Big South Gains AQ for the NCAA Tournament Starting 2010

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Koegel: NCAA approves addition of four more teams in FCS playoffs

Coastal Carolina athletics director Warren “Moose” Koegel said Friday that the NCAA approved the selection committee’s proposal to expand the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs from 16 to 20 teams beginning in 2010.

Koegel is part of the selection committee and said the number of 20 teams is a compromise from the committee’s original desire to expand to 24 teams.

Big South commissioner Kyle Kallander said the Big South will get an automatic bid as part of the expansion.

Under the expansion the first round will include four games with 12 teams earning byes.

http://www.championshipsubdivisionnews.com/?title=koegel-ncaa-approves-addition-of-four-mo&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

[Seawolf97]

I think this is excellent for the entire conference even though we are the NEWBIE's.

[bobbythekidd]

Under the expansion the first round will include four games with 12 teams earning byes.In the past, folks argued that the first round attendance was poor. So the poorly attended Thanksgivings weekend games will be replaced by even more poorly attended games?

The true first round shows better attendance for the teams that have a chance at coming out on top.

Does this affect the Championship Game attendance so close to the winter holidays?

[gophoenix]

You know, I fully support expanding and giving he Big South and NEC automatic bids. I see nothing wrong with this at all. And I personally don't see this affecting the FCS championship game attendance at all. Heck, maybe this even moves us to having a saturday game that is made more of a bowl type games, with some hype, as it maybe gets us away from the same weekend as the D-II and D-III championships.

Maybe it is just me though.

So, thoughts are, this would have given Albany and Liberty both bids this year, who would have been the other two at-larges then? And how would it have ultimately changed things with Montana and McNeese gettings off-weeks?

[Libertine]

I would guess another Patriot and possibly Hofstra. There weren't that many at-large teams that would have been eligible based on the 7-D1 wins criteria.

[Tribe4SF]

The other two at-large teams would have been Villanova and Norfolk State, at 7-4 and 8-3 respectively.

[PaladinFan]

Whatever it takes to get some more well deserving SoCon teams in the mix, I'm all for.

[Retro]

This just waterdown's the playoffs and drags it out long imo. Any team that is good enough is going to get in under the 16 team system provided they won with a quality schedule. Let's just turn this into the NFL where half the league is in the playoffs?xrolleyesx

So, now that's about 20% of the division in the playoffs of the eligible teams. Plus, the championship game will have to be played after x-mas or new years depending on the other bowl games if they want to have it TV, because now your going to have a tougher time avoiding FBS bowl games and NFL games unless the playoffs start a week earlier, which means everyone would have to start the season earlier or give up a bye or 12 game if that is the option in that particular year..

Anyway you look at it, it's a joke! All that's going to happen is 3 more teams from the usual conferences will get it and the big south champ will get in weak schedule or not. This doesn't help any of those other conferences become better teams.

[Retro]

This just waterdown's the playoffs and drags it out long imo. Any team that is good enough is going to get in under the 16 team system provided they won with a quality schedule. Let's just turn this into the NFL where half the league is in the playoffs?xrolleyesx

So, now that's about 20% of the division in the playoffs of the eligible teams. Plus, the championship game will have to be played after x-mas or new years depending on the other bowl games if they want to have it TV, because now your going to have a tougher time avoiding FBS bowl games and NFL games unless the playoffs start a week earlier, which means everyone would have to start the season earlier or give up a bye or 12 game if that is the option in that particular year..

Anyway you look at it, it's a joke! All that's going to happen is 2 more teams from the usual conferences will get in and the NEC/big south champs will get in weak schedule or not. This doesn't help any of those other conferences become better teams or the quality of the playoff field whatsoever!

[gophoenix]

This just waterdown's the playoffs and drags it out long imo. Any team that is good enough is going to get in under the 16 team system provided they won with a quality schedule. Let's just turn this into the NFL where half the league is in the playoffs?xrolleyesx

So, now that's about 20% of the division in the playoffs of the eligible teams. Plus, the championship game will have to be played after x-mas or new years depending on the other bowl games if they want to have it TV, because now your going to have a tougher time avoiding FBS bowl games and NFL games unless the playoffs start a week earlier, which means everyone would have to start the season earlier or give up a bye or 12 game if that is the option in that particular year..

Anyway you look at it, it's a joke! All that's going to happen is 2 more teams from the usual conferences will get in and the NEC/big south champs will get in weak schedule or not. This doesn't help any of those other conferences become better teams or the quality of the playoff field whatsoever!

