ESPN: HBCU (FCS) guarantee money could dry up

[TexasTerror]

Confused by the headline... you could say this about FCS schools in general. There's quite a few (see Nicholls, Presbyterian) who are playing three FBS games because they are cash-strapped and while many of the HBCUs trend towards the bottom of the 'budget rankings', there's plenty of PWCs toying around in that vicinity too...

Same article (at least as of now) designates Georgia Southern as FCS. Are they sure about that? They're SUN BELT!

----

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- When Savannah State football coach Earnest Wilson III went searching for future opponents a few weeks ago, he called FBS programs like Iowa and Miami, the kind of deep-pocketed athletics departments that are capable of writing the Tigers six-figure checks in exchange for being a sacrificial lamb for one Saturday.


"Iowa told me they couldn't do it," Wilson said. "Other programs told me they couldn't."


As major college football moves to the four-team College Football Playoff this coming season, in which two national semifinals and a championship game will determine the sport's national champion, cash-strapped HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities) like Savannah State are being further squeezed out of the equation. Strength of schedule is one of the criteria the 13-member selection committee will consider when choosing four teams for the playoff, so FBS teams are less willing to pay FCS opponents such as Savannah State for what would probably be an easy victory.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/10485669/hbcus-heading-uncharted-waters#comments

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Hiding behind the misleading headline and the overreach in talking about FBS teams not scheduling FCS teams (the author makes some giant assumptions that they assume will be fact in two years, and incorrectly quotes the Big 10 scheduling policy while ignoring or forgetting that it's no longer in place) is a very nice article detailing the challenges of HBCU's in the modern age.

[IBleedYellow]

What's with your hard-on about hating the HBCU's??? Do they offend you somehow?

[FormerPokeCenter]

What's with your hard-on about hating the HBCU's??? Do they offend you somehow?

That's a VERY good question...it DOES seem to be a recurring theme with this guy....

[ursus arctos horribilis]

What's with your hard-on about hating the HBCU's??? Do they offend you somehow?

It's his thing. He's actually a good spokesman for HBCU's because you grow fonder of the schools through growing a bit tired of the constant badgering. He's been gone for a couple of years but this is his schtick so you'll see a lot of it.

[TexasTerror]

What's with your hard-on about hating the HBCU's??? Do they offend you somehow?

If you note, I actually say that the article headline is confusing... this is about FCS as a whole and I added FCS into the subject title.

We all rely on the $$$ games, some schools (the lowest budget institutions - i.e. Nicholls, Presbyterian) significantly more so than others. The writer of this article was a bit off base in my opinion and had some not so factual information as well.

[JayJ79]

and incorrectly quotes the Big 10 scheduling policy while ignoring or forgetting that it's no longer in place

did the Big 14 do away with that proposed ban on scheduling games against FCS teams?

[FormerPokeCenter]

If you note, I actually say that the article headline is confusing... this is about FCS as a whole and I added FCS into the subject title.

We all rely on the $$$ games, some schools (the lowest budget institutions - i.e. Nicholls, Presbyterian) significantly more so than others. The writer of this article was a bit off base in my opinion and had some not so factual information as well.


Yet YOU chose the headline for this thread....see how that works?

[Lehigh Football Nation]

did the Big 14 do away with that proposed ban on scheduling games against FCS teams?

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/09/04/b10-wont-penalize-schools-that-schedule-fcs-teams/


Delany said in Madison, Wis., last month that conference members have made it a goalhttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/icon1.png (http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/09/04/b10-wont-penalize-schools-that-schedule-fcs-teams/#) to keep FCS opponents off schedules.
“We don’t have any penalties for those that don’t,” Delany said. “It’s not like a violation of our rules.”

Some interpreted this as the Big 10 backtracking from their intiial ban. I know I did.

Here's a happy refresher on why the ban was stupid in the first place:

http://lehighfootballnation.blogspot.com/2013/02/b1gs-collossally-stupid-decision-to.html

And a national ESPN reporter, who basically came to a suspiciously similar conclusion, using many similar examples, months later:

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/78627/should-big-ten-reconsider-its-fcs-ban

[TexasTerror]

Yet YOU chose the headline for this thread....see how that works?

Why do I bother...?? I copied the headline and then inserted (FCS) behind HBCU. I thought the headline was misleading and I 'altered' it accordingly.

[Bogus Megapardus]

did the Big 14 do away with that proposed ban on scheduling games against FCS teams?

It seems that an FCS game will be weighted just like any other DI game - based on strength of the opponent's schedule and the quality of the competition. There's a novel idea, right?

[cmaxwellgsu]

Hiding behind the misleading headline and the overreach in talking about FBS teams not scheduling FCS teams (the author makes some giant assumptions that they assume will be fact in two years, and incorrectly quotes the Big 10 scheduling policy while ignoring or forgetting that it's no longer in place) is a very nice article detailing the challenges of HBCU's in the modern age.

