Northern Iowa

RD17 says: I think the whole point of the ESPN article is that Troy St. would rather get their brains beaten in I-A than win 10 games a year in I-AA. What does that tell you? And that's good? Troy State was never a 1-AA power. Their motives are driven by cash, lots of it. Not the case at 99% of 1-AA schools. Remember, if you are (or were) in 1-AA for the money, you are (or were) whacked from the outset. Good People of Siouxland, Old NI said in a previous post that, should some institution believe that their football program can survive and thrive in another division, then more power to them. The notion that they "don't want to be be reclassified as 1-AA" and will resort to desperate attempts to be a non-BCS 1-A bottom feeder, blah-blah-blah, is not a reflection on 1-AA, but rather, a reflection of that institution's failed grasp at whatever brass ring they thought was out there. (Note: The previous sentence was very important. Please reread it now. You're welcome and thank you.) The overwhelming majority of 1-AA teams are happy with where they're at and do not hold delusions of grandeur as exhibited by some of our brothers who left. Perhaps expatriate 1-AA schools didn't really belong in 1-AA anyway? But, for heaven's sake, don't disparage the good name of 1-AA as you leave. Leave quietly and good luck to you. Most of you will need it. Plenty of it. When you come back, we might still have a place for you at the table. Even Troy State. They will be back. So will our Vandal friends. So, what in the heck does all this really have to do with Division II football programs building a nest in the 1-AA tree? Actually, nothing, if you've been following closely. But, don't make the correlation between what amounts to a handful of teams (and their reasons for) leaving Division 1-AA and reasons not to move up to Division 1-AA. Large, large, large gulf between the concepts. Have a super duper day! NI

