New Round of Realignment Now Following UT & OU Action

[Sad Din]

B12 just lost its two biggest programs.

FU shouldnt apply to B12, they should apply to the SEC. That will be your 20 team conf

[Furmanoid]

OK affirm, it looks like realignment will likely reduce the number of FCS games against SEC teams. And maybe the other conferences will choose to play crappy FBS teams rather than FCS teams to avoid “cupcake schedule” accusations. So yes, FCS teams need to be planning for life without whoring themselves out for beat downs against the FBS. It was a weird system all along and I’m OK with it dying.

One unknown is how fast it may die, since the FBS realignments and conference expansions could take anywhere from a year or a very few years, to many years.
Another unknown is whether and how realignments and expansions are going to affect FCS conferences and their makeups, and FCS schedules.
And another is the money that FCS gets from playing FBS opponents. How much does it really matter to FCS programs, and specifically to Furman? What, if anything, will need to change without that money?
Another unknown is the future of the NCAA, how it is going to change, possibly what is going to replace it, and how that’s all going to affect schools at the FCS level.
Yes, I know that about this entire situation there is a lot about which we can say “I don’t know, no one knows, it’s all speculation and a waste of time to think about.” I also know that much of, maybe most of, what gets posted on UFFP is of the same nature. So I was just hoping to see some serious thought and discussion about possible effects on Furman football. I guess we’ll just ignore it and talk about what has happened after it has happened.
We can just do our best to enjoy what we do have and know about, while we have it
Nevertheless, I will continue to follow the FBS level changes and try to notice how, if at all, they are going to eventually impact Furman and programs similar to Furman.
Finally, to those who don’t like to read more than 1 or 2 lines of text in any UFFP post, I apologize; and I will try to do better to hold any future posts to only 1 or 2 lines. No promises except that I will try.

The big guys will still have room in their schedule for an easier game. They may all choose to play somebody like Kansas which looks a little better in strength of schedule or they may very well continue to play FCS. They will have more money than ever to pay for those FCS games. And there is a lot of value in a stress-free Saturday with all the young guys getting playing time. (The smartest thing Dabo does is to play everybody. By mid season nobody on his team is inexperienced.) But if a few top teams set the trend of dropping the FCS, everybody who wants to get in the playoffs will pretty much have to do the same. That’s why contingency planning is in order. And it seems like FCS could make some cost cutting rule changes since there would no longer be any need to be even slightly competitive with FBS on the field.

[Affirm]

OK affirm, it looks like realignment will likely reduce the number of FCS games against SEC teams. And maybe the other conferences will choose to play crappy FBS teams rather than FCS teams to avoid “cupcake schedule” accusations. So yes, FCS teams need to be planning for life without whoring themselves out for beat downs against the FBS. It was a weird system all along and I’m OK with it dying.

One unknown is how fast it may die, since the FBS realignments and conference expansions could take anywhere from a year or a very few years, to many years.
Another unknown is whether and how realignments and expansions are going to affect FCS conferences and their makeups, and FCS schedules.
And another is the money that FCS gets from playing FBS opponents. How much does it really matter to FCS programs, and specifically to Furman? What, if anything, will need to change without that money?
Another unknown is the future of the NCAA, how it is going to change, possibly what is going to replace it, and how that’s all going to affect schools at the FCS level.
Yes, I know that about this entire situation there is a lot about which we can say “I don’t know, no one knows, it’s all speculation and a waste of time to think about.” I also know that much of, maybe most of, what gets posted on UFFP is of the same nature. So I was just hoping to see some serious thought and discussion about possible effects on Furman football. I guess we’ll just ignore it and talk about what has happened after it has happened.
We can just do our best to enjoy what we do have and know about, while we have it
Nevertheless, I will continue to follow the FBS level changes and try to notice how, if at all, they are going to eventually impact Furman and programs similar to Furman.
Finally, to those who don’t like to read more than 1 or 2 lines of text in any UFFP post, I apologize; and I will try to do better to hold any future posts to only 1 or 2 lines. No promises except that I will try.

The big guys will still have room in their schedule for an easier game. They may all choose to play somebody like Kansas which looks a little better in strength of schedule or they may very well continue to play FCS. They will have more money than ever to pay for those FCS games. And there is a lot of value in a stress-free Saturday with all the young guys getting playing time. (The smartest thing Dabo does is to play everybody. By mid season nobody on his team is inexperienced.) But if a few top teams set the trend of dropping the FCS, everybody who wants to get in the playoffs will pretty much have to do the same. That’s why contingency planning is in order. And it seems like FCS could make some cost cutting rule changes since there would no longer be any need to be even slightly competitive with FBS on the field.

They will have more $ than ever to pay for those FCS games. At the same time more than ever to pay for low-level FBS to come & get beat. I’m guessing TV audiences (and in stadium spectators) prefer to pass on watching, FBS-FCS, whereas they would instead attend or watch FBS-FBS games.

[Affirm]

An article relating to Oklahoma State quoted one panel discussion member saying that the leftover 8 Big 12 schools should just stay together, play each other, plus 1 big rival annual game OOC (I'm not sure who would have that except for OSU and ISU), plus whoever best they can get for 1 or 2 national level FBS opponents and 1 medium level FBS opponent, plus playing one FCS school each year.

[Affirm]

I imagine that whole idea would present a lot of problems for WVU and probably for most or all schools of the leftover 8. For one thing, no conference championship game. But the idea of playing 1 FCS each year was mentioned seriously, even though it was stated as "I-AA".

