About to lose for the first time in years. They trail SIU 38-7 late.

They lost 38-14.

They are a really good program that moves up a level of competition as it is transitioning into a shell of itself.

I've said for years that NDSU will find themselves in the same Situation that GS found themselves in the 1990s. Destroying the competition without a move up will eventually fall back down to earth. It's a big difference to having mediocrity by moving up to tougher competition and falling to earth in the FCS. Risk losing donations and recruits.

Just look at Bisonville. They're ready to throw out the baby with the bath water.

It was a wild week from the scores I've seen. Furple lost to VMI and Wofford lost to UTC.

I think we could be seeing what a CFB season would look like if most teams treated the season like Georgia Southern and App State treated 2013.

Did not think it would be the SIU team I watched turn the ball over 5 times last week against North Dakota that would knock off the little darlings of FCS

NDSU lost one of their good windows this year when the season was moved to Spring. Their planned starting QB Pre Season opted out so he could get ready for the NFL Draft. He played a sendoff game last fall against UCA, and was gone.

This season in FCS is going to be a lot like basketball. This will be the year for a new/different team to step up and take home the trophy due to all the opt outs. Should make for an exciting FCS playoffs and NCAA tournament.

Their starter now decommitted from App to go to Iowa St, get one start and then get replaced. That scholarship became Zac Thomas.

(02-27-2021 05:30 PM)Saint3333 Wrote:  They are a really good program that moves up a level of competition as it is transitioning into a shell of itself.

I know a lot of people say if NDSU doesn't move up that they will eventually fall, that may be true but then again NDSU has no where to go. The MAC is way to far away and the MWC isn't going to take them.

The closest MAC school to Fargo ND is Ball State in Muncie IN at 874 miles. That is comparable to WVU in the B12, Morgantown WV to Ames IA is 861 miles.

(02-27-2021 05:45 PM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  I've said for years that NDSU will find themselves in the same Situation that GS found themselves in the 1990s. Destroying the competition without a move up will eventually fall back down to earth. It's a big difference to having mediocrity by moving up to tougher competition and falling to earth in the FCS. Risk losing donations and recruits.

Ala McNeese State, through the 90s McNeese State was rolling under HC Bobby Keasler but was stymied each year with Marshall, Youngstown State, Montana and GA Southern. They would get in the top 10 but never could break though to the top 5. The 4 programs mentioned won 9 of the 10 IAA National Titles in the 1990s. Lately they have been hovering around .500 with a few playoff births but exits in the 1st round.

You could also put Youngstown State in that category too. Although YSU did make it to the title game in 2016. But that was the smallest attended game since 2003 when Delaware blew out Colgate 40-0.

When Marshall moved up after the 1996 season I thought Appy State and McNeese State would be the next to jump maybe with Delaware not far behind. McNeese State and Delaware are now so far behind they are likely to move down in conference prestige than to jump IA.

Everything is cyclical, no one stays on top forever. Just because a team is good in the ‘90’s doesn’t mean they are to be good forever. Alabama has been good for the last 10 years, but they too will fall back to the crowd. It doesn’t mean they need to move to the NFL.

NDSU can’t maintain that level any more then any other team has maintained that level, everyone on top eventually gets knocked off, always have, always will. Change in rosters, change in coaches, other teams making changes in coaching, changes in the game, all of these cause a constant change of who’s on top, and who’s trying to get on top.

(02-28-2021 01:33 PM)Usajags Wrote:  Everything is cyclical, no one stays on top forever. Just because a team is good in the ‘90’s doesn’t mean they are to be good forever. Alabama has been good for the last 10 years, but they too will fall back to the crowd. It doesn’t mean they need to move to the NFL.

NDSU can’t maintain that level any more then any other team has maintained that level, everyone on top eventually gets knocked off, always have, always will. Change in rosters, change in coaches, other teams making changes in coaching, changes in the game, all of these cause a constant change of who’s on top, and who’s trying to get on top.

Except when you're playing in a pool as diluted as FCS is.

It's NDSU....then JMU.....and everyone else.

It's really quite remarkable that the division has turned into that, but the primary programs interested in moving beyond the bonds of FCS or even having the desire to do it have done so. The rest seem to have no desire to move up.

I honestly thought it’d be App right on our heels followed by Delaware and Youngstown St.

I thought Delaware, being the Flagship of the state, would have the best chance and Youngstown with their success in the 90’s... I guess they are happy being a relatively big fish in a small pond. And from everything I understand is that JMU blew it when they turned down the belt...

Was there ever an official offer? Or is that a rumor?

