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Ohio Football Topic
Topic: How would you feel if the MAC dropped to FCS?
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shabamon
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Posted: 8/19/2020 4:36 PM
It's an idea that's been floated around in all the discussion stemming from COVID-19 and college sports. I think the only way Ohio dropping to FCS works is if the majority of the MAC does as well.

PROS:

-Spending less on scholarships and coaching salaries

-All of the MAC programs have the resources in place to be upper-echelon FCS programs immediately

-No bureaucratic reasons why we can't compete for a national championship

-Could conceivably reallocate resources to men's basketball, where we can make a bigger name for the university

CONS:

-No TV deal = lost revenue stream and lost exposure

-Perception. We're no longer connected to the highest level of college football. And even if there are too many bowl games, I think bowl games still carry more weight than FCS playoffs

So if the move were to be made, how would you feel about the move? Would you support or interact with the program more? Less? About the same? Do you think students would interact with the program more, less, or the same?
Pataskala
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Posted: 8/19/2020 5:06 PM
Another "con" would be that there would never, ever be ANY 1A team play at Peden in the future. Not even Texas State. Or T'erd. Or Kansas. Or Iowa State. Not even a chance. In fact, with "P" conferences looking to boost their schedules for playoff purposes, getting a road game with a "P" team would be next to impossible.
We will get by.
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Athens
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Posted: 8/19/2020 9:15 PM
Who knows but I think it would hurt OU's perception as a sports school even more.

Basketball had a nice run 2010-2015 which I think is realistic to maintain but I can't see OU spending 2 or 3 million on a basketball coach because it wasn't playing football. Probably even less of an investment in basketball if the commitment was to move to a lower profile in FCS. Think University of Delaware.
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L.C.
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Posted: 8/19/2020 9:19 PM
Another place they lose revenue would be in money games, since FCS teams get a lot less for those than G5 teams. Some FCS teams seem to play 2 of them a year, while others play one. That would drop the home schedule from 6 games a year to 5 or 5.5 games. October/November schedule would be about the same, except that the mid-week games would vanish. In the end you'd have at least as many Saturday games, but they would be later in the year.
“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” ― Epictetus
Last Edited: 8/19/2020 9:28:45 PM by L.C.
NashvilleKat
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Posted: 8/19/2020 10:23 PM
Absolute hate the idea. The money lost in TV revenue, Championship splits from the Playoffs and Bowls, less money for road money games, no opportunity to beat the Penn States of the world, and perception.
The Optimist
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Posted: 8/20/2020 12:04 AM
The MAC as a whole dropping to FCS would be a great opportunity to leave dead weight like Eastern Michigan behind and form a new conference with Miami and Marshall.
I've seen crazier things happen.
Jeff McKinney
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Posted: 8/20/2020 12:51 AM
I think it would be fun competitively, but I'm not sure it would help us financially even with fewer scholarships. Might have to drop to Div II or non scholarship Div I to see significant savings.
ohio9704
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Posted: 8/20/2020 12:52 AM
The Optimist wrote:expand_more
The MAC as a whole dropping to FCS would be a great opportunity to leave dead weight like Eastern Michigan behind and form a new conference with Miami and Marshall.
Also Toledo, NIU, BGSU, and Ball State. Drop EMU, Akron, and Kent.

OHIO
Miami
Marshall
Toledo
BGSU
NIU
Ball State
Buffalo
Maybe Western Kentucky
Last Edited: 8/20/2020 12:56:59 AM by ohio9704
Bobcat1996
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Posted: 8/20/2020 6:43 AM
Pataskala wrote:expand_more
Another "con" would be that there would never, ever be ANY 1A team play at Peden in the future. Not even Texas State. Or T'erd. Or Kansas. Or Iowa State. Not even a chance. In fact, with "P" conferences looking to boost their schedules for playoff purposes, getting a road game with a "P" team would be next to impossible.
Pataskala hit the nail on the head. No more Kansas, Iowa State, Pitt or even Wyoming showing up in Peden. Throw in no more big paydays from Penn State or Ohio State.
Last Edited: 8/20/2020 6:44:48 AM by Bobcat1996
SouthernCat
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Posted: 8/20/2020 9:11 AM
I would be fine given the overall foolishness of trying to compete with the power 5. Most of us couldn't afford the PSL and other items required to catch up with everyone else. I doubt our football team is profitable despite the money games.
Maddog13
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Posted: 8/20/2020 10:46 AM
I am old enough to remember when there was talk about dropping the football program altogether after the major drop in enrollment in the 1970s due to the scaling down of the Vietnam war. It didn't happen then, so I would be shocked if the football program moved down to FCS in the here and now. In the 1970s, it would have made sense for Ohio to be known as a basketball only school. In recent years, I think that Ohio has become known more for it's football program than basketball program. Still, we have yet to see just how far the economy collapses as a result of the Pandemic. Whether to keep Football where it is or move it down to FCS might be the least of the University's concerns moving forward.
Athens
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Posted: 8/20/2020 11:16 AM
The state of Ohio is going to try to protect its most valuable schools, those its giving the most money to currently so this is all going to roll downhill.

