Better Marketing the FCS Through TV

[Lehigh Football Nation]

http://www.college-sports-journal.com/index.php/ncaa-division-i-sports/fcs-football/704-better-marketing-the-fcs-through-tv


One of the biggest complaints coming from the mouths of FCS football fans is the lack of "exposure" of their teams on TV.

Frequently teams have their own local TV deals, like Lehigh with Service Electric 2 in the Lehigh Valley, national TV deals, like Liberty and their Flames Sports Network, or a sort-of consortium of public broadcast stations in the state, which is the case for Montana and North Dakota State.

There has to be an easier way for these teams to get some of that precious TV time - with a little creativity.

[The Eagle's Cliff]

Lehigh can only average a 50% capacity 8,000 in attendance after nearly 130 years of football. I'm pretty sure TV exposure isn't the problem Chucky. Location, location, location - three of the top 5 most important attributes for marketing a product. Lehigh is in the wrong "middle-of-nowhere" to market college football. Don't worry, the Connecticut-based Disney Sports Network will still talk about the Lafayette game for 5 minutes every year.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Lehigh can only average a 50% capacity 8,000 in attendance after nearly 130 years of football. I'm pretty sure TV exposure isn't the problem Chucky. Location, location, location - three of the top 5 most important attributes for marketing a product. Lehigh is in the wrong "middle-of-nowhere" to market college football. Don't worry, the Connecticut-based Disney Sports Network will still talk about the Lafayette game for 5 minutes every year.

... said the fan from Statesboro, Georgia.

[bluehenbillk]

True some of these networks are scrambling for programming but when FCS football puts up 0.0 ratings on NBC Sports Network the clamor to expand & get more that is equivalent to a bear ****ting in the middle of the woods....

[Bisonator]

This would be awesome!

[Lehigh Football Nation]

True some of these networks are scrambling for programming but when FCS football puts up 0.0 ratings on NBC Sports Network the clamor to expand & get more that is equivalent to a bear ****ting in the middle of the woods....

And an Eastern Michigan/Michigan State matchup on BTN, is this getting any ratings? Go look for their ratings. I'll wait.

[bluehenbillk]

And an Eastern Michigan/Michigan State matchup on BTN, is this getting any ratings? Go look for their ratings. I'll wait.

I give up. What's the answer, you'd think it has to be higher than 0.0?? I don't do other people's homework for them.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Lehigh can only average a 50% capacity 8,000 in attendance after nearly 130 years of football. I'm pretty sure TV exposure isn't the problem Chucky. Location, location, location - three of the top 5 most important attributes for marketing a product. Lehigh is in the wrong "middle-of-nowhere" to market college football. Don't worry, the Connecticut-based Disney Sports Network will still talk about the Lafayette game for 5 minutes every year.

Again, everything has to be put in perceptive. Lafayette, for example, has live televised every one of its games*, home and away, for well over a decade. Home attendance at Lafayette averages 3-4 times the entire student population and it represents more than a quarter of the total number of living alumni, week in and week out. Lehigh isn't too far off that mark, either. Yes, the stadia at both Lafayette and Lehigh were sized with the annual rivalry game in mind. I don't quite see the negative in that, however.

When one adds in attendance at basketball games plus the host of other sports fielded by these two schools, which most FCS schools (outside of the Ivy) don't even bother to sponsor, the numbers are fairly impressive. Denigration of the PL remains a popular topic on FCS. All too often, though, there isn't a lot of substance to back it up.



* Aside from a "certain event" at Georgetown University, of course. xnonox

[The Eagle's Cliff]

... said the fan from Statesboro, Georgia.

Exactly! Statesboro, GA doesn't have the millions of people in its radius that Lehigh does yet Georgia Southern outdraws Lehigh 2.5 times.

Setting minimum scholarships in D1 would have made it better long ago. Powerful schools in the Patriot, Ivy, and Pioneer had to nix that idea.

[clenz]

I give up. What's the answer, you'd think it has to be higher than 0.0?? I don't do other people's homework for them.
I'm not going to look the numbers up either....I do find it interesting he is using a middle of the pack B10/bottom of the MAC game though to ask for ratings....and I'd bet their still better than every single regular season FCS game.


To put that in perspective....

What would the ratings for a.....Southern Illinois vs Central Connecticut State game be?

[aceinthehole]

I'm not going to look the numbers up either....I do find it interesting he is using a middle of the pack B10/bottom of the MAC game though to ask for ratings....and I'd bet their still better than every single regular season FCS game.


To put that in perspective....

What would the ratings for a.....Southern Illinois vs Central Connecticut State game be?

Why you picking on us :) (just kidding)

LFN - has his agenda. Anyone who follows FCS knows the product if far less marketable than he would have you believe. UConn/SMU will get a better rating on SNY than any Patriot League game - that's just the how it is. The FCS Championship game can't get a higher rating than any FBS bowl game - its just the reality of the situation.

I enjoy FCS and thing it offers a quality product, and it would be nice if it was held in a little higher regard by the outside world. But the fact is a football game between Southern Ill and CCSU is about as attractive as a November basketball game between Illinois State and Maine - no one really cares. It is programming available to fill sports networks, but no one is clamoring to watch either one.

