KSU will now be a FCS Independent Next Season

ruinah

TMac1325 While that would be nice, there's one fatal flaw in that plan. Almost every C-USA team has a full non-conference schedule and we're not a conference member yet. Moreover, we're still classified FCS until 2024, so any C-USA teams that already have an FCS team on their schedule won't want to schedule another because of Bowl eligibility issues. I did find 1 C-USA team with an opening that isn't playing an FCS yet, though: Sam Houston. Still gotta find 4 more schools willing to schedule a game late in the season, though, even if SHSU does schedule a game with KSU...

TMac1325

ruinah I thought transitioning FCS teams were counted as FBS for bowl purposes. I know JMUs games were counted as FBS games this past year..

ruinah

TMac1325 JMU was officially an FBS this year, not the year before. They played a full FBS schedule this year, which is what allowed them to be counted as an FBS opponent for their other conference members. I suspect C-USA will likely want to do the same with KSU, but that won't happen until 2024.

bb_fan

This issue was obvious before the decision was made to leave the ASun. Overton should have already had a plan in place. Did he?

ruinah

bb_fan I'm gonna have to disagree with you on this one. This is highly unusual behavior from the ASUN. The Big South didn't immediately kick out Coastal Carolina or Liberty when they moved to FBS, and SHSU & Jax State got to play out conference schedules rather than being excluded from the WAC-ASUN. Honestly, I'm not aware of any FCS-FBS transition playing out like this in the recent past at all, so I wouldn't blame Overton for not planning for such a situation.

TMac1325

ruinah I don't think the WACSun is doing it out of spite, it just went this way because of their merger officially. 9 schools, 8 conference games, then 3, either easy win or money games. KSU doesn't really fit easy win or money for them. Personally, try to get a couple more home games to at least have 4 then schedule any FBS that will play us to make a little cash. Both Liberty and New Mexico State had games scheduled that they have to get out of, maybe KSU can pick up a couple of those. In particular, Liberty was trying to dump a UMass game . I'm assuming there might be work going on at the stadium for expansion anyway, so it might be better to have a heavy road schedule.

ruinah

TMac1325 Going by FBSchedules, NMSU still has 3 games too many for a conference schedule in 2023, and already have FCS Western Illinois, so that's not likely happening. Liberty, OTOH, doesn't have an FCS on their schedule, so if they can dump the UMass game, that could free them up to play KSU, but that's a lot of moving parts to make happen. I still think it's more likely for KSU to play Sam Houston, as they have an open slot already. I don't really see any other FBS options out there unless something else changes. As for the WACSun situation, I'm sure what happened isn't really out of spite, but they're 100% not doing KSU any favors, putting them in this scheduling bind. Also, I am totally stealing WACSun.

ruinah

TMac1325 Also, this year is a 6-game conference schedule, not 8, out of consideration for the pre-existing schedules of the members for 2023.

TMac1325

ruinah I was thinking maybe KSU could pick up UMass from Liberty. UMass is so bad they likely won't care if they add an FCS homegame. They won't be close to bowl eligible anyway.

TMac1325

ruinah Oh, if that's the case, maybe they did screw us on purpose..lol

ruinah

TMac1325 UMass already has an FCS scheduled, so I don't think they want to waste a game that doesn't pay them or help their bowl chances. Also, I kinda feel like they could scrape out 6 wins with their schedule next year:
08/26 - at New Mexico State
09/09 - Miami, OH
09/23 - New Mexico
10/07 - Arkansas State (only lost by 2 points on the road this year)
11/04 - Merrimack
11/25 - UConn (maybe, UConn seems to be improving..)

bb_fan

We cut and run, WACSUN doesn't owe us anything.

TMac1325

bb_fan We did what every other school in the WACSun would have done. We took the better deal..EKU,APU, UCA, and Tarleton were all trying to get the spot we got in CUSA..

TMac1325

ruinah Yeah, you're right. The way we have the 1st 6 weeks scheduled vs the way FBS schools like to play FCS early makes those last 5 games hard to fill.. To get an FBS game or 2 it will take that school being willing to schedule a 2nd late season FCS. But, with NMSU having to drop 3 games it might create opportunity for a school to have to do that. We can probably pick up FCS easy enough, but it's not likely to be anyone decent..

TMac1325

TMac1325 What I will point to Overton on is the lack of future money games that should have been already scheduled. In the next 6 years, if we had remained FCS, we only had Ga Southern and Kent St on th he schedule..

jones682

TMac1325 He knew that we were going FBS. C-USA and KSU have been in talks since Dec 2021.