Q&A with BSC commish

[CrazyCat]

He has lots of opinions on topics from just about everything involving FCS. One that caught my eye was the dates of the playoffs and starting the season earlier.


Q: The FCS playoffs expand to 24 teams this upcoming season. The national championship game will again be played in January. The BCS will have a playoff for the first time. How will the BCS playoff potentially impact the FCS playoffs?

A: I have always been a proponent of starting our football season in FCS one week earlier and ending before the holidays. As we move into January, the average fan has “bowl fatigue.” I love football, but can’t stand to watch the bowl games the second week in January. Now that the playoff group will be moving games to post January 1, they will take all of the “oxygen” out of that space. I think ESPN would rather we played the weekend before Christmas, and I agree. This is an issue that FCS needs to address.


http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2013/6/10/GEN_0610132516.aspx

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Why not just move it.... to Jan. 1st? There's no physical way to have it the week before Christmas short of having a 9-game schedule that ends the second week of November.

[CrazyCat]

Looks like it is doable during 11 game seasons. If last season started a week earlier the champ. game could have been on the 22nd. This season it would take starting a week early and only having 1 week to prepare for the champ. game.

[Professor Chaos]

I don't like having the championship game a week (or 6 days) after the semifinals. Having 2-3 weeks between gives fans the opportunity to make travel plans and ensures that the championship teams are healthier thus improving the product on the field. The TV ratings are so insignificant it's not a blip on ESPN's radar anyway. And even if it is they can have their FCS semifinals televised the week before the holidays.

I don't know if it's changed over the last few years but there's so many events going on the week of the championship game now that the participating teams don't even really have the opportunity to have meaningful practices the last few days before the game. Continue to give the kids that experience and have it 2-3 weeks after the semifinals so they can make the proper preparations while not having to sacrifice the game week festivities.

[NoDak 4 Ever]

Aren't most BSC teams done by then anyway?

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wNJtF1XNe8Y/S13sdXNJipI/AAAAAAAABys/TaEgm_mHkYg/s400/rim-shot-.jpg

[bluehenbillk]

I'm sold. The regular season needs to be at least 11 games, but play the NC game sooner rather than later, start the season in August if need be.

He is right, for all the people on message boards that complain about the attention or lack thereof the FCS NC game gets, it needs to move out of the impending big boy playoff shadow.

[Bisonator]

I don't like having the championship game a week (or 6 days) after the semifinals. Having 2-3 weeks between gives fans the opportunity to make travel plans and ensures that the championship teams are healthier thus improving the product on the field. The TV ratings are so insignificant it's not a blip on ESPN's radar anyway. And even if it is they can have their FCS semifinals televised the week before the holidays.

I don't know if it's changed over the last few years but there's so many events going on the week of the championship game now that the participating teams don't even really have the opportunity to have meaningful practices the last few days before the game. Continue to give the kids that experience and have it 2-3 weeks after the semifinals.

I agree. One week after the semi's just gets too tight for practice, travel and the PR stuff!

[walliver]

I don't like having the championship game a week (or 6 days) after the semifinals. Having 2-3 weeks between gives fans the opportunity to make travel plans and ensures that the championship teams are healthier thus improving the product on the field. The TV ratings are so insignificant it's not a blip on ESPN's radar anyway. And even if it is they can have their FCS semifinals televised the week before the holidays.

I don't know if it's changed over the last few years but there's so many events going on the week of the championship game now that the participating teams don't even really have the opportunity to have meaningful practices the last few days before the game. Continue to give the kids that experience and have it 2-3 weeks after the semifinals so they can make the proper preparations while not having to sacrifice the game week festivities.

I agree.

I also don't like the idea of moving the season up. As it is many teams are playing games before the school term starts. Moving it up a week will make that worse.

[Saint3333]

Go back to 16 teams, pretty simple.

[cmaxwellgsu]

Why not just move it.... to Jan. 1st? There's no physical way to have it the week before Christmas short of having a 9-game schedule that ends the second week of November.

You could drop the bottom 8 teams, and get rid of some of the cream puff games. It worked very well for years......xwhistlex