Which 20 teams will be in the 2012 FCS playoffs?
Here are the automatic qualifiers
Big Sky...Montana State
Big South...Stony Brook
CAA...James Madison
MEAC...Bethune-Cookman
MVFC...Northern Iowa
NEC...Robert Morris
OVC...Eastern Kentucky
Patriot...Lehigh
Southern...Appalachian State
Southland...Sam Houston State
Here are the seeds (Based on the CSN consolidated rankings.)
1. SAM HOUSTON STATE (Southland)
2. North Dakota State (MVFC)
3. MONTANA STATE (BSC)
4. Georgia Southern (SoCon)
5. Towson (CAA)
6. APPALACHIAN STATE (SoCon)
7. JAMES MADISON (CAA)
8. Old Dominion (CAA)
9. Montana (BSC)
10. NORTHERN IOWA (MVFC)
11. New Hampshire (CAA)
12. Delaware (CAA)
13. Wofford (SoCon)
14. Youngstown State (MVFC)
15. EASTERN KENTUCKY (OVC)
16. Eastern Washington (BSC)
17. LEHIGH (Patriot)
18. STONY BROOK (Big South)
19. BETHUNE-COOKMAN (MEAC)
20. ROBERT MORRIS (NEC)
Brackets
1st Round
Game 1: 20. Robert Morris at 13. Wofford
Game 2: 19. Bethune-Cookman at 14. Youngstown State
Game 3: 18. Stony Brook at 15. Eastern Kentucky
Game 4: 17. Lehigh at 16. Eastern Washington
2nd round
Game 4 winner at 1. Sam Houston State
9. Montana at 8. Old Dominion
Game 1 winner at 4. Georgia Southern
12. Delaware at 5. Towson
Game 2 winner at 3. Montana State
11. New Hampshire at 6. Appalachian State
Game 3 winner at 2. North Dakota State
10. Northern Iowa at 7. James Madison
Last 4 in
Eastern Washington
Youngstown State
Delaware
New Hampshire
First 4 out
Illinois State
Indiana State
Murray State
Stephen F. Austin
Next 4 out
Jacksonville State
Maine
Central Arkansas
Liberty
Also Lurking
Chattanooga
Jacksonville
Will update as more pre-season rankings are available.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Would an undefeated BYU become BCS bound?
Many feel that BYU has a good shot a going undefeated this year. But will that be good enough for a BCS bid? In order for BYU to be guaranteed an at-large bid, here is what has to happen.
1. There are 5 BCS bowls, BYU is not an automatic qualifier. Therefore, there has to be fewer than 10 automatic qualifiers. That means that no champion from the MWC, WAC, C-USA, MAC nor Sun Belt finishes in the top 12 or in the top-16 and ahead of the champion of one of the automatic qualifying conferences. Notre Dame needs to not qualify.
2. They would have to hope that one of the AQ conference champions in the National Championship game is the only BCS representative from that conference. That may mean that the SEC is shut out of the BCS national championship. Almost every other conference, except for the PAC-12, has one really good team and everyone else is suspect. Or everyone in the conference is closely matched and they will take turns beating each-other up...like the Big 10.
3. BYU will have to have a dramatic rise in the polls late September/early October. They will likely not be ranked to begin with. They will need to look impressive against Washington State, Utah and Boise State. They finish with Idaho, San Jose State and New Mexico State. Not the slate for a late-season poll rise.
4. They will need Utah, Boise State, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame and Washington State to have good seasons and make the Strength of Schedule component strong. Sure, beating Boise State is normally a good thing, but not if BSU finishes 8-4 or worse, especially with TCU no longer in the MWC. If Boise State finishes 11-1, and BYU deals the one loss, that would be great.
5. It would be nice for BYU for Notre Dame to have 2 losses, with one of them to the Cougars. Notre Dame with only 1 loss could cost the Cougars a seat at the table, even if that 1 loss is to BYU.
The pre-season polls will be out in a couple of weeks. We will find out then how realistic the BCS is for BYU this year.
Right now, here are my picks for conference champions...
FBS
BCS
ACC...Florida State
Big 10...Wisconsin
Big East...Louisville
Big 12...Oklahoma
PAC-12...USC
SEC...LSU
Non-AQ
C-USA...Houston
MAC...Ohio
MWC...Boise State
Sun Belt...Arkansas State
WAC...Louisiana Tech
FCS
Big Sky...Montana State
Big South...Stony Brook
CAA...James Madison
Ivy...Harvard
MEAC...Bethune-Cookman
MVFC...Northern Iowa
NEC...Robert Morris
OVC...Eastern Kentucky
Patriot...Lehigh
Pioneer...Drake
Southern...Appalachian State
Southland...Sam Houston State
SWAC...Texas Southern
Note: The Ivy League (traditional academic powerhouses) and the SWAC (traditional Southern African-American Colleges) do not participate in the FCS playoffs and the Pioneer Conference (No Football Scholarships) does not have an automatic bid.
