All Things 2025 College Football D2 and D3 Thread

[IceBoxGopher]

The Northern Sun Conference put out its preseason polls and players to watch so I figure it's a good time to get this thread going for the season. Here are the expectations for how the NSIC will shake out, Minnesota teams in Bold:

1. Minnesota State-Mankato - 167
2. Augustana - 153
3. Minnesota Duluth - 139
4. Bemidji State - 130
5. Sioux Falls - 129
6. Wayne State - 106
7. Minnesota State-Moorhead - 96
8. Northern State - 84
9. Winona State - 77
10. Minot State - 67
11. Concordia-St. Paul - 50
12. U of Mary - 35
13. SW Minnesota State - 27
14. U of Jamestown - 14

North Division:

1. Bemidji State (4 First Place Votes) - 33
2. Minnesota Duluth (3 First Place Votes) - 33
3. Minnesota State-Moorhead - 26
4. Northern State - 20
5. Minot State - 18
6. U of Mary - 10
7. U of Jamestown - 7

South Division:

1. Minnesota State-Mankato - 36
2. Augustana - 30
3. Sioux Falls - 26
4. Wayne State - 22
5. Winona State - 15
6. Concordia-St. Paul - 12
7. SW Minnesota State - 6

North Division Preseason Offensive Player of the Year

• Sr. QB Jack Strand, Minnesota State-Moorhead

South Division Preseason Offensive Player of the Year

• Jr. QB Gunnar Hensley, Augustana

North Division Preseason Defensive Player of the Year

• Jr. LB Jake Adams, Northern State

South Division Preseason Defensive Player of the Year

• Jr. DE Carter Sitzman, Wayne State

 

[disco]

Is this Jamestown's first football season in the conference?

 

[IceBoxGopher]

Is this Jamestown's first football season in the conference?

Yep, they just moved up from the NAIA. This is their first season at D2.

 

[swede2]

The Northern Sun Conference put out its preseason polls and players to watch so I figure it's a good time to get this thread going for the season. Here are the expectations for how the NSIC will shake out, Minnesota teams in Bold:

1. Minnesota State-Mankato - 167
2. Augustana - 153
3. Minnesota Duluth - 139
4. Bemidji State - 130
5. Sioux Falls - 129
6. Wayne State - 106
7. Minnesota State-Moorhead - 96
8. Northern State - 84
9. Winona State - 77
10. Minot State - 67
11. Concordia-St. Paul - 50
12. U of Mary - 35
13. SW Minnesota State - 27
14. U of Jamestown - 14

North Division:

1. Bemidji State (4 First Place Votes) - 33
2. Minnesota Duluth (3 First Place Votes) - 33
3. Minnesota State-Moorhead - 26
4. Northern State - 20
5. Minot State - 18
6. U of Mary - 10
7. U of Jamestown - 7

South Division:

1. Minnesota State-Mankato - 36
2. Augustana - 30
3. Sioux Falls - 26
4. Wayne State - 22
5. Winona State - 15
6. Concordia-St. Paul - 12
7. SW Minnesota State - 6

North Division Preseason Offensive Player of the Year

• Sr. QB Jack Strand, Minnesota State-Moorhead

South Division Preseason Offensive Player of the Year

• Jr. QB Gunnar Hensley, Augustana

North Division Preseason Defensive Player of the Year

• Jr. LB Jake Adams, Northern State

South Division Preseason Defensive Player of the Year

• Jr. DE Carter Sitzman, Wayne State

Someone has to start the thread drift - I was at a non-football event at Mankato State a few weeks back and man, Blakeslee Stadium is an even bigger trash heap than I remember. There certainly isn't any bonding money for capital projects these days, particularly for athletics, so the state won't pay to replace it, but its a shame that with the size of that school that it can't find donors (how about an increase in student fees?) to fund a football facility commensurate with the size of the school and its other top notch athletic facilities, and its on-field success. Southwest State, Sioux Falls, Augustana and Northern State, perhaps among others, all have very nice, functional football facilities built in the last two decades that weren't very expensive but are leaps and bounds better than MSU's crumbling eastern block dump.

 

[Panthadad2]

Someone has to start the thread drift - I was at a non-football event at Mankato State a few weeks back and man, Blakeslee Stadium is an even bigger trash heap than I remember. There certainly isn't any bonding money for capital projects these days, particularly for athletics, so the state won't pay to replace it, but its a shame that with the size of that school that it can't find donors (how about an increase in student fees?) to fund a football facility commensurate with the size of the school and its other top notch athletic facilities, and its on-field success. Southwest State, Sioux Falls, Augustana and Northern State, perhaps among others, all have very nice, functional football facilities built in the last two decades that weren't very expensive but are leaps and bounds better than MSU's crumbling eastern block dump.

At least MSU kept the natural grass...so it has that going for it.

Side note for useless trivia, I think Blakeslee is tied for the 4th largest football stadium in Minnesota at 7,000 (tied with Concordia Moorhead) and behind USB, UofM, and Clemens/SJU.

I'm guessing Blakeslee runs at about 50% capacity for games, so there's probably not a big push for upgrading.

 

[Ope3]

At least MSU kept the natural grass...so it has that going for it.

Side note for useless trivia, I think Blakeslee is tied for the 4th largest football stadium in Minnesota at 7,000 (tied with Concordia Moorhead) and behind USB, UofM, and Clemens/SJU.

I'm guessing Blakeslee runs at about 50% capacity for games, so there's probably not a big push for upgrading.

Carleton's Laird Stadium is larger capacity, 7,500.

