Valpo vs. Youngstown St.

[vu72]

What is a realistic guess as to the payday at YSU??  Expenses plus 50? 100?

[wh]

Why think small when scheduling out of conference opponents? Hell, nearby Savannah State picked-up over 400K by playing OSU last week. They lost 83-0, but got BIG bucks. This week Savannah State plays Florida State. FSU favored by an incredible 70pts. The payout for SSU is better than 500K. Is itworth it to SSU? Rep. wise - NO. Monetarily - ABSOLUTELY! Maybe USC or UGA will give Valpo a game. It won't be a home and home,but look at the bucks we could make. Rather lose to USC by 70pts. and make big bucks,than lose to YSU by 50 pts. and earn practically nothing.Think about it. GO SAVANNAH STATE!

I had no idea there are paydays that big out there.  At a glance it doesn't sound like a half bad idea.

[VULB#62]

It all depends.  UMass is in it's first season of FBS competition.  In an article about the financial risks was this about guarantees: "The Minutemen received $225,000 to play at UConn. However, they will pass much of that along when they pay Indiana $200,000 to visit Gillette for the home opener."  So it looks like six figures but it could be low six figures, unlike Savannah State playing away before 55,000 where the gate is huge or YSU playing in East Lansing last year in front of 75,000 where the guarantee is more significant.  I'm guessing VU gets $100K

[milanmiracle]

It all depends.  UMass is in it's first season of FBS competition.  In an article about the financial risks was this about guarantees: "The Minutemen received $225,000 to play at UConn. However, they will pass much of that along when they pay Indiana $200,000 to visit Gillette for the home opener."  So it looks like six figures but it could be low six figures, unlike Savannah State playing away before 55,000 where the gate is huge or YSU playing in East Lansing last year in front of 75,000 where the guarantee is more significant.  I'm guessing VU gets $100K

Youngstown State 31 Pitt 17

So can we all agree now that scheduling YSU is a BAD idea? Not only did they beat Pitt easily, but they did it by running at them. 204 yards on the ground and they controlled the line of scrimmage. Zero sacks allowed and minimal pressure from Pitt. Aaron Donald was a non factor the whole game as well. This is the return to the Tressel era YSU and until Coach Wolford is gone, they need to be off the VU schedule.

If I thought YSU would try, I'd say they'd hit 100, but they will play the managers and trainers about midway through the second quarter.

talk about adding insult to injury. not only did they go into pitt and win, they got paid to do it. youngstown got a $400k paycheck to beat the panthers.

[milanmiracle]

..."Those schools wanted too much money, and Savannah State was eager to accept a $385,000 payout. First-year coach Steve Davenport isn't sure the paycheck was worth it. The Cowboys easily covered a 67½-point spread.

"We're going to have to readdress that," Davenport told the Associated Press. "You get paid for certain things, but I don't know if at the end of the day, some things are worth the payments you get. But we'll see. Those are conversations we'll have."

I think the YSU AD did a slightly better job scheduling than the SSU AD. YSU played in a competitive game, while SSU was humiliated 84-0.

[vu72]

..."Those schools wanted too much money, and Savannah State was eager to accept a $385,000 payout. First-year coach Steve Davenport isn't sure the paycheck was worth it. The Cowboys easily covered a 67½-point spread.

"We're going to have to readdress that," Davenport told the Associated Press. "You get paid for certain things, but I don't know if at the end of the day, some things are worth the payments you get. But we'll see. Those are conversations we'll have."

I think the YSU AD did a slightly better job scheduling than the SSU AD. YSU played in a competitive game, while SSU was humiliated 84-0.

And to top it off Valpo beat them yesterday in volleyball 3-0!!  Today they are a 71.5 point dog to FSU.  That won't be fun.

[milanmiracle]

Directly from Dale Carlson's blog..."I get asked why we play these games. 1) We get a $$ guarante. This is an important part of the fund raising we do for our program. In future years we will be playing North Dakota, Western Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, and Illinois State."

I had to sleep on this one before I responded.

Wow, just wow. Scheduling teams that are guarenteed to be non competetive just for a payday. I get it when you're offering scholarships, but for a non scholarship program to schedule paydays for the university, all the while knowing they're going to get humiliated and drilled into the ground just seems wrong to me. If the university is so hard up for money that they can't afford shoes, socks and gloves for the football team, then (jj) setshot might be right, it might be time to take a long hard look in the mirror and see what the goals really are.

