FCS Playoffs

How did they not even get a seed??

Watched a bit of the game. 10-2 record in the MVFC = 3 seed, 10-3 record in the same conf = no seed??
They lost to the three other Dakota schools, and the results weren't particularly close.
 


just to sum up

Saturday night - Albany 30, Idaho 22
(watched till Midnight then gave up.....)

So - FCS Semi-Finals:

Albany vs SDSU - Friday, Dec 15 6pm

NDSU vs Montana - Saturday, Dec 16 3:30pm

Championship Game - Sat, Jan 7
I fell asleep during Idaho - Albany. That was a late game.
 

I’m surprised Albany won. Game started at 9pm Eastern time. Home field advantage.
 

I think a large part of that is due to the number of former powerhouse teams that have moved up in the last ten years or so.
The other reason is that a lot of the FCS level schools in the south and southeast are in the MEAC and SWAC - the two Historically Black College conferences. They generally don't participate in the playoffs because they have the traditional Celebration bowl, between the winners of the two conferences, and that takes place after the FCS playoffs have started. The Ivy league also doesn't participate in the playoffs by choice.
The MEAC and SWAC have both foregone their automatic playoff bids but the teams other than the conference champ can still receive auto-bids. For instance, second place NCCU from the MEAC received an at-large bid and were throttled by the Richmond Spiders in the first round.
 


The level of play at FCS will get younger and deteriorate over time due to NIL and the transfer portal.
Maybe. I don't think the effect will be as drastic in FCS football as it is in mid-major basketball. I think it's a much bigger risk for a successful football player to move up to FBS and try to emulate the success in a new scheme, with new coaches, and stand out among 85 or more players. I think the more successful FCS teams have been successful retaining talent. NDSU has lost a few guys. SDSU didn't lose a single contributor to the portal last year, despite key guys getting big offers. If looking at the long game, and if the NFL is the goal, the safer play might be to stay where you're already recognized and are standing out. Lots of small school guys are drafted every year in the NFL.

I think mid-major basketball is all but destroyed by the portal and NIL. A lot easier to transition success.
 

I believe the Ivy League also chooses to not participate in the FCS playoffs, and just plays conf games and a couple non-conf against Patriot and Pioneer League?
 

Maybe. I don't think the effect will be as drastic in FCS football as it is in mid-major basketball. I think it's a much bigger risk for a successful football player to move up to FBS and try to emulate the success in a new scheme, with new coaches, and stand out among 85 or more players. I think the more successful FCS teams have been successful retaining talent. NDSU has lost a few guys. SDSU didn't lose a single contributor to the portal last year, despite key guys getting big offers. If looking at the long game, and if the NFL is the goal, the safer play might be to stay where you're already recognized and are standing out. Lots of small school guys are drafted every year in the NFL.

I think mid-major basketball is all but destroyed by the portal and NIL. A lot easier to transition success.
I think we as fans over-estimate some of the NIL talk. Say a kid at SDSU gets a minor offer for $10 grand? Is that enough to uproot himself from a starting or playing spot on a very good team? I don't think so if the guy really wants to play.

I don't agree with the doom and gloom for mid-major hoops, simply because there are SO many basketball players, and the rosters are small. It's really how mid-major basketball has grown into a good product on the court in the last 10-15 years. There's enough talent to go around.
 

I believe the Ivy League also chooses to not participate in the FCS playoffs, and just plays conf games and a couple non-conf against Patriot and Pioneer League?
I mentioned the Ivies.

The Patriot and Pioneer get auto-bids to the FCS playoffs.
 



How is it that northern and Midwest teams seem to dominate the FCS?

It seems there are plenty of southeastern FCS schools, which are closer to recruiting hotbeds, so why don’t they dominate national championships like the SEC? Are those states so SEC obsessed that they just don’t invest in or care about those programs?

My theory is “yes” in response to the last question. The winning FCS teams tend to come from states that don’t have big-time FBS programs. Interesting dynamic.

And go Jacks!
Has a lot to do with the fact many of the good FCS schools from outside the Dakota’s have moved up.


In the last 40 years Since 1983 teams in the national title game who have moved up to FBS

Arkansas State
LA Monroe
LA Tech
Ga Southern
Boise State
App State
Marshall
Nevada
Western Kentucky
James Madison
UMass
Sam Houston State
Jacksonville State
Delaware

These are 34/80
NDSU/SDSU/youngstown/montana/Montana state are 26/80

The rest of FCS football is 20/80
 
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How is it that northern and Midwest teams seem to dominate the FCS?

It seems there are plenty of southeastern FCS schools, which are closer to recruiting hotbeds, so why don’t they dominate national championships like the SEC? Are those states so SEC obsessed that they just don’t invest in or care about those programs?

My theory is “yes” in response to the last question. The winning FCS teams tend to come from states that don’t have big-time FBS programs. Interesting dynamic.

And go Jacks!
There are also plenty of smaller fbs schools in the south to absorb much of the talent that might otherwise go to fcs compared to the north.
 

Me to daughter at SDSU: You going to the Rabbits game today? I'll be watching on ESPN.

Daughter: Umm, it's 45 mph winds and I have studying to do for finals. Not everyone likes lousy weather games like you.

I failed as a parent.
I did see the players heading for their heated trailers…
 

This. The level of play is still very good at the top of the FCS.
At the top, it might take a year for some of the FBS to FCS guys
I think we as fans over-estimate some of the NIL talk. Say a kid at SDSU gets a minor offer for $10 grand? Is that enough to uproot himself from a starting or playing spot on a very good team? I don't think so if the guy really wants to play.

