FCS Playoffs. ( CAA. Is WEAK )

[FUATT]

Announced today that the Ivy League will now be an FCS Playoff participant. I think a couple of those teams could be regular QF type teams. They will have an AQ spot in the playoff, so assume that unless we expand that takes away an available at large bid?

https://www.espn.com/college-football/s ... l-playoffs

[FU Hoopla]

Makes sense for the Ivy to finally give their football players something to look forward to if they win the league.......

This season out of the 129 teams, if you take out SWAC, MEAC and IVY that basically don't participate, OMIT teams going FBS like Delaware and Missouri St, and factor in a 24 team playoff field, each FCS school had about a 25% chance to make the playoffs.............
Let's not even get into the fact that many of those 100 schools don't even give full scholarship levels.....

Fairly easy to see how Dakotas and Montana's have dominated this weak version of FCS...................

[The Jackal]

Announced today that the Ivy League will now be an FCS Playoff participant. I think a couple of those teams could be regular QF type teams. They will have an AQ spot in the playoff, so assume that unless we expand that takes away an available at large bid?

https://www.espn.com/college-football/s ... l-playoffs

Sounds like the Ivy League champ will get an autobid. I think the Ivy League teams are also a little unique in that they typically only schedule 10 games, so at large bids may be a bit trickier if they keep that scheduling.

This is a helpful article, which is updated periodically, about what the heck is going on in the FCS landscape: https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/arti ... ealignment

There are essentially four conferences that have to rely on joining up to be able to meet the six team threshold.

[Affirm]

Announced today that the Ivy League will now be an FCS Playoff participant. I think a couple of those teams could be regular QF type teams. They will have an AQ spot in the playoff, so assume that unless we expand that takes away an available at large bid?

https://www.espn.com/college-football/s ... l-playoffs

Sounds like the Ivy League champ will get an autobid. I think the Ivy League teams are also a little unique in that they typically only schedule 10 games, so at large bids may be a bit trickier if they keep that scheduling.

This is a helpful article, which is updated periodically, about what the heck is going on in the FCS landscape: https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/arti ... ealignment

There are essentially four conferences that have to rely on joining up to be able to meet the six team threshold.

I have verified that the Ivies still only schedule 10 games for regular season. 7 conference games and 3 non-conference.
Consideration should be given to each of the following:
1. Now that the Ivies want to be in playoffs, the NCAA/FCS should require that they have to play the same number of regular season games as everyone else, and not be allowed to play one fewer than everyone else.
2. Allow any and all other conferences that would like to cut back to only 10 regular season games to do so.
3. Allow individual FCS schools who wish to play only 10 regular season games to be eligible for playoffs.
Advantages of each of the above could be discussed on this board.

[FU Hoopla]

Announced today that the Ivy League will now be an FCS Playoff participant. I think a couple of those teams could be regular QF type teams. They will have an AQ spot in the playoff, so assume that unless we expand that takes away an available at large bid?

https://www.espn.com/college-football/s ... l-playoffs

Sounds like the Ivy League champ will get an autobid. I think the Ivy League teams are also a little unique in that they typically only schedule 10 games, so at large bids may be a bit trickier if they keep that scheduling.

This is a helpful article, which is updated periodically, about what the heck is going on in the FCS landscape: https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/arti ... ealignment

There are essentially four conferences that have to rely on joining up to be able to meet the six team threshold.

I have verified that the Ivies still only schedule 10 games for regular season. 7 conference games and 3 non-conference.
Consideration should be given to each of the following:
1. Now that the Ivies want to be in playoffs, the NCAA/FCS should require that they have to play the same number of regular season games as everyone else, and not be allowed to play one fewer than everyone else.
2. Allow any and all other conferences that would like to cut back to only 10 regular season games to do so.
3. Allow individual FCS schools who wish to play only 10 regular season games to be eligible for playoffs.
Advantages of each of the above could be discussed on this board.

Playing only 10 games instead of 11 or 12 would seem to be a disadvantage to me.................

But then again its not like they play any FBS games that the FCS has been getting waxed in so................

[The Jackal]

I do not believe the Ivies ever really play a "money game" or an FCS opponent. Their schedules tend to be all FCS.

So, they already play 10 FCS opponents, which is what Furman shoots for most seasons.

