I agree with this but will say they seem to have a relationship in some form with rocko having gone on their show and sending them merch.

All pure speculation. Good for the brands to be mentioned with MWC and conference re-alignments. I'm sure the artists formerly known as the Go-Go's across the Causeway would love to be mentioned with such regard. But hey, I hear applications are up (unlike their stingers)!

I get that. I saw the interview. These guys are speculating though. Rocko 'aint keeping secrets with these two knuckleheads.

Speaking of the MW (not related to football), 3 of the top 5 teams in the conference right now for basketball will still be in next year (not leaving for the pac-12) and attendance numbers look really good compared to the Big West. Exciting stuff.

Ndsu may be going to the fbs

Did you hear anything recently?

That would be an uncharacteristic and bad move by their admin. The G5 is on the verge of losing playoff access and the bowls are irrelevant.

the bowls are irrelevant. — LeFan

You got that right. I personally haven't watched one in years

How many teams opted out of playing bowl games this year? Found this list on the interwebs:

• Notre Dame
• Iowa State
• Kansas State
• Baylor
• Rutgers
• Florida State
• Auburn
• Temple
• UCF
• Kansas

I used to like watching the bowl games, still do sometimes, but they’ve definitely become more irrelevant the last couple years with so many more players sitting out because they’re going in the portal.

You know, I'm not so sure I want to move to the FBS anymore. I watch the FBS and its just not even college football anymore. It's semipro ball with too much money involved to be honest. I like the FCS playoffs. I like actually getting a chance to play for a championship. Am I not thinking clearly? I'm watching the way JMU and Tulane are getting treated and I keep thinking, "geez if they treat them this way..." I don't know. I think there might be an interesting development with conference realignment once the tv deal expires. Maybe waiting on this is the right move.

The top FCS schools, except us, have paid athletes as well. Certainly not paid to the same level as the big FBS schools, but still pulling a paycheck. The position we’re in at this point reminds me of our D2 days when we were non scholarship and competing with scholarship programs. Plough has said many times, give me the resources comparable to the Montanas and Dakotas, make it a fair fight, and we will win. Somehow there needs to be realignment with all this.

I'm with you. We're a yearly contender, still feature true student athletes, and the FCS playoffs seem exciting. Ivys, Villanova, the Redbirds... and yes, we can provide more resources at the FCS level.

The FBS is all over the place, constant turnover, $$$, drama, HCs with $20-million, $30-million contracts. ICA departments massively in the hole (like Cal). We can add spice in our pre-season games. Who knows what happens in 3-5 years. Cross country travel already an issue for some.

Here’s my opinion: the FCS is great. I like the playoff format, regional rivalries, etc. what I do think is important to note though is that us moving up to the Mountain West for football would be a smart move (in my opinion) because it solidifies us in the group of 5 no matter the changing landscape. For example, if the proposed power 4 split happens and the g5 becomes its own subdivision with its own playoffs, I would like to be positioned in the group of 5 instead of trying to get a move up from the fcs during the craziness that could ensue (no matter the fact that we would probably be at the top of FCS move-up’s if this split happened). I don't necessarily think moving to the MW would be as massive a step up when it comes to some talent (ie Montana state compared to a Nevada), but I think some of the closer regional rivalries, more national prominence of broadcast and name, and better positioning in realignment makes it worth it. I think playing in a conference where the lowest tier teams in the conference for football are UTEP or Nevada is a hell of a lot better for interest than Utah Tech or Portland State. I also honestly think bowl games are fun and provide travel opportunities for the alumni. Let’s face it too, getting into a bowl game is a hell of a lot easier than winning an FCS championship, and while this is completely speculative, I wonder if making it to bowls consistently would be more of a donation driver than fcs playoffs.

My final point. When it comes to money, and I may be wrong here, I am under the impression that teams are paid well to play bowl games, which I’m sure are larger revenue drivers than most fcs playoff matchups (maybe until the semis).

Overall, our position and current goals in the FCS are important, plausible and righteous, but I also think looking down the road a few years, aligning football with all of our other sports in the MW is a foreword looking move that would be a smart idea.

You make some good points. However, I'll be honest, I'm not sure the current business model even works anymore. There powers that be, who are hell bent on creating a top tier league consisting of only 50 or so football teams that can bought and run through a VC. The idea of course is to create a league where JMU and Tulane are not eligible to even play in this playoff because they are not in the right league.

1. Traditional TV is dead. Let's face it the way people watch football today is radically different then how it was watched even 10 years ago. Streaming is the new cable, which begs the question, if nobody is watching on traditional outlets, where is the ad money going to come from? Prime, Apple, HBO, Paramount, etc. will all be bidding against each other which means the overall cost will drop. I think when the new TV deal comes up, there is going to be a huge shakeup in college football.

2. Bowl Games are dead. Bowl games served a purpose years ago, but the concept is dead. You can see many schools pulling out altogether. The days of waking up on Jan 1 and watching the Rose Bowl game later is gone. The Rose Bowl now is just another bowl with teams that would never be allowed to play in this game.

So what does this mean? I think it means the VC's are going to create a 50 team "Super" league and it will only consist of: USC, Alabama, Ohio St, Miami,....you get the picture. When that happens there is going to be a whole lot of teams like Stanford, Cal, SMU, Vandy, Oregon St's of the world who are going to need a place to play. This is where new conferences come about. UC Davis is smart to just sit back and see how this plays out for now. Just MO

I thought we paid Lan and TY Johnson last year. Are we paying anyone this year?

this is a very good post. Honestly, I think we are in a particularly good place as a program. I think the best case scenario for us will happen no matter what, but I see pros and cons to both moves. I agree on that super conference at the top, hopefully Davis is able to position themselves/have the cards fall to have us in the best position when that happens

“ I thought we paid Lan and TY Johnson last year. Are we paying anyone this year?”

I think you’re correct. I didn't articulate my thoughts very well. I’m thinking in terms of program wide resources. For example the Griz pay each player an equal amount. I don’t remember the exact figure, but its either 20k or 50k per year. Tim has commented several times that they have 500 donors that contribute 1k each year. We have about a 100 similar donors. But beyond our specific situation, the current system of money schools able to buy away top players from programs like ours is troubling to me. That’s what i was referring to regarding some sort of realignment. I’m happy for many of these kids, especially those that come from challenging environments where the money is life changing, but there must be a better way forward.

pretty sure it was just Rex this year

Judging who we paid the last two seasons, I presume Plough will only try to give NIL money to Caden next year. Perhaps we get more NIL money next year? Does anyone have a link to NIL donations?

I know of this one but unsure if it is the best: https://www.aggiefootballfund.com/