(02-15-2017 01:12 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  

(02-14-2017 01:52 PM)LatahCounty Wrote:  While they are the only game in town, we have BSU in our state and Washington State about an 8 minute drive away.

True, WA St as well ... forgot about that! That is a tough one to deal with. A very unique situation, no doubt.

...and the phenomenon that is Gonzaga basketball is 90 miles away in the nearest metro to Moscow.

(02-14-2017 01:52 PM)LatahCounty Wrote:  And we've been playing FBS football for 20 years so our fans have a certain level of expectation and pride, and all our historic rivals save Montana are FBS schools.

I get that too. I imagine Boise moved because Idaho did. Or perhaps the other way around, looks like you both left in 1996.

UI had an invitation to join the PCAA in 1973 and the ISBOE narrowly voted to deny the Vandals that opportunity. BSU had an invitation to join the Big West in 1992 and move up with Nevada but was also denied by the ISBOE. In 1996 BSU, after having averaged more then 20,000 in attendance and built up to a 30,000 seat stadium (meeting the then D1A requirements) was ready to accept a BWC invitation but it would not have been politically possible for BSU to move up without UI. BSU AD assisted president Zinser and the AD at UI in preparing their applications. Both schools joined the BWC in 1996 with BSU being D1A and UI being D1AA in that season as they did not meet D1A requirements (they did so by leasing WSU's Martin Stadium)..

But which other rivals are you talking about? Nevada, sure. But who else?

The Big Sky timeline from the 1960's to the 1990's shows that only Boise, Idaho, and Nevada left for FBS. Montana, Montana St, Idaho St, Weber St, N AZ, and E WA, are all still there.

(02-14-2017 01:52 PM)LatahCounty Wrote:  Add it all up and the correct choices are either to try to stick it out in FBS or drop scholarship football altogether. The Big Sky is the worst of all worlds for Idaho.

The kicker is WA St.

If you live in the area, and don't have a direct affiliation to U Idaho ... and you want to watch a football game on Sat night. Yeah, that's a tough one to overcome.

(02-14-2017 02:11 PM)goofus Wrote:  Why would it be ridiculous to invest in the state university that is in the part of the state where people actually live?

If you were starting from scratch, perhaps it wouldn't be ridiculous.

But given the higher ed situation in Idaho, there is simply no way that the state of Idaho is going to pour truckloads of cash into Boise that it would take to catch up and surpass UI on the academic/research side.

This is true but despite this, BSU is growing research and graduate programs at a remarkably quick rate. BSU is now R3, the same as ISU. They are projected to be R2 at the next evaluation (the same as UI).

(02-14-2017 08:16 PM)billings Wrote:  how dare those colleges want an agriculture focus and to be in the heart of ag country.

I don't think Idaho was founded specifically to serve agriculture, like Montana St, the Dakota State's, and the land-grants in the Northeast US were. Of course, NDSU is in Fargo ... while the others I mention are in smaller towns.

But the point is well taken.

UI's mission and breadth of programming goes well beyond traditional agriculture and engineering of land grant schools. They were historically virtually the only higher education choice in the state and were able to grow accordingly. The status of UI both academically and athletically would have been greatly enhanced if Idaho had followed Wyoming and developed a strong community college system with one state university rather than 5 public four year schools (one was closed) and only 2 CCs (there are now 4).

(02-15-2017 10:19 AM)jacksfan29 Wrote:  They do not belong in FBS and never did.

Very naive position to take.

You have to look at the situation in the mid 90's. That was the climate that precipitated the move. Idaho was very competitive in football, back then. The rivalry with Boise was actually much more even. Nevada had left the Big Sky for DI-A.

The costs of DI-A vs DI-AA were not nearly as significant as FCS vs FBS are now.

Not sure if Boise or Idaho struck first, but the other quickly followed.

Agreed. UI had a long tradition of playing football at the highest level (where they have been for the large majority of their existence). If they qualified for the highest level and that is where they wanted to be, good for them.

(02-15-2017 11:05 AM)LatahCounty Wrote:  My main position is that scholarship FCS football is an obviously and blatantly stupid place for Idaho to go.

I don't agree with the word stupid, per se.

I can guarantee that it won't save money. So put another way, I can guarantee that Idaho football will be spending just about the same money as it does now.


But ... if Idaho can get back to being a winner in the Big Sky. That is something. Something nice to have. May be meaningless to you alumni who've tasted the FBS "big time" and can't live with less than that, but believe me it is something.

If UI is to ever return to the FBS it will be because they have been successful and have grown their program in the FCS BSC. They will never return if they go to a lower level or drop football.

(02-15-2017 11:55 AM)bullet Wrote:  Look up interstate 11. They are already building the Phoenix-Las Vegas part and planning Tuscon-Phoenix and Las Vegas-Reno.

Yeah but it looks like the proposals for Reno to Spokane run through the tri-cities of southwestern Washington. It would only be a big benefit to the Moscow-Lewiston-Pullman area if the interstate ran through there up to Spokane.