All in all, it's the standard usual suspects.
1. There are 5 BCS bowls, BYU is not an automatic qualifier. Therefore, there has to be fewer than 10 automatic qualifiers. That means that no champion from the MWC, WAC, C-USA, MAC nor Sun Belt finishes in the top 12 or in the top-16 and ahead of the champion of one of the automatic qualifying conferences. Notre Dame needs to not qualify.
2. They would have to hope that one of the AQ conference champions in the National Championship game is the only BCS representative from that conference. That may mean that the SEC is shut out of the BCS national championship. Almost every other conference, except for the PAC-12, has one really good team and everyone else is suspect. Or everyone in the conference is closely matched and they will take turns beating each-other up...like the Big 10.
3. BYU will have to have a dramatic rise in the polls late September/early October. They will likely not be ranked to begin with. They will need to look impressive against Washington State, Utah and Boise State. They finish with Idaho, San Jose State and New Mexico State. Not the slate for a late-season poll rise.
4. They will need Utah, Boise State, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame and Washington State to have good seasons and make the Strength of Schedule component strong. Sure, beating Boise State is normally a good thing, but not if BSU finishes 8-4 or worse, especially with TCU no longer in the MWC. If Boise State finishes 11-1, and BYU deals the one loss, that would be great.
5. It would be nice for BYU for Notre Dame to have 2 losses, with one of them to the Cougars. Notre Dame with only 1 loss could cost the Cougars a seat at the table, even if that 1 loss is to BYU.
The pre-season polls will be out in a couple of weeks. We will find out then how realistic the BCS is for BYU this year.
Right now, here are my picks for conference champions...
FBS
BCS
ACC...Florida State
Big 10...Wisconsin
Big East...Louisville
Big 12...Oklahoma
PAC-12...USC
SEC...LSU
Non-AQ
C-USA...Houston
MAC...Ohio
MWC...Boise State
Sun Belt...Arkansas State
WAC...Louisiana Tech
FCS
Big Sky...Montana State
Big South...Stony Brook
CAA...James Madison
Ivy...Harvard
MEAC...Bethune-Cookman
MVFC...Northern Iowa
NEC...Robert Morris
OVC...Eastern Kentucky
Patriot...Lehigh
Pioneer...Drake
Southern...Appalachian State
Southland...Sam Houston State
SWAC...Texas Southern
Note: The Ivy League (traditional academic powerhouses) and the SWAC (traditional Southern African-American Colleges) do not participate in the FCS playoffs and the Pioneer Conference (No Football Scholarships) does not have an automatic bid.
All in all, it's the standard usual suspects.
Friday, July 27, 2012
2012 BYU Football Preview
The Cougars 2011 season looked much like the 2010 season. Things did not look so good at first, but got better against a weak schedule toward the end of the season. For BYU fans, having a weak October/November schedule is something that they don't want to be accustomed to. 2013 is looking at little better, but 2012 is the current focus.
Traditionally, BYU's best years have been with a senior quarterback under center. Enter Riley Nelson, who took over for the highly touted Jake Heaps mid-season. Riley got the nod after a nothing-but-luck win against Utah State. But the team seemed more confident under Nelson's leadership. Even with Heaps in Kansas, Nelson is probably not the most talented quarterback that Bronco Mendenhall has at his disposal. BYU has talent at receiver with Cody Hoffman and Ross Apo at targets. BYU will have to have consistency at running back in order to get to a 10-win season. That will take the pressure away from Nelson and give him time to find those talented receivers.
On defense, Kyle Van Noy leads a strong front 7. Again, the secondary is a weakness for the Cougars. That perceived weakness will be tested early and often for BYU in 2012. But if they can stop the run, every game on the schedule is winnable.
2012 season outlook...# wins
0-4...unlikely
5-6...pessimistic
7-10...realistic
11...optimistic
12...unlikely
Traditionally, BYU's best years have been with a senior quarterback under center. Enter Riley Nelson, who took over for the highly touted Jake Heaps mid-season. Riley got the nod after a nothing-but-luck win against Utah State. But the team seemed more confident under Nelson's leadership. Even with Heaps in Kansas, Nelson is probably not the most talented quarterback that Bronco Mendenhall has at his disposal. BYU has talent at receiver with Cody Hoffman and Ross Apo at targets. BYU will have to have consistency at running back in order to get to a 10-win season. That will take the pressure away from Nelson and give him time to find those talented receivers.
