names we are playing. Our future schedules are more high profile than our MAC schedule.

We are very very lucky to have Gillette for scheduling some of the bigger schools for home games. Robert Kraft has been very kind to UMass

Just look at our schedules for the next few years so far. We're fine. Obviously the end goal is to get an invite to the AAC, but we're fine as an Indy until that happens.

2016 Schedule:
@ Florida
FIU
Boston College
Mississippi State
Tulane
@ Old Dominion
La Tech
@ South Carolina
Wagner
@ Troy
@ BYU
@ Hawaii

2017 Schedule:
Old Dominion
@ Temple
@ Mississippi State
Ohio
Hawaii
@ USF
Georgia Southern
App State
@ Tennessee
Maine
@ BYU

2018 Schedule:
@ Boston College
@ Georgia Southern
@ FIU
Charlotte
@ Ohio
USF
Troy
BYU
@ UConn

2019 Schedule:
Maine
@ Charlotte
@ Louisiana Tech
@ Army
BYU
FIU
UConn