CaBisonFan
October 7th, 2007, 12:33 PM
Recently, I had an email discussion with a prominent writer connected to the Notre Dame program. It was cordial, but there was a fundamental argument.
I believe that the gap between high-caliber FCS teams and the FBS has gotten smaller. There have been several examples of FBS teams losing to FCS teams as of late...but the App. State win was perhaps the most striking for me. UNI's success in Iowa is right up there also.
Being a North Dakota State fan, I have more knowledge of what the Bison have been experiencing...so I will use these examples. Last year, the 4th year of the ncaa 5-year transitional purgatory, NDSU defeated a good Ball State team on the road. Later that season, Ball State went to Michigan and took them to the wire...a year when the great debate took place over who deserved the championship game bid...Michigan, or Florida. This season, NDSU went to Central Michigan and surprised 'everyone' with a dismantling of CMU. They had returned 15 starters from their MAC championship team from last year, so it was assumed that they would be very tough to beat. After the game, the natural reaction was to think that CMU was actually 'down,' and that the Bison had not actually beaten one of the better MAC teams in 2007. But now, it seems that CMU is doing just fine in the MAC. Perhaps their game with NDSU served as a wakeup call for the team...but what I witnessed, was a CMU team that was overmatched by NDSU, in almost every category. And of course, there's the painful irony from last year, when the Bison completely outplayed Minnesota statistically, only to lose by a point on a blocked field goal at the end. That game is still a sore spot for most Bison fans. In two weeks we get to try it again.
I'm sure that many FCS fans could site their own experiences with their teams either beating, or coming close to defeating an FBS program or two.
Going back to the Irish-friendly reporter...he emphatically denied that upper-level FCS teams could play consistently with medium-level FBS teams. He referred to the Sagarin rankings as his guide-post for his weekly vote, and stated that most of his media friends that are in the voting pool use the Sagarin rankings as the most reliable resource for placing their votes.
To finish that discussion...I asked him to study the latest Sagarin rankings, and to see how many FCS teams are ranked either higher than, or very close to some of the historical big-name programs in the FBS. Of course, I used Notre Dame as the best example...and, of course, I used NDSU's current ranking in the Sagarin. Guess what...as of last week the Bison were approximately 40 positions higher than Notre Dame. Notre Dame, typically, is a lot stronger...but it is striking that they were ranked 95th by Sagarin as of last week. Perhaps the most storied program in the history of college football, with a network TV contract, was ranked below several FCS teams.
But more important that the rankings, is my observation of weekly scores between the two levels, and comparison scores against common opponents. One example that is striking is Ball State's one-point loss 'at' Nebraska...a team that CMU defeated soundly this weekend. For someone like me, that's striking. I always thought that a 'Nebraska' was sooooo far ahead of teams like NDSU.
UNI's dominance of the state of Iowa over the past couple of years is remarkable. Of course, the Notre Dame reporter thought that the results from the past two years didn't mean that UNI was the best team in Iowa. It was just an aberration.
I 'did not' write this article simply to blow NDSU's horn. I merely used examples of our experiences in competition with FBS teams. Am I proud of the Bison as they approach the end of their ncaa probation? Absolutely! I'm actually pretty worked up over the length of the transition, while the Bison are fielding a very competitive team. Frustrated, in that regard, I am. But again, that's not my point. It's an old topic that I need to try to forget about...but it's not easy.
I 'did' write this as a relative newcomer to the FCS scene, wondering if others are witnessing something similar. I'm interested in your stories too...about your teams.
I believe that there are only a handful of elite FBS programs that most FCS teams would be dominated by...and that the difference lies mostly with the elite teams, having a small handful of very, very elite players that most other teams don't have. I believe that the gap between the top 10 FBS teams and the rest of the pack lies within this handful of players. Perhaps a team like LSU has more than a handful.
Other than that...the playing field is remarkably level across the country.
And to place an exclamation point on my point...let me cite the amazing Stanford win over USC last night...a Stanford team that Cal Davis defeated last year.
FCS teams 'always' have to go to the big-boys' house. Thusly, the tip toward FBS teams in the rankings (and outcomes) lies mostly within the home-field advantage, rather than a significant difference in talent. The Notre Dame writer would hear nothing of this, of course.
Outside of the difference in depth, I believe that the FCS is enjoying a caliber of football that is equal to most FBS games.
I'd like to hear your stories. And again, this thread is not intended to begin a discussion about NDSU. I apologize for any Bison smackers that have come here. Most Bison fans realize that there are a ton of outstanding FCS programs...and most Bison fans are just very happy to be a part of the FCS family after years of struggling with the ncaa's abandonment of D2, and its efforts to make the transition as long and as difficult as possible. We have been a frustrated group, but we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel...and it's about time.
Any takers?
