On the field, I'm pretty confident NDSU would be successful from the start in any G-5 conference. In many ways, they are like Boise State was in the mid-90s, though much more successful at the FCS level and with a more proven track record against FBS competition.lukeyrid13 wrote:With doing minimal research, how does NDSU compare on the peer institution/academic side of things to Appalachian State? It took them a little while but they're gaining decent success after making the jump up. UConn and Boise St are two other examples. UConn was a perennial 1-AA power and then made a Fiesta Bowl before falling off a cliff as of late.
I'm not sure how they compare on the academic and funding side of things with other schools, though I think there are published lists with that sort of information if you're really curious. One of the biggest differences are the geographic footprint and media market that NDSU would offer a conference. NDSU is on a virtual island geographically if you look where they are in relation to other conferences. Though, there is some argument to be made that NDSU is gaining traction nationally as more people become familiar with their success. At some point it is conceivable that kind of media exposure and following might move the needle at least a little bit. I think that played a role when Boise State moved up.
Right now we compete every year for the NCAA Division I National Championship, and that is valuable in recruiting. If we moved up to FBS, we wouldn't be in a P-5 conference, so we'd have to settle for conference championships, as it's extremely unlikely that we'd have the conference schedule strength to be on the radar of the FBS playoff committee. We win some recruiting battles against P-5 teams in our current situation, and I suspect this has something to do with competing for a national championship. We may gain some other advantages with the FBS label and being able to play in front of bigger television audiences, but it's hard to say what the net effect would be. Regardless of the level they play, NDSU football will always strive for national championships. That's how they are structured. So if it isn't possible at the FBS level in the current format, it's not as attractive to the institution.