ursus arctos horribilis
November 26th, 2019, 01:50 PM
The notes in this week’s Insider Edition were a collaborative effort from the communications directors at each conference, and thanks to the NCAA and ESPN these are also being shared with our on-air talent and production crews for the playoffs. Please feel free to enhance and personalize the “great players” “great coaches” “great stories” with examples from your institution, good luck, and Happy Thanksgiving!
FIRST ROUND -- Saturday, Nov. 30
North Dakota (7-4) at Nicholls St. (8-4) at Thibodaux, Louisiana, 4 p.m., (ESPN3)
Illinois State (8-4) at SE Missouri State (9-3) at Cape Girardeau, Mo., 2 p.m. (ESPN3)
CCSU (11-1) at Albany (NY) (8-4) at Albany, New York 1 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Furman (8-4) at Austin Peay (9-3) at Clarksville, Tenn., 1 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Kennesaw State (10-2) at Wofford (8-3) at Spartanburg, 1:30 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Villanova (9-3) at SE Louisiana (7-4) at Hammond, La., 4 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
San Diego (9-2) at UNI (8-4) at Cedar Falls, Iowa, 2 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Holy Cross (7-5) at Monmouth (10-2) at W. Long Branch, N.J., Noon (ET) (ESPN3)
SWAC FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Thursday - Prairie View A&M at Alabama St., 3 pm ET
Saturday (New Orleans - Bayou Classic) -- Grambling vs. Southern, 5 pm ET (NBC Sports Net)
SEEDS
#1 North Dakota State (Missouri Valley)
#2 James Madison (CAA Football)
#3 Weber State (Big Sky)
#4 Sacramento State (Big Sky)
#5 Montana State (Big Sky)
#6 Montana (Big Sky)
#7 South Dakota State (Missouri Valley)
#8 Central Arkansas (Southland)
LEGACY AWARDS -- Finalists have been announced for the 2019 STATS FCS legacy awards, which honor the national players and coach of the year in college football’s Division I subdivision. Nominees were pared to finalists for the Walter Payton Award (FCS offensive player of the year), Buck Buchanan Award (FCS defensive player of the year), Jerry Rice Award (FCS freshman player of the year) and Eddie Robinson Award (FCS coach of the year). The winners will be recognized at a banquet on Friday, Jan. 10, in Frisco, Texas.
FCS 101 – FCS and FBS are both Division I. The key differences are scholarship limits (85 for FBS and 63 for FCS), the number of allowable assistant coaches, and resources. FCS stands for Football Championship Subdivision. There are currently 130 FBS programs and 126 FCS programs.
THE FCS CHAMPIONSHIP – It started in 1978, as a four-team field. Now in its 42nd year, the FCS Championship has 24 teams, and the title game is played each January in Frisco, Texas. ESPN provides television coverage of all rounds. The title game this year will be on ABC.
The Big Sky (4), Missouri Valley Football (4), CAA Football (3) and Southland (3) conferences have the most representatives of any league. With four top-8 seeds, the Big Sky set an FCS playoff record. The previous record was 3 (also by the Big Sky, in 2018). The MVFC, meanwhile, has had two Top 8 seeds for an FCS-record six-straight seasons.
At 10-straight appearances, North Dakota State’s playoff appearance streak is best in the FCS. South Dakota State, meanwhile, has a streak of eight-straight trips, which is second-best among active FCS schools. UNI, making its 21st appearance, trails only Montana (24) for overall FCS championship appearances.
GREAT PLAYERS – The FCS has developed some of the finest athletes in the game. Arguably two of the greatest players of all-time (RB Walter Payton at Jackson State and WR Jerry Rice at Mississippi Valley State) played at an FCS school. The NFL’s all-time leading scorer – Adam Vinatieri of South Dakota State -- did, too. This year, a whopping 167 players from current FCS schools were on opening-day NFL rosters (that’s the equivalent of more than 3 full teams). Notably, there are 39 inductees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame who represent current FCS institutions. Former JMU LB/DE Charles Haley was the first player to be a member of five teams that won Super Bowls (2 with the 49ers, 3 with the Cowboys). He’s in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (2015).
GREAT COACHES – Eddie Robinson (Grambling) retired in 1997 with a record of 408–165–15. Robinson coached every single game from the field and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997. Current NFL head coaches and their alma maters include Buffalo’s Sean McDermott (William & Mary), Chicago’s Matt Nagy (Delaware), Dallas’ Jason Garrett (Princeton), Houston’s Bill O’Brien (Penn), Minnesota’s Mike Zimmer (Illinois State), New Orleans’ Sean Payton (Eastern Illinois), Oakland’s Jon Gruden (Dayton), and Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin (William & Mary). Notably, Dennis Erickson played at Montana State, coached at Idaho and is being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Joe Taylor played at Western Illinois, coached at Howard, Virginia Union, Hampton, and Florida A&M and is being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame this December. He is the all-time winningest coach in Hampton football history.
GREAT HISTORY – Two of the nation’s oldest Division I conferences compete at the FCS level. The Southwestern Athletic Conference was founded in 1920 and the Southern Conference was founded in 1921. Ivy League member Princeton played in the first-ever college football game in 1869. 12 of the 13 FCS conferences have been established for more than 30 years.
GREAT TEAMS – This decade the FCS has averaged 9 wins each year against FBS programs. North Dakota State, which has won 7 of the past 8 FCS championships, has six-straight wins against FBS schools, which includes wins at Power 5 schools Minnesota, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State and 11th-ranked Iowa.
