Today's A-hole of the Day

[colgate13]

NCAA facilitates absurd mismatches in college football (http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/trib/newssummary/s_333486.html)

"The NCAA should be mortified that Pitt and Youngstown State will play a football game Sept. 24 at Heinz Field.
And that West Virginia will butt heads with Wofford a week before that.

No disrespect to Youngstown State or Wofford, but there oughta be a law against this.

Division I-A teams should not, under any circumstances, play I-AA competition. Mostly because it's unfair. The difference can be measured in the 22 additional scholarships (85 to 63) available to I-A teams.

But instead of seeking to bar such "games," as it should have done long ago, the NCAA board of directors recently passed legislation that essentially sanctions such games and surely will increase them.

Anyone for Southern Cal vs. Duquesne?"

I guess he missed Rutgers and Mississippi state losing to I-AA teams? He's also pretty stupid in using Pitt as an example. They needed OT to be Furman!

Please, bombard this idiot with the facts: [email protected]

[colgate13]

My "nice" email to this fella:

subject: Joe, the farce is you

message

Pitt vs. Youngstown State bothers you? Perhaps they should have scheduled Furman again. Remember them? The team that Pitt needed an overtime field goal to beat and by all rights should have lost to? Or why not Villanova? Pitt, from the big bad Division I-A Big East, could only manage a 48-41 point victory in 1998.

How about New Hampshire? You know, the team that beat Rutgers 35-24 last year.

How about Maine? Did you miss their 9-7 victory over Mississippi State last season?

Why not Delaware? They took a bowl bound Navy team to task in 2003.
Even my lowly nonscholarship Colgate took down a I-A Buffalo team that year.

The only thing grotesque that I see is the put down to I-AA you feel is necessary to make I-A (and Pitt) so much better and removed from your Division I cousins than is reality. Of course there is a difference in scholarship numbers and athletic budgets; but football is still a game to be played by eleven men on a side. I-AA teams for the most part represent their schools very well.

Southern Cal vs. Duquense has to be the most ridiculous example to ever come up with. I-AA teams that are scheduling I-A games tend to be some of the top programs in the nation. The reason Georgia Tech has been avoiding a match-up with Georgia Southern for years is because they know they might just lose!

And finally, if you believe it is truly the fans that will be hurt by this type of scheduling, perhaps you need to revisit that point. Pitt playing a historic I-AA program from a few hours drive away will likely generate plenty of local interest. Do you actually think the fans would rather Pitt play North Texas or UL-Lafayette?

You missed the boat on this one Joe: there are plenty of circumstances where I-A should play I-AA. Here's to a Youngstown State victory.

[Tribe4SF]

Thanks for the post, 13. I emailed him.

[WYOBISONMAN]

I sent an email too. What a pathetic attitude!

[buckp]

....And finally, if you believe it is truly the fans that will be hurt by this type of scheduling, perhaps you need to revisit that point. Pitt playing a historic I-AA program from a few hours drive away will likely generate plenty of local interest. Do you actually think the fans would rather Pitt play North Texas or UL-Lafayette?
A strong McNeese team playing LSU at 'Death Valley' would be sold out long before gametime..;)

[colgate13]

"Hi Colgate,
Thanks for the feedback, although beating Rutgers under circumstances is
nothing to boast about. And nobody, save for some YSU folks, will be
interested in Pitt-Youngstown State. My intention was not disrespect I-AA
but to take NCAA and schools to task for using this 12th game simply as a
way to play a winnable, money-making home game.
Who needs it? Not me.
Joe"

Nothing like ducking the issue and not acknowleding I-AA victories and plenty of reasons for I-A to schedule I-AA.

Oh well, don't let me be the only one to show him he's an idiot! :bang:

[89Hen]

Very quick reply to my e-mail, I'm thinking this is a canned reply he generated after receiving several e-mails this morning...

HI,

Thanks for the feedback. NCAA and its member schools created a 12th game, which will increase season-ticket costs, that will be used to play a highly winnable, no-interest, money-making home game. And your problem is with me?

Joe

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2005 10:22 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Absurd is right!

