Great Sports Network article...

[SuperEagle]

gotta give Coulson his props on this one. Sorry if it's been posted already. I didn't see it. But I agree with everything he said. He obviously sees the committee's biasness and calls them out too. Glad someone in the media did. We should forward this to the umass AD. Not that he would do anything about it, just to let him know that the media recognizes what a terrible job he did.
**
http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/news/agn4113822.htm



Around FCS: Raining On Their Parade
By David Coulson, FCS Executive Director

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - After a busy and eventful final day of the FCS regular season, I woke up Sunday morning to gloomy skies and pouring rain. I couldn't help but think that the weather would reflect the mood of at least one team that would have their hopes crushed a few hours later when the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoff field was announced.

As I pulled out of my driveway, there was another omen. The Philadelphia suburb of Hatboro, where I live and where the offices of the Sports Network are located, was preparing for its annual Christmas parade.

It may not even be Thanksgiving yet, but one team was opening an early Christmas present on Sunday, while another found the FCS selection committee raining on its postseason parade.

It only took a matter of seconds for ESPNU to unwrap this stunner at the start of its selection show. New Hampshire had made the 16-team field with a 7-4 record. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year's too.

You could almost feel the disappointment rising all the way from Norfolk, Va., where Norfolk State held out hope of making the field as the runner-up from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with a solid 8-3 mark.

Or from the state capital of New York, where Albany saw its outside hopes of a playoff bid go up in smoke after a season where the Great Danes played a solid non-conference schedule, won the Northeast Conference title and finished the regular season at 8-3.

There were also teams like 8-3 Alabama A&M, 7-3 Prairie View, 10-1 Dayton and 9-2 San Diego that could have been chosen instead of overwhelming the field with more Colonial Athletic Association influence

Only twice in the history of the FCS tournament had one conference claimed four berths in the field. But on Sunday, this committee obliterated that by inviting five CAA teams.

You might have made a case for four-loss teams like Georgia Southern, Youngstown State, or Elon to have made the playoff field. But New Hampshire?

Making matters worse is the fact that the selection committee is chaired by John McCutcheon, the athletic director at UMass - the automatic bid winner in the CAA.

No one is accusing McCutcheon of anything, but this certainly doesn't flee the appearance of evil when the CAA gets four at-large bids - half of the at-large spots available - on his watch.

First off, understand that most of FCS loves New Hampshire (recognizing that doesn't include anyone in the state of Delaware). Ricky Santos has been a dynamic poster boy for the subdivision from the first time he stepped on the field as a freshman and led the Wildcats to a memorable upset of No. 1 ranked and defending national champion Delaware.

Sean McDonnell leads one of the best coaching staffs in the country, with an entertaining offense that drives opponents nuts. The Wildcat family is one of the nicest groups of folks you'll find in FCS.

But this New Hampshire team doesn't belong in the playoffs. This is a flawed team that features the 104th-ranked defense in FCS. It's a defensive unit that 0-11 Indiana State would salivate to get a shot at.

Without deep threat David Ball to throw to and little semblance of a running game, Santos has had to nickle and dime his way up and down the field. It's somewhat remarkable that the Wildcats are averaging 36 points per game.

New Hampshire earned some headlines in September when it beat Marshall - an iconic name in FCS for sure, but an FBS program that has fallen to 2-9 this season and hasn't had a winning record since 2003. And the Wildcats did beat two ranked teams, Delaware and Hofstra.

But UNH finished 4-4 in the league, had one of its wins over non-scholarship Iona, another against Dartmouth and closed the year with losses in two of its last three games. One of those final losses was an awful 31-13 defeat to a Northeastern club that won only three games. Don't remind me of how hard the wind was blowing, or how much rain was falling down, it was a loss that was as ugly as the weather was that day.

The other setback was a convincing 27-7 thumping by UMass that made the Wildcats look like anything but a playoff team.

To most, Saturday's 39-14 victory over Maine was little more than a going-away party for Santos and the rest of a senior class that had been to three consecutive playoff appearances. Little did anyone think that it would punch New Hampshire's ticket to the playoffs.

Georgia Southern lost its final two games, but the Eagles fell by just eight points to Colorado State, an FBS school that is arguably as good as Marshall on Saturday, after a two-point loss to arch-rival Furman when its place kicker missed what would have been a Southern Conference-auto-bid-clinching 31-yard field goal on the final play.

This was an Eagle club that ended Appalachian State's 30-game home winning streak and also beat a Wofford club that had been ranked in the top 10 earlier in the year. Two wins over the co-champions of your league and you still sit home.

Two of Elon's four losses were to South Florida - ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press poll at one point - Appalachian State. The other losses were to Furman and The Citadel, teams that finished with winning records in the tough SoCon.

Youngstown State lost to No. 1 Northern Iowa by a single point and in the final two minutes to No. 4 Southern Illinois. And oh, there was another loss to some team called Ohio State that is coached by YSU legend Jim Tressel.

How about a 7-4 Cal Poly team? The Mustangs dropped a couple of early games to Texas State and FBS Idaho, but their only losses of late had been to ranked opponents in the Great West Conference, North Dakota State and South Dakota State.

Cal Poly lost 31-28 to then-No. 2 North Dakota State on a busted coverage in the final seconds. The Mustangs also lost to a South Dakota State team that knocked North Dakota State off its perch.

I know that McCutcheon said the committee didn't even consider any team that had less than seven Division I wins, so teams like Georgia Southern, Youngstown State and Cal Poly never made it into the discussion. Maybe they should have.

He was also quick to say that the current committee didn't consider conference affliction when looking at teams, but that statement doesn't really fly when you consider how reluctant other committees have been to cross the three-bid and four-bid thresholds.

New Hampshire proved it wasn't a championship-caliber team by the fact that it couldn't win but half of its games within the CAA.

One of the great things about the FCS playoffs is the diversity it brings. You have first-round matchups between teams that have never played before.

We get to see great contrasts in style like Wofford at Montana, teams that despite their proximity that have never crossed paths like Eastern Kentucky at Richmond. There are games which cross regions like Eastern Washington at McNeese State.

And then there is a game like Delaware State at Delaware, which should be played just about every year, but for some reason never has been scheduled. More on that later.

Diversity is one of the major reasons that teams like Norfolk State, Albany, Dayton, San Diego, Alabama A&M and Prairie View should have been considered before dipping into the 7-4 cesspool.

These teams might not schedule the same teams that the mighty CAA does, but wouldn't it be great to see some fresh names in the tournament?

I'd love to see San Diego quarterback Josh Johnson, the top-ranked passer in FCS, taking on a playoff-caliber team. Or Albany linebacker Colin Disch smashing someone to the turf.

How about introducing the FCS world to Norfolk State safety Terrell Whitehead and one of the best secondaries in our little subdivision? Or giving some playoff airtime to Prairie View defensive end Zach East?

We could have seen quarterbacks like Kevin Hoyng of Dayton, or Kelcy Luke of Alabama A&M showing that there is life in FCS - and good players - in places other than the CAA.

One of the things I deplore about the NCAA basketball tournament is seeing five, six or seven teams from leagues like the ACC or Big East cluttering up the brackets.

So where does the insanity stop with the FCS committee? Will they someday invite six, seven or all eight at-large teams from the same conference? I'm sure McCutcheon and company are getting their excuses ready.

[gsugt1]

Dang !! Way to call it like it is Mr. Coulson.

[SuperEagle]

my favorite line is at the end when he says "So where does the insanity stop with the FCS committee? Will they someday invite six, seven or all eight at-large teams from the same conference? I'm sure McCutcheon and company are getting their excuses ready."

[straightshooter]

Absolutely the best article I've ever read by Mr. Coulson. Thanks David. It's about time that someone actually tells it like it is. The selection committee should be ashamed of themselves.

[WrenFGun]

I think he's nuts, frankly. There is no criteria that suggests that any of the teams he lists (either the teams with less than 7 DI wins or the teams like Albany, Norfolk State, Dayton and San Diego) are better selections than New Hampshire, particularly considering that New Hampshire was not even the worst team selected (see Eastern Washington and Eastern Illinois, for that). I'm sick of hearing Georgia Southern fans complain about the playoff system since they did not get in. You had a wonderful team, but you beat Furman, you get to seven DI wins, you're in, period. The committee saw NO reason to allow a team with 6 DI wins in the field, as those wins were not noteworthy enough to justify it. You bash them for allowing 5 CAA Teams in, and yet, you ignore the can of worms it would open to allow a 6 DI win team into the field, as that is MUCH more of a rule than the 5 CAA teams (though neither is concrete).

[phillyAPP]

gotta give Coulson his props on this one. Sorry if it's been posted already. I didn't see it. But I agree with everything he said. He obviously sees the committee's biasness and calls them out too. Glad someone in the media did. We should forward this to the umass AD. Not that he would do anything about it, just to let him know that the media recognizes what a terrible job he did.
**
http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/news/agn4113822.htm



Around FCS: Raining On Their Parade
By David Coulson, FCS Executive Director

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - After a busy and eventful final day of the FCS regular season, I woke up Sunday morning to gloomy skies and pouring rain. I couldn't help but think that the weather would reflect the mood of at least one team that would have their hopes crushed a few hours later when the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoff field was announced.

As I pulled out of my driveway, there was another omen. The Philadelphia suburb of Hatboro, where I live and where the offices of the Sports Network are located, was preparing for its annual Christmas parade.

It may not even be Thanksgiving yet, but one team was opening an early Christmas present on Sunday, while another found the FCS selection committee raining on its postseason parade.

It only took a matter of seconds for ESPNU to unwrap this stunner at the start of its selection show. New Hampshire had made the 16-team field with a 7-4 record. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year's too.