Upset that he's stealing your calling card?

[AppMan]

Anyone who didn't see this coming hasn't been paying attention. It is one of the reasons App moved up. FCS is in for some tough financial times. Won't be surprised to see the division cut scholarships to around 50 in a few years.

[citdog]

Anyone who didn't see this coming hasn't been paying attention. It is one of the reasons App moved up. FCS is in for some tough financial times. Won't be surprised to see the division cut scholarships to around 50 in a few years.

why are y'all still here?



http://www.collectingcandy.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Candy-Machine-Vending-Insert-Card-Leaf-Sour-Grapes-1960s-1970s.jpg

appy 'moved up' because y'all have SERIOUS penis envy issues with East Carolina.


will be so happy when the 'we have to somehow justify the huge mistake we just made so let's bad mouth the FCS' contingent of appy and pigs ass fans are GONE.

[3rd Coast Tiger]

What's with your hard-on about hating the HBCU's??? Do they offend you somehow?

He was at one time a game day operations contract employee within Texas Southern athletics and didn't get hired on full time so now he's on a pilgrimage to "spotlight" the institution and SWAC (HBCU's as a whole) in a underhanded negative manner.

Many of us HBCU-ers on here has said this for years but always had fallen on deaf ears with other as us being to sensitive and getting "pulled in" by his condescending way of reporting articles.

[walliver]

The real problem is that Savannah State brings down the strength of schedule for every team they play.

[TexasTerror]

He was at one time a game day operations contract employee within Texas Southern athletics and didn't get hired on full time so now he's on a pilgrimage to "spotlight" the institution and SWAC (HBCU's as a whole) in a underhanded negative manner.

3rd Coast - you do not have your facts straight, but what else is new? Yes, I have worked at a SWAC institution on a 'by game' basis and yes, it was pretty appalling how unprepared they were for NCAA competition... however, I can say that having worked at a SWAC school in a 'by game' role and having worked at multiple places that have dealt with SWAC institutions, as well as worked side by side with multiple broadcasters who have worked league games that have told me their grievances, I've learned full well the issues that exist. I've seen it first hand and heard from multiple others. You tell me the SWAC fans realize how bad it is, so kudos to you. Hopefully like the low major fan bases outside of the SWAC, you guys are working to alleviate the problems and put your institutions, athletic programs in a better spot.

As I have stated multiple times in this thread, its not just a SWAC problem and again at the tailend of the last paragraph, its a low major Division I problem. Let me repeat, its a low major Division I problem. Should I put it in bold? It's a low major Division I problem.

While some of the cases I've seen firsthand and otherwise of the SWAC are pretty rough, seen the same at multiple low major non-SWAC schools. There's a significant gap between the haves and have nots. That's collegiate athletics at the highest level and the budgets at these lowest of low majors, even when compared to others in their conference (look for top of SLC to have budgets 2-3x bigger than low hanging fruit for instance and you even see it in your league, the SWAC when comparing the top tier budgets with Valley) speak volumes of this situation. We thought the gap between Texas, Ohio State and Nicholls State and Charleston Southern was bad, the gap between SFA and Nicholls plus the top tier $$ school in the Big South and Chuck South is bad too.

And what happens when there are budget issues?

These schools rely super heavily on FBS guarantee games just to exist (and in a few cases, play three - see Nicholls + Presbyterian, plus the well known Savannah State issues that made ESPN headlines again).

They have inadequate staffing, which leads to NCAA troubles (i.e. Southeastern having several hundred athletes not having proper paperwork, Southern's current woes with APR paperwork and potential postseason bans for multiple teams in-season!). And those are just the high profile ones. There's countless other cases at other schools - some of which have led to individual student-athletes being ineligible to compete due to ill-advised staffing (inadequate staffing), and the list goes on...

And in those cases, this is not just an HBCU or SWAC issue - these issues correlate across the board to all schools. Money talks and you know what walks... the low major level of Division I is a rough place to be and the cost of doing business is only going up, putting multiple schools teetering on the edge of non-Division I status.


The real problem is that Savannah State brings down the strength of schedule for every team they play.

How do FCS games factor into the new system? It is still counted as a win if they have X amount of scholarships averaged over a two-year period... but does the Sagarin, other factors impact the quality of FCS win just like it would the quality of a win over a FBS?

[FormerPokeCenter]

3rd Coast - you do not have your facts straight, but what else is new? Yes, I have worked at a SWAC institution on a 'by game' basis and yes, it was pretty appalling how unprepared they were for NCAA competition... however, I can say that having worked at a SWAC school in a 'by game' role and having worked at multiple places that have dealt with SWAC institutions, as well as worked side by side with multiple broadcasters who have worked league games that have told me their grievances, I've learned full well the issues that exist. I've seen it first hand and heard from multiple others.

