Delaware Should Play Tougher Competition

[superman7515]

Frank: UD should ditch its safety net (http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100903/SPORTS07/9030351&theme=SPORTSOPINION)

And if you read the articles comments, the complaining that UD needs to move to FBS has already started this season. Oh goodness.

[bluehenbillk]

Martin Frank is a hack. He writes an article calling the WCU game a bad thing - really no UD fans will disagree, he says play tougher competition. He also writes other articles about UD playing DSU which albeit FCS, is just about the same level of competition.

Maybe he should just pay more attention to FCS football, most of the posters on these message boards have more of a clue.

[Squealofthepig]

Really don't get his reasoning. OK, some of the Hens Coach's comments were a bit specious, but still, there are only x number of football teams out there, and everyone needs a full schedule. If Delaware goes all out playing tough competition - let's say they add Pitt, Maryland and Ohio State - how does that help them? How do three losses build the fan-base? How many prospective FCS players would then see Hens football on tv and think, oh, wow, I don't want to play for the Hens and get slaughtered by the big schools. How do you build a postseason team when you're already in the best conference in FCS and find the seven minimum wins to get there?

Every fan wants to see their team play a tougher schedule (at least most years). But complaining about a "weak" schedule when the next week you're playing an ooc playoff team... dude, see the forest for the trees.

[superman7515]

Oddly enough, I was just reading the LSU site (TigerDroppings.com) and there is talk on there of UD to the Big East. Even in Louisiana we can't please people.

[MR. CHICKEN]

DELAWARE HAS HAD SOME O' DUH TOUGHEST...RATED SKEDS.....THE LAST FEW YEARS.......TRUE WEST CHESTER IS UH COOKIE.....BUT SOUFFERN ILLINOIS....MONTANA AN' UH HOST O' OTHERAHS......DON'T BACK AWAY FROM DUH GIMMIES....(PERSONALLY GLAD TA SEE SERIES END.....AS...ALL OURAH FANS SIT ON DEY'RE HANDS....HARD TA GET EXCITED)......AN' AS BHBILLK...MENTIONS...DEL. STATE....WON'T BE MUCH BETTERAH...BUT WILL COUNT...TOWARDS PLAY-OFFS...xnodx...AWK!

NEXT UP.....DUH.....RABBITS!

[blukeys]

Martin Frank is a hack. He writes an article calling the WCU game a bad thing - really no UD fans will disagree, he says play tougher competition. He also writes other articles about UD playing DSU which albeit FCS, is just about the same level of competition.

Maybe he should just pay more attention to FCS football, most of the posters on these message boards have more of a clue.


Agreed on Frank the Hack.
UD is fulfilling the contract that goes thru 2012. It has already been announced that the contract won't be renewed and the series ends after 2012. I don't know what Frank's constant whining is supposed to accomplish. Maybe Frank will supply the bucks for a UD buyout.

[Oldhen]

Delaware should play tougher competition?

Delaware should demonstrate they can consistently field high-field quality football teams first.

The argument that replacing WCU with a FCS opponent would help them get into the playoffs misses the point. The years UD has missed the playoffs, they've richly deserved to not go, and would have had no business being there.

There are lots of signs that the program is finding its footing again, and the hit-and-miss character of the past near-decade may be over... but by the time we know better, WCU will be history, regardless. WCU was completely outclassed in virtually all of the matchups the other night, and has been for some years. Unfortunately, replacing them with another opponent does very little to keep the UD football program headed in the right direction. It's beside the point. There are a dozen more important things than WCU when it comes to getting/keeping the program on track.

I think the argument that a WCU game will 'keep UD out of the playoffs' if they were to go, say, 8-3 overall is specious. Their fate is in their hands. They just need to go out and outplay their opponents from here on in.... and if that means going 8-2 from here on in, so be it. It's in their hands. Is it a harder road with the WCU opener? Probably... but that doesn't change who controls whether they get into the playoffs - or deserve to - at this point.

[blukeys]

Good Points Old Hen. The fact is Division 2 and the Pennsylvania conference have been downsizing and the impact on WCU shows. The days of seeing potential pros on the WCU roster are gone. Those of us lucky enough to see a Joe Senser tear up the Hens secondary do know that at one time this was a competitive series.

I am sure that part of the old timer appeal for this series were also some distant memories of the partying that went on between these 2 schools on the weekend of the game. In the case of WCU the women to men ratio was better than 2 to 1 back in the day.

The overall athletic advantage for UD on Thursday was significant. With that said I see no need to beat the dead horse of dumping WCU. The contract ends in 2012. Both sides have said they will not renew. To bail on the contract, UD would need to buy out WCU and there is no need to incur the financial loss. Better to focus on the 2013 schedule and beyond.

[superman7515]

To bail on the contract, UD would need to buy out WCU and there is no need to incur the financial loss. Better to focus on the 2013 schedule and beyond.

I've heard quite a few people say that West Chester wants to get out of the contract early and would prefer this was the final year it was played. I can't find anything to independently verify it myself, but I've heard it from several people. I doubt Delaware would make them pay anything to get out of the contract though, since UD could schedule an FCS team and get more money from better attendance, so I wonder how true this really is.