tOfficial "FCS" Superthread

[uncfan103]

Saban: Drop FCS opponents, play nine SEC games | Jeff Schultz | www.ajc.com

I don't mind dropping the FCS games, but 9 games is easy for Saban to say, when he doesn't automatically have to play a non-SEC, in-state rival.

Terrible idea. No way the AD would go for it

 

[uncfan103]

Okay, my response lacked any reasoning so I'm going to try to explain why i don't think it is a good idea and Athletic Directors wouldn't be in favor of the idea.

Playing FCS teams don't require a home and home series, meaning you can play an extra home game every year. You could play crappy FBS teams, like Akron or Idaho or something like that, but it costs more to pay Idaho and Akron to come to your stadium without a home game than it would if you paid The Citadel. Also, for most teams, there isn't a big difference in the competition, you're gong to blow out both The Citadel and Akron. A win doesn't look great, a loss is awful.

Also, as Smart pointed out, FCS schools would not be around if they couldn't play FBS schools.

 

[trojanfan12]

I don't have a problem with a D-1 school scheduling an FCS school. It benefits both. The FCS school gets enough money to balance their books for the season and the D-1 school can empty their bench and get playing time for players who otherwise won't see the field.

The problem is loading up the OOC with FCS and lower tier D-1 schools.

Why not 1 FCS school, 1 mid-level school (ranked around 50-60) and 1 in the top 35 or so?

 

[geneh_33]

Drom Clemson then.

Tradition is out the fucking window man. Conference alignments have made sure of that.

You bite your tongue off, man!

ACC vs. SEC tradition trumps everything else down here in the South. FCS and Sun Belt teams have to step aside so the ACC and SEC can rumble on.

 

[ugafan6612]

SEC SEC SEC!!!!

 

[NDHoosier101]

Good, fuck playing FCS teams. At least mid majors offer a little competition.

 

[ugafan6612]

 

[NDHoosier101]

Exactly, when an FCS team beats someone it's a big deal, but midmajors beat AQ opponents at a much higher rate.

 

[Berkeley_Blues]

That is purely beautiful.

(I love underdogs. Man, I love them so!)

 

[ellupo]

So Saban wants to follow the B1G again? Well he did come from up north and learned there so this would make sense.

 

[Berkeley_Blues]

So Saban wants to follow the B1G again? Well he did come from up north and learned there so this would make sense.

Nick Saban is a cunning stunt. I will give him that.

 

[BuckBearcat]

I have no problem with playing FCS teams. However, don't count it among the games to gain bowl eligibility. In order to gain bowl eligibility, pass a rule that says you have to have 6 wins against FBS competition. And make sure the selection committee takes that into account when selecting playoff participants.

 

[The Crimson King]

I have no problem with playing FCS teams. However, don't count it among the games to gain bowl eligibility. In order to gain bowl eligibility, pass a rule that says you have to have 6 wins against FBS competition. And make sure the selection committee takes that into account when selecting playoff participants.

It was that way for a while......not sure when it changed

 

[TexasMan]

It was that way for a while......not sure when it changed

I think it was always that way until 2006, when an extra game was added on the schedule.

 

[Innermind]

I agree with Saban.

Here is my suggested plan:

The five college power conferences (SEC, B1G, PAC, ACC, Big XII) should all increase to 14 members each, and then break away from the FBS/NCAA to form the Football ELITE Bowl Subdivision (FEBS). A 70 team elite division would be awesome....70 teams is plenty....any more would dilute the FEBS.

The B1G, SEC, and ACC are already set at 14 members. So, six more teams would need to be added to the FEBS----two more to the PAC, and four more to the Big XII. Suggestions for the two new members of the PAC would be Boise State to the PAC North Div., and San Diego State to the PAC South Div. Suggestions for the four new members of the Big XII would be Cincinnati, Notre Dame, and UConn to a new East Div. (along with West Virginia, Iowa State, Kansas, and K-State), and then BYU to a new West Div. (along with the four Texas schools plus the two Oklahoma schools).

Next, increase the football schedule to 13 regular season games----10 in-conference games (5 home & 5 away), plus 3 out-of-conference (OOC) games. The regular season could begin one week earlier than it does now----so, it could begin the third week of August around the 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th of the month....many schools begin their Fall semester during this week, so the campuses will be populated and bustling.

Playoffs
The new playoff will be similar to the already planned system which begins 2014. For the FEBS, there would be four playoff teams with the following requirement----in order to be considered for the playoffs, a team MUST win its conference....this means that only five teams will be considered for the four playoff spots....this also means that no independent teams can be part of the FEBS. In December, the five FEBS conference champions will be seeded 1 thru 5 by an expert committee....the top four seeds make the playoffs, with #1 vs #4, and #2 vs #3 taking part in the national semifinals (to be played January 1st in the major Bowls on a rotating basis). Despite not being a playoff team, seed #5 still gets to play in a top Bowl.

With this system, here are some notable schools left out of the FEBS: Central Florida, Fresno State, Houston, Nevada, SMU, South Florida, and the Service Academies....however, those schools now become national championship contenders in the regular FBS.

OOC Schedule Guidelines
In order to maintain a high quality OOC schedule, the following strength of schedule rules will apply to all FEBS teams----No FCS opponents will be allowed. Also, at least two OOC games must be played against foes from the other four FEBS conferences. Typically, a school will play one FEBS OOC foe at home, and one FEBS OOC foe away. These two OOC foes can either be from different conferences or the same conference. Example: If they so choose, Wisconsin may play an away OOC game vs Arizona (PAC), and a home OOC game vs Oregon State (also PAC).

