FCS Distribution Map

[GOKATS]

I've been trying to search the map that some talented poster put together showing the location of FCS schools across the nation but haven't had any luck. Any help?

Thanks.

[brownbear]

Is this what you are looking for?

http://www.championshipsubdivision.com/stadiums/images/stadiums/fcsmap.jpg

[grizband]

Anyone who doubts the difficult task of scheduling for western FCS teams should analyze this map. xrotatehx

[brownbear]

Anyone who doubts the difficult task of scheduling for western FCS teams should analyze this map. xrotatehx

Add to it that most of the western teams are in the same conference, so you're left with four or five teams not in the Big Sky for all 9 BSC teams.

[dgreco]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/39/Cfdiaa.PNG

[TexasTerror]

And we got Old Dominion in 2009...

South Alabama (temporarily), Georgia State and Lamar in 2010...

[BigApp]

Anyone who doubts the difficult task of scheduling for western FCS teams should analyze this map. xrotatehx

cry me a river. You've got 4 non-conference FCS teams in neighboring states. When's the last time you played any of them?

[GSUhooligan]

Anyone who doubts the difficult task of scheduling for western FCS teams should analyze this map. xrotatehx

Well, as a fan, you've got 2 real options;

1. Move to a part of the country where people live and find a school that's probably a stones throw away to start cheering for instead -OR-

2. Quit Bitching

[patssle]

cry me a river. You've got 4 non-conference FCS teams in neighboring states. When's the last time you played any of them?

Yes, lets play the same schools OOC year in and year out. Sounds like fun!

[griz8791]

cry me a river. You've got 4 non-conference FCS teams in neighboring states. When's the last time you played any of them?

OK, I know neither of those maps is to scale.

But I held the long edge of a piece of paper up to the big map upthread (the one without helmet icons). I put one end on Missoula and made a mark at Vermillion. By the way, Montana State is the ONLY FCS program between Missoula and Vermillion.

Then I took that same piece of paper to the east coast. I put one end on Boone and the other just past Orono (Orono is closer to Boone than Vermillion is to Missoula, but that isn't my main point). Then I started counting FCS programs that fall on or reasonably close to this direct crow's-flight line between Boone and Orono. I came up with 30 FCS programs that fall on that line or 50 miles to either side of it. Going from south to north you get 8 such programs before you even get out of Virginia.

I think that was grizband's main point. That and the fact that we have middling counties out here that could easily pass for "neighboring states" in GSUhooligan's part of the world.

[dbackjon]

cry me a river. You've got 4 non-conference FCS teams in neighboring states. When's the last time you played any of them?

In that case, please have your AD petition to get the Dakota schools into the SoCon. They are closer to Boone than to Flagstaff...

[slostang]

Well, as a fan, you've got 2 real options;

1. Move to a part of the country where people live and find a school that's probably a stones throw away to start cheering for instead -OR-

2. Quit Bitching

Bitching is always an option.

I would not trade where I live just so we can bus to a football game. San Luis Obispo is one of the best places in the world to live. Have fun with your gnats, heat and humidity and we will keep bitching that we have trouble getting games while living in paradise.

[grizband]

cry me a river. You've got 4 non-conference FCS teams in neighboring states. When's the last time you played any of them?
Uh, we played three of them this year. xlolx Not complaining about anything, just showing the differences between the concentration of teams in the East vs West. Must be nice to chastise people about a problem your team doesn't have...

[AZGrizFan]

cry me a river. You've got 4 non-conference FCS teams in neighboring states. When's the last time you played any of them?

When was the last time you played a non-conference FCS opponent in a neighboring state that the school was 1,000 miles away? xrolleyesx xrolleyesx xrolleyesx xrolleyesx

"Neighboring state" out West has a WHOLE different meaning.

[GOKATS]

Thanks to brownbear and dgreco! These maps are what I was looking for.

[clenz]

I count 33 teams West of the Mississippi...There looks to be as many teams as that in the New England area alone.

1/3 of the teams West of the Mississippi are in Texas or Louisiana. I could see how it could be hard it is for Montana, NDSU, UNI, etc... to get some OOC games.

[BisonCM]

"cry me a river. You've got 4 non-conference FCS teams in neighboring states. When's the last time you played any of them?"

Two of the four are in their first year of transition to FCS and the other two of the four are in their 5th year. Not a lot of years to schedule them as an FCS game.

Not to mention his point of all four are still a long ways away, Missoula to the closest, Fargo is 953 miles.

