Preseason Magazines

[Josh]

Lindy's, Sporting News, and Athlon conference additions are out. The national editions with I-AA coverage should be out next week. Make sure to pick them up!!

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

I'll grab them up for the 1-A information. I'll also read what they have to say, how little it might be, about 1-AA but for the most part the coverage over the lower divisions it weak. The one regional magazine that breaks down the PL, Big East, Big Ten and Ivy i believe is pretty good for 1-AA coverage..

[ngineer]

I'll grab them up for the 1-A information. I'll also read what they have to say, how little it might be, about 1-AA but for the most part the coverage over the lower divisions it weak. The one regional magazine that breaks down the PL, Big East, Big Ten and Ivy i believe is pretty good for 1-AA coverage..

I thought Street and Smith's did a 'fair' job of covering the I-AA scene last year. I think the coverage has improved slightly over the past couple years. I get it primarily because it has a great composite schedule of all Division I schools in the back, as well as the complete stats for I-AA of the prior season. :read:

[TexasTerror]

Can someone post I-AA standings predictions from the various magazines when they do come out? Would love to compare...

[Josh]

Can someone post I-AA standings predictions from the various magazines when they do come out? Would love to compare...

You might want to pick them up. They hate when people post them. I would just check them out. I will post partial stuff but I do have a good relationship with some of those major writers so I can't post it all.

[Josh]

The only mag that matters:
http://www.i-aa.org/upload/2004previewcover180w.jpg
on sale in July

That is last year's! You better update it if people are gonna buy it!... :D

They all matter to me but some more than others. I honestly compile as much info on even the big boys as I can. I have to profile these guys so I watch tape and compile as much as possible.

I can't say which 2 sources I put stock into but there are only 2 and honestly I don't put too much into any of the magazines just because of the politics involved. There are favors in there so you just have to watch out for which ones are favors.

I did my ACC preview recently and there are some major favors in the ACC outlooks in these magazines. I found 3 players who didn't do anything major last year but their name got them high honors in the preseason.

[Josh]

He was referring to I-AA

We do this at I-AA.org as the stuff comes out:
http://www.i-aa.org/article.asp?articleid=57962

Yeah I know. I will post partial I-AA stuff but not full predictions because I want everyone to pick the magazines up.

I want to know everything about all divisions of football not just I-AA so if you are a football fan in general I say pick them up. It is football info to tide you over until August.

[Rob]

Last year's preseason Top 25

Athlon
1. SIU
2. Wofford
3. Delaware
4. GSU
5. Montana
6. Villanova
7. Colgate
8. Furman
9. UNI
10. WKU
11. McNeese St.
12. Maine
13. SFA
14. MSU
15. WIU
16. ASU
17. N.C. A&T
18. NW St.
19. Northeastern
20. Grambling
21. NAU
22. Lehigh
23. Southern
24. B-CC
25. Gardner-Webb

Street & Smith's

1. Delaware
2. Maine
3. NAU
4. Furman
5. Montana
6. SIU
7. Colgate
8. UNI
9. Wofford
10. NW St.
11. Grambling
12. UMass
13. SFA
14. WKU
15. MSU
16. WIU
17 ASU
18. Villanova
19. GSU
20. Northeastern
21. Illinois St.
22. Yale
23. Gardner-Webb
24. McNeese St.
25. Lehigh


Gardner-Webb's SID must be pretty good. :D Athlon's is probably the worst I saw last year - G-Webb ranked, two SWAC team and no Ivies, Wofford at No. 2? Only 11 of both Athlon's and S&S's preseason Top 25s were ranked in the final AGS poll.

[RichH]

A waste of trees, probably so, but for those of us addicted to college FB and I AA in particular they fill in the time until camps start up in August. I live in the East and just bought the S&S SEC edition, just to have some football to read. Actually it was very good. Are they doing a similar 1 for the Northeast, I wonder?

[eaglefan452]

I don't put much stock into the rankings that those magazines put out. I like them for the breakdowns of the I-A teams, and yes, it does help me get my fix of football until fall.

[Josh]

Those mags are a waste of paper. :p

They cover all divisions of football and it is a good read at least. It is funny to compare them. I don't think they are a waste. If one of them would just expand and do I-AA, D2, and D3 pretty well and then get writers who do research then they would be perfect. They have they money behind them and the name. They just need some better writers in terms of doing more research and actually watching games. Some of those writers have never seen the teams they write about.

[ngineer]

They cover all divisions of football and it is a good read at least. It is funny to compare them. I don't think they are a waste. If one of them would just expand and do I-AA, D2, and D3 pretty well and then get writers who do research then they would be perfect. They have they money behind them and the name. They just need some better writers in terms of doing more research and actually watching games. Some of those writers have never seen the teams they write about.

For I-AA, D-II and D-III they usually hire a sportswriter from one of the newspapers in one of the cities of one of the particular conference's school. I know last year one of them had an article on PL and it was written by a writer from 'rag' printed in Easton. Usually he gets his infor second and third hand from his 'sources' around the conference. Sometimes a little information is dangerous. :D

[Mr. C]

I thought Street and Smith's did a 'fair' job of covering the I-AA scene last year. I think the coverage has improved slightly over the past couple years. I get it primarily because it has a great composite schedule of all Division I schools in the back, as well as the complete stats for I-AA of the prior season. :read:
Street and Smith's uses a guy to write up the SoCon article who has been to one or two SoCon games in years. He generally doesn't have a clue as to what is going on. Some of their other I-AA conference writers are just as knowledgable. The best source for I-AA preview information was I-AA.org last year and it will be again this year too. Everyone on AGS needs to order their copies.