I wouldn't say that. They NCAA expanded it to 16 teams back when the league was about 40 teams smaller than it is today. So when you take out the moveup schools (Elon, Wofford, Presbyterian, the Dakotas, etc) and put the Marshalls, WKUs, etc back in and take the NEC teams out, Coastal and other startups. Then you see that back in the early 90s, you had anywhere from 25-32% of the eligible field playing in the playoffs.

Adding 4 more offsets the increase in teams. And you're wrong. It helps those leagues recruit. Any kind of reward for playing postseason play guaranteed to the conference will help them get better players in.

By your logic, you could say that any at-large bids water down the playoffs. After all, why should you be able to win the championship if you couldn't win your conference?

[danefan]

This just waterdown's the playoffs and drags it out long imo. Any team that is good enough is going to get in under the 16 team system provided they won with a quality schedule. Let's just turn this into the NFL where half the league is in the playoffs?xrolleyesx

So, now that's about 20% of the division in the playoffs of the eligible teams. Plus, the championship game will have to be played after x-mas or new years depending on the other bowl games if they want to have it TV, because now your going to have a tougher time avoiding FBS bowl games and NFL games unless the playoffs start a week earlier, which means everyone would have to start the season earlier or give up a bye or 12 game if that is the option in that particular year..

Anyway you look at it, it's a joke! All that's going to happen is 2 more teams from the usual conferences will get in and the NEC/big south champs will get in weak schedule or not. This doesn't help any of those other conferences become better teams or the quality of the playoff field whatsoever!

The expansion of the football bracket is the first in 21 years. During that interval, sponsorship of the sport at the FCS level has increased by 28 teams to 120.

Move along. Its over and done. Accept it or petition your school to move to FBS.

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...Move along. Its over and done. Accept it or petition your school to move to FBS.Retro is allowed to post his opinion here, even if it differs from yours. Ordering him and others around does nothing but chill discussion and discourage participation at AGS. xsmhx

[SideLine Shooter]

Koegel: NCAA approves addition of four more teams in FCS playoffs

Coastal Carolina athletics director Warren “Moose” Koegel said Friday that the NCAA approved the selection committee’s proposal to expand the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs from 16 to 20 teams beginning in 2010.

Koegel is part of the selection committee and said the number of 20 teams is a compromise from the committee’s original desire to expand to 24 teams.

Big South commissioner Kyle Kallander said the Big South will get an automatic bid as part of the expansion.

Under the expansion the first round will include four games with 12 teams earning byes.

http://www.championshipsubdivisionnews.com/?title=koegel-ncaa-approves-addition-of-four-mo&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1


I guess CCU wins the NC in 2010 now..xlolx xlolx xbeerchugx xbeerchugx xnutsx xbandwagonx xdeadhorsex xbabycryx xshakingmadx xdizzyx xflaggedx xasswhipx xasswhipx xcoachx xhypedx xhypedx xprost2x

[Hansel]

that is 10 autobids too many ;)

[danefan]

Retro is allowed to post his opinion here, even if it differs from yours. Ordering him and others around does nothing but chill discussion and discourage participation at AGS. xsmhx


Nothing chills discussion and discourages participation more then your prescence here.

You actually make this place less enjoyable to me. Congratulations.

Now go ahead, sign in with your mod name and give me a strike.

xwhistlex

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Nothing chills discussion and discourages participation more than my prescence here.Fixed it for you. xnodx

[catdaddy2402]

This doesn't help any of those other conferences become better teams or the quality of the playoff field whatsoever!
It most certainly does help the NEC and Big South, as now they can tell recruits that if they win the conference they will be in the playoffs, instead of having to pray for the outside chance of an at-large.

[McNeese_beat]

The complete story in today's Myrtle Beach paper here — http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/sports/story/429762.html —
argues against the notion that the playoffs have been watered down. I'll buy that argument.

But, what exactly are they going to do about the championship game? For years, they've been telling the SWAC "Sorry, we can't move the playoffs back because our championship game would be on a bad week" and they've made the SWAC face some tough decisions on whether to participate in the playoffs or continue their lucrative Thanksgiving rivalry games. Now, they are looking at either pushing the championship game back ("oh, by the way SWAC, we were just kidding about the championship game thing...") or moving up the start of the playoffs to the same week D-II starts (hell no!). What, they can move the championship game to Christmas to accommodate Coastal Carolina and Albany but not to accommodate Grambling and Southern?

Either solution is extremely problematic.

[SideLine Shooter]

The complete story in today's Myrtle Beach paper here — http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/sports/story/429762.html —
argues against the notion that the playoffs have been watered down. I'll buy that argument.