Pittsburgh 41 – Furman 38 OT
Pittsburgh 48 – Villanova 41

Perhaps you’re right and Pitt should stick with Ohio, South Florida, Kent... teams they can beat by a comfortable margin. Sure, Youngstown is not Notre Dame, but they’re local and they will bring some fans to the game. Can you say the same if Pitt brought in Louisiana Tech or Utah State?

[Cap'n Cat]

What a brainless horse's ass.

SMFH...........................

[ISUMatt]

I also emailed this joker saying if Pitt had any ambition, they would schedule Delaware or Montana on the road and see what I-AA is all about!!!

[89Hen]

My reply to his reply....

Absolutely! Your attack wasn’t on highly winnable, no-interest, money-making home games, it was on I-A’s playing I-AA’s. The painful truth is that many of the I-A vs. I-AA games are FAR more competitive and FAR more interesting than I-A vs. bad I-A games. Your example of USC vs. Duquesne is going to an absolutely ridiculous length to make your point. Many I-A’s will be picking up regional I-AA’s to fill out their schedules which makes a lot more sense than Pitt brining in a Utah State or San Jose State or even a Directional Michigan. Some I-A’s will end up playing I-AA’s that have no business playing them, but saying that “Division I-A teams should not, under any circumstances, play I-AA competition” is not fair to those that actually play good, regional I-AA’s.

[ISUMatt]

Here is his reply to me...seems he is taking our bombardments a tad personal with all his your problem is with me? comments...

Hi Matt,

Thanks for feedback. It’s amazing how many people bring up the Furman game. If folks enjoyed it that much, Matt, why not play an all I-AA schedule? NCAA and its member schools created a 12th game, which will increase season-ticket costs, that will be used to play a highly winnable, no-interest, money-making home game against a I-AA school. And your problem is with me?

Joe

[Marcus Garvey]

There's a reason that the Tribune is the "other" paper in Pittsburgh. Stick with the Post-Gazette boys!

[Tribe4SF]

I got a quick reply as well in which he told me he meant no disrespect to I-AA. My reply to his reply...

When you use terms like "punching bag", your disrespect is obvious, whether you're aware of it or not. Your statement was that these games shouldn't even be allowed. Your analysis of the 12th game issue is shallow. The NCAA clearly had more in mind than the BCS schools when they passed this. I can tell you that playing I-As is definitely a positive in recruiting. And the money is important to us. UVA has been unwilling to schedule I-AAs since the ruling that they could only count one every four years. W&M, Richmond and JMU suffered as a result. When we've played them in the past, there has been great fan interest and sell-outs. Far more interest than playing Arkansas State, Buffalo or some other weak I-A. If you want to rail on Pitt and PSU for not playing, don't do it at the expense of I-AAs.

[colgate13]

Awesome guys! This is the kind of effort that the I-AA foot soldiers can do to bring the pain down on some numbnuts who's out of their element when it comes to I-AA. I bet this guy never expected random emails from across the country! Probably makes him think he's more important than he is...

[buckp]

Awesome guys! This is the kind of effort that the I-AA foot soldiers can do to bring the pain down on some numbnuts who's out of their element when it comes to I-AA. I bet this guy never expected random emails from across the country! Probably makes him think he's more important than he is...

:lmao: You're probably right,13......I can see this guy's head swelling right now!

[89Hen]

I tell you, it must be tough to be a columnist. How often do you think he gets fan mail? It's usually only the negative that get people inspired to take the time to write. I try to send e-mails to writers when I like what they say, it seems only fair.

[Lapper]

I sent him an e-mail of pure love. :cool:

[arkstfan]

First and foremost opening the door to more I-A / I-AA games is the morally correct thing to do because it honors the promises made to I-AA initially that they would continue to have schedule access to I-A opponents.

I-A would almost certainly be smaller today if that promise had been kept.

[GannonFan]

Sent an e-mail too.

[putter]

I sent and e-mail to him and get a response. Very similar to the other responses. I wrote back a 2nd time and told him if his problem was with the 12th game he should have concentrated his efforts on that and not the "meaningless" games against I-AA it will create.

[Cap'n Cat]

You guys are p*ssies with your e-mails.


