New football coach

They lost out on a bunch of dudes and could not keep pace with the Michigans and Ohio States of the Big 10. Hell, they can't even get guys away from lower Big 12 schools ...

 

Can anyone tell me why states with a pretty significant population like Minnesota and Wisconsin have only one DI football team?

 

Lack of available talent?

 

Doesn't stop Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, Iowa and Nevada from having multiple DI (or even I-AA) football teams.

and last I checked, you can recruit outside state boundaries.

 

Those states are filled with smaller colleges at the lower levels that are just content to stay there (or the university system didn't allow for it) and not move up like Troy, Middle Tennessee, etc etc. It's a good question as to why they haven't.

 

They also have a ton of D2 and D3 schools.

 

Which school in Wisconsin or Minnesota is going to move up? ? ?
In football, there are no other D1 possibilities, even remotely.

 

It just seems like Mankato State, Winona State, Minn-Duluth, St. Cloud St., UW-LaCrosse, NDSU, SDSU, etc., etc., could make up a nice little I-AA football conference. Decent sized schools, decent sized communities, etc.

I see no reason why those schools shouldn't be able to be everything New Mexico State, Utah State or even Boise State is.

But I think Owlhead is right. They are content to be what they are. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

ND State is transitioning to 1-AA, and gave the Gophers a scare this season.

 

Exactly. SDSU is there, too.

St. Cloud is booming, so is Mankato. Why not have a MVC/Mid-Con level sports program?

 

Me neither.

 

well one reason is that most I-A football programs lose money and minnesotans, for better or for worse, are tightwads. you think troy state is turning a profit on its football team?