But, what exactly are they going to do about the championship game? For years, they've been telling the SWAC "Sorry, we can't move the playoffs back because our championship game would be on a bad week" and they've made the SWAC face some tough decisions on whether to participate in the playoffs or continue their lucrative Thanksgiving rivalry games. Now, they are looking at either pushing the championship game back ("oh, by the way SWAC, we were just kidding about the championship game thing...") or moving up the start of the playoffs to the same week D-II starts (hell no!). What, they can move the championship game to Christmas to accommodate Coastal Carolina and Albany but not to accommodate Grambling and Southern?

Either solution is extremely problematic.

It sounds like the people in the know didn't know too much!!!!!xdizzyx

[Dane96]

Retro is allowed to post his opinion here, even if it differs from yours. Ordering him and others around does nothing but chill discussion and discourage participation at AGS. xsmhx

xnonono2x

[appfan2008]

i am all about the expansion... way to go ncaa to step up to the plate and improve an already awesome system

[GannonFan]

To be honest with you, I'm not sure this will be that much of a boon for the Big South - Coastal made the playoffs just two years ago without an autobid. And they would've made it the year before that had they not collapsed at the end. It's not as if the Big South was really struggling to make the playoffs.

[Hoseinexile07]

Hey, I like the expansion. This means that PC will be eligible for conference and national championships when our transition into I-AA is complete. I'm not saying that we WILL win either the BSC or the national title in 2011*, but it's nice to know that as soon as we complete the transition process we won't be prevented from going all the way by failing to obtain the auto-bid. That happened to Liberty this year, and it was kind of a shame because LU had a really talented team. [I hate Liberty, so I can't believe I just said that, but whatever.] However, I also realize that an auto-bid for the Big South champion didn't make much sense when there were only four football teams in the conference.

*The year our transition training-wheels come off.

[Seawolf97]

Hey, I like the expansion. This means that PC will be eligible for conference and national championships when our transition into I-AA is complete. I'm not saying that we WILL win either the BSC or the national title in 2011*, but it's nice to know that as soon as we complete the transition process we won't be prevented from going all the way by failing to obtain the auto-bid. That happened to Liberty this year, and it was kind of a shame because LU had a really talented team. [I hate Liberty, so I can't believe I just said that, but whatever.] However, I also realize that an auto-bid for the Big South champion didn't make much sense when there were only four football teams in the conference.

*The year our transition training-wheels come off.

Couldnt agree more . This is especially true in the Big South where you almost need to go undefeated to win the conference- 4-2 in conference play makes you an also ran. I suspect now every team will be playing at least 1 FBS opponent and those D -2 teams on the schedules will go away.
This will make for compeptitive football .

[gophoenix]

To be honest with you, I'm not sure this will be that much of a boon for the Big South - Coastal made the playoffs just two years ago without an autobid. And they would've made it the year before that had they not collapsed at the end. It's not as if the Big South was really struggling to make the playoffs.

No, but it is the guarantee that you can tell players. Hey, if we win conference we go to the playoffs. Not, if we do well and play well OOC the good graces of the committee will shine down on us to give us a bid. The guarantee is a selling point

[walliver]

This expansion brings up the interesting situation where a team can be "good enough" to get a first round bye, but never play a home game in the playoff. On the other hand, half of the teams not "good enough" for an automatic bid will get a first round home game.

Which would be better, a first round bye but play all games on the road, or, no first round bye, but a first round home game?

I would probably take the bye because it is hard to win 5 games in a row.

[catdaddy2402]

This expansion brings up the interesting situation where a team can be "good enough" to get a first round bye, but never play a home game in the playoff. On the other hand, half of the teams not "good enough" for an automatic bid will get a first round home game.

Which would be better, a first round bye but play all games on the road, or, no first round bye, but a first round home game?

I would probably take the bye because it is hard to win 5 games in a row.

I'd have to agree. Winning 5 games against playoff quality competition is going to be a tough row to hoe.

[BearsCountry]

This also makes it easier for the Big South to pursue expansion or move ups from DII. I could see in the future them trying to expand into Georgia with either Kenneshaw State or West Georgia and Valdosta State.

[gophoenix]

This also makes it easier for the Big South to pursue expansion or move ups from DII. I could see in the future them trying to expand into Georgia with either Kenneshaw State or West Georgia and Valdosta State.

Or when UNCP moves up. Or could help High Point pursue scholarship rather than non-scholarship ball. Or help to entice Campbell or Jacksonville to pursue scholarship ball.

[lizrdgizrd]

that is 10 autobids too many ;)
Correct!

[CCU97]

As a fan of Coastal I am glad to see the expansion....I saw it as one of two things needed to happen....either expansion or doing away with the whole auto bid thing and base it off of who deserved to be there!

