Hola amigoes. I would like to make a serious suggestion that NIU voluntarily join division two ncaa football. It has been about 1969 since they have been in division one, but do you really think NIU will ever have the resources to fairly compete with teams that have stadiums 3 to four times bigger, athletic budges multiple times larger than NOrthern Illinois? And besides the game is so rigged in favor of only a few conferences and teams that why play for nothing like we do now and instead play for a real championship the way North Dakota St. plays for every year in a true and fair competition with playoffs of 16 or is it 32 teams now. I live in Bloomington and daily I go by Hancock Stadium home of Illinois St. Redbirds. Now they have made upgrades and it is beginning to rival the looks of huskie stadium and is not finished by the time it is done it will surpass what we have in Dekalb. Unless or until the Ncaa division one ever goes to a 16 or at least a 12 team playoff all you have in division one football is competition between at most 4 conferences or like last year where two from the same conference are in it. With 3 of the top six teams it looks like sec may have two teams once again in a four team playoff. Now what would it look like if at the beginning of the year ever team in america in division one had a chance to win it all. You could take the champ for all ten conferences and still have six slots left or leave it at 12 and have two extra for independents like notre dame. Instead you have this silly way it is done now that is about as legitimate as eastern european gymnasts being judged by eastern european judges. How unfair is it that UCF has won 20 in a row now and has no chance at all at getting a chance to be in this years final four. So until then when the ncaa has a real fair competition for its football champ I will be rooting for the redbirds to win out in division two football. Hey a few years ago they barely lost to North Dakota ST. At least they have something to play for the redbirds wheras my huskies are feeding from the crumbs from the masters table as that parable Jesus taught. Last night I watched on cbssports Akron and my huskies and I have seen more people in the lobby of a mcdonalds waiting to be served than were at last nights game. Check out how many show up next wednesday night for toledo. It all because we are part of a system that plays us for suckers ncaa division one college football. Sad.

I do not support your suggestion.

(11-02-2018 01:43 PM)harem Wrote:  Hola amigoes. I would like to make a serious suggestion that NIU voluntarily join division two ncaa football. It has been about 1969 since they have been in division one, but do you really think NIU will ever have the resources to fairly compete with teams that have stadiums 3 to four times bigger, athletic budges multiple times larger than NOrthern Illinois? And besides the game is so rigged in favor of only a few conferences and teams that why play for nothing like we do now and instead play for a real championship the way North Dakota St. plays for every year in a true and fair competition with playoffs of 16 or is it 32 teams now. I live in Bloomington and daily I go by Hancock Stadium home of Illinois St. Redbirds. Now they have made upgrades and it is beginning to rival the looks of huskie stadium and is not finished by the time it is done it will surpass what we have in Dekalb. Unless or until the Ncaa division one ever goes to a 16 or at least a 12 team playoff all you have in division one football is competition between at most 4 conferences or like last year where two from the same conference are in it. With 3 of the top six teams it looks like sec may have two teams once again in a four team playoff. Now what would it look like if at the beginning of the year ever team in america in division one had a chance to win it all. You could take the champ for all ten conferences and still have six slots left or leave it at 12 and have two extra for independents like notre dame. Instead you have this silly way it is done now that is about as legitimate as eastern european gymnasts being judged by eastern european judges. How unfair is it that UCF has won 20 in a row now and has no chance at all at getting a chance to be in this years final four. So until then when the ncaa has a real fair competition for its football champ I will be rooting for the redbirds to win out in division two football. Hey a few years ago they barely lost to North Dakota ST. At least they have something to play for the redbirds wheras my huskies are feeding from the crumbs from the masters table as that parable Jesus taught. Last night I watched on cbssports Akron and my huskies and I have seen more people in the lobby of a mcdonalds waiting to be served than were at last nights game. Check out how many show up next wednesday night for toledo. It all because we are part of a system that plays us for suckers ncaa division one college football. Sad.

I do not begrudge the fans of Division 2 (1AA), but I would lose all interest in NIU football if we made this move. Playing in Division 2 would mean "playing for nothing" the entire season in my book. I know the deck is stacked, but it is still fun to knock off programs with 200x the resources we have and this is where the passion comes from. I like to dream of bigger things with the big boys. Winning D2 football would be a snooze IMO.