(02-28-2021 04:57 PM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  I honestly thought it’d be App right on our heels followed by Delaware and Youngstown St.

I thought Delaware, being the Flagship of the state, would have the best chance and Youngstown with their success in the 90’s... I guess they are happy being a relatively big fish in a small pond. And from everything I understand is that JMU blew it when they turned down the belt...

Was there ever an official offer? Or is that a rumor?

Never an official offer, but JMU made it known that they were not interested.

I know revisionist history that they turned us down, but it was more of they told us no when we called to gauge interest.

(02-28-2021 05:16 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(02-28-2021 04:57 PM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  I honestly thought it’d be App right on our heels followed by Delaware and Youngstown St.

I thought Delaware, being the Flagship of the state, would have the best chance and Youngstown with their success in the 90’s... I guess they are happy being a relatively big fish in a small pond. And from everything I understand is that JMU blew it when they turned down the belt...

Was there ever an official offer? Or is that a rumor?

Never an official offer, but JMU made it known that they were not interested.

I know revisionist history that they turned us down, but it was more of they told us no when we called to gauge interest.

Least we forget we also reached out to Chattanooga of all teams and they shot the Belt down

I remember thinking that was about as low as the conference could get before we were able to nab app and southern

(02-28-2021 04:13 PM)eaglewraith Wrote:  Except when you're playing in a pool as diluted as FCS is.

It's NDSU....then JMU.....and everyone else.

It's really quite remarkable that the division has turned into that, but the primary programs interested in moving beyond the bonds of FCS or even having the desire to do it have done so. The rest seem to have no desire to move up.

This is true. I would say now that about 60-65% of IAA are filled with programs that aren't fully funded and some schools keep football because it is required to be in a conference and nothing else. Just from the conference that Marshall, Appy and GA Southren come from, the SoCon I know for a fact that Western Carolina and VMI aren't fully funded. Id also be very skeptical to see if ETSU, Chatty, The Cit and Furman are fully funded.

Just about anyone who was anything in IAA in the 90s is gone from there now with the exception of Montana, McNeese State, Youngstown State and Delaware. As I said 4 programs won 9 of the 10 titles in the 1990s. Even the other school to win a title in the 90s is gone, in UMass.

(02-28-2021 04:57 PM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  I honestly thought it’d be App right on our heels followed by Delaware and Youngstown St.

I thought Delaware, being the Flagship of the state, would have the best chance and Youngstown with their success in the 90’s... I guess they are happy being a relatively big fish in a small pond. And from everything I understand is that JMU blew it when they turned down the belt...

Was there ever an official offer? Or is that a rumor?

As for Youngstown, they may have been in the MAC right now if Marshall had went to CUSA in 1996. When Marshall failed to find a home for olymic sports they took the MAC offer instead. But at the time there were 3 programs that had interest and applied for MAC membership. Those 3 were Marshall, NIU and Youngstown State. The MAC approved Marshall and NIU and turned YSU down.

(02-28-2021 05:16 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Never an official offer, but JMU made it known that they were not interested.

I know revisionist history that they turned us down, but it was more of they told us no when we called to gauge interest.

Thats the way these things work. You have to actually be interested before you get an invite. No interest, no reason to invite you.

I don't think 1 loss should lead to a campus wide bonfire, but there is a danger in winning too much. Complacency, not just for the players, but in support of the HC. Once that happens, it'll take forever, possibly never - to come back from. A quick look on the GS forum will tell you that there's still so many that are hugging the last NC trophy 20 years ago, so many that think we should be the top dog in any and all conferences, that think we should strike fear across any team in the country. Delusion runs rampant. We are still a good team - shouldn't sleep on us, but we are far from naming our score.

I will say that it's a weird season, and FCS is just now finding out about it. Even now, I don't think there's a single team in the sun belt that wouldn't think twice about playing them right now. Except maybe Coastal.

(02-28-2021 05:16 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(02-28-2021 04:57 PM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  I honestly thought it’d be App right on our heels followed by Delaware and Youngstown St.

I thought Delaware, being the Flagship of the state, would have the best chance and Youngstown with their success in the 90’s... I guess they are happy being a relatively big fish in a small pond. And from everything I understand is that JMU blew it when they turned down the belt...

Was there ever an official offer? Or is that a rumor?

Never an official offer, but JMU made it known that they were not interested.

I know revisionist history that they turned us down, but it was more of they told us no when we called to gauge interest.

Not every team who says "no" is doing it out of disrespect for the Belt. Chattanooga is not anywhere close to being ready for a move up and they probably made the right decision in declining.