That is absolutely ridiculous. The support and interest is not there. Mankato and other state universities are cutting programs and athletics will be next. If Minnesota had one big state university it would be realistic. These schools are just doing everything to survive.
It was interesting for me to see Stetson as the lowest FCS with plenty of D3 higher. Watched their game against St. Thomas last year and was convinced they were the worst college football team I’ve watched.
Bethany doesn't have a FB team.
I do not believe STU is the 3rd best team in the state. SJU and BU would have beaten them last year. Their football team needs out of the pioneer
I have never seen those teams play but couldn’t disagree.
That's my thinking, too. Last year UST lost to Sioux Falls, which has been about on par with those programs.
I guess you’ve never noticed a liberal arts D3 school leads the nation in attendance - beating most D2 and FCS schools, too.
Mankato has Glen Taylor and Unrl. They could do it.
Terrible football
Yeah, before 2013, they didn't have auto bids for the PFL champions in the FCS playoffs. Since 2013, they've made it past the first round of the FCS playoffs twice since 2013, never past the second. Since 2020, the playoff results have been:
They draw a out 7000 a year these days if you're talking about SJU. But if you read my post I said "average" not the one outlier.
To be fair, Sioux Falls offers scholarships for FB while UST does not. But the Pioneer model might be the future for a lot of FCS schools.
2023 Drake also lost to NAIA Northwestern although, again to be fair, NAIA offers scholarship dollars.
Sure they could but where are they going to get the fans? Zero interest.
Taylor donated to the renovated and expanded Taylor Center two decades ago. Has he shown any interest since? Brennan (cable exec) donated for MSU's top notch hoops arena but same question?
UMM is a school that seems to be doing a poor job of serving its population and mission. As part of the University system, it doesn't really fit any part of the historic land grant university mission, i.e., agricultural and mechanical arts and sciences, extension and practical education and services. Seemingly the only ag related major is sustainable food and ag. It is instead a garden variety liberal arts school competing with similar MnSCU schools less than two hours away in Moorhead, St. Cloud and Marshall, land grant universities in Brookings and Fargo, and vo-techs in Wahpeton, Willmar, Fergus Falls and Alexandria. Compare and contrast with Crookston, which is heavily ag focused which seemingly has steady enrollment, likely because it serves the primary economic driver of the region. Its hard to look at the degree offerings at UMM and see how it furthers the land grant mission. It wouldn't be surprising to UMM meet with the same fate as the Waseca campus three decades ago.
D2 and D3 teams would do what St. Thomas did. Be good until the non scholarship roster catches up with them. We'll see if the possibility to play in the FCS playoff stabilizes them.
I drove through Morris on my way home from Fargo in March coming home from the hockey regional (still mad at the shady officiating in that UMass game) to look at a car. Does Morris have a specialty & focus that causes people to go there over other particular campuses?