Polsongrizz and I leaving on a Delta flight outta Salt Lake City at 4:06p Mountain, connecting in Cincinnati to Pittsburgh, arriving at 9:33p. We'll have camo paint on, camo pants and shirt, and we're gonna stalk that little pr*ck. When he gets to the office, we're gonna kick his scrawny Fairmont State-graduatin', Chess Club President, Men's Chorale-singin' ass!!! After that, we're going to the parking garage and find his broke-dick, rusted out Dale Earnhardt and George Bush sticker-bedecked '93 Chevy Cavalier (that his Dad paid for) and tear off all the outer accoutrements - mirrors, wipers, wheel covers, you name it. And pee in his gas tank.

http://www.strategyplanet.com/commandos/images/Image1.jpg

Then, for good measure, we're gonna go to his townhouse (that his Dad is payin' for), strangle his Shih Tzu, piss in his fish tank, rip his ficus tree to shreads, bash in his flat screen plasma TV (that his Dad is payin' for), take a dump in his dishwasher and rub feces all over his DeVry Institute diploma (that his Dad paid for), wipe our azzes on his white silk pillow cases (that his Mom paid for), empty his fridge of all this Perrier, brie, bean *****in' sprouts, baby corn, cranberry mustard and artichoke hearts and then, to top it all off, log on to his e-mail at his computer (that his Dad is payin' for) and send a death threat to President Bush, claiming to be Khahlil Otrami from the United Taliban Front For The Destruction of America!!!!

Then, we'll see how he feels about I-AA!!!!!!

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:



:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:







Disclaimer: This note is intended to be taken as humor. If you are that worm writer reading this, we are not going to perform the violent acts described above. Regardless, you're still a dick.

[Proud Griz Man]

You guys are p*ssies with your e-mails.


Polsongrizz and I leaving on a Delta flight outta Salt Lake City at 4:06p Mountain, connecting in Cincinnati to Pittsburgh, arriving at 9:33p. We'll have camo paint on, camo pants and shirt, and we're gonna stalk that little pr*ck. When he gets to the office, we're gonna kick his scrawny Fairmont State-graduatin', Chess Club President, Men's Chorale-singin' ass!!! After that, we're going to the parking garage and find his broke-dick, rusted out Dale Earnhardt and George Bush sticker-bedecked '93 Chevy Cavalier (that his Dad paid for) and tear off all the outer accoutrements - mirrors, wipers, wheel covers, you name it. And pee in his gas tank.

http://www.strategyplanet.com/commandos/images/Image1.jpg

Then, for good measure, we're gonna go to his townhouse (that his Dad is payin' for), strangle his Shih Tzu, piss in his fish tank, rip his ficus tree to shreads, bash in his flat screen plasma TV (that his Dad is payin' for), take a dump in his dishwasher and rub feces all over his DeVry Institute diploma (that his Dad paid for), wipe our azzes on his white silk pillow cases (that his Mom paid for), empty his fridge of all this Perrier, brie, bean *****in' sprouts, baby corn, cranberry mustard and artichoke hearts and then, to top it all off, log on to his e-mail at his computer (that his Dad is payin' for) and send a death threat to President Bush, claiming to be Khahlil Otrami from the United Taliban Front For The Destruction of America!!!!

Then, we'll see how he feels about I-AA!!!!!!

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:



:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:







Disclaimer: This note is intended to be taken as humor. If you are that worm writer reading this, we are not going to perform the violent acts described above. Regardless, you're still a dick.

Read the little disclaimer. This guy is an Anti-War Liberal who loves all mankind (& every barmaid/waitress). :D

[Cap'n Cat]

Seriously, though, fellas - if you want a wider impact, write a ****load of letters to the editor at his paper regarding this. Educate the ignorant that consume the gruel of the ignorant.



:(

[GannonFan]

Seriously, though, fellas - if you want a wider impact, write a ****load of letters to the editor at his paper regarding this. Educate the ignorant that consume the gruel of the ignorant.



:(

I could be wrong but I think this is the first actual mention of "gruel" on the new boards - way to go Cap'n!

[blueballs]

Dayummm!! Remind me not to piss Cat off.

Nice Cat, Nice Cat...

[Tribe4SF]

Mind if I tag along? We could call it the AGS I-AA Educational Assistance Crusade! ;)

Yeah, go along Ralph. With that long a flight, Pols will be too drunk to help.

[Cap'n Cat]

Yeah, go along Ralph. With that long a flight, Pols will be too drunk to help.