[clenz]

Why you picking on us :) (just kidding)

LFN - has his agenda. Anyone who follows FCS knows the product if far less marketable than he would have you believe. UConn/SMU will get a better rating on SNY than any Patriot League game - that's just the how it is. The FCS Championship game can't get a higher rating than any FBS bowl game - its just the reality of the situation.

I enjoy FCS and thing it offers a quality product, and it would be nice if it was held in a little higher regard by the outside world. But the fact is a football game between Southern Ill and CCSU is about as attractive as a November basketball game between Illinois State and Maine - no one really cares. It is programming available to fill sports networks, but no one is clamoring to watch either one.
Wasn't trying to pick on you..:D
Based on last seasons results

SIU:MVFC::MSU:BIG
CCSU:NEC::EMU:MAC
MVFC:FCS::B1G:FBS
NEC:FCS::MAC:FBS


The national title game did beat out 2 bowl games last year....I don't remember which they were but I know one of them was the Purdue OkSt game...yeah...big time game there.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

LFN - has his agenda. Anyone who follows FCS knows the product if far less marketable than he would have you believe. UConn/SMU will get a better rating on SNY than any Patriot League game - that's just the how it is. The FCS Championship game can't get a higher rating than any FBS bowl game - its just the reality of the situation.

Nobody knows how marketable the FCS is since few people have actually tried.

As for the BTN, you won't find their ratings for most of their games nationally - much like SNY - and there's a reason for that.

UConn/SMU is a conference game, and those SNY ratings aren't going to make anybody rich. But these games wouldn't be going against UConn/SMU in mid-October. They'd be going against a game like Texas Tech/SMU, a mismatch of an FBS game of which most people oustide the state of Texas don't care about.

And nobody's even saying that FCS's ratings have to beat that game, they just need to be the same as a run-of-the-mill BTN game to be satisfactory to one of the other national cable sports networks.

[clenz]

Nobody knows how marketable the FCS is since few people have actually tried.

As for the BTN, you won't find their ratings for most of their games nationally - much like SNY - and there's a reason for that.

UConn/SMU is a conference game, and those SNY ratings aren't going to make anybody rich. But these games wouldn't be going against UConn/SMU in mid-October. They'd be going against a game like Texas Tech/SMU, a mismatch of an FBS game of which most people oustide the state of Texas don't care about.

And nobody's even saying that FCS's ratings have to beat that game, they just need to be the same as a run-of-the-mill BTN game to be satisfactory to one of the other national cable sports networks.
I don't completely disagree with anything you said here.


HOWEVER, FCS games are almost never going to draw well...sans the Montana/App State type games. Big 10 schools are HUGE. Student bodies of over 35K, alumni bases in the hundres of thousands/millions across the nation, big time donors and fans who never had anything to do with the school directly, etc... They may not release the ratings, and they may not be 4.0's, but they are still significant compared to what FCS schools are going to draw - even primetime afternoon slots on ESPN with promos for the FCS running all week. Even MAC schools are national universities.

How many FCS schools are considered national universities? How many have student body population over 25K? How many have alumni bases over 500k living? How many have MAJOR (and by major I mean tens of thousands of dollars per year per person) who have never gone to the school? I'm going to guess the numbers start really really small for the first and become about zero by the last question.

I agree the FCS is a much better product than the average person gives it credit for (at least at the top of the FCS).
I agree that the FCS needs better TV deals/promoting.
I agree that the FCS could draw "okay" tv ratings, compared to Sun Belt, WAC, MAC games.

I disagree that the average person that doesn't have an interest in the FCS is going to pick UNI/SIU on TV over Purdue/Illinois.
I disagree that the FCS can draw ratings on a consistent basis better than most FBS games/bowl games
I disagree with your constant assertion that being top of FCS is ALWAYS better than being mid-level/low lever FBS conference. Some schools it is (UNI is one of them), some schools it isn't.



I know you won't believe me, but that is the fact of the situation.

[Lehigh'98]

"That's a lot of programming hours to fill (and replays during the week), and an elite matchup between FCS Top 25 teams could rival, or even surpass the ratings of, say, Eastern Michigan lining up against Penn State."

There's simply no chance of that happening, regardless of how bad the football teams are.

Population Pennsylvania - 12.7 million.
Population North Dakota - 0.7 million.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

"That's a lot of programming hours to fill (and replays during the week), and an elite matchup between FCS Top 25 teams could rival, or even surpass the ratings of, say, Eastern Michigan lining up against Penn State."

There's simply no chance of that happening, regardless of how bad the football teams are.

Population Pennsylvania - 12.7 million.
Population North Dakota - 0.7 million.

In the state of Pennsylvania, sure. But what about nationally? Those ratings are a lot smaller than you think.

[clenz]

"That's a lot of programming hours to fill (and replays during the week), and an elite matchup between FCS Top 25 teams could rival, or even surpass the ratings of, say, Eastern Michigan lining up against Penn State."