No disrespect to the Redbirds, but I also will pull my NIU fandom if NIU drops levels. Illinois State does not play meaningful football games and I will lose interest if NIU drops to that level. The MAC can turn things around once they get new leadership in the front office, and once ADs like Frazier leave the conference. I still hold out some hope

I understand some of the points you make but NIU has garnered a lot of its attention and national interest from our program's success. If we drop down, we lose that. Except for North Dakota St. I don't see other programs being highlighted much on SportsCenter or see any of their games on national networks until they're playing a 1-A school. Plus 1-AA football is still a drain on resources with 63 (?) scholarships.

Respect your opinion, but have no interest in FCS football. Yes you can compete for championships but at the expense of relevance. What’s remembered more: Redbirds playing North Dakota St for a national title, or the Huskies’ win over [insert P5 program]?

You pretty much have to be a dynasty to garner national attention as an FCS school. As a G5, you just have to knock off a P5 school or get ranked.

Oh great. Is the ISU troll back again?

Are you a high school counselor as well?

(11-02-2018 01:53 PM)ChicagoHuskie Wrote:  

(11-02-2018 01:43 PM)harem Wrote:  Hola amigoes. I would like to make a serious suggestion that NIU voluntarily join division two ncaa football. It has been about 1969 since they have been in division one, but do you really think NIU will ever have the resources to fairly compete with teams that have stadiums 3 to four times bigger, athletic budges multiple times larger than NOrthern Illinois? And besides the game is so rigged in favor of only a few conferences and teams that why play for nothing like we do now and instead play for a real championship the way North Dakota St. plays for every year in a true and fair competition with playoffs of 16 or is it 32 teams now. I live in Bloomington and daily I go by Hancock Stadium home of Illinois St. Redbirds. Now they have made upgrades and it is beginning to rival the looks of huskie stadium and is not finished by the time it is done it will surpass what we have in Dekalb. Unless or until the Ncaa division one ever goes to a 16 or at least a 12 team playoff all you have in division one football is competition between at most 4 conferences or like last year where two from the same conference are in it. With 3 of the top six teams it looks like sec may have two teams once again in a four team playoff. Now what would it look like if at the beginning of the year ever team in america in division one had a chance to win it all. You could take the champ for all ten conferences and still have six slots left or leave it at 12 and have two extra for independents like notre dame. Instead you have this silly way it is done now that is about as legitimate as eastern european gymnasts being judged by eastern european judges. How unfair is it that UCF has won 20 in a row now and has no chance at all at getting a chance to be in this years final four. So until then when the ncaa has a real fair competition for its football champ I will be rooting for the redbirds to win out in division two football. Hey a few years ago they barely lost to North Dakota ST. At least they have something to play for the redbirds wheras my huskies are feeding from the crumbs from the masters table as that parable Jesus taught. Last night I watched on cbssports Akron and my huskies and I have seen more people in the lobby of a mcdonalds waiting to be served than were at last nights game. Check out how many show up next wednesday night for toledo. It all because we are part of a system that plays us for suckers ncaa division one college football. Sad.

I do not begrudge the fans of Division 2 (1AA), but I would lose all interest in NIU football if we made this move. Playing in Division 2 would mean "playing for nothing" the entire season in my book. I know the deck is stacked, but it is still fun to knock off programs with 200x the resources we have and this is where the passion comes from. I like to dream of bigger things with the big boys. Winning D2 football would be a snooze IMO.

I don't support a move but I wouldn't say they play for nothing. No, there is no bowl game but many think they are a joke anyways due to # of them/just about everyone with a winning record makes one. Heck, a school like NIU can even lose money. Those same people likely condemn the current system which shuts out a G5 team from the playoff field.

However, in D2, you do have a win or go home playoff system for I believe 24 teams to eventually crown a champion.

One thing I can probably say for certain is a move would mean no Tu-Th games and perhaps even a few games on NBCSports Chicago.

What wouldn't change..... a number of games being on ESPN+ ONLY. Probably goes up.