GREAT STORIES – One of the greatest stories in NFL history has its roots in the FCS. Northern Iowa’s Kurt Warner was stocking shelves at a grocery store before his rise to NFL stardom, earning a Super Bowl title, an NFL MVP honor and a spot in the NFL Hall of Fame.
FIRST ROUND -- Saturday, Nov. 30
North Dakota (7-4) at Nicholls St. (8-4) at Thibodaux, Louisiana, 4 p.m., (ESPN3)
Illinois State (8-4) at SE Missouri State (9-3) at Cape Girardeau, Mo., 2 p.m. (ESPN3)
CCSU (11-1) at Albany (NY) (8-4) at Albany, New York 1 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Furman (8-4) at Austin Peay (9-3) at Clarksville, Tenn., 1 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Kennesaw State (10-2) at Wofford (8-3) at Spartanburg, 1:30 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Villanova (9-3) at SE Louisiana (7-4) at Hammond, La., 4 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
San Diego (9-2) at UNI (8-4) at Cedar Falls, Iowa, 2 p.m. (ET) (ESPN3)
Holy Cross (7-5) at Monmouth (10-2) at W. Long Branch, N.J., Noon (ET) (ESPN3)
SWAC FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Thursday - Prairie View A&M at Alabama St., 3 pm ET
Saturday (New Orleans - Bayou Classic) -- Grambling vs. Southern, 5 pm ET (NBC Sports Net)
SEEDS
#1 North Dakota State (Missouri Valley)
#2 James Madison (CAA Football)
#3 Weber State (Big Sky)
#4 Sacramento State (Big Sky)
#5 Montana State (Big Sky)
#6 Montana (Big Sky)
#7 South Dakota State (Missouri Valley)
#8 Central Arkansas (Southland)
LEGACY AWARDS -- Finalists have been announced for the 2019 STATS FCS legacy awards, which honor the national players and coach of the year in college football’s Division I subdivision. Nominees were pared to finalists for the Walter Payton Award (FCS offensive player of the year), Buck Buchanan Award (FCS defensive player of the year), Jerry Rice Award (FCS freshman player of the year) and Eddie Robinson Award (FCS coach of the year). The winners will be recognized at a banquet on Friday, Jan. 10, in Frisco, Texas.
FCS 101 – FCS and FBS are both Division I. The key differences are scholarship limits (85 for FBS and 63 for FCS), the number of allowable assistant coaches, and resources. FCS stands for Football Championship Subdivision. There are currently 130 FBS programs and 126 FCS programs.
THE FCS CHAMPIONSHIP – It started in 1978, as a four-team field. Now in its 42nd year, the FCS Championship has 24 teams, and the title game is played each January in Frisco, Texas. ESPN provides television coverage of all rounds. The title game this year will be on ABC.
The Big Sky (4), Missouri Valley Football (4), CAA Football (3) and Southland (3) conferences have the most representatives of any league. With four top-8 seeds, the Big Sky set an FCS playoff record. The previous record was 3 (also by the Big Sky, in 2018). The MVFC, meanwhile, has had two Top 8 seeds for an FCS-record six-straight seasons.
At 10-straight appearances, North Dakota State’s playoff appearance streak is best in the FCS. South Dakota State, meanwhile, has a streak of eight-straight trips, which is second-best among active FCS schools. UNI, making its 21st appearance, trails only Montana (24) for overall FCS championship appearances.
GREAT PLAYERS – The FCS has developed some of the finest athletes in the game. Arguably two of the greatest players of all-time (RB Walter Payton at Jackson State and WR Jerry Rice at Mississippi Valley State) played at an FCS school. The NFL’s all-time leading scorer – Adam Vinatieri of South Dakota State -- did, too. This year, a whopping 167 players from current FCS schools were on opening-day NFL rosters (that’s the equivalent of more than 3 full teams). Notably, there are 39 inductees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame who represent current FCS institutions. Former JMU LB/DE Charles Haley was the first player to be a member of five teams that won Super Bowls (2 with the 49ers, 3 with the Cowboys). He’s in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (2015).
GREAT COACHES – Eddie Robinson (Grambling) retired in 1997 with a record of 408–165–15. Robinson coached every single game from the field and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997. Current NFL head coaches and their alma maters include Buffalo’s Sean McDermott (William & Mary), Chicago’s Matt Nagy (Delaware), Dallas’ Jason Garrett (Princeton), Houston’s Bill O’Brien (Penn), Minnesota’s Mike Zimmer (Illinois State), New Orleans’ Sean Payton (Eastern Illinois), Oakland’s Jon Gruden (Dayton), and Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin (William & Mary). Notably, Dennis Erickson played at Montana State, coached at Idaho and is being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Joe Taylor played at Western Illinois, coached at Howard, Virginia Union, Hampton, and Florida A&M and is being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame this December. He is the all-time winningest coach in Hampton football history.
GREAT HISTORY – Two of the nation’s oldest Division I conferences compete at the FCS level. The Southwestern Athletic Conference was founded in 1920 and the Southern Conference was founded in 1921. Ivy League member Princeton played in the first-ever college football game in 1869. 12 of the 13 FCS conferences have been established for more than 30 years.
GREAT TEAMS – This decade the FCS has averaged 9 wins each year against FBS programs. North Dakota State, which has won 7 of the past 8 FCS championships, has six-straight wins against FBS schools, which includes wins at Power 5 schools Minnesota, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State and 11th-ranked Iowa.
GREAT STORIES – One of the greatest stories in NFL history has its roots in the FCS. Northern Iowa’s Kurt Warner was stocking shelves at a grocery store before his rise to NFL stardom, earning a Super Bowl title, an NFL MVP honor and a spot in the NFL Hall of Fame.