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Andrew Schmidt on the Big Sky Breakdown on struggles in Pokey, his proposal for the Snow Belt Conference

Colter_Nuanez56

Well-known member
A fun, yet serious and intricately detailed breakdown of what football might be like at Montana and Montana State with one of your favorites, former Griz running back Andrew Schmidt. Plus, the weekly spot with Ty Gregorak and Andrew Houghton joins me to go around the Big Sky

BIG SKY BREAKDOWN TIMES

Ty Gregorak, Skyline Sports lead analyst – 4:05
Andrew Schmidt, NFL agent and contributing podcaster – 35:50
Andrew Houghton, Skyline Sports writer & ESPN MT producer – 1:06:40

https://skylinesportsmt.com/big-sky-breakdown-gregorak-on-cats-griz-andrew-schmidt-on-snow-belt-conf-houghton-around-the-bsc/

https://twitter.com/SkylineSportsMT/status/1577801853647003650
 
Very interesting discussion.

My feelings are that there will be many changes coming to D1 football over the next several years.

Buckle up.
 
I think this idea of the Griz moving up along with a core group of FCS heavyweights is the way to go. Bobby has already coached in the FBS, both before and after his first stint with the Griz, and he is the guy to take us there. For starters Bobby is loyal to Montana. After going through all he has in his coaching career he proved his loyalty to, and love for, the Montana Grizzlies when he turned down San Diego for the head coaching job a few years back, after he had already returned to Missoula for his second, and final, coaching job. San Diego would have been a great opportunity because when Bobby chose to leave San Diego and come home to Missoula he was San Diego’s Associate Head Coach and Special Teams Coach and knew nearly everyone on the San Diego staff, had helped recruit most of the players and was more than familiar with the incredible lifestyle available in San Diego.
I think the far more likely scenario of Bobby returning to the FBS ranks is leading the Griz through the transition up to the FBS.
I’ve been a naysayer for, well, forever. But I believe it’s time. And the route is clear, although the name Snow Belt Conference won’t fly with the California schools or possibly New Mexico. Andrew Schmidt has it right. Call it what you want but it’s time for the northern tier FCS heavyweights to move up together enmasse. Start with a core of schools with 15,000+ capacity stadiums - NDSU, SDSU, Northern Iowa, MSU, UM, Idaho and Weber- and put those AD’s to work adding others, perhaps, Sac State, UCD, Cal-Poly, maybe even current FBS schools such as New Mexico, Boise or Wyoming could be recruited. A new conference of 8 or 10 or even 12 schools could be the way up for our Grizzlies and who better to lead the charge than a coach who loves his team, his university and his town, and he’s already been there before. .
If we wait, it’ll be too late. Make the move and do it together with a new TV contract and far-better non-conference games with even bigger payouts. Our facilities are up to par and with the coming addition of an indoor practice facility the Griz will have a better infrastructure than at least 50% of the current FBS programs.
Why lose Haslam to an FBS school? Why lose Bobby to an FBS school? Why lose Travis DeCuire to an FBS school? How bout the Griz, along with the other remaining FCS heavyweights, just become FBS schools. It’s time.
 
Griz90 said:
Why lose Haslam to an FBS school? Why lose Bobby to an FBS school? Why lose Travis DeCuire to an FBS school?
FBS is a football classification, what does DeCuire have to do with that?

The Snow Belt Conf. idea looks more like a better FCS conference than it does an FBS conference.
 
So let's say for a minute that this actually happened and all these schools decided to come together and form a conference. What exactly would that process look like? Would the other FBS conferences have to vote on whether or not to add a new conference? Would the NCAA have to approve it? How does this work?
 