There's simply no chance of that happening, regardless of how bad the football teams are.

Population Pennsylvania - 12.7 million.
Population North Dakota - 0.7 million.
I live in Iowa (pop of 3million) and UNI doesn't exist in this state west of Interstate 35 (splits state E/W about half way through), and barely exists outside of the Cedar Falls/Iowa City/Des Moines markets....

I'd bet less than 5% of the population of the state of Iowa would watch at UNI/anyone other than Iowa/Iowa State game on TV...

[cmaxwellgsu]

... said the fan from Statesboro, Georgia.


You mean the place where last year's highest rated game took place??

[cmaxwellgsu]

In the state of Pennsylvania, sure. But what about nationally? Those ratings are a lot smaller than you think.

You could not be more wrong. One is a big name in a big conference. If anything, one would be put on a sports bar if a better regional game can't be found. The only way that TV switches to the FCS game is if a few alumni of one team are there.

[walliver]

Yes, the networks have a lot of time to fill, but I suspect they fill the time with talking heads and highlights before they fill the slots with FCS teams or lower echelon FBS teams.

There are hard-core FCS fans on this board, but I suspect most FCS fans in the south would watch the Georgia-Florida game than NDSU vs Montana or Ball State vs. Buffalo.

It is what it is. If any FCS team has the potential to bring in significant viewership, Conference USA will be knocking on the door.

[clenz]

You could not be more wrong. One is a big name in a big conference. If anything, one would be put on a sports bar if a better regional game can't be found. The only way that TV switches to the FCS game is if a few alumni of one team are there.
Exactly right...

Which is why most FCS schools have "bars" in each area of high alumni populations that are designated as "their bars"

UNI has them in Des Moines, Minneapolis, KC, and Denver.

Where as every bar in the state will have the Hawkeye and Cyclone games...along with pretty much every B1G, B12, SEC,PAC12, etc... game on

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Exactly right...

Which is why most FCS schools have "bars" in each area of high alumni populations that are designated as "their bars"

UNI has them in Des Moines, Minneapolis, KC, and Denver.

Where as every bar in the state will have the Hawkeye and Cyclone games...along with pretty much every B1G, B12, SEC,PAC12, etc... game on

Yet I'd bet UNI basketball games find a way to get aired in these places. A big part of that is because they're not on MediaCom, they're on a national TV network. There are other tricks, like not scheduling them at the same time as Hawkeye games, etc.

Furthermore, when necessary, in hoops the Missouri Valley and, for example, the CAA get together with ESPN if there's a compelling matchup like UNI/VCU that might have some interest nationally.

Why can't this work for football? All the arguments against televising UNI football games in a bar also go for a UNI/VCU hoops matchup. Yet they still happen. And more importantly, they get an audience. Is it as much as Iowa/Iowa State? No, but that's not the point.

[clenz]

Because UNI and VCU hoops (which will happen this year BTW) are nationally known products - not because they were on ESPNU....because they've made noise against big time opponents and big time games.


The Valleys' TV deal is actually extremely detrimental to Valley schools.

[cmaxwellgsu]

Exactly right...

Which is why most FCS schools have "bars" in each area of high alumni populations that are designated as "their bars"

UNI has them in Des Moines, Minneapolis, KC, and Denver.

Where as every bar in the state will have the Hawkeye and Cyclone games...along with pretty much every B1G, B12, SEC,PAC12, etc... game on

Very true. And most of those bars either have an alumni owner or a good sized group of alumni regulars. They're diehards, not someone interested in seeing something on tv while downing beer and wings. It's not a slam at all on FCS football. The interest just isn't there on a national level. When FBS coverage is like a pig trough for the casual fan, there just isn't enough interest or time for one to invest much into a whole different subdivision that you have to actively seek out information on.

[Lehigh'98]

Why should the average person care to watch an FCS game vs. an avg B1G game?? Say I live in Ohio, I'm hungover as hell and I don't have ***** to do all Saturday afternoon except watch football. The Buckeyes don't come on til 330........

Alas, there are 2 games on at noon. Penn St vs E. Mich and #1 Delaware vs #2 Villanova:

Whichever game shall I choose?? This team looks like Michigan, but their players are smaller and slower and their color blue is even uglier. Its never going to work.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

The interest just isn't there on a national level.

People say this as if it's fact, and yet it can't be conclusively proven one way or another since it hasn't really been tried.

Of a very limited selection, the best FCS games, ratings-wise, are as good or better than the lower-rated bowl games, however, proving that there is some market out there for this.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Whichever game shall I choose?? This team looks like Michigan, but their players are smaller and slower and their color blue is even uglier. Its never going to work.

I have to admit this made me laugh.

[cmaxwellgsu]

[QUOTE=Lehigh Football Nation;1958882]People say this as if it's fact, and yet it can't be conclusively proven one way or another since it hasn't really been tried.