On defense, Kyle Van Noy leads a strong front 7. Again, the secondary is a weakness for the Cougars. That perceived weakness will be tested early and often for BYU in 2012. But if they can stop the run, every game on the schedule is winnable.
| Thu, Aug 30 | 10:15 PM ET  | Tickets | |
| Sat, Sept 8 |
| 3:00 PM ET | Tickets |
| Sat, Sept 15 |
| 10:00 PM ET  | Tickets |
| Thu, Sept 20 | 9:00 PM ET | Tickets | |
| Fri, Sept 28 |
| 8:00 PM ET | Tickets |
| Fri, Oct 5 |
| 10:15 PM ET | Tickets |
| Sat, Oct 13 |
| TBD | Tickets |
| Sat, Oct 20 | 3:30 PM ET | Tickets | |
| Sat, Oct 27 | TBD | Tickets | |
| Sat, Nov 10 |
| TBD | Tickets |
| Sat, Nov 17 | 4:00 PM ET | Tickets | |
| Sat, Nov 24 | 3:30 PM ET | Tickets |
2012 season outlook...# wins
0-4...unlikely
5-6...pessimistic
7-10...realistic
11...optimistic
12...unlikely
Utah 2012 Football Preview
Who needs a decent quarterback when John White IV can rack up yards like Terri Hatcher can dresses as a Nordstrom clearance sale. But that was the 2011 version of the Utah Utes. The 2012 version, the 3-yards and a cloud of dust version of the Utah offense should be history as Jordan Wynn should be healthy. If Wynn goes down to injury again, the Utes should have a more credible backup than Jon Hayes to rely on.
But it is on the defensive side of the ball that a Kyle Whittingham team butters it's bread. Utah's scoring defense was impressive, especially considering they were shooting themselves in the foot with turnovers when Hayes first came in for the injured Wynn. The Utes gave up 30+ points vs Washington, Arizona State and California, and still finished in the top 20 in scoring defense in 2011. 2012 promises to be more of the same, without the lopsided, turnover-driven games. Of course, all of this happened after the Utes gave the same treatment to Jake Heaps and BYU.
Utah opens the 2012 season against Northern Colorado, the team that finished at the bottom of the Big Sky Conference in 2011. Then they have the two in-state games before beginning the PAC-12 schedule. They have USU in Logan and BYU in Salt Lake. The PAC-12 schedule is the mirror image of the 2011 schedule. Same teams, but in the opposite location. There is no Stanford nor Oregon on the schedule. The Utes are predicted to finish 2nd in the PAC-12 South, but in order to do that, they will need to see wins against Washington, California, Arizona State and Colorado...teams that they could not beat in 2011.
2012 Schedule
Outlook...#wins
1-2 Unlikely
3-6 Pessimistic
7-10 Realistic
11 Optimistic
12+ Unrealistic
Post season outlook...
Probably Alamo or Holiday Bowl
But it is on the defensive side of the ball that a Kyle Whittingham team butters it's bread. Utah's scoring defense was impressive, especially considering they were shooting themselves in the foot with turnovers when Hayes first came in for the injured Wynn. The Utes gave up 30+ points vs Washington, Arizona State and California, and still finished in the top 20 in scoring defense in 2011. 2012 promises to be more of the same, without the lopsided, turnover-driven games. Of course, all of this happened after the Utes gave the same treatment to Jake Heaps and BYU.
Utah opens the 2012 season against Northern Colorado, the team that finished at the bottom of the Big Sky Conference in 2011. Then they have the two in-state games before beginning the PAC-12 schedule. They have USU in Logan and BYU in Salt Lake. The PAC-12 schedule is the mirror image of the 2011 schedule. Same teams, but in the opposite location. There is no Stanford nor Oregon on the schedule. The Utes are predicted to finish 2nd in the PAC-12 South, but in order to do that, they will need to see wins against Washington, California, Arizona State and Colorado...teams that they could not beat in 2011.
2012 Schedule
| Thu, Aug 30 | 7:15 PM ET | Tickets | |
| Fri, Sept 7 | 8:00 PM ET | Tickets | |
| Sat, Sept 15 | 10:00 PM ET | Tickets | |
| Sat, Sept 22 | TBD | Tickets | |
| Thu, Oct 4 |
| 9:00 PM ET | Tickets |
| Sat, Oct 13 |
| TBD | Tickets |
| Sat, Oct 20 | TBD | Tickets | |
| Sat, Oct 27 |
| TBD | Tickets |
| Sat, Nov 3 | TBD | Tickets | |
| Sat, Nov 10 | TBD | Tickets | |
| Sat, Nov 17 |
| TBD | Tickets |
| Fri, Nov 23 |
| 3:00 PM ET | Tickets |
Outlook...#wins
1-2 Unlikely
3-6 Pessimistic
7-10 Realistic
11 Optimistic
12+ Unrealistic
Post season outlook...