You could almost feel the disappointment rising all the way from Norfolk, Va., where Norfolk State held out hope of making the field as the runner-up from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with a solid 8-3 mark.

Or from the state capital of New York, where Albany saw its outside hopes of a playoff bid go up in smoke after a season where the Great Danes played a solid non-conference schedule, won the Northeast Conference title and finished the regular season at 8-3.

There were also teams like 8-3 Alabama A&M, 7-3 Prairie View, 10-1 Dayton and 9-2 San Diego that could have been chosen instead of overwhelming the field with more Colonial Athletic Association influence

Only twice in the history of the FCS tournament had one conference claimed four berths in the field. But on Sunday, this committee obliterated that by inviting five CAA teams.

You might have made a case for four-loss teams like Georgia Southern, Youngstown State, or Elon to have made the playoff field. But New Hampshire?

Making matters worse is the fact that the selection committee is chaired by John McCutcheon, the athletic director at UMass - the automatic bid winner in the CAA.

No one is accusing McCutcheon of anything, but this certainly doesn't flee the appearance of evil when the CAA gets four at-large bids - half of the at-large spots available - on his watch.

First off, understand that most of FCS loves New Hampshire (recognizing that doesn't include anyone in the state of Delaware). Ricky Santos has been a dynamic poster boy for the subdivision from the first time he stepped on the field as a freshman and led the Wildcats to a memorable upset of No. 1 ranked and defending national champion Delaware.

Sean McDonnell leads one of the best coaching staffs in the country, with an entertaining offense that drives opponents nuts. The Wildcat family is one of the nicest groups of folks you'll find in FCS.

But this New Hampshire team doesn't belong in the playoffs. This is a flawed team that features the 104th-ranked defense in FCS. It's a defensive unit that 0-11 Indiana State would salivate to get a shot at.

Without deep threat David Ball to throw to and little semblance of a running game, Santos has had to nickle and dime his way up and down the field. It's somewhat remarkable that the Wildcats are averaging 36 points per game.

New Hampshire earned some headlines in September when it beat Marshall - an iconic name in FCS for sure, but an FBS program that has fallen to 2-9 this season and hasn't had a winning record since 2003. And the Wildcats did beat two ranked teams, Delaware and Hofstra.

But UNH finished 4-4 in the league, had one of its wins over non-scholarship Iona, another against Dartmouth and closed the year with losses in two of its last three games. One of those final losses was an awful 31-13 defeat to a Northeastern club that won only three games. Don't remind me of how hard the wind was blowing, or how much rain was falling down, it was a loss that was as ugly as the weather was that day.

The other setback was a convincing 27-7 thumping by UMass that made the Wildcats look like anything but a playoff team.

To most, Saturday's 39-14 victory over Maine was little more than a going-away party for Santos and the rest of a senior class that had been to three consecutive playoff appearances. Little did anyone think that it would punch New Hampshire's ticket to the playoffs.

Georgia Southern lost its final two games, but the Eagles fell by just eight points to Colorado State, an FBS school that is arguably as good as Marshall on Saturday, after a two-point loss to arch-rival Furman when its place kicker missed what would have been a Southern Conference-auto-bid-clinching 31-yard field goal on the final play.

This was an Eagle club that ended Appalachian State's 30-game home winning streak and also beat a Wofford club that had been ranked in the top 10 earlier in the year. Two wins over the co-champions of your league and you still sit home.

Two of Elon's four losses were to South Florida - ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press poll at one point - Appalachian State. The other losses were to Furman and The Citadel, teams that finished with winning records in the tough SoCon.

Youngstown State lost to No. 1 Northern Iowa by a single point and in the final two minutes to No. 4 Southern Illinois. And oh, there was another loss to some team called Ohio State that is coached by YSU legend Jim Tressel.

How about a 7-4 Cal Poly team? The Mustangs dropped a couple of early games to Texas State and FBS Idaho, but their only losses of late had been to ranked opponents in the Great West Conference, North Dakota State and South Dakota State.

Cal Poly lost 31-28 to then-No. 2 North Dakota State on a busted coverage in the final seconds. The Mustangs also lost to a South Dakota State team that knocked North Dakota State off its perch.

I know that McCutcheon said the committee didn't even consider any team that had less than seven Division I wins, so teams like Georgia Southern, Youngstown State and Cal Poly never made it into the discussion. Maybe they should have.

He was also quick to say that the current committee didn't consider conference affliction when looking at teams, but that statement doesn't really fly when you consider how reluctant other committees have been to cross the three-bid and four-bid thresholds.

New Hampshire proved it wasn't a championship-caliber team by the fact that it couldn't win but half of its games within the CAA.

One of the great things about the FCS playoffs is the diversity it brings. You have first-round matchups between teams that have never played before.

We get to see great contrasts in style like Wofford at Montana, teams that despite their proximity that have never crossed paths like Eastern Kentucky at Richmond. There are games which cross regions like Eastern Washington at McNeese State.

And then there is a game like Delaware State at Delaware, which should be played just about every year, but for some reason never has been scheduled. More on that later.

Diversity is one of the major reasons that teams like Norfolk State, Albany, Dayton, San Diego, Alabama A&M and Prairie View should have been considered before dipping into the 7-4 cesspool.

These teams might not schedule the same teams that the mighty CAA does, but wouldn't it be great to see some fresh names in the tournament?

I'd love to see San Diego quarterback Josh Johnson, the top-ranked passer in FCS, taking on a playoff-caliber team. Or Albany linebacker Colin Disch smashing someone to the turf.

How about introducing the FCS world to Norfolk State safety Terrell Whitehead and one of the best secondaries in our little subdivision? Or giving some playoff airtime to Prairie View defensive end Zach East?

We could have seen quarterbacks like Kevin Hoyng of Dayton, or Kelcy Luke of Alabama A&M showing that there is life in FCS - and good players - in places other than the CAA.

One of the things I deplore about the NCAA basketball tournament is seeing five, six or seven teams from leagues like the ACC or Big East cluttering up the brackets.

So where does the insanity stop with the FCS committee? Will they someday invite six, seven or all eight at-large teams from the same conference? I'm sure McCutcheon and company are getting their excuses ready.

Now i am really mad. This article makes it hard for the committee to have any answers except we are sorry. But every year they make an obvious screw up with these choices. I feel sorry for the teams who should have made it. Santos is having a great thanksgiving.

[SuperEagle]

I think he's nuts, frankly. There is no criteria that suggests that any of the teams he lists (either the teams with less than 7 DI wins or the teams like Albany, Norfolk State, Dayton and San Diego) are better selections than New Hampshire, particularly considering that New Hampshire was not even the worst team selected (see Eastern Washington and Eastern Illinois, for that). I'm sick of hearing Georgia Southern fans complain about the playoff system since they did not get in. You had a wonderful team, but you beat Furman, you get to seven DI wins, you're in, period. The committee saw NO reason to allow a team with 6 DI wins in the field, as those wins were not noteworthy enough to justify it. You bash them for allowing 5 CAA Teams in, and yet, you ignore the can of worms it would open to allow a 6 DI win team into the field, as that is MUCH more of a rule than the 5 CAA teams (though neither is concrete).
**
Actually since it was apparent the UMASS guy wanted 5 CAA teams in, he could have at least taken Nova, the only who actually had a winning record in their conference. And while we did lose our last 2, it wasn't like you guys finished strong either getting blasted by Northeastern in route to losing 2 of your last 3. But before you accuse us of whining, this post was a National article written by a National writer. We didn't just make this up.
So if you have issues, take it up with him. But, you have to give him credit for trying to expose this fraud of a selection process.

[gsugt1]

IMO no one thinks we deserved to get in at 7-4.

My issue is that they put in a 5th place team from CAA with a 4-4 conference record like UNH is just wrong. They had a win over a non scholly team in Iona. If you dig deeper you would see that they didn't deserve to make it over Nova who was 5-3 in the CAA.

[Tribe4SF]

Odd that Coulson doesn't mention the team that really had a beef...Villanova. I say we split the CAA into two conferences, and schedule our OOCs from the NEC, Patriot, Big South and Pioneer. That way we can cross the next hurdle and get 6 teams in the playoffs.

His reference to the 7-4 "cesspool" is interesting, since he advocates for GSU, Elon and Prairie View (are you kidding me?) in the article. He derides the committee for taking four CAA at-large teams, and suggests they should have changed their criteria to avoid this. He says noone is implying McCutcheon did anything wrong, but then all but says so himself.

What he could have done in the article is call GSU, Norfolk State and Elon to task for scheduling Division II teams. He could also have pointed out that in this strange year, the committee's priorities of 7 D-I wins, strength of schedule, and quality wins led inevitably to either UNH or Villanova for the final spot. Hell, under those priorities, EIU should have been out and Villanova in!

If we want our championship to be about diversity, then it will be watered down so guys like Coulson can wax philosophical about single players from single teams. A playoff should be as it is, the best available teams going toe-to-toe. And I'll personally shove the dead crow down Coulson's throat if UNH manages to pull the upset in Cedar Rapids.

[Pantherpower]

Don't know what game will be going on in Cedar Rapids, but I sure as hell won't miss the one that's taking place in Cedar Falls!;)

[Tribe4SF]

One more thing. Everyone here knows that the best mirror of the committee's priorities is the GPI. Just take a look.

If you want to get in the playoffs, schedule tough and qualify. Teams that do so deserve to be rewarded.

[Tribe4SF]

Don't know what game will be going on in Cedar Rapids, but I sure as hell won't miss the one that's taking place in Cedar Falls!;)

Well it's good you know where the game is!:o

[Umass74]

A good comment was made on my UMass Football Blog this morning concerning Coulson's article.

