Proposal: If I-AA goes to a 12th game, have a central committee...

[kardplayer]

Something I've been thinking about for awhile, and after reading some threads (about Hampton and the NEC, specifically) I feel inspired to throw it out to the AGS community for your thoughts.

It would seem to me that added an additional OOC game to each team's schedule is a great opportunity to promote I-AA (soon to be PCS) football.

If that 12th game is filled with more I-A money games this to me would be a wasted opportunity (in most cases).

If that 12th game is filled with more I-AA vs. DII games, that would also be a wasted opportunity.

I'd love to see that 12th game used to put some creative matchups out there. Some categories:

The previous two National Champs (we've had this on occasion, but not always)
Regional matchups of teams that don't get together for a variety of reasons (think Delaware/Delaware State, Hampton/JMU)
Opportunities to get traditional Top 25 teams to travel to up-and-comers (fill in your own examples here) - we all know that some AD's are more flexible to do this than others, this would "force" the issue
Conference vs. Conference challenges (I'd love to see Big Sky vs. Patriot League for example - although maybe not this year :( )In any event, I think it would be a great way to kickoff the season and market the heck out of our teams. Think of it like MLB's intraleague play... an opportunity for even more cool matchups...

[89Hen]

Conference vs. Conference challenges (I'd love to see Big Sky vs. Patriot League for example
:nod: That's something I've been asking for years in I-A, so the same would apply for I-AA.

[kardplayer]

An addendum could be that teams can "opt-in" to participate. The way to encourage participation would be to make participation a requirement for any team to get an at large bid. That way, those schools that aren't interested in the playoffs can keep control of their schedules.

[mikebigg]

Something I've been thinking about for awhile, and after reading some threads (about Hampton and the NEC, specifically) I feel inspired to throw it out to the AGS community for your thoughts.

It would seem to me that added an additional OOC game to each team's schedule is a great opportunity to promote I-AA (soon to be PCS) football.

If that 12th game is filled with more I-A money games this to me would be a wasted opportunity (in most cases).

If that 12th game is filled with more I-AA vs. DII games, that would also be a wasted opportunity.

I'd love to see that 12th game used to put some creative matchups out there. Some categories:

The previous two National Champs (we've had this on occasion, but not always)
Regional matchups of teams that don't get together for a variety of reasons (think Delaware/Delaware State, Hampton/JMU)
Opportunities to get traditional Top 25 teams to travel to up-and-comers (fill in your own examples here) - we all know that some AD's are more flexible to do this than others, this would "force" the issue
Conference vs. Conference challenges (I'd love to see Big Sky vs. Patriot League for example - although maybe not this year :( )In any event, I think it would be a great way to kickoff the season and market the heck out of our teams. Think of it like MLB's intraleague play... an opportunity for even more cool matchups...

I agree...I would like to see Grambling play other DIAA's outside of the MEAC. A two year home and home against some select opponents would fuel our season ticket sales. Classics have been good for us and we take advantage of the right opportunity...but the most consistent way to maintain a program is to have good home attendance. Grambling's is good...but not near where it should be.

[R.A.]

Great Idea.

[bluehenbillk]

I like the idea, I'd like an A-10 vs Southern showdown.

[McNeese72]

If a 12th game is approved, it is all going to be about the money. I'll bet it will be either another I-A game on schedule or another home game against a Div II. Whichever, it will be about bringing in more money for the budget.

Doc

[TexasTerror]

If it means more of the SHSU vs Montana series...I'm all for it!

[Apps32]

I like the idea but I don't think we need a 12th game to do it. Some of us only play 7 conference games, and (unless I'm mistaken) nobody plays more than 8. It should be easy to drop that DII game and play a I-AA - ASU/NI rematch, for instance, rather than the DII games that we both played.

I also like the idea of pitting the last 2 NC's against one another - didn't JMU play the 2003 NC last year? (Of course next year it would have to be in intra-squad scrimmage in Boone :D )

[henfan]

I like the ideas but it would be very difficult to get buyoff from the majority of I-AA on it.

If I-AA makes the mistake of going to 12 games, that decision would be driven by the desire for more revenue. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to agree with Doc. As sexy and exciting as interdivisional matchups are, those sort of home-home deals are revenue neutral and don't pay the bills. Expect more D-II and I-A games.

In fact, I'd argue that, if I-AA goes to 12 games, our schools may unwittingly de-value themselves when looking for I-A games. There will be a larger glut of I-AAs looking for those type of games. As it stands now, I-AA guarantees are on the rise because the amounts our schools demand compete favorably with lower tier I-A schools. I'd hate to see us reverse the trend.

[EKU05]

I like the idea, but if the committee saw fit for some radom reason to send..say....Coastal Carolina to Eastern Washington (JUST AN EXAMPLE) would they be able to help pay for a trip that I'm sure CCU didn't fugure into their athletics budget?