RD, Take another look at Troy State. Thanks for supporting Fad's points. NI

From The Sports Network: Otto Fad, Contributing I-AA College Football writer Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -- As one whose favorite interrogative phrase is "why?" The Czar seldom accepts the company line or blindly embraces Standard Operating Procedure. That is one reason for my unbridled optimism regarding the future of I-AA football. I refuse to allow the lazy, the uninformed, or the agenda-wielding nay sayers to denigrate (directly or otherwise) the NCAA's premier championship football classification (thanks to Lehigh coach Pete Lembo for that phrase). But I'm also impatient, and growing more so. Especially with the negative tactics too often employed by those who would fancy themselves as something better than or beyond our true championship competition. I'm also growing weary of laziness or inattentiveness by those who should be supporting I-AA football with their every word. I hope you feel the same way, and that you will hop on board the Accountability Express. If not, this is your exit... please watch your step on the way out. Unless you are a simple organism with no internal control over your own behavior, you can play a role in accelerating the progress of I-AA football. I've made a living out of modifying the behavior of large, dangerous organisms that cannot speak, so trust me that even the most set-in-their-ways individuals can learn to change their environments for their own good. The battleground here is the field of public perception. If you are still reading this, you are probably familiar with I-AA football. To me, that makes you enlightened, if not part of the mainstream majority, at least for now. Perceptions don't necessarily mesh with reality, a point that is abundantly obvious to knowledgeable I-AA football fans. The public perception is that I-A football is a superior level of play. However, in reality it would be more accurate to say that the BCS is a superior level of play - that the biggest difference in Division I football is between the 63 schools in the BCS and the 178 who aren't. If you don't believe that, you haven't been paying attention for the last ten weeks or so. Check the exaggerated attendance figures. Read I-AA TODAY any day and look at the hoops some of the 'tweeners are jumping through to try to make their game appear better, more BCS-like. In reality, only a few of them are close to BCS-quality and BCS-scale in their programs, and a few others have the potential to get there. Eighty percent of them belong in I-AA, at least until they can develop the requisite support and infrastructure to play with the big boys. However the faulty perception that the "I-A" tag is meaningful is driven by lazy media people and the 54 institutions who are I-A but not in the BCS. And far too often, their cause is inadvertently aided by I-AA fans and representatives. The BCS wannabe's accomplish their mission through artful, evasive scheduling and manipulation of terminology that is subtly demeaning to I-AA, thereby elevating their own programs. Yes, it is subtle, and seems innocuous enough at a glance. But repeated thousands and thousands of times, the influence is no longer innocuous. Proper usage is important if we are to grasp the concept of I-AA football as the NCAA intended when it created I-AA 25 years ago. I'll not launch into a detailed explanation of NCAA nomenclature here. For that, go to http://www.i-aa.com/NCAA-lexicon.pdf. That document has been distributed to media in many markets already this year, thanks to the generosity and diligence of sports information professionals in I-AA conferences and institutions. Tony Moss and I both write several letters each week to offer corrections and help to sports media people who make improper use of the terminology, thereby unwittingly or otherwise demeaning I-AA student-athletes. But The Czarina caught me on a violation when I recently launched into a terminological tirade. She asked me, "Why do you say that a school wants to move UP from I-AA to I-A?' I thought for a second and realized she was right (beauty, brains, and a I-AA booster to boot!). Look at the track record of the schools that have made the move. How many are better off? So let's strike that one, too from our verbal repertoire. In general, please remember a few basics... I-AA schools are Division I schools that have chosen to exercise some degree of fiscal restraint when it comes to intercollegiate football. The NCAA created I-AA for this reason, and it's not fair to penalize schools who choose to be accountable for their own football fate and do not pretend to be something they're not. I-AA schools respect you by not trying to dupe you into thinking they are competing with the BCS schools and their $50 million sports budgets. I-AA football to BCS football is like Triple-A baseball is to Major League Baseball. Both are successful. Both are highly competitive and entertaining. But there is no confusion as to which has the elite athletes and extra bells and whistles. The outliers in Division I are the 'tweeners, the non-BCS I-A schools. I-AA schools are the ones currently preparing to begin their 25th winner-take-all, "lose one and you're done" four-week football frenzy, to crown a true national champion. No bogus bowls with shell-game finances. Of all people, you would think that reporters would be aware of the effects of language on perceptions. Maybe they are and they just don't care. Or perhaps they fear thinking about more than 63 teams, let alone 117, and God forbid, 240 or more. So anything - fair, logical, defensible, or not - to reduce their area of responsibility, the sphere of what they should be knowledgeable about, anything to make it easier to function as a professional in their chosen field is okay. Tony and I want you I-AA enthusiasts to help us to help the misled masses find their way to the truth. It will take some diligence on the part of all of us, but it is very rewarding to make a difference, even on a small scale. And together, we're not such a small scale! Correct people when they butcher the nomenclature of Division I. I don't care whether it's your father, your coach, your AD, your beat writer, your radio host... don't let them make false statements, (e.g., a kid signing with a I-AA school who was also recruited by "Division I' schools, or a "Division I transfer," etc.) even if you "know what they mean." Try to do it in a positive way, balancing your awareness that no one wants to mis-speak, with the compassion and empathy that no one wants to be corrected in an embarrassing manner. Try that first. If the person you're trying to help gets defensive, don't feel compelled to be gentle in subsequent discussion. Sometimes (too often actually) you will encounter folks who cannot handle any criticism. And if you slip verbally, accept criticism from your friends with grace - remember they're only trying to help you and I-AA football. In any case, feel free to direct them to the online document at http://www.i-aa.com/NCAA-lexicon.pdf or print it out and give them a copy. If they really need help, please direct them to contact me to answer questions at Czar@I-AA.com or by clicking on the link at the bottom of this article. Tony would be happy to help as well. And no matter your specific allegiance, if you're a I-AA enthusiast, root for I-AA's. Support your school, but not at the expense of others by insulting your conference foes or lower-funded programs. The non-BCS I-A'ers will do that anyway, subtly and otherwise. Us? We gotta stick together and build-up and enjoy I-AA football. For example... "We