Laird Stadium

Laird Stadium

athletics.carleton.edu

Bob Sullivan Field @ Laird also is now the only natural grass football stadium in the MIAC.

 

[Word]

Tying this in to some discussion we've had about Gopher athletics ... How much money do D3 and D2 schools lose on having a football team? I can't imagine they draw many fans (with a few exceptions like St. Johns) and certainly don't have TV deals.

 

[Panthadad2]

Carleton's Laird Stadium is larger capacity, 7,500.

Laird Stadium

Laird Stadium

athletics.carleton.edu

Bob Sullivan Field @ Laird also is now the only natural grass football stadium in the MIAC.

Yeah, I always forget about Carleton. Hard to imagine they fit 7,500 one one side. That old grandstand was built in the same 1920s era as the Gophers Memorial Stadium. At 7,500, it technically holds 18 seats more than St. Johns, even though the Johnnies get over 10,000 at some games.

 

[Ope3]

Tying this in to some discussion we've had about Gopher athletics ... How much money do D3 and D2 schools lose on having a football team? I can't imagine they draw many fans (with a few exceptions like St. Johns) and certainly don't have TV deals.

The end game for most I think is to increase enrollment thus tuition and eventually donations.

 

[Panthadad2]

Tying this in to some discussion we've had about Gopher athletics ... How much money do D3 and D2 schools lose on having a football team? I can't imagine they draw many fans (with a few exceptions like St. Johns) and certainly don't have TV deals.

D3 and D2 use athletics as a recruitment tool. To really understand the profits, you'd need to build in the tuition and fee profits collected from athletes and students that wouldn't otherwise attend without sports. Alumni donations too.

But to your point, some spend a lot of money on athletics. For D2, it's usually pretty clear who the winners are.

Equity in Athletics

ope.ed.gov

 

[Panthadad2]

Mankato should be FCS.

 

[swede2]

Mankato should be FCS.

The school and community profile says so. But for all the success the school has had on the court and on the field since joining the NSIC, the community takes very little notice and offers only minimal support. But then again, maybe its a matter of "if you build it, they will come." The same questions were asked when NDSU and SDSU left the NCC for DI, more so in Brookings than Fargo. The move has ushered in a golden era of athletics at both schools and their respective communities and states have turned out. But Mankato, not being a flagship or land grant institution in Minnesota, could just as easily fall into a profile of a Western or Eastern Illinois, which isn't pretty. That said, the hockey program has actually done pretty well, and I know people that have no connection to MSU-M and have never laced up a skate in their life that are more than just casual fans of Maverick hockey. For Mankato, I think they are content with being DI hockey only.

Edit: I'd add that there was some quiet athletic department interest in moving up a number of years ago after USD and UND made the leap but outside of the athletic department, there appears to have been zero interest or support for such a move, whether at the admin level, MNSCU, community (meaning those that would be the financial support, not the man on the street with empty pockets, etc), or otherwise.

 

[disco]

Realistically, could Mankato go FCS but play in the Pioneer like St. Thomas, and move their other sports to the Summit?

 

[Word]

D3 and D2 use athletics as a recruitment tool. To really understand the profits, you'd need to build in the tuition and fee profits collected from athletes and students that wouldn't otherwise attend without sports. Alumni donations too.

But to your point, some spend a lot of money on athletics. For D2, it's usually pretty clear who the winners are.

View attachment 38193

Equity in Athletics

ope.ed.gov

Recruitment tool as in the football team at those d3 schools brings non-athlete students? Or are you talking the money they make off the athletes?

 

[swede2]

Recruitment tool as in the football team at those d3 schools brings non-athlete students? Or are you talking the money they make off the athletes?

I think that's been the discussion in other threads. How many nonschollie guys on a roster x tuition, fees, etc.? But surely there are immense costs of running a FB team even if the players are paying their own way through school?

 

[swede2]

Realistically, could Mankato go FCS but play in the Pioneer like St. Thomas, and move their other sports to the Summit?

I can't imagine that would be a desirable result. It's hard to imagine the allure of playing FB for a MSUM without a scholarship would be a great as playing for a UST or Drake. Any perceived tangibles and/or intangibles just don't seem to be there. Most Pioneer teams are private. Morehead State is one public and it has never won the league in its 25 years (although it had early success).

 

[Word]

I think that's been the discussion in other threads. How many nonschollie guys on a roster x tuition, fees, etc.? But surely there are immense costs of running a FB team even if the players are paying their own way through school?

Yeah I just don't see the benefit. I can't imagine the average liberal arts student at a d3 school cares at all about d3 football.

 

[Schnauzer]

Yeah I just don't see the benefit. I can't imagine the average liberal arts student at a d3 school cares at all about d3 football.

lots and lots of liberal arts students at the d3 school I went to cared about d3 football. Lots went to games, even some road games.

 

[Word]

lots and lots of liberal arts students at the d3 school I went to cared about d3 football. Lots went to games, even some road games.

Ok that's 100 percent different from the d3 grads I know. I also had a friend in HS who had a relative that played d3 and went to a couple games. No one other than family was at the games.

 

[Ope3]

Yeah I just don't see the benefit. I can't imagine the average liberal arts student at a d3 school cares at all about d3 football.

The benefit is a roster of 60-80 football players who likely going to college elsewhere or not at all are paying some tuition. Hopefully for the school they eventually become donors, or send their offspring when they are college hunting.

 

[disco]

Ok that's 100 percent different from the d3 grads I know. I also had a friend in HS who had a relative that played d3 and went to a couple games. No one other than family was at the games.

I think there's a LOT more interest in things like sports at a private D3 than at a public D2. At least in this area.