Quote Originally Posted by Lehigh Football Nation
Answer: It wasn't OK then, and it was barely OK last year that they took 4 A-10 teams - and even then it was an extraordinary circumstance.

The "Gateway 4" came about when the I-AA playoff committee ignored their own standards and let WKU in the playoffs, stiffing a good Lehigh team. This despite WKU not playing all Division I competition and only having 1 good win on their schedule. They were, however, the defending I-AA champions, which gave them a trump card over 8-3 Lehigh, who played a better schedule.
In retrosopect I concur that Lehigh played a better schedule than WKU in '03. However hindsight is always 20/20. WKU was the 02 national champion and rightly or wrongly the Gateway was considered a tougher conference in '03 than the PL and so WKU got the benefit of the doubt. WKU did win it's opening game (Yes I know against an OVC team) I personally think that Lehigh's complaint vis a vis WKU is not as strong as it's case against Bethune - Cookman. The MEAC had not had the playoff success of either the Gateway or the Patriot League. IF your best team can't win a playoff game what is the point of adding a 2nd team from the same conference? The pick of B-C seems largely a result of trying to get a high attendance opening game between 2 Florida schools.

I think that Nova could have made a case to be a 5th A-10 team last year. After all they beat a PL playoff team that got a home game even though they weren't the league's auto bid. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: