Non-Scholarship FCS Football Ready to Grow Again?

[DetroitFlyer]

http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/sports.apx.-content-articles-TRI-2008-04-02-0008.html

BREAKING NEWS: An ETSU Football Recovery Could Be In New Conference

Wednesday, Apr 02, 2008 - 12:15 AM

BY Brian T Smith
Sports Writer

The return of football to East Tennessee State University may be on the horizon.

But if football eventually does make a comeback at ETSU, it could look much different than it did when the Buccaneers’ now-dormant program played its final game, a last-second 16-14 win over The Citadel on Nov. 22, 2003, at Memorial Center.

A proposal to create an independent conference for non-scholarship football teams composed of Atlantic Sun member schools is now in the beginning stages.

[citdog]

GET THYSELF TO DIVISION III WHERE YOU BELONG!

[TexasTerror]

Perhaps we'll have two non-scholarship conferences again -- the Atlantic Sun and everyone else -- which would help in giving them a more meaningful "classic" game...

[DetroitFlyer]

GET THYSELF TO DIVISION III WHERE YOU BELONG!

Frankly, this would be bad for a school like the one you "represent" in SC, as then your school could actually lose games to these teams.... At least now IF your institution was man enough to step up and play a Dayton or San Diego or Drake, etc., the loss is only another FCS loss.... Much easier to explain to your supporters than losing to a "Division III".

Not to worry, however, as I seriously doubt that your school would be man enough to play a PFL power!!!!!

[dbackjon]

A-Sun already has Campbell (starting this year) and Jacksonville. Lipscomb has long been rumored. Davidson would be a good fit in this conference as well.

[OL FU]

Since I don't keep up with the Atlantic Sun I may have this wrong. There are two teams that play football now, right. Jacksonville, a move out of the PFL would make sense. Gardner Webb, is scholarship so I doubt they bite.

Campbell, is going to play so that would make three. Who else participates?

If it is in the article, sorry I haven't read it yet?

Now I have read it. Mercer and Kennesaw State.

[citdog]

Frankly, this would be bad for a school like the one you "represent" in SC, as then your school could actually lose games to these teams.... At least now IF your institution was man enough to step up and play a Dayton or San Diego or Drake, etc., the loss is only another FCS loss.... Much easier to explain to your supporters than losing to a "Division III".

Not to worry, however, as I seriously doubt that your school would be man enough to play a PFL power!!!!!

WE ALREADY PLAY A TEAM THAT WE CAN BEAT BY 6TD'S FROM AN INFERIOR CONFERENCE. VMI. WE DON'T NEED ANYMORE OF THOSE, BUT THANKS FOR OFFERING YOURSELF UP FOR SACRIFICE. A PFL POWER? NOW THAT'S AN OXYMORON.

[jcf5445]

Non-Scholarship football by DI schools will never go back to DII or DIII. The NCAA forced all the DI schools that played football at DII or DIII into DI back in 1993, so why would they change their stance now?

[Model Citizen]

jcf, you took the bait.

[gmoney55]

Nice to see a few more Low-Major FCS schools

[Lehigh Football Nation]

I had suspected this for some time.


I wonder how long the setup of the PFL will stand like this, however.

Let's say Iona and Detroit Mercy decide to become the 11th and 12th members. Isn't, then, the best course of action to hold a championship game?

PFL East
Marist
Iona
Davidson
Jacksonville
Dayton
Campbell

PFL West
Morehead State
San Diego
Detroit Mercy
Drake
Butler
Valparaiso

Five inter-divisional games, say two or three "rotating" intra-divisional, and three or four "other" games like Drake/UNI, Dayton/Fordham, or USD/Cal Poly (:D). And all of a sudden, travel costs are vastly reduced. And with the NEC edging more towards the FCS playoffs, there's no issues with the Gridiron Classic.


Campbell is currently in the Atlantic Sun conference, and in the past has said they're gung-ho about non-scholarship football. But are they gung-ho about non-scholarship football en route to being a full scholly program? The Atlantic Sun already is losing Gardner-Webb to the Big South in all sports, and don't want to see the same happen to Campbell. Confusing matters is Kennesaw State (who apparently is interested in football), Northern Florida (ditto), East Tennessee State (who discontinued football but may want to start it up agan) and Jacksonville (which already has a PFL team). That's five schools that are interesting in having football - but is it scholarship or non-scholarship football they want? That's the big question as far as I see it.

Glad to see it may come to fruition. And interesting to see Mercer on the list of possible schools, too.

This changes the PFL around and vastly expands non-scholarship football in Division I.

The landscape could be:

PFL
Dayton
Valparaiso
Butler
Drake
Marist
San Diego
*Iona (my speculaton)
*Detroit Mercy (my speculation)

Atlantic Sun
Campbell
Jacksonville
Kennesaw State
Mercer
ETSU
Davidson (associate)
Morehead State (associate)
*Northern Florida (my speculation)

That is 16 non-scholarship teams. Two 8-team conferences, with a non-scholarship champion playing a "Gridiron Classic" postseason game at the end of the year.

