Has anyone read or seen any information as to whether NDSU has done any exploratory findings into moving up or whether it has even been discussed? ---

Do they have the stadium or the fan base to justify a move? I know they are dominating in historic ways at the FCS level and they have enough of a tradition of winning that I think they could make a nice transition as we and GaSo did. However ND is a small state though growing due to the oil shale. So many factors beyond just winning - sadly.

It really is amazing what they are doing and how their doing it .the time of possession thing that they execute to a tee is the main contributor in there success.

I don't know if NDSU would experience the success that both App and GaSo have experienced at the FBS level. While they have won 5 FCS national championships in a row, that is left behind once you make the transition up. The second you say you're moving up, you leave those days behind to strive for more. I don't think NDSU is ready to do that and I don't think their program or fans are, either.

While North Dakota is growing (at a slow rate, though), it will never be a place where people really want to go. When football players think of places they want to play football, they first think of the big name schools (Ohio State, Clemson, Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame, etc.), but then, they think of good areas to live and grow (Miami, Raleigh/Durham/CH, Boston, Los Angeles, Texas, Washington/Oregon) and North Dakota doesn't really fit into either of these two categories.

I think their fanbase would be extremely weary of moving up, seeing as they would be the outlier of any given conference they were invited to, including CUSA, the Sun Belt, the MAC, and the MWC. Fargo is about the size of Asheville, but it is the largest city in that region and state. The closest large city to Fargo is Minneapolis, which is still 3.5 hours away. That doesn't entice a lot of players or P5 teams to visit.

In addition to all of this, I think NDSU enjoys being the huge fish in a tiny pond. The FCS is getting worse and worse with each passing year, which gives NDSU the chance to win even more every year. They see this and recognize this and have built themselves up as the new rulers of that division. I think their fans and their athletes are happy with that.

I'm sure the Mountain West would be thrilled to have them. Whether there or the MAC it's a big geographical stretch...BUT they'd do well in either league.

I'm sure either move would come with a requirement of modest stadium expansion. Google says they're at 19,000 now. A little creative engineering and they could get there easily. Looking at pictures they could enclose the corners and hit 23,000 at least.

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They just moved up from DII, so that could be a factor. Also, they need a conference invite and They're in the same boat as Idaho. They're closer to MAC schools, but not close either.


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I learned from interacting with Montana fans that FCS powerhouses that don't share a state with any FBS football schools or NFL teams have a completely different philosophy when it comes to conference affiliation.

We live in different worlds.

Gonzo wrote:I learned from interacting with Montana fans that FCS powerhouses that don't share a state with any FBS football schools or NFL teams have a completely different philosophy when it comes to conference affiliation.

We live in different worlds.

I agree. NDSU and their fans are happy where they're at. Visit their message boards and you will see that they're fans are content as well.

NDSU is a good program, a D2 power whose move to FCS couldn't have been timed any better.

In the last 10 years 12 teams have left the FCS to move to the FBS. That is 1,020 additional FBS scholarships that didn't exist in 2005. Those 12 programs reside in TX, FL, GA, AL, NC, KY, VA, and MA. FCS football in the south and NE has struggled to maintain its level of play.

Again NDSU is a good program and would probably do very well in the MAC, but take the changing landscape of the FCS into context would evaluating what they mean.

FCS has been a team of decades:

1970s - EKU
1980s - GS
1990s - YSU
2000s - App
2010s - NDSU

Saint3333 wrote:NDSU is a good program, a D2 power whose move to FCS couldn't have been timed any better.

In the last 10 years 12 teams have left the FCS to move to the FBS. That is 1,020 additional FBS scholarships that didn't exist in 2005. Those 12 programs reside in TX, FL, GA, AL, NC, KY, VA, and MA. FCS football in the south and NE has struggled to maintain its level of play.

Again NDSU is a good program and would probably do very well in the MAC, but take the changing landscape of the FCS into context would evaluating what they mean.

FCS has been a team of decades:

1970s - EKU
1980s - GS
1990s - YSU
2000s - App
2010s - NDSU

Yep - I never thought of it that way - when you say "the changing landscape of the FCS", in what regard does that affect NDSU? - have there been other current FCS programs exploring moving up? - Again, I understand they have to have a conference invite (per Coastal) but I would imagine some are doing some exploratory searching? NDSU has been getting guys who play/will play in the NFL ---

I mean their recruiting base hasn't been impacted as directly as programs in the SE and NE.

I don't see a conference adding NDSU due to location unfortunately. I would trade Idaho for NDSU football only however. But I don't think having football only members is a good long-term solution for a conference.