Costello and the schedule

BleedingBLue · Post by **BleedingBLue** » Fri May 20, 2016 9:51 am

I was thinking about this the other day. With Costello coming from SDSU he is very familiar with BSC-MVFC games and how good it is for both conferences and the teams that participate. That being said, what does everyone think the chances are that we get a rivalry type series started with SDSU, or another MVFC team? Playing every year in week 1 or 2 against the same opponent, preferably one of the better MVFC teams, would be great for both teams and possibly develop a good new rivalry outside the BSC.

Hawks86 · Post by **Hawks86** » Fri May 20, 2016 10:07 am

We have a home and home with SDSU in '17 & '18. I agree. We need to have a MVFC on the schedule every year.

VimSince03 · Post by **VimSince03** » Fri May 20, 2016 10:41 am

Hawks86 wrote:We have a home and home with SDSU in '17 & '18. I agree. We need to have a MVFC on the schedule every year.

99% sure it will happen regularly over the next five years. Home and home games with MVFC teams that is.

The MICKSTER · Post by **The MICKSTER** » Fri May 20, 2016 10:44 am

BleedingBLue wrote:I was thinking about this the other day. With Costello coming from SDSU he is very familiar with BSC-MVFC games and how good it is for both conferences and the teams that participate. That being said, what does everyone think the chances are that we get a rivalry type series started with SDSU, or another MVFC team? Playing every year in week 1 or 2 against the same opponent, preferably one of the better MVFC teams, would be great for both teams and possibly develop a good new rivalry outside the BSC.

Certainly the chances of arranging for Home-Home games with a MVFC team/s went up I would think. Also, with Idaho coming to the BSC which will make a 14 team conference and the possibility of two 7-team divisions within the BSC makes our out-of-conference (OoC) scheduling more interesting because of more possibilities.

A common OoC schedule for the CATs over the past several years has been a DII game, an FCS team at home, and a FBS game, in an 11 game season. This resulted in 10 D1 games of which 1 was against an FBS team which we lost (except Colorado in 2006 but we then lost the next week to a DII team), and thus left us with needing to win 7 games out of 9 FCS games in order to make the playoffs. Going forward, assuming there will be two 7-team divisions in the BSC, then there would be 6 conference games (3 at home and 3 away) and 5 OoC games going forward. Assuming that we will always want to have 6 home games then of the 5 OoC games there would be 3 at home and 2 away. There certainly would be the possibility of Home-Home agreements with other BSC teams in the other division, and as you suggested the possibility of having Home-Home agreements with MVFC teams just went up as well. In the end, if we want/require 6 home games every year, it will require us to either host a DII team or pay for another FCS team to come to Bozeman without a return trip. If the latter consistently occurs it will most likely be against FCS teams from smaller conferences or upstarts. For example; FCS Independents (East Tennesse State), Northeast Conference (Bryant, Robert Morris, St. Francis...), Big South (Gardner-Webb, Monmouth....) .

IF we can get to an all FCS schedule it will increase our chances of winning 7 Division1 games and thus increasing our chances of making the playoffs. I think a 14 team conference helps that cause, and since our new AD is from the MVFC that doesn't hurt either, IMHO. GO CATS!

BleedingBLue · Post by **BleedingBLue** » Fri May 20, 2016 11:31 am

VimSince03 wrote:
Hawks86 wrote:We have a home and home with SDSU in '17 & '18. I agree. We need to have a MVFC on the schedule every year.
99% sure it will happen regularly over the next five years. Home and home games with MVFC teams that is.

I know we have a home and home scheduled, but I would love to see it made a yearly series. Something like Notre Dame and USC, or all the Big Ten teams ND used to play yearly then said no more too. Have a trophy for it and everything, really make it a rivalry. I believe ND and USC play for the Jeweled Shillelagh every year. How about we play SDSU for the CatJack trophy every year. It could be a jack o' lantern with a cat carved into it

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/23 ... fd5734.jpg

imacat · Post by **imacat** » Fri May 20, 2016 3:13 pm

MSU announced a desire/intent to go to an all D1 schedule some time ago (before the coaching/AD changes). It may mean losing a home game some years.