Check out the GPI's of the teams that Coulson is advocating and then check out New Hampshire's GPI.

IMHO to only team to have an valid argument is Villanova-----but that would be another CAA team.

[R.A.]

I think he's nuts, frankly. There is no criteria that suggests that any of the teams he lists (either the teams with less than 7 DI wins or the teams like Norfolk State

Norfolk State won 8 games, only one was against a DII, so they have 7 FCS wins.

A Winston Salem State is a Transitional FCS Team... key terms being FCS team.

If Norfolk State didn't have the requirements, why would they even be up for consideration??

Think about it...

But I don't feel bad for my conference... we know we are fighting an uphill battle to make the playoffs, yet we continue to schedule DII teams, and then we complain when we don't make the playoffs.

I figured we would have learned our lesson during SCSU consecutive 9-2 season with no playoff berth... nope, we haven't learned.

Virginia State will still be on Norfolk State's schedule, and SCSU is probably going to schedule DII Benedict again next season... oh well.

[bobbythekidd]

I think he's nuts, frankly.

The committee saw NO reason to allow a team with 6 DI wins in the field, as those wins were not noteworthy enough to justify it.
Nuts? The man is lacking a few GSU fans for sure but I don't think that makes him nuts.

Those wins not being worthy? We beat App. We beat them at their house, the home of the longest running home win record. If we had not done that, they would be riding a an even longer record. We beat the SoCon leader and the team that got the AQ in the toughest conference in the FCS. That would be Wofford. We were able to do it at their house as well. How about SDSU? That is the team that just got the Dakota Marker from everyones second best vote getter, NDSU.

We beat the team that got the AQ. We beat the 2 time defending National Champions and the team that won at the Big House. We beat them while on the road. We beat the team that beat the #2 team in the land.

I see what you mean. We didn't get any quality wins.xrolleyesx

I am not bitching that we did not get in, but I think I am bitching that UNH did. Do I know who should have got the nod? No. But UNH should be watching from their living rooms, just like us.

[WrenFGun]

That's why I said "or", R.A. Less than 7 DI win teams OR Norfolk State. Norfolk State had the requirements, just did not have the SOS or quality wins to gain inclusion over a more deserving team like UNH or Villanova.

Villanova lacked the big quality win over an FBS school that UNH had. Before Coulson and the rest of this board spew the trash about it not being a quality win, literally every person on the radio broadcasts I've heard from the committee consider it a quality win. That got us in over 'Nova. I think there is a legitimate argument that Villanova is a better team than EIU, too, but who wants to open up that can of worms.

[R.A.]

That's why I said "or", R.A. Less than 7 DI win teams OR Norfolk State. Norfolk State had the requirements, just did not have the SOS or quality wins to gain inclusion over a more deserving team like UNH or Villanova.

Villanova lacked the big quality win over an FBS school that UNH had. Before Coulson and the rest of this board spew the trash about it not being a quality win, literally every person on the radio broadcasts I've heard from the committee consider it a quality win. That got us in over 'Nova. I think there is a legitimate argument that Villanova is a better team than EIU, too, but who wants to open up that can of worms.


Okay, I figured I jumped the gun on my post. Notice the amount of your statement that I actually quoted.

[Intrepid]

All I got to the say is WOW...xnodx xnodx xnodx

[KAUMASS]

After reading Coulson's article, it reinforced why I stopped going there after Matt Dougherty left. Coulson "the FCS version of Oliver Stone" needs a reality dose. His article fuels "conspiricy theorists" and does nothing to help FCS. Let's invite a second place MEAC team, a conference where the AQ is usually sent home the first weekend of the playoffs. He needs to get a clue. How can you justify Norfolk St at 8-3, a MEAC team ranked #52 in the GPI at 8-3? I don't see it. Every team in the CAA was ranked above Norfolk St. UNH was ranked #14 in the GPI and the best team available besides Villanova, ranked #15. You can argue either way for Villanova or UNH, as it was very close. If Norfolk St was ranked in the GPI around 18th or so, I would have no beef if they got in over UNH. Albany had a decent year, but their GPI was #36. Not enough for Albany. Who else would you take this year?

Regardless of the AD Chair from UMass this year, the committee was fair, end of story. Coulson needs some cheese to go with his wine.

[WrenFGun]

Nuts? The man is lacking a few GSU fans for sure but I don't think that makes him nuts.

Those wins not being worthy? We beat App. We beat them at their house, the home of the longest running home win record. If we had not done that, they would be riding a an even longer record. We beat the SoCon leader and the team that got the AQ in the toughest conference in the FCS. That would be Wofford. We were able to do it at their house as well. How about SDSU? That is the team that just got the Dakota Marker from everyones second best vote getter, NDSU.

We beat the team that got the AQ. We beat the 2 time defending National Champions and the team that won at the Big House. We beat them while on the road. We beat the team that beat the #2 team in the land.

I see what you mean. We didn't get any quality wins.xrolleyesx

I am not bitching that we did not get in, but I think I am bitching that UNH did. Do I know who should have got the nod? No. But UNH should be watching from their living rooms, just like us.

Well, if you actually read what I said, I did not say that Georgia Southern had no quality wins. That is not what I said at all, but thanks for taking it out of context. What I said, and what the committee said, is that GSU didn't have the SIX quality wins it would take to justify inclusion. There would have to be SIX quality wins to get included...

[R.A.]

After reading Coulson's article, it reinforced why I stopped going there after Matt Dougherty left. Coulson "the FCS version of Oliver Stone" needs a reality dose. His article fuels "conspiricy theorists" and does nothing to help FCS. Let's invite a second place MEAC team, a conference where the AQ is usually sent home the first weekend of the playoffs. He needs to get a clue. How can you justify Norfolk St at 8-3, a MEAC team ranked #52 in the GPI at 8-3? I don't see it. Every team in the CAA was ranked above Norfolk St. UNH was ranked #14 in the GPI and the best team available besides Villanova, ranked #15. You can argue either way for Villanova or UNH, as it was very close. If Norfolk St was ranked in the GPI around 18th or so, I would have no beef if they got in over UNH. Albany had a decent year, but their GPI was #36. Not enough for Albany. Who else would you take this year?

Regardless of the AD Chair from UMass this year, the committee was fair, end of story. Coulson needs some cheese to go with his wine.

Easy. Just because a conference is weaker, doesn't mean that a team is weaker. You want to penalize Norfolk State for playing North Carolina A&T??

[WrenFGun]

Yes, I'm tired of the charade. Is Coulson advocating that he DOESN'T want the best eight teams in the field? That's about what I get from it. UNH thrashes Norfolk State by double digits, IMO.

[WrenFGun]

Easy. Just because a conference is weaker, doesn't mean that a team is weaker. You want to penalize Norfolk State for playing North Carolina A&T??

Norfolk State needs to make up that gap in the OOC portion of their schedule. I respect Eastern Illinois for playing Illinois State and an FBS school. Those are quality OOC teams, who, while they didn't beat, they at least attempted. Norfolk State has an inexcusable bad loss which they could not afford in light of their weak schedule. I feel confident saying Norfolk State is in if they beat Howard. At 9-2, their GPI would be better and I don't see the committee reaching for a 7-4 team at that point.

[bobbythekidd]

Well, if you actually read what I said, I did not say that Georgia Southern had no quality wins. That is not what I said at all, but thanks for taking it out of context. What I said, and what the committee said, is that GSU didn't have the SIX quality wins it would take to justify inclusion. There would have to be SIX quality wins to get included...
I did go back and read again what you said. It turns out I did take it out of context and went so far as to horribly mis-quote you. I did it in the effort of making it shorter for other readers.

Sorry about that.:o I see your comments were not meant to be directed solely at us. Especially the ones I took exception to. My bad. I picked the wrong week to stop smoking crack I guess.:p

[R.A.]

Yes, I'm tired of the charade. Is Coulson advocating that he DOESN'T want the best eight teams in the field? That's about what I get from it. UNH thrashes Norfolk State by double digits, IMO.

The MEAC's top 3 teams are traditionally very similar in their abilities. So while you may feel that you will beat our number two by double digits, I look back at last season when you only beat the MEAC #1 by 3 points, and the MEAC's #3 beat our #1 by 6.

I doubt this season or last season that UNH could go undefeated against the MEAC's top 3.

[R.A.]

Norfolk State needs to make up that gap in the OOC portion of their schedule. I respect Eastern Illinois for playing Illinois State and an FBS school. Those are quality OOC teams, who, while they didn't beat, they at least attempted. Norfolk State has an inexcusable bad loss which they could not afford in light of their weak schedule. I feel confident saying Norfolk State is in if they beat Howard. At 9-2, their GPI would be better and I don't see the committee reaching for a 7-4 team at that point.

I'm not arguing that one bit. xthumbsupx

[The Moody1]

I think he's nuts, frankly. There is no criteria that suggests that any of the teams he lists (either the teams with less than 7 DI wins or the teams like Albany, Norfolk State, Dayton and San Diego) are better selections than New Hampshire, particularly considering that New Hampshire was not even the worst team selected (see Eastern Washington and Eastern Illinois, for that). I'm sick of hearing Georgia Southern fans complain about the playoff system since they did not get in. You had a wonderful team, but you beat Furman, you get to seven DI wins, you're in, period. The committee saw NO reason to allow a team with 6 DI wins in the field, as those wins were not noteworthy enough to justify it. You bash them for allowing 5 CAA Teams in, and yet, you ignore the can of worms it would open to allow a 6 DI win team into the field, as that is MUCH more of a rule than the 5 CAA teams (though neither is concrete).