Griz90 said:
I think this idea of the Griz moving up along with a core group of FCS heavyweights is the way to go. Bobby has already coached in the FBS, both before and after his first stint with the Griz, and he is the guy to take us there. For starters Bobby is loyal to Montana. After going through all he has in his coaching career he proved his loyalty to, and love for, the Montana Grizzlies when he turned down San Diego for the head coaching job a few years back, after he had already returned to Missoula for his second, and final, coaching job. San Diego would have been a great opportunity because when Bobby chose to leave San Diego and come home to Missoula he was San Diego’s Associate Head Coach and Special Teams Coach and knew nearly everyone on the San Diego staff, had helped recruit most of the players and was more than familiar with the incredible lifestyle available in San Diego.
I think the far more likely scenario of Bobby returning to the FBS ranks is leading the Griz through the transition up to the FBS.
I’ve been a naysayer for, well, forever. But I believe it’s time. And the route is clear, although the name Snow Belt Conference won’t fly with the California schools or possibly New Mexico. Andrew Schmidt has it right. Call it what you want but it’s time for the northern tier FCS heavyweights to move up together enmasse. Start with a core of schools with 15,000+ capacity stadiums - NDSU, SDSU, Northern Iowa, MSU, UM, Idaho and Weber- and put those AD’s to work adding others, perhaps, Sac State, UCD, Cal-Poly, maybe even current FBS schools such as New Mexico, Boise or Wyoming could be recruited. A new conference of 8 or 10 or even 12 schools could be the way up for our Grizzlies and who better to lead the charge than a coach who loves his team, his university and his town, and he’s already been there before. .
If we wait, it’ll be too late. Make the move and do it together with a new TV contract and far-better non-conference games with even bigger payouts. Our facilities are up to par and with the coming addition of an indoor practice facility the Griz will have a better infrastructure than at least 50% of the current FBS programs.
Why lose Haslam to an FBS school? Why lose Bobby to an FBS school? Why lose Travis DeCuire to an FBS school? How bout the Griz, along with the other remaining FCS heavyweights, just become FBS schools. It’s time.
Please not UNI....please please please please please no
 
fltheadgriz said:
Griz90 said:
I think this idea of the Griz moving up along with a core group of FCS heavyweights is the way to go. Bobby has already coached in the FBS, both before and after his first stint with the Griz, and he is the guy to take us there. For starters Bobby is loyal to Montana. After going through all he has in his coaching career he proved his loyalty to, and love for, the Montana Grizzlies when he turned down San Diego for the head coaching job a few years back, after he had already returned to Missoula for his second, and final, coaching job. San Diego would have been a great opportunity because when Bobby chose to leave San Diego and come home to Missoula he was San Diego’s Associate Head Coach and Special Teams Coach and knew nearly everyone on the San Diego staff, had helped recruit most of the players and was more than familiar with the incredible lifestyle available in San Diego.
I think the far more likely scenario of Bobby returning to the FBS ranks is leading the Griz through the transition up to the FBS.
I’ve been a naysayer for, well, forever. But I believe it’s time. And the route is clear, although the name Snow Belt Conference won’t fly with the California schools or possibly New Mexico. Andrew Schmidt has it right. Call it what you want but it’s time for the northern tier FCS heavyweights to move up together enmasse. Start with a core of schools with 15,000+ capacity stadiums - NDSU, SDSU, Northern Iowa, MSU, UM, Idaho and Weber- and put those AD’s to work adding others, perhaps, Sac State, UCD, Cal-Poly, maybe even current FBS schools such as New Mexico, Boise or Wyoming could be recruited. A new conference of 8 or 10 or even 12 schools could be the way up for our Grizzlies and who better to lead the charge than a coach who loves his team, his university and his town, and he’s already been there before. .
If we wait, it’ll be too late. Make the move and do it together with a new TV contract and far-better non-conference games with even bigger payouts. Our facilities are up to par and with the coming addition of an indoor practice facility the Griz will have a better infrastructure than at least 50% of the current FBS programs.
Why lose Haslam to an FBS school? Why lose Bobby to an FBS school? Why lose Travis DeCuire to an FBS school? How bout the Griz, along with the other remaining FCS heavyweights, just become FBS schools. It’s time.
Please not UNI....please please please please please no

I think the list is even easier:

UM
MSU
NDSU
UND
SDSU
USD
Idaho/EWU (either/or)
Weber State
Would love to add to that Wyoming & Colorado State for a 10 team conference that’s fairly tight geographically.

