SoCon Commish Has Pep Talk For His Football Coaches

[SU DOG]

Time to get back to our winning ways is the gist of his message. Notice he also recommends having only 1 money game. From Jeff Hartsell:

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150722/PC20/150729761/1177/southern-conference-determined-to-rebuild-league-x2019-s-football-brand

[walliver]

I didn't find the quote about not playing two money games, but the article does leave out a very important word after the word Division (It fails to specify which division), but I assumed he was complaining about WCU and Samford both playing 2 D2's.

I noted before last season began that WCU had scheduled themselves out of the playoffs with 4 non-FCS games. This years schedule has 3 non-FCS games. Sometimes these things can't be helped. Jacksonville backed out on Wofford last year and Sammy had a deal fall though.

To be honest though, last year I felt like Chatty was the only team to actually earn a spot in the playoffs. The real weakness the SoCon has had lately in losing OOC FCS games, especially against the Big South.

[Smitty]

I didn't find the quote about not playing two money games, but the article does leave out a very important word after the word Division (It fails to specify which division), but I assumed he was complaining about WCU and Samford both playing 2 D2's.



“What we really want is nobody playing no more than one money game, because those are hard to win,” he said. “And we don’t want anybody playing more than one Division II team.”


Here is where he mentioned it.

I am hoping we only schedule 1 money game a year soon, but with a ton of bad leadership we are still digging out of a hole.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Forgive me, but weren't most of those D-II's a direct result of App State and Georgia Southern leaving?

[PaladinFan]

Forgive me, but weren't most of those D-II's a direct result of App State and Georgia Southern leaving?

No. The SoCon lost two football members (GSU/App) and gained two (VMI/Mercer). Those games evened out.

I believe most of these games are simply OOC games. Ideally you would want 1 FBS game, 1 DII game, and the rest of the non-conference slate to be FCS scholarship teams.

[PaladinFan]

I didn't find the quote about not playing two money games, but the article does leave out a very important word after the word Division (It fails to specify which division), but I assumed he was complaining about WCU and Samford both playing 2 D2's.

I noted before last season began that WCU had scheduled themselves out of the playoffs with 4 non-FCS games. This years schedule has 3 non-FCS games. Sometimes these things can't be helped. Jacksonville backed out on Wofford last year and Sammy had a deal fall though.

To be honest though, last year I felt like Chatty was the only team to actually earn a spot in the playoffs. The real weakness the SoCon has had lately in losing OOC FCS games, especially against the Big South.

A few teams were bitten by this bug.

The SoCon simply cannot afford to have some of their top teams playing four throwaway games. Its not good for the conference.

It is difficult when a team backs out of a contract game, but I would think that SoCon schools have enough clout to go get a better game than a local high school team or its equivalent. Let lesser schools from lesser conferences go play those games.

No problem playing DII schools. Some of these schools that SoCon teams are lining up against are bad NAIA teams and really have no business playing a SoCon team in competitive football.

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

No. The SoCon lost two football members (GSU/App) and gained two (VMI/Mercer). Those games evened out.

I believe most of these games are simply OOC games. Ideally you would want 1 FBS game, 1 DII game, and the rest of the non-conference slate to be FCS scholarship teams.

You forgot about Elon.


A few teams were bitten by this bug.

The SoCon simply cannot afford to have some of their top teams playing four throwaway games. Its not good for the conference.

It is difficult when a team backs out of a contract game, but I would think that SoCon schools have enough clout to go get a better game than a local high school team or its equivalent. Let lesser schools from lesser conferences go play those games.

No problem playing DII schools. Some of these schools that SoCon teams are lining up against are bad NAIA teams and really have no business playing a SoCon team in competitive football.

Depends on who you are playing. If you can get paydays from Central Michigan and South Florida (Chatty and Western should've won those game BTW) you take them. I fully expect Wofford to beat Idaho if they are good enough to make the playoffs too BTW.

If you have both Georgia and Alabama on the schedule then yes, you have a problem.

[walliver]

You forgot about Elon.

...

Who is this Elon you speak of?

The team that started off at the bottom of the conference, Riddled themselves to a second place finish and a single playoff bid, and then worked themselves back down to the bottom before running off to join the College of Knowledge?

Although there is a two year delay, ETSU will be a more than suitable replacement for Elon. (We also had a two year gap when Samford replaced ETSU).

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Who is this Elon you speak of?

The team that started off at the bottom of the conference, Riddled themselves to a second place finish and a single playoff bid, and then worked themselves back down to the bottom before running off to join the College of Knowledge?

Although there is a two year delay, ETSU will be a more than suitable replacement for Elon. (We also had a two year gap when Samford replaced ETSU).

Around our way we call it "Lemboed". xlolx

[PaladinFan]

Around our way we call it "Lemboed". xlolx

I guess that shows you how much I miss Elon. Didn't even remember them.

[chattanoogamocs]

Yes, losing 3 teams and only picking up 2 (with ETSU not starting SoCon play until 2016) was the reason a number of schools scheduled either a 2nd money game or a 2nd non DI.

Chattanooga got killed last year because in addition to the above scenario, they also had Georgia State back out of the back end of the previously scheduled home and home (which you knew was coming after the Mocs dismantled the Panthers in Atlanta).

BTW, all four of those teams...GSU, ASU, Elon and GA State were to be home games last year.

This year Austin Peay backed out late on their trip to Finley and the Mocs ended up signing Mars Hill. Mars Hill might arguably be a schedule upgrade.