saw the difference between Division I and Division I-AA tonight." Those were the words of a I-AA coach last Saturday night after his team was beaten 56-6 by I-A team. Never mind that the I-AA team was about 20 scholarships short of the I-AA maximum, which is 22 short of the I-A limit. And never mind that I-AA is in Division I. The college football media in the host city rode that room service theme as long and as hard as they could. Beneath a headline reading "Bulls Toy With I-AA Opponent," one local fish-wrap started their account, "While President Bush stumped for votes for brother Jeb on South Florida's campus Saturday night, the Bulls made their own case across town: No more Division I-AA opponents, please! The rival rag led with "It was clear from Saturday night's first play ... the Bucs were out of their league." "As in Division I-AA vs. I-A." "As in the days of the Bulls playing I-AA opponents are all but behind them." That gave their triumphant head coach the chance to crow, "We won't have more than one I-AA opponent on our schedule from now on. One at the most." The writer then took the names of Elon, Valparaiso, and Charleston Southern in vain. One of the I-A school's players said, "We'd like eliminate all the I-AA teams from the schedule. We want to play the I-A teams. We want to play the best." A wide receiver told one reporter, "...it's hard to be motivated for a I-AA team." The Associated Press reported "South Florida has beaten 11 Division I-AA opponents in a row, all at Raymond James Stadium..." After the pot shots by the press, I peered into the wake of the debacle a little closer and found some interesting tidbits that the mainstream mouths didn't report. USF is in their sixth season of intercollegiate football and by almost all accounts has a very successful thing going. Their all-time I-AA playoff record is 0-0. Yep, on the way to the big-time, they did not qualify once for the I-AA post-season. Their all-time record against ranked I-AA opponents is 4-5. That's funny... that's the same record for all non-BCS I-A teams this year against ranked I-AA opponents. You would think that the I-AA's would have fared worse, with the fewer scholarships and all... Neither of USF's I-AA foes this year meet NCAA criteria for bowl victory credit. In other words, if USF wins 7 games this year, they would have a maximum of five wins towards the six needed for bowl qualification. Neither winless Florida Atlantic nor Charleston Southern has enough football scholarships for wins against them to count for their I-A foes. FAU came to Tampa for the opener, with Howard Schnellenberger's Owls playing in the 11th game in school football history. Last week, CSU came in with an injury depleted 45-scholarship contingent. CSU's Sagarin rating after the game was 214 (97/123 for I-AA). Winless FAU was 14 spots higher. A USF official told me that Charleston Southern was a last-minute replacement for Utah, which owed the Bulls a home game. USF was not eager to play CSU, but needed an 11th game. It's a shame that didn't come out in the official reports, which were limited to "look how far the mighty Bulls have come from their I-AA days," or some such. I asked whether USF would consider playing a competitive I-AA, especially an instate one like Florida A&M. I was told that FAMU had been discussed internally. While the University of Miami and the University of Florida are willing to schedule FAMU, I'm not holding my breath waiting for non-BCS I-A's in the Sunshine State to ink the Rattlers or the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats. Speaking of FAMU, the Rattlers have a play date with Troy State this weekend. The game will be played in Mobile, Ala. Troy State head coach Larry Blakeney has a unique perspective on playing I-AA teams. "Florida A&M University is not a I-AA program. They are junior college recruiters in California. They recruit from Miami, readily. They recruit from Louisiana and the state of Florida. There aren't many teams in the state of Florida that are established like FAMU that don't have great players." "It's not a game that if I would have had my choices... It was a case where we needed a game and we had to do it. They are great people, and we have had great relationships with the FAMU people." If the Rattlers are so swell, and travel so well (they'll undoubtedly be better represented in Mobile than the home-state Trojans), why don't non-BCS I-A's want to play them? Could it be that they do not wish to see the bubble of public perception burst? Who are the other I-AA's on Troy's 2002 schedule? Let's see... Southern Utah (1-8 independent), Austin Peay (6-4 nonscholarship team from Pioneer League with two wins against I-AA foes), and Florida Atlantic (0-8 independent). TSU is sometimes referred to as a "former I-AA power." They were pretty good, I guess... but it depends on your definition of "power." The Trojans were 5-7 all-time in the I-AA playoffs, making it to the semifinals in 1993 when they lost to Marshall and in 1996 when they lost to Montana, 70-7. They never made it to the I-AA national championship game. Is that a "former I-AA power?" To give TSU their due, they were a pretty darn good NAIA and Division II team, winning national titles in both. In Summary... So, we've got non-BCS I-A schools that are eager to schedule I-AA teams they know they can beat (because they nearly double them in scholarships). However, even though there's no possible bowl victory credit involved, the story line that's crafted centers on how obviously superior the former I-AA team is (and by extension, how inferior I-AA football is to their new level). Yet they're not so eager to play ranked I-AA foes, the ones who are fully funded. The I-A'ers may only out-scholarship their I-AA foe by a mere 22 grants. Apparently, that's unacceptably close. When they're forced into playing ranked I-AA's, you get remarks like Blakeney's. Oh, FAMU is not really a I-AA, they're too good. Think about that. Go on, think about it. Think some more. Now realize that despite FAMU's No. 23 ranking, they are having a relatively down year, due in large part to critical injuries. Imagine if Troy had to play Bethune-Cookman! At 9-0, the TSU head coach would be complaining that they were really a pro franchise and that the Trojans should be getting points. Why don't non-BCS I-A'ers want to play fully funded I-AA's? One, they are likely to lose. Remember, they're 4-5 this year against ranked I-AA's. Two, folks might contemplate just how wonderful this non-BCS I-A thing is. Boosters and presidents and taxpayers may wonder where their extra money is going and why. What's the extra million dollars it costs them every year doing for their school, besides gaining them a bogus boost in status (but only in the eyes of the uninformed)? Three, the public perception that "I-A" means something is shattered. Sunshine State shadows... Florida Atlantic popped up on both the TSU and USF schedules this year. Both the second-year Owls and first-year Florida International Golden Panthers aspire to big-time college football and want to get there in short order... and both cite USF as a model to follow. Stay tuned... Playoff derby... In my opinion, there is an excellent chance that four teams will be selected from either the Atlantic 10 or Southern Conference for this year's playoff field. Of course, there are still a myriad of possible permutations in the regular season's final three weeks, but from here it looks like the two leagues combined could send seven or even eight teams to the field. It's a whacky year, with single representatives likely from at least three leagues, and perhaps as