It reminds me of the Jacksonville game where Carlson hung those kids out to dry and gave them absolutely no chance to be competetive. But hey, they were practicing "the system". It was pathetic then, and it's pathetic now.

Hey, we're not good enough to beat D3 schools, but we're FCS, so we'll schedule the very best FCS schools.
We don't offer scholarships for football, but we'll let you get embarrased so we get paid.
If we don't take these beatings, you have to buy your own equipment, and oh yea, make sure your tuition is paid on time.

And then we wonder why people leave the program?

I guess if the kids are willing to put up with this, and take the financial hit to do it, more power to them. I applaud them for wanting to be a part of Valparaiso University. I don't know if I could be in their shoes.

All that being said, I still want this program to improve, but I think that's best done by knowing who you are, and what you're realistically trying to be. You can't win the Indy 500 in a go cart, but you can start the process of learning how to win the Indy 500 by participating in go cart races. Let's learn how to win first, then start taking on bigger better programs.

[vu72]

I understand your point miracle, and don't totally disagree.  A couple of points: first, Western Illinois, Eastern Kentucky and Illinois State are not YSU. Butler, who no better than us, more than hung around with Western last week.  North Dakota will be more like YSU but by then hopefully we will be bigger and tougher also.

I'm not sure what the scheduling requirements are but we may need to play other FCS programs and there just aren't many non-scholarship programs outside of our conference.  I doubt we will be able to realistically compete with these type programs but hope springs eternal.  Remember that our 2001 conference championship team, with the greatest quarterback to ever play at Valpo, lost to Murray State (I'm pretty sure) something like 30-0.

[milanmiracle]

I understand your point miracle, and don't totally disagree.  A couple of points: first, Western Illinois, Eastern Kentucky and Illinois State are not YSU. Butler, who no better than us, more than hung around with Western last week.  North Dakota will be more like YSU but by then hopefully we will be bigger and tougher also.

I'm not sure what the scheduling requirements are but we may need to play other FCS programs and there just aren't many non-scholarship programs outside of our conference.  I doubt we will be able to realistically compete with these type programs but hope springs eternal.  Remember that our 2001 conference championship team, with the greatest quarterback to ever play at Valpo, lost to Murray State (I'm pretty sure) something like 30-0.

You do have a point with scheduling. They might have to play enough 1AA teams to qualify for the playoffs, I don't know. I will say that playing YSU, Georgia Southern, Northern Iowa, Appy State and ND State is just dumb. Heck, playing anybody in the top 25, or who could be in the top 25 shouldn't even be considered. On that note...

Until Valpo starts offering scholarships (not happening), then they shouldn't be hunting for paydays either. They're already getting the tuition from the players, let's reinvest some of that "extra" income by giving them D1 level equipment. I do remember hearing in years past that was part of the reason for keeping football...the guys playing football are paying their way. Let's have some, or most of that money go back into the program.

*let's see if I can go 2-0 on the prediction front...ND State beats Colorado State today.

[valporun]

I would think if Coach Carlson is in a position now, with these paydays, to make it so that the players don't have to buy their own shoes and other equipment, then he is investing those paydays into the program, and not just to the university/athletic department budgets. A drubbing is going to happen from time to time, and in those first few seasons, why not play the best, and see potential, instead of playing beatable teams that don't do anything more than inflate egos that don't deserve to be inflated. Whether we win or lose at YSU, we'll learn some more about what the Crusaders can do, and what players might be the ones to get us going this season.

[milanmiracle]

Well...that took long. With 9:56 left in THE FIRST QUARTER...YSU 21 Valpo 0

Stop playing teams you have no business playing!

[milanmiracle]

Well...that took long. With 9:56 left in THE FIRST QUARTER...YSU 21 Valpo 0

Stop playing teams you have no business playing!

7:00 left in the 2nd quarter - YSU 42 Valpo 0 - Outgained 333 to 51

[crusadermoe]

My concern is the kids' morale.     When your team has been really bad for 3-4 years, you become a laughingstock to other students. 

Most of the non-FB students at VU won't know that YSU is a scholarship team that competes for a title.   They will just know that our FB team got killed by 50 points and "here we go again."      When kids are playing for pride (no scholarships), you don't have a lot of currency to give them other than "pride."     The payday better be really big in order to sell out to this degree.

[milanmiracle]

My concern is the kids' morale.     When your team has been really bad for 3-4 years, you become a laughingstock to other students. 