IMO- Wins over non-scholly Div I (Iona) should carry the same weight as Div II. If they make this change to their "rules" the process will be more fair. Since NH played the game of scheduling a little better than the other 7-4 guys they get the bid. This loophole needs to be closed or the 7 DI "Rule" thrown out.

[WrenFGun]

Well, while UNH "exploited" the loophole, it was the same loophole that Georgia Southern decided not to exploit. Had they "exploited" the loophole, they would be a playoff team.

No hard feelings, Bobbythekidd. I'm not singleing out Georgia Southern fans, it just so happens that you guys brought the article up. It pertains to all quality 7-4 teams (YSU, Elon) that did not merit inclusion.

[SuperEagle]

One more thing. Everyone here knows that the best mirror of the committee's priorities is the GPI. Just take a look.

If you want to get in the playoffs, schedule tough and qualify. Teams that do so deserve to be rewarded.
**
Then explain why GSU's schedule, which was ranked 18 spots higher then UNH's despite including a DII game, is not considered tougher? LOL. UNH played a creampuff OOC schedule and got rewarded by a very biased committee. Even the biggest homers in the world have to see that. And I didn't think GSU deserved to be in until I saw that UNH got in.
But let's get a reality lesson here. GSU and UNH had the same record. GSU was 3-1 against FCS teams that finsihed the year ranked while UNH was 1-3. GSU lost to an FBS while UNH beat one. So you could say GSU had 3 quality wins to UNH's 2. Now go ahead and say how we played a dII. So what, despite that our schedule was still considered 18 spots harder according to Sagarin. Can the committee not use common sense when selecting teams? How hard would that be?
The excuses for UNH being in are not warranted. They kept bringing up the suggestion (remember it's not a rule) of 7DI wins only because it benefited the CAA and UNH. And my biggest gripe is the fact that they wanted to put Santos in to "show" him off. That's a slap in the face to Jayson Foster IMO.

[SuperEagle]

Well, while UNH "exploited" the loophole, it was the same loophole that Georgia Southern decided not to exploit. Had they "exploited" the loophole, they would be a playoff team.

No hard feelings, Bobbythekidd. I'm not singleing out Georgia Southern fans, it just so happens that you guys brought the article up. It pertains to all quality 7-4 teams (YSU, Elon) that did not merit inclusion.
**
I honestly don't think so. I think the committee did exactly what they wanted to do. Stack the field with as many CAA's as possible. I would love to be wrong but I see it no other way. The SOCON, especially with AQ Wofford being sent to Montana, seems to be getting about as much respect as the Pioneer league. It's sad.

[blueballs]

Big ups to Mr. C for calling it like it is... I've been critical of him when I thought warranted but this article absolutely nails it, and concisely and accurately protrays what most everybody outside the CAA thinks about the travesty that was this year's selection process.

Damn good job Mr C!

For the record, this GSU fans thinks we screwed the pooch in three different games and didn't deserve an at large bid, but UNH DAMN sure doesn't. The 7 D-1 wins BS is a fraud too when you weigh non scholarship wins over scholarship wins regardless of division- that is nomenclature (which is par for the course in the PC obsessed NCAA) and not a genuine and accurate assesment of performance or reality.

Also, what about this regionalization BS? Any third grader can tell you Spartanburg, SC is NOT the closest city that is home to a non seed among these schools to Mizzoula, MT. So it appears that the committee, while demonstrating all the principals of a small town politician, creates "policies and guidelines" and uses them only when convenient to satisfy their pre-conceived notions.

Seed the f-ing teams 1-16 using a predetermined evaluation system that is as concrete as possible and don't deviate from it, regardless of who is on the committee or who gets their feelings hurt or who has to go where. Make the process as transparent as possible. Then as much of the human bias component that is on vivid display here is out of the picture and we get a real tournament, not just one conference's invitational.

[WrenFGun]

**
Then explain why GSU's schedule, which was ranked 18 spots higher then UNH's despite including a DII game, is not considered tougher? LOL. UNH played a creampuff OOC schedule and got rewarded by a very biased committee. Even the biggest homers in the world have to see that. And I didn't think GSU deserved to be in until I saw that UNH got in.
But let's get a reality lesson here. GSU and UNH had the same record. GSU was 3-1 against FCS teams that finsihed the year ranked while UNH was 1-3. GSU lost to an FBS while UNH beat one. So you could say GSU had 3 quality wins to UNH's 2. Now go ahead and say how we played a dII. So what, despite that our schedule was still considered 18 spots harder according to Sagarin. Can the committee not use common sense when selecting teams? How hard would that be?
The excuses for UNH being in are not warranted. They kept bringing up the suggestion (remember it's not a rule) of 7DI wins only because it benefited the CAA and UNH. And my biggest gripe is the fact that they wanted to put Santos in to "show" him off. That's a slap in the face to Jayson Foster IMO.

Well, while it's not a rule (and I've pointed it out about 150 times), every member from the committee I've heard on the radio as explictly stated that all 6 DI win teams were struck from the board because none of them had the six compelling wins that the committee thought it would take to get in. So yes, maybe UNH's win over Iona is a technicality; however, it was a technicality that all FCS teams were privy to.

[WrenFGun]

**
I honestly don't think so. I think the committee did exactly what they wanted to do. Stack the field with as many CAA's as possible. I would love to be wrong but I see it no other way. The SOCON, especially with AQ Wofford being sent to Montana, seems to be getting about as much respect as the Pioneer league. It's sad.

I see. Well, no point in arguing with such a rational argument about conspiracy theories and such. Why argue when things are so black and white?

[WrenFGun]

Big ups to Mr. C for calling it like it is... I've been critical of him when I thought warranted but this article absolutely nails it, and concisely and accurately protrays what most everybody outside the CAA thinks about the travesty that was this year's selection process.

Damn good job Mr C!

For the record, this GSU fans thinks we screwed the pooch in three different games and didn't deserve an at large bid, but UNH DAMN sure doesn't. The 7 D-1 wins BS is a fraud too when you weigh non scholarship wins over scholarship wins regardless of division- that is nomenclature (which is par for the course in the PC obsessed NCAA) and not a genuine and accurate assesment of performance or reality.

Also, what about this regionalization BS? Any third grader can tell you Spartanburg, SC is NOT the closest city that is home to a non seed among these schools to Mizzoula, MT. So it appears that the committee, while demonstrating all the principals of a small town politician, creates "policies and guidelines" and uses them only when convenient to satisfy their pre-conceived notions.

Seed the f-ing teams 1-16 using a predetermined evaluation system that is as concrete as possible and don't deviate from it, regardless of who is on the committee or who gets their feelings hurt or who has to go where. Make the process as transparent as possible. Then as much of the human bias component that is on vivid display here is out of the picture and we get a real tournament, not just one conference's invitational.

Well, UNH with 7 DI wins and quality victories over Marshall, Hofstra and Delaware is about the best you could see from a team with 7 DI wins vying for that last spot. Is it Villanova with the same quality wins minus Marshall? Is it Norfolk State, with virtually no quality wins? Is it Albany or Dayton, with a quality win over a Fordham team that lost by 2 TD's to Bucknell? Do me a favor and look at the 7 DI win teams, since the committee made it clear they struck the 6 DI win teams from the board, and tell me why these teams deserve it more than UNH. Thanks.

[KAUMASS]

Easy. Just because a conference is weaker, doesn't mean that a team is weaker. You want to penalize Norfolk State for playing North Carolina A&T??

Yes, North Carolina A/T# 117 in the GPI, they drag down your GPI. You also forgot Florida A/M # 98, and Howard #94 and Bethune-Cookman at #90. Beef up your OOC schedule for every team.

Regardless of conference strength, our worst ranked GPI team in the CAA was Towson, #50 in the country at 3-8. Norfolk St was ranked #52 at 8-3.

For statistical purposes and computer rankings for getting into the playoffs, Norfolk St. stays home every time. I am not saying that Norfolk St would not give a UMass or a Richmond a game, as I'm sure they may.

[FCS Preview]

The excuses for UNH being in are not warranted. They kept bringing up the suggestion (remember it's not a rule) of 7DI wins only because it benefited the CAA and UNH. And my biggest gripe is the fact that they wanted to put Santos in to "show" him off. That's a slap in the face to Jayson Foster IMO.

While not every CAA team with seven D-I wins was selected for the playoffs (Hofstra and Villanova got left out), every team from the Big Sky, Gateway, Ohio Valley, Southern and Southland conferences with seven D-I wins did get a playoff berth.

[KAUMASS]

While not every CAA team with seven D-I wins was selected for the playoffs (Hofstra and Villanova got left out), every team from the Big Sky, Gateway, Ohio Valley, Southern and Southland conferences with seven D-I wins did get a playoff berth.

Thanks for the info, Preview. It is obvious who does research before they post. Something Mr. Coulson should think about doing.

[kalm]

IMO- Wins over non-scholly Div I (Iona) should carry the same weight as Div II. If they make this change to their "rules" the process will be more fair. Since NH played the game of scheduling a little better than the other 7-4 guys they get the bid. This loophole needs to be closed or the 7 DI "Rule" thrown out.

Or vice versa. We only have one non-scholly out west, so it's more difficult for us to find games.

[blueballs]

Well, UNH with 7 DI wins and quality victories over Marshall, Hofstra and Delaware is about the best you could see from a team with 7 DI wins vying for that last spot. Is it Villanova with the same quality wins minus Marshall? Is it Norfolk State, with virtually no quality wins? Is it Albany or Dayton, with a quality win over a Fordham team that lost by 2 TD's to Bucknell? Do me a favor and look at the 7 DI win teams, since the committee made it clear they struck the 6 DI win teams from the board, and tell me why these teams deserve it more than UNH. Thanks.