LMAO!!!!!!!!!

:)

[Cap'n Cat]

Dayummm!! Remind me not to piss Cat off.

Nice Cat, Nice Cat...

http://www.almostcool.org/gb/02pics/040502b.jpg
"Yo, blueballs. Touch my sore hip again and I'm-a gonna claw your balls off!"

[D1B]

Nice work 89 and 13. :)

I too sent him an email. I have a feeling I'll be getting a phone call or knock on my door rather than an email reply.:(

[Cap'n Cat]

Nice work 89 and 13. :)

I too sent him an email. I have a feeling I'll be getting a phone call or knock on my door rather than an email reply.:(


http://people.cornell.edu/pages/sav22/KnockDoor.JPG
"Honey, if it's the FBI, call dungeonjoe and 89Hen real quick!!"

[GreatAppSt]

Mind if I tag along? We could call it the AGS I-AA Educational Assistance Crusade! ;)

Sign me up for the crusade Ralph, great rant Capt keep em coming. :D

[dungeonjoe]

Mind if I tag along? We could call it the AGS I-AA Educational Assistance Crusade! ;)


I am thinkin' we call them the I-AA Minutemen (fill in your own joke here) ;)

[Tribe4SF]

I am thinkin' we call them the I-AA Minutemen (you fill in your own joke here) ;)

That's what GrizChik told me she calls Pols, Grizo and The Cap'n.

[ngineer]

Gave him a piece of my mind--now I can't remember what I said :D

[Tod]

Just e-mailed him. I'm not as eloquent as some of you, but I think I got my point across.

[JaxSinfonian]

Below is the record of my correspondance today with Mr. Starkey.


I mean no disrespect, Joe Starkey, but someone covering Pitt should know better than to mention them in a column on so-called I-A vs. I-AA "mismatches." In case you've forgotten, Pitt needed overtime to take care of I-AA Furman on Sept. 25, 2004. The final was 41-38.

"Division I-A teams should not, under any circumstances, play I-AA competition. Mostly because it's unfair. The difference can be measured in the 22 additional scholarships (85 to 63) available to I-A teams."

There are plenty of other ways to measure the difference between I-AA teams and their I-A brethren. The scores of games between them is probably the best measure available. More often than not, the I-A team wins these games. But with the rule change I suspect we'll see many more games, and more I-AA victories, too.

By the way, I'm still not sure who this is unfair to. Pitt? Mississippi State? Rutgers? Or somebody else?


Thanks for the feedback. My beef is with scheduling a 12th game simply as a way to play a lower division team to make money in a home game. That game should have been used to beef up already weak non-conference schedules around the country. Sure, I-AA teams can sometimes give I-A teams a game, but nobody wants to see Pitt-Youngstown State, or Pitt-Furman, for that matter.
Joe


Thanks for the reply, Joe.

"Sure, I-AA teams can sometimes give I-A teams a game, but nobody wants to see Pitt-Youngstown State, or Pitt-Furman, for that matter."

I suppose that depends on your definition of "nobody." I know a lot of Furman fans who'd love to see that game played again. Youngstown State Penguins fans would a chance too, I imagine.

Perhaps I-AA fans and programs aren't as important to you in this argument, but we out here in I-AA-land love the fact that there will now be more interdivisional matchups. For a I-A program the games might look like money-
grubbing, but many I-AA teams need those guarantees to balance their books. It's also great for institutional pride ("Hey, we lined up against the best the SEC had to offer."). At the very least you come away with a check and a fun trip for fans. At the very most you cost some poor I-A coach his job and still get the check. There's no way to lose from a I-AA point of view.

And on top of all that, we have a real postseason. This is why I love I-AA ball. That, and of course the fact that it's the division my alma mater plays in. Again, no offense intended, Joe, but I often get the impression that
sportswriters nationwide are un-informed about and pre-disposed against I-AA college football. Your column, of course, looked at what's good for I-A schools, and took the position that I-AA teams were being unfairly beaten up. That much, at least, I believe you were wrong about.

Thanks for reading

Thanks (I've deleted my name). Good points.

I like to think I was polite but forceful. At least I got him to admit I had "good points." I'm sure by now he's realized one mistake he made in his column: there are people who care about I-AA football.