[Josh]

Street and Smith's uses a guy to write up the SoCon article who has been to one or two SoCon games in years. He generally doesn't have a clue as to what is going on. Some of their other I-AA conference writers are just as knowledgable. The best source for I-AA preview information was I-AA.org last year and it will be again this year too. Everyone on AGS needs to order their copies.

I know the S&S people. They do a good job in terms of writing style but yeah they don't go to games. I am talking to them about doing some stuff next year. I am going to see what they want to do. If they decide to do anything I will let everyone know.

[Retro]

Any magazine that can only dedicate 2-3 pages, if that, to all of I-AA is obviously out of touch with all of college football. They simply give the casual fans what they want, which is too much regurgitated information about the same top 25 teams with a mention of the rest of I-A in 1 page, maybe 2 on a good day...

If these magazines really cared about the state of the game and wanted to inform and educate fans they would dedicate at least 2-3 pages for each I-AA conference, but they are not going to dedicate the time or research to do that. It's called intellectual laziness!

[Josh]

Any magazine that can only dedicate 2-3 pages, if that, to all of I-AA is obviously out of touch with all of college football. They simply give the casual fans what they want, which is too much regurgitated information about the same top 25 teams with a mention of the rest of I-A in 1 page, maybe 2 on a good day...

If these magazines really cared about the state of the game and wanted to inform and educate fans they would dedicate at least 2-3 pages for each I-AA conference, but they are not going to dedicate the time or research to do that. It's called intellectual laziness!

It is all about money. Back when Sporting News dedicated time into their I-AA stuff they pulled back coverage and eventually dropped it because I-AA fans were not buying it enough. They would bring it back if everyone made a big deal to them. The trouble is only a handful of I-AA fans, maybe 200-300, really care and would make a big deal and that is not enough. Thousands need to for them to bring it back.

[Josh]

That's not true. They do not collect serious demographics on whether or not their customers are I-A or I-AA fans. The only reason none of those magazines cover anything but I-A sufficiently is because the advertisers are those that work with I-A. If I-AA worked with those advertisers more then I-AA would get more in those magazines.

That is part true but I have talked to these magazines. Lack of I-AA fan support is part of the reason. You would be surprised how many people say they care but when it comes down to it just complain and don't take action. That is what the people at these places told me.

[Josh]

I'm not sure who you spoke with but I have spoken for years with all the major people at these magazines and the amount of sales to I-AA people has never been mentioned. State your sources and see if they have any bearing or knowledge of the true reason I provided you. Those are I-A books paid for by I-A advertisers. They include snippets of the rest of NCAA so they can claim they are college football books. They are not, they are I-A advertisements.

Money is part of the reason. I-AA colleges don't have the money nor spend the money to try and get the advertising. I have talked to writers, some of the head people in the main office, as well as some of the people who are responsible for marketing. Sales is the reason they gave me when I said I think that adding I-AA would help. They said that having 4 pages on Florida is more important than I-AA. I-AA has very few players drafted, in the pro bowl, and only a handful of schools bring more than 30,000 fans to a game. in I-AA a lot of schools do all of that. They just said they are not concerned about adding smaller divisions. What is sad is that the way things are going I-AA won't be I-AA but in some other form within 10-15 years.

It will be interesting to see what happens.

Miami and USC and major schools like that will still not schedule I-AA schools unless something is done to raise the talent and depth and with I-AA in it's form now it will be very tough to field a I-AA team who could be a legit top 30 I-A right now. The top I-AA team on average is probably around 40-55 among I-A.

I wish the magazines would add more small school coverage, not just I-AA but I actually see less in the future and eventually S&S might be the only one to cover it.

[JMU Duke Dog]

This is just a mockup not the final cover...

Seeing JMU on the possible cover just made my day! Thanks! I am definitely buying this magazine as soon as possible.

[ngineer]

This is just a mockup not the final cover...

Super photo Ralph--who took it??

[ngineer]

Any magazine that can only dedicate 2-3 pages, if that, to all of I-AA is obviously out of touch with all of college football. They simply give the casual fans what they want, which is too much regurgitated information about the same top 25 teams with a mention of the rest of I-A in 1 page, maybe 2 on a good day...

If these magazines really cared about the state of the game and wanted to inform and educate fans they would dedicate at least 2-3 pages for each I-AA conference, but they are not going to dedicate the time or research to do that. It's called intellectual laziness!

Actually, last year S & S had a page for each or two for each of the major I-AA conferences, less for the mid-majors and independents. Of the 'main stream' mags, I think they try the most. Obviously, I-AA.org is the way to go.

[ngineer]

This is just a mockup not the final cover...

You know, Ralph, I can honestly say I've never seen the I-AA.org magazine in any of the drugs stores around here (Lehigh Valley, PA--Allentown, Bethlehme, Easton). How is distribution determined? :confused:

[ngineer]

College bookstores or on the web (last year (http://www.retro-sports.com/ItemDetail.cfm?ItemID=5484&CategoryID=160&ProductlineID=15&currentpage=1)).
Thanks. I didn't get 'into' this place until mid-fall last year. Will you be sending link for ordering this year, or I figure just on the website?

[Pantherpower]

Last year's I-AA.org Preview Magazine was superb. It truly filled the void for the avid I-AA Football fan. It is a must have/read for members of AGS.

*Disclaimer: Pantherpower was not compensated for comments made in this post. :D