It's pretty easy to determine. I used to have Direct TV. Occasionally, I could get FCS games from different parts of the country. So I gave it a look a time or two. Five minutes later, I was back watching UGA/Buffalo. I can't remember the FCS teams who played, other than the names were intriguing enough to take a look. Keep in mind, I'm a fan of a school that's FCS until 2014 so I had somewhat of a vested interest. I still tuned out. Between the poor coverage (audio and visual were unbearable) and not knowing a damn thing about either team, I found something more entertaining.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

It's pretty easy to determine. I used to have Direct TV. Occasionally, I could get FCS games from different parts of the country. So I gave it a look a time or two. Five minutes later, I was back watching UGA/Buffalo. I can't remember the FCS teams who played, other than the names were intriguing enough to take a look. Keep in mind, I'm a fan of a school that's FCS until 2014 so I had somewhat of a vested interest. I still tuned out. Between the poor coverage (audio and visual were unbearable) and not knowing a damn thing about either team, I found something more entertaining.

This deal isn't simply taking a local broadcast and going national with it. It's presenting the game as a nationally-produced game with national coverage, so it would be HD, have national announcers, etc. Thus, it addresses two of the criticisms you had.

[Bogus Megapardus]

This deal isn't simply taking a local broadcast and going national with it. It's presenting the game as a nationally-produced game with national coverage, so it would be HD, have national announcers, etc. Thus, it addresses two of the criticisms you had.

It doesn't necessarily have to be "nationally produced." You simply need:

- Consistent professional broadcast talent that knows the team, its coaches and its opponents, inside out

- Minimum 4-6 cameras with platforms/facilities to support them, including at least one handheld for sideline commentary, sideline closeups, crowd shots and coach/player interviews

- A decent parabolic microphone for crowd reaction

- Instant replay, telestrator, and slo-mo, with a color commentator who knows how to use them and what/where to focus

- Cut-aways and/or updates on other league teams and local (including FBS) teams in action

- Some branding that includes segment segues and positive mentions of the league and its opponents

- A producer who cares about what he/she is doing

You don't necessarily need:

- Talking heads who shout at the tops of their lungs

- Promos and updates about other games and programming that aren't relevant to the audience

- Hyperbolic commentators who are concerned more about promoting themselves than the game

- 1080 High Definition equipment, though its always nice to have.

There are legions of talented Journalism/Media graduates out there (especially those from from Syracuse, VCU and Boston University) who are really good at this stuff. It can be had for the price of two or three professors' useless sabbatical junkets.

[DFW HOYA]

It doesn't necessarily have to be "nationally produced." You simply need:
- Consistent professional broadcast talent that knows the team, its coaches and its opponents, inside out
- Minimum 4-6 cameras with platforms/facilities to support them, including at least one handheld for sideline commentary, sideline closeups, crowd shots and coach/player interviews
- A decent parabolic microphone for crowd reaction
- Instant replay, telestrator, and slo-mo, with a color commentator who knows how to use them and what/where to focus
- Cut-aways and/or updates on other league teams and local (including FBS) teams in action
- Some branding that includes segment segues and positive mentions of the league and its opponents
- A producer who cares about what he/she is doing


And to Lafayette's credit, they can do this. There is also a significant financial commitment inherent in this level of production, too. In one way, I think it is this commitment that so profoundly irritates Lafayette fans (and LV sports writers) tuning in to what is loosely advertised as the Georgetown broadcasts, which consists of:

1. A single home-style video camera perched atop the MSF press box, with a microphone connected back into the press box for Chuck Timanus to call the game.
2. No time, down and distance, or score graphics; heck, no graphics at all. Obviously, no sideline reporter because it's a single camera.
3. No instant replay, no telestrator, etc. because there is zero production involved, it's just a live feed with a play by play call.

No local production entity has stepped forth to carry games, certainly not since Verizon FiOS walked away in 2011. When it comes to cities like Washington or New York (Fordham), Patriot football carries no inherent local interest vs. that of the Lehigh Valley, where it is a much bigger deal.

[Go...gate]

Again, everything has to be put in perceptive. Lafayette, for example, has live televised every one of its games*, home and away, for well over a decade. Home attendance at Lafayette averages 3-4 times the entire student population and it represents more than a quarter of the total number of living alumni, week in and week out. Lehigh isn't too far off that mark, either. Yes, the stadia at both Lafayette and Lehigh were sized with the annual rivalry game in mind. I don't quite see the negative in that, however.

When one adds in attendance at basketball games plus the host of other sports fielded by these two schools, which most FCS schools (outside of the Ivy) don't even bother to sponsor, the numbers are fairly impressive. Denigration of the PL remains a popular topic on FCS. All too often, though, there isn't a lot of substance to back it up.



* Aside from a "certain event" at Georgetown University, of course.

I love it! The "FIOS" Affair. xrotatehx xpissedx

[Pard4Life]

Lehigh can only average a 50% capacity 8,000 in attendance after nearly 130 years of football. I'm pretty sure TV exposure isn't the problem Chucky. Location, location, location - three of the top 5 most important attributes for marketing a product. Lehigh is in the wrong "middle-of-nowhere" to market college football. Don't worry, the Connecticut-based Disney Sports Network will still talk about the Lafayette game for 5 minutes every year.