Also, for EKU specifically we have talked about playing two I-As (which we've done before)....or also renewing the old bitter rivalry with non-scholarship Morehead State...which it would give us more freedom to do. I think games assigned by committees work out better in basketball where there's more overall wiggle room. I'm not saying I'm totally against it, just that there would be some major hurdles to get over.

[putter]

With the amount of TV money the NCAA receives from the networks and the fact that the I-AA playoffs received higher ratings than some bowl games I would hope the NCAA would show us some love with more support.

[McTailGator]

Something I've been thinking about for awhile, and after reading some threads (about Hampton and the NEC, specifically) I feel inspired to throw it out to the AGS community for your thoughts.

It would seem to me that added an additional OOC game to each team's schedule is a great opportunity to promote I-AA (soon to be PCS) football.

If that 12th game is filled with more I-A money games this to me would be a wasted opportunity (in most cases).

If that 12th game is filled with more I-AA vs. DII games, that would also be a wasted opportunity.

I'd love to see that 12th game used to put some creative matchups out there. Some categories:

The previous two National Champs (we've had this on occasion, but not always)
Regional matchups of teams that don't get together for a variety of reasons (think Delaware/Delaware State, Hampton/JMU)
Opportunities to get traditional Top 25 teams to travel to up-and-comers (fill in your own examples here) - we all know that some AD's are more flexible to do this than others, this would "force" the issue
Conference vs. Conference challenges (I'd love to see Big Sky vs. Patriot League for example - although maybe not this year :( )In any event, I think it would be a great way to kickoff the season and market the heck out of our teams. Think of it like MLB's intraleague play... an opportunity for even more cool matchups...the AD's


WHEN we get 12 games it will be for BIG money guarantee's vs the BCS teams in the BS.

No other reason for a 12 game other than to make money. The coaches don't want it, the AD's must have it for $$$.

[art vandelay]

teams are allowed to have 12 games now if they want there have been several teams in the past that have schedualed a 12th game. its all up to the spacific school. incedently i do think its a good idea to play a 12th game but at the same time that can tend to be a bit of a drag for the team especialy when the season isnt going so well.

[*****]

teams are allowed to have 12 games now if they want...:confused: Unless you're playing Hawa'ii or request an exemption (I can't think of one that has), I-AA teams play eleven when the calendar says so.

[Proud Griz Man]

I don't see the benefits of this 12th game central committee. xidiotx

So if the committee says to Sam Houston St. needs to go to play at Colgate, they need to bypass a five-figure payday against a 1-A team? So if this committee says to Montana that they need to go to play Furman, they need to bypass a six-figure payday against a 1-A team?
So if this central committee says to Delaware that they need to go to play UC-Davis, they go? :eek:


and McTailGator has it correctly, this is about $$$$$ and nothing else.

[kardplayer]

I don't see the benefits of this 12th game central committee. xidiotx

So if the committee says to Sam Houston St. needs to go to play at Colgate, they need to bypass a five-figure payday against a 1-A team? So if this committee says to Montana that they need to go to play Furman, they need to bypass a six-figure payday against a 1-A team?
So if this central committee says to Delaware that they need to go to play UC-Davis, they go? :eek:


and McTailGator has it correctly, this is about $$$$$ and nothing else.

It basically makes the 12th game a "marketing" game, as opposed to a revenue game - in other words its got a long-term goal of developing a fan base instead of merely getting a pay day from another school. To someone else's point, if there are a glut of team's that seek I-A pay days, those pay days will decrease (see: Economics 1 - Impact on oversupply on prices)

The intention is to use the game to promote I-AA by putting together exciting "different" games that will get people to attend. Hopefully, once they come to games, they'll stay engaged and come back to other games. Schools like Delaware, Montana, and ASU may already sell out (or close) most games, but those are the exceptions, not the rule.

As for who funds the travel costs, I think that any significant expenses would have to be funded centrally. Most of these games will be regional though, so that teams could handle the costs themselves, with a small handful of "cross country" trips that will be funded by the committee.

[kardplayer]

I like the idea, but if the committee saw fit for some radom reason to send..say....Coastal Carolina to Eastern Washington (JUST AN EXAMPLE) would they be able to help pay for a trip that I'm sure CCU didn't fugure into their athletics budget?

Also, for EKU specifically we have talked about playing two I-As (which we've done before)....or also renewing the old bitter rivalry with non-scholarship Morehead State...which it would give us more freedom to do. I think games assigned by committees work out better in basketball where there's more overall wiggle room. I'm not saying I'm totally against it, just that there would be some major hurdles to get over.

If the committee is setup correctly, this is the kind of game it is setting up.

Maybe instead of creating the games, they are approving them, or "matching" them (like medical schools)

[blur2005]

I like the idea, I'd like an A-10 vs Southern showdown.
This I would love. A lot of good matchups there.

But I'm against a 12th game.

[AmsterBison]

As much as I like the idea of something like a Gateway v Big Sky Showdown weekend, it probably has to be something decided at the conference level.