These are always fun conversations to have. No disrespect, but I would stop short of saying a top-35 ...but fairly close. Maybe top-50 to 75. The result against most any of the upper-half of the IA/FBS teams would be about how your third quarter was against against KSU. The games would start out close, but eventually your FBS opponent would take control. You would not rally from a two TD hole from most FBS clubs ...and probably not against KSU if you were to play next Saturday. They are a completely different team now. All the more reason these money games should always be the first game of the season.
Also you would dominate initially in the SWAC or Mountain because of your style of ball. Probably not the Mountain. However, as with any FCS transfer team, you would go from 1st to last in pretty short order. Look at Marshall in CUSA, UMazz, or UConn. Probably even need a new head coach, unless Bohles could adjust to a more open style of offense and defense. Believe me, we old time YSU fans know just how boring certain offensive-styles can be ...even when you are winning. People on this board still get upset with me when I say that it was time for Tressel to go when he did. He might not have ever gone back to a spread if he did not jump to OSU. Yet now look what we have ...the complete opposite.
Many teams think they can be successful by bucking the system. Just remember, your defense is not used to playing teams that will throw the ball deep all of the time. Why? Because your offense does not throw the ball like that, and it is that offense that your defense plays against every day of the year ...outside of game day.
Then what will happen? Bohles has the DC make adjustments, recruit more speed, and presto ...you are a different football team than you were when you moved up. Then your offense will not have any success. Eventually this teeter-totter levels off. Styles of football are not as distinct today, as they were even 10-years ago, but they still are different. What is nice is NDSU's budget is large and your regional recruiting is still virgin to most D1 schools.
