Why did EWU????

[nevadagriz]

Why did they schedule 2 fbs games this year? I know Iknow money, however lets look at this from a different angle! Everyone knew they were going to be very good this year,but by playing 2 fbs teams and losing they cut down their margin of error for the rest of the games. A early conference loss and they are in a must win situation the rest of the way.
Had they played one FBS "moneygame" and the other a fcs team they would still be able to obtain the 7wins for a playoff spot even if they had a slip up like last weekend. This is not the only team in this situation look at the bobcats they damn near need the auto-bid to make the playoffs. Psu did this a few years ago when they had a really good team and missed the playoffsxsmhx
Now I think playing up is great and I would like to see Montana do it every other year. I realize some schools need to do it for the money, however by playing two FBS games they are robbing their athletes of a chance at the playoffs in some circumstances.
I know EWU will probably now go undefeated the rest of the season and this point will me moot, if they don't though we will be left to ask what if.

[DuckDuckGriz]

If EWU had beaten those teams though would you be asking the same question. Hindsight is 20/20 of course but sometimes $$, exposure, and to top it off a big win does more to grow a program than making the playoffs. Some may argue, but you gotta look at it from all angles.

[GOKATS]

As far as the Bobcats, I didn't have a problem with two FBS games in this 12 game season, what bothered me was scheduling a DII and South Dakota (a non-counter this year). Since Big Sky teams have eight conference games you have to schedule the OOC games smarter (ala an FCS school) to give the team a chance at the playoffs short of the auto bid.

I guess the thing about EWU's schedule that surprises me is that they played two FBS games but didn't schedule the 12th game which would've given them another shot at a DI win (unless they had MSU's ADxoopsx ).

[nevadagriz]

I don't think you need hindsight to see that EWU was not going to beat both the FBS teams they played. I would also rather my team played to win a championship not just to fill the coffers through FBS games. I realize the exposure that beating a FBS team gets you, I would rather have the respect of my peers from winning a Natl' title. Otherwise let's make the season three games long, all on the road against FBS teams and can get trophies for each game we win.;) xlolx

[DuckDuckGriz]

I don't think you need hindsight to see that EWU was not going to beat both the FBS teams they played. I would also rather my team played to win a championship not just to fill the coffers through FBS games. I realize the exposure that beating a FBS team gets you, I would rather have the respect of my peers from winning a Natl' title. Otherwise let's make the season three games long, all on the road against FBS teams and can get trophies for each game we win.;) xlolx

I think part of it is hindsight. Do you think it was stupid for App to schedule Michigan and Montana State to schedule Colorado the same you do about EWU picking these games up?

[Casey_Orourke]

Three years ago PSU had three FBS games on their schedule. Please correct me if I am wrong on this, but I believe that they already had New Mexico on the schedule when some opponents on Oregon's and Cal's backed out. PSU had an open date and a game with McNeese St scheduled. PSU got McNeese to agree to a buyout and to reschedule the next year.

It might have meant some good gamechecks for that year but in the long run it hurt them in that they lost two of the three FBS games and also lost to UM and MSU that year which kept them out of the playoffs that year.

[mvemjsunpx]

This scenario should be a lesson to all FCS teams with even vague playoff hopes:






If you schedule multiple FBS games, DON'T schedule a DII.

[Tod]

OTOH, look at what Portland State did in 2006. They played New Mexico, Cal and Oregon. True, they beat UNM, but they lost the other two and lost to UM and MSU in Big Sky play. They finished 7-4 and missed the playoffs.

It seems to me that yes, hindsight is 20/20, but a little foresight would be helpful.

IMHO, no FCS team should play more than one FBS game in a season, unless they are literally and absolutely in desperate financial trouble.

[Tod]

Three years ago PSU had three FBS games on their schedule. Please correct me if I am wrong on this, but I believe that they already had New Mexico on the schedule when some opponents on Oregon's and Cal's backed out. PSU had an open date and a game with McNeese St scheduled. PSU got McNeese to agree to a buyout and to reschedule the next year.

It might have meant some good gamechecks for that year but in the long run it hurt them in that they lost two of the three FBS games and also lost to UM and MSU that year which kept them out of the playoffs that year.

Oops, you beat me to it. :o

[I Bleed Purple]

Weber State also has two FBS and two sub D-I games.

The big problem is that scheduling non-conference FCS teams is difficult out here in the west. Only have Cal Poly, UC-Davis, SUU, to a lesser extent San Diego. I'd love for the Big Sky to schedule some Texas teams, but I'm not sure how feasible and desirable that is to the AD, with the lure of cash games out there.