Everything about Lehigh's area is Penn State football. The area is very passionate about college football and even more-so for high school football. Football passion is not an issue in the Lehigh Valley.

It's hard to care about Lehigh and FCS in general when it's not FBS, there are other things to in the area, pro sports are highly visible, and Lehigh does not have an overwhelming number of alums.

[Pard4Life]

Again, everything has to be put in perceptive. Lafayette, for example, has live televised every one of its games*, home and away, for well over a decade. Home attendance at Lafayette averages 3-4 times the entire student population and it represents more than a quarter of the total number of living alumni, week in and week out. Lehigh isn't too far off that mark, either. Yes, the stadia at both Lafayette and Lehigh were sized with the annual rivalry game in mind. I don't quite see the negative in that, however.

When one adds in attendance at basketball games plus the host of other sports fielded by these two schools, which most FCS schools (outside of the Ivy) don't even bother to sponsor, the numbers are fairly impressive. Denigration of the PL remains a popular topic on FCS. All too often, though, there isn't a lot of substance to back it up.



* Aside from a "certain event" at Georgetown University, of course. xnonox

And the NDSU game... beyond that, every Lafayette football has been televised on LSN TV since Columbia 2002.

[Pard4Life]

Nobody knows how marketable the FCS is since few people have actually tried.

As for the BTN, you won't find their ratings for most of their games nationally - much like SNY - and there's a reason for that.

UConn/SMU is a conference game, and those SNY ratings aren't going to make anybody rich. But these games wouldn't be going against UConn/SMU in mid-October. They'd be going against a game like Texas Tech/SMU, a mismatch of an FBS game of which most people oustide the state of Texas don't care about.

And nobody's even saying that FCS's ratings have to beat that game, they just need to be the same as a run-of-the-mill BTN game to be satisfactory to one of the other national cable sports networks.

It's not worth marketing the FCS because it would be like trying to market the Pacific Coast League or International League to a national audience. Why would I watch that when I can watch MLB?

I would watch AAA baseball when there is some form of novelty event, like the AAA All-Star Game, or can't miss prospect.

That is the only way FCS is viable to a larger audience: a novelty event. Why do you think YES and NBC Sports have picked up Ivy League football? It's a novelty and there is some regional appeal. Same thing with CAA football on Comcast.

And even if Penn State is playing Toldeo and there is an option of watching Montana vs. Northern Colorado, I am going with Penn State because they are apart of a national race and power conference that receives prominent attention each week. It is a brand that I am acutely aware of each week. I have no context for Montana or Northern Colorado.

So yes, it's a catch-22... I would maybe care about Montana-No. Colorado if they were talked about every week, but then again I'm not going to watch it because it's not the 'big-boys' and cannot identify with or aware of the Montana brand.

[Pard4Life]

It doesn't necessarily have to be "nationally produced." You simply need:

- Consistent professional broadcast talent that knows the team, its coaches and its opponents, inside out

- Minimum 4-6 cameras with platforms/facilities to support them, including at least one handheld for sideline commentary, sideline closeups, crowd shots and coach/player interviews

- A decent parabolic microphone for crowd reaction

- Instant replay, telestrator, and slo-mo, with a color commentator who knows how to use them and what/where to focus

- Cut-aways and/or updates on other league teams and local (including FBS) teams in action

- Some branding that includes segment segues and positive mentions of the league and its opponents

- A producer who cares about what he/she is doing

You don't necessarily need:

- Talking heads who shout at the tops of their lungs

- Promos and updates about other games and programming that aren't relevant to the audience

- Hyperbolic commentators who are concerned more about promoting themselves than the game

- 1080 High Definition equipment, though its always nice to have.

There are legions of talented Journalism/Media graduates out there (especially those from from Syracuse, VCU and Boston University) who are really good at this stuff. It can be had for the price of two or three professors' useless sabbatical junkets.

Hey what do you know! Sounds just like Lafayette Sports Network! xrotatehx

[Lehigh Football Nation]

It's not worth marketing the FCS because it would be like trying to market the Pacific Coast League or International League to a national audience. Why would I watch that when I can watch MLB?

I would watch AAA baseball when there is some form of novelty event, like the AAA All-Star Game, or can't miss prospect.

This is not the right way to think of this. Specifically, the Pacific Coast League and/or International League are AAA affiliates filled with athletes who have as their singular goal to make it to MLB. And, they are owned by MLB.

It's more similar to soccer. Even though the EPL is considered the "top flight" there are plenty of other leagues, like MLS, the French Ligue 1, and others that are enjoyed by fans. Each league is run by their country's soccer federation, and the levels of play vary.

Crucially, the fact that there's EPL soccer on doesn't mean that people don't watch a mid-level Bundesliga match or MLS games. If anything, EPL soccer has floated the TV viewership of soccer from all leagues, from the Mexican league to weird international U-21 games... everything. The Fox Soccer Channel isn't in the charity business - they constantly broadcast games and soccer-related programs 24/7 because it is a gigantic moneymaker, and if there's a game on somewhere, someone will want to watch. Heck, it doesn't even need to be live.

