the speed with which this spun out of control was astounding. The original complaint was should a student athlete be able to monetize a bad homemade music video on YouTube. Under the old rules he could not but a non-athlete of course could. I think most reasonable people would agree that was unfair but I don’t think very many reasonable folks would call this the answer. You’re correct that judges must decide cases on the facts that exist but I’d argue that the way this was applied was probably overreach because the legislative branch just didn’t do anything.

Once the courts defined the issue as the NCAA colluding to deprive the players of their right to earn, it put the NCAA in a situation where they had to negotiate the settlement, The resulting settlement has terms the big programs can live with and some even profit from and the small programs not so much. The interests of the fans and other sports were not at the table.

How about FCS programs sign multi-year deals w players? They're unproven and unwanted by the big schools, FCS takes a risk and develops them, and then they get poached? Makes no sense. FCS programs have the costs of players who don't pan out.

I’m not a JD, but idk how enforcement would work. If deep pockets wanted a guy bad enough, buying out the contact might just be the cost of business. But if a guy called bluff and just disregarded the contract, the optics of a school seeking damages from a student might be tough politics. When you say it makes no sense, you mean for us. This makes total sense for the Big 10 to outsource development costs and risks.

Schools are getting commitments to stay as a condition of receiving revenue sharing. Washington QB Desmond Williams signed such a contract and when he tried to enter transfer portal Washington and Big 10 threatened to sue him for breach of contract.

Maybe make the first scholarship a two year deal with a buyout so the FCS program gets compensated for their investment.

Montana State Defensive Coordinator leaving + NDSU potentially going mountain west seems like things that favor us greatly moving forward.

Absolutely. Plus the Griz are in transition. The door is open...

Oh my goodness folks. Considering how many guys we have back, how many exciting new additions we have, and all the fcs movement this could be an exciting year.

Lets go over some of the major changes in the FCS and how they could help the ags:
1. NDSU to the Mountain West. In a move that both weakens the FCS in its very top level of competition, NDSU also opens the door that has been almost completely closed the last 10 years with NDSU dominating the subdivision. Expected to compete year 1 in the MW, NDSU leaving gives our Aggies a much clearer path to a national championship
2. Montana Madness! Montana State loses its OC that has been there the entire Vigen tenure and the Griz lose Hauck to move a position coach into the HC position. These teams both have strong foundations, but leave space for Davis to fill at the top of the Big Sky.
3. Sac State leaves the Big Sky. This has its pros and cons, but takes away a competitive and coinflip game off of the schedule.
4. Southern Utah and Utah Tech join the Big Sky. Southern Utah has had some good seasons but Utah Tech has been atrocious. Seems like an easier addition than what existed before the Sac exit.
5. University of South Dakota gets a new coach.

Southern Utah is going to be a tougher opponent than Sac State would have been had they remained in the Big Sky.
Still lots of good teams in FCS. Davis was projected 13th for 2026 on ncaa.com’s way too early projections.

I'm with you. If you would have told me we would have a 4 star FR QB under center, with a ton of 3 stars on our roster...plus we get the Conners back....next season is the one we have all been waiting for.

I agree a lot of teams that are still good in FCS and it will be no easy feat, but the dude who makes those rankings is actually the worst at his job. Stan seems like a nice guy but he is consistently wrong about his rankings. Sam Herder does a much better job. It almost seems like he doesn't actually watch any of the games and takes conference strength with a grain of salt.

I cannot believe the qb talent we bring in. Plough really is one of the best in the biz at qb development, its stunning. I am very excited for next season, especially with our schedule!

Agreed. I would argue he is the best college football coach in the state. We won't be able to keep him long, but I really hope he can bring a title to the school before he goes...but coach is the real deal.

praying. Hearing him say that he would basically have to be offered an insane amount to leave before winning a national championship made me happy.

He reminds me of a young Urban Myer (not the corrupt part) with his ingenious play calling. The one thing I took away from the Ill St game was, the offense didn't lose the game, we just ran out of bodies. His offense I think scored on 11 of 13 possessions....which is really really good. You guys know I was not the biggest CP fan, he has a ton of talent athletically but I always felt his mental development lacked...I'm super excited to see what he does with this new QB crop....