Ohio I bet going to try to stay in the game both athletically and academically while things shake out with the weaker in-state players.
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2025 17-10 defeat of WVU @ Peden in front of 26,740
Kevin Finnegan
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Posted: 8/20/2020 3:01 PM
It would make me sad. Very sad.
BryanHall
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Posted: 8/20/2020 3:32 PM
I think I'm resigned to this long-term. I assume that there will be a split from the P5 by most small schools with a few being absorbed (ie, Cincy, BYU and few others). At that point, a larger, realigned FCS would emerge. Will this be in five years or ten years? I don't know. There is essentially a division now between the major conferences anyway. I think what comes of it will be somewhere between the extremes--some TV revenues and a chance to play for a national title. The downside will be less prestige and no Penn State-type games. Just my speculation.
shabamon
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Posted: 8/20/2020 3:42 PM
My question is not whether you think it will happen, but does it change your enthusiasm for the program, attendance, donations, etc.
Mike Johnson
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Posted: 8/20/2020 4:54 PM
shabamon wrote:expand_more
My question is not whether you think it will happen, but does it change your enthusiasm for the program, attendance, donations, etc.
It would significantly dampen my enthusiasm.
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mf279801
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Posted: 8/20/2020 5:28 PM
shabamon wrote:expand_more
My question is not whether you think it will happen, but does it change your enthusiasm for the program, attendance, donations, etc.
Maybe I’m feeling punchy and melodramatic, but I’d say that at that point you might as well drop to D3. Maybe we get Miami to come along, we can just spend our falls making road trips to Wooster and Wittenberg and Kenyon (well, some of you can, i sadly live well outside of Ohio currently)
Buckeye to Bobcat
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Posted: 8/20/2020 9:58 PM
I'm all in. Can't afford to roll the dice anymore in FBS, especially considering we pay for an extra 42 scholarships due to being FBS. In addition, cut costs all over the department, no reason we shouldn't be ran like the Oakland A's. Feel like I've laid out my plan for going FCS for a long time.

Fiami on the other hand would stay FBS. Got enough friends there telling me they want to throw money around but the MAC doesn't give em a lot of reason to. Other schools won't step up, no reason to bother is what I've heard.
Brian Smith (No, not that one)
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Posted: 8/21/2020 3:37 AM
I don’t really care either way. It’s not my money and the reason I used to advocate for it was to pump up the basketball program financially. That now ain’t happening no matter what.

I’ll just say I’m jealous of their playoff system. It’s so fun.
Bobcat1996
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Posted: 8/21/2020 6:15 AM
Mike Johnson wrote:expand_more
My question is not whether you think it will happen, but does it change your enthusiasm for the program, attendance, donations, etc.
It would significantly dampen my enthusiasm.
I am with Kevin and Mike J as dropping down would make me sad. Playing Marietta College or Capital on HC won't do it for me. Sure MAC schools won't ever win a championship in football, but neither will a CUSA, Sun Belt or Mountain West team. Playing for a national championship in football isn't the goal for those leagues. The excitement of knocking off Pitt and Penn State in the regular season will disappear with dropping down.
Last Edited: 8/21/2020 6:23:19 AM by Bobcat1996
Mark Lembright '85
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Posted: 8/21/2020 8:19 AM
Bobcat1996 wrote:expand_more
My question is not whether you think it will happen, but does it change your enthusiasm for the program, attendance, donations, etc.
It would significantly dampen my enthusiasm.
I am with Kevin and Mike J as dropping down would make me sad. Playing Marietta College or Capital on HC won't do it for me. Sure MAC schools won't ever win a championship in football, but neither will a CUSA, Sun Belt or Mountain West team. Playing for a national championship in football isn't the goal for those leagues. The excitement of knocking off Pitt and Penn State in the regular season will disappear with dropping down.
Ditto. I would be less than enthusiastic.
BryanHall
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Posted: 8/21/2020 8:31 AM
I'm not sure that I would be much less enthusiastic if the program would be FCS. Honestly, they are not in a P5 conference now so there is no chance of them ever competing for a national championship--which effectively makes them a de facto member of a lower division anyway. I still watch. I would assume that a bolstered FCS with teams like Ohio, Troy and Nevada playing Delaware, YSU and NDSU would be very competitive and have a great playoff. I think that a lower division (ie, D-3) would be out of the question for now.
Alan Swank
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Posted: 8/21/2020 12:50 PM
We are all creatures of habit. How many of you got "hooked" on OU football and/or the band your freshman year? Thats not happening this year and the current freshman class will find other things to do with their Saturday afternoons. The question then is what effect will this have on interest going forward. Some are already calling this the "lost year."
CatsUp
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Posted: 8/21/2020 4:27 PM
In my case, I'm afraid that should we drop to FCS attending games would no longer be a priority for us. I might buy an occasional general admission ticket and go to a game if nothing else is happening. Might also check for a final score on the internet, but that would be about it.

As far as being able to compete for a national championship driving whether to stay put in the FBS or not, I think at least a quarter of the P5 schools have no real shot at a national championship either and another 25% don't have much of a chance. Should they all drop down to FCS too? Pretty sure a significant number of them aren't money making programs as has been mentioned on here.

Lastly, the way it is set up now, would we really want to take scholarships away from those who need them the most?
71 BOBCAT
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Posted: 8/21/2020 4:58 PM
I think that we need to think about the possible impact in our world renowned MBA, Sports Information Program.




GO BOBCATS
Last Edited: 8/21/2020 5:00:37 PM by 71 BOBCAT
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