MISSOULA – Montana is “in a good place” as it considers whether to move to the Western Athletic Conference, athletic director Jim O’Day said in a recent e-mail.
The e-mail was apparently sent to a Grizzly booster and made its way onto both Montana and Montana State fan message boards. The Missoulian confirmed the authenticity of the e-mail with O’Day.
“It was a personal letter to somebody, explaining how complicated a potential move up could be,” O’Day said. “Basically, the letter stands on its own.”
O’Day’s e-mail lists reasons both for and against moving from the Big Sky Conference to the WAC of the Football Bowl Subdivision.
He said he sees the Griz in the driver’s seat, writing: “Both the Big Sky Conference and the WAC NEED Montana. Wherever we end, that conference will most likely survive at a higher level. The commissioners of both conferences know that, as do the schools (although some at the Big Sky level would hate to admit it).”
O’Day also questions whether the Football Championship Subdivision will ultimately survive the current shuffling.
“Should the FCS fail — which is another possibility, especially with Appalachian State, James Madison, Villanova, Delaware, Georgia Southern and Richmond and others being considered for moves (to) FBS conferences — would (UM) be all alone?”
Big Sky Conference commissioner Doug Fullerton said Friday that statement got the attention of other conference commissioners and the NCAA. But he argues the opposite is true.
“There’s a real concern that the FBS is unsustainable, particularly at the lowest levels,” he said. “The (cost) increase is happening so fast people are saying, ‘OK, how are we going to sustain this level of football?’
“The FCS is going to become an ever more major player in the future,” Fullerton said. “People need to understand that developing your brand and having athletics do what it’s supposed to do for a university often has nothing to do with moving up a level. You find the level that works for you and you stay there, where you can afford to do it.”
O’Day’s e-mail argues that Montana may not be able to afford to stay in the Big Sky with the school’s current funding model, noting that its already charges the highest ticket prices in the FCS, students recently rejected an increase in athletic fees, the school has to share its TV money with other conference schools and UM may have to add two women’s sports soon to meet Title IX requirements. He noted UM makes little money from its home playoff games and lost $150,000 in each of the last two years the Griz traveled to the FCS national championship game.
“AND OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE: We are not considering the health and welfare of the student-athletes, who are having to spend at least one month of playing 4-5 more games — which is permanently damaging their bodies – and hurting their academics. This is not fair to them – or their coaches,” O’Day wrote. “This is where all of us are selfish and want the playoff system vs. a bowl. At the FBS level, there is a month off to recover bodies, take care of academics and finals, and at the end, a reward of a bowl and some fun — and the schools don’t lose money like we do at the FCS level.”
He said it might be considered a gamble to move up if a struggling team were to lose fan support, but he said moving up could bring greater conference TV revenue, more attractive opponents to Washington Grizzly Stadium and a national presence for the university, helping recruit more out-of-state students.
“The consultants believe Montana could be the next Boise State” which left the Big Sky Conference in 1996 and has a 49-4 record over the past four years. The Broncos are ranked 4th in this week’s AP Top 25 poll.
O’Day’s e-mail said the decision will be a difficult one for the school’s new president, who takes office on Oct. 15.
“History will determine if the decision by the new President (Royce Engstrom) to either remain where we are, or take a new direction, was correct,” O’Day wrote. “There are no easy answers.”