New Mexico State has no plans to drop to FCS level

Unlike fellow Sun Belt Conference member Idaho, New Mexico State will not be dropping its football program down to the FCS level following the 2017 season.

Both the Vandals and the Aggies were informed they would not be renewed as football members in the conference after the 2017 season, but New Mexico State is determined to remain at the FBS level.

"In May of 2013, the board of regents passed a resolution to stay the course with FBS," Board of Regents Chair Debra Hicks told the Las Cruces Sun-News. "The committee will continue their work to come up with their proposal in what we should do in regards to conference alignment but we are staying the course with FBS for the foreseeable future."

The remainder of the school's athletic programs compete in the Western Athletic Conference, but Hicks confirmed that she and President Garrey Carruthers both agree football should be separate. If the school is unable to reach a new conference agreement for the football program, they would become the fifth FBS school operating as an independent, joining Notre Dame, BYU, Army and UMass.

The news of Idaho dropping its program down a level certainly sent shock waves through the Aggies' fan base, but Hicks laid those concerns to rest.

"Idaho just happened and that has created a firestorm," she said. "We have student athletes who are very interested in what they are playing in the next few years. That was a critical decision that needed to be made so that everyone has a confident feeling about that while we really look at conference alignment."

The state of the Aggies football program certainly doesn't make the school an attractive option for most conferences, as it hasn't posted a winning season since 2002.