(07-07-2023 01:33 PM)HatterFan Wrote:  Marist won't drop football in our lifetimes. Male enrollment, particularly non-white males in a student body that is not particularly otherwise diverse. Not as basketball-driven as its MAAC peers - administration is fairly apathetic towards W-L records in any sport. They never win more than 5-6 games a year in football either but nobody who oversees the program cares about that. Attendance might be poor by national FCS standards, but they draw more than twice as much for football vs basketball.

Presby might just close or go back to D2, if there's a PFL school that says "ehh we don't really need football anymore" my guess is Butler.

Presbyterian used to be in the South Atlantic Conference in D2 before they moved up to the FCS with Gardner Webb years ago. I wonder if they would take them back should Presbyterian downgrade to D2.

I am very surprised that the one school I am about to.mention hasn't been mentioned yet: UL-Monroe, possibly. If anyone is really considering dropping the sport, it has to be ULM if the Terry Bowden experiment doesn't work out. Even though I like the pluckiness of ULM, they are extremely close to Louisiana Tech and HBCU juggernaut, Grambling University. But ULM has made it this far, so who knows???

(07-07-2023 10:43 AM)Just Joe Wrote:  Not a prediction but I continually question what the point is in Temple having football, just to be a part of what’s essentially the old CUSA. UConn at least has a real stadium, albeit off campus. Temple has an onerous lease with an NFL team that will continue to get worse.

As long as the AAC media rights deal pays Temple $7 million a year, they will play along. Once that number drops, all bets are off on Temple continuing football. The AAC media deal runs out in 2034, I believe.

Honestly, I’m surprised Bryant, Robert Morris, Duquesne, and the NEC schools still operate scholarship programs. They have D3 level attendance—non-scholarship makes a lot more sense for them.

(07-08-2023 08:14 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Honestly, I’m surprised Bryant, Robert Morris, Duquesne, and the NEC schools still operate scholarship programs. They have D3 level attendance—non-scholarship makes a lot more sense for them.

How much of that is a function of facilities? Bryant averages 83 percent capacity at Bulldog Stadium, Robert Morris 76 percent, Duquesne 61 percent. St. Thomas averaged 5,228 despite no 2023 opponent being within 250 miles of its campus.

(07-07-2023 01:43 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  

(07-07-2023 09:40 AM)ArmoredUpKnight Wrote:  I wish UConn would drop football and just focus on Big East Basketball.

I don't understand why you want UConn to drop football and focus on hoops. Now, and to be fair, I can see why you (or anybody) might feel UConn should drop back to FCS status. But "wish(ing)" the program would do so ... ? That's a bit unusual.

The stance had never made sense.

We talk about all of these random schools moving up to FBS or switching leagues, yet whenever it’s mentioned that UConn is getting legitimate interest from the Big 12 (a P5 league), there’s virtually always a comment that UConn should drop football entirely. If we named any other non-P5 school in the country and suggested that they drop football when they are quite possibly the *next* P5 invite, we would be looked at as completely nuts… yet that’s the common refrain regarding UConn.

(07-08-2023 08:48 AM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  

(07-08-2023 08:14 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Honestly, I’m surprised Bryant, Robert Morris, Duquesne, and the NEC schools still operate scholarship programs. They have D3 level attendance—non-scholarship makes a lot more sense for them.

How much of that is a function of facilities? Bryant averages 83 percent capacity at Bulldog Stadium, Robert Morris 76 percent, Duquesne 61 percent. St. Thomas averaged 5,228 despite no 2023 opponent being within 250 miles of its campus.

Considering those facilities are 17%-39% empty, I don’t the facilities are the problem. There’s just not that much fan interest.

(07-08-2023 09:04 AM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(07-07-2023 01:43 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  

(07-07-2023 09:40 AM)ArmoredUpKnight Wrote:  I wish UConn would drop football and just focus on Big East Basketball.

I don't understand why you want UConn to drop football and focus on hoops. Now, and to be fair, I can see why you (or anybody) might feel UConn should drop back to FCS status. But "wish(ing)" the program would do so ... ? That's a bit unusual.

The stance had never made sense.