Ultimately I don't think FCS would want us. One "UNI" is likely enough.

Anyone remember the teamyates days? If you do...this seems like a Smetko post.

The day NIU joins D2 is the day I and a lot of others stop caring. Dumb idea.

Never! Enjoying this season way too much.

Not interested in the slightest.

(11-02-2018 01:43 PM)harem Wrote:  Hola amigoes. I would like to make a serious suggestion that NIU voluntarily join division two ncaa football. It has been about 1969 since they have been in division one, but do you really think NIU will ever have the resources to fairly compete with teams that have stadiums 3 to four times bigger, athletic budges multiple times larger than NOrthern Illinois? And besides the game is so rigged in favor of only a few conferences and teams that why play for nothing like we do now and instead play for a real championship the way North Dakota St. plays for every year in a true and fair competition with playoffs of 16 or is it 32 teams now. I live in Bloomington and daily I go by Hancock Stadium home of Illinois St. Redbirds. Now they have made upgrades and it is beginning to rival the looks of huskie stadium and is not finished by the time it is done it will surpass what we have in Dekalb. Unless or until the Ncaa division one ever goes to a 16 or at least a 12 team playoff all you have in division one football is competition between at most 4 conferences or like last year where two from the same conference are in it. With 3 of the top six teams it looks like sec may have two teams once again in a four team playoff. Now what would it look like if at the beginning of the year ever team in america in division one had a chance to win it all. You could take the champ for all ten conferences and still have six slots left or leave it at 12 and have two extra for independents like notre dame. Instead you have this silly way it is done now that is about as legitimate as eastern european gymnasts being judged by eastern european judges. How unfair is it that UCF has won 20 in a row now and has no chance at all at getting a chance to be in this years final four. So until then when the ncaa has a real fair competition for its football champ I will be rooting for the redbirds to win out in division two football. Hey a few years ago they barely lost to North Dakota ST. At least they have something to play for the redbirds wheras my huskies are feeding from the crumbs from the masters table as that parable Jesus taught. Last night I watched on cbssports Akron and my huskies and I have seen more people in the lobby of a mcdonalds waiting to be served than were at last nights game. Check out how many show up next wednesday night for toledo. It all because we are part of a system that plays us for suckers ncaa division one college football. Sad.

Just added to the ignore list. And by the way, there's this thing in English called the "paragraph", where one breaks down ideas into a separate groups of sentences.

Enjoy your FCS football in Bloomington.

I think we all wish the playoffs would be expanded to give the G5 a realistic shot but that's no reason to drop down a division just so you can play in "a" playoff. Hell, why not drop down to NAIA so we could win "a" national championship every year?

Don't the Huskies have wins over Alabama, Nebraska, Iowa, Northwestern, Purdue (x2), Minnesota, BYU etc etc? Seems like they "compete" with much larger budgets just fine.

NIU got far, far more exposure in its Orange Bowl and WMU far more exposure in its Cotton Bowl than ISU did in its FCS title game appearance a couple years ago. And if you look at ISU's playoff attendance, it's typically been pretty sad, and they don't have the excuse of it being on a weekday.

When I started a football scholarship with Cary Groth way back when, one condition was NIU remain Division One. If they drop to Division Two I get my scholarship $ back. It’s in the contract, and I would adhere to it.

(11-02-2018 03:57 PM)Max Power Wrote:  I think we all wish the playoffs would be expanded to give the G5 a realistic shot but that's no reason to drop down a division just so you can play in "a" playoff. Hell, why not drop down to NAIA so we could win "a" national championship every year?

Don't the Huskies have wins over Alabama, Nebraska, Iowa, Northwestern, Purdue (x2), Minnesota, BYU etc etc? Seems like they "compete" with much larger budgets just fine.