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Go Scats Go · Post by **Go Scats Go** » Fri May 20, 2016 9:53 pm

Wait... I thought you guys had a game scheduled with North Dakota State...

Hawks86 · Post by **Hawks86** » Fri May 20, 2016 10:04 pm

Go Scats Go wrote:Wait... I thought you guys had a game scheduled with North Dakota State...

Please use the summer to get some new material.

Go Scats Go · Post by **Go Scats Go** » Fri May 20, 2016 10:08 pm

Hawks86 wrote:
Go Scats Go wrote:Wait... I thought you guys had a game scheduled with North Dakota State...
Please use the summer to get some new material.

Truth hurts...

onceacat · Post by **onceacat** » Fri May 20, 2016 10:16 pm

The MICKSTER wrote:
BleedingBLue wrote:I was thinking about this the other day. With Costello coming from SDSU he is very familiar with BSC-MVFC games and how good it is for both conferences and the teams that participate. That being said, what does everyone think the chances are that we get a rivalry type series started with SDSU, or another MVFC team? Playing every year in week 1 or 2 against the same opponent, preferably one of the better MVFC teams, would be great for both teams and possibly develop a good new rivalry outside the BSC.
Certainly the chances of arranging for Home-Home games with a MVFC team/s went up I would think. Also, with Idaho coming to the BSC which will make a 14 team conference and the possibility of two 7-team divisions within the BSC makes our out-of-conference (OoC) scheduling more interesting because of more possibilities.

A common OoC schedule for the CATs over the past several years has been a DII game, an FCS team at home, and a FBS game, in an 11 game season. This resulted in 10 D1 games of which 1 was against an FBS team which we lost (except Colorado in 2006 but we then lost the next week to a DII team), and thus left us with needing to win 7 games out of 9 FCS games in order to make the playoffs. Going forward, assuming there will be two 7-team divisions in the BSC, then there would be 6 conference games (3 at home and 3 away) and 5 OoC games going forward. Assuming that we will always want to have 6 home games then of the 5 OoC games there would be 3 at home and 2 away. There certainly would be the possibility of Home-Home agreements with other BSC teams in the other division, and as you suggested the possibility of having Home-Home agreements with MVFC teams just went up as well. In the end, if we want/require 6 home games every year, it will require us to either host a DII team or pay for another FCS team to come to Bozeman without a return trip. If the latter consistently occurs it will most likely be against FCS teams from smaller conferences or upstarts. For example; FCS Independents (East Tennesse State), Northeast Conference (Bryant, Robert Morris, St. Francis...), Big South (Gardner-Webb, Monmouth....) .

IF we can get to an all FCS schedule it will increase our chances of winning 7 Division1 games and thus increasing our chances of making the playoffs. I think a 14 team conference helps that cause, and since our new AD is from the MVFC that doesn't hurt either, IMHO. GO CATS!

From a football perspective, that absolutely makes sense. From a budget perspective, it might be a disaster. I can see how you can either give up your FBS game or your 6 home games, but both?

As GSG so kindly pointed out, what our players, coaches, and fans want will often be overridden by what the budget demands. Money talks, BS walks...

Rich K · Post by **Rich K** » Sat May 21, 2016 2:24 am

Go Scats Go wrote:
Hawks86 wrote:
Go Scats Go wrote:Wait... I thought you guys had a game scheduled with North Dakota State...
Please use the summer to get some new material.
Truth hurts...

You lie when you say that you thought we had NDSU scheduled, or you are just stupid.
Truth is you promised to leave this forum.

GoldstoneCat · Post by **GoldstoneCat** » Sat May 21, 2016 6:33 am

The MICKSTER wrote:
BleedingBLue wrote:I was thinking about this the other day. With Costello coming from SDSU he is very familiar with BSC-MVFC games and how good it is for both conferences and the teams that participate. That being said, what does everyone think the chances are that we get a rivalry type series started with SDSU, or another MVFC team? Playing every year in week 1 or 2 against the same opponent, preferably one of the better MVFC teams, would be great for both teams and possibly develop a good new rivalry outside the BSC.
Certainly the chances of arranging for Home-Home games with a MVFC team/s went up I would think. Also, with Idaho coming to the BSC which will make a 14 team conference and the possibility of two 7-team divisions within the BSC makes our out-of-conference (OoC) scheduling more interesting because of more possibilities.