If so...let the discussion begin.
(Being pretty new here, I apologize if I'm repeating a thread.)
I believe that the gap between high-caliber FCS teams and the FBS has gotten smaller. There have been several examples of FBS teams losing to FCS teams as of late...but the App. State win was perhaps the most striking for me. UNI's success in Iowa is right up there also.
Being a North Dakota State fan, I have more knowledge of what the Bison have been experiencing...so I will use these examples. Last year, the 4th year of the ncaa 5-year transitional purgatory, NDSU defeated a good Ball State team on the road. Later that season, Ball State went to Michigan and took them to the wire...a year when the great debate took place over who deserved the championship game bid...Michigan, or Florida. This season, NDSU went to Central Michigan and surprised 'everyone' with a dismantling of CMU. They had returned 15 starters from their MAC championship team from last year, so it was assumed that they would be very tough to beat. After the game, the natural reaction was to think that CMU was actually 'down,' and that the Bison had not actually beaten one of the better MAC teams in 2007. But now, it seems that CMU is doing just fine in the MAC. Perhaps their game with NDSU served as a wakeup call for the team...but what I witnessed, was a CMU team that was overmatched by NDSU, in almost every category. And of course, there's the painful irony from last year, when the Bison completely outplayed Minnesota statistically, only to lose by a point on a blocked field goal at the end. That game is still a sore spot for most Bison fans. In two weeks we get to try it again.
I'm sure that many FCS fans could site their own experiences with their teams either beating, or coming close to defeating an FBS program or two.
Going back to the Irish-friendly reporter...he emphatically denied that upper-level FCS teams could play consistently with medium-level FBS teams. He referred to the Sagarin rankings as his guide-post for his weekly vote, and stated that most of his media friends that are in the voting pool use the Sagarin rankings as the most reliable resource for placing their votes.
To finish that discussion...I asked him to study the latest Sagarin rankings, and to see how many FCS teams are ranked either higher than, or very close to some of the historical big-name programs in the FBS. Of course, I used Notre Dame as the best example...and, of course, I used NDSU's current ranking in the Sagarin. Guess what...as of last week the Bison were approximately 40 positions higher than Notre Dame. Notre Dame, typically, is a lot stronger...but it is striking that they were ranked 95th by Sagarin as of last week. Perhaps the most storied program in the history of college football, with a network TV contract, was ranked below several FCS teams.
But more important that the rankings, is my observation of weekly scores between the two levels, and comparison scores against common opponents. One example that is striking is Ball State's one-point loss 'at' Nebraska...a team that CMU defeated soundly this weekend. For someone like me, that's striking. I always thought that a 'Nebraska' was sooooo far ahead of teams like NDSU.
UNI's dominance of the state of Iowa over the past couple of years is remarkable. Of course, the Notre Dame reporter thought that the results from the past two years didn't mean that UNI was the best team in Iowa. It was just an aberration.
I 'did not' write this article simply to blow NDSU's horn. I merely used examples of our experiences in competition with FBS teams. Am I proud of the Bison as they approach the end of their ncaa probation? Absolutely! I'm actually pretty worked up over the length of the transition, while the Bison are fielding a very competitive team. Frustrated, in that regard, I am. But again, that's not my point. It's an old topic that I need to try to forget about...but it's not easy.
I 'did' write this as a relative newcomer to the FCS scene, wondering if others are witnessing something similar. I'm interested in your stories too...about your teams.
I believe that there are only a handful of elite FBS programs that most FCS teams would be dominated by...and that the difference lies mostly with the elite teams, having a small handful of very, very elite players that most other teams don't have. I believe that the gap between the top 10 FBS teams and the rest of the pack lies within this handful of players. Perhaps a team like LSU has more than a handful.
Other than that...the playing field is remarkably level across the country.
And to place an exclamation point on my point...let me cite the amazing Stanford win over USC last night...a Stanford team that Cal Davis defeated last year.
FCS teams 'always' have to go to the big-boys' house. Thusly, the tip toward FBS teams in the rankings (and outcomes) lies mostly within the home-field advantage, rather than a significant difference in talent. The Notre Dame writer would hear nothing of this, of course.
Outside of the difference in depth, I believe that the FCS is enjoying a caliber of football that is equal to most FBS games.
I'd like to hear your stories. And again, this thread is not intended to begin a discussion about NDSU. I apologize for any Bison smackers that have come here. Most Bison fans realize that there are a ton of outstanding FCS programs...and most Bison fans are just very happy to be a part of the FCS family after years of struggling with the ncaa's abandonment of D2, and its efforts to make the transition as long and as difficult as possible. We have been a frustrated group, but we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel...and it's about time.
Any takers?
If so...let the discussion begin.
(Being pretty new here, I apologize if I'm repeating a thread.)