FargoBison
October 20th, 2006, 12:32 AM
Good article on I-AA's vs I-A's
Chip Scoggins, Star Tribune
As a former assistant coach at Michigan, Brady Hoke learned a thing or two about preparing a team to play supposedly inferior opponents. So when Hoke, the fourth-year Ball State head coach, prepped his team to play Division I-AA North Dakota State earlier this season, he knew the drill.
"The way we prepared, you would have thought we were playing the Pittsburgh Steelers," Hoke said this week.
They might as well have been. NDSU went on the road and knocked off Ball State 29-24 to become the sixth I-AA team to defeat a I-A school this season.
Coaches at both levels said they would not be surprised if that number grew this season or in future years as more I-A schools schedule teams from the lower division now that the 12th game has become permanent and the NCAA allows schools to count I-AA victories toward bowl eligibility every year.
Following the trend, the Gophers play host to NDSU on Saturday and again next season. Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi said he hopes to make regional I-AA teams a fixture on future schedules. Coach Glen Mason said he also sees the benefit of playing a smaller regional opponent.
"It's exciting," he said. "A lot of [NDSU's players] are from the area, so I'm sure a lot of people from the Twin Cities will come watch them play."
Coaches from both levels offered mixed opinions on whether this trend is a good idea. On one hand, the I-AA schools benefit financially and their teams get the chance to play in bigger venues and potentially pull off monumental upsets. For the I-A schools, it's basically a no-win proposition. If they win, it was expected. If they lose, katy bar the door.
"I have friends who coach in Division I-A, and I talk to them about it," said New Hampshire coach Sean McDonnell, whose team upset Northwestern 34-17 this season. "To convince those kids that there's a possibility that they could get beat is a difficult thing to do. I'm sure it's a challenge getting kids up for those games."
McDonnell said he is not particularly in favor of playing I-A games because he feels his conference (Atlantic 10) is difficult enough. But, he said, money is a big factor. Iowa, for example, paid Montana $650,000 for a game this season, which helps pay a lot of bills.
"You won't find too many I-AA teams that make money," McDonnell said.
There also is a gap in talent, of course. Division I-AA schools get only 63 scholarships compared with 85 for I-A. That's essentially one entire recruiting class difference.
However, Western Illinois coach Don Patterson, whose team lost to Wisconsin this season, said I-AA schools get creative and split the scholarships in half. Patterson said he typically gives 40 full-ride scholarships and divides the rest, which gives the team 80-plus players who receive some level of aid.
Patterson, who served on Hayden Fry's staff at Iowa for 20 years, said people should not underestimate the talent in I-AA football.
"I'm not saying the talent level is as good as it is in the Big Ten, but the gap is not as large as you might think," he said. "Southern Illinois went to Indiana and won [35-28 this season], and I can tell you no one in our league considered it a fluke."
Southern Illinois coach Jerry Kill said he believes two or three teams in the Gateway Football Conference have "talent like Indiana."We just don't have the depth," he said.....
Link to the rest of the article (http://www.startribune.com/512/story/754788.html)
Chip Scoggins, Star Tribune
As a former assistant coach at Michigan, Brady Hoke learned a thing or two about preparing a team to play supposedly inferior opponents. So when Hoke, the fourth-year Ball State head coach, prepped his team to play Division I-AA North Dakota State earlier this season, he knew the drill.
"The way we prepared, you would have thought we were playing the Pittsburgh Steelers," Hoke said this week.
They might as well have been. NDSU went on the road and knocked off Ball State 29-24 to become the sixth I-AA team to defeat a I-A school this season.
Coaches at both levels said they would not be surprised if that number grew this season or in future years as more I-A schools schedule teams from the lower division now that the 12th game has become permanent and the NCAA allows schools to count I-AA victories toward bowl eligibility every year.
Following the trend, the Gophers play host to NDSU on Saturday and again next season. Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi said he hopes to make regional I-AA teams a fixture on future schedules. Coach Glen Mason said he also sees the benefit of playing a smaller regional opponent.
"It's exciting," he said. "A lot of [NDSU's players] are from the area, so I'm sure a lot of people from the Twin Cities will come watch them play."
Coaches from both levels offered mixed opinions on whether this trend is a good idea. On one hand, the I-AA schools benefit financially and their teams get the chance to play in bigger venues and potentially pull off monumental upsets. For the I-A schools, it's basically a no-win proposition. If they win, it was expected. If they lose, katy bar the door.
"I have friends who coach in Division I-A, and I talk to them about it," said New Hampshire coach Sean McDonnell, whose team upset Northwestern 34-17 this season. "To convince those kids that there's a possibility that they could get beat is a difficult thing to do. I'm sure it's a challenge getting kids up for those games."
McDonnell said he is not particularly in favor of playing I-A games because he feels his conference (Atlantic 10) is difficult enough. But, he said, money is a big factor. Iowa, for example, paid Montana $650,000 for a game this season, which helps pay a lot of bills.
"You won't find too many I-AA teams that make money," McDonnell said.
There also is a gap in talent, of course. Division I-AA schools get only 63 scholarships compared with 85 for I-A. That's essentially one entire recruiting class difference.
However, Western Illinois coach Don Patterson, whose team lost to Wisconsin this season, said I-AA schools get creative and split the scholarships in half. Patterson said he typically gives 40 full-ride scholarships and divides the rest, which gives the team 80-plus players who receive some level of aid.
Patterson, who served on Hayden Fry's staff at Iowa for 20 years, said people should not underestimate the talent in I-AA football.
"I'm not saying the talent level is as good as it is in the Big Ten, but the gap is not as large as you might think," he said. "Southern Illinois went to Indiana and won [35-28 this season], and I can tell you no one in our league considered it a fluke."
Southern Illinois coach Jerry Kill said he believes two or three teams in the Gateway Football Conference have "talent like Indiana."We just don't have the depth," he said.....
Link to the rest of the article (http://www.startribune.com/512/story/754788.html)