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SeattleAg wrote:

UtahStizzle wrote:Remember when Southern Illinois was the next Gonzaga? What happened?

I don't actually know what I'm talking about, but it could be money. SIU is a directional public school (I assume) that (probably?) also has to fund a football team, with a less than electrified alumni base. The Zags are it in Spokane, a rich private school, and probably doing quite well with the donors.
Again, I could just be talking out of my butt.

Yeah, Southern Illinois does have a football team.

SeattleAg wrote:

UtahStizzle wrote:Remember when Southern Illinois was the next Gonzaga? What happened?

I don't actually know what I'm talking about, but it could be money. SIU is a directional public school (I assume) that (probably?) also has to fund a football team, with a less than electrified alumni base. The Zags are it in Spokane, a rich private school, and probably doing quite well with the donors.
Again, I could just be talking out of my butt.

Their football team has suffered a similar fate as their basketball team, but was possibly even better than the hoops team. They were in the "FCS" playoffs every year from 2003 to 2009, getting to the quarterfinals in 2005 (9 wins, conf co-champs), 2006 (9), 2007 (12), and 2009 (11, conf champs) and even go to the semi-finals in 2007. In 2008 they were also conf co-champs, but lost in 1st round. Then in 2010 they won 5 and in 2011 only had 4 wins.

It wouldn't surprise me if this had something to do with the economy tanking, just because I would assume that donors to a directional school are more likely to be hit by the recession than, say, Duke alums. I have nothing to back this up of course, just randomly theorizing.