Years ago, there wasn't even a soccer network, and as recently as a few years ago if you wanted to watch many, many games you'd have to learn Spanish. Now, there are multiple TV channels devoting their whole business plans to soccer, and they need content to broadcast. This is a definite parallel to the current landscape for college football, too, with four all-sports channels starving for programming. There's a window, and an opportunity, I feel, for FCS to fill that void.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

It doesn't necessarily have to be "nationally produced." You simply need:

- Consistent professional broadcast talent that knows the team, its coaches and its opponents, inside out

- Minimum 4-6 cameras with platforms/facilities to support them, including at least one handheld for sideline commentary, sideline closeups, crowd shots and coach/player interviews

- A decent parabolic microphone for crowd reaction

- Instant replay, telestrator, and slo-mo, with a color commentator who knows how to use them and what/where to focus

- Cut-aways and/or updates on other league teams and local (including FBS) teams in action

- Some branding that includes segment segues and positive mentions of the league and its opponents

- A producer who cares about what he/she is doing

You don't necessarily need:

- Talking heads who shout at the tops of their lungs

- Promos and updates about other games and programming that aren't relevant to the audience

- Hyperbolic commentators who are concerned more about promoting themselves than the game

- 1080 High Definition equipment, though its always nice to have.

There are legions of talented Journalism/Media graduates out there (especially those from from Syracuse, VCU and Boston University) who are really good at this stuff. It can be had for the price of two or three professors' useless sabbatical junkets.

Reps to someone who knows what he's talking about.

[GannonFan]

This is not the right way to think of this. Specifically, the Pacific Coast League and/or International League are AAA affiliates filled with athletes who have as their singular goal to make it to MLB. And, they are owned by MLB.

It's more similar to soccer. Even though the EPL is considered the "top flight" there are plenty of other leagues, like MLS, the French Ligue 1, and others that are enjoyed by fans. Each league is run by their country's soccer federation, and the levels of play vary.

Crucially, the fact that there's EPL soccer on doesn't mean that people don't watch a mid-level Bundesliga match or MLS games. If anything, EPL soccer has floated the TV viewership of soccer from all leagues, from the Mexican league to weird international U-21 games... everything. The Fox Soccer Channel isn't in the charity business - they constantly broadcast games and soccer-related programs 24/7 because it is a gigantic moneymaker, and if there's a game on somewhere, someone will want to watch. Heck, it doesn't even need to be live.

Years ago, there wasn't even a soccer network, and as recently as a few years ago if you wanted to watch many, many games you'd have to learn Spanish. Now, there are multiple TV channels devoting their whole business plans to soccer, and they need content to broadcast. This is a definite parallel to the current landscape for college football, too, with four all-sports channels starving for programming. There's a window, and an opportunity, I feel, for FCS to fill that void.

This is maybe the oddest argument you've made yet in a series of odd arguments. If FBS football is equated to the EPL, and FCS football is equated to the MLS, why is that a good thing in your book? A taped EPL game that had been over for hours beat the MLS title game by more than double last year. And in 2012 30 of NBCSN's 54 MLS games didn't even crack 100,000 viewers. EPL games, in the morning timeslots to boot, routinely get much bigger numbers than that. The reason being, of course, is that viewers gravitate towards watching the best in whatever sport they are watching. That's why the minor league baseball perspective is good in this case - to the vast majority of the sports public, FCS is minor league college football. And really, it is. The vast majority of players even at the FCS level, if they could, would be playing FBS football. FCS football is never going to be a huge deal nationally and that's okay. It doesn't matter how it is marketed since there's no way to ignore the fact that there is a level of football above it and it will always be that way.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

FCS football is never going to be a huge deal nationally and that's okay. It doesn't matter how it is marketed since there's no way to ignore the fact that there is a level of football above it and it will always be that way.

I agree with this up to a point. FCS football will never have the same viewership as Notre Dame football, and I agree with you, that's OK and that will always be the case. But that doesn't mean that there's zero value in televising top FCS football games. By your logic, televising MLS games is useless since those ratings will never reach Man U/Chelsea nationally, so why try?

The truth is good soccer on TV lifts all boats - the fact that Man U/Chelsea is shown in America will result in some certain amount of people who will end up watching one or more MLS games on on TV, and they will also have enough viewers to be considered a success. MLS will never outdraw Man U/Chelsea, but nobody is complaining about their TV deal. They have access, and enough viewers to matter.

FCS can inhabit this same type of space in my mind - they just need the access. IMO, the reason they don't is that TV deals are controlled by conferences, not conferences working together to put the best foot forward, like I'm proposing.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Hey what do you know! Sounds just like Lafayette Sports Network! xrotatehx

As I say (with annoying repetition, no doubt), there are certain things that our Humble Little College on the Hill does very, very well. To suggest that we are unduly spoiled by the manner in which they pull this off, game after game, would be an enormous understatement.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Jason Belzer @JasonBelzer
ESPN in talks to create a "FCS Football Challenge" that would pit up to 10 teams in televised exempt games the weekend before Labor Day.