Hell, call it the Lewis & Clark Conference :lol:
 
AZGrizFan said:
fltheadgriz said:
Please not UNI....please please please please please no

I think the list is even easier:

UM
MSU
NDSU
UND
SDSU
USD
Idaho/EWU (either/or)
Weber State
Would love to add to that Wyoming & Colorado State for a 10 team conference that’s fairly tight geographically.

Hell, call it the Lewis & Clark Conference :lol:

Just in case, North Dakota is going forward with this:


https://www.theonion.com/north-dakota-constructs-billion-dollar-stadium-just-in-1848969291
 
CatGrad-UMGradStu said:
AZGrizFan said:
I think the list is even easier:

UM
MSU
NDSU
UND
SDSU
USD
Idaho/EWU (either/or)
Weber State
Would love to add to that Wyoming & Colorado State for a 10 team conference that’s fairly tight geographically.

Hell, call it the Lewis & Clark Conference :lol:

Just in case, North Dakota is going forward with this:


https://www.theonion.com/north-dakota-constructs-billion-dollar-stadium-just-in-1848969291
Noah's ark right in the middle of North Dakota.
 
kemajic said:
CatGrad-UMGradStu said:
Just in case, North Dakota is going forward with this:


https://www.theonion.com/north-dakota-constructs-billion-dollar-stadium-just-in-1848969291
Noah's ark right in the middle of North Dakota.

Well, last Saturday I sat with a couple of guys who both married Golden Girls 40 years ago and we talked quite a bit about reclassification and realignment within the various conferences (after they finished bitching about Colorado's five down touchdown that beat Mizzou and their one National Championship before going to the pac). Talking about living and being raised in Montana and Wyoming, they both started talking about how much money is in both Jackson, Wyoming and Big Sky, Montana. When I mentioned how much off shore money is right in front of everybody's eyes in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, one of them asked me "What the hell do you do if you know about Sioux Falls?"

They then said the Big 12 is crazy to not chase the money in Wyoming and Montana State and then proceeded to talk about how everything is fixed when they saw a kid in a Cardinals jersey. Asked if anyone knew about the I-70 World Series, the Harbaugh Bowl, the Bay World Series and if anyone in the group really thought the only Super Bowls Brady lost was to Mannings! Went back to 64 when Cassius Clay "knocked out" Sonny Liston and said over and over it's all fixed.

Anyway...

Too many inflated egos to ever let common sense and regional sports enter the part of the country I was raised in and returned for my golden years. All of us are stuck playing podunk football.
 
CatGrad-UMGradStu said:
kemajic said:
Noah's ark right in the middle of North Dakota.

Well, last Saturday I sat with a couple of guys who both married Golden Girls 40 years ago and we talked quite a bit about reclassification and realignment within the various conferences (after they finished bitching about Colorado's five down touchdown that beat Mizzou and their one National Championship before going to the pac). Talking about living and being raised in Montana and Wyoming, they both started talking about how much money is in both Jackson, Wyoming and Big Sky, Montana. When I mentioned how much off shore money is right in front of everybody's eyes in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, one of them asked me "What the hell do you do if you know about Sioux Falls?"

They then said the Big 12 is crazy to not chase the money in Wyoming and Montana State and then proceeded to talk about how everything is fixed when they saw a kid in a Cardinals jersey. Asked if anyone knew about the I-70 World Series, the Harbaugh Bowl, the Bay World Series and if anyone in the group really thought the only Super Bowls Brady lost was to Mannings! Went back to 64 when Cassius Clay "knocked out" Sonny Liston and said over and over it's all fixed.

Anyway...

Too many inflated egos to ever let common sense and regional sports enter the part of the country I was raised in and returned for my golden years. All of us are stuck playing podunk football.

Holy shit, I read all of that only to tacitly agree in the end.
 