Better than GSU's 4 wins out of 5 weekends over SDSU, @App State, Citadel, and @Wofford- who BTW are all ranked at season's end???????

[FCS Preview]

Or vice versa. We only have one non-scholly out west, so it's more difficult for us to find games.

Albany traveled to Montana and Dayton
Stony Brook went to YSU and Richmond
Wagner went to Jacksonville

Plenty of teams are willing to travel. If a home game is that important, and you make that much money, kick in some bucks and bring in a team.

[FCS Preview]

Better than GSU's 4 wins out of 5 weekends over SDSU, @App State, Citadel, and @Wofford- who BTW are all ranked at season's end???????

And if they had kicked a very makeable FG at the end of the Furman game, they'd be in the playoffs.

[blueballs]

And if they had kicked a very makeable FG at the end of the Furman game, they'd be in the playoffs.

Absolutely... and if you read several posts earlier I alluded to not only that fact but the other two losses in conference that GSU should've won. None of that, however, diminishes in anyway the points I made about nomenclature, quality wins, or the blatant corruption that the committee has demonstrated.

[WrenFGun]

Since people are determined to talk about Georgia Southern..remember, the committee said that all six wins would have to be very good to warrant inclusion with only 6 DI wins..

Those wins are: Western Carolina, Coastal Carolina, SDSU, Wofford, App St, Cidatel. I would call four of those wins quality this season, and I MIGHT consider Coastal Carolina, since it was early. Western Carolina is not a quality win..Now, on top of that, that loss to Chatanooga is devastating. Now if Western Carolina was Elon, we might have an argument here. But like I said, all SIX wins are not compelling enough to justify inclusion.

[WrenFGun]

Elon, with their 6 DI wins, have wins over Chatanooga, Western Carolina and Stony Brook. That is not going to cut it.

Youngstown State and their 6 DI wins include wins over Stony Brook, Southern Utah and Indiana State.

Georgia Southern is closest, as 5 of their 6 wins are compelling, but again, not enough.

[Tribe4SF]

**
Then explain why GSU's schedule, which was ranked 18 spots higher then UNH's despite including a DII game, is not considered tougher? LOL. UNH played a creampuff OOC schedule and got rewarded by a very biased committee. Even the biggest homers in the world have to see that. And I didn't think GSU deserved to be in until I saw that UNH got in.
But let's get a reality lesson here. GSU and UNH had the same record. GSU was 3-1 against FCS teams that finsihed the year ranked while UNH was 1-3. GSU lost to an FBS while UNH beat one. So you could say GSU had 3 quality wins to UNH's 2. Now go ahead and say how we played a dII. So what, despite that our schedule was still considered 18 spots harder according to Sagarin. Can the committee not use common sense when selecting teams? How hard would that be?
The excuses for UNH being in are not warranted. They kept bringing up the suggestion (remember it's not a rule) of 7DI wins only because it benefited the CAA and UNH. And my biggest gripe is the fact that they wanted to put Santos in to "show" him off. That's a slap in the face to Jayson Foster IMO.

The 7 D-I win rule is not new this year. The committee established the guideline to make its priorities clearer. Everyone wanted transparency about what the committee based their decisions on, and now people want them to go back to more arbitrary, and changing criteria. If they had reneged on their own guidelines, Coulson would be skewering them for that. I can see it now...."Does the committee's insanity know no bounds? Prairie View!?!? Even casual observers know they would get crushed by UNH!"

Coulson needs to come up with his suggestions for a better way. Unfortunately I think all he has to offer is "they should think and act as I tell them they should".

[kalm]

Albany traveled to Montana and Dayton
Stony Brook went to YSU and Richmond
Wagner went to Jacksonville

Plenty of teams are willing to travel. If a home game is that important, and you make that much money, kick in some bucks and bring in a team.

I'm not sure Youngstown and Jackosnville should really be considered "West", and I think you might be confusing me for a Griz fan.

It was encouraging to see Albany travel to Montana and Northeastern to Davis, but I don't think Eastern, or much of th BSC has the finances to lure in east coast teams like Montana. And we already travel a ton - in conference. With several wins over FCS teams in the past several years, these DII appear to be as competitive as non-shollie schools who the east- coast FCS teams have the luxury of scheduling every year. They should count the same.

[FCS Preview]

I'm not sure Youngstown and Jackosnville should really be considered "West", and I think you might be confusing me for a Griz fan.


No, but as someone said in another thread, once you're in a plane it doesn't matter where you're going...

[FCS Preview]

Absolutely... and if you read several posts earlier I alluded to not only that fact but the other two losses in conference that GSU should've won. None of that, however, diminishes in anyway the points I made about nomenclature, quality wins, or the blatant corruption that the committee has demonstrated.

Like I said, every 7 win team from the SoCon made the playoffs -- the CAA had two teams left out. No corruption, just the facts.

The NCAA has defined what a D-I school is. Play them or not. But don't complain when it comes back to haunt you.

[kalm]

No, but as someone said in another thread, once you're in a plane it doesn't matter where you're going...

It does from a cost standpoint.

[McNeese_beat]

A good comment was made on my UMass Football Blog this morning concerning Coulson's article.

Check out the GPI's of the teams that Coulson is advocating and then check out New Hampshire's GPI.

IMHO to only team to have an valid argument is Villanova-----but that would be another CAA team.

If the GPIs were followed, Youngstown State would be in the playoffs.

Personally, if it were up to me, I'd be picking between YSU, Georgia Southern and Villanova and leaning toward Villanova. I like the way the basketball committee will pick a team playing well at the end of the season over one that is struggling at the end. In hoops, the 19-13 team that has a great run in its conference tournament and wins 6 of its last eight will get in over the 19-13 team that loses in the first round of its tournament and loses 4 of its last 5.

[McNeese_beat]

A good comment was made on my UMass Football Blog this morning concerning Coulson's article.

Check out the GPI's of the teams that Coulson is advocating and then check out New Hampshire's GPI.

IMHO to only team to have an valid argument is Villanova-----but that would be another CAA team.


IMO- Wins over non-scholly Div I (Iona) should carry the same weight as Div II. If they make this change to their "rules" the process will be more fair. Since NH played the game of scheduling a little better than the other 7-4 guys they get the bid. This loophole needs to be closed or the 7 DI "Rule" thrown out.

I absolutely agree. The rule is very convenient for the CAA because there are so many NECs and the dwindling MAACs in their region and, really, if you get a second-tier PL team, it's pretty much the same.

Those teams aren't convenient to teams out here. west of the Mississippi. Instead, McNeese played South Dakota. Well, I'd like South Dakota's chances against an Iona or a Drake...and South Dakota was a middle-of-the pack team in their conference.

Last year, Chadron State made Montana State's schedule stronger, not weaker.

[Tribe4SF]

If the GPIs were followed, Youngstown State would be in the playoffs.

Personally, if it were up to me, I'd be picking between YSU, Georgia Southern and Villanova and leaning toward Villanova. I like the way the basketball committee will pick a team playing well at the end of the season over one that is struggling at the end. In hoops, the 19-13 team that has a great run in its conference tournament and wins 6 of its last eight will get in over the 19-13 team that loses in the first round of its tournament and loses 4 of its last 5.

SHEEZ!!! I would agree (I voted YSU and GSU ahead of UNH in my poll), except neither team had 7 D-I wins. All this talk (including Coulson) of how the committee should have ignored their own guidelines is ridiculous. Had they picked Villanova, Coulson and the rest on here would still be raising hell, and accusing the committee of corruption. If they'd picked GSU, their credibility would have been gone, and you can bet that Coulson would have been at the head of the pack to point it out.

[WVAPPmountaineer]

I am somewhat impartial in this argument so let me make a couple of points where I feel we have a real concern in this process - OUT OF CONFERENCE SCHEDULING and the committee decision to "change" the stated guidelines - First, the guidelines say ---The following principles shall apply when selecting at-large teams:
1. The committee shall select the best teams available on a national at-large basis to complete the bracket;
2. There is no limit to the number of teams the committee may select from one conference;
3. The won-lost record of a team will be scrutinized to determine a team’s strength of schedule; however, less than seven Division I wins MAY place a team in jeopardy of not being selected; - From what I understand the committee changed "MAY" to "Absolutely no consideration given" --- If the rules stipulate "MAY" the cases MUST be looked at on an individual basis in a year like this. I do think UNH is a better team than Norfolk ST or Albany of any of the San Diego's of the country - I also think GSU, Elon and Citadel are better as well - I think Villanova is better - So the choice should have come down to Elon, GSU, UNH, Citadel or Villanova, etc. and the committee should have reviewed their entire seasons and not eliminated teams for having less than 7 wins - Elon lost 2 games to APP, the defending NC and FBS So. Fla ranked as high as #2 and beat Wofford - Citadel lost to APP and Wisconsin who ranked as high as #5 - GSU beat APP and Wofford - If that had been done I absolutely don't think UNH would have deserved the last pick ---
BUT - the problem stems from NON-CONF scheduling - Most of the CAA can schedule games "that count" against teams they can beat based on the close proximity of the schools - Other conferences are looking at either having extremely high travel costs to schedule NON-CONF or face the battle a team like APP has - NO ONE would schedule them - Big Balls to Northern AZ - I'm sure the Montana's and UNI's and McNeese's have a similar problem - The Non-Conference structure is set in place to assist the CAA (not on purpose) and UNTIL THE COMMITTEE REWARDS TEAMS FOR TOUGH SCHEDULING THIS WILL NEVER CHANGE AND THIS ARGUMENT WILL BE HAPPENING EVERY YEAR!!!