Most of the non-FB students at VU won't know that YSU is a scholarship team that competes for a title.   They will just know that our FB team got killed by 50 points and "here we go again."      When kids are playing for pride (no scholarships), you don't have a lot of currency to give them other than "pride."     The payday better be really big in order to sell out to this degree.

I am in complete agreement. Nobody enjoys being embarrased, especially in front of a stadium full of people. Most of the students only know YSU from the Horizon League, not from MVC football and their multiple national championships. Kids do watch ESPN and having the score scroll across Youngstown State 49 - Valpo 0 - Half...isn't good for morale. Carlson has 1 win since he's been there, and while they might be improving, the casual fan or student won't know that, especially not from looking at the scoreboard.

[milanmiracle]

Well...that took long. With 9:56 left in THE FIRST QUARTER...YSU 21 Valpo 0

Stop playing teams you have no business playing!

7:00 left in the 2nd quarter - YSU 42 Valpo 0 - Outgained 333 to 51

Halftime update

YSU 49 Valpo 0 - Outgained 388 to 60 (229 of which was on the ground)

On a positive note, YSU didn't score on 9 straight possessions like last year.

*YSU's starting QB was out of the game well before halftime. Update - Hess and Cook played about 8-10 minutes in the first quarter, then sat the rest of the game.

[setshot]

Let'shope that FSU really rocks SSU by 70 pts. or more. Misery (VU) likes company.

[milanmiracle]

Well...that took long. With 9:56 left in THE FIRST QUARTER...YSU 21 Valpo 0

Stop playing teams you have no business playing!

7:00 left in the 2nd quarter - YSU 42 Valpo 0 - Outgained 333 to 51

Halftime update

YSU 49 Valpo 0 - Outgained 388 to 60 (229 of which was on the ground)

On a positive note, YSU didn't score on 9 straight possessions like last year.

*YSU's starting QB was out of the game well before halftime.

YSU 59 - Valpo 0

Valpo played thier starters for almost the whole 4th quarter. Even then they still didn't score. Outgained 524 to 190, and that's with YSU laying down for almost the entire second half.

The beating is over, hopefully the team can move on from this and prepare for games they can actually compete in from here on out.

[VULB#62]

..."Those schools wanted too much money, and Savannah State was eager to accept a $385,000 payout. First-year coach Steve Davenport isn't sure the paycheck was worth it. The Cowboys easily covered a 67½-point spread.

"We're going to have to readdress that," Davenport told the Associated Press. "You get paid for certain things, but I don't know if at the end of the day, some things are worth the payments you get. But we'll see. Those are conversations we'll have."

I think the YSU AD did a slightly better job scheduling than the SSU AD. YSU played in a competitive game, while SSU was humiliated 84-0.

More on that:
The biggest winner in all this is Savannah State, which still collected $475,000 for playing the Seminoles in Tallahassee. The Tigers also got $385,000 for playing Oklahoma State last week. They lost that game 84-0 after being a 67½-point opening line underdog.

[VULB#62]

I understand your point miracle, and don't totally disagree.  A couple of points: first, Western Illinois, Eastern Kentucky and Illinois State are not YSU. Butler, who no better than us, more than hung around with Western last week.  North Dakota will be more like YSU but by then hopefully we will be bigger and tougher also.

I'm not sure what the scheduling requirements are but we may need to play other FCS programs and there just aren't many non-scholarship programs outside of our conference.  I doubt we will be able to realistically compete with these type programs but hope springs eternal.  Remember that our 2001 conference championship team, with the greatest quarterback to ever play at Valpo, lost to Murray State (I'm pretty sure) something like 30-0.

You do have a point with scheduling. They might have to play enough 1AA teams to qualify for the playoffs, I don't know. I will say that playing YSU, Georgia Southern, Northern Iowa, Appy State and ND State is just dumb. Heck, playing anybody in the top 25, or who could be in the top 25 shouldn't even be considered. On that note...

*let's see if I can go 2-0 on the prediction front...ND State beats Colorado State today.

First off it is the University of ND that is on our schedule, not the reigning FCS champ ND State.  Second:  Saturday Drake played Montana State of the Big Sky, who is ranked #4 in the country (ahead of YSU), and only lost 34-24 -- that's competitive.  Here's the PFL write-up:

DES MOINES, Iowa – No. 4 Montana State scored 13 fourth-quarter points to finish a come-from-behind 34-24 non-conference victory against Drake, Saturday, at Drake Stadium. The Bulldogs took a 17-14 halftime lead with a 17-point second quarter as they scored on three drives of 75-plus yards. The teams traded third-quarter scores before Montana State rallied for the game's final 13 points. Montana State barely edged Drake in total offense, 374-370, but converted 12-of-18 third-down tries against Drake's 3-of-14 conversion rate. Drake quarterback Michael Piatkowski completed 25-of-43 passes for 311 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score.

