Idaho’s move to FCS has big funding implications

[ursus arctos horribilis]

MOSCOW, Idaho – Hugh Diener doesn’t think of it as a boycott. He’s merely sticking to what he – and other boosters – told University of Idaho president Chuck Staben months ago.

His message then: If the Vandals football program rejoined the Big Sky Conference, he and his wife would stop attending games and stop donating.

“I’m not boycotting because, frankly, if they continue on in the Big Sky, which I see no other avenue for them at this point, we won’t be going to any games,” says Diener, the former president of the Vandal Scholarship Fund.


Read more...
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/oct/14/idahos-move-to-fcs-has-big-funding-implications/

[RootinFerDukes]

When your attendance is so dismal to begin with, would it really matter?

[Grizzlies82]

So it is essentially the same outcome regardless...
If Idaho joins the Big Sky this fellow stops attending games out of spite.
Or, if Idaho remains in FBS this fellow stops attending games because without a conference Idaho doesn't have any games in Moscow anyway.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

So it is essentially the same outcome regardless...
If Idaho joins the Big Sky this fellow stops attending games out of spite.
Or, if Idaho remains in FBS this fellow stops attending games because without a conference Idaho doesn't have any games in Moscow anyway.

Yes, this is a point that I wish the writer could have made in the article. Five years from now they will better off financially with this decision than they would have been with the other.

[Laker]

What is Idaho supposed to do? As an independent they will have to go on the road. The Big Sky is where they belong geographically and they are there for the other sports.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

When your attendance is so dismal to begin with, would it really matter?

It doesn't. On top of that their season tickets were going for less than almost anyone in the BSC the last few years from what I remember so once BSC teams start bringing in some fans to their place the Youngins (students) will feel the pull and some excitement on campus surrounding this I would bet. When UM and MSU used to travel there they had a pretty good tailgate experience going. Hope they haven't wrecked that.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

What is Idaho supposed to do? As an independent they will have to go on the road. The Big Sky is where they belong geographically and they are there for the other sports.

They also belong there and always have in football. They were not FBS and never, ever rose to the challenge of competing at that level.

[Laker]

They also belong there and always have in football. They were not FBS and never, ever rose to the challenge of competing at that level.

I was shocked when they said that they were going FBS years ago. I didn't see the point at the time. That stadium isn't big enough for the move. Maybe they didn't expect Boise State to to that well that fast. Their fans may as well look at how this should be better for them instead of baling.

[clenz]

What gets me about the article is that it points how long and how much that donor has given - basically 100k. That sounds like/is a lot of money until you do that math and realize that if he started giving his first year out of school that's 46 years. That's "only $2,100" per year.

The length of donating is impressive, unless Idaho has almost no donors (maybe they don't) I can't imagine he's one of the biggest donors.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

What gets me about the article is that it points how long and how much that donor has given - basically 100k. That sounds like/is a lot of money until you do that math and realize that if he started giving his first year out of school that's 46 years. That's "only $2,100" per year.

The length of donating is impressive, unless Idaho has almost no donors (maybe they don't) I can't imagine he's one of the biggest donors.

Completely agree and also took not of that. I did not want to denigrate the man's input financially as it is a good chuck for him and his wife. I am sure that is also what you think. BUT, when it comes to supporting a program it is very little and I know they have a fair number of guys like his so it adds up for sure but it just was not anywhere near enough to do what would have been needed to be done to compete. They may not like it, but that is just a god damn fact.

[Schism55]

Apparently Mr. Diener is a sadist.
Enjoying being the worst team the worst conference in fbs?
And lol@ the school missing his 2k a year.
Good ****ing riddance.

[clenz]

Completely agree and also took not of that. I did not want to denigrate the man's input financially as it is a good chuck for him and his wife. I am sure that is also what you think. BUT, when it comes to supporting a program it is very little and I know they have a fair number of guys like his so it adds up for sure but it just was not anywhere near enough to do what would have been needed to be done to compete. They may not like it, but that is just a god damn fact.
Agreed.

If Idaho lost 50-100 people who donated 2000 a year it's a big deal. I won't question that. As someone not in a position to donated 2,000 a year to UNI I also can't/won't question the impact it had on his finances. Maybe he's been closer to 10K the last few years (though that would significantly impact his average in his early years of donating).

I don't question donating patterns of people, it just seems odd to highlight him pulling his money when a look beyond the total sum of 46 years of giving shows it's not a "significant yearly number" to a D1 athletic department.