I don't agree with the doom and gloom for mid-major hoops, simply because there are SO many basketball players, and the rosters are small. It's really how mid-major basketball has grown into a good product on the court in the last 10-15 years. There's enough talent to go around.
It only takes one or two players on BB team to really change a roster, for better or worse. SDSU and NDSU have both lost high end talent the last couple of years that have resulted in a significant downgrade in talent. SDSU lost Baylor Scheierman (a Nebraska kid) two years ago and NDSU Grant Nelson (a home grown ND kid) and a couple other kids. USD seems to turn over more than half is roster every season. Both the xDSU teams will still be competitive in their league but aren't much of a threat to anyone outside of it or in the tourney, if they make it. With Baylor and Grant, both those teams are head and shoulders above the rest of the league and a threat to upset their OOC money gamers and win a game or two in the tourney. Now they're playing for 16 seed and one and done. Sticking to the Summit, ORU lost a bunch of talent to the portal and will be trash.
 



on FCS - yes, a number of schools have moved up. But in today's FBS climate, moving up is a much more expensive proposition.

for starters, the application fee for a school to move up is now $5-Million. and then you have scholarship requirements - moving from 63 scholarships to 85 for football, plus requirements that a school must provide a certain level of scholarships for other sports - and meet Title IX requirements.

then you have facility issues - going to a larger roster means you need locker rooms, meeting rooms, practice facilities etc that can accommodate more bodies.

it's a fairly sizeable investment. with proposals floating around for more compensation for athletes or potential revenue-sharing, some FCS schools may decide they're better off being a big fish in a little pond.
 

on FCS - yes, a number of schools have moved up. But in today's FBS climate, moving up is a much more expensive proposition.

for starters, the application fee for a school to move up is now $5-Million. and then you have scholarship requirements - moving from 63 scholarships to 85 for football, plus requirements that a school must provide a certain level of scholarships for other sports - and meet Title IX requirements.

then you have facility issues - going to a larger roster means you need locker rooms, meeting rooms, practice facilities etc that can accommodate more bodies.

it's a fairly sizeable investment. with proposals floating around for more compensation for athletes or potential revenue-sharing, some FCS schools may decide they're better off being a big fish in a little pond.
The jump from $5 thousand to $5 MILLION was pretty crazy.
Delaware is going to be the first to pay the increased fee.
 

FCS teams have the same size rosters. They just have a scholarship limit of 63 instead of 85.
 


I watched a lot of bad FCS football. Maybe it is just this year but was incredibly poorly played and coaches games. Talent really down at this level.
 

I watched a lot of bad FCS football. Maybe it is just this year but was incredibly poorly played and coaches games. Talent really down at this level.
Of course the Great Danes make it this far and you all of a sudden think it’s a lower level of football
 


Has a lot to do with the fact many of the good FCS schools from outside the Dakota’s have moved up.


In the last 40 years Since 1983 teams in the national title game who have moved up to FBS

Arkansas State
LA Monroe
LA Tech
Ga Southern
Boise State
App State
Marshall
Nevada
Western Kentucky
James Madison
UMass
Sam Houston State
Jacksonville State
Delaware
Troy (State)

(Not sure if they made it to a DII natty, but they were close, think they ran into NDSU dynasty back in the 80’s)
 

I watched a lot of bad FCS football. Maybe it is just this year but was incredibly poorly played and coaches games. Talent really down at this level.
If this holds water then we should see significantly fewer FCS players drafted this year.
 

I think we as fans over-estimate some of the NIL talk. Say a kid at SDSU gets a minor offer for $10 grand? Is that enough to uproot himself from a starting or playing spot on a very good team? I don't think so if the guy really wants to play.

I don't agree with the doom and gloom for mid-major hoops, simply because there are SO many basketball players, and the rosters are small. It's really how mid-major basketball has grown into a good product on the court in the last 10-15 years. There's enough talent to go around.
 

I went to school at MSUM (just MSU then, because I'm old). The Bison were still D2 at the time, but the fuss people made about that team even then, you'd think they were Michigan or Ohio State.
Bison fans are delusional about their place in the college football pecking order and always have been. I have several good friends who are fans, so I've seen it a lot.

A decent number of them think they should be FBS, and from a competitive standpoint, they probably should be. But they don't understand why no conference is coming knocking on their door, begging them to join. Even lowly Conference USA, when they were desperate for survival bringing in Jacksonville and Sam Houston, both weaker, less known programs without much for fan bases, didn't seem all that interested in any of the Dakota four. Of course if you listen to the most vocal Bison fans, C-USA would be beneath them anyway.

The only two real options are the MWC and the MAC, and Fargo is fairly isolated from either. When UND in Grand Forks was in the Big Sky, they even had concerns with travel costs, and the two schools (along with all other public colleges in ND) are under the same governing board.
 




Potentially. The BIG seemed down as well. And, the NFL is unwatchable this season. Literally when it comes to Amazon.
Covid wrecked high school football for two years.
Those two years of kids are now soph/jrs

I just don’t think the depth is what it was in college football right now because a ton of kids didn’t get coached for a year. And if that happened to be your junior or senior year of high school, you’re behind one of your 4 most important years of development to be an upperclassmen college football player
 

Covid wrecked high school football for two years.
Those two years of kids are now soph/jrs

I just don’t think the depth is what it was in college football right now because a ton of kids didn’t get coached for a year. And if that happened to be your junior or senior year of high school, you’re behind one of your 4 most important years of development to be an upperclassmen college football player
Totally agree plus there’s hundreds in the portal spread all over the football landscape that hasn’t improved depth or the quality of football.
 





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