Probably Alamo or Holiday Bowl
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Can the Big Sky Compete as a Split Conference or Conferences?
This is another in the continuing series to determine the viability of Idaho continuing in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
I just read about this plan in the Las Cruces Sun-News
I am not talking about dividing the Big Sky Conference into geographical divisions, but breaking the conference into 1 division for FBS teams and 1 division for FCS teams. In all other sports, the BSC competes as once conference.
This plan is taking it a step further than is mentioned in the Las Cruces Sun-News...
FBS Division (8 members)
Eastern Washington (Only needs to add 2 sports. Could remain in the FCS)
UC Davis (Needs to expand stadium, but can use the Sac State Stadium temporarily. Could remain in the FCS.)
Cal Poly (Needs to expand stadium. Could remain in the FCS.)
Idaho
Montana (Needs to add 2 sports. Could remain in the FCS.)
New Mexico State
Portland State (Needs to add 2 sports. Could remain in the FCS.)
Sacramento State
Plays to be invited to the Famous Potato Bowl and a couple of other bowl arrangements.
FCS Division (7 members)
Idaho State
Montana State (Could move to the FBS, needs to add 1 sports program.)
North Dakota
Northern Arizona (Could move to the FBS, needs to add 1 sports program.)
Northern Colorado
Southern Utah
Weber State (Could move to the FBS.)
Plays for an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.
In order for this plan to work, the NCAA would need to grant an emergency waiver for at least 6 current Big Sky members to transition to the Football Championship Subdivision, as the June 1 deadline has passed.
Note: BSC commissioner Doug Fullerton has admired that the 13-team football conference is a little odd for scheduling. He wants an even number team. Perhaps there will be North Dakota State, South Dakota and/or South Dakota State worked into the plan. But for football, this works well. The NCAA does allow an FBS program to count 1 game against an FCS school for bowl eligibility. This can be a conference game. Montana can still play at Montana State every season, for example.
But for basketball and all other non-football sports, the divisions can be divided geographically. I suppose that the plan assumes that Denver and Seattle will not be part of the plan; that they will get invited to the WCC. This can work even if they remain. You have a 16-member conference (sans Cal Poly and UC Davis, plus Boise State, Denver and Seattle)
North Division (Big Sky)
Boise State
Eastern Washington
Idaho
Idaho State
Montana
Montana State
Portland State
Seattle
South Division (WAC)
Denver
New Mexico State
North Dakota
Northern Colorado
Northern Arizona
Sacramento State
Southern Utah
Weber State
Now, who is behind this, you ask? Boise State. They need a place for their non-football programs. They also need a fall-back in case the Big East goes belly-up. Also, this conference will see it's membership picked-off by the MWC or other conferences as the conference realignment madness continues, which is why the Big Sky expanded to 13/11 in the first place. The conference realignment dust is far from settled. Over-expanding like this is a defense.
According to the report, this will not be a merger, but a merger/split in order to maintain two automatic bids to the NCAA. The North Division would be one conference, presumably the Big Sky and the South Division would be the other conference, or WAC.
According to the report, for football the Big Sky will remain in tact as it is, with Idaho and New Mexico State competing in other conferences or as FBS independents.
I just read about this plan in the Las Cruces Sun-News
I am not talking about dividing the Big Sky Conference into geographical divisions, but breaking the conference into 1 division for FBS teams and 1 division for FCS teams. In all other sports, the BSC competes as once conference.
This plan is taking it a step further than is mentioned in the Las Cruces Sun-News...
FBS Division (8 members)
Eastern Washington (Only needs to add 2 sports. Could remain in the FCS)
UC Davis (Needs to expand stadium, but can use the Sac State Stadium temporarily. Could remain in the FCS.)
Cal Poly (Needs to expand stadium. Could remain in the FCS.)
Idaho
Montana (Needs to add 2 sports. Could remain in the FCS.)
New Mexico State
Portland State (Needs to add 2 sports. Could remain in the FCS.)
Sacramento State
Plays to be invited to the Famous Potato Bowl and a couple of other bowl arrangements.
FCS Division (7 members)
Idaho State
Montana State (Could move to the FBS, needs to add 1 sports program.)
North Dakota
Northern Arizona (Could move to the FBS, needs to add 1 sports program.)
Northern Colorado
Southern Utah
Weber State (Could move to the FBS.)
Plays for an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.