[dewey]

I like how they talk about how much money they will lose by not being in the Sun Belt conference

Yet there’s also a cost involved in getting booted from the Sun Belt Conference and leaving the FBS. UI will lose around $800,000 in Sun Belt revenue, as well as some NCAA revenue. And eventually it will stop collecting $1 million-plus game guarantees.
That means it will have to plug a $1 million to $1.5 million yearly gap in revenue.

But yet no where do they talk about how much money they will save in the reduced 22 scholarships or reduced travel costs. Or even if they have 5 to 6 home games against teams that might actually bring fans how attendance may actually go up. Is Idaho (no you da ho...LOL) going to drop a women sport to reduce expenses since they will now have more female scholarships than male scholarships?

If Idaho starts winning at the FCS level watch all those fans come back to the program...wining cures almost all.

Dewey

[dgtw]

If Jax State said they were going back to D2, I would still go to the games.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Lehigh Football Nation]

I like how they talk about how much money they will lose by not being in the Sun Belt conference

Yet there’s also a cost involved in getting booted from the Sun Belt Conference and leaving the FBS. UI will lose around $800,000 in Sun Belt revenue, as well as some NCAA revenue. And eventually it will stop collecting $1 million-plus game guarantees.
That means it will have to plug a $1 million to $1.5 million yearly gap in revenue.

But yet no where do they talk about how much money they will save in the reduced 22 scholarships or reduced travel costs. Or even if they have 5 to 6 home games against teams that might actually bring fans how attendance may actually go up. Is Idaho (no you da ho...LOL) going to drop a women sport to reduce expenses since they will now have more female scholarships than male scholarships?

If Idaho starts winning at the FCS level watch all those fans come back to the program...wining cures almost all.

Dewey

+1000.

Also, that's some line of horse**** that they will lose million-plus $ guarantees. Good FCS programs get $600k-$800k for decent FBS games. How much are they truly losing there - and how much of that would have been sunk in added costs/flights anyway had they stayed? Almost every weekend would be a flight. At least in the Big Sky they would have a lot more bus trips.

[Bisonwinagn]

I want to know why the NCAA doesn't require a 4 year transition period like they do for teams moving up from D2!!! I think it's complete bull**** that a team with FBS players can move down and be eligible right away. Why is there no outrage (other than they suck) and why hasn't the NCAA issued a statement on this??

[Twentysix]

I want to know why the NCAA doesn't require a 4 year transition period like they do for teams moving up from D2!!! I think it's complete bull**** that a team with FBS players can move down and be eligible right away. Why is there no outrage (other than they suck) and why hasn't the NCAA issued a statement on this??

Because it has litterally never mattered

[JayJ79]

I want to know why the NCAA doesn't require a 4 year transition period like they do for teams moving up from D2!!! I think it's complete bull**** that a team with FBS players can move down and be eligible right away. Why is there no outrage (other than they suck) and why hasn't the NCAA issued a statement on this??
Is there different academic/recruiting/eligibility standards for D2 vs. D1?
If so, the transition period would be so that players who came on under the D2 rules will have worked their way through the system (mostly) by the time the program becomes full D1.

But in this case, the players/recruits will already have been subject to the D1 rules.

[Twentysix]

Is there different academic/recruiting/eligibility standards for D2 vs. D1?
If so, the transition period would be so that players who came on under the D2 rules will have worked their way through the system (mostly) by the time the program becomes full D1.

But in this case, the players/recruits will already have been subject to the D1 rules.

I think you are right.There is a little more leeway for D2 recruits.
http://trackstarusa.com/division-1-academic-requirements/

http://trackstarusa.com/division-2-academic-requirements/

Can you greyshirt in D1?

I have a friend that was a LB for USD because they allowed him to greyshirt and NDSU wouldn't. His brother was a LB for NDSU. NDSU was DI and USD was DII.

[kalm]

They knew they'd have defections so yes...this is no big deal. And there are all sorts of little positives that in the long run will offset it. Simply having games every other year in Cheney alone should increase interest in the Spokane market. And Dewey is right. Get some wins, playoff appearances, and regional rivalry games going, and a new generation of Vandal fans will start identifying with the school again and opening up their wallets.

I'm really looking forward to having them back again. xnodx

[dgtw]

I want to know why the NCAA doesn't require a 4 year transition period like they do for teams moving up from D2!!! I think it's complete bull**** that a team with FBS players can move down and be eligible right away. Why is there no outrage (other than they suck) and why hasn't the NCAA issued a statement on this??

Dude, it's Idaho. If the best you can do for a scholarship is Idaho I doubt Nick Saban was pounding on your door.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[veinup]

i'm glad the griz will have another conference opponent thats really easy to drive to for people in missoula.