ncguitarplyr
December 12th, 2006, 03:14 PM
good article from sportsnetwork....so if app wins are they really in the top-5 all-time fcs programs?
Championship: Playing for the history books
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - When Appalachian State and Massachusetts take the field for the NCAA Division I Football Championship title game on Friday, they will both try to join exclusive company as the 29th champion in the I-AA/FCS ranks and enter even more elite ranks with a 14-1 record in the championship season.
That alone would be a great achievement for both teams, but the bigger picture shows even more at stake for two squads that will compete to become the sixth program to win multiple titles while moving up the ladder in the pecking order of the top programs of all-time.
A year ago at this time, Appalachian State was just trying to get out of the discussion for the best I-AA/FCS program never to win a championship. The Mountaineers stood alongside programs like McNeese State and Northern Iowa as perennial playoff contenders that had not broken through to win the big one. They had their chance against the Panthers, and came through with the elusive national championship to become the 17th program to win a championship in the sub-classification. The title gave Appalachian State a place alongside Furman, Delaware and others as a consistent playoff participant with one title to their name.
While their current position is desirable for most programs, the Mountaineers have the opportunity to move into the elite category with a victory on Friday. Only five teams have multiple national titles to their name. One of them is Marshall, which left for I-A a decade ago. Eastern Kentucky has two titles as well, but the Colonels haven’t won one since 1982 and have not even appeared in the playoffs in this century.
That would leave an Appalachian State team with two titles right behind the Georgia Southern, Youngstown State and Montana troika for the title of top program of all-time. The Mountaineers wouldn’t have the titles to match six- time champion Georgia Southern or four-time champion Youngstown State, but they could pull right behind Montana in the conversation. The Grizzlies’ five championship game appearances and 14 consecutive postseason appearances keep them in front of the Mountaineers for now, but Appalachian State would join only the Eagles and Penguins with back-to-back titles. Georgia Southern, Youngstown State and Montana have been considered the most-accomplished I- AA/FCS programs for a while now, but Appalachian State will be right in the mix with a repeat championship to go with a long playoff history.
It’s hard to say if Massachusetts would earn the same acclaim without consistent playoff appearances, but the Minutemen can obviously join the elite class of two-time champions with a victory on Friday. They are making their seventh overall playoff appearance this year, and have already become just the seventh program to appear in three national championship games. The Minutemen usually aren’t talked about in the same sentence as some of the perennial playoff teams, but a second championship would give them something to hold over all but four active I-AA/FCS programs. It would also give the Minutemen as many titles as any program in the last decade, and stamp their position as a program on the rise as a consistent winner and playoff contender. The Minutemen are making their fourth playoff appearance in the last nine years and would have a resume as impressive as anyone in the last 10 years with a victory over the Mountaineers to go with the 1998 national championship win over Georgia Southern.
The winner of Friday’s clash can also stake their claim as one of the top single-season champions. The explosive 15-0 Marshall team of 1996 is widely regarded as the best team in the history of the subdivision. Georgia Southern completed a perfect season with a 15-0 record in 1989, Eastern Kentucky had a 13-0 mark in 1982 and Youngstown State was 14-0-1 in 1994. After that, only five teams completed a championship season with only one loss. The Minutemen or Mountaineers will join that group with one defeat, and would have to take a spot near the top of that list. Both teams lost to a I-A opponent and ran the table in good conferences. They would also both own two victories over top four seeds, and earn a very deserving title by getting through a tough semifinal field.
The players and coaches can focus on the game at hand, and fans of both programs will only be thinking of the present when they take their seats in Chattanooga or turn on the television on Friday. But they will realize the impact later on, since the 2006 national championship will leave a legacy beyond one magical night for the winner.
http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/misc/extrapoint.htm
Championship: Playing for the history books
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - When Appalachian State and Massachusetts take the field for the NCAA Division I Football Championship title game on Friday, they will both try to join exclusive company as the 29th champion in the I-AA/FCS ranks and enter even more elite ranks with a 14-1 record in the championship season.
That alone would be a great achievement for both teams, but the bigger picture shows even more at stake for two squads that will compete to become the sixth program to win multiple titles while moving up the ladder in the pecking order of the top programs of all-time.
A year ago at this time, Appalachian State was just trying to get out of the discussion for the best I-AA/FCS program never to win a championship. The Mountaineers stood alongside programs like McNeese State and Northern Iowa as perennial playoff contenders that had not broken through to win the big one. They had their chance against the Panthers, and came through with the elusive national championship to become the 17th program to win a championship in the sub-classification. The title gave Appalachian State a place alongside Furman, Delaware and others as a consistent playoff participant with one title to their name.
While their current position is desirable for most programs, the Mountaineers have the opportunity to move into the elite category with a victory on Friday. Only five teams have multiple national titles to their name. One of them is Marshall, which left for I-A a decade ago. Eastern Kentucky has two titles as well, but the Colonels haven’t won one since 1982 and have not even appeared in the playoffs in this century.
That would leave an Appalachian State team with two titles right behind the Georgia Southern, Youngstown State and Montana troika for the title of top program of all-time. The Mountaineers wouldn’t have the titles to match six- time champion Georgia Southern or four-time champion Youngstown State, but they could pull right behind Montana in the conversation. The Grizzlies’ five championship game appearances and 14 consecutive postseason appearances keep them in front of the Mountaineers for now, but Appalachian State would join only the Eagles and Penguins with back-to-back titles. Georgia Southern, Youngstown State and Montana have been considered the most-accomplished I- AA/FCS programs for a while now, but Appalachian State will be right in the mix with a repeat championship to go with a long playoff history.
It’s hard to say if Massachusetts would earn the same acclaim without consistent playoff appearances, but the Minutemen can obviously join the elite class of two-time champions with a victory on Friday. They are making their seventh overall playoff appearance this year, and have already become just the seventh program to appear in three national championship games. The Minutemen usually aren’t talked about in the same sentence as some of the perennial playoff teams, but a second championship would give them something to hold over all but four active I-AA/FCS programs. It would also give the Minutemen as many titles as any program in the last decade, and stamp their position as a program on the rise as a consistent winner and playoff contender. The Minutemen are making their fourth playoff appearance in the last nine years and would have a resume as impressive as anyone in the last 10 years with a victory over the Mountaineers to go with the 1998 national championship win over Georgia Southern.
The winner of Friday’s clash can also stake their claim as one of the top single-season champions. The explosive 15-0 Marshall team of 1996 is widely regarded as the best team in the history of the subdivision. Georgia Southern completed a perfect season with a 15-0 record in 1989, Eastern Kentucky had a 13-0 mark in 1982 and Youngstown State was 14-0-1 in 1994. After that, only five teams completed a championship season with only one loss. The Minutemen or Mountaineers will join that group with one defeat, and would have to take a spot near the top of that list. Both teams lost to a I-A opponent and ran the table in good conferences. They would also both own two victories over top four seeds, and earn a very deserving title by getting through a tough semifinal field.
The players and coaches can focus on the game at hand, and fans of both programs will only be thinking of the present when they take their seats in Chattanooga or turn on the television on Friday. But they will realize the impact later on, since the 2006 national championship will leave a legacy beyond one magical night for the winner.
http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/misc/extrapoint.htm