I suspect there's a minimum number of games a team has to play to be eligible for the post season. I also suspect there's a minimum number of FCS wins one has to have. If those two standards are met, I doubt the NCAA will care if the Ivies routinely schedule 10 games.

Now, at the same time, the Ivey League teams didn't really kick off their season until late September. Their opening weekend of games was the weekend Furman played William & Mary.

[FUBeAR]

(1) I do not believe the Ivies ever really play a "money game" or an FCS opponent. Their schedules tend to be all FCS.

So, they already play 10 FCS opponents, which is what Furman shoots for most seasons.

I suspect there's a (2) minimum number of games a team has to play to be eligible for the post season. I also suspect there's a (3) minimum number of FCS wins one has to have. If those two standards are met, I doubt the NCAA will care if the Ivies routinely schedule 10 games.

Now, at the same time, the Ivey League teams didn't really kick off their season until late September. Their opening weekend of games was the weekend Furman played William & Mary.

Back in better days, when the NCAA had rules and was the governing body of collegiate athletics…

(1) FBS Teams could only count wins over “qualifying” Teams to meet the requirements for Bowl eligibility. Qualifying Teams had to have / offer XX number (some % or fixed number the NCAA set that was roughly around what most FCS schools offer) of Football scholarships. Ivy League Teams & PFL Teams do not offer any Football/Athletics scholarships, so FBS schools don’t want to play them. They would rather play Mississippi Valley State than Harvard or Davidson.

(2) There are about 43 sections of the NCAA Manual (it reads as if the NCAA does, actually, have rules, so it may be a parody publication) defining eligibility for Championships, but the best FUBeAR can discern is that if a Team plays over 1/2 of their games vs. 4 year degree granting schools (any association, any division), they are, generally, eligible to participate in the Championship/Playoffs.

(3) There has never been an NCAA rule about the number of wins / FCS wins a Team has to have to be eligible for the playoffs. What has been published is ‘guidance’ from the Playoff Committee which stated something to the effect of ‘any Team that has fewer than 6 D1 wins risks their chances of being selected for an At-Large bid.’

So, even before the NCAA stopped overseeing college athletics, they found many ways not to have hard-and-fast rules about anything. It was easier to put Wright State on probation when Duke violated the NCAA “rules” if the rules were written that way.

[The Jackal]

I'd love to see the SoCon make an effort to try to work with the Ivy League on scheduling home and homes.

Just off memory, I think Mercer has scheduled Princeton and Yale recently. Furman has two on the basketball slate. Maybe that can be a thing.

[Affirm]

I'd love to see the SoCon make an effort to try to work with the Ivy League on scheduling home and homes.

Just off memory, I think Mercer has scheduled Princeton and Yale recently. Furman has two on the basketball slate. Maybe that can be a thing.

Ivy League currently schedules OOC football against NEC schools, Patriot League schools, and CAA, plus Mercer (plus this year Harvard played Stetson the week after we played Stetson).
It would be great if Ivy League and SoCon could work out some regular home and home agreements (not limited to only Mercer) - regardless of whether SoCon would switch to 10 regular season games like Ivy League or keep playing the 11/12 regular season games.

[Roundball]

FCS semi-final. S. Dakota State vs. N. Dakota State. What a game. Either one of those teams could beat SMU.

[FUBeAR]

FCS semi-final. S. Dakota State vs. N. Dakota State. What a game. Either one of those teams could beat SMU.

It was a great game!

And there were 4, possibly 5, SoCon Teams this season, that could beat either one of those Teams on a home or neutral field … on the average of 3 or 4 out of 10 tries.

There is a delta, but it is not large. Delta + THEIR Home Fields is a much, much larger delta.

[FurmAlum]

FCS semi-final. S. Dakota State vs. N. Dakota State. What a game. Either one of those teams could beat SMU.

It was a great game!

And there were 4, possibly 5, SoCon Teams this season, that could beat either one of those Teams on a home or neutral field … on the average of 3 or 4 out of 10 tries.

There is a delta, but it is not large. Delta + THEIR Home Fields is a much, much larger delta.

I agree FB. The SoCon is underrated. ETSU had NDSU beat and blew it. Mercer, WCU, and Chatty all would be very competitive this year with any of those MV or BSky teams. They just never or very rarely ever play them on a neutral field or at home.