The Unofficial Furman Football Page

The lack of comment and lack of notice about FCS championship (NDSU 38 - EWU 24) makes me wonder.
If we were NDSU, how many people nationally would notice?
If we were EWU, how many people nationally would notice?
How many people nationally even noticed that there was an FCS championship game yesterday?

ESPN schedules a Noon kickoff so the game will be out of the way before the NFL Wild Cards commence. I think Friday night would be a better time slot.

FCS football is nothing in the national sports convo. Tough to admit because we all love it, but it is the truth. Doesn’t help when one team dominates this much either. Thought it was a good idea to move it to January but now I’m not so sure. I agree that Friday night might be a bit better, but at this point it’s FBS title game and NFL playoffs. Nothing else matters.

Before the BCS happened, the FCS playoff was the only real playoff in town, and I think a lot more eyes were on it then. Now it just gets overshadowed.

I suggest moving the championship game to 3rd Saturday in December, which would be the 15th, 16th, 17th , 18th, 19th, 20th, Or 21st. To do that, pare down the number of playoff teams to 16 instead of 24:
10 conference champions and 6 at-large, instead of 10 conference champions and 14 at-large; and no byes for the top 8. Have Round 1 with the 16, quarterfinals with 8, semifinals with 4, and finals.

Another suggestion:
Whether the playoffs have 24 teams, or 16 teams, or 32 teams, have the regular season for FCS start 1 week earlier than at present. That would allow championship game to be before Christmas, and would allow more scheduling flexibility (and an extra bye week if a 16 team playoff). I make this suggestion after noticing that Clemson’s first game next season will be a conference game on Thursday, August 22, 2019, at Clemson.

The Clempson/GT Thursday night game is August 29.

My source was TigerNet.com (“The source for Clemson sports information”).
The main point, though, is whether or not anything can /should be done, and if yes, what can be done, about notice of FCS playoff champions, runners up, quarter finalists, etc., getting lost in the media tsunami of NFL and FBS championships and having very little notice. When Dabo said no other team has gone 15-0, most people did not realize NDSU has achieved that 2 days prior. Most people did not even realize that NDSU had won the championship, nor that EWU had been the runner-up. Should all FCS just be like Ivy League and just not have playoffs?

Should all FCS just be like Ivy League and just not have playoffs?

I think most FCS fans like the 18k who attended the Championship like the product just fine. It is never going to be mass market and anyone who wants it to be is sure to be disappointed. Although I enjoy watching big time college football I think FCS has it about right in what IMO college sports should be about.

FU3 wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:06 pm

Should all FCS just be like Ivy League and just not have playoffs?

I think most FCS fans like the 18k who attended the Championship like the product just fine. It is never going to be mass market and anyone who wants it to be is sure to be disappointed. Although I enjoy watching big time college football I think FCS has it about right in what IMO college sports should be about.

I would agree. I mean I've pulled for Furman my whole life, but it's hard to get me super excited about non-Furman FCS games. I just don't know enough about the teams, coaches or players. Not sure if there's a solution or not. I think maybe we just have to be happy that people that support FCS teams are passionate and that there's a big following with online message boards.

fufanatic wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:22 pm

I mean I've pulled for Furman my whole life, but it's hard to get me super excited about non-Furman FCS games. I just don't know enough about the teams, coaches or players. Not sure if there's a solution or not.

Just like learning a foreign language or being a good Baptist, IMMERSION is the solution you seek. FUBeAR all but ignores FBS Football (except the 3 Playoff games) and, unless the Falcons are winning, totally ignores the NFL.

Message Boards (AGS for ALL Teams / local for individual ones), STATS, HEROSports, and selected Twitter accounts are your info sources. Get involved as an AGS Poll voter & you’ll have to know about The Big Sky’s OOC scheduling farce & that that the Southland Teams LOVE them some Transfers, etc.

Whenever people talk to me about “How ‘bout them Dawgs!”...I’ll reply with something I accidentally heard or saw about UGa (can’t help it if you live in ATL) & then ask them about a SoCon game or an FCS Playoff game. Of course, they don’t know diddley about it, so I ‘engage’ & edumucate them. Some act bored, so I drop it. Some think it’s funny, so we have a good time goofing (while I’m educating the ), some are dismissive smart-a$$e$, so I break down crying (not - y’all know FUBeAR ENGAGES with those types), and some start to get into it...and later ask me about the SoCon standings or NDSU or “that guy” that just broke Steve McNair’s records. I was getting texts last Sat. from Penn State, Texas, and Georgia Alums, who were watching the NDSU vs. EWU game asking me about stuff.

Remember back when everyone drank (only) Bud & Coors & Iron City Light (OK, that was just me)...and you were the weird guy who was trying to get them to try an IPA or a Wheat beer? FCS Football is the craft beer of the 90’s. We FCSophiles are just ahead of our time. The unwashed will come around. JUST DIVE IN!!

So, I think FUBeAR is saying to not worry about the non-notice in the general media. Just pay attention to FCS.