[chrisattsu]

Well, as a fan, you've got 2 real options;

1. Move to a part of the country where people live and find a school that's probably a stones throw away to start cheering for instead -OR-

2. Quit Bitching


I do live in a part of the country where people live-

State of Texas (pop) - 23,507,783
Major Cities- Dallas / Austin / San Antonio / Houston / El Paso


That doesn't mean that I don't want more FCS schools nearby. I was in Virginia over the weekend and I was amazed that people were talking about FCS schools. They knew all of the FCS schools by name, that is something you do not see in Texas.

[HensRock]

The originals... :D

http://www.gohens.net/images/FCSMap2008.jpg



http://www.gohens.net/images/FCSMap2008NE.jpg

[HensRock]

As a point of interest, there are 34 FCS teams in the small Northeast US Map above.

[patssle]

I do live in a part of the country where people live-

State of Texas (pop) - 23,507,783
Major Cities- Dallas / Austin / San Antonio / Houston / El Paso


That doesn't mean that I don't want more FCS schools nearby. I was in Virginia over the weekend and I was amazed that people were talking about FCS schools. They knew all of the FCS schools by name, that is something you do not see in Texas.

Nobody in Texas gives a hoot about any team except the Longhorns, Aggies, and Red Raiders. I can't speak for Dallas, but even in Houston nobody cares about UH or Rice. TCU, SMU, UTEP, UNT? Never heard of them in Houston. But the frenzy over the Big 3 is HUGE.

[stevdock]

Wow when did Wahpeton and Hillsboro get FCS teams?? We are gonna have to start scheduling those teams:)

Both of those towns are approximately where NDSU and UND are on that map.

[Cincy App]

cry me a river. You've got 4 non-conference FCS teams in neighboring states. When's the last time you played any of them?

By looking at the map, it appears that we are letting too many Western teams participate in the playoffs!

[ursus arctos horribilis]

By looking at the map, it appears that we are letting too many Western teams participate in the playoffs!

are ya.

[WoffDoc04]

When was the last time you played a non-conference FCS opponent in a neighboring state that the school was 1,000 miles away? xrolleyesx xrolleyesx xrolleyesx xrolleyesx

"Neighboring state" out West has a WHOLE different meaning.

Hey, look at the bright side, you should have a competitive advantage when it comes to recruiting. I mean, Idaho State has an absolute LOCK on all that Idaho talent (except of course for Ben Widmyer).

[clenz]

When was the last time you played a non-conference FCS opponent in a neighboring state that the school was 1,000 miles away? xrolleyesx xrolleyesx xrolleyesx xrolleyesx

"Neighboring state" out West has a WHOLE different meaning.This is true, once you get west of Iowa, or any of the states that immediately boarder the Missisppi the states are much bigger than they are out East. Iowa is a small state for West of the Mississippi, but is large by East coast standards

[BDKJMU]

Is there a web address for any of those maps?

[dgreco]

Is there a web address for any of those maps?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/39/Cfdiaa.PNG

[putter]

People out east have no idea what space is until they come out west.

[Magnum_MX285]

I believe one of my uncles had a good saying about the space/land differences, ok well not really... He told me once he was at the Minnesota state fair when he met a farmer from Dakota. They started up a conversation which eventually led to each talking about their farms. My uncle told the farmer he ran a smallish farm in northern Minnesota. The farmer from Dakota smiled and told him, "To put it this way, I can get up in the morning, fill a thermos with coffee, take off in my pickup and still be on my own land by sunset."

My uncle gave an understanding nod, "I know what you mean, I had a pickup like that once too."

[chrisattsu]

People out east have no idea what space is until they come out west.

QFT.

Growing up,
The closest shopping mall was 75 miles away
Movie theater, Wal-Mart, and McDonalds? 50 miles
Beer (I grew up in a dry county)? 23 miles


If you travel from the northern-most to southern-most tip of Texas, it is the same distance as the northern-most tip of Maine to Richmond, VA.

[BDKJMU]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/39/Cfdiaa.PNG

Thanks.

[BDKJMU]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/39/Cfdiaa.PNG

BTW, JMU isn't located right on that map. It looks like they are shown in/around Winchester, VA, which would be about 70 miles off to the northeast of Harrisonburg. Draw a line from where JMU is shown to where VMI is shown, and move JMU halfway down that line, and that would be more accurate.

[Tod]

What is it with the Dakota schools hugging the eastern borders? Do we really smell that bad in Montana?

xlolx

[WildcatFan]

As a point of interest, there are 34 FCS teams in the small Northeast US Map above.

Hmmmmm - could be the reason for East Coast bias we hear so much about?

[Tod]

People out east have no idea what space is until they come out west.