I know MSU well because I follow them cuz my daughter got her Masters there and lives in Bozeman.  I've seen the facilities.  Talk about $$ and overall commitment -- that program is on the verge of eclipsing the University of Montana which has won a couple of national championships in the recent past.  Bottom line, I still believe PFL programs, if the commitment is there, can be competitive.  Usually, they will in all likelihood lose, but if the scores are closer and closer (like Butler or Drake these past two weeks) over the next couple of years, that must be considered progress.  And at the same time the guarantees provide immense assistance in program development.

STEPPING STONE OBSERVATION
BTW, I believe that Campbell will leave the PFL within 5 years and go scholarship and put their FB team into the Big South where they play all their other sports.  Mercer and Stetson will use the PFL as stepping stones to scholarship FCS programs as well.  They're in the SOUTH and there's no way they'll settle for the 'rewards' of non-scholarship football. That's FB country! Plus these schools can generate incredible $$ for athletics -- just look at their current facilities and their development campaigns,  Sheesh!   Just my humble opinion. 

[covufan]

I understand your point miracle, and don't totally disagree.  A couple of points: first, Western Illinois, Eastern Kentucky and Illinois State are not YSU. Butler, who no better than us, more than hung around with Western last week.  North Dakota will be more like YSU but by then hopefully we will be bigger and tougher also.

I'm not sure what the scheduling requirements are but we may need to play other FCS programs and there just aren't many non-scholarship programs outside of our conference.  I doubt we will be able to realistically compete with these type programs but hope springs eternal.  Remember that our 2001 conference championship team, with the greatest quarterback to ever play at Valpo, lost to Murray State (I'm pretty sure) something like 30-0.

You do have a point with scheduling. They might have to play enough 1AA teams to qualify for the playoffs, I don't know. I will say that playing YSU, Georgia Southern, Northern Iowa, Appy State and ND State is just dumb. Heck, playing anybody in the top 25, or who could be in the top 25 shouldn't even be considered. On that note...

*let's see if I can go 2-0 on the prediction front...ND State beats Colorado State today.

First off it is the University of ND that is on our schedule, not the reigning FCS champ ND State.  Second:  Saturday Drake played Montana State of the Big Sky, who is ranked #4 in the country (ahead of YSU), and only lost 34-24 -- that's competitive.  Here's the PFL write-up:

DES MOINES, Iowa – No. 4 Montana State scored 13 fourth-quarter points to finish a come-from-behind 34-24 non-conference victory against Drake, Saturday, at Drake Stadium. The Bulldogs took a 17-14 halftime lead with a 17-point second quarter as they scored on three drives of 75-plus yards. The teams traded third-quarter scores before Montana State rallied for the game's final 13 points. Montana State barely edged Drake in total offense, 374-370, but converted 12-of-18 third-down tries against Drake's 3-of-14 conversion rate. Drake quarterback Michael Piatkowski completed 25-of-43 passes for 311 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score.

I know MSU well because I follow them cuz my daughter got her Masters there and lives in Bozeman.  I've seen the facilities.  Talk about $$ and overall commitment -- that program is on the verge of eclipsing the University of Montana which has won a couple of national championships in the recent past.  Bottom line, I still believe PFL programs, if the commitment is there, can be competitive.  Usually, they will in all likelihood lose, but if the scores are closer and closer (like Butler or Drake these past two weeks) over the next couple of years, that must be considered progress.  And at the same time the guarantees provide immense assistance in program development.

STEPPING STONE OBSERVATION
BTW, I believe that Campbell will leave the PFL within 5 years and go scholarship and put their FB team into the Big South where they play all their other sports.  Mercer and Stetson will use the PFL as stepping stones to scholarship FCS programs as well.  They're in the SOUTH and there's no way they'll settle for the 'rewards' of non-scholarship football. That's FB country! Plus these schools can generate incredible $$ for athletics -- just look at their current facilities and their development campaigns,  Sheesh!   Just my humble opinion. 

When is U of ND on our schedule?  Before all the BCS, FBS, FCS stuff Drake beat University of Colorado in football in '79.  After this past weekend, I'm not sure it couldn't happen again.