A common OoC schedule for the CATs over the past several years has been a DII game, an FCS team at home, and a FBS game, in an 11 game season. This resulted in 10 D1 games of which 1 was against an FBS team which we lost (except Colorado in 2006 but we then lost the next week to a DII team), and thus left us with needing to win 7 games out of 9 FCS games in order to make the playoffs. Going forward, assuming there will be two 7-team divisions in the BSC, then there would be 6 conference games (3 at home and 3 away) and 5 OoC games going forward. Assuming that we will always want to have 6 home games then of the 5 OoC games there would be 3 at home and 2 away. There certainly would be the possibility of Home-Home agreements with other BSC teams in the other division, and as you suggested the possibility of having Home-Home agreements with MVFC teams just went up as well. In the end, if we want/require 6 home games every year, it will require us to either host a DII team or pay for another FCS team to come to Bozeman without a return trip. If the latter consistently occurs it will most likely be against FCS teams from smaller conferences or upstarts. For example; FCS Independents (East Tennesse State), Northeast Conference (Bryant, Robert Morris, St. Francis...), Big South (Gardner-Webb, Monmouth....) .

IF we can get to an all FCS schedule it will increase our chances of winning 7 Division1 games and thus increasing our chances of making the playoffs. I think a 14 team conference helps that cause, and since our new AD is from the MVFC that doesn't hurt either, IMHO. GO CATS!

I agree with you, we need to make an attempt at an all fcs schedule. However, I think in a 2-division big Sky, we'll still have 8 predetermined conference games each year; 6 against those in our division, and a rotating set of 2 against teams from the other division. You see something similar in the SEC, Pac -12 etc. What I wonder is if we'd continue to grab a game or 2 each year as non-conference against big Sky teams not on our schedule, and perhaps 1 game as part of a MVFC home and home each year to get to 11. Interesting possibilities.

Go Scats Go · Post by **Go Scats Go** » Sat May 21, 2016 9:55 am

Rich K wrote: You lie when you say that you thought we had NDSU scheduled, or you are just stupid.

Is this a new form of English?

Go Scats Go · Post by **Go Scats Go** » Sat May 21, 2016 10:04 am

As far as the schedule...

I would love the BSC and the MVC do what some college basketball conferences do. Have a weekend where teams from these conferences play each other.

They have 10 teams, so the bottom bsc teams get dropped and the other teams play based on where they finished the year before. Rotate each year so that all games are played at bsc home teams one year and then MV host all games the next year.
Schedule it as the second week of the season so that each team could play a cupcake or FBS in week one.

This years games would have been:
North Dakota State vs. Southern Utah
Illinois State vs. PSU
South Dakota State vs. Montana
Northern Iowa vs. North Dakota
Western Illinois vs. NAU
Indiana State vs. EWU
South Dakota vs. Weber
Youngstown State vs. NCU
Southern Illinois vs. MSU
Missouri State vs. Poly

77matcat · Post by **77matcat** » Sun May 22, 2016 7:16 am

I like this idea. Cross pollination.

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Bobcat Jim · Post by **Bobcat Jim** » Sun May 22, 2016 10:47 am

Go Scats Go wrote:As far as the schedule...

I would love the BSC and the MVC do what some college basketball conferences do. Have a weekend where teams from these conferences play each other.

They have 10 teams, so the bottom bsc teams get dropped and the other teams play based on where they finished the year before. Rotate each year so that all games are played at bsc home teams one year and then MV host all games the next year.
Schedule it as the second week of the season so that each team could play a cupcake or FBS in week one.