[Tribe4SF]

He certainly should realize it after the volume of informed response he got today. If he doesn't, he's as big an idiot as his column makes him appear.

[Tribe4SF]

I didn't get a reply.

You scared him, Ralph! Hearing directly from a heavyweight like yourself left him :eek: speechless.

[Mr. C]

Keep your browser on I-AA.org to find out what our senior columnist had to say to Mr. Starkey.

[dungeonjoe]

Keep your browser on I-AA.org to find out what our senior columnist had to say to Mr. Starkey.


To combine AGS threads, Mr. C, I guess that column won't make it to the Charlotte Observer...

[HensRock]

WOW !!!
Note to self: Never piss-off Mr. C !!!!!

:eek:

[dungeonjoe]

Nicely done, Mr. C, nicely done. Of course, you know I like it when you say nice things about Ayers (thanks for not mentioning the SAT to student body ratios, or Ayers black belt :D )

Good work making a great case.

[Mr. C]

Nicely done, Mr. C, nicely done. Of course, you know I like it when you say nice things about Ayers (thanks for not mentioning the SAT to student body ratios, or Ayers black belt :D )

Good work making a great case.
Maybe Mike could be Captain and Polson Griz's body guard on that trip to Pittsburgh. Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting ...

[Tod]

Man, Mr. C, fantastic letter. Good work. I'll bet you didn't have to look up a single fact, either.

:hurray: :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: :beerchug:

[dungeonjoe]

Maybe Mike could be Captain and Polson Griz's body guard on that trip to Pittsburgh. Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting ...

Kung Fu Mike and the Minutemen--- Sounds like a band from the 70s that Ralph could be quoting. :D

[OL FU]

After all of disagreements on polls, conferences, rivalries, school colors, politics, movies, religion, who is good looking and who is not, it is definitely a pleasure to discuss two things we all agree on. I-AA is great and this guy is an idiot.

[FightinBluHen51]

Yep...Great editorial but David Coulson too!

[UAalum72]

Should Starkey's award (or this thread) have been named the I-A-hole of the Day?

[GreatAppSt]

Nice Mr. C very nice.

[GannonFan]

Hey, did anyone who sent an e-mail get a response back from a Ken Flowers? Here's his response to me:

-----Original Message-----
From: Kevin Flowers [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: 13. May 2005 12:55 AM
To:
Subject: Re: FW: No Respect for IAA's
Dear

>We would like to consider your letter for publication in our sports mailbag. >However, before we can consider it, we need to know your full name and >where you are from (city/township and state). We also need a phone >number where we can reach you for verification purposes. The phone >number will not be published.

>If you would please reply to [email protected] with that info, we will >consider publishing your letter.



Thanks,

Kevin Flowers

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

>
> -----Original Message-----

> Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2005 11:42 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: No Respect for IAA's
>
> Joe,
>
> I gotta take issue with your diatribe against playing IAA teams - you
> really don't have your facts straight on this one. How many times do
> big time, BCS conferences play somebody like a Central Michigan or a
> UL-Monroe or an East Carolina? These games are non-competitive and
> often involve teams that are nowhere geographically near the host institution..
> These are the games that are bad matchups on the field and uninspiring
> at the turnstiles. There are plenty of cases of IAA's beating IA teams
> over the years and also helping to fill the stands. Delaware played at
> bowl-bound Navy in 2003, and not only beat them on their home field,
> but also by Navy's accounts brought anywhere from 8k to 10k fans along
> with them, giving them one of a rare number of sellouts that year.
> It's not a mystery why nearby Maryland has Delaware on the schedule
> for 2008, despite the fact it'll be a tough game for the Terps.
>
> Oh, and those patsy IA teams I mentioned earlier all hail from the
> MAC, the Sun Belt, and CUSA conferences respectively, all three
> conferences that have something in common - they had conference
> Sagarin ratings below the A10 last year (IAA conference). Heck, the
> MAC was ranked below three different IAA conferences. Better stop playing those teams too!

Joe's response to my e-mail
Hi ,
If only they would stop playing those teams, too. That would be the next logical step.
Joe

[JaxSinfonian]

Basically, I think Joe (like many) got into sportswriting so he could watch "big-time" games from the pressbox and wax prophetic in a column every week. Pitt playing I-AA or little-known I-A teams isn't so much an affront to fans as it is to Joe's view of himself as a "big-time" sports writer.

