Kolpack: Mr. President, the time is now for FBS

Those of us who were there will never forget the look on Joe Chapman’s face, moments after North Dakota State pulled the upset for the ages. A missed field goal in Missoula, Montana, had ramifications all the way to Fargo that nobody could ever have predicted.

The Division II Bison, in 2002, held off Division I-AA power Montana 25-24 and the former NDSU president could have ran back to North Dakota. As it was, he sprinted across the Grizzlies’ basketball arena to the visiting Bison locker room like a 6-foot guard going for a game-winning layup.

Running Joe Chapman had bigger thoughts on his mind. This was the genesis to his mission to get the university’s athletic department to NCAA Division I status. He needed a carrot and Bugs Bunny just served it up on a silver platter for all of Bison Nation to see.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Well, history needs to repeat itself. The news on Friday morning that Missouri State is heading to Conference USA, an FBS league, should be shaking the windows at 1340 Administration Avenue. That is the address of the NDSU president’s office.

Mr. President, it’s time you channel your inner Joe Chapman.

The reference is to David Cook, the current leader of the university. He’s an honorable, nice gentleman who I believe is doing a good job in leading an institution through some tough times. A former college hockey player, he knows his athletics and seems very supportive of the front porch of the school.

But it’s time.

It’s time for NDSU to follow Missouri State’s lead, Mo State of all schools, and take the plunge. In fact, it’s overdue. It’s time for the president to maybe give a nudge to the leader of the athletic department, athletic director Matt Larsen, to start making calls to 3100 Olympus Boulevard, Dallas, Texas, 75019. That’s the address of the commissioner of C-USA.

Yes, C-USA is not optimal. It’s not the Mountain West Conference, American Athletic Conference or even the Mid-American Conference, but it is FBS. The current state of the FCS is heading in the direction of Division II, much like in the 1990s when Division II was starting to look more like Division III.

What was it about Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania, announcing last month it is moving to Division I and will play FCS football that sounded some sort of alarm? Or Lindenwood University outside of St. Louis making the D-1 move?

Was there something about James Madison, Appalachian State or Georgia Southern moving to FBS that perhaps should have struck a chord? The latest is Delaware. When Land Grant schools like Delaware move to FBS, it’s time for other similar-minded schools, similar Land Grants like NDSU, to do the same.

FCS is hanging in there with just a few football-serious programs capable of winning a national championship this coming fall: South Dakota State, NDSU, Montana and Montana State. By and large, the FCS is dominated by basketball schools playing football.

Yes, there's talk out there that the top FCS programs could join the Group of Five schools to form another D-I subdivision, but how long can you wait? It’s time for NDSU to take the plunge, anyway it can do it.

To be clear, this is not a David Cook or Matt Larsen decision. This is an everybody decision. When Running Joe Chapman led the charge almost 25 years ago, he had a supporting cast to go with him.

NDSU’s move from Division II was a Gene Taylor decision. He was the A.D. It was a Pat Simmers and Erv Inniger decision, they were the chief fundraisers. It was a Craig Bohl, Tim Miles and Amy Ruley decision, they were the head coaches for football and men’s and women’s basketball.

It was a Team Makers booster club decision. It took some convincing, but it was a fan base decision. It takes everybody.

Overnight, Missouri State became a better football coaching job than NDSU. The Bears have forever been underachievers, with a nice school in a nice city situation in a pretty good recruiting base. Maybe this is their ticket.

SDSU was an average athletic department until the Jackrabbits went Division I. It woke up its fan base. NDSU seems like it’s been coasting along in the last few years. Attendance is down in football, fans aren’t as hip to Division I FCS as they used to be.

Yes, C-USA is an orphan FBS league with the likes of former FCS schools Sam Houston State and Jacksonville State. Keep in mind when Joe Chapman pushed for Division I status, NDSU had no conference and began as an independent.

Maybe NDSU can help raise the profile of C-USA. Maybe SDSU or the Montanas can come along. Ask for football only membership first. The facilities are there, from the beautiful indoor practice venue to the FBS adequate Fargodome.

There was a time when the Sun Belt Conference was considered a football joke, but not anymore with former FCS schools JMU, Coastal Carolina, Applachian State, Georgia Southern now in the mix.

Time to turn the clock back to 2002 and take a leap of faith.