Both conferences could even lose a member (say: San Diego to the Great West and Morehead State to the OVC) and still be a viable conference. xthumbsupx

[TexasTerror]

We need to see some more non-scholarship schools closer to Texas/Louisiana for the SLC squads to face...

Not sure who we could get over here though from the schools in the area. People have pushed hard for the Univ of New Orleans to add non-scholarship, but they have to get to the SBC/NCAA standards first in the wake of Katrina...

[DUPFLFan]

GET THYSELF TO DIVISION III WHERE YOU BELONG!


I THOUGHT YOU WERE QUITTING THIS BOARD

[citdog]

I THOUGHT YOU WERE QUITTING THIS BOARD


"the rumors of my demise were greatly exaggarated"

[Go...gate]

You can check out from AGS, but you can never leave.

You never want to, anyway.

[Dane96]

Frankly, this would be bad for a school like the one you "represent" in SC, as then your school could actually lose games to these teams.... At least now IF your institution was man enough to step up and play a Dayton or San Diego or Drake, etc., the loss is only another FCS loss.... Much easier to explain to your supporters than losing to a "Division III".

Not to worry, however, as I seriously doubt that your school would be man enough to play a PFL power!!!!!

PRICELESS-- ARE YOU ACTUALLY TELLING SOMEONE TO MAN UP AND PLAY SOMEONE

I just peed down my leg. Coming from someone whose school played Urbana, Central, etc. over the years.

Yes, you beat Albany fair and square-- but that is far from the point of your commentary.

[citdog]

PRICELESS-- ARE YOU ACTUALLY TELLING SOMEONE TO MAN UP AND PLAY SOMEONE

I just peed down my leg. Coming from someone whose school played Urbana, Central, etc. over the years.

Yes, you beat Albany fair and square-- but that is far from the point of your commentary.


NICELY DONE 96. THESE "FCS IN NAME ONLY" SCHOOLS SHOULD NEVER DARE TO OPEN THEIR MOUTHS AT A SOUTHERN CONFERENCE SCHOOL. IF THE CITADEL PLAYED THEIR SCHEDULE...... WELL WE ALL KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN.

[Stat Boy]

Stop Yelling Everyone

[DUPFLFan]

"the rumors of my demise were greatly exaggarated"

too bad :(

[danefan]

Stop Yelling Everyone


Brian Fantana (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0748620/): Don't get me wrong, I love the ladies. I mean they rev my engines, but they don't belong in the newsroom.
Champ Kind (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0462712/): It is anchor*man*, not anchor*lady*. And that is a scientific fact.
Brick Tamland (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0136797/): I don't know what we're yelling about.
Brian Fantana (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0748620/): You're with us, Ron, what do you think?
Ron Burgundy (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002071/): She... Sh... It's terrible. She has beautiful eyes, and her hair smells like cinnamon.
Brick Tamland (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0136797/): Loud noises.

[turfdoc]

NICELY DONE 96. THESE "FCS IN NAME ONLY" SCHOOLS SHOULD NEVER DARE TO OPEN THEIR MOUTHS AT A SOUTHERN CONFERENCE SCHOOL. IF THE CITADEL PLAYED THEIR SCHEDULE...... WELL WE ALL KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN.

you would win most/all of your games and cry when you didn't make the playoffs.





Sorry couldn't resist

[Saint3333]

GET THYSELF TO DIVISION III WHERE YOU BELONG!

Last time your team made the playoffs - 1992

Last time ETSU made the playoffs - 1996

You were 8-15 against ETSU while they were in the SoCon and 3-7 in your last 10 meetings.

Let's not cast stones.

[PantherRob82]

Last time your team made the playoffs - 1992

Last time ETSU made the playoffs - 1996

You were 8-15 against ETSU while they were in the SoCon and 3-7 in your last 10 meetings.

Let's not cast stones.

ETSU offered scholarships last time...not sure how this relates.

[USDFAN_55]

ETSU offered scholarships last time...not sure how this relates.

Yeah, because we all know scholarships = good teamxsmiley_wix

[OL FU]

Yeah, because we all know scholarships = good teamxsmiley_wix

Can't hoit and coit'nly helpsxnodx xsmiley_wix

[DFW HOYA]

Another name for the A-Sun mix: Radford added a club team last year.

The more schools that can add the sport, the better.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Another name for the A-Sun mix: Radford added a club team last year.

The more schools that can add the sport, the better.

Yeah, there definitely seems to be movement towards ASun football with moves like Radford's, while Northern Florida has also made noises about fielding a team as well. Add to that Morehead State and Davidson would fit neatly in the footprint and also fit the ASun's mix of public/private schools and it would seem to be on the fast track to happening. That and the fact that the PFL as it stands as a bicoastal league looks to be.... unsustainable in the long run.

[citdog]

Last time your team made the playoffs - 1992

Last time ETSU made the playoffs - 1996

You were 8-15 against ETSU while they were in the SoCon and 3-7 in your last 10 meetings.

Let's not cast stones.

WE ARE STILL PLAYING FOOTBALL.