*Note: JaxSinfonian is not qualified to give psychological advice and is not a licensed therapist.

[HensRock]

Here's mine.

Subject: Know I-AA!

Joe,

It sounds to me like the Pitt-YSU game has you a little worried. You should learn a little more about I-AA football before you knock it. YSU in particular has a very rich football history including 4 national championships in the 1990’s. Yes, they’ve been down a bit lately, but from most accounts Pitt will probably be a bit down this year as well. This is a regional matchup which will generate a lot of fan interest in eastern Ohio and western PA. This is a good thing. I believe the game will be more competitive than you’d like to admit.

Please: Watch this game objectively. Check the attendance relative to other Pitt home games. THEN report why this is a bad game for Pitt and the fans. I look forward to your article on 9/25 !

I-AA Football – No BcS.

[colgate13]

This whole thing almost brings a tear to my eye. I-AA mobilized and active and (I think) making a difference. I'm very proud of AGS today and how we all rose to the challenge.

You would never see this kind of support across the board for a I-A cause...

:hurray:

[colgate13]

I-AA Football – No BcS.


AWESOME SLOGAN!

is that an original HensRock? I would love that as an AGS T-Shirt.

[89Hen]

Just got another reply.....

That 12th game should be used to stoke rivalries and beef up schedules, not to rip people off.

I do love I-AA's playoff system, and we have a couple of highly successful I-AA programs here in Robert Morris and Duquesne.

You also might have missed the part of the column where I said there are "plenty" of I-AA teams that are better than the worst I-A teams.

Meanwhile, Division I-AA teams, by my unofficial count, had a .150 winning percentage against I-A last season, going 6-40. Three of the six victories came against I-A newbies Florida International (two) and Florida Atlantic (one).

The other three wins were against Mississippi State (3-8), Eastern Michigan (3-8) and Rutgers (4-7).

In other words, no Division I-AA team beat even a respectable Division I-A team last year.

Furthermore, I'm not sure where you come up with all these "competitive" games. The average score in those 40 losses was 38-12. There were nine shutouts and only three of 40 games decided by less than a touchdown (of course, one involved Florida International).

The scores: 28-7, 49-7, 21-7, 42-0, 28-10, 33-3, 42-14, 32-0, 52-0, 56-17, 27-13, 49-38, 39-24, 23-0, 14-7, 22-16, 59-0, 42-0, 27-17, 34-20, 19-7, 48-0, 41-38, 53-7, 52-21, 42-20, 48-28, 38-21, 37-21, 28-0, 49-0, 45-10, 31-10, 29-7, 39-14, 47-28, 52-14, 42-3, 28-24, 21-3.

If I'm not mistaken, then, there were only two instances last year of a Division I-AA team coming within a touchdown of a beating a winning I-A team. One of those I-A teams was Pitt, which says a whole lot more about where they were early last year than it does about Furman.

That game, incidentally, drew a paltry crowd of 35,121 at Heinz Field.

The Division I-AA champion, James Madison, lost its only I-A game, 45-10, to West Virginia.

Sincerely,

Joseph Starkey
Columnist
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

we have a couple of highly successful I-AA programs here in Robert Morris and Duquesne. Ahhhhhh, at least we know what Ringo Starr's experience with I-AA football is then! :cool:

[HensRock]

AWESOME SLOGAN!

is that an original HensRock? I would love that as an AGS T-Shirt.

Thanks 13.
THe big B little c big S thing has floated around for a while, but as for a whole slogan, I guess that is a HensRock original! I should have given it even more emphasis, like:

I-AA Football - NO BcS

Did you catch the other one in the subject line?

Know I-AA

[yomama]

Just got another reply.....



Indeed, Robert Morris and Duquesne have been sucessful.

By highlighting that sentence, I take it you are ignoring the other information about I-AA getting beaten to a pulp and JM losing its only I-A game. :confused:

[Rob]

I sent him an e-mail last night before I realized the entire civilized world had beaten me to it.

And by "civilized," you know I mean "fans of I-AA."

[89Hen]

My reply....

