TexasTerror
May 14th, 2006, 06:37 AM
An increase of 21 I-A teams will play games against I-AA foes this year. This year's mark is 32 teams higher than that of two years ago when the rule did not even exist! 62% of I-A schools will face a I-AA foe this year compared to 35% prior to the rule.
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When the 12-game football season was adopted, another rule was changed to allow Division I-A programs to count one victory over a Division I-AA team per year toward bowl eligibility. Previously, such a victory could be counted once every four years.
Except for the Pac-10, which made the extra game a conference game, most schools have used it to schedule a payday. USA Today reported recently that 74 of the 119 I-A teams will play a I-AA opponent this year.
Last year, 53 I-A teams played I-AA teams, but that was the first year of the rule that allowed one I-AA victory each year to count toward bowl eligibility. The year before that, when no such rule existed, only 42 I-A teams scheduled I-AA opponents.
Eight of the 11 Big Ten teams will play a I-AA school this year. In fact, of the Big Ten's 45 non-conference games only 10 are against teams from the other five BCS conferences (plus four against Notre Dame).
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/column/index.php?ntid=83804&ntpid=2
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When the 12-game football season was adopted, another rule was changed to allow Division I-A programs to count one victory over a Division I-AA team per year toward bowl eligibility. Previously, such a victory could be counted once every four years.
Except for the Pac-10, which made the extra game a conference game, most schools have used it to schedule a payday. USA Today reported recently that 74 of the 119 I-A teams will play a I-AA opponent this year.
Last year, 53 I-A teams played I-AA teams, but that was the first year of the rule that allowed one I-AA victory each year to count toward bowl eligibility. The year before that, when no such rule existed, only 42 I-A teams scheduled I-AA opponents.
Eight of the 11 Big Ten teams will play a I-AA school this year. In fact, of the Big Ten's 45 non-conference games only 10 are against teams from the other five BCS conferences (plus four against Notre Dame).
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/column/index.php?ntid=83804&ntpid=2