I agree with everything you said until Illinois State L. Equally on offense. Way too many turnovers/zero point outcomes inside the 10 yard line.

Illinois State came down to those missed opportunities in the red zone and an inability to stop the Inside Zone run and big plays by the Defense. While the Defense has plenty of blame to go around (invisible Linebacker play, timely busts in coverage), there was plenty of in-game blame to go around:

Aggies fake a FG attempt from the +13 yard line trailing 14-10 with 5 minutes to go in the 1Q and come up way short. This play is followed by a 90+ yard TD pass to extend it to 21-10, we survive and get it back, and first quarter ends 21-17. Easily could have been 14-13 after 1st if we kick and both sides hold. Or 21-20 more likely given the way the defenses were both playing.

2nd quarter begins with a failed 4th down attempt from the +3. No points on the board, left them on the field. The two teams trade FG attempts (we block theirs and miss ours) to go to the half 21-17. Again, we should have been up by this point in time if you include the 1st Quarter decision and the missed scoring opportunity from the +3. Being down probably led to the decision to go for it.

ISU scores on opening drive of the 3Q and lead 28-17. We strike quickly with a long pass down to the 20 YL where the ball is fumbled and recovered by ISU. ISU subsequent drive and score, Ags now trail 35-17.

We trade punts, drive deep to the ISU +2 YL, and have a pass intercepted in the end zone. Another long drive and ISU TD, 42-17 Red Birds.

We all know how it ends (42-31 bad guys). But how's this for missed opportunities:

Fake FG from the +13
Turnover on downs from the +3
Missed 51 yard FG
Fumble on the +20
INT on the +2 YL

I will be the first guy to say we didn't play well enough to win from the Defensive perspective, but don't be fooled by late game stats and 42-31. Football is a team sport. Come on Spring Ball!

I thought a big reason was that many people were sick.

Yes mistakes happened, but the offense itself was pretty good. CP panicked and tried to play hero ball and there were breakdowns on execution, but overall the offense was fine.

+1. Missing our DE / edge rusher / veteran team leader was huge. Too much after losing the Connors.

I don’t recall if you were back for the UNC game. If not, that would be an enlightening watch for you.

I watched it. What specifically are you targeting that would enlighten me?

"Fine" makes it sound better than it was. We trailed 42-17 with 4 or 5 minutes to go. Key team stats, and it was a team loss: ISU held the ball for 35 minutes, went 5 of 8 on 3rd Down, 1 for 1 on 4th down, 2 for 3 in the Red Zone. The Ags had the ball for 24 minutes, 6 of 11 on 3rd Down (good), 0 for 2 on 4th down, 4 of 7 in the Red Zone. Efficiency and executing situational football matter more than individual stats, which are very misleading. Especially when you're down big late in the 4th Quarter and the opponent is sitting back in coverage.

Missing two more starting Defensive Linemen did hurt the cause, injuries and sickness, but teams that advance to Nashville are all dealing with the same issues in December.

There were certainly bright spots (zero sacks allowed), but in the playoffs, there are no moral victories. You play the players you have available and fight to the death. That's football. They were better than us that day in all phases, on to the next.

The quarterback play was…not good. That game was Plough’s quest to put coaching over talent and he lost the battle. None of these freshmen are plug and play.

I agree. I've said it before I was never the biggest CP fan, but in a season you are going to lose games. Are you expecting perfection every week? If so, you are going to be disappointed watching any sport.

[reply="Pacifico2;81149"
At the end of the season, opponents were having success rushing against Davis. Sac state almost exclusively ran the ball and came close to winning. Rhode Island which only rushed for 83 yards against Central Connecticut had 173 yards at over six yards per carry. Illinois State had 266 yards rushing on 42 carries again over six yards per carry. Rushing defense was Davis’ Achilles heel, and defensive injuries were the arrow that killed us.