FCS football moving forward

[DungeonRealm]

Yes Furman needs to continue to improve to increase its own excitement level, no doubt, hopefully this year (starting today) we make vast steps in that direction.

Outside of that for me there is one big reason that has made FCS football so dull for many of us fans that love the division, that is NDSU's failure to be able to move up to FBS for financial reasons (being in the middle of nowhere Fargo).
9 national titles in 11 years is jut stupid, its more than past time for them to move on obviously. I can remember thinking how dull the divisions below FCS were because teams like Mount Union ect. were always in the title games every year, well now that very same issue has plagued FCS football. FCS always had great parity in the playoffs prior to NDSU, even when the SoCon was dominating FCS the league had 3 or 4 good teams that were all Natty capable.

Where does Furman stand moving forward in FCS?
Hopefully the parity in the division will clear up soon.

[Roundball]

Yes Furman needs to continue to improve to increase its own excitement level, no doubt, hopefully this year (starting today) we make vast steps in that direction.

Outside of that for me there is one big reason that has made FCS football so dull for many of us fans that love the division, that is NDSU's failure to be able to move up to FBS for financial reasons (being in the middle of nowhere Fargo).
9 national titles in 11 years is jut stupid, its more than past time for them to move on obviously. I can remember thinking how dull the divisions below FCS were because teams like Mount Union ect. were always in the title games every year, well now that very same issue has plagued FCS football. FCS always had great parity in the playoffs prior to NDSU, even when the SoCon was dominating FCS the league had 3 or 4 good teams that were all Natty capable.

Where does Furman stand moving forward in FCS?
Hopefully the parity in the division will clear up soon.

I have changed my thinking on NDSU. We need them in the FCS. We need their fanbase, their quality and we need the national attention they bring. Without teams like NDSU, the FCS will continue to suffer getting any attention at all. We don't need anymore of the best and highest profile teams leaving. What we need is for the rest of the FCS to catch up with them.

[Furmanoid]

Maybe a couple of years down the road there will be a new division.
Maybe we’ll have:
CFP- the P5 teams + ND
FBS- DI but not eligible for playoffs
FCS- with playoffs

And maybe some top FCS teams can migrate up to the diminished FBS and go to bowls which is what the “B” stands for.

What’s left of FCS can maybe add some top DII’s and get back closer to what it was before the ringers kinda ruined it.

[DungeonRealm]

Yes Furman needs to continue to improve to increase its own excitement level, no doubt, hopefully this year (starting today) we make vast steps in that direction.

Outside of that for me there is one big reason that has made FCS football so dull for many of us fans that love the division, that is NDSU's failure to be able to move up to FBS for financial reasons (being in the middle of nowhere Fargo).
9 national titles in 11 years is jut stupid, its more than past time for them to move on obviously. I can remember thinking how dull the divisions below FCS were because teams like Mount Union ect. were always in the title games every year, well now that very same issue has plagued FCS football. FCS always had great parity in the playoffs prior to NDSU, even when the SoCon was dominating FCS the league had 3 or 4 good teams that were all Natty capable.

Where does Furman stand moving forward in FCS?
Hopefully the parity in the division will clear up soon.

I have changed my thinking on NDSU. We need them in the FCS. We need their fanbase, their quality and we need the national attention they bring. Without teams like NDSU, the FCS will continue to suffer getting any attention at all. We don't need anymore of the best and highest profile teams leaving. What we need is for the rest of the FCS to catch up with them.

NDSU has made people view FCS worse then before 11 years ago, when a team dominates like NDSU has the first thing outsiders think is that the rest of the division is very weak.
NDSU does not improve the prestige of FCS, only themselves .

When Davidson left the SoCon basketball in the SoCon got a lot better, including Furman, its the same deal.

[FUBeAR]

Assuming FCS remains structured similarly as it is today (which FUBeAR thinks is highly doubtful), the powers that be in FCS MUST find a way to make full participation in the Playoffs make sense for the SWAC & MEAC (HBCU) Teams. It doesn’t make financial sense for them now…but FCS leaders need to find a way…even if it means letting their champions ‘come in’ later or finding a way to incorporate their Conf Championship / Celebration Bowl structure into the Playoffs.

Whether or not people like it or want to acknowledge it, HBCU Football has the full attention of the media these days. FCS Football can leverage this current environment to gain exposure, dollars, and enhanced perceived ‘relevance’ for FCS Football, but it would require much creativity and, perhaps, taking actions that some (or many) will view as ‘unfair.’

That’s part 1. Part 2 would be to REALLY try to find a way to make it make sense for the Ivies to also participate. That’s even harder because they have 0 financial concerns/motivations. Need to find out what could/would motivate them to participate and, possibly, again, make potentially ‘unfair’ competitive accommodations to get them involved.

Again - as FUBeAR doesn’t see the current structure of FCS Football existing beyond 5 years in the future, all of the above is probably moot…but if not, someone needs to figure out how to get these Schools/Teams on board & invested in what the “C” in “FCS” signifies.

