Semi-finalists

[Affirm]

Sorry to see UCD lose in their first ever year in the FCS playoffs. Seems like having a big California school like that to make it to the finals or even semi-finals may have been good publicity for FCS. I think California has only 5 FCS programs, and I know none of those have won the championship. I think one of them got to the finals one year, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. CORRECTION: Cal Poly SLO never made it beyond the quarterfinals, and that was 2005.
... This year’s semi finalist group seems extremely northern-oriented:
EWU
SDSU
NDSU
Maine
The “southern-most “ school is from the Dakotas!
Washington
South Dakota
North Dakota
Maine
This seems rare. Maybe it’s not. Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and Massachusetts are the home states of the 13 of the champions (though 7 times it was NDSU and only 6 times those other 4 states, 5 schools). 11 times the runner-up has been from those very northern states.
Let’s continue to do what we’re doing, and more, to help get Furman pointed back to the semi-finals and beyond!
... I’d like to be reminded of when was the last time that Furman got to the semi finals.
... UPDATE: Furman has been in semi finals 6 times, with the most recent being 2005. Let’s get back!
We were in the championship game (finals) 3 of those years: 1985, 1988, and 2001.
Of course, we all know which if those years we won the championship.

[FUBeAR]

Interesting - I hadn’t thought about how from the Northern Latitudes all 4 Teams truly are.

Someone did point out to me that 3 of the 4 are State Schools located in states with no FBS programs (Maine, NDSU, SDSU), which I found interesting.

[Affirm]

Yes, interesting. And the 4th, EWU is a state school. EWU has WSU to the south and UW 280 miles west, but no FBS program besides those 2 in the state and very few anywhere near. In contrast, considering states such as South Carolina and others, the FCS programs AND the FBS programs are relatively numerous; and considering states such as Georgia, North Carolina, and Alabama, there are FCS programs outnumbered by FBS programs, I believe.
DISTANCES:
NDSU and SDSU are playing in one of the semifinal games. Fargo and Brookings are only 175 mile apart on I-29. Closer in miles than Furman is to Charleston, Statesboro, or Boone.
Maine and EWU are playing each other in the other semifinal. Orono, ME, and Cheney, WA, are 3,003 road miles apart.

[apaladin]

I hate that red field at EWU.

[fufanatic]

I'm worried that the high volume of teams west of the Mississippi that are among the FCS elite and has been the trend for quite a while is only going to continue. I would love to break down the semifinalists over the last 10 years by region of the country, but that seems like a lot of work. But with the exception of James Madison, GSU and App, I'm guessing the ratio isn't great. I know the population in the Southeast has also risen, thus more quality players to go around, but I can't help but think that if you took a couple of players from Georgia State, Kennesaw State, Coastal, Campbell, Mercer, Charlotte, or any other schools in the SE that have added teams in the last decade and added them to Furman or another program that's been around for well over 100 years, that that team would be able to compete easily with NDSU, James Madison, SDSU, EWU, etc.