[vuweathernerd]

I understand your point miracle, and don't totally disagree.  A couple of points: first, Western Illinois, Eastern Kentucky and Illinois State are not YSU. Butler, who no better than us, more than hung around with Western last week.  North Dakota will be more like YSU but by then hopefully we will be bigger and tougher also.

I'm not sure what the scheduling requirements are but we may need to play other FCS programs and there just aren't many non-scholarship programs outside of our conference.  I doubt we will be able to realistically compete with these type programs but hope springs eternal.  Remember that our 2001 conference championship team, with the greatest quarterback to ever play at Valpo, lost to Murray State (I'm pretty sure) something like 30-0.

You do have a point with scheduling. They might have to play enough 1AA teams to qualify for the playoffs, I don't know. I will say that playing YSU, Georgia Southern, Northern Iowa, Appy State and ND State is just dumb. Heck, playing anybody in the top 25, or who could be in the top 25 shouldn't even be considered. On that note...

*let's see if I can go 2-0 on the prediction front...ND State beats Colorado State today.

First off it is the University of ND that is on our schedule, not the reigning FCS champ ND State.  Second:  Saturday Drake played Montana State of the Big Sky, who is ranked #4 in the country (ahead of YSU), and only lost 34-24 -- that's competitive.  Here's the PFL write-up:

DES MOINES, Iowa – No. 4 Montana State scored 13 fourth-quarter points to finish a come-from-behind 34-24 non-conference victory against Drake, Saturday, at Drake Stadium. The Bulldogs took a 17-14 halftime lead with a 17-point second quarter as they scored on three drives of 75-plus yards. The teams traded third-quarter scores before Montana State rallied for the game's final 13 points. Montana State barely edged Drake in total offense, 374-370, but converted 12-of-18 third-down tries against Drake's 3-of-14 conversion rate. Drake quarterback Michael Piatkowski completed 25-of-43 passes for 311 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score.

I know MSU well because I follow them cuz my daughter got her Masters there and lives in Bozeman.  I've seen the facilities.  Talk about $$ and overall commitment -- that program is on the verge of eclipsing the University of Montana which has won a couple of national championships in the recent past.  Bottom line, I still believe PFL programs, if the commitment is there, can be competitive.  Usually, they will in all likelihood lose, but if the scores are closer and closer (like Butler or Drake these past two weeks) over the next couple of years, that must be considered progress.  And at the same time the guarantees provide immense assistance in program development.

STEPPING STONE OBSERVATION
BTW, I believe that Campbell will leave the PFL within 5 years and go scholarship and put their FB team into the Big South where they play all their other sports.  Mercer and Stetson will use the PFL as stepping stones to scholarship FCS programs as well.  They're in the SOUTH and there's no way they'll settle for the 'rewards' of non-scholarship football. That's FB country! Plus these schools can generate incredible $$ for athletics -- just look at their current facilities and their development campaigns,  Sheesh!   Just my humble opinion. 

When is U of ND on our schedule?  Before all the BCS, FBS, FCS stuff Drake beat University of Colorado in football in '79.  After this past weekend, I'm not sure it couldn't happen again.

they will be on the schedule at some point in the coming years, if i'm reading previous posts correctly. part of carlson's initiative to schedule up.

[VULB#62]

FYI-----------  The schools mentioned below (plus YSU) as they appear in the Sports Network week two rankings:

#4 YSU -- 3367 points
#15 Illinois State  -- 1692
#20 EKU -- 704
UND -- 123
WIU -- 11

Drake got 1 point while USD dropped out.

Interesting to see that Duquesne at 2-0, who got some points last week, dropped out even after a win over Dayton.

[covufan]

they will be on the schedule at some point in the coming years, if i'm reading previous posts correctly. part of carlson's initiative to schedule up.

OK, thanks.  I agree with the 'schedule up' approach.  If we are in Division I, then play Division I teams.  I can see one game against a St. Joe or whatever, and one game against FCS scholarship. which is where we are now.

[VULB#62]

COVUFAN
"OK, thanks.  I agree with the 'schedule up' approach.  If we are in Division I, then play Division I teams.  I can see one game against a St. Joe or whatever, and one game against FCS scholarship. which is where we are now."


Yeah, it appears that most of the other PFL teams are doing exactly that (or trying to). 