many as six. That goes against what others are saying, but since there is no proscription against having four teams from one league included, and the fact that the committee has not bowed to political pressure in recent years, I see no reason to anticipate that a deserving fourth team from either league would be left out because of some unspoken policy. The criteria are pretty clear and remember that The Czar has correctly projected the entire field - 16 of 16 - for three straight years. That success is based on evenly applying the criteria and knowing that the committee will do the same. The committee has never faced a season like this before, with so many schedule variables, but I'm confident that they'll stick to their principles. Nowhere is it written that a league can't send four teams to the field. However, it is written that more credit may be given to schools playing all Division I opponents. Shining examples... In case you missed it earlier in the week, the first I-AA Bold Beacon Award will be presented next month to Big Sky Conference Commissioner Doug Fullerton and former Southland Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey. The award acknowledges leadership on behalf of I-AA football, and is also intended to inspire others to act in a similar bold and responsible fashion. "We are very pleased to present Greg and Doug with the Bold Beacon award," said Tony Moss, Executive Director/I-AA Football for The Sports Network. Their efforts on behalf of I-AA and for college football in general have gone largely unseen to the casual observer, but the work Greg and Doug have put in behind the scenes has altered the I-AA landscape in positive ways that likely won't be fully appreciated for years to come." The TSN/CFAA I-AA Bold Beacon award will be presented on Dec. 19th at the 16th Annual Sports Network I-AA College Football Awards at the Holiday Inn Chattanooga Choo-Choo. That evening, TSN will also present the Walter Payton Award to the top player in I-AA football, and the Buck Buchanan Award to I-AA's top defender. The subdivision's coach of the year will be presented as winner of the 2002 Eddie Robinson Award, and the Sports Network Cup, bestowed upon the nation's best I-AA mid-major program will also be presented. For more information, see the complete article online at The Sports Network. Say what? Motor City Madman... Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany on the Big Ten signing-on to the Motor City Bowl, and that game's move from Pontiac to Detroit this year. "Sometimes it's better to come to Detroit instead of Florida or Texas, where the fit is not there. It'll be a lot easier traveling to Detroit for our fans than having to go to Florida." Three's Company... Mike Sewak, Georgia Southern head coach on the possibility of four SoCon teams being invited to the I-AA playoffs: "In recent history, we've only had three teams. I don't know about four. This conference has some really good teams and a number of them could be national contenders. Parity party... Donnie Kirkpatrick, Chattanooga head coach on the "New SoCon": "Without a doubt, over the last four or five years, this has been the best I-AA league in the nation. We have two or three of the top teams in the nation. But what I've seen in the last few years is the middle of the pack has caught up with the top three teams." Man-to-man, oh man! Just before calling the pass play that led to a game-winning touchdown catch by Bethune-Cookman's All-American free safety Rashean Mathis, head coach Alvin Wyatt laid the trap. "We sent him out as a decoy on the first play, and when we found out the DB was going to play him man-to-man, we made the decision quick," Wyatt said. "He has that knack for the football. He knows how to attack the ball and bring it in. It was just like an interception for him. Go-to guy... With B-CC quarterback Allen Suber sidelined in the first quarter, the Wildcats needed a big play late to remain undefeated last week. On his late-game offensive heroics, Rashean Mathis: "They say big players make big plays in big-time games, and this was a big game and a big play for us. I was asking coach to put me in. He was like, I believe in you.' " Getting out the votes... Once again, here is The Czar's personal ballot for this week's Sports Network Top 25 poll, with my previous vote and the previous TSN rank included. 1. (TSN-1) Montana 9-0 (previous: 1, TSN-1) Sacramento State. Montana just marches on, closer to another Big Sky title and a third straight trip to the I-AA Championship game. Last week, the Griz' dispatched NAU, 38-24. Saturday, when Sac State visits Washington-Grizzly Stadium, head coach John Volek will be sitting in the visiting AD's box, serving a one-game suspension for criticizing officials in the wake of the Hornets' bizarre last-second loss to Montana State. Sac has been in almost every game and is better than their 3-6 mark. 2. (TSN-2) McNeese State 7-1 (previous: 2, TSN-2) Southwest Texas. Well, well, well... Looks like SFA headman Mike Santiago wasn't just building up the opponent last week to motivate his charges. His Lumberjacks fell to the visiting McCowboys, 42-13. "I wasn't BS-ing you earlier this week when I said McNeese should be ranked No. 1,'' said Santiago. "I don't mean to put pressure on Tommy (Tate) and them. But I hope they go on and win a national championship. That would be good not only for McNeese, but for the conference.'' Between now and then, there's a whole buncha football to be played, starting with the beleaguered Bobcats of SWT, who visit Lake Charles Saturday. 3. (TSN-3) Northwestern State 8-1 (previous: 3, TSN-3) at Jacksonville State. The "other" Southland stalwart dismissed Sam Houston 38-10 last week. This week the Demons bring the opposition for JSU's last SLC league game. Gamecock head man Jack Crowe compared NSU to McNeese in a similar glowing manner to Santiago's comparison of McNeese and Montana. "They're a great football team," Crowe said. "I've said they and McNeese are just about identical to each other. Actually, I think right now Northwestern is better because they've got the best quarterback in the league. I don't think he's a superstar, but on his football team, what he does, he is (most effective)." "He" is Kevin Magee, ranked fourth nationally in passing efficiency (157.38). 4. (TSN-9) Georgia Southern 7-2 (previous: 4, TSN-9) at Furman. FU-GSU is always a battle, but FU has an advantage with the extra week to prepare and home field advantage. Still, don't expect the Paladins to run rampant over the GSU defense, especially now that Freddy Pesqueira is back. Last week's victims were impressed. "We thought Georgia Southern's defense was the best we'd seen since North Carolina State (in the opener)," said ETSU coach Paul Hamilton. "Our kids came off the field and thought Georgia Southern was very physical and their secondary was really good." 5. (TSN-10) Bethune-Cookman 9-0 (previous: 6, TSN-10) at Hampton. They've won two tough ones on the road in the past three weeks, and here comes another challenge. The Wildcats remained undefeated last week despite the loss of "franchise" quarterback Allen Suber. B-CC turned to their other superstar, FS Rashean Mathis, in a rare offensive appearance. Mathis caught the game-winner with about a minute left, then sealed the win with his 11th interception of the year. Suber didn't practice, but is expected to start. 6. (TSN-6) Eastern Illinois 6-2 (previous: 5, TSN-6) at Tennessee-Martin. I dropped the Panthers a spot following a most unimpressive win over Tennessee State. EIU has no chance of stopping a good offense. EIU fans, don't be making those Chattanooga reservations just yet... or at least make sure you can get your deposit back. Fortunately for the Panthers, they're not facing one this week. In a surprising move last week, UTM fired head coach Sam McCorkle, although two of his brothers remain on-staff. 