NIU got far, far more exposure in its Orange Bowl and WMU far more exposure in its Cotton Bowl than ISU did in its FCS title game appearance a couple years ago. And if you look at ISU's playoff attendance, it's typically been pretty sad, and they don't have the excuse of it being on a weekday.

my response
What I have attempted to say is that being a part of fbs as presently construed means NIU along with about 65 other teams from 5 conferences is and will be always treated with disrespect by the 64 teams in the sec big ten big twelve pac 12 and acc since even a perfect season which ucf has demonstrated means nothing to those who control college football even when that same ucf team beats auburn in their bowl last year who beat the two finalists georgia and alabama. And since the other five conferences of the fbs are not given due respect why play along with those 5 confs pretending you are all part of the fbs? Besides, considering what I read of what is necessary to remain an fbs school NIU may have some problems with that as do other MAC schools since they appear in jeopardy of averaging 15,000 a game for several years to stay qualified. Next year when Illinois State visits Dekalb on Aug 31 and maybe if ISU should win then you can see Northern just may be in a division that neither cares if they remain in it and if they did will never give them nor the other half of the fbs any chance of ever winning a national championship. In FCS there are 125 schools almost the same number as FBS and every one of them has a chance at beginning of every year for a national championship. I would not look past the redbirds if I were the huskies next year. Brock Spack learned under Joe Tiller at Purdue and I believe is a much better coach than Carey. If NIU wins it will be from better athletes not better coaching. Or perhaps ISU may teach Northern a lesson in coaching, which another FCS school did back in 2007 when Jerry KIlls Siu Salukis beat NIU. And then NIU went and snatched that coach from them just as I hope NOrthen might with spack or someone from a lower division who knows what he is doing. Playing Arkansas St. in the Boca Raton or Frisco Bowl is not my idea of excitement, would you not rather see them play Alabama or Clemson in a first round match of a 12 or 16 team fbs playoff as the conference champ of the MAC? I would and so you say well, we dont have that yet we are stuck with 4 teams. Yes, I know that is why I am truly sick of seeing the same teams every year vie for a championship as if it is preordained or is their destiny to have that chance, teams like Alabama, Clemson,Ohio St. Oklahoma, every frickin year its the same old nonsense that these are the only teams worthy of playing in a playoff. The first time NIU might knock off one of these schools in a first round 16 team playoff those guys on ESPN herbstreit and the ilk would have a **** fit.

Good grief. Noone cares about Illinois State football. Please go troll elsewhere. In short , no, NIU does not want to play meaningless football like ISU

I'd say let him speak his peace. He's not attacking or berating NIU.

I like when we play our fellow in-state schools, better than playing Idaho, Presbyterian, and some of the other schools we've played in our non-conference in the past.

(11-02-2018 05:22 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  I'd say let him speak his peace. He's not attacking or berating NIU.

I like when we play our fellow in-state schools, better than playing Idaho, Presbyterian, and some of the other schools we've played in our non-conference in the past.

Yeah that's how Illinois STate fans work, Trojan horse, and then bamn. We have seen this act before on here

(11-02-2018 05:05 PM)harem Wrote:  

(11-02-2018 03:57 PM)Max Power Wrote:  I think we all wish the playoffs would be expanded to give the G5 a realistic shot but that's no reason to drop down a division just so you can play in "a" playoff. Hell, why not drop down to NAIA so we could win "a" national championship every year?

Don't the Huskies have wins over Alabama, Nebraska, Iowa, Northwestern, Purdue (x2), Minnesota, BYU etc etc? Seems like they "compete" with much larger budgets just fine.

NIU got far, far more exposure in its Orange Bowl and WMU far more exposure in its Cotton Bowl than ISU did in its FCS title game appearance a couple years ago. And if you look at ISU's playoff attendance, it's typically been pretty sad, and they don't have the excuse of it being on a weekday.

Next year when Illinois State visits Dekalb on Aug 31 and maybe if ISU should win then you can see Northern just may be in a division that neither cares if they remain in it and if they did will never give them nor the other half of the fbs any chance of ever winning a national championship.

Even if ISU wins next year, NIU will be fine. We lost to SIU and went to an Orange Bowl one recruiting class later. We nearly lost to EIU and sent our QB to NY as a Heisman finalist. We lost to WIU and beat Nebraska and BYU the following 2 years.

Northwestern lost to ISU, went 5-4 in B1G play that season, and 10-3 the next.

It’s just 1 game. We know FCS has good FB. It’s just never relevant.