What started as a promising opportunity for NDSU has shifted into a disheartening disappointment for those desiring advancement, and I am one of them, as has been widely noted.
The future of this situation remains uncertain. Toledo and Northern Illinois are currently in the most stable college conference available. Both are already FBS teams and align well geographically with the MAC. They are Midwest schools in a Midwest league. However, they are considering a move to a western-based conference for what is believed to be an extra few million dollars in TV revenue.
Additionally, the Mountain West is interested in adding them as football-only members, which might lead the MAC to expel the remaining teams as retaliation, forcing Toledo and Northern Illinois to seek new affiliations for sports other than football.
This situation is absurd.
As noted by Toledo Blade columnist David Briggs, “The nearest campus to Toledo would be Wyoming in Laramie, nearly 1,237 miles away. The farthest? Good thing UT owns a rocket because Toledo would be 400 miles closer to Africa than to the University of Hawaii in Honolulu (totaling 4,460 miles).
“This is so insane that it just might occur, and ultimately, the next steps will hinge on a question that is both simple and complex.”
The key question revolves around money. Can the three parties involved, who seem to be taking crazy pills, generate enough revenue to justify a move from the shores of Lake Erie and the plains of Illinois to the Rocky Mountains?
For NDSU, the past few days have been exhausting. Initially, when the conference realignment began, NDSU was seen as a top candidate for the Mountain West. Could this finally be happening? However, as time passed, attention shifted to schools like Texas State, Texas-El Paso, and New Mexico State, which at least made geographic sense.
Then, late in the week, news emerged that the Mountain West was interested in adding Toledo and Northern Illinois, while the Texas schools remained contenders, leaving NDSU off the radar of significant national media discussions.
A couple of weeks ago, when the Bison football team was in Johnson City, Tennessee for a game against East Tennessee State, athletic director Matt Larsen expressed confidence that NDSU’s potential inclusion in the Mountain West was a strong possibility. However, upon arriving in Bloomington-Normal for an upcoming game against Illinois State, it’s likely his optimism had diminished.
What will be most intriguing in the future, should NDSU remain in FCS, is whether there were any genuine discussions with FBS conferences or if they ever received a formal invitation to join a league. There have been rumors about Conference USA expressing interest in NDSU during its recent expansion with FCS teams, but no concrete proof exists. Larsen and NDSU keep all FBS discussions highly confidential, which is prudent.
If being an FBS member was a prerequisite for gaining an invite to the Mountain West or Pac-12 due to Sankey’s influence, then being in the misfit Conference USA could have eventually yielded benefits. Who knows?
It’s possible that the Mountain West and Pac-12 might eventually merge, a move they should have considered earlier, allowing Toledo and Northern Illinois to remain in the MAC where they fit. This would also mean NDSU stays in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, which is the best in FCS but not nearly as thrilling as playing alongside schools like UNLV, San Jose State, Hawaii, and Air Force.
For a moment, the possibilities felt exciting, but it appears we’ll revert to the same-old situations.
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