I get what FUBeAR says about the people who want to talk about Georgia. In SC where I live, there are many Georgia supporters, which is fine; but I need to keep up with how the Gamecocks are doing mainly, as well as Clemson, plus the SEC overall and the ACC overall. I do want to converse with people about football. I do want to bring up Furman, the team that I follow and am interested in. I get what FUBeAR says about, when I mention Furman, "Of course, they don’t know diddley about it, so I ‘engage’ & edumucate them. Some act bored, so I drop it. … some are dismissive smart-a$$e$, so I break down crying (not - y’all know FUBeAR ENGAGES with those types), and some start to get into it." As a recently-encountered indirect example of "...dismissive smart-a$$e$ …", while reading Clemson fans comments Monday night during the game, I saw one saying something like "Saban needs to resign and become coach at North Dakota State. Maybe he will be able to compete in FCS."

Question about "Get involved as an AGS Poll voter & you’ll have to know about The Big Sky’s OOC scheduling farce & that that the Southland Teams LOVE them some Transfers, etc." ****What is involved in being an AGS Poll voter?**** I have no idea. Is that open to general public? Or does one have to apply, meet certain standards and commitments, and be selected or approved?
Back to the point of this reply, I am saying that I now get it. "Immersion" in Furman football and FCS football is absolutely plenty - regardless of the level of notice by others to FCS and of Furman compared to the level of notice by others to FBS and of "team a, b, c, d, e, f, g, etc., from FBS."

affirm wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 09, 2019 9:37 am

So, I think FUBeAR is saying to not worry about the non-notice in the general media. Just pay attention to FCS.

I get what FUBeAR says about the people who want to talk about Georgia. In SC where I live, there are many Georgia supporters, which is fine; but I need to keep up with how the Gamecocks are doing mainly, as well as Clemson, plus the SEC overall and the ACC overall. I do want to converse with people about football. I do want to bring up Furman, the team that I follow and am interested in. I get what FUBeAR says about, when I mention Furman, "Of course, they don’t know diddley about it, so I ‘engage’ & edumucate them. Some act bored, so I drop it. … some are dismissive smart-a$$e$, so I break down crying (not - y’all know FUBeAR ENGAGES with those types), and some start to get into it." As a recently-encountered indirect example of "...dismissive smart-a$$e$ …", while reading Clemson fans comments Monday night during the game, I saw one saying something like "Saban needs to resign and become coach at North Dakota State. Maybe he will be able to compete in FCS."

Question about "Get involved as an AGS Poll voter & you’ll have to know about The Big Sky’s OOC scheduling farce & that that the Southland Teams LOVE them some Transfers, etc." ****What is involved in being an AGS Poll voter?**** I have no idea. Is that open to general public? Or does one have to apply, meet certain standards and commitments, and be selected or approved?
Back to the point of this reply, I am saying that I now get it. "Immersion" in Furman football and FCS football is absolutely plenty - regardless of the level of notice by others to FCS and of Furman compared to the level of notice by others to FBS and of "team a, b, c, d, e, f, g, etc., from FBS."

To become an AGS Poll Voter, you have to join the AGS Message Board at least 1 year prior to the next season’s Pre-Season Poll. Example - if you joined today, you would not be an eligible to vote in the poll until the 2020 season. You also have to have 100 posts on AGS prior to becoming a voter & you have to be “in good standing,” i.e., not suspended or on probation, etc. Then, you have to, as Coach Swinney says, “DO YOUR JOB!” You have to get your votes in on time, accurate, & complete. They use Google Docs, emails, and posts to communicate & they provide resources to assist in your assessments, such as a weekly “How they fared” google spreadsheet. This was my 2nd year voting and I did not particularly enjoy it in year 1, but it became a lot easier in Year 2 and served to enhance my enjoyment of FCS Football, overall.

The AGS Poll is part of the Massey Composite Index for FCS & I believe the old BCS used Massey as part of their process...so your FBS friends will be impressed when you tell them you have to make sure to catch the Youngstown State @ Northern Iowa game because you think the outcome will have a major impact on your Poll that week. “Poll vote?” they will ask...and then you tell them, “Sure...you remember how the BCS used indexes to determine their Teams. Well, one of those was Massey & my poll, where I am a voter, rolls into Massey & the FCS Playoff at-large Playoff Teams are, in part, affected by that ranking.” So, you’re now, in their eyes, just as important to FCS Football as Condolleezza Rice and Coach Bobby Johnson are to FBS Football. You don’t have to tell them otherwise.

Honestly, people are not disinterested in FCS Football, particularly when they realize the number of NFL Players that played FCS. They just don’t see it. It’s not served up to them 24/7 in the media as P5 Football is. And, I think FCS has a brand niche that is distinct & can be attractive & interesting to people - much more than G5 Football...which is not distinct from P5. To the average Football Fan, P5 Football is Budweiser, Coors, and Miller. G5 Football is the generic white cans labeled only “Beer” in your supermarket. FCS Football is in the Craft Brews section...and quite tasty, if you can find it...and try it.

Excellent information. I salute you.