BILLINGS — This is not meant as a rebuke or to detract from the accomplishments of the four programs remaining in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
The semifinal teams — top-seeded Montana State of the Big Sky Conference and No. 2 North Dakota State, No. 3 South Dakota State and No. 4 South Dakota of the Missouri Valley Football Conference — rightfully earned their place among the final four as the best teams in the nation.
Good on you all.
This is simply to further illustrate what everyone should (and probably does) already know:
The FCS ain’t what it once was. And outside of the top rung of the Big Sky and MVFC, good luck finding a legitimate national title contender.
Obviously, fans of the Bobcats, Bison, Jackrabbits and Coyotes couldn’t care less about any of that right now. They’re all in the hunt. MSU and South Dakota are especially title-hungry — and would likely scoff at this notion.
But it’d be nice to have a little more national parity, right?
Here’s a stat: In 2024, the Big Sky and/or Missouri Valley will be represented in the championship game for the 17th consecutive year.
The last time they weren’t? That was in 2007, when Armanti Edwards-led Appalachian State of the Southern Conference (ahh … we miss you, Mountaineers) beat Delaware of the Coastal (then Colonial) Athletic Association to win its third title in a row.
The MVFC has been downright dominant, and is looking to win a fourth straight FCS crown and its seventh in the past eight seasons. If North Dakota State beats South Dakota State in a Dakota Marker rivalry rematch in the semis on Saturday it will mark the Bison’s 11th trip to Frisco, Texas, in just a 14-year stretch.
Meanwhile, SDSU is seeking a third straight championship and its fourth visit to Texas in a five-year span.
For as good as the Big Sky is in FCS circles, even it can't keep pace in terms of title-game wins.
Sam Houston is the last team from outside of the Missouri Valley to win a title; the Bearkats, then of the Southland Conference, did it in the spring COVID season of 2021, beating the Jackrabbits.
James Madison of the CAA also snuck in a championship, its second, by beating once-great Youngstown State of the Valley in 2016, meaning only two non-MVFC schools have won it all in the past 13 years.
But those programs have since bailed for more lucrative pastures in the Bowl subdivision — along with Appalachian State and other recent contenders like Coastal Carolina, Jacksonville State and Kennesaw State.
Going back further, that list includes former FCS powerhouses like Boise State, Georgia Southern and Marshall. It will soon include Delaware and Missouri State, who are both on their way up with the 2024 season nearing its conclusion.
Once-powerful conferences like the SoCon, Southland, the CAA and even the Ohio Valley (which has since partnered with the Big South) aren’t what they once were.
When App State jumped up in 2014, Montana athletic director Kent Haslam likened it to a good friend moving out of the neighborhood.
Now it seems all that’s left are the kids you always beat up on in pickup games at the park across the street.
Truth be told, the success of North Dakota State and South Dakota State was a welcome sight for the subdivision. When those teams joined the FCS from Division II in 2004, it certainly bolstered its profile.
But it only goes so far as programs continue to break away. NDSU’s run of nine national titles in 11 years would have been downright laughable if it wasn't so amazing.
This year’s playoffs have been another example of the top-heavy nature of the national landscape.
Of the top eight seeds, six came from the either the Big Sky or the Valley. The two that didn’t — No. 6 Incarnate Word of the Southland and No. 7 Mercer of the SoCon — lost by a combined 65 points in the quarterfinals.
These days, when the 24-team bracket is announced, how many schools have a legit shot at a Frisco run? Recent history is giving us the answer.
Even the Montana Grizzlies, who by their standards had a disjointed and disappointing season, were top-15 ranked and probably a top-10 overall team in 2024.
To compete, it takes more than just quality coaching and talent on the field. It takes high-end facilities, fan and booster investment and, now, name, image and likeness dollars. When it comes to those factors in the FCS, the have-nots far outnumber the haves.
There are clearly bigger questions surrounding the FCS in the near future as college football continues to evolve into a free-for-all for the rich and powerful. And if you're at or near the top of that level, you want to compete against as many programs that bear your resemblance as possible.
Gone are the days of eight different programs winning championships in a 10-year stretch like they did between 2001-2010.
It is now a struggle for supremacy between the best teams in just two conferences — the Big Sky and the Missouri Valley. Not that that they care about any of that right now.
But it’d be nice to have a little more national parity, right?