[Syntax Error]

If the GPIs were followed, Youngstown State would be in the playoffs...No they wouldn't. The GPI indicates teams that meet the committee's guidelines. YSU did not.

[McNeese_beat]

SHEEZ!!! I would agree (I voted YSU and GSU ahead of UNH in my poll), except neither team had 7 D-I wins. All this talk (including Coulson) of how the committee should have ignored their own guidelines is ridiculous. Had they picked Villanova, Coulson and the rest on here would still be raising hell, and accusing the committee of corruption. If they'd picked GSU, their credibility would have been gone, and you can bet that Coulson would have been at the head of the pack to point it out.

Well, the seven-win thing is not a hard-fast rule. It simply simply says that not getting seven D-I wins puts you in jeopardy. Which is different from saying "If you don't have seven D-I wins, you aren't going to get an at-large bid unless there aren't enough teams with seven wins to fill the bracket." There is an out and I would have taken advantage of it.

If you don't toss out the 7 D-I win times off hand and compare the entire resumes, then I don't see New Hampshire's resume emerging out of that pack in any other way.

[McNeese_beat]

No they wouldn't. The GPI indicates teams that meet the committee's guidelines. YSU did not.

Why does YSU not? Did the 7-win stipulation go from something that MAY affect you in the committee's eyes, to something that WILL affect you?

My point is, the word "may" gave the committee an opportunity to review the entire resumes of the seven-win teams. There is nothing in the guidelines that says not having 7 D-I wins absolutely eliminates you from consideration.

[Tribe4SF]

Well, the seven-win thing is not a hard-fast rule. It simply simply says that not getting seven D-I wins puts you in jeopardy. Which is different from saying "If you don't have seven D-I wins, you aren't going to get an at-large bid unless there aren't enough teams with seven wins to fill the bracket." There is an out and I would have taken advantage of it.

If you don't toss out the 7 D-I win times off hand and compare the entire resumes, then I don't see New Hampshire's resume emerging out of that pack in any other way.

They beat a I-A and a playoff team. More importantly, if you look at the objective comparison that is the GPI, they were next up.

The problem here is that the committee is clear that they do not look at conference affiliation in selecting at-large teams. Many on here (including Coulson) wanted them to do just that. "Throw out the guidelines, and make sure you don't pick too many teams from the big, bad CAA!" If they didn't mean it, why bother to put it in print?

The whining on here is becoming unbearable!:pumpuke:

[JMU2004]

You know whats funny? When JMU was 7-4 with less than 7 D1 wins in 2005, everyone single one of you called Mickey Matthews an idiot for saying that JMU should have been in the playoffs.

My, how times change. I guess its a matter of allegiance.

[Tribe4SF]

You know whats funny? When JMU was 7-4 with less thna 7 D1 wins in 2005, everyone single one of you called Mickey Matthews and idiot for saying that JMU should have been in the playoffs.

My, how times change. I guess its a matter of allegiance.

Amen, 2004! (Mickey was still an idiot, though.)xpeacex

[umassfan]

Im not even going to read this whole thread to make my comments. Mr C is being the typical Mr C. He cant take the fact that the CAA got 5 teams and is trying to support an arguement against it. My only issue is that Nova should have made it in over UNH. But as was stated... it still would have been 5 CAA teams. He has no case for GSU to be in the playoffs as they did not have 7 DI wins. So cross that team out. The fact that hes trying to make a case for GSU is just plain stupid. Its because GSU is a SOCON team... therefore he wants more SOCON teams in the playoffs. This piece would be totally different if there were 4 or 5 SOCON teams in the playoffs. He tries to make a case for Cal Poly who again didnt get 7 DI wins.(trust me if cal poly had 7 DI wins they would have made it because our AD use to be AD at cal poly). He also includes ELON who doesnt have 7 DI wins. Here is a list of the other teams he wants with 7 DI wins and their GPI at seasons end:

Norfolk State 52
Albany 35
Dayton 39
San Diego 54
Alabama A&M 55
Prairie View 62

Where as UNH is 14 and Nova is 15.

Ill leave you with saying... you all know the level of writing he has done all season. This piece here is far worse then any of those.

[JMU-MRD-DAD]

You know whats funny? When JMU was 7-4 with less thna 7 D1 wins in 2005, everyone single one of you called Mickey Matthews and idiot for saying that JMU should have been in the playoffs.

My, how times change. I guess its a matter of allegiance.

I was about to post the same thing.

[YoUDeeMan]

Like I said, every 7 win team from the SoCon made the playoffs -- the CAA had two teams left out. No corruption, just the facts.

The NCAA has defined what a D-I school is. Play them or not. But don't complain when it comes back to haunt you.

Hey, don't confuse them with facts. xlolx

Mr. Coulson is crying again and it once again shows that he is not a national writer.

And as far as "may" or "will", guess what? It "did". And it always has. So, go to Las Vegas and be a fool while playing against the odds; then whine when you lose. You'll be called a genius by other the other "I was robbed" losers.

Stop embarrassing yourselves by making up irrational excuses.
xnonox

[FCS Preview]

Why does YSU not? Did the 7-win stipulation go from something that MAY affect you in the committee's eyes, to something that WILL affect you?

My point is, the word "may" gave the committee an opportunity to review the entire resumes of the seven-win teams. There is nothing in the guidelines that says not having 7 D-I wins absolutely eliminates you from consideration.

They don't want a hard-and-fast rule, because what if there are not enough teams with 7 D-I wins? But if there are enough teams, then they can eliminate 6 win teams.

[SuperEagle]

Well, after reading the posts it's apparent that WE should all try and schedule the weakest teams possible. Maybe my Eagles should try and find the 4 worst teams in all of FCS and schedule them every year even if it means going to their place some. Who cares if it's an easy schedule?
If the committee doesn't then why should we? And my guess is if an 8-3 GSU team that beat Savannah State, Lasalle, Sacred Hart and Butler OOC, then went 4-3 in the SOCON got in over a CAA team that only had 7 DI wins then the rule would magically change.
Come on guys. Get your heads out of your rears. It's a stupid "suggestion" and if you don't believe that then you're crazy. The BEST teams should be in the playoffs pure and simple. We had the same record, beat more ranked teams, had a much tougher schedule and played in the best league in the FCS per Sagarin. Take off your CAA blinders and realize that the UMASS AD was looking out for his conference. It's not fair to us but really even more unfair to teams like Norfolk State

[Tribe4SF]

Well, after reading the posts it's apparent that WE should all try and schedule the weakest teams possible. Maybe my Eagles should try and find the 4 worst teams in all of FCS and schedule them every year even if it means going to their place some. Who cares if it's an easy schedule?
If the committee doesn't then why should we? And my guess is if an 8-3 GSU team that beat Savannah State, Lasalle, Sacred Hart and Butler OOC, then went 4-3 in the SOCON got in over a CAA team that only had 7 DI wins then the rule would magically change.
Come on guys. Get your heads out of your rears. It's a stupid "suggestion" and if you don't believe that then you're crazy. The BEST teams should be in the playoffs pure and simple. We had the same record, beat more ranked teams, had a much tougher schedule and played in the best league in the FCS per Sagarin. Take off your CAA blinders and realize that the UMASS AD was looking out for his conference. It's not fair to us but really even more unfair to teams like Norfolk State

Your heads up your rear! Strength of schedule is a primary consideration for the committee. It's also primary in all the computer models that placed UNH and Villanova where they did. UNH beat a I-A, my friend. GSU needed to win 8 games, and didn't do it. End of story.

[SuperEagle]

Your heads up your rear! Strength of schedule is a primary consideration for the committee. It's also primary in all the computer models that placed UNH and Villanova where they did. UNH beat a I-A, my friend. GSU needed to win 8 games, and didn't do it. End of story.
**
strength of schedule didn't seem to matter at all. Again, Sagarin listed us as having a much tougher schedule than UNH so it is obvious SOS didn't matter.
The reality is this. The committee wanted Santos in the playoffs and did everything they could to get him in even bypassing a team that actually had a winning record in the CAA. Obviously there were politics involved, and on this Thanksgiving Day, UNH should be thankful we have a very suspect committee leading the way.

[Tribe4SF]

**
strength of schedule didn't seem to matter at all. Again, Sagarin listed us as having a much tougher schedule than UNH so it is obvious SOS didn't matter.
The reality is this. The committee wanted Santos in the playoffs and did everything they could to get him in even bypassing a team that actually had a winning record in the CAA. Obviously there were politics involved, and on this Thanksgiving Day, UNH should be thankful we have a very suspect committee leading the way.

You're just cherry picking. Laz and Ashburn (only two I checked for now) both rate UNH schedule as tougher than GSU. If you want to analyze things, do a complete job. Sagarin is only one of the ratings in the GPI.

[McNeese_beat]

They don't want a hard-and-fast rule, because what if there are not enough teams with 7 D-I wins? But if there are enough teams, then they can eliminate 6 win teams.

If that were the stipulation, they should spell it out as such. "If a team fails to win seven games against non-Division I opponents, they will not be chosen over teams that do get seven wins over Division I opponents."

And before you go there, if you are going to say the wording of the stipulation is worded in such a way to allow the committee to pick a mainstream FCS teams with six D-I wins (say, YSU this year) over a San Diego with 10 D-1 wins, that would be a case of the committee having it both ways.

If you are bent on not letting the "mid-majors" in the playoffs, then wins over them should not count as D-I games either. If they are good enough to count towards the seven wins, then those teams should be good enough to get in the playoffs at 10-1 over mainstream teams with just 6 "D-I" wins.