7. (TSN-4) Furman 6-2 (previous: 8, TSN-4) Idle. The Paladins used a bye week to prepare for Georgia Southern. That's great, but don't forget that FU has to travel to conference co-leader Wofford next week. However, this one is becoming one of I-AA's biggest rivalries. "At the first of the year," said first-year head coach Bobby Lamb, "Everybody drew a circle around this date on their calendar because it's Furman-Georgia Southern." GSU's skipper, Mike Sewak, didn't have to hard sell this match-up. "It'll be a good football game, I guarantee it," said Sewak. 8. (TSN-13) Portland State 6-3 (previous: 8, TSN-15) at Weber State. The Viks bounced back in fine fashion to claim a thriller over Idaho State, just one week after the heart-wrenching defeat to No. 1 Montana. "There was some good senior leadership and leadership from our coaches by making a real point early in the week that we couldn't feel sorry for ourselves," quarterback Juston Wood said. "We needed to have courage to stand up as men and bounce back. And that's what we did..." Now the Viks must guard against a let-down in their final pair, at Weber and at Montana State. 9. (TSN-8) Western Illinois 8-1 (previous: 9, TSN-8) at Northern Iowa. Is it just me, or is Don Patterson the Energizer Bunny of I-AA? He just keeps going and going and going, and how in the world does he keep putting together teams? "Rebuilding season" is not in the Leatherneck vocabulary. But if WIU wins at UNI, we'll have to ask, "Can you say 'Gateway Champs'?" And much to their chagrin, the Leathernecks' first-round foes, will be asking for directions to Macomb. 10. (TSN-5) Maine 8-1 (previous: 10, TSN-5) Delaware. In the idle week, the Black Bears were able to gird up for the stretch drive, while the mercury plummets in Orono. Jack Cosgrove's club has a shot at at least one home playoff game if the Bears finish strong. Woe unto the southern contingent who ventures onto the playoff ice in Maine! 11. (TSN-11) Villanova 7-2 (previous: 11, TSN-11) at Northeastern. Yo Pauly, the new cry in Philly is "Talley-ho!" Andy Talley's Wildcats postponed their annual late-season swoon for at least one more week with an impressive 41-20 stomping of Bill and Mary. Next it's onto Beantown where winning against the homestanding Huskies will be a real Parsons' project. Imagine playing football in the middle of a street flanked by row houses and you've got an idea of the intimacy and charm of Parsons Field. To be fair, you should imagine that the street was painted green with white stripes every fifteen feet. 12. (TSN-7) Grambling State 8-1 (previous: 13, TSN-7) Alabama State. Enough already. Give Grambling the trophy and spare us all the suspense of the next five weeks. Oooooooh... I wonder who will win the SWAC? The quarterback with two first names, Bruce Eugene, keeps our interest as he throws a few more touchdown passes. Dude could end up with 40 or more at his current pace. 13. (TSN-12) Massachusetts 7-2 (previous: 14, TSN-13) at New Hampshire. Some see this as an ambush for the Amherstians, but I don't think so. Still, Coach Whipple's team is young and after a hard-fought win over nemesis Delaware, there could be a tendency to letdown in another A-10 football "showplace," UNH's "historic" Cowell Stadium. With Jeff Krohn having suffered two apparent concussions in two weeks, the Minutemen are expected to go with backup quarterback Tim Day, younger brother of UNH's great signal caller Ryan Day. 14. (TSN-16) Lehigh 7-2 (previous: 15, TSN-16) Colgate. Good thing Pete Lembo is young... I don't think a guy with an older model ticker could stand up to the coronary specials that the Engineering Mountain Hawks seem to find themselves in, week after week. Some see LU as underachievers because of the hype heaped on them in preseason by some idiot (okay, it was me!). Others see a masterful coaching effort, making wise use of spit and duct tape in the face of a horrendous skein of injuries. 15. (TSN-15) Wofford 7-2 (previous: 18, TSN-18) at East Tennessee State. Speaking of great performances by a guy with a whistle who answers to the name "Coach," you gotta love the Terriers and what they've done behind Fisher DeBerry disciple Mike Ayers. They are dead last in the country in passing, but they're also in the catbird seat in the SoCon race. They have averaged 442.7 yards per game rushing the last three games. This week, Ayers goes for career win No. 100. "As a coach, I've been awfully lucky to have some good players and some good coaches along the way," said Ayers. Then he addressed his team's playoff prospects. "We don't have the luxury of time to worry about what's further ahead. We have to live in the moment. We spend every waking minute getting ready for the next one. "I'm not real smart. I can only focus on one thing at a time. ... It would be like trout fishing and thinking about football. I wouldn't catch any trout." Spoken like a real Fisher. 16. (TSN-18) Northeastern 7-2 (previous: 20, TSN-20) Villanova. Northeastern's Miro Kesic booted an Atlantic 10 record 57-yard field goal with four seconds left to give NU a 24-21 win at Richmond last week. This week, it's a game between two teams coming in at 4-2 in league, 7-2 overall. Go with the visiting 'Cats. 17. (TSN-14) Appalachian State 6-3 (previous: 16, TSN-14) VMI. Jerry Moore's Mountaineers could be one of those teams that squeaks into the playoffs, only to wreak havoc on higher-ranked teams. But let's not take anything for granted. After all, ASU barely nipped winless Chattanooga, 20-17 last week. This week, Boone is the latest stop on VMI's farewell tour of the SoCon. "They are," said Moore, "If not the most, then certainly one of the most improved teams in our league. During the course of the year, they've gotten better every week. (QB) Joey Gibson's a great competitor. We saw him in Florida when he was in high school. He was calling around looking for a scholarship. I wish we had him now." 18. (TSN-21) Pennsylvania 6-1 (previous: 19, TSN-24) at Princeton. Penn-Princeton is always huge, and never more than this 2002 meeting. In their first four league games, Al Bagnoli's Quakers have ruptured the Richter scale on Ancient Eight seismographs, outscoring foes 165-51. 19. (TSN-20) William & Mary 5-3 (previous: 12, TSN-12) Rhode Island. When I think of the Tribe this week, the song that pops into my head (make it stop... make it stop!) is a 1970's classic by one of the guys in the TV show "Starsky and Hutch." I can't remember which guy it was, but his one hit was "Don't give up on us, baby." Just seems appropriate for the preseason A-10 champs with one of I-AA's top pitch-and-catch combos (Corley to Musinski). BTW, they're still undefeated at home this year. 20. (TSN-19) Western Kentucky 7-3 (previous: 21, TSN -22) Idle. At home, Harbaugh's Hilltoppers shut out Illinois State, 9-0. Unless UNI knocks-off Western Illinois and gives the Leathernecks a chance to win the league outright, this week could be a preview of WKU's first-round of the playoffs. Think about it... 21. (TSN-23) Idaho State 5-3 (previous: 25, TSN-19) Northern Arizona. Tough loss at Portland State last week for the battlin' Bengals. But even winning-out will not be enough unless some very weird things happen in all four regions. 8-3 with a D-II win gets you front row playoff seats. 