But it takes them as long to drive 50 miles as it takes us to drive 200. xlolx xnodx xnodx xnodx

[appfan2008]

Ive seen all those maps before but it sure is obvious why the title game is in chatty when you look at that...

[RabidRabbit]

cry me a river. You've got 4 non-conference FCS teams in neighboring states. When's the last time you played any of them?

AT THEIR HOME?

[RabidRabbit]

What is it with the Dakota schools hugging the eastern borders? Do we really smell that bad in Montana?

xlolx

xthumbsupx Old joke: Why is it always windy in (South or North) Dakota?
A: Montana blows and Minnesota sucks! xwhistlex xnonono2x xnonono2x

[dgreco]

But it takes them as long to drive 50 miles as it takes us to drive 200. xlolx xnodx xnodx xnodx

I think that might be a fairly legit point. I think when Bryant used to play a school about 30 miles away it would take an hour and a half because of small highways/no highways and that trip becomes a lot longer than it would in a less populated area. I know for a the 500 mile trip from Pittsburgh to Smithfield it is just over a 10 hour ride. How does that compare to a 500 mile trip out west?

[uofmman1122]

xthumbsupx Old joke: Why is it always windy in (South or North) Dakota?
A: Montana blows and Minnesota sucks! xwhistlex xnonono2x xnonono2xHey hey hey!xnonox

South Dakota can't really use that joke, since they're more sandwiched by Wyoming, and I think everyone can agree that Wyoming, on the whole, blows. I think it accounts for the majority of the wind in the surrounding states all by itself. xlolx:p

[Appfan_in_CAAland]

People out east have no idea what space is until they come out west.

That is why I always beg my wife to let us ove out to Big Sky Country, and its also why she always says "NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!"xsmhx

[clenz]

I think that might be a fairly legit point. I think when Bryant used to play a school about 30 miles away it would take an hour and a half because of small highways/no highways and that trip becomes a lot longer than it would in a less populated area. I know for a the 500 mile trip from Pittsburgh to Smithfield it is just over a 10 hour ride. How does that compare to a 500 mile trip out west?From the South Dakota/IA boarder (Sioux Falls, SD area) to the Iowa/Illinois boarder (Dubuque, IA) is about 400 miles and it would take about 6, maybe 7 hours, depending how you wanted to drive.

It also takes about 5 hours to drive the other way across SD, which is also about 400 miles.

[UNI Pike]

4 1/2 hours if you ride with me (did it for years)

[clenz]

4 1/2 hours if you ride with me (did it for years)
It takes me 4 hours to get from my home town (almost on the SD/MN/IA boarder to get to Cedar Falls. How fast do you drive?

I guess like I said it is all about how you want to drive it. Doing 60-65 it takes about 4.5 hours to get from SD to Cedar Falls.

[dgreco]

So almost double the time for about 100 more miles. I think that is pretty interesting. I think the West still gets a break because of the massive space and lack of programs, but it is an interesting bit.

[GOKATS]

Weber St. (Ogden, UT) is a little less than 400 miles from Bozeman and it's less than a six hour drive. Weekend before last I drove to Portland, OR which is about 750 miles and it took me 10 1/2 hours.

[BigApp]

Uh, we played three of them this year.

really? you played 3 of the 4 Dakota schools this year? I musta missed it.

[BigApp]

Two of the four are in their first year of transition to FCS and the other two of the four are in their 5th year. Not a lot of years to schedule them as an FCS game.

Not to mention his point of all four are still a long ways away, Missoula to the closest, Fargo is 953 miles.

Hasn't stopped them from scheduling the Colorado School of the Mines, Fort Lewis, New Mexico Tech or Puget Sound A&T.

BTW, how far is it from your campus to Youngstown?

[Grizaholic17]

really? you played 3 of the 4 Dakota schools this year? I musta missed it.

He was confused.

Those dakota schools are a hell of a way away to schedule. But scheduling cal poly and UC-Davis did us well this year.

[Grizaholic17]

xthumbsupx Old joke: Why is it always windy in (South or North) Dakota?
A: Montana blows and Minnesota sucks! xwhistlex xnonono2x xnonono2x

you're right, it blows here. Don't bother coming.
http://www.northwestmontana.com/aGlacierNationalParkNorthwestMontana.JPG/aGlacierNationalParkNorthwestMontana-full;init:.JPG


xpeacex

[soccerguy315]

I can't see the picture, can you make it bigger?

[UNI Pike]

It's Pine-sol fresh, baby!

http://www.derok.net/images/american-idol/diane%20amos.jpg

[clenz]

I love having to use multiple scrolls to see a picture.........