Leatherneck Nation

I think there's a good chance with what we have returning.

Not saying we couldn't do it, but...oof...that'd be a tough thing to do right now. Not because we're not good...I think we will be...but because of how dominant NDSU is right now. They get back a ton of guys from a team that just won the national championship (and did it with a large group of their starters injured/out).

Anything is possible...we win all the games we "should" win...get a few lucky breaks here and there...and it's entirely possible (and I'd be absolutely ecstatic about it). The MVFC is the toughest FCS conference for a reason (and according to Sagarin ratings, consistently ranked tougher overall than the Sun Belt, the MAC, occasionally the Mountain West)...there are no easy games. Maybe Indiana State, but still...our easiest games this last season were our out-of-conference games...against 3 full-scholarship teams (one FCS playoff team, and one FBS team). The MVFC is a flat-out battle...every week.

Joe Glenn, former USD coach who has three NCAA championships belts as HC, said it best about NDSU:
"You don't out-recruit them".

That does not mean they are unbeatable and Glenn managed to pull off that feat in his last year at USD (2015). Watching them on the field and even some Youtube videos about their strength training programs, I attribute their dominance to a couple of other things besides just good recruits. One, they really pay attention to the details. Two, their fan base does not just show up at the games, they are part of the game.

We have played NDSU pretty tough several times recently, just coming up a bit short. That is a good sign that our program is heading in the Bison direction.

I'm in the minority who thinks we will be down a little bit we lose almost are entire OLine a WR who had the best season in WIU history plus a lot in the secondary and Brett.

I am probably in the minority by saying that our OL was not a great strength last year.

Update: We averaged about 98 yards rushing against the top 3 teams in the league (NDSU, SDSU, UNI)

sealhall74 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 3:22 am Joe Glenn, former USD coach who has three NCAA championships belts as HC, said it best about NDSU:
"You don't out-recruit them".

That does not mean they are unbeatable and Glenn managed to pull off that feat in his last year at USD (2015). Watching them on the field and even some Youtube videos about their strength training programs, I attribute their dominance to a couple of other things besides just good recruits. One, they really pay attention to the details. Two, their fan base does not just show up at the games, they are part of the game.

We have played NDSU pretty tough several times recently, just coming up a bit short. That is a good sign that our program is heading in the Bison direction.

Right, nearly every year, some MVFC team pulls off the upset in the regular season against NDSU.
2011 - Youngstown State won 27-24 at Fargo
2012 - Indiana State won 17-14 in Fargo (at their Homecoming)
2013 - NDSU was undefeated...they were just stupid good that year.
2014 - Northern Iowa won 23-3 in Cedar Falls
2015 - South Dakota won 24-21 in Fargo
2016 - South Dakota State won 19-17 in Fargo
2017 - South Dakota State won 33-21 in Brookings

I see no reason why we couldn't add "2018 - Western Illinois won in Macomb" to the list. It won't be easy, but it's not impossible.

Oh how I long for the days of my youth when the 'Necks were a dominant force in the "Gateway Football Conference".

If all Western had to worry about these days was UNI YSU and WKU that would be a dream.

NDSU needs to join the Big XII already this is starting to get ridiculous (maybe they can take SDSU with them too).

I find it interesting/sad that WIU finishes ahead of 54 FBS schools (according to Sagarin) yet I see no path to WIU winning a championship in their own FCS conference. The average Joe on the street doesn't have a clue how brutal the MVFC is.

http://sagarin.com/sports/cfsend.htm

RedNeck wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 2:11 pm NDSU needs to join the Big XII already this is starting to get ridiculous (maybe they can take SDSU with them too).

If it were only that easy. They would jump on the possibility in a heartbeat, I bet. Problem is, you don't get to go FBS without a conference invite. Big XII is not going to invite them up. If the old WAC was still around (Nevada, Boise State, Wyoming, etc.) and they still had football...then they'd have a good chance, but right now there's just no G5 conferences nearby that would invite them up.

ST_Lawson wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 4:26 pm

RedNeck wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 2:11 pm NDSU needs to join the Big XII already this is starting to get ridiculous (maybe they can take SDSU with them too).

If it were only that easy. They would jump on the possibility in a heartbeat, I bet. Problem is, you don't get to go FBS without a conference invite. Big XII is not going to invite them up. If the old WAC was still around (Nevada, Boise State, Wyoming, etc.) and they still had football...then they'd have a good chance, but right now there's just no G5 conferences nearby that would invite them up.

How bout Mountain West? Boise State, Utah State, Wyoming, Colorado State, ....... I think that is doable. Comparable travel to what UND does/did in Big Sky.

I guess Western could move to the OVC. The 'Necks would likely be champs every other year splitting with JSU.

Plus you need to have seating for 32,000 fans if you go FBS. I’m sure that wouldn’t be an issue to meet the minimum requirements for attendance but is a new Stadium worth it to play in a small time bowl game?