22. (TSN-22) Nicholls State 6-3 (previous: NR, TSN-23) at Sam Houston State. Similarities to ISU are eerie. Great coaching job, taking unheralded bunch to the brink of the playoffs, only to be done-in by that D-II game. Both NSU and ISU have eleven game slates with one D-II. If they had 12 games with one D-II or 11 games with no D-II's, they'd have had a better shot. 23. (TSN-24) Florida A&M 7-3 (previous: NR, TSN-NR) vs. Troy State. Casey Printers is back and so are the Rattlers' playoff hopes. But it won't be easy. First, there's this neutral site game in Mobile versus former Division II power Troy State. If underdog FAMU triumphs in this one, all they have to do is knock-off undefeated Bethune-Cookman in the finale. 24. (TSN-NR) Stephen F. Austin 5-4 (previous: 17, TSN-29) Idle. Time to rest the bones after the Lumberjacks took one on the chin before the home folks, courtesy of McNeese State. SFA remains a dangerous team and could still have something to say about who goes to our Sweet 16. 25. (TSN-31) Youngstown State 5-4 (previous: NR, TSN-39) at Illinois State. The Penguins are playing for pride in their 2002 GFC finale and last road game of the season. OTHERS: NR. (TSN-17) Eastern Kentucky 7-3 (previous: 24, TSN-17) Southeast Missouri. I dropped 'em two slots after EKU nearly fanned against the Flames of mighty Liberty, 35-28. At a time when the Colonels need to win impressively, that just won't do. Congrats to living legendary coach Roy Kidd, who moves up another notch on the all-time wins list. NR. (TSN-25) Gardner-Webb 7-1 (previous: NR, TSN-NR) at Charleston Southern. G-W is having a terrific year and a 9-1 finish is certainly something to build on and recruit off of. ON THE RADAR... In alphabetical order: Colgate (6-3), Delaware (5-5), Duquesne (9-0), Fordham (6-2), Harvard (5-2), Northern Arizona (5-4), Princeton (5-2), South Carolina State (6-3), Towson (6-3). Trophy case... We're getting' down to it now. Not only are the playoffs creeping up, but the end of the regular season means decision time for us lucky voters for the national awards and All-American teams. In the spirit of stimulating discussion and sharing my perspective, I'm offering my own preliminary ballots for I-AA's top honors. Specifically, these are the Walter Payton, Buck Buchanan, and Eddie Robinson Awards, all presented by The Sports Network. This is a preliminary look, and I'll revise as warranted over the next three weeks. WALTER PAYTON AWARD - if I voted today: Wow... there are so many worthy candidates this year, but no one that has really dominated and gotten out in front of the pack. I couldn't cut-down past my top six, and even that was difficult. Brett Gordon, Villanova's diminutive QB, was on the cusp, and Chaz Gessner was dropped only because of the poor performance of his team (Brown is 0-7). 1) John Edwards, QB Montana. You could tell he was something special when he relieved Drew Miller in the 1999 National Championship game. Kid just wins. Edwards is 25-1 as a starter. 2) Ryan Fuqua, RB, Portland State. One of the few running backs in the mix this year, also a threat out of the backfield as a receiver. 3) Bruce Eugene, QB Grambling. Based on his outrageous TD pass/interception ratio of 31/8, plus the fact that his team is 8-1. 4) Tony Romo, QB, Eastern Illinois. Big league arm, with definite pro potential; looking for a chance to go deeper in the playoffs. 5T) Carl Morris, WR, Harvard. Having high-impact season for Crimson. 5T) Allen Suber, QB, Bethune-Cookman. Like Edwards, a winner. Like teammate Mathis, a one-man game-turner. BUCK BUCHANAN AWARD - if I voted today: Yikes... Again, I couldn't make that last cut, and offer you my top six leading contenders. 1) Rashean Mathis, S, Bethune-Cookman (Sr., 6-2, 185). Forget about throwing deep on B-CC. Mathis patrols the downfield area with incredible range and speed and affects opposing offenses more than any other individual player in I-AA football. 2) Greg Pitts, LB, Southwest Texas (Sr., 6-4, 230). Greg Pitts has the NFL scouts drooling and looks like a high draft pick. 3) Stephen Cooper, LB, Maine (Sr., 6-1, 220). Cooper does it all - 7.5 sacks and 3 picks to go with 80 tackles from his linebacker spot. 4) Trey Young, S, Montana (Sr., 6-0, 195). Opposing QB's want to know where he is at all times. 5T) Hadley Prince, S, McNeese State (Sr., 5-9, 196). Smart and pound-for-pound perhaps the toughest defender in I-AA. 5T) Mark Kasmer, S, Dayton (Sr., 6-1, 193). Continues to wrack up impressive numbers in the Flyer secondary. EDDIE ROBINSON AWARD - if I voted today: First, it's just way too early to speculate on this one, because of the number of important games remaining down the stretch. But here are the guys I'm considering right now, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER: Joe Glenn (Montana), Darryl Daye (Nicholls State), Scott Stoker (Northwestern State), Alvin Wyatt (Bethune-Cookman), Mark Whipple (UMass), Don Brown (Northeastern), Jack Cosgrove (Maine), Pete Lembo (Lehigh), Doug Williams (Grambling), Mike Ayers (Wofford), Don Patterson (Western Illinois), Larry Lewis (Idaho State), Cal McCombs (VMI) and Tim Walsh (Portland State). Attendance Ascendance Okay, I'll spare you the prose this week. Here are your no-frills comparisons of attendance figures for select Division I (I-A and I-AA) football games of last weekend. I attended the (I-AA) Charleston Southern at (I-A) USF game in Tampa, where the attendance was announced at 23,144. If the Raymond James turnstiles clicked more than 15,000 times, I'll wear the Billy the Bull costume and walk the plank at RJS. I-A Independents... Florida Atlantic at Connecticut: 14,287 ACC... -Clemson at Duke: 16,479 (A BCS league game, for crissakes!) Big East... -West Virginia at Temple: 15, 042... or, as reported by the Associated Press, "The game was played in front of 15,042 people at Veterans Stadium, the regular home of the NFL's Eagles that holds 65,000. That strange situation was one that worried West Virginia Coach Rich Rodriguez..." MAC... -Western Michigan at Ball State: 12,892 -Central Michigan at Eastern Michigan: 7,370 (to see a new MAC rushing record) -Bowling Green at Kent State: 7,165 (to see a Top 25 team, hyped nationally all week prior) -Marshall at Akron: 13,762... or, as reported by the Huntington Herald-Dispatch, "... before an announced crowd of 13,762 at the Rubber Bowl." (to see a leading Heisman candidate and a nationally-ranked team?). WAC... -Nevada at SMU: 11,832 (in one of the country's most beautiful college stadiums) -Rice at Tulsa: 12,587... or, as reported by the Houston Chronicle, "Although the paid attendance was 12,587, fewer than 1,000 fans decided to be miserable and brave the conditions. Or was it they couldn't stomach watching a woeful Tulsa team that last week snapped a 17-game losing streak?" -Boise State at UTEP: 21,689... or, as reported by the El Paso Sun-Times, "An announced crowd of 21,689 watched..." Sun Belt Conference... -Idaho 28 UL Lafayette 31: 12,621 -Middle Tennessee at New Mexico State: 19,562 -Louisiana-Monroe at North Texas: 16,212... or, as reported by the Monroe News-Star, "Before an announced homecoming crowd of 16,212..." -Southern Utah (I-AA) at Arkansas State: 9,107... or, as reported by the Jonesboro Sun, "A small crowd announced at 9,107 watched..." Meanwhile, on the other side of that thin line... Atlantic 10... Delaware at Massachusetts: 11,553 Big Sky... Northern Arizona at Montana: 19,276 Gateway... Southern Illinois at Youngstown State: 18,147 Ivy League... Brown at Pennsylvania: 14,287 MEAC... Hampton at Florida A&M: 29,065 Southern... East Tennessee State at Georgia Southern: 16,106 SWAC... Grambling at Texas Southern: 10,635 Be counted! Attend a college football game this weekend!