[McNeese_beat]

They beat a I-A and a playoff team. More importantly, if you look at the objective comparison that is the GPI, they were next up.

The problem here is that the committee is clear that they do not look at conference affiliation in selecting at-large teams. Many on here (including Coulson) wanted them to do just that. "Throw out the guidelines, and make sure you don't pick too many teams from the big, bad CAA!" If they didn't mean it, why bother to put it in print?

The whining on here is becoming unbearable!:pumpuke:

Those were a couple of decent wins for New Hampshire, but the bottom line is their resume does not stack up against GSU, Villanova and, in my opinion, YSU, except when the 7-win stipulation comes into effect.

And my whole point, is if I was on the committee, I would have taken the 7-win stipulation literally and NOT thrown out the records of the teams who were 7-4 but had a win over a D-II. There's nothing that says you have to. And there is a the option to do so when it is convenient for the committee, which I don't like.

[McNeese_beat]

You know whats funny? When JMU was 7-4 with less thna 7 D1 wins in 2005, everyone single one of you called Mickey Matthews and idiot for saying that JMU should have been in the playoffs.

My, how times change. I guess its a matter of allegiance.

I didn't participate on this board in 2005, but I do notice that you are leaving out context. A JMU team that's 7-4 with six D-I wins should be in the playoffs...if its resume stacks up well against other teams being considered. If JMU's 7-4 2005 team was up against this year's New Hampshire team, then Mickey Matthews (whoever that is) might have had a point. If the team he didn't want in the playoffs was an 8-3 Portland State team, then he probably was crazy.

In this case, the committee was basically picking between a bunch of 7-4 teams

[UNHWildCats]

Easy. Just because a conference is weaker, doesn't mean that a team is weaker. You want to penalize Norfolk State for playing North Carolina A&T??
Sure why not since ya'll wanna punish UNH for playing tough teams.

[umassfan]

Well, after reading the posts it's apparent that WE should all try and schedule the weakest teams possible. Maybe my Eagles should try and find the 4 worst teams in all of FCS and schedule them every year even if it means going to their place some. Who cares if it's an easy schedule?
If the committee doesn't then why should we? And my guess is if an 8-3 GSU team that beat Savannah State, Lasalle, Sacred Hart and Butler OOC, then went 4-3 in the SOCON got in over a CAA team that only had 7 DI wins then the rule would magically change.
Come on guys. Get your heads out of your rears. It's a stupid "suggestion" and if you don't believe that then you're crazy. The BEST teams should be in the playoffs pure and simple. We had the same record, beat more ranked teams, had a much tougher schedule and played in the best league in the FCS per Sagarin. Take off your CAA blinders and realize that the UMASS AD was looking out for his conference. It's not fair to us but really even more unfair to teams like Norfolk State


Look at my post on page 6 and you will see why there would have been 5 CAA teams in if it was UNH or Nova. GSU had ZERO shot to get in because they didnt have 7 DI wins. END OF STORY... you have ZERO case. SO STOP YOUR BITCHING!

[FCS Preview]

**
strength of schedule didn't seem to matter at all. Again, Sagarin listed us as having a much tougher schedule than UNH so it is obvious SOS didn't matter.

Well, Sagarin's SOS ratings do not include D-II squads. If you added West Georgia to their SOS, it would be lower than UNH's.

[YoUDeeMan]

Well, Sagarin's SOS ratings do not include D-II squads. If you added West Georgia to their SOS, it would be lower than UNH's.


Stop! You are killling them with logic and facts. xrotatehx

[Cleets]

Frankly (Not to suck up to Mr. C) but I think he's pretty much spot on (24.7.365) when it comes to FCS football...


xbowx


We need him out there talkin' it up...


~

[SuperEagle]

If that were the stipulation, they should spell it out as such. "If a team fails to win seven games against non-Division I opponents, they will not be chosen over teams that do get seven wins over Division I opponents."

And before you go there, if you are going to say the wording of the stipulation is worded in such a way to allow the committee to pick a mainstream FCS teams with six D-I wins (say, YSU this year) over a San Diego with 10 D-1 wins, that would be a case of the committee having it both ways.

If you are bent on not letting the "mid-majors" in the playoffs, then wins over them should not count as D-I games either. If they are good enough to count towards the seven wins, then those teams should be good enough to get in the playoffs at 10-1 over mainstream teams with just 6 "D-I" wins.
***
Post of the year!!! This is spot on and I agree on all counts. But the committee will not agree with anything that doesn't benefit the CAA.

[newsbreaker]

I want to find this guy and hit him square in the mouth!

On behalf of all UNI fans, thank you for telling the team coming to our place on saturday that they don't belong. We were concerned, after ending their season two years ago, that they'd lack for motivation.

[cats2506]

Coulson is an idiot. the committee followed the selection guidlines to the letter. If they open it up to teams with 6 D1 wins there are more teams than he lists.

At least we are fighting over who is getting in an #16 an not who should ne in as #2

[Cincy App]

If that were the stipulation, they should spell it out as such. "If a team fails to win seven games against non-Division I opponents, they will not be chosen over teams that do get seven wins over Division I opponents."

And before you go there, if you are going to say the wording of the stipulation is worded in such a way to allow the committee to pick a mainstream FCS teams with six D-I wins (say, YSU this year) over a San Diego with 10 D-1 wins, that would be a case of the committee having it both ways.

If you are bent on not letting the "mid-majors" in the playoffs, then wins over them should not count as D-I games either. If they are good enough to count towards the seven wins, then those teams should be good enough to get in the playoffs at 10-1 over mainstream teams with just 6 "D-I" wins.

Preach on! Good article by Coulson also. As far as I'm concerned, non-scholarship Iona should not count for the "7 win" guidelines. Virtually no team outside of the Northeast is able to avoid scheduling a D-2 team. A glance at schedules of teams in other conferences would make that clear. It's a proximity issue. Your D-2 teams do have scholarships and are stronger teams than the non-scholarship FCS schools. If non-scholarship teams are so capable, then we should have let Dayton participate in the playoffs. Hopefully the 7-win guideline gets re-evaluated in the offseason. For now, we have the CAA Invitational.

[Cincy App]

At least we are fighting over who is getting in an #16 an not who should ne in as #2

I do agree with this statement. Fortunately, no team with a strong resume is staying home.

[ngineer]

Best article he's written...As Howard Cosell would say, "He calls 'em like he sees 'em"...xthumbsupx

[Syntax Error]

Why does YSU not? Did the 7-win stipulation go from something that MAY affect you in the committee's eyes, to something that WILL affect you?

My point is, the word "may" gave the committee an opportunity to review the entire resumes of the seven-win teams. There is nothing in the guidelines that says not having 7 D-I wins absolutely eliminates you from consideration.The GPI did not indicate 4 loss teams when that was a guideline either. The chairman said plain as day that no six D-I win team was compelling enough. So it DID affect those teams and they know it. No Liberty, no GSU, etc. If people didn't expect that fifth CAA team (or more) after Georgia Southern lost to CSU then they weren't reading here. It was definitely a possible scenario. Not a shocker at all. Certainly nothing to scream FOUL! over.

[Tribe4SF]

Best article he's written...As Howard Cosell would say, "He calls 'em like he sees 'em"...xthumbsupx

It's what he doesn't see that makes this article crap. He tries to leverage suspicious committee behavior into an anti-CAA rant, but his rationale inevitably leads to seeing Villanova as the team most wronged. He never even mentions them, because his rant would then look foolish...which it was.

If this is his best, he's in for a short tenure.

[Syntax Error]

It's what he doesn't see that makes this article crap. He tries to leverage suspicious committee behavior into an anti-CAA rant, but his rationale inevitably leads to seeing Villanova as the team most wronged. He never even mentions them, because his rant would then look foolish...which it was.

If this is his best, he's in for a short tenure.Villanova was WOOFED but it was in favor of Eastern Illinois.

[McNeese_beat]

The GPI did not indicate 4 loss teams when that was a guideline either. The chairman said plain as day that no six D-I win team was compelling enough. So it DID affect those teams and they know it. No Liberty, no GSU, etc. If people didn't expect that fifth CAA team (or more) after Georgia Southern lost to CSU then they weren't reading here. It was definitely a possible scenario. Not a shocker at all. Certainly nothing to scream FOUL! over.

I agree that the committee chose to rule out teams based on not having seven D-I wins. My point was that if I was on the committee, I would not interpret that guideline that way and I would very much have considered the Villanovas and GSUs. If I was chairman of the committee and the committee chose GSU or YSU over New Hampshire, it would have been within the committee's discretion to do so.

And, for the record, I'm not calling foul. I'm just stating that if I were making the decision, I would have made it differently. And if I was setting the criteria, I would alter it. I don't think there should be any distinction between a win over Iona and a win over Delta State, for example. And, a over North Dakota State should be given more value than a win over North Texas.

[mvemjsunpx]

What Coulson is missing is that the committee picks the 8 at-large candidates with the best credentials. Period. Conference affiliation is not supposed to matter. It doesn't matter if there are 3, 4, or even 7 CAA at-larges in the field as long as they're in the top-8. There's no quota. 5 CAA teams got in the field &, frankly, there should have been 6. The only change I would make is adding Villanova in place of Eastern Illinois, but EIU (as well as Norfolk State, SC State, & Dayton) is a playoff caliber team. The committee actually got the field right for once with no major slights.

As for not the push in this thread to count non-schollies as non-DI games, there's really no point. The mid-major designation will essentially be eliminated next year anyway, at least assuming the playoff field expands & the NEC gets the ninth auto-bid.