CDAGRIZ said:
CatGrad-UMGradStu said:
Well, last Saturday I sat with a couple of guys who both married Golden Girls 40 years ago and we talked quite a bit about reclassification and realignment within the various conferences (after they finished bitching about Colorado's five down touchdown that beat Mizzou and their one National Championship before going to the pac). Talking about living and being raised in Montana and Wyoming, they both started talking about how much money is in both Jackson, Wyoming and Big Sky, Montana. When I mentioned how much off shore money is right in front of everybody's eyes in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, one of them asked me "What the hell do you do if you know about Sioux Falls?"

They then said the Big 12 is crazy to not chase the money in Wyoming and Montana State and then proceeded to talk about how everything is fixed when they saw a kid in a Cardinals jersey. Asked if anyone knew about the I-70 World Series, the Harbaugh Bowl, the Bay World Series and if anyone in the group really thought the only Super Bowls Brady lost was to Mannings! Went back to 64 when Cassius Clay "knocked out" Sonny Liston and said over and over it's all fixed.

Anyway...

Too many inflated egos to ever let common sense and regional sports enter the part of the country I was raised in and returned for my golden years. All of us are stuck playing podunk football.

Holy shit, I read all of that only to tacitly agree in the end.

I kind of enjoy talking to various and assorted people in the many different venues. These guys were very instrumental in getting Mizzou into the SEC and out of the Big 8. I understand why they got to hell out of that conference of numb nuts.
 
The idea of moving the entire conference to FBS at once doesn’t solve our entire challenge. UM has been associated with many schools in the Big Sky Conference for 50 years. It’s time to become associated with schools like Wyoming, Utah State, Colorado State in a conference with 3 or 4 former Big Sky Schools like Montana State, Idaho, Weber State. North Dakota State would be a good addition as well.
 
Spanky2 said:
The idea of moving the entire conference to FBS at once doesn’t solve our entire challenge. UM has been associated with many schools in the Big Sky Conference for 50 years. It’s time to become associated with schools like Wyoming, Utah State, Colorado State in a conference with 3 or 4 former Big Sky Schools like Montana State, Idaho, Weber State. North Dakota State would be a good addition as well.

That will never happen. Ever. The western and upper Midwestern states can't work together. Hell, Montana from one part of the state to the other can't work together. People leave the state and get a psuedo-superior education and return home and act as if they're superior to the local yokels who got the same education in one of the Montana institutions carry too much weight. Too much pettiness and belittling others ideas.
 
It's all about money now. Why would any conference, or the FBS, want these teams, none of whom (to my knowledge) have a huge tv/fan following. Some great fans, but virtually nothing for tv ratings and viewership, week in and week out.
 
mthoopsfan said:
It's all about money now. Why would any conference, or the FBS, want these teams, none of whom (to my knowledge) have a huge tv/fan following. Some great fans, but virtually nothing for tv ratings and viewership, week in and week out.

I agree whole heartedly that we need to move up, the FCS is getting smaller and smaller and as mentioned the bottom will fall out eventually.

In regards to forming a new FBS Conference however I see that as the most long shot idea, frankly their are more realistic scenarios:

-PAC12 survives and backfills with MWC schools, we and MSU get the call up.

-PAC Collapses and is absorbed by BIG10 and BIG12. MWC may consider expanding to take advantage of TV/survivability.

Now in regards to this solution I feel there is an easier route to FBS then forming a new Conference, and that's to take over an existing one:

-The WACs dreams of moving up to FBS got torpedoed really quickly, however they still have the ability to do so without penalty (if I remember correctly) and would be a simpler thing to do the following:

-WAC announces FBS football by adding:

NORTH
Montana, MSU, Weber State, Idaho, NDSU, SDSU

SOUTH
UTEP, NMSU, Missouri State, Tarleton State, SFA, SHSU

(Potential replacement teams then those listed/future adds: UND, USD, UNI, Lamar, NAU)

I fully believe NMSU, UTEP and SHSU would prefer to be in this Conference over CUSA.

-The Big Sky and Southland could take the remaining WAC schools split between them.

-Could keep GCU as a basketball only member and maybe look at adding another (rumor is Gonzaga is looking to jump ship due to BYU leaving).
 
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