>> A D-II team (usually partially scholarshipped but not at the level of FCS)
>> A partially scholarshipped FCS team (NEC/Patriot League) and ....
>> A fully scholarshipped FCS team that is a REAL challenge.

It's a great spread that will give teams a sense of where they are in terms of program competitive development.

The 2013 PFL schedule (with the addition of Stetson and Mercer that brings the entire league to 12) will have each team playing 8 PFL games and 3 OOC games, so this works.  I'm thinking that because VU is still struggling, it will get mostly the bottom 8 of 12 (not including VU of course) of the 2012 PFL standings while still scheduling MVC/OVS/BS, D-II and NEC teams as OOC games.

So for 2013 here's my guess:

OOC
St Joes or another -- D-II
Robert Morris, Wagner, Duquesne (again) -- NEC (or in 2014 a Patriot team like Bucknell or Lehigh.  Be great for me here in New England if it were Holy Cross)
One of: EKU, ISU, UND, or WIU -- FCS

PFL
Mercer
Davidson
Stetson
Morehead
Butler
Marist
Campbell
Dayton

We dodge:
Jacksonville
Drake
USD

[valpotx]

I understand your point miracle, and don't totally disagree.  A couple of points: first, Western Illinois, Eastern Kentucky and Illinois State are not YSU. Butler, who no better than us, more than hung around with Western last week.  North Dakota will be more like YSU but by then hopefully we will be bigger and tougher also.

I'm not sure what the scheduling requirements are but we may need to play other FCS programs and there just aren't many non-scholarship programs outside of our conference.  I doubt we will be able to realistically compete with these type programs but hope springs eternal.  Remember that our 2001 conference championship team, with the greatest quarterback to ever play at Valpo, lost to Murray State (I'm pretty sure) something like 30-0.

You do have a point with scheduling. They might have to play enough 1AA teams to qualify for the playoffs, I don't know. I will say that playing YSU, Georgia Southern, Northern Iowa, Appy State and ND State is just dumb. Heck, playing anybody in the top 25, or who could be in the top 25 shouldn't even be considered. On that note...

*let's see if I can go 2-0 on the prediction front...ND State beats Colorado State today.

First off it is the University of ND that is on our schedule, not the reigning FCS champ ND State.  Second:  Saturday Drake played Montana State of the Big Sky, who is ranked #4 in the country (ahead of YSU), and only lost 34-24 -- that's competitive.  Here's the PFL write-up:

DES MOINES, Iowa – No. 4 Montana State scored 13 fourth-quarter points to finish a come-from-behind 34-24 non-conference victory against Drake, Saturday, at Drake Stadium. The Bulldogs took a 17-14 halftime lead with a 17-point second quarter as they scored on three drives of 75-plus yards. The teams traded third-quarter scores before Montana State rallied for the game's final 13 points. Montana State barely edged Drake in total offense, 374-370, but converted 12-of-18 third-down tries against Drake's 3-of-14 conversion rate. Drake quarterback Michael Piatkowski completed 25-of-43 passes for 311 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score.

I know MSU well because I follow them cuz my daughter got her Masters there and lives in Bozeman.  I've seen the facilities.  Talk about $$ and overall commitment -- that program is on the verge of eclipsing the University of Montana which has won a couple of national championships in the recent past.  Bottom line, I still believe PFL programs, if the commitment is there, can be competitive.  Usually, they will in all likelihood lose, but if the scores are closer and closer (like Butler or Drake these past two weeks) over the next couple of years, that must be considered progress.  And at the same time the guarantees provide immense assistance in program development.

STEPPING STONE OBSERVATION
BTW, I believe that Campbell will leave the PFL within 5 years and go scholarship and put their FB team into the Big South where they play all their other sports.  Mercer and Stetson will use the PFL as stepping stones to scholarship FCS programs as well.  They're in the SOUTH and there's no way they'll settle for the 'rewards' of non-scholarship football. That's FB country! Plus these schools can generate incredible $$ for athletics -- just look at their current facilities and their development campaigns,  Sheesh!   Just my humble opinion. 

It is amazing to see Montana State's progress as a football program, as they were a doormat a few years back.  The Grizzlies of Montana used to own MSU.  My Granddad taught at MSU many years ago, and I had family living in Bozeman until recently as well (now in Sioux Falls, SD).  I go up to Montana each August to a place we have on Flathead Lake in NW Montana, and it is unbelievably beautiful.  They have some huge selling points at the University of Montana in scenery, so I am even more surprised in MSU's progress versus them, since Bozeman is more flat than Missoula.