No, the thread is not boring, but this 1-AA thing has become way too serious. Thought we needed a little chuckle. NI

Can someone please post here the link to the BSC forum you're talking about? Thanks NI

(feeling vindicated..............) NI

Before you do it, think first: NI

Just thinking out loud here: Check back with star2city in five or six years and see what he thinks. NI

OK, RD17. Now you pizzed me off! Just kidding. Good thoughts, but consider: I never stated that athletics should be a money making endeavor. There are obviously schools at every NCAA level that operate in the red. What I'm questioning is a matter of scope. Again, how is it that Montana's athletic department has a several hundred thousand dollar deficit with the success they've had? The most successful schools in 1-A, like Tennessee for example, don't run deficits. Successful D2 programs like NDSU don't have deficits in the hundreds of thousands. What is it about 1-AA that causes this? Again, virtually every program operates with a deficit; some are huge, some are small. I would challenge you on your statement that you never said athletics should be a money-making endeavor, since the focus of virtually your entire post seems to be about finances. Also, regarding budget deficits, it's not a matter of scope, but rather, one of scale. What causes the deficits, you ask? All the 1-AA teams sponsor Division I athletics in all their other sports. It's just more expensive than in Division II. And, the need to field women's teams (of which I am a full supporter) and Olympic sports teams. *** You may think my statement is madness, but if you did your research before spouting off, you would find out that my "madness" is the truth. Check out the financial section at the NCAA website. You will find out that my statement ("on average, no one in the NCAA runs a bigger athletic department deficit than the 1-AA football playing schools") is true. The reason schools like Nevada and Idaho have left 1-AA is because it is a losing proposition. It is true that most of those schools are not doing better financially than they were in 1-AA, but they're smart enough to realize that if they're going to lose big money they might as well get to be associated with the big boys and not play in a division that is so poorly promoted that it's national championship game in football has worse TV ratings than the Division II game does. Didn't realize I was "spouting off". Anyway, Nevada and Idaho and others did not leave 1-AA because it's a "losing proposition". They left to pursue the brass ring in another division. As I said before, more power to them and all the best to them for trying. The contention that they were smart enough to realize that if they're going to lose money, etc., etc...... is pure speculation on your part and not rooted in fact. Remember, too, that 1-AA was conceived as a cost containment option for programs that could not or did not want to operate like Michigan or UCLA. If UNLV and Boise State were uncomfortable with that and think they can succeed in 1-A, than that's good for everyone. *** Once again, another misconception. Pick up the book Beer and Circus. It's written by an University of Indiana professor by the name of Murray Sperber. Sperber has done a ton of research and written a couple of different books that dispel the myth that successful athletic programs have a direct correlation with increased enrollment and alumni giving. You have the cause and effect backwards. The successful 1-A programs got that way because they already were the big schools (Michigan, Texas, etc.). You are right in saying that a school's facilities do play a role in attracting students. The thing is, a nice facility is a nice facility whether the school is Division I or Division III. Well, first, how many really "nice facilities" (especially football) exist at the Division III level? Most in Division II are smallish and somewhat lacking in appeal and, indeed, some in Division 1-AA are, as well. Regarding the direct correlation thing, Yours Truly did not claim a direct correlation. Rather, I offered several scenarios that constitute indirect benefits of successful athletic programs with regard to enrollment. Beer and Circus or not, I still personally believe there to be a direct correlation. But, this is a personal opinion, and not based on fact. IMO only, if Murray Sperber has written "several" books on the topic, I would say he's somehow got a hard on against college athletics and a formidable outward bias. I characterize such thinking as "invincible ignorance". *** Now the Queen Mother: I should have stated my point more clearly here. I was using homecoming whipping boy as a metaphor for guarantee games. The necessity of 1-AA schools playing body-bag games (another metaphor ) to help finance an athletic program is appalling to me. It's simply a form of athletic prostitution. Tell me, did it make you proud of UNI when their football team went to Iowa State and Oklahoma St. the last couple of years for a beating and a paycheck? I'm sure that the exposure UNI gained from playing these games was priceless. Certainly, anytime you take a licking the way the Cats did v ISU and OSU, there is little positive that can come from it. Nonetheless, UNI, for example, is 8-11 versus 1-A teams, including 3-0 versus MAC teams, 3-0 against Kansas State and two big wins versus Iowa State. Close games that raised eyebrows across the country include a wild 44-42 shootout loss to Wyoming; two close, disputed losses to Iowa State; and a 33-23 loss to Oklahoma State in which the Panthers tied an NCAA record with a 99 yard touchdown pass. The point is that the upper echelon of 1-AA can compete with them. UNI's record versus 1-A teams shows that your notion of "a beating and a paycheck" is spurious at best, uninformed at worst. As a former player and captain of the team that beat Kansas State in 1985, I can guarantee you that no one on the team was thinking money when we played them. I didn't even know there was a payout. It is an opportunity to strap it up versus the alleged big boys and see how you measure up. That is one of the points in this entire forum that many are missing. It's about being satisfied with the status quo versus challenging yourself on a higher plane. No prostitution here. Oh, the money is nice, too. Be careful when trying to extrapolate the experiences of some teams as being indicative of the entire Division. *** Best of luck to all the NCC people in the next couple weeks. We in 1-AA look forward to the day when several of you are competing with us and against us. Hope it happens much sooner than later! NI