Jason Belzer @JasonBelzer
FCS Football Challenge would create national games btwn teams that would never play otherwise. Game would be +1 to regular season schedule.

Sounds somewhat familiar... xintx

[MplsBison]

It'd be more interesting if it were the top 10 FCS in regionally interesting match-ups against teams from PAC, B1G, ACC, etc.

While say Cal Poly vs. James Madison may make FCS nerds giddy, it's not doing anything for joe blow college football fan looking for a game. It just probably looks like a DII showcase, if anything.

[danefan]

It'd be more interesting if it were the top 10 FCS in regionally interesting match-ups against teams from PAC, B1G, ACC, etc.

While say Cal Poly vs. James Madison may make FCS nerds giddy, it's not doing anything for joe blow college football fan looking for a game. It just probably looks like a DII showcase, if anything.

Even better - how about the previous season's winners of the lower level FBS teams vs. the upper level FCS teams.

E.g.

CAA Champ vs. AAC Champ
SLC Champ vs. Sun Belt Champ
MVFC Champ vs. MAC Champ
SoCon Champ vs. CUSA Champ
Big Sky Champ vs. MWC Champ

[NoDak 4 Ever]

Even better - how about the previous season's winners of the lower level FBS teams vs. the upper level FCS teams.

E.g.

CAA Champ vs. AAC Champ
SLC Champ vs. Sun Belt Champ
MVFC Champ vs. MAC Champ
SoCon Champ vs. CUSA Champ
Big Sky Champ vs. MWC Champ

They would never do that. Would prove how little room there is between the two.

[walliver]

Jason Belzer @JasonBelzer
ESPN in talks to create a "FCS Football Challenge" that would pit up to 10 teams in televised exempt games the weekend before Labor Day.

Jason Belzer @JasonBelzer
FCS Football Challenge would create national games btwn teams that would never play otherwise. Game would be +1 to regular season schedule.

Sounds somewhat familiar... xintx

At least they are trying something. I think Big Sky v MVFC , SoCon v CAA, MEAC v SWAC, Southland v OVC matchups would be interesting. That would leave the Big South, NEC, Patriot and Pioneer fighting for the last slot (I assume the Ivies would abstain). I wonder how much interest there would be among the schools. If 10 good teams were picked, 5 of them would have an additional loss which might hurt them on Selection Sunday. Money is also an issue. Up to 5 teams would play on the road. In the ESPN bracket busters, teams hosting a bracket buster game repay the other team by playing at their place in a later year. Would ESPN put up enough money to cover a return game.

I'm not holding my breath. If it does succeed, it will quickly be replaced by a SEC/B1G/B12/PAC/ACC challenge.

[gumby013]

The best way to promote FCS is to introduce relegation.

[NoDak 4 Ever]

The best way to promote FCS is to introduce relegation.

just sent App and GSU back down, eh?

[gumby013]

just sent App and GSU back down, eh?

Colorado, Indiana, Mass, and Ga State would be sent down before those two.

Run it on a four year cycle, and link FCS conferences to FBS. Every four years, swap the top and bottom teams from the linked conferences. You could even do multiple tiers if the old BCS conferences want their own level.

[MplsBison]

The best way to promote FCS is to introduce relegation.

As fair and fun as that would be, the FBS teams would never allow that because all the business deals that go on in these conferences (with media rights, sponsors, etc.) require a certain guaranteed level of play.

In other words, if Papa John's (just picking a random company) signs a deal with the Sun Belt and then all of a sudden the SB is relegated to the third tier (FCS), that screws up all the revenue forecasts, etc. etc. etc.

[walliver]

Colorado, Indiana, Mass, and Ga State would be sent down before those two.

Run it on a four year cycle, and link FCS conferences to FBS. Every four years, swap the top and bottom teams from the linked conferences. You could even do multiple tiers if the old BCS conferences want their own level.

Why would the SoCon want to get stuck with Kentucky? They would bring football down, and whip up on us in basketball.

[MplsBison]

Even better - how about the previous season's winners of the lower level FBS teams vs. the upper level FCS teams.

E.g.

CAA Champ vs. AAC Champ
SLC Champ vs. Sun Belt Champ
MVFC Champ vs. MAC Champ
SoCon Champ vs. CUSA Champ
Big Sky Champ vs. MWC Champ

That would be fun, but as Nodak said they'd never agree to that for fear of too many FCS wins. I would love to see NDSU take on NIU though, that would be a fun game.

My idea probably won't work once the elite conferences stop scheduling FCS teams altogether.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

It'd be more interesting if it were the top 10 FCS in regionally interesting match-ups against teams from PAC, B1G, ACC, etc.

While say Cal Poly vs. James Madison may make FCS nerds giddy, it's not doing anything for joe blow college football fan looking for a game. It just probably looks like a DII showcase, if anything.


That would be fun, but as Nodak said they'd never agree to that for fear of too many FCS wins. I would love to see NDSU take on NIU though, that would be a fun game.

My idea probably won't work once the elite conferences stop scheduling FCS teams altogether.