[Davemeister]

B12 just lost its two biggest programs.

FU shouldnt apply to B12, they should apply to the SEC. That will be your 20 team conf

Furman can't join the SEC. U of SC will blackball us.

[Affirm]

B12 just lost its two biggest programs.

FU shouldnt apply to B12, they should apply to the SEC. That will be your 20 team conf

Furman can't join the SEC. U of SC will blackball us.

UofSC might also blackball Clemson. They might not blackball Clemson. And actually, UofSC’s preferences would be to bring in Coastal, Citadel, and Wofford before they would bring in us. I do realize of course that this is a ridiculous (but true) comment on the topic, except perhaps my first 2 sentences.

[Davemeister]

Affirm, my friend, we live in an age in which the Ridiculous is often true and the Truth is often ridiculous. Enjoy.

[apaladin]

I don’t see any reduction of FBS/FCS games in the near future. OU and UT don’t join the SEC until 2025. It is thought that the SEC may go to a 9 game conference schedule then. That would leave them with 3 ooc games. Who will they want to schedule? Maybe one tough ooc game but that would be it. They will continue to schedule lower tier fbs and fcs teams. Nobody wants 12 tough games. BTW we have a tentative date with Tennessee in 2026.

[Affirm]

Affirm, my friend, we live in an age in which the Ridiculous is often true and the Truth is often ridiculous. Enjoy.

OK.
Thank you friend.

[Affirm]

I don’t see any reduction of FBS/FCS games in the near future. OU and UT don’t join the SEC until 2025. It is thought that the SEC may go to a 9 game conference schedule then. That would leave them with 3 ooc games. Who will they want to schedule? Maybe one tough ooc game but that would be it. They will continue to schedule lower tier fbs and fcs teams. Nobody wants 12 tough games. BTW we have a tentative date with Tennessee in 2026.

(WARNING: SORRY FOR THE LONG POST HERE. SKIP IT IF YOU DON’T LIKE LONG.)
Maybe, apaladin.
But OU & UTx might be in SEC sooner, pending legal and political actions.
Thanks for the heads up about UTn in 2026.
However, in further response to you apaladin, even as a member of the 14 team SEC, UofSC, for example, has played, or will play, FCS opponents 18 of the 21 seasons from 2006 through 2026.
**In those 21 years (18 games), FU will have played UofSC 3 times (2010, 2014, 2023).
Other teams that have gotten the “big” payday from UofSC are Wofford x6 (…yes, six times), Citadel x2,
SCSU x2,
and 1x each for FCS CCU (… 70-10 in 2013 - 4 years before CCU moved up…), WCU, UTC, CSU, and EIU (2021).
We are fortunate to have played them 3 times which will include the future game (hopefully) in 2023.
**What the scenario would be in the 16 team SEC playing 9 conference games plus the annual game against Clemson, who knows.
Like all SEC teams, UofSC already
is scheduling 1 or 2 games each year against teams like ECU, Ga State, Liberty, Old Dominion, Akron, Marshall, La Tech, Charlotte, etc. , very rarely having to make a return visit to play on the road against such teams. So I am not sure that, in the UofSC example at least, opportunities for FCS programs to go play FBS will not shrink or go away.
I am glad that we have FBS games for 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and hopefully (per apaladin) 2026. But note that 3 of those 5 games are vs SEC.
(Glad also that we have NCSU this year and CU 2022 and 2025.)

[apaladin]

Affirm, fyi it was Furman’s decision to not play SC from 2014 to 2023 because SC did not pay enough. IIRC SC was only paying 200k. At the same time CU was paying $250k plus giving FU 2,000 tickets to sell and FU could keep the money. CU made a decision to only play FCS teams from SC but SC has not done that. E.Illinois visits SC this year. Kudis to CU for making the right decision IMHO.

[Roundball]

I've heard a lot of discussion both on the local and national shows about not if, but when the ACC, Big 10 and Pac 12 form an alliance. Part of the discussion included what happens to the games against FCS and even the Group of 5 teams. Most everyone agreed that games against FCS will be moved to a spring scrimmage contest. While this is not ideal for us, at least it still gives us the possibility of a decent payday each year. I hope this is not what happens, but common sense tells me it will, sooner than later.
Update at 3:45. The Athletic is reporting this alliance will be announced as early as next week. Things are moving fast.

[Affirm]

I've heard a lot of discussion both on the local and national shows about not if, but when the ACC, Big 10 and Pac 12 form an alliance. Part of the discussion included what happens to the games against FCS and even the Group of 5 teams. Most everyone agreed that games against FCS will be moved to a spring scrimmage contest. While this is not ideal for us, at least it still gives us the possibility of a decent payday each year. I hope this is not what happens, but common sense tells me it will, sooner than later.
Update at 3:45. The Athletic is reporting this alliance will be announced as early as next week. Things are moving fast.

VERY interesting.
Thanks.

[Furmanoid]

I think it sort of goes like this. The SEC likes to crow about how tough their conference schedule is. Then they play maybe one hard ooc game and some patsies. The other conferences have recognized that their conference games are mostly patsies. So they will play 2 or 3 good teams from other conferences and end up with stronger schedules than the SEC. This will be fun to watch.

So if you are Clemson maybe you play Ohio State instead of Georgia and Stanford instead of UConn . The legislature will probably force them to play that other patsy from Columbia. If you have to play a third game against an alliance team (Washington or Michigan or somebody) then there wouldn’t be much room for SC State or FU.