In order for this plan to work, the NCAA would need to grant an emergency waiver for at least 6 current Big Sky members to transition to the Football Championship Subdivision, as the June 1 deadline has passed.
Note: BSC commissioner Doug Fullerton has admired that the 13-team football conference is a little odd for scheduling. He wants an even number team. Perhaps there will be North Dakota State, South Dakota and/or South Dakota State worked into the plan. But for football, this works well. The NCAA does allow an FBS program to count 1 game against an FCS school for bowl eligibility. This can be a conference game. Montana can still play at Montana State every season, for example.
But for basketball and all other non-football sports, the divisions can be divided geographically. I suppose that the plan assumes that Denver and Seattle will not be part of the plan; that they will get invited to the WCC. This can work even if they remain. You have a 16-member conference (sans Cal Poly and UC Davis, plus Boise State, Denver and Seattle)
North Division (Big Sky)
Boise State
Eastern Washington
Idaho
Idaho State
Montana
Montana State
Portland State
Seattle
South Division (WAC)
Denver
New Mexico State
North Dakota
Northern Colorado
Northern Arizona
Sacramento State
Southern Utah
Weber State
Now, who is behind this, you ask? Boise State. They need a place for their non-football programs. They also need a fall-back in case the Big East goes belly-up. Also, this conference will see it's membership picked-off by the MWC or other conferences as the conference realignment madness continues, which is why the Big Sky expanded to 13/11 in the first place. The conference realignment dust is far from settled. Over-expanding like this is a defense.
According to the report, this will not be a merger, but a merger/split in order to maintain two automatic bids to the NCAA. The North Division would be one conference, presumably the Big Sky and the South Division would be the other conference, or WAC.
According to the report, for football the Big Sky will remain in tact as it is, with Idaho and New Mexico State competing in other conferences or as FBS independents.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Fitting Punishment for Penn State
I was as shocked as most people in reading the Freeh report.The steps Penn State took to avoid bad publicity were unprecedented. And it is clear that they football program ahead of the safety of children, and that is unconscionable.
As far as we know, there has not been another college football program that has put football ahead of the safety of our most vulnerable citizens. Although it is epidemic that many colleges have made their football programs very important, if not the most important program on campus. The NCAA has a chance to send a very strong message. Now is the opportunity to tell the sports world that student comes before athlete. That education comes first.
There is no precedent for this. No school has ever before been guilty of so heinous of a crime. The NCAA could slap Penn State on the hand, and then watch an epidemic arise, or nip it in the bud. The danger is that other schools will act to cover up heinous crimes. Let's hope, however, that there is nothing this serious going on at other colleges. If so, it may quickly come to light. But the NCAA must act to ensure that this will never happen again.
The so called "Death Penalty" is deserved, but look at what happened to SMU. The SMU penalty was serious and they never recovered. I would be afraid to recommend the "Death Penalty" because of what SMU football is 30 years later. If Penn State wants to be part of the football world after they have been made a proper example of, the way should be open for them to do so. Jerry Sandusky is in jail, and likely will remain there for the rest of his natural life. Joe Paterno is dead. The others involved in the cover-up will likely face criminal charges. And there will be civil lawsuits.
My solution is that the "Death Penalty" should be imposed upon the Penn State football program for longer than one season. This should last for at least 5 seasons so that all of the football players currently on the program will have to transfer to other schools. They should be allowed to play for the 2012 season, because it is too late for their opponents to find replacements in their schedule at this juncture. But the coaching staff should work to find scholarship opportunities for all underclassmen on scholarship this year. There should be no walk-ons for this season. There should not be a bowl game, and Penn State will not have any of their games broadcast on Television. Penn State should forfeit any TV money they receive in a Big 10 contract to a program that rehabilitates victims of child abuse.
After the "Death Penalty" is served, if the Penn State football program is reinstated, it is at the Football Championship Subdivision level for at least 10 years. This sounds harsh, but this is the merciful part of the plan. This will give the Penn State program a realistic chance at rebuilding the program. The same should have been done for SMU, who came back at the highest level of football and was not able to compete. After the 5 years without football and the 10 years at the lower division, then Penn State can petition to be reclassified at the FBS level, just like any other program.
Now for one more condition of the punishment, but this is not for the NCAA to decide, but the Big 10. Penn State should be dropped from the Big 10 and be required to have their non-football sports join either a non-football conference, like the Atlantic 10, or an FCS-level conference like the CAA.
Again, this will sent a message to the rest of college football to be open. If any member of the staff commits any sort of heinous crime, they should be allow for normal prosecution and not stand in the way of justice. They should deal with the negative publicity. That will be temporary. A punishment like this may be permanent.