This is epic. I think Mpls just trolled himself.

[MplsBison]

This is epic. I think Mpls just trolled himself.

What is trolling anymore?

It seems to be.....basically any post on an internet message board. So I guess you've been trolling AGS for some time now.

[RichH2]

On twitter just now ,per TSN negotiations for FCS Challenge on ESPN , up to 10 teams. Not quite the FBS matchups you guys have been fantasizing about but a nice start to pushing FCS.the wkend before Labor Day.

[Bogus Megapardus]

This is tailor made for the Ivy League, which continues to limit itself to a ten-game schedule as it is. How about Penn vs. Cal Poly, Harvard vs. Richmond, Princeton vs. McNeese or Yale vs. Wofford?

[GAD]

Even better - how about the previous season's winners of the lower level FBS teams vs. the upper level FCS teams.

E.g.

CAA Champ vs. AAC Champ
SLC Champ vs. Sun Belt Champ
MVFC Champ vs. MAC Champ
SoCon Champ vs. CUSA Champ
Big Sky Champ vs. MWC Champ
I don't think the FBS conferences would agree to this, very little to gain far to much to loose.

[bluehenbillk]

This is tailor made for the Ivy League, which continues to limit itself to a ten-game schedule as it is. How about Penn vs. Cal Poly, Harvard vs. Richmond, Princeton vs. McNeese or Yale vs. Wofford?

These games would be played in August, one week before the traditional start of the season, so this year you'd be looking the August 24th timeframe. The Ivies typically don't play the 1st 2 weeks of the season so it would be a wholesale change to their scheduling philosophies to make that happen.

[Cocky]

FCSs only way to national recognition would be thru the IVY league. They have the money and the names to promote a brand. The other schools, including the ones leaving, offer very little to the casual fan. The IVY could be the big draw of FCS if willing to play schools across the country.

[Bisonator]

I'd like to see this happen. Just think the UM/ASU game this season would be great to have on ESPN, as would matchups like NDSU/GSU or EWU/SHSU. Of course they would somehow have to keep the MSU pussycats from buying out of these games! xpopcornx

[cmaxwellgsu]

I don't think the FBS conferences would agree to this, very little to gain far to much to loose.

I would be against it once we're in our new home. There would actually be nothing to gain. There would be zero exposure, and of course the FCS would want a handsome payout. We would be proving a lot more by beating a bottom SEC than beating an FCS team.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

There would be zero exposure...

xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx

You did see ESPN was involved, right?

[darell1976]

I'd like to see this happen. Just think the UM/ASU game this season would be great to have on ESPN, as would matchups like NDSU/GSU or EWU/SHSU. Of course they would somehow have to keep the MSU pussycats from buying out of these games! xpopcornx

That brings up an interesting point (I doubt any school would be stupid enough to do it) but would there be a NO buyout clause in these games?

[GAD]

FCSs only way to national recognition would be thru the IVY league. They have the money and the names to promote a brand. The other schools, including the ones leaving, offer very little to the casual fan. The IVY could be the big draw of FCS if willing to play schools across the country.
Not true, SWAC/MEAC games are played thoughout the mid-west and on the west coast in front of huge crowds. In Los Angeles Priaire View played DII Morehouse in front of over 60k

[GAD]

I would be against it once we're in our new home. There would actually be nothing to gain. There would be zero exposure, and of course the FCS would want a handsome payout. We would be proving a lot more by beating a bottom SEC than beating an FCS team.
Right that would be like saying lets put the conf champs from FCS vs the conf champs from DII...
If you win so what... If you loose it could cost you your entire season
IMO its better to have two FCS teams on TV grabing some airtime than an FBS that already has a TV contract

[MplsBison]

FCSs only way to national recognition would be thru the IVY league. They have the money and the names to promote a brand. The other schools, including the ones leaving, offer very little to the casual fan. The IVY could be the big draw of FCS if willing to play schools across the country.

Except that the Ivy League doesn't care about the FCS brand any more than the B1G does.

IE, if the Ivy's agreed then they would gladly be promoting...their own brand. Not FCS.

[cmaxwellgsu]

xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx

You did see ESPN was involved, right?

The ESPN thing is supposed to be FCS vs. FCS. Do you ever read when not pimping your blog?

[cmaxwellgsu]

Right that would be like saying lets put the conf champs from FCS vs the conf champs from DII...
If you win so what... If you loose it could cost you your entire season
IMO its better to have two FCS teams on TV grabing some airtime than an FBS that already has a TV contract

You're exactly right. I like the idea of having big time FCS games to open up the season. I think it would draw surprisingly well given that the average fan has an appetite for football at that point. I think it would have a much bigger benefit for each team, because it's going to give the winner a bit of a head start towards December...

[bluehenbillk]

I'd like to see this happen. Just think the UM/ASU game this season would be great to have on ESPN, as would matchups like NDSU/GSU or EWU/SHSU. Of course they would somehow have to keep the MSU pussycats from buying out of these games! xpopcornx

No buyouts would eliminate Furman from consideration....