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Message: [QUOTE="SWC75, post: 4156034, member: 289"] The Athletic has a Q&A page about the factors that influence decisions about conferences and divisions: [URL unfurl="true"]https://theathletic.com/3110949/2022/02/04/transfer-portal-winners-and-losers-in-group-of-5-realignment-updates-north-dakota-states-future-and-more-g5-mailbag/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983[/URL] The one about North Dakota State especially interested me: [I]Does NDSU make the jump to FBS over the next five years, and if so, which Group of 5 conference do they join? Assuming an expanded playoff happens sooner rather than later and they don’t garner interest from any P5 conferences (although I think they could win the Pac-12 next year if they were in the conference). — Scott C. NDSU might be in the most precarious spot for conference realignment. The Bison already dominate FCS to the point where it’s almost boring, and now their top challengers are leaving for the FBS. It seems natural that they should just move up as well. But the first thing about moving up to FBS from FCS is that a school needs to be invited to a conference, unless it’s Liberty and overflowing with cash. JMU, Sam Houston and Jacksonville State all got invitations. One issue is there isn’t a natural fit for NDSU among the G5 conferences. The MAC is probably the closest, but that’s adding a lot of travel to MAC schools that don’t have a lot of money. The Mountain West is already an airplane league, but it would add even more travel, especially for schools in California. The MWC chose not to add anybody in this past round of realignment in large part because its TV partners said they wouldn’t give the league any more money for expanding. And that’s the other issue for NDSU. The Bison likely don’t bring enough eyeballs to make an impact on TV deals. NDSU athletic director Matt Larsen said last summer that the Bison were “well-positioned” if an FBS call was to come. NDSU moved up to Division II from Division I in 2004. That wasn’t long ago. The school, program and athletic department continue to grow. Becoming an FBS independent like Liberty has been doesn’t feel like a smart move from a financial standpoint for NDSU, and the number of FBS independents is about to drop with Liberty and New Mexico State going to Conference USA. I don’t really know what NDSU should do, and I don’t really know if there’s anything it can do.[/I] They may just continue to rack up championships in a division that is already uncompetitive into perpetuity. Maybe FCS will cease to exist and become part of FBS, as it was before Division 1AA was created in 1978. The purpose of that division was to give Division 1 schools who had no shot at the D-1 championship a championship they could win and stay in Division 1. What they really need to do is merge the Group of 5 schools with FCS, (from where most of them came), and make the Power 5 a division unto itself. But of course they won't do that. Logic never prevails. Jim Boeheim, on his show last night, said that if the top group of football schools does break away from the NCAA, they'll need to bring about 100 schools with them "for scheduling purposes". he thinks SU is good enough in football and basketball to be included. [/QUOTE]

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