As far as we know, there has not been another college football program that has put football ahead of the safety of our most vulnerable citizens. Although it is epidemic that many colleges have made their football programs very important, if not the most important program on campus. The NCAA has a chance to send a very strong message. Now is the opportunity to tell the sports world that student comes before athlete. That education comes first.
There is no precedent for this. No school has ever before been guilty of so heinous of a crime. The NCAA could slap Penn State on the hand, and then watch an epidemic arise, or nip it in the bud. The danger is that other schools will act to cover up heinous crimes. Let's hope, however, that there is nothing this serious going on at other colleges. If so, it may quickly come to light. But the NCAA must act to ensure that this will never happen again.
The so called "Death Penalty" is deserved, but look at what happened to SMU. The SMU penalty was serious and they never recovered. I would be afraid to recommend the "Death Penalty" because of what SMU football is 30 years later. If Penn State wants to be part of the football world after they have been made a proper example of, the way should be open for them to do so. Jerry Sandusky is in jail, and likely will remain there for the rest of his natural life. Joe Paterno is dead. The others involved in the cover-up will likely face criminal charges. And there will be civil lawsuits.
My solution is that the "Death Penalty" should be imposed upon the Penn State football program for longer than one season. This should last for at least 5 seasons so that all of the football players currently on the program will have to transfer to other schools. They should be allowed to play for the 2012 season, because it is too late for their opponents to find replacements in their schedule at this juncture. But the coaching staff should work to find scholarship opportunities for all underclassmen on scholarship this year. There should be no walk-ons for this season. There should not be a bowl game, and Penn State will not have any of their games broadcast on Television. Penn State should forfeit any TV money they receive in a Big 10 contract to a program that rehabilitates victims of child abuse.
After the "Death Penalty" is served, if the Penn State football program is reinstated, it is at the Football Championship Subdivision level for at least 10 years. This sounds harsh, but this is the merciful part of the plan. This will give the Penn State program a realistic chance at rebuilding the program. The same should have been done for SMU, who came back at the highest level of football and was not able to compete. After the 5 years without football and the 10 years at the lower division, then Penn State can petition to be reclassified at the FBS level, just like any other program.
Now for one more condition of the punishment, but this is not for the NCAA to decide, but the Big 10. Penn State should be dropped from the Big 10 and be required to have their non-football sports join either a non-football conference, like the Atlantic 10, or an FCS-level conference like the CAA.
Again, this will sent a message to the rest of college football to be open. If any member of the staff commits any sort of heinous crime, they should be allow for normal prosecution and not stand in the way of justice. They should deal with the negative publicity. That will be temporary. A punishment like this may be permanent.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Where would Idaho fit in the Big Sky?
This is the first in a series of posts that discusses the reality of Idaho remaining at the FBS level. This post examines how Idaho would fit if they were to return to the Big Sky Conference.
Assuming that further conference expansion doesn't come and take any Big Sky Conference members, which it probably will not, where would Idaho fit in a 14-member football Big Sky Conference?
First, it is doubtful with 14 members that the Big Sky Conference would not split into division and keep the 2-team rival system it has now. But if it did, you would probably see Idaho be assigned Idaho State and Montana as rivals. And here is where the problem arises. You would think that Idaho would replace Portland State as one of Idaho State's rivals. But it probably will not happen that way.
Montana has to keep Montana State as a rival, so Idaho would replace Eastern Washington as one of Montana's rivals. The other of Eastern Washington's rival is also Portland State, and EWU can not have PSU as both of their rivals. Therefore, Idaho does not replace Portland State has one of Idaho State's rivals, they would replace Weber State. And Weber State and EWU become rivals who play every season. You would therefore have Weber State skip two closer potential rivals to play Eastern Washington.
The only way to avoid this is to make Idaho's rivals Eastern Washington and Montana and not have a Gem State rivalry. Therefore, here is what you have,
Current Rival System.
Eastern Washington
Montana
Portland State
Montana
Eastern Washington
Montana State
With Idaho
Eastern Washington
Idaho
Portland State
Idaho
Eastern Washington
Montana
Montana
Idaho
Montana State
With an even number of teams, you would think that the schedule would be more balanced, but it may not be. If you have two rivals, you would play your two rivals, plus 6 of the remaining 11 conference teams, leaving 5 out. It would work out better to switch to 3 rivals. If the conference did this, the numbers work out well. You have 3 games against teams you play every season, and have 5 games against the remaining 10 teams. This means you play the rest of the conference twice every 4 years. Here is how that could work. Each school keeps their current two rivals and adds another.
