Games with Auburn maybe out

[Cocky]

http://www.al.com/sports/huntsvilletimes/jpruett.ssf?/base/sports/1119345370116210.xml&coll=1 (http://)

[FU97]

As long as people on here complain when I-AA schools play Division II schools, I fail to see why we should complain when a I-A school doesn't want to play a I-AA school.

[LUHawker]

As long as people on here complain when I-AA schools play Division II schools, I fail to see why we should complain when a I-A school doesn't want to play a I-AA school.


The difference here is that I-A and I-AA are in the same Division, I-AA and DII are not.

[FU97]

The difference here is that I-A and I-AA are in the same Division, I-AA and DII are not.

That is true, however to insinuate that I-A and I-AA are comparable is incorrect. They are different levels of competition, just as I-AA and Div II are different levels of competition.

[arkstfan]

The difference here is that I-A and I-AA are in the same Division, I-AA and DII are not.

A division II school at the limit playing a I-AA at the limit has I think 27 fewer grants to spread around.
A I-AA at the limit playing a I-A at the limit has 22 fewer grants to spread around.

[eaglefan452]

As long as people on here complain when I-AA schools play Division II schools, I fail to see why we should complain when a I-A school doesn't want to play a I-AA school.

I agree totally. As a I-AA fan, I dislike my team playing DII teams as much as I do I-A teams.

[wkuhillhound]

I agree totally. As a I-AA fan, I dislike my team playing DII teams as much as I do I-A teams.

I agree with you also, but why doesn't more elite I-AA teams play each other? Ask Northern Iowa that question and they will tell you. They played SFA, Northern Arizona, (WKU, SIU conference games) and win one of those games and they supposed to make the playoffs. Playing a tough schedule and losing, but came back very strong to win 6 straight en route to a (7 - 4) record.

The answer: They want to make the playoffs. Playing and losing to elite teams isn't enough to get you in the playoffs. It is a sad state of affairs, but that is the truth of the matter.

[JaxSinfonian]

There's plenty of overlap in the quality of I-A and I-AA teams, regardless of how many scholarships they're offering, just as is true with D-II and I-AA. I don't want my team playing D-II schools because it jeopardizes JSU's chances of making the playoffs. I want them to play I-A teams because it gets the program some needed cash and exposure, and the chance at an upset. I don't blame I-A teams for not wanting to schedule I-AAs. They should play as tough a schedule as they can put together, for the same reasons JSU should.

I complain only when Alabama-Tuscaloosa and Auburn schedule I-AA's, but refuse to play in-state I-AA's. There's been some discussion on this in the state recently, after Samford and JSU each signed multi-year deals with Georgia Tech. This seems to be Auburn's way of avoiding that criticism. Of course, they (and UAT) still won't play UAB (again) or Troy. It's not so much that they don't want to play I-AA teams, it's that they don't want to play anybody they happen to share media and marketing space with.

Yes, it's also Auburn's way of trying to avoid getting shut out of a national championship game because of strength of schedule. But when contracts with Nebraska and Texas don't work out, and they have to chose between Eastern Michigain and Troy, who will they chose? Just mandating that opponents be I-A doesn't automatically equate to a tougher schedule either. Who would be the tougher opponent to bring to Jordan-Hare, Idaho or Jax State?

In the end, who knows if Auburn really will stop scheduling I-AAs? After all, Jacobs doesn't seem to be familiar enough with NCAA nomenclature to know the differences among I-A, I-AA and D-I ...


Turning to basketball, Jacobs said he and Auburn basketball coach Jeff Lebo were caught off guard when Tony Douglas, who averaged nearly 17 points a game last season as a freshman, announced last week that he would transfer to another school.
"It was a devastating thing for Jeff,'' Jacobs said. "When Tony and his father met with us, Jeff and I had a decision to make about whether to allow Tony to transfer to another SEC school, and we didn't think we should. We feel strongly about that.

"There are 333 Division I-A schools, and he can go to 321 of 'em.

[Cocky]

I would rather play G Tech than UAT or Auburn. We have more to gain in the Atlanta market than the Alabama market.