News Journal column: UD might be closing in on potential FBS intentions

[Blounge 520]

Delaware draws more than North Dakota state

[TuTigers2012 1,061]

2 hours ago, ReverendRemulak said:

I'm pretty nervous for the future of our program and FCS as a whole. Several of the schools that have moved up in recent years have done well (JMU, App St., Coastal, Liberty) and I'm sure there are other consistently successful FCS programs who think they could do the same. For those of you who want to see us drop down a division, I fear you might get your wish when all is said and done because I do not see FCS/D1-AA continuing as-is and we are not even close to ready to move to FBS. Strange times. 

We don’t want them to move down, just stop being in purgatory.  Can’t keep running out the same strategy and coach year after year and expect different results. Career record well under 500.

I just see what is going on in college football and at Towson and something needs to change sooner than later. 

1 hour ago, Blounge said:

Delaware draws more than North Dakota state

Guess winning does get old??

[Tiger93 299]

5 hours ago, TuTigers2012 said:

A long time successful fcs mainstay that tries and wins every year, that has been itching to move for years now, seeing Jmu move up and have immediate success, preparing to move up?! Call me SHOCKED!!  
another nail into the fcs coffin. If fcs was AA before we are definitely rookie ball now 

We are probably a few years away from anything but Power 5 football being financially relevant when it comes to the landscape of college football. Anyone outside of those selected few universities will have to decide if their university and community provide enough financial support, and if they can support the NIL process and other crazy costs that come with running a program these days. The crazy Power 5 TV deals are the only thing keeping most of those schools profitable (i.e. Maryland). It seems like the non-Power 5 FBS schools will essentially become FCS schools and everyone else get bumped down a rung.

We have never had the fanbase or sustained success to suggest we should even think about being a FBS school so I think if we want to be anywhere near that next level down the road we have a lot investing and planning to do, and my number one question will always be if we go all in on that path will the end result be worth it. The answer for most is no. 

I guess this will be up to president and AD to chart out their path, but I think you could argue that if what they chose doesn't look terribly ambitious that they might be doing it the smarter way. There is a reason why NDSU hasn't gone to the FBS. There is no point. Their brand is strong enough to satisfy their fans, and going to the FBS will not really make them any more profitable unless by some miracle that got invited to the Power 5 club.

I know a team like JMU hopes they can be good enough to get someone in the ACC to consider them down the road to be part of the club once that conference gets enough members stolen from them. If that doesn't work (and it likely won't) their current road won't really do much for them financially in the long term. They will still be successful, because of the interest in the community and their alumni, but they won't be a relevant college football program outside of  what they already are now. 

I don't know where we are heading, but I think the focus now is try to make a solid financial commitment to prepare for the future, hire a good head coach and map out 3 or 4 scenarios for new conferences, because it won't be our choice and we just need to be ready to move when all of the other dominoes fall and pick the best and most financially sustainable path. Any other ideas are fairly unrealistic. 

[TuTigers2012 1,061]

2 hours ago, Blounge said:

Delaware draws more than North Dakota state

This list also goes to show you that the MVFC and big sky are the cream of the fcs crop now. Also a lot of hbcus and random ones at that. Jackson and Alabama state?!

[RundaPower 153]

The HBCU’s have regular season matchups that are  funded by corporations and played a NFL stadiums.  Note: the tickets purchased by the sponsors donot equal fans in the seats.

Edited October 14, 2022 by RundaPower

[mat1992 2,228]

Jackson State is Deion Sanders. Of course, Prime Time is going to draw with 5* players.

[Dan Steenkamer 5]

With game at Penn State looming, potential Delaware move to FBS gains momentum

Tresolini with a report here, the most notable portion IMO is:

Delaware's athletic dept has received approval from trustees "to more closely examine a move up to FBS and entertain possible conference destinations."