Additionally, since many schools need to play seven home games in order to meet their athletic department budget requirements, FEBS teams will be permitted to play one OOC game against an FBS opponent. So, going back to the above example involving Wisconsin, the Badgers may choose to play an OOC home game against a team such as Toledo (MAC school from the FBS).

Well, that's about it.

 

[geneh_33]

I agree with Saban.

Here is my suggested plan:

The five college power conferences (SEC, B1G, PAC, ACC, Big XII) should all increase to 14 members each, and then break away from the FBS/NCAA to form the Football ELITE Bowl Subdivision (FEBS). A 70 team elite division would be awesome....70 teams is plenty....any more would dilute the FEBS.

The B1G, SEC, and ACC are already set at 14 members. So, six more teams would need to be added to the FEBS----two more to the PAC, and four more to the Big XII. Suggestions for the two new members of the PAC would be Boise State to the PAC North Div., and San Diego State to the PAC South Div. Suggestions for the four new members of the Big XII would be Cincinnati, Notre Dame, and UConn to a new East Div. (along with West Virginia, Iowa State, Kansas, and K-State), and then BYU to a new West Div. (along with the four Texas schools plus the two Oklahoma schools).

Next, increase the football schedule to 13 regular season games----10 in-conference games (5 home & 5 away), plus 3 out-of-conference (OOC) games. The regular season could begin one week earlier than it does now----so, it could begin the third week of August around the 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th of the month....many schools begin their Fall semester during this week, so the campuses will be populated and bustling.

Playoffs
The new playoff will be similar to the already planned system which begins 2014. For the FEBS, there would be four playoff teams with the following requirement----in order to be considered for the playoffs, a team MUST win its conference....this means that only five teams will be considered for the four playoff spots....this also means that no independent teams can be part of the FEBS. In December, the five FEBS conference champions will be seeded 1 thru 5 by an expert committee....the top four seeds make the playoffs, with #1 vs #4, and #2 vs #3 taking part in the national semifinals (to be played January 1st in the major Bowls on a rotating basis). Despite not being a playoff team, seed #5 still gets to play in a top Bowl.

With this system, here are some notable schools left out of the FEBS: Central Florida, Fresno State, Houston, Nevada, SMU, South Florida, and the Service Academies....however, those schools now become national championship contenders in the regular FBS.

OOC Schedule Guidelines
In order to maintain a high quality OOC schedule, the following strength of schedule rules will apply to all FEBS teams----No FCS opponents will be allowed. Also, at least two OOC games must be played against foes from the other four FEBS conferences. Typically, a school will play one FEBS OOC foe at home, and one FEBS OOC foe away. These two OOC foes can either be from different conferences or the same conference. Example: If they so choose, Wisconsin may play an away OOC game vs Arizona (PAC), and a home OOC game vs Oregon State (also PAC).

Additionally, since many schools need to play seven home games in order to meet their athletic department budget requirements, FEBS teams will be permitted to play one OOC game against an FBS opponent. So, going back to the above example involving Wisconsin, the Badgers may choose to play an OOC home game against a team such as Toledo (MAC school from the FBS).

Well, that's about it.

That's not a bad plan at all. The only snag would be that ND and BYU would demand to get but as independents. Then the Big 12 would only need to add 2 teams and they would insist on having their pick of the lot.

 

[WizardHawk]

I would argue that it makes more sense to go back to 10 team conferences and do away with the unbalanced schedules IMO. Any plan that not only keeps unbalanced, but adds more by making the conferences larger is also adding to the problems of attempting to create a fair and balanced approach to the end of season rankings. 6 or 7 10 team conferences then makes more sense unless you go the other way and create 3-4 mega conferences where you only play in your division and have a conference championship game. Either way the 12-16 team conference will always create more drama in their uneven seasons. Yes, I know there are people who want 16 team conferences with 4 team divisions, but that just starts to get silly.

 

[geneh_33]

I would argue that it makes more sense to go back to 10 team conferences and do away with the unbalanced schedules IMO. Any plan that not only keeps unbalanced, but adds more by making the conferences larger is also adding to the problems of attempting to create a fair and balanced approach to the end of season rankings. 6 or 7 10 team conferences then makes more sense unless you go the other way and create 3-4 mega conferences where you only play in your division and have a conference championship game. Either way the 12-16 team conference will always create more drama in their uneven seasons. Yes, I know there are people who want 16 team conferences with 4 team divisions, but that just starts to get silly.

Innermind's scheme is at least doable. This is a fantasy. No conference is going to kick people out to get back to 10 teams. This aint never gonna happen.

 

[uncfan103]

Innermind...
What about if the NCAA created this FEBS with the 5 power conferences plus another conference that has the top tier other schools like Nevada, Houston, Louisiana Tech, UNI, etc. and the top 4 conference champions still made it. And at the end of every season teams that perform terribly in the respective level, whether it's FEBS or FBS, get replaced by top teams at the lower level. For example, Colorado could be replaced by San Jose State. Or the two teams could play with FEBS division on the line at the end of the year, since Colorado won't be in a bowl game. Also, FCS teams like Delaware have a chance to replace teams like Akron.

 

[geneh_33]

Innermind...
What about if the NCAA created this FEBS with the 5 power conferences plus another conference that has the top tier other schools like Nevada, Houston, Louisiana Tech, UNI, etc. and the top 4 conference champions still made it. And at the end of every season teams that perform terribly in the respective level, whether it's FEBS or FBS, get replaced by top teams at the lower level. For example, Colorado could be replaced by San Jose State. Or the two teams could play with FEBS division on the line at the end of the year, since Colorado won't be in a bowl game. Also, FCS teams like Delaware have a chance to replace teams like Akron.

The schools you mentioned don't float enough cash to make caring about including them worth the trouble. Fugget about it. We don't want La Tech, UNI and such middies in the big leagues.