Parity at the Top of FCS?

[Lehigh Football Nation]

One thing keeps sticking out at me this year: how close all the teams were at the top of FCS. In the playoffs, not a heck of a lot separated these teams:

James Madison
App State
Northern Iowa
Richmond
Montana
Villanova
New Hampshire
Weber State

I'd even throw Wofford and Cal Poly in there as teams that could very well have won it all with a few breaks.

That's TEN teams, very, very evenly matched, that could have won it all this year.

Was there ever another year with this much parity?

[Franks Tanks]

One thing keeps sticking out at me this year: how close all the teams were at the top of FCS. In the playoffs, not a heck of a lot separated these teams:

James Madison
App State
Northern Iowa
Richmond
Montana
Villanova
New Hampshire
Weber State

I'd even throw Wofford and Cal Poly in there as teams that could very well have won it all with a few breaks.

That's TEN teams, very, very evenly matched, that could have won it all this year.

Was there ever another year with this much parity?


Thats a good point LFN. I hate D-II and D-III football anymore as the same teams play in the finals every year. UMD was new in D-II this year so that was refereshing but they still played NWMST. Also Mt. Union and UWW have played in the D-III champ game 4 or 5 years in a row-- terrible.

[appfan2008]

what i found interesting was how after those ten teams there was a very large drop off... no else really belonged..

[uofmman1122]

As I said when the playoffs started, I don't remember another time when we had so many teams with such a good shot at winning it all.

Honestly, A few bounces here and there, and any one of the top 12 or so playoff teams could have won it all this year.

Gotta love FCS football! xthumbsupx

[GATA]

Thats a good point LFN. I hate D-II and D-III football anymore as the same teams play in the finals every year. UMD was new in D-II this year so that was refereshing but they still played NWMST. Also Mt. Union and UWW have played in the D-III champ game 4 or 5 years in a row-- terrible.

Didn't App state just win 3 titles in a row?

[ngineer]

Thats a good point LFN. I hate D-II and D-III football anymore as the same teams play in the finals every year. UMD was new in D-II this year so that was refereshing but they still played NWMST. Also Mt. Union and UWW have played in the D-III champ game 4 or 5 years in a row-- terrible.

I find the whole thing a little 'odd', when you consider there are more D-III schools playing than any other division, but the same few at the top...Seems to me that there is an imbalance with dollars/recruiting standards there, as well.

[Franks Tanks]

[/B]

I find the whole thing a little 'odd', when you consider there are more D-III schools playing than any other division, but the same few at the top...Seems to me that there is an imbalance with dollars/recruiting standards there, as well.


Yup-- the few teams in questions dont look or feel much like D-III teams to me. It kinda defeats the whole purpose of what D-III is about.

[Reign of Terrier]

One thing keeps sticking out at me this year: how close all the teams were at the top of FCS. In the playoffs, not a heck of a lot separated these teams:

James Madison
App State
Northern Iowa
Richmond
Montana
Villanova
New Hampshire
Weber State

I'd even throw Wofford and Cal Poly in there as teams that could very well have won it all with a few breaks.

That's TEN teams, very, very evenly matched, that could have won it all this year.

Was there ever another year with this much parity?

Wofford lost to JMU by 3 so I would have to throw them in there.

[Native]

Yup! xthumbsupx

Top ten, maybe top 12... you could even add Central Arkansas since they were not tested in the playoffs this year.

[mistersykes]

I'm not sure. Richmond certainly dominated 3 of the 4 teams they faced in the playoffs, 2 of which are on that list. It's really hard to tell how much parity there is.

[blueballs]

I'm not sure. Richmond certainly dominated 3 of the 4 teams they faced in the playoffs, 2 of which are on that list. It's really hard to tell how much parity there is.

But is Richmond that much better than the rest of FCS or did they play the best at the right time (which is what really matters)?

I didn't see any team this year that I thought was dominant in the manner of App in 2006, Delaware in 2003, Montana in 2001, GSU in 1999.

[Franks Tanks]

I'm not sure. Richmond certainly dominated 3 of the 4 teams they faced in the playoffs, 2 of which are on that list. It's really hard to tell how much parity there is.

At least as much as their is in BCS. Number 5 (or so) USC cruched number 10 or so Ohio State. Oklahoma also killed Texas Tech -- another top 10 team.

[GannonFan]

But is Richmond that much better than the rest of FCS or did they play the best at the right time (which is what really matters)?

I didn't see any team this year that I thought was dominant in the manner of App in 2006, Delaware in 2003, Montana in 2001, GSU in 1999.

I'm not sure I'd even thow the '06 Appy team into that mix. Thing is, some years you get a really, really dominant team, and then most of the years you have a team that emerges from a really good pack. I'm not sure we've had a dominant team since the '03 UD team. Doesn't take away the significance of winning a national title, but Richmond wasn't a dominant team this year in that sense.

[Big Al]

But is Richmond that much better than the rest of FCS or did they play the best at the right time (which is what really matters)?

I didn't see any team this year that I thought was dominant in the manner of App in 2006, Delaware in 2003, Montana in 2001, GSU in 1999.

In the end, it's a moot point because you get the same trophy if you manhandle your competition or if you win by one in quadruple overtime.

I think you could replay this year's playoffs and have a half dozen different outcomes, all with legitimate champions. Props to UR, because they got it done when it mattered, where it mattered.