CFB Newsletter: Guessing at the Next NDSU
Also, an editor's note: Send your smoker tips to Hector.
Welcome to the College Football Newsletter, where it’s never the offseason and we’ve just been granted a sixth year of eligibility pending further legal proceedings.
Goodbye to Bobby Hauck’s retirement, which lasted about five days. Goodbye to a few bowl games: Detroit’s bowl game most recently known as the GameAbove Sports Bowl and the LA Bowl. Not even Gronk was able to help it thrive.
And, of course: Goodbye to North Dakota State in the FCS.
The Bison announced that they are jumping from FCS to FBS and the Mountain West. Not sparing any time, their first FBS season will be this fall. North Dakota State has been the powerhouse in FCS, winning 10 championships since 2011. While they haven’t spent money like an FBS team, they seem to think they have the infrastructure to do so. If they’re right, they can position themselves as contenders in a Mountain West that’s finding its new identity after schools departed to the Pac-12.
So the timing of the news is surprising, but the move isn’t. As Richard said on this week’s podcast, a recent radio soundbite from Bison AD Matt Larsen gave us a hint that this would be happening. In a few years, maybe even this year, we could look back at the move and realize that North Dakota State had all the pieces in place to make this a successful move. We’ll think about them like James Madison. But that begs the question: Are there any other FCS schools who have a similar track record and structure in place to move to FBS in the coming years, or was this a situation where the Bison were outgrowing FCS? Here’s Alex:
Similar track record? Not really. There’s nothing like a program that just won 10 of 15 national titles. Aside from whether UC Davis or Sacramento State manages to get FBS membership, the schools that make me wonder the most are Montana and Montana State. The Brawl of the Wild, a rivalry we’ve covered in some detail, is probably the most marketable whole rivalry that any FBS league could import wholesale. (Think about the Sun Belt adding App State and Georgia Southern in the 2010s.) But, as we talked about this week, the money has to be right for everyone. No predictions from me on that front.
South Dakota State is natural to wonder about, even though I think there’s a reason (a financial one) they’re not moving up at the same time as their biggest rival. Tarleton State feels like a program that just wants to keep rising. And then there’s the chance that realignment sometime in the next few years makes it pointless to even distinguish between FCS and the Group of 5.
Congratulations to Richard!
Richard received the Media Award from the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches. It turns out that podcasting and reporting is indeed a portender or predictor of schematic success. That’s interesting.
Here’s what Alex and Richard dropped into your podcast feeds this week:
Alex and Richard sat down to talk about the Bison’s move to FBS. Is this a scenario where they outgrew their position in FCS? Were there murmurs of this happening in the background of the young offseason? Did they secure a bunch more money to make sure they’re set for the future. Yes!
We know audio is your thing, but this episode is also available in its entirety on YouTube as well for those who prefer watching the podcast. The ending of this episode with Alex and Richard arguing about participation trophies needs to be seen.
For subscribers, we have a special mailbag episode this morning. Alex and Richard answer questions like “What does success look like for James Franklin?” and “Does USC’s timeline match Lincoln Riley’s?”
Some recommended reading:
The average football fan would probably tell you that this year’s Super Bowl was just OK, if not boring. But others will tell you it was a masterclass in defensive line play and, more importantly, punting. Which is why Alex argues over at Slate that the Super Bowl MVP should have actually gone to punter Michael Dickson instead. He wasn’t kidding!
Alex also wrote about the A.I. Super Bowl commercials that got Sam Altman so Mad Online because it’s a sign that his company is losing its momentum.
The FAA shut down El Paso’s airport over a suspected cartel drone that turned out to probably be a mylar balloon. Matt Brown at Extra Points asked staffers at UTEP how that type of event affects the school and teams traveling to and from campus.
Thanks for reading, take care of yourselves, and have fun … uh, not watching football. Both the college and NFL seasons really flew by. Spend the non-college football Saturdays with your people. Maybe pick up a fun project. Alex is working on his sourdough bread game. I am using this offseason to learn my way around a vertical offset charcoal smoker, so please send any tips or recommendations if you have any.
We’ll see you here next week.