UC Davis
Cal Poly
Sacramento State
Portland State (n)
Cal Poly
UC Davis
Sacramento State
Southern Utah (n)
Eastern Washington
Montana
Portland State
Idaho (n)
Idaho
Eastern Washington
Idaho State
Montana
Idaho State
Portland State
Idaho (n)
Weber State
Montana
Eastern Washington
Idaho (n)
Montana State
Montana State
Montana
North Dakota
Northern Colorado (n)
North Dakota
Montana State
Northern Colorado
Northern Arizona (n)
Northern Arizona
North Dakota (n)
Northern Colorado
Southern Utah
Northern Colorado
Northern Arizona
North Dakota
Montana State (n)
Portland State
Eastern Washington
Idaho State
UC Davis (n)
Sacramento State
UC Davis
Cal Poly
Weber State (n)
Southern Utah
Cal Poly (n)
Northern Arizona
Weber State
Weber State
Idaho State
Sacramento State (n)
Southern Utah
But, lets say that the Big Sky chooses, with an even number of teams, to break into divisions, here is how they could work out.
Western Division
UC Davis
Cal Poly
Eastern Washington
Idaho
Idaho State
Portland State
Sacramento State
Eastern Division
Montana
Montana State
North Dakota
Northern Colorado
Northern Arizona
Southern Utah
Weber State
OR
Northern Division
Eastern Washington
Idaho
Idaho State
Montana
Montana State
North Dakota
Portland State
Southern Division
UC Davis
Cal Poly
Northern Arizona
Northern Colorado
Sacramento State
Southern Utah
Weber State
You play 6 games against teams from your division, plus 2 games against teams from the other division. In a four year time frame, you play everyone in the other division at least once, and one team twice. I can see why, even though I was critical of it at first, the BSC adopted the rival system. At the FCS level there is no advantage to playing a conference championship game, and with the rival system, team will play the entire conference more often and one can use tie breakers to determine who will get the NCAA automatic bid.
Assuming that further conference expansion doesn't come and take any Big Sky Conference members, which it probably will not, where would Idaho fit in a 14-member football Big Sky Conference?
First, it is doubtful with 14 members that the Big Sky Conference would not split into division and keep the 2-team rival system it has now. But if it did, you would probably see Idaho be assigned Idaho State and Montana as rivals. And here is where the problem arises. You would think that Idaho would replace Portland State as one of Idaho State's rivals. But it probably will not happen that way.
Montana has to keep Montana State as a rival, so Idaho would replace Eastern Washington as one of Montana's rivals. The other of Eastern Washington's rival is also Portland State, and EWU can not have PSU as both of their rivals. Therefore, Idaho does not replace Portland State has one of Idaho State's rivals, they would replace Weber State. And Weber State and EWU become rivals who play every season. You would therefore have Weber State skip two closer potential rivals to play Eastern Washington.
The only way to avoid this is to make Idaho's rivals Eastern Washington and Montana and not have a Gem State rivalry. Therefore, here is what you have,
Current Rival System.
Eastern Washington
Montana
Portland State
Montana
Eastern Washington
Montana State
With Idaho
Eastern Washington
Idaho
Portland State
Idaho
Eastern Washington
Montana
Montana
Idaho
Montana State
With an even number of teams, you would think that the schedule would be more balanced, but it may not be. If you have two rivals, you would play your two rivals, plus 6 of the remaining 11 conference teams, leaving 5 out. It would work out better to switch to 3 rivals. If the conference did this, the numbers work out well. You have 3 games against teams you play every season, and have 5 games against the remaining 10 teams. This means you play the rest of the conference twice every 4 years. Here is how that could work. Each school keeps their current two rivals and adds another.
UC Davis
Cal Poly
Sacramento State
Portland State (n)
Cal Poly
UC Davis
Sacramento State
Southern Utah (n)
Eastern Washington
Montana
Portland State
Idaho (n)
Idaho
Eastern Washington
Idaho State
Montana
Idaho State
Portland State
Idaho (n)
Weber State
Montana
Eastern Washington
Idaho (n)
Montana State
Montana State
Montana
North Dakota
Northern Colorado (n)
North Dakota
Montana State
Northern Colorado
Northern Arizona (n)
Northern Arizona
North Dakota (n)
Northern Colorado
Southern Utah
Northern Colorado
Northern Arizona
North Dakota
Montana State (n)
Portland State
Eastern Washington
Idaho State
UC Davis (n)
Sacramento State
UC Davis
Cal Poly
Weber State (n)
Southern Utah
Cal Poly (n)
Northern Arizona
Weber State
Weber State
Idaho State
Sacramento State (n)
Southern Utah
But, lets say that the Big Sky chooses, with an even number of teams, to break into divisions, here is how they could work out.