[WileECoyote06]

This also makes it easier for the Big South to pursue expansion or move ups from DII. I could see in the future them trying to expand into Georgia with either Kenneshaw State or West Georgia and Valdosta State.

hey do yall want NC Central? We travel well and the MEAC doesn't seem truly interested.

We've already got games against Presbyterian and Coastal on the schedule for next year. . . yall will see how the Eagles travel. . and we have an entertaining band. .

come on guys. . how about it?
xsmiley_wix

[lizrdgizrd]

hey do yall want NC Central? We travel well and the MEAC doesn't seem truly interested.

We've already got games against Presbyterian and Coastal on the schedule for next year. . . yall will see how the Eagles travel. . and we have an entertaining band. .

come on guys. . how about it?
xsmiley_wix
Somehow I doubt the administration will be keen on leaving the MEAC. xlolx

[gophoenix]

Correct!

If you don't have automatic bids, the FCS becomes BCS where no one from certain conferences will have a shot in hell at the playoffs.

[WileECoyote06]

Somehow I doubt the administration will be keen on leaving the MEAC. xlolx

We haven't even been accepted to the MEAC; living two years in conference limbo isn't cool. And we certainly don't intend to become Savannah State part deux.

[lizrdgizrd]

We haven't even been accepted to the MEAC; living two years in conference limbo isn't cool. And we certainly don't intend to become Savannah State part deux.
In that case the Big South would be an avenue I'd investigate. xnodx

I actually like the idea of NCCU joining the Big South. Then I'd get to go to better local games. :D

[Hoseinexile07]

If you don't have automatic bids, the FCS becomes BCS where no one from certain conferences will have a shot in hell at the playoffs.

Thank you. This is precisely why the autobids for all conference champions makes sense. I think glass ceilings are unfair, as every sanctioned sports team should be eligible for the national championship by the virtue of its performance.

[WileECoyote06]

On the Onnidan.com board the idea has been kicked around more than once. In football, all of our conference games would be within five hours on the road. That's certainly better than overnighters to Delaware and/or Daytona . . (well maybe not Daytona Beach).

[lizrdgizrd]

Thank you. This is precisely why the autobids for all conference champions makes sense. I think glass ceilings are unfair, as every sanctioned sports team should be eligible for the national championship by the virtue of its performance.

In that case, just have the entire season be a tournament. Then every single team has an equal chance to make the playoffs.

[WileECoyote06]

In that case, just have the entire season be a tournament. Then every single team has an equal chance to make the playoffs.

Believe me. . coming from the mess that is Division II; it's better to have AQ.

[lizrdgizrd]

Believe me. . coming from the mess that is Division II; it's better to have AQ.
Don't get me wrong, I understand that AQs aren't going anywhere.

[PCbluehose]

hey do yall want NC Central? We travel well and the MEAC doesn't seem truly interested.

We've already got games against Presbyterian and Coastal on the schedule for next year. . . yall will see how the Eagles travel. . and we have an entertaining band. .

come on guys. . how about it?
xsmiley_wix

I think the PC/NCCU game was the most entertaining game i saw last year. Both fan bases were alive and having a good time at the game. Now if you could get rid of your announcer, we have a deal.

[SuperJon]

Nevermind, can't say that.

[gophoenix]

Don't get me wrong, I understand that AQs aren't going anywhere.

The problem is, without automatic qualifiers, you would have 5 conferences getting 90% of the bids year in and out. If you are from, say, the Big South, OVC, Patriot, NEC, MEAC where does scheduling go? You'd see SoS become key along with performance against each other. The Big Sky, Gateway, Southland, SoCon and CAA would do nothing but play each other to ensure that SoS stays high.... which then puts those other conferences at a bigger disadvantage. Then it hurts recruiting as the big recruits wouldn't be spread around but would focus on the big 5 conferences. And the gap would only get bigger.

And voila, you have what is basically the BCS.....

I still stand by my original statement. if a system where no automatic qualifiers makes sense, then so does a system of nothing but automatic qualifiers. Because, after all, why get a shot at a national championship if you can't even win your conference, regardless of how tough your conference is?

I just think rewarding each conference with an automatic is an way way to reward each conference at minimum, regardless of how good or bad they are. And it is the only real way to fairly give every school at least something equal to tell recruits.... "if you win the conference with ____ school we'll go the playoffs"

[WileECoyote06]

I think the PC/NCCU game was the most entertaining game i saw last year. Both fan bases were alive and having a good time at the game. Now if you could get rid of your announcer, we have a deal.

Entertaining for YALL. . we couldn't stop your offense if our lives depended on it. xlolx





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