[FargoBison]

It was foolish, I can see playing one FBS team but playing two and a DII school is basically committing playoff suicide. Some really questionable scheduling in the Big Sky this year by a few ADs.

[nevadagriz]

IBP, Montana played Sam houston a few years back and I know several western teams have played SFA. But yes a lack of western teams is a problem adding the 4 dakota teams have helped this some.


It bothered me in 06 when PSU scheduled themselves out of the playoffs and it seems MSUand EWU may do the same thing this yearxeekx
I just wondered what everyone thought , maybe I'm just over thinking thingsxthumbsupx

[Tod]

IBP, Montana played Sam houston a few years back and I know several western teams have played SFA. But yes a lack of western teams is a problem adding the 4 dakota teams have helped this some.


It bothered me in 06 when PSU scheduled themselves out of the playoffs and it seems MSUand EWU may do the same thing this yearxeekx
I just wondered what everyone thought , maybe I'm just over thinking thingsxthumbsupx

You're not over-thinking it at all. Any team that has any hopes of the playoffs at all is foolish to schedule in this way.

Look, UM had CP, UCD and SUU this year. Sure, we can't all get them every year, I know, but there's no reason a team can't travel a little, even if they have to schedule a (that's ONE) FBS game to offset the cost. Plus, if it's a home-and-home, you get that return game anyway.

UM is 0-1 in league play, but has three D-I wins! Montana has taken some crap for scheduling weak (though CP, UCD and, fantastically, SUU are not weak at all (our thrashing of them looks better every week)), but there's a reason we've made the playoffs 15 straight years (and yes, we've played a couple of FBS games and seem to have a D-II game every freakin' year, but three FBS games!! Or two FBS games and one (or two!!!) D-II games!

Ridiculous!

Montana has seven games left and needs to win four. At 8-4 with seven D-I wins, I think we're in (though who knows?). Win five of the seven and we're in for sure.

Though I'd love to see, every year, a game against a perennial FCS power, this is still how you schedule football games if you want to make the playoffs.

Wolfman can disagree all he wants. ;)

[FargoBison]

Some NDSU fans are complaining about our schedule this year but I think it was pure genius by our AD. He scheduled a FBS team that was beatable and then used that guarantee money to help pay for two DI schools to come to Fargo. He basically did everything he could to set the table for Coach Bohl to make a playoff run.

[Screamin_Eagle174]

Essentially our AD was forced by the administration to schedule two money games this year to pay off debt on the press boxes. Chaves actually didn't want to play two, just one, but he was forced to. He tried to get another FCS team to come play at EWU in exchange for a home and home, but like it has already been mentioned, it's hard to get other teams out here in the West because of travel expenses. Cal Poly, San Diego, UC-Davis, and SUU are the only viable options and their schedules were already filled, so we were stuck with 11 games. It's unfortunate, but it happens.

[JALMOND]

Three years ago PSU had three FBS games on their schedule. Please correct me if I am wrong on this, but I believe that they already had New Mexico on the schedule when some opponents on Oregon's and Cal's backed out. PSU had an open date and a game with McNeese St scheduled. PSU got McNeese to agree to a buyout and to reschedule the next year.

It might have meant some good gamechecks for that year but in the long run it hurt them in that they lost two of the three FBS games and also lost to UM and MSU that year which kept them out of the playoffs that year.

The history (as I understood it at the time) was PSU had New Mexico on the schedule as a money game. The other non conference games were McNeese State and Southern Oregon. Utah backed out of its game with Oregon and the Ducks contacted PSU, as it was written in when PSU moved to I-AA (FCS), that the Vikings would get first shot at filling an opening on the Ducks or Beavers schedule if one arises. The bookkeeping was done by Salem so no money actually changed hands, but basically Oregon bought out Southern Oregon for us and we got money for it as well. Cal also ended up with an open date and contacted us. Not only would we get money from Cal to play, but it meant a shorter flight and a shorter bus trip (Portland to Oakland, bus to Berkeley) than to McNeese (Portland to Houston, bus to Lake Charles). The stickler was that we could not afford to buy out the McNeese game, the McNeese officials were gracious enough to move the return game to the following year. I don't know what we would've done if we could not get the McNeese game moved.

[already123]

bottom line is that we all expected EWU to make the playoffs regardless of their schedule....

[cats2506]

I am not happy about MSU's schedule this year, but 123 has a point, if the team is good enough to make a playoff run, they should still be able to do it.

[FargoBison]

bottom line is that we all expected EWU to make the playoffs regardless of their schedule....

Good point, if EWU beats PSU we aren't even talking about this right now.

[MR. CHICKEN]

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