I've talked a bit about DEL generally having a much different approach than JMU RE: the politics of realignment--JMU had for a while a strategic plan published that was unabashed about ambitions, regardless of CAA ruffled feathers. That intensified upon the COVID conflicts in CAAFB. UD has historically been so much more close to the vest, setting aside/let alone the on-field strides that James Madison took that helped it jump while Hens regressed on field to relative mediocrity. It's turned around for Delaware lately competitively.

The short of it is that any UD Board of Trustees activity on athletics getting out/being public as far as openness to exiting CAA/CAAFB...that's striking to me

[Blazer49 184]

They are even talking about the recent Blue Chicken news about going I-A on Temple message boards.  I think that would be more of another nail in Temple's coffin than ours.  Maybe they should swap!

[Tiger93 299]

I still think all the schools that move up are just going to be FBS JV once the dust settles in 4-5 years and the Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Big 12 are finished with all of their chess moves.

It is only a matter of time until the big boys lock the door on possible national title aspirations for anyone outside of their money club (they have already done it, but just not officially). That will make all of the conferences that are fighting to be FBS, basically FCS+.

I imagine that will leave us with a hodge-podge of good FCS schools that don't want to spend the money to go up and ambitious D-2 schools who are ready to do more. Doesn't seem like a very financially feasible place to be, but outside of South Dakota State and North Dakota State (maybe Montana when things are going well) what others schools don't mind being at this level because their fanbase is so good the conference or level doesn't matter unless they get a lottery ticket into the big conferences. 

College football is the one American sport that would really be even better with a promotion-relegation European soccer model, but obviously there is too much money for that to ever happen. 

As far as where that leaves us. I really think unless we do anything bold it is pretty much where we are with the group of teams we are with now. Delaware really feels like the the last school in the CAA that could move up, and frankly I am wondering what took so long. The big question isn't what is Towson's future, it is what is the future of all the teams that like having football, could never afford to really be current FBS-level type schools, want to give out scholarships, but have no shot to be part of the high-level NIL nonsense in the FBS. I have no idea, but we probably fit somewhere similar to where we are now. 

[TuTigers2012 1,061]

4 minutes ago, Tiger93 said:

I still think all the schools that move up are just going to be FBS JV once the dust settles in 4-5 years and the Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Big 12 are finished with all of their chess moves.

It is only a matter of time until the big boys lock the door on possible national title aspirations for anyone outside of their money club (they have already done it, but just not officially). That will make all of the conferences that are fighting to be FBS, basically FCS+.

I imagine that will leave us with a hodge-podge of good FCS schools that don't want to spend the money to go up and ambitious D-2 schools who are ready to do more. Doesn't seem like a very financially feasible place to be, but outside of South Dakota State and North Dakota State (maybe Montana when things are going well) what others schools don't mind being at this level because their fanbase is so good the conference or level doesn't matter unless they get a lottery ticket into the big conferences. 

College football is the one American sport that would really be even better with a promotion-relegation European soccer model, but obviously there is too much money for that to ever happen. 

As far as where that leaves us. I really think unless we do anything bold it is pretty much where we are with the group of teams we are with now. Delaware really feels like the the last school in the CAA that could move up, and frankly I am wondering what took so long. The big question isn't what is Towson's future, it is what is the future of all the teams that like having football, could never afford to really be current FBS-level type schools, want to give out scholarships, but have no shot to be part of the high-level NIL nonsense in the FBS. I have no idea, but we probably fit somewhere similar to where we are now. 

I don’t think they care (outside of Jmu). They know they can’t make the playoff or national championship (besides Jmu who has a trophy case ready to be filled!). 
The difference between fbs jv and fcs (which let’s face it is like freshman in this comparison) is money.  Umass can get 1.2 and 1.8 million to go get crushed by a power 5 team.  We can get 250-500k. That’s a big difference and will continue to get larger with the playoff expanded. 
It will be power 3/4 or whatever there will be, the next level below the new fcs and max and mac etc then there will be the old fcs which would likely have to drop down to d2 or not offer as many scholarships.