(02-06-2020 05:48 PM)Fresno St. Alum Wrote: (02-06-2020 05:37 PM)Michael in Raleigh Wrote: The 2010's saw 11 programs join the FBS level.
UTSA
Charlotte
Old Dominion
Texas State
South Alabama
Georgia State
Georgia Southern
Coastal Carolina
Appalachian State
Liberty
UMass
What are your predictions of current FCS teams, or even non existent football teams, that will join FBS by 2030? And what league, if any, will take them?
I wonder if NDSU will get tired of winning FCS titles and go as a FBS indy or in a pair as a football only to the MAC w SDSU
NDSU is a curious case. They've had the best run of any school since FCS/1-AA's inception in 1978, with 8 championships in 9 years. Most predecessors who won multiple championships, i.e., App State, Georgia Southern, and Marshall, moved on. Youngstown State, winners of 4 1990's national titles, stayed put in 1-AA/FCS.
I think NDSU has several things that keep them at the FCS level. First, they already have a local TV deal that provides revenue comparable to what several G5 leagues offer. There may not be the same financial payoff for moving to FBS as there has been for other schools who moved up.
Second, they do not necessarily have a conference waiting for them. The AAC would be too big of a jump, realistically. The MAC may be too far for MAC members' tastes. The MWC is even farther, and they may see a net gain financially by adding NDSU. C-USA and the Sun Belt are just too far.
Third, maybe they are just content dominating FCS. Who knows? If App State had followed up their '05, '06, and '07 championships with another 5 out of 6, maybe the move to the Sun Belt wouldn't have seemed as appealing. I don't know. Maybe it's just one of things where, "Don't mess with happy," fits the bill.
All that said, I wonder if a time will come where NDSU sees the appeal of FBS. For App State, I dont think it has just been the move to the Sun Belt itself. It's been the opportunity to take on Wake Forest and Miami at home; UNC and USC on the road; ECU in a four game series; and other exciting non conference games. I can say that the past few years as an FBS program have been every bit as exciting as those FCS championship years. I suppose NDSU doesn't feel the same way, at least not yet.