Is I-AA "Real Competition?"

[Sawtooth]

Not according to this bonehead from the Salt Lake Tribune:


Games against Division I-AA teams - like the one BYU played three weeks ago against Eastern Illinois - count officially, but they prove nothing. Against real competition, the Cougars are winless this season.

Salt Lake Tribune Article (http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_3080842)

The BYU beat writer obviously has no clues about I-AA football. I bet Mr. Kinehan would like to hear from some of us... [email protected] ;)

[TexasTerror]

Well, lots of fans will tell you that it's tough to get a measure in these I-A vs I-AA games. I'll agree from an I-AA standpoint that I'm still clueless about my Kats after playing an NAIA and two I-A teams.

All BYU got from playing an I-AA is a 'W'. They didn't get anything else, though they probably should've beat TCU, but they blew that one. Real competition, eh. I'd say I-AA is not a drop at all in most cases, but I can see where they are coming from. They should've said against I-A competition instead of "real competition"...

[catbob]

How many of you guys don't consider DII real competition?

[TexasTerror]

How many of you guys don't consider DII real competition?

Depends on D2 school or which lower-division school. If the Kats were playing that NAIA that beat Indiana St, I'd know very well that we were in for a tough matchup. St Francis, right? However, I knew we were playing Bacone, a mediocre NAIA team and it was gonna be ugly and it was...

[IaaScribe]

He could have written "level" competition instead of real, but the point remains. There is not a level playing field between I-AA and I-A, so it will be perceived that a game for a I-A against a I-AA means nothing.

Again, some of you are way too kneejerkish when it comes to a perceived "slight" of I-AA. It's a different level of football, one I like, for sure, but there's no mistaking the difference between the OVC and the Mountain West.

[Hansel]

He could have written "level" competition instead of real, but the point remains. There is not a level playing field between I-AA and I-A, so it will be perceived that a game for a I-A against a I-AA means nothing.

Again, some of you are way too kneejerkish when it comes to a perceived "slight" of I-AA. It's a different level of football, one I like, for sure, but there's no mistaking the difference between the Gateway and the Mountain West.
There is also no mistaking the Gateway and the OVC (E. Illinois' conference) ;)

[IaaScribe]

Oops. :o

[Sawtooth]

Nobody is saying that I-AA is on the same level of I-A. However, I do take offense when he lumps in all of I-AA and states games with them prove nothing -- that they are not real competition. There are some damn good I-AA teams and players out there who'd give BYU major competition.

In re-reading the article, I'll agree that perhaps he just chose very poor wording. The wording he used, in my opinion, did slight the entire I-AA level of football. Most of his readers, too, will assume that the I-AA level is sub-par.

[golionsgo]

Not according to this bonehead from the Salt Lake Tribune:



Salt Lake Tribune Article (http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_3080842)

The BYU beat writer obviously has no clues about I-AA football. I bet Mr. Kinehan would like to hear from some of us... [email protected] ;)


Tell him to ask Tulane's offensive line if they thought we were real competition yesterday!!!! :deadhorse

[grizband]

On a similar note, Weber State's coach MacBride had an interesting quote in the Salt Lake Tribune last week. He said that he has been in every major place in college football, and how could he be intimidated in Missoula? The guys who run the video screen at Wash-Griz posted his quote every time we had them in a big situation. Ask the coach if Missoula's stadium intimidates him now. Two plays in a row, deep in our territory, that stadium erupted' the result was a clock violation and an offsides on back to back plays.