[palafan]

Home and Home with NDSU!!! Get on it Jason!

[Furmanoid]

Assuming FCS remains structured similarly as it is today (which FUBeAR thinks is highly doubtful), the powers that be in FCS MUST find a way to make full participation in the Playoffs make sense for the SWAC & MEAC (HBCU) Teams. It doesn’t make financial sense for them now…but FCS leaders need to find a way…even if it means letting their champions ‘come in’ later or finding a way to incorporate their Conf Championship / Celebration Bowl structure into the Playoffs.

Whether or not people like it or want to acknowledge it, HBCU Football has the full attention of the media these days. FCS Football can leverage this current environment to gain exposure, dollars, and enhanced perceived ‘relevance’ for FCS Football, but it would require much creativity and, perhaps, taking actions that some (or many) will view as ‘unfair.’

That’s part 1. Part 2 would be to REALLY try to find a way to make it make sense for the Ivies to also participate. That’s even harder because they have 0 financial concerns/motivations. Need to find out what could/would motivate them to participate and, possibly, again, make potentially ‘unfair’ competitive accommodations to get them involved.

Again - as FUBeAR doesn’t see the current structure of FCS Football existing beyond 5 years in the future, all of the above is probably moot…but if not, someone needs to figure out how to get these Schools/Teams on board & invested in what the “C” in “FCS” signifies.

Would the accommodations in Part 1 include letting them win? That would be in line with the current quest for equity, would it not? If they lost, wouldn’t that be proof of systemic bias? I’m not 100% kidding here.

As for Part 2, there is no way. The sentiment among students and faculty at Ivies is not aligned with any sort of increased exposure for sports, especially football. Face it, football fans are predominantly American heterosexual cis males. Those are becoming more and more scarce at Ivies. They just aren’t into sports so much. A few years ago Columbia students protested when the football team had a winning streak!

FUBeAR often laments the coming demise of FCS. I too think something’s gotta give. How do you see it going down? Just curious.

[DungeonRealm]

Home and Home with NDSU!!! Get on it Jason!

Good luck with that, NDSU very rarely leaves Fargo

[JohnKX512]

Assuming FCS remains structured similarly as it is today (which FUBeAR thinks is highly doubtful), the powers that be in FCS MUST find a way to make full participation in the Playoffs make sense for the SWAC & MEAC (HBCU) Teams. It doesn’t make financial sense for them now…but FCS leaders need to find a way…even if it means letting their champions ‘come in’ later or finding a way to incorporate their Conf Championship / Celebration Bowl structure into the Playoffs.

Whether or not people like it or want to acknowledge it, HBCU Football has the full attention of the media these days. FCS Football can leverage this current environment to gain exposure, dollars, and enhanced perceived ‘relevance’ for FCS Football, but it would require much creativity and, perhaps, taking actions that some (or many) will view as ‘unfair.’

That’s part 1. Part 2 would be to REALLY try to find a way to make it make sense for the Ivies to also participate. That’s even harder because they have 0 financial concerns/motivations. Need to find out what could/would motivate them to participate and, possibly, again, make potentially ‘unfair’ competitive accommodations to get them involved.

Again - as FUBeAR doesn’t see the current structure of FCS Football existing beyond 5 years in the future, all of the above is probably moot…but if not, someone needs to figure out how to get these Schools/Teams on board & invested in what the “C” in “FCS” signifies.

Would the accommodations in Part 1 include letting them win? That would be in line with the current quest for equity, would it not? If they lost, wouldn’t that be proof of systemic bias? I’m not 100% kidding here.

As for Part 2, there is no way. The sentiment among students and faculty at Ivies is not aligned with any sort of increased exposure for sports, especially football. Face it, football fans are predominantly American heterosexual cis males. Those are becoming more and more scarce at Ivies. They just aren’t into sports so much. A few years ago Columbia students protested when the football team had a winning streak!

FUBeAR often laments the coming demise of FCS. I too think something’s gotta give. How do you see it going down? Just curious.

Lol. What???

[FUBeAR]

Assuming FCS remains structured similarly as it is today (which FUBeAR thinks is highly doubtful), the powers that be in FCS MUST find a way to make full participation in the Playoffs make sense for the SWAC & MEAC (HBCU) Teams. It doesn’t make financial sense for them now…but FCS leaders need to find a way…even if it means letting their champions ‘come in’ later or finding a way to incorporate their Conf Championship / Celebration Bowl structure into the Playoffs.

Whether or not people like it or want to acknowledge it, HBCU Football has the full attention of the media these days. FCS Football can leverage this current environment to gain exposure, dollars, and enhanced perceived ‘relevance’ for FCS Football, but it would require much creativity and, perhaps, taking actions that some (or many) will view as ‘unfair.’

That’s part 1. Part 2 would be to REALLY try to find a way to make it make sense for the Ivies to also participate. That’s even harder because they have 0 financial concerns/motivations. Need to find out what could/would motivate them to participate and, possibly, again, make potentially ‘unfair’ competitive accommodations to get them involved.