RD17, Dude: Your school will be a Division I bottom feeder only if you allow it to be. Regarding Montana and operating in the red, where else (in any division) is that NOT the case? Only at Notre Dame and a handful of other places does an athletic department experience positive cash flow. For the rest of us, the state, fans, students and donations through the Athletic Club pick up the tab. Let's get over this "losing money" thing, please. Athletic department deficits are a fact of life virtually everywhere. Does that mean you drop your sports? Who the heck is in it for the money, anyhow? If that were a requirement, we would be watching fifteen teams play games with each other on Saturday. Also, most schools operate in the red because they are funding gobs of other, non-revenue generating sports. If revenues from football at Norhern Iowa went to football only, the team would swim in cash. Given Title XI and the necessity to field myriad Olympic sports (and thus be attractive to a wider variety of students), the ledger will virtually never be balanced. Quoting you, there's this madness: The fact of the matter is that, on average, no one in the NCAA runs a bigger athletic department deficit than the 1-AA football playing schools. There's a good reason why 1-A has increased from 85 or so schools to 117 in just a few years: 1-AA is a losing proposition. I spit up my coffee laughing. Pardon me. Where does this come from? Have you seen the double digit million dollar deficits from some of our 1-A football brothers like Texas Tech, San Jose State, New Mexico, and others? The individual red ink at any of these and other places, unfortunate, though, that it is, towers over any five of the worst 1-AA football schools. And, regarding those that have made the jump to 1-A, such were the values of their athletic departments at the time. More power to them. If they can be successful in 1-A, that's wonderful. There's nothing wrong with trying to upgrade. Many probably wish they were still in 1-AA. Using your line of thinking, for virtually all of them (Middle Tennessee State, Troy State, U of Lousiana-Monroe, North Texas, Boise State, UNLV, Nevada, Idaho, etc.), 1-A is a losing proposition. That's not necessarily so. Respectfully, you need to get some perspective. Nowhere is it written or implied that Division I-AA is a money-making enterprise. If SDSU and UNC and UND are in it strictly for the money, they are delusional. I know they're not, though. History lesson for you: Division 1-AA was developed in the mid 70's as a cost saving alternative for universities and colleges who wanted to field football teams without the heavy financial burden it takes to operate the way, say, Florida State does. That is our heritage. And it's a good one. There may be deficits, as there are at probably all NCC schools, but they're nothing like those at many, many 1-A institutions. You, again: There is no evidence to back Mr. Fad's contention that a move to Division I has a positive effect on enrollment. Enrollment increases occur because of a) an increase in an area's population density, b) an improvement or addition to a school's academic programs, or c) a large scale recruiting campaign on the part of the university. You're right. But there is plenty of evidence. Look at all the successful 1-A programs. You're sadly discounting the role athletics plays in a school's enrollment. As far as 1-AA is concerned: A) Fans of football, for example, will go to Northern Iowa because they can count on a positive football watching and following experience. My wife is a huge football fan, went to high school is western Iowa and went to UNI because their football program was (and still is) the most consistently successful program in the state of Iowa. B) Success in athletics reaches students and student-athletes far beyond your region. Many successful 1-AA schools, like Northern Iowa and Western Illinois and McNeese State and Montana becomes small "meccas" for football players who want to experience success on the gridiron. And, for years, there were University of Northern Iowa billbords in the Chicago area that attracted untold numbers of students, not just student-athletes. Schools like UNI were once striclty regional, but now are national, thanks in large part to athletics. Chad Setterstrom, a UNI offensive tackle, was featured on the front page of the USA Today sports page. If he was going to South Dakota, that probably wouldn't have happened. Because UNI competes for the 1-AA championship, year in and year out, they have a positive recognition factor. And it's not just football, volleyball and wrestling are huge at UNI and regularly finish in the Top 20 in their fileds, thereby attracting quality students and student-athletes. C) A school's facilities have much to do with attracting students. Nothing more to say about that other than the UNI-Dome is a heck of a place to see any event. Your final paragraph: Mr. Fad says "anything worth doing is worth waiting for and working for, at least in my opinion." Is putting a successful athletic department through a crippling transition phase to become a Division I bottom feeder worth waiting for? Gee, I can hardly wait to see my school go through 5-10 years of athletic purgatory to get into a classification that requires us to offer up our football team as the homecoming whipping boy for some BCS school just to pay the bills. You're "required" to offer up your program at a Big Ten school's Homecoming? Your extrapolation here defies facts. The fact is that fans and donors and alumni don't want to return to campus at Minnesota, for example, to pay to see them play Northern Colorado. Fans, donors and alumni at Michigan don't want to pay to see the Wolverines play Illinois State at Homecoming. To them it's not a game. They want Purdue or Indiana or Illinois or Northwestern. Fans, donors and alumni do not want to pay to see Northern Iowa play Augustana or Morningside or St. Cloud State. Additionally, fans, donors and alumni do not want to trek back to Grand Forks to see them play Wisconsin Lutheran at Homecoming. If UNI is ranked (and they usually are), they want to see Western Illinois or Youngstown State or Southwest Missouri. Instances where the above "sacrificial lamb" scenarios occur are almost non-existent, so you can't use this argument. And why does the transition to 1-AA have to be "crippling"? More than half of 1-AA teams were once Division II or small college teams. Most have made the transition well and, for most, it has been worth the effort. The transition should be exciting. You start by knocking off an established 1-AA team here and there while in the probationary phase (not an impossible task and also functions as a reputation builder) and eventually work your way to be in a position to tackle a Wyoming or Idaho or a MAC team. Next thing you know, you're in a conference, competing for the championship. Finally, regarding the NCAA Pow Wow in 2004, as it relates to football, I'm going to guess that discussion will have to do more with 1-A's that should be in 1-AA than the reverse. Anything good IS certainly worth waiting for. If you're coasting, you're going downhill. NI

Sicatoka writes: You want comment? Try these: The NCAA is meeting in 2004 to relook at classifications in athletics. Do we know what will come out of that? Does anyone? What if they change nothing? What if they change everything and because of it create "open enrollment periods" where the probation periods are waived? Do any of us have an idea of what the NCAA has in store? How could we when they probably don't. I gotta think that, if anything drastic or potentially disastrous to institutions considering changing affiliation status were to occur, Athletic Directors would know. NI

JBB, As I said in a previous post, the nay-saying schools are just coasting. Ten years from now, they'll be wishing they had made the move. After a couple hundred NCC championships (in any sport), who the hell is going to care anymore? Like Otto Fad said, it's a "fear change and avoid sacrifice" culture. Not something we'd like our young people to espouse. Hope they're proud of themselves. NI

Excerpt from the most recent column of Otto Fad, 1-AA football writer for The Sports Network, touching on USD and the NCC and moving to Division 1-AA. Good reading. Particularly interesting paragraph in bold, by me. Incidentally, here is the link to his weekly column: http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c...sc/otto_fad.htm **************************************************** Standing pat Recently, the University of South Dakota officially announced that it will remain in NCAA Division II and the North Central Conference, thereby eschewing plans to move to Division I. Former NCC members Northern Colorado and North Dakota State University have already made known their intentions to pursue Division I membership, including I-AA football, while other state schools in North and South Dakota continue to look at the question of upgrading from Division II. We respect the sovereignty of every school and state, but as with all debates, we believe that balanced, through investigation is the best way to get helpful answers to difficult questions. In the case of the USD announcement, it looks like USD made its decision then sought to justify it, rather than looking for the best answer to a most difficult and complicated question. Below are examples of USD

Once again, very, very few teams in the NCAA operate in the black. Red ink in Minnesota or Montana's athletic budget is not an issue. It happens everywhere. NI

Hey, guys. Sorry I didn't get back more quickly. Question: Are there other sports besides football? Seriously, though, the talk has been focused on football and I can't speak for the other sports. Can they still operate at the D-II level? Whereas football could compete almost right away, I can't see Fightin' Sioux or Bison volleyball or swimming teams taking it up a notch in the near future and making a strong run in the Missouri Valley. There are plenty of schools that operate in multiple divisions. Your institutions do it with hockey, UNI does it with football. May be best to leave it that way. The quotes from the UNI AD are troubling, to me. Nonetheless, it would be a good idea to get in a conference. Heck, I don't see why the Gateway couldn't take on two more teams. The only issue I see there is that it puts a crimp in your non-conference scheduling if you have to play nine league games. The SWAC is going through that right now. They are turning down traditional 1-AA powers like McNeese State because their conference requires them to play nine league games. As a result, they play tiny Southern teams like Miles College. They would rather go into the SWAC season with a win versus them then a big loss to McNeese. Anyway, I've expressed my thoughts here enough, probably. I hope it happens sometime down the road. I think it will. Teams like North Dakota, North Dakota State and Northern Colorado have too much name recognition to not be included in some conference in our division. Good luck this year, everyone! NI