Western Division
UC Davis
Cal Poly
Eastern Washington
Idaho
Idaho State
Portland State
Sacramento State
Eastern Division
Montana
Montana State
North Dakota
Northern Colorado
Northern Arizona
Southern Utah
Weber State
OR
Northern Division
Eastern Washington
Idaho
Idaho State
Montana
Montana State
North Dakota
Portland State
Southern Division
UC Davis
Cal Poly
Northern Arizona
Northern Colorado
Sacramento State
Southern Utah
Weber State
You play 6 games against teams from your division, plus 2 games against teams from the other division. In a four year time frame, you play everyone in the other division at least once, and one team twice. I can see why, even though I was critical of it at first, the BSC adopted the rival system. At the FCS level there is no advantage to playing a conference championship game, and with the rival system, team will play the entire conference more often and one can use tie breakers to determine who will get the NCAA automatic bid.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
New Jazz Depth Chart?
Updated July 24.
PG--Mo Williams--Earl Watson--Jamaal Tinsely(FA)
SG--Gordon Hayward--Randy Foye--Alec Burks--Kevin Murphy (DL)
SF--Marvin Williams--DeMarre Carrol--Josh Howard (FA)
PF--Paul Milsap--Derrick Favors--Jeremy Evans
C--Al Jefferson--Enes Kanter
Left to do--Sign Jamaal Tinsley for a 3rd point guard.
Randy Foye's signing likely means that Blake Ahearn and CJ Miles will not be back in Utah. May not see Josh Howard back either. It will also likely mean that Kevin Murphy, if signed, will be delegated to the NBADL Reno Bighorns. Either Tinsely, Murphy or Howard will not be signed.
PG--Mo Williams--Earl Watson--Jamaal Tinsely(FA)
SG--Gordon Hayward--Randy Foye--Alec Burks--Kevin Murphy (DL)
SF--Marvin Williams--DeMarre Carrol--Josh Howard (FA)
PF--Paul Milsap--Derrick Favors--Jeremy Evans
C--Al Jefferson--Enes Kanter
Left to do--Sign Jamaal Tinsley for a 3rd point guard.
Randy Foye's signing likely means that Blake Ahearn and CJ Miles will not be back in Utah. May not see Josh Howard back either. It will also likely mean that Kevin Murphy, if signed, will be delegated to the NBADL Reno Bighorns. Either Tinsely, Murphy or Howard will not be signed.
Friday, July 6, 2012
WAC considering dropping football.
KBOI is reporting that the WAC commissioners are considering dropping football and continuing as a non-football conference after this academic year. Beginning in 2013, there are only 2 football-playing members left in the WAC...Idaho and New Mexico State.
There are at least 3 schools that the WAC can invite as non-football members to join Idaho, New Mexico State, Denver, Seattle and Boise State in the non-football world. Utah Valley, Cal State Bakersfield, and Texas Pan-American who is the only non-football member left in the Southland Conference. There may be some Division II programs in the WAC footprint that will find a reason to upgrade to Division I as non-football schools that may end up in the WAC, but I will not go into who or the reasons why at this time as those reasons are too speculative at this point even for this blog.
New Mexico State and Idaho are likely to wait out 2013 and possibly 2014 as FBS independents in hopes that more conference realignment will open up spots in either the Mountain West Conference or Conference USA or Sun Belt Conference. Perhaps, as a longshot, members of the Big Sky Conference, Missouri Valley Football Conference or Southland Conference wish to pursue an upgrade to the Football Bowl Subdivision and the WAC can re-emerge as a football Conference.
Should a reclassification to the FCS be needed, Idaho will likely join the Big Sky Conference as a football-only member and New Mexico State will likely join the Southland Conference as a football-only member.
There are at least 3 schools that the WAC can invite as non-football members to join Idaho, New Mexico State, Denver, Seattle and Boise State in the non-football world. Utah Valley, Cal State Bakersfield, and Texas Pan-American who is the only non-football member left in the Southland Conference. There may be some Division II programs in the WAC footprint that will find a reason to upgrade to Division I as non-football schools that may end up in the WAC, but I will not go into who or the reasons why at this time as those reasons are too speculative at this point even for this blog.
New Mexico State and Idaho are likely to wait out 2013 and possibly 2014 as FBS independents in hopes that more conference realignment will open up spots in either the Mountain West Conference or Conference USA or Sun Belt Conference. Perhaps, as a longshot, members of the Big Sky Conference, Missouri Valley Football Conference or Southland Conference wish to pursue an upgrade to the Football Bowl Subdivision and the WAC can re-emerge as a football Conference.
Should a reclassification to the FCS be needed, Idaho will likely join the Big Sky Conference as a football-only member and New Mexico State will likely join the Southland Conference as a football-only member.
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