Again - as FUBeAR doesn’t see the current structure of FCS Football existing beyond 5 years in the future, all of the above is probably moot…but if not, someone needs to figure out how to get these Schools/Teams on board & invested in what the “C” in “FCS” signifies.

Would the accommodations in Part 1 include letting them win? That would be in line with the current quest for equity, would it not? If they lost, wouldn’t that be proof of systemic bias? I’m not 100% kidding here.

As for Part 2, there is no way. The sentiment among students and faculty at Ivies is not aligned with any sort of increased exposure for sports, especially football. Face it, football fans are predominantly American heterosexual cis males. Those are becoming more and more scarce at Ivies. They just aren’t into sports so much. A few years ago Columbia students protested when the football team had a winning streak!

FUBeAR often laments the coming demise of FCS. I too think something’s gotta give. How do you see it going down? Just curious.

Though JoeXXL2112 doesn’t understand your comment about Part 1, FUBeAR feels ya. To reply - No - no ‘letting’ of any Teams win games, but utilizing a structure that doesn’t seem “fair” (and probably wouldn’t be) may HAVE TO be part of the set-up to make it make sense for those conferences to participate.

If you really think about it, it’s not “fair” now. NDSU’s facility & their fans make games there “unfair,” particularly Playoff games. And that “unfairness” in the regular season leads to them always having home field advantage and even more “unfairness” in the playoffs.

So … giving the Celebration Bowl participants “Special Exemptions” to join the Playoffs in Round 3 (somehow) isn’t that crazy. Sort of the opposite of the Play-In games in the NCAA Tourney. It’s a small price to pay for “the greater good.”

And on Part 2 - maybe you missed the part about finding out what WOULD motivate the Ivies to participate? Maybe they get a ‘pass’ to Round 3 too cuz they need more study time…or maybe their 1st round game is always designated as the LGBTQ+ Climate Change Awareness Bowl and instead of game commentators, it’s just 3 hours of students giving speeches about all of their grievances - shown in prime time on ESPN Flagship - your TV has a volume control and mute button, right? Find out what would make them play.

In today’s world, until the FCS Ivies and the FCS HBCU’s are fully part of the division, the broader public and the media are not going to see FCS as legit…well, actually, they aren’t gonna see FCS except the highlighted HBCU’s and FCS is an afterthought in that presentation.

What’s gonna happen to FCS?

1) CFP 50ish separate; G5 and most FCS unite and form FCS 2.0. PFL, Ivies maybe some others move to D3 model

OR

2) CFP 50ish separate; G5 forms their own thing without any broad invitation of participation of current FCS; FCS fractures with Teams that wanna be part of the new G5 wannabe thing or form something that ‘looks like their wannabe thing’ and Teams that lean toward D3 model. Almost all current FCS Conferences fracture and die.

[Furmanoid]

OK, those might work.

But why do we care how much exposure FCS gets? So as it is now maybe a few hundred thousand people will tune in for a few plays of a Jackson St. game just to cleanse their souls, but I don’t think anybody is a real fan except the fans those schools already had. Nobody is gonna watch FU games are except FU fans. Nobody watches JMU except JMU fans. Nobody who doesn’t have some connection to an FCS team is ever going to watch much FCS, are they? Why would they?

I say don’t worry about that stuff. It isn’t like we could ever get some monster tv deal. If people don’t want to play with us, fine. I wish the rest of FCS would stop scheduling them at all.

[FUBeAR]

OK, those might work.

But why do we care how much exposure FCS gets? So as it is now maybe a few hundred thousand people will tune in for a few plays of a Jackson St. game just to cleanse their souls, but I don’t think anybody is a real fan except the fans those schools already had. Nobody is gonna watch FU games are except FU fans. Nobody watches JMU except JMU fans. Nobody who doesn’t have some connection to an FCS team is ever going to watch much FCS, are they? Why would they?

I say don’t worry about that stuff. It isn’t like we could ever get some monster tv deal. If people don’t want to play with us, fine. I wish the rest of FCS would stop scheduling them at all.

Your DEI score is going to be very low this season Furmanoid.

Marketing peeps would disagree with your assertion that a brand (FCS Football in this case) cannot be built. Get the Ivies & the HBCU’s involved in the Playoffs (heck - let their bands become guest bands of the Team that knocks out their Football Team and let the bands play on!) and FUBeAR thinks the Worldwide (Woke) Leader would be willing to put together a weekly and playoff deal for over-the-airwaves broadcasts.

[Roundball]

Great news for the FCS.

[FUBeAR]

Great news for the FCS.

Sure - great news for FCS, but now, because the day change, FUBeAR has to see if he can change his flights and hotel reservations. Have any of y’all already changed yours? Were the vendors cooperative or did they act like bellhops?

[Flagman]

Guess I’ll have to find a substitute to preach for me that day.