[Cleets]

I want to find this guy and hit him square in the mouth!

On behalf of all UNI fans, thank you for telling the team coming to our place on saturday that they don't belong. We were concerned, after ending their season two years ago, that they'd lack for motivation.

Pleeeeeze.....
You got a roll-over Christmas gift (Yeeeshe) where can a puke.. beside in your hat

xlolx

[umassfan]

I guess alot of people dont understand the way things have been done forever if they think he has any logic for his defense. You need 7 DIwins in order to have a shot at a bid. Plain and simple. Man you people need to get a clue... as does Mr C.

[WVAPPmountaineer]

You need 7 DIwins in order to have a shot at a bid. Plain and simple. Man you people need to get a clue... as does Mr C.


Show me where it says this in the guidelines??? - Look I have no problem with UNH getting in nor with 5 CAA teams - my team is in - I have a problem with the committee intrepreting "MAY" to mean "WE WILL NOT CONSIDER YOU" and it hasn't been done this way forever - The wording was just changed a couple of years ago - It used to state MORE THAN 3 LOSSES MAY - Again, my point is we will see teams filling their schedule with creampuff wins that count and this inherently favors the CAA because of the close proximity of FCS teams they can beat - THE GUIDELINES SAY - MAY

[Pantherpower]

I want to find this guy and hit him square in the mouth!

On behalf of all UNI fans, thank you for telling the team coming to our place on saturday that they don't belong. We were concerned, after ending their season two years ago, that they'd lack for motivation.


News, these guys come into our house and take it from us, it's no fault but UNI's. IMO UNI will have to come out flat and have a bunch of turnovers for UNH to have a chance.

Not that it can't happen, but we've done a great job so far this year and are nationally ranked in positive turnover margin. Hopefully the earth movers will be ready to pave the way for Corey Lewis, Darian Williams and Co.

[FCS Preview]

Show me where it says this in the guidelines??? - Look I have no problem with UNH getting in nor with 5 CAA teams - my team is in - I have a problem with the committee intrepreting "MAY" to mean "WE WILL NOT CONSIDER YOU" and it hasn't been done this way forever - The wording was just changed a couple of years ago - It used to state MORE THAN 3 LOSSES MAY - Again, my point is we will see teams filling their schedule with creampuff wins that count and this inherently favors the CAA because of the close proximity of FCS teams they can beat - THE GUIDELINES SAY - MAY
It says may because they don't want to paint themselves into a corner if there are not 8 at-large teams with 7 D-I wins. As long as they can fill a field with teams that have at-least 7 D-I wins, they can eliminate anyone who doesn't meet that criteria.

The guidelines also say: "The committee may give more consideration to those teams that have played all Division I opponents;"

[ChickenMan]

The UNH pick just created more bitching and moaning.. I wish they had selected Dayton and sent them to get their butts kicked at UNI.... that would have settled some bitches.. rather than adding to them.

[citdog]

the caa can't carry the Socons jock strap. we have bigger schmeckles you see.xnodx xnodx

[Hoboken Dukes]

correct me if i'm wrong, but gsu lost at home to furman, a team that lost to caa (non-playoff) hofstra by 2 scores.

unh destroyed hofstra by 37.

gsu lost to fbs col state that is on par with marshall, a team unh beat on the road handily.

i don't see why gsu fans think they have some clearcut case over unh.

again, his argument is against the caa getting 5 teams in. he does not make a sufficient case against subbing a non-caa team for the 16th squad in his article.

[WrenFGun]

Oh boy. Isn't it painful when the CAA, you know, makes sense and looks better. Whoops! Nice points Hoboken. You know the CAA's 7th best team beat the SoCon's 5th best team, handily. UNH clobbered Marshall..

[wapiti]

All the more reason to have 4 more teams in the playoffs.
For these 7 D1 win teams, that are getting woofed, have a better chance of playing into December.

[FCS Preview]

All the more reason to have 4 more teams in the playoffs.
For these 7 D1 win teams, that are getting woofed, have a better chance of playing into December.
Yup. We could have had Hofstra, Villanova, Norfolk State and maybe Albany. :D

[Syntax Error]

All the more reason to have 4 more teams in the playoffs.
For these 7 D1 win teams, that are getting woofed, have a better chance of playing into December.Yeah, Villanova and Hofstra would have a better chance then. Not to mention Norfolk State, Alabama A&M, Dayton, San Diego and Albany.

[blueballs]

correct me if i'm wrong, but gsu lost at home to furman, a team that lost to caa (non-playoff) hofstra by 2 scores.

unh destroyed hofstra by 37.

gsu lost to fbs col state that is on par with marshall, a team unh beat on the road handily.

i don't see why gsu fans think they have some clearcut case over unh.

again, his argument is against the caa getting 5 teams in. he does not make a sufficient case against subbing a non-caa team for the 16th squad in his article.


I'll attempt to sum it up for you:

-GSU defeated 4 teams ranked in the final AGS top 25, which is more than UNH. When you combine ranked teams and FBS, GSU went 3-1, UNH 1-3.

-GSU defeated two playoff teams on the road.

-GSU finished with a better conference record than UNH in conferences that are MOL equal.

-GSU defeated more programs that actually offer scholarships.

-GSU has a larger fanbase and will travel better or if they were hosting, put more fannies in the seats.

FWIW, I don't think GSU deserved a bid, I just think UNH didn't either and I think it is VERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRY fishy that they got one.

[FCS Preview]

All this venom towards UNH...

UNH finished 14th in the GPI

E. Washington got an at-large, but finished 20th in the GPI
E. Illinois got an at-large, but finished 37th in the GPI.

If anyone didn't deserve a berth it was either or both of those schools...

[mlbowl]

correct me if i'm wrong, but gsu lost at home to furman, a team that lost to caa (non-playoff) hofstra by 2 scores.

unh destroyed hofstra by 37.

gsu lost to fbs col state that is on par with marshall, a team unh beat on the road handily.

i don't see why gsu fans think they have some clearcut case over unh.

again, his argument is against the caa getting 5 teams in. he does not make a sufficient case against subbing a non-caa team for the 16th squad in his article.

and UNH got clobbered by Northeastern... who got beat by Northwestern ...who got beat by Michigan ...who got beat by App St. ...who got beat by GSU...There ya have itxrolleyesx

[GrizNation93]

Coulson is a punk. He was booked on my friend's radio show, but never called so the show was left in a lurch. He never explained why he didn't come on either.

[putter]

I am afraid that the FCS playoffs start to turn into March Madness. There teams get into the postseason just because of conference affiliation and are picked over mid-majors who played a solid season. Wasn't it Syracuse a couple of years ago that got into the tournament with a sub .500 record in conference? You need to perform no matter what conference you play in.

If you are going to get real picky then just have the top playoff conferences play each other in OOC and no one else. No NEC, PL, or D2 teams.

[Tribe4SF]

Putter,

Love your signature!xthumbsupx

[umassfan]

Everyone on this site knew the benchmark win total was 7 DI wins. I dont understand all the bitching now.

[URMite]

the caa can't carry the Socons jock strap. we are bigger schmeckles you see.xnodx xnodx

Fixed it for ya.xsmiley_wix

Damn, I can't say it and mean it.xnonono2x At least not to citdog, but it was too easy to resist. VA scallywags indeed...

[citdog]

Fixed it for ya.xsmiley_wix

Damn, I can't say it and mean it.xnonono2x At least not to citdog, but it was too easy to resist. VA scallywags indeed...


a team in our CAPITOL CITY ALIGNING THEMSELVES WITH MEMBERS OF THAT VILE YANKEE RACE SUCH AS MASS, AND NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND THE NUTLESS TRAITORS FROM DELAWARE?


MAKES THIS CONFEDERATE VOMIT!

[Syntax Error]

hey citdog, give it a rest :p ... Richmond plays in the CAA after all.

[srgrizizen]

"He was also quick to say that the current committee didn't consider conference affliction when looking at teams, but that statement doesn't really fly when you consider how reluctant other committees have been to cross the three-bid and four-bid thresholds."

Thank heavens the committee didn't consider conference affliction, otherwise the creampuff Big Sky Conference afflicted Grizzlies would never even have made the field, much less get a seed!! xcoffeex xlolx xlolx

With regard to to Coulson's point, however, I suspect Northern Iowa will make it for him in spades.

[DetroitFlyer]

Generally speaking, I have not been a big fan of DC, too much of an "Old Guard" outlook relative to FCS for me.... But this time he got it right! The best way to create zero buzz and interest in the playoffs is to invite almost a third of the field from one conference. This year, even more than most, I have almost no interest as to who wins the CAA playoffs. It would have been far more interesting to see a PFL team in the mix for the first time in 15 years rather than to see CAA teams ad nauseum.... A NEC team would have also been far more interesting. FCS has lost its way and that becomes more and more evident every year. At this point in time, the CAA playoffs, oops, I mean FCS playoffs have very little over the FBS process....

[FCS Preview]

Given how badly DSU was beaten yesterday, would we expect a more competitive game if Dayton or Albany was sent to UNI?

[DetroitFlyer]

Short answer, yes!

Drake, the 5th place team in the PFL, lost to UNI by the same score that Del. State lost to Del.

I think the first place team in the PFL just might fare a bit better....

[Purple For Life]

It really doesn't matter if they sent New Hampshire here because of Santos. We'll be sending him back & finishing his season. xcoffeex

[AZGrizFan]

Short answer, yes!

Drake, the 5th place team in the PFL, lost to UNI by the same score that Del. State lost to Del.

I think the first place team in the PFL just might fare a bit better....

Yeah, something like 44-10. xlolx