As I have stated multiple times in this thread, its not just a SWAC problem. Its a low major Division I problem.



So when might we expect you to post threads about this oh-so-important topic that don't feature HBCU's first and foremost???

I won't hold my breath waiting for that answer...

As to your status as a contract employee, did you apply for a full-time position with a SWAC school...or not??

[Model Citizen]

Same article (at least as of now) designates Georgia Southern as FCS. Are they sure about that? They're SUN BELT!

Yes, they are FCS until this summer. The Sun Belt let them in a year early.

[Franks Tanks]

did the Big 14 do away with that proposed ban on scheduling games against FCS teams?

There was never a ban per se, just sort of an agreement that they would stop, or try to stop scheduling FCS schools. I don't think it will stop completely. If the Big 10 wants to be more like the SEC, they need to start scheduling FCS games at the end of the year right before their big conference games!

[FormerPokeCenter]

LOL...Just got negative repped by Mr. Plotnik. That kinda made my day!

I'm guessing that means I won't get an answer to either of the questions I posed ;)

[BluBengal07]

TexasTerror seems to be trying to get his post/rep numbers up. xcoffeex

[3rd Coast Tiger]

3rd Coast - you do not have your facts straight, but what else is new? Yes, I have worked at a SWAC institution on a 'by game' basis and yes, it was pretty appalling how unprepared they were for NCAA competition... however, I can say that having worked at a SWAC school in a 'by game' role and having worked at multiple places that have dealt with SWAC institutions, as well as worked side by side with multiple broadcasters who have worked league games that have told me their grievances, I've learned full well the issues that exist. I've seen it first hand and heard from multiple others. You tell me the SWAC fans realize how bad it is, so kudos to you. Hopefully like the low major fan bases outside of the SWAC, you guys are working to alleviate the problems and put your institutions, athletic programs in a better spot.

As I have stated multiple times in this thread, its not just a SWAC problem and again at the tailend of the last paragraph, its a low major Division I problem. Let me repeat, its a low major Division I problem. Should I put it in bold? It's a low major Division I problem.

While some of the cases I've seen firsthand and otherwise of the SWAC are pretty rough, seen the same at multiple low major non-SWAC schools. There's a significant gap between the haves and have nots. That's collegiate athletics at the highest level and the budgets at these lowest of low majors, even when compared to others in their conference (look for top of SLC to have budgets 2-3x bigger than low hanging fruit for instance and you even see it in your league, the SWAC when comparing the top tier budgets with Valley) speak volumes of this situation. We thought the gap between Texas, Ohio State and Nicholls State and Charleston Southern was bad, the gap between SFA and Nicholls plus the top tier $$ school in the Big South and Chuck South is bad too.

And what happens when there are budget issues?

These schools rely super heavily on FBS guarantee games just to exist (and in a few cases, play three - see Nicholls + Presbyterian, plus the well known Savannah State issues that made ESPN headlines again).

They have inadequate staffing, which leads to NCAA troubles (i.e. Southeastern having several hundred athletes not having proper paperwork, Southern's current woes with APR paperwork and potential postseason bans for multiple teams in-season!). And those are just the high profile ones. There's countless other cases at other schools - some of which have led to individual student-athletes being ineligible to compete due to ill-advised staffing (inadequate staffing), and the list goes on...

And in those cases, this is not just an HBCU or SWAC issue - these issues correlate across the board to all schools. Money talks and you know what walks... the low major level of Division I is a rough place to be and the cost of doing business is only going up, putting multiple schools teetering on the edge of non-Division I status.



How do FCS games factor into the new system? It is still counted as a win if they have X amount of scholarships averaged over a two-year period... but does the Sagarin, other factors impact the quality of FCS win just like it would the quality of a win over a FBS?

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GL8QXYUKatA/T3ORe07boBI/AAAAAAAAA3g/WbX4xEzYmig/s320/the-rock-clapping.gif

[Lehigh Football Nation]

No, really, you don't want to hear my lecture on "schedule strength", do you?

[Yotes]

Teams want to make the playoffs, and SOS is a huge deal. Why would they want about the worst program ever on their schedule? Since becoming a full D-1 member in 2005, Savannah State has two wins against D-1 competition (both against NCCU), and 15 losses to sub D-1 schools. FIFTEEN! Also, they put these numbers up in the MEAC. A terrible conference. If anyone is worried about their SOS, Savannah State belongs nowhere near their schedule. The fact that this is an HBCU is totally irrelevant.

[Panther88]

The fact that this is an HBCU is totally irrelevant.

Alrighty now. :D