We talk about all of these random schools moving up to FBS or switching leagues, yet whenever it’s mentioned that UConn is getting legitimate interest from the Big 12 (a P5 league), there’s virtually always a comment that UConn should drop football entirely. If we named any other non-P5 school in the country and suggested that they drop football when they are quite possibly the *next* P5 invite, we would be looked at as completely nuts… yet that’s the common refrain regarding UConn.

Or some of the other scenarios out there like Charlotte getting into the AAC. Doesn't happen if they don't start a football program. Ditto Florida Atlantic.

Long term ceiling without FB is limited compared to FB.

Big East (full at 11)
Atlantic 10 (maybe 1 spot there for the next Final Four mid major)
Missouri Valley (could expand again)
Colonial (shakey membership could use a rising BB program)
Ohio Valley (desperate)

The A10 is full of decorated basketball programs but earns almost no media income.

Charlotte by starting a FB program has the potential to join a depleted ACC. Georgia State was another that by not having football was held back for a long time athletically.

Eastern Washington was considering dropping Football only a few years ago, unfortunately their Financials haven't improved since then so they'd be my first choice.

(07-07-2023 10:20 PM)DawgNBama Wrote:  I am very surprised that the one school I am about to.mention hasn't been mentioned yet: UL-Monroe, possibly. If anyone is really considering dropping the sport, it has to be ULM if the Terry Bowden experiment doesn't work out. Even though I like the pluckiness of ULM, they are extremely close to Louisiana Tech and HBCU juggernaut, Grambling University. But ULM has made it this far, so who knows???

I think they might well do an Idaho and drop to FCS, but are not likely to totally drop.

(07-08-2023 11:06 AM)bullet Wrote:  

(07-07-2023 10:20 PM)DawgNBama Wrote:  I am very surprised that the one school I am about to.mention hasn't been mentioned yet: UL-Monroe, possibly. If anyone is really considering dropping the sport, it has to be ULM if the Terry Bowden experiment doesn't work out. Even though I like the pluckiness of ULM, they are extremely close to Louisiana Tech and HBCU juggernaut, Grambling University. But ULM has made it this far, so who knows???

I think they might well do an Idaho and drop to FCS, but are not likely to totally drop.

ULM will get paid $1.6 million this season to play at Texas A&M and $1.6 million to play at Ole Miss. They have been making about $1.5 million in college playoff revenue annually and the new ESPN Sun Belt contract pays each school between $1.5 million and $2 million annually. THE CFP revenue will obviously be growing in the future. That does not include any revenue from tickets sales and their local media rights deal with Learfield.

That is a lot of revenue that I cannot see ULM walking away from. Idaho got kicked out of the Sun Belt and made a decision to drop down to FCS and join the Big Sky in football. That might have been the right decision for them, but it would be the wrong decision for ULM. The ULM athletic budget in 2021-2022 was $18.4 million. Without the FBS revenue, they would be in real trouble.

(07-07-2023 09:22 AM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  

(07-07-2023 09:17 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Marist or Presbyterian.

For scholarship football, I'd bet on Indiana State. Their stadium is 100 years old, off campus, and neither the school nor Terre Haute have the money to build a new one. Plus, Terre Haute has been a basketball and baseball town forever. Football is a big money-suck as there's little interest in it.

The stadium itself is not 100 years old. It was built in 1968 from the ruins of a former baseball park on that land.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_S...68-present

I remember when LU played at that stadium it’s such a odd and ugly thing. LU was on the side without the stands and it seemed like dudes standing in a barren field.

(07-07-2023 10:25 AM)bullet Wrote:  

(07-07-2023 09:05 AM)Bear Catlett Wrote:  Does anyone drop football ???

Who was the last "major" college to drop football? Wichita St??? I can't even remember.

UAB, although they added it back. Permanently, probably Pacific. Long Beach St. and
CSU-Fullerton also dropped in the 90s. Lamar and UT-Arlington were FCS, but recently demoted from I-A, when they dropped in the 80s.

Xavier of course dropped in the 70s. Tampa. A lot of schools dropped football in the 60s and 70s. Primarily privates and commuter schools.

Idaho dropped from FBS to FCS not too long ago as well.