This years games would have been:
North Dakota State vs. Southern Utah
Illinois State vs. PSU
South Dakota State vs. Montana
Northern Iowa vs. North Dakota
Western Illinois vs. NAU
Indiana State vs. EWU
South Dakota vs. Weber
Youngstown State vs. NCU
Southern Illinois vs. MSU
Missouri State vs. Poly

Nice to see we can get a rational post from you once in awhile.

catbooster · Post by **catbooster** » Sun May 22, 2016 6:12 pm

I'm not sure, with a new coach and AD, how much control Coach Choate will have over the schedule, but I had the chance to ask him about his opinion a week or so ago. As I understood his answer:

He doesn't think the DII games do much for us and would like an all DI schedule. He said he'd like to play one FBS game each year (I'm not certain if this is because he thinks it's needed for the budget or he wants those games for the players). He also said on 12 game seasons he'd play another FBS game (I think because of budget). He acknowledged this may mean there will be seasons with only 5 home games. Of course, he may change his mind as he gets more time in the program, and I'm sure the new AD will have some say in scheduling.

John K · Post by **John K** » Mon May 23, 2016 10:09 am

catbooster wrote:I'm not sure, with a new coach and AD, how much control Coach Choate will have over the schedule, but I had the chance to ask him about his opinion a week or so ago. As I understood his answer:

He doesn't think the DII games do much for us and would like an all DI schedule. He said he'd like to play one FBS game each year (I'm not certain if this is because he thinks it's needed for the budget or he wants those games for the players). He also said on 12 game seasons he'd play another FBS game (I think because of budget). He acknowledged this may mean there will be seasons with only 5 home games. Of course, he may change his mind as he gets more time in the program, and I'm sure the new AD will have some say in scheduling.

I don't like the idea of playing two FBS games, even in 12-game seasons. That's two (almost) automatic losses, meaning you probably have to go at least 8-2 in the other 10 games, to make the playoffs. I don't think the program's financial situation is so dire, that we should have to do this. I know you can always use more money, but I'm adamantly opposed to ever playing two FBS games in a season. I personally would like to see an all FCS schedule, but I realize that may not be a realistic expectation.

catbooster · Post by **catbooster** » Mon May 23, 2016 10:17 am

I agree. But I think it's early to get too worried about it. I assume with so little time on the job - and that being taken up with recruiting, spring ball, lame duck AD - he hasn't had too much time on some of the administrative parts of his job yet. Plus this being his first head coaching job, not too much FCS experience, etc. I also think he's eager to get the practice facility, stadium upgrades, etc. I'm sure things like this will develop when the new AD gets here.

The MICKSTER · Post by **The MICKSTER** » Mon May 23, 2016 11:55 am

catbooster wrote:I'm not sure, with a new coach and AD, how much control Coach Choate will have over the schedule, but I had the chance to ask him about his opinion a week or so ago. As I understood his answer:

He doesn't think the DII games do much for us and would like an all DI schedule. He said he'd like to play one FBS game each year (I'm not certain if this is because he thinks it's needed for the budget or he wants those games for the players). He also said on 12 game seasons he'd play another FBS game (I think because of budget). He acknowledged this may mean there will be seasons with only 5 home games. Of course, he may change his mind as he gets more time in the program, and I'm sure the new AD will have some say in scheduling.

That is good to hear that he doesn't think much of DII games. At least if you play a FBS team and win it counts for something big time.....when you beat a DII team it counts for bumpkis. It's hard to see the point of playing DII games (possibly to have an additional home game during 12 game seasons).
I go back and forth on 6 home game seasons versus 5 home game seasons. When we have the facility and fan support that we do, being 4th in FCS attendance with an average of 19K+ last year, it seems that not having 6 home games every year is not utilizing what we have to the fullest. Then again not having an all FCS schedule isn't giving us the best opportunity of making the playoffs either. So my preferences in order are;

All FCS schedule with 6 home games every year...(duh, Captain Obvious)
All FCS schedule with 5 home games every other year
All Div I schedule with 6 home games every year...very close 3rd
6 home games every year with a DII game, remaining games all FCS
6 home games every year with a DII game and a FBS game

Be interesting what our new AD and HC can make work.

There's always give & take.....for example this year playing Idaho, which is an FBS game that is certainly winnable, but comes with a very small paycheck. I would think that if we have an FBS game on the schedule we should at least be able to have an all Div I schedule to go along with it. This coming year we have 10 Div I games, all of which are winnable. When we play FBS teams like Michigan State and Texas A&M, in conjunction with a DII team on the schedule, we essentially limit ourselves to 9 winnable Div I games IMO.

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