"Thanks again for the reply, but you’re only digging yourself a deeper hole. You claimed that your opposition isn’t with I-AA, but with non-competitive games, yet here you are giving stats for I-AA games. Shouldn’t you also be giving stats on rent-a-win I-A’s getting crushed? You also tip your hand as to your experience with I-AA programs. While I won’t go as far as to slander I-AA brothers, I will tell you that if your I-AA knowledge is limited to Robert Morris and Duquesne, that explains a lot about your general disdain for I-AA. The best thing you could do to remedy yourself of this is to go up to Youngstown and see what I-AA football is all about. As for the crowd at Heinz, that’s not a shocker since I’m guessing most Pitt fans are as ignorant as you."

[89Hen]

Indeed, Robert Morris and Duquesne have been sucessful...
at non-scholarship, mid-major I-AA. Give me a break yo. If your only experience with I-AA is RMC and Duquesne, of course you're going to think I-AA is small time and that I-AA's have no business playing I-A's.

[yomama]

=
By highlighting that sentence, I take it you are ignoring the other information about I-AA getting beaten to a pulp and JM losing its only I-A game. :confused:

Apparently.

[colgate13]

Looks like he's giving us all the same reply. We made him go do some homework and now he feels all justified... He's getting the I-Ahole of the Day award two days in a row!!!

[yomama]

I sent him an e-mail last night before I realized the entire civilized world had beaten me to it.

And by "civilized," you know I mean "fans of I-AA."

Are there fans of I-AA outside of this board? Sure, each school has its fans, but is there a "I-AA" fanbase? Really?

It's interesting that Chris Ault, who is a Hall of Famer largely due to his accomplishments as a I-AA coach, vowed never to schedule another I-AA.

It's disrespectful to his school's fans to go through the motions of a football season. Sadly, if he were coaching a borderline winning team in a conference with 6 bowl tie-ins, he would hold his nose and do it anyway.

[GreatAppSt]

Mr Starkey's new look.

http://www.student.brad.ac.uk/bagraham/jak%20black%20eye.jpg

He's been taking quite a beating. :) :) :) :) :)

[ISUMatt]

Yea he sent me an email explaining himself a day later too defending himself, I didnt even bother to send 1 after yesterdays reply so what the hell did I do to sdeserve this trash?...


Meanwhile, Division I-AA teams, by my unofficial count, had a .150 winning percentage against I-A last season, going 6-40. Three of the six victories came against I-A newbies Florida International (two) and Florida Atlantic (one).



The other three wins were against Mississippi State (3-8), Eastern Michigan (3-8) and Rutgers (4-7).



In other words, no Division I-AA team beat even a respectable Division I-A team last year.



Furthermore, I'm not sure where you come up with all these "competitive" games. The average score in those 40 losses was 38-12. There were nine shutouts and only three of 40 games decided by less than a touchdown (of course, one involved Florida International).



The scores: 28-7, 49-7, 21-7, 42-0, 28-10, 33-3, 42-14, 32-0, 52-0, 56-17, 27-13, 49-38, 39-24, 23-0, 14-7, 22-16, 59-0, 42-0, 27-17, 34-20, 19-7, 48-0, 41-38, 53-7, 52-21, 42-20, 48-28, 38-21, 37-21, 28-0, 49-0, 45-10, 31-10, 29-7, 39-14, 47-28, 52-14, 42-3, 28-24, 21-3.



If I'm not mistaken, then, there were only two instances last year of a Division I-AA team coming within a touchdown of a beating a winning I-A team. One of those I-A teams was Pitt, which says a whole lot more about where they were early last year than it does about Furman.



That game, incidentally, drew a paltry crowd of 35,121 at Heinz Field.



The Division I-AA champion, James Madison, lost its only I-A game, 45-10, to West Virginia.



Sincerely,

Joseph Starkey

Columnist

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

[Mr. C]

That seems to be the standard email reply that everyone is getting from this piece of work. He totally missed the point and if his reason for writing this was really the 12th game thing, it is one of the most convoluted pieces I've ever read, or edited. As a long-time sports editor, I would have sent this piece back to the drawing board before it EVER got published in one of my publications.

[89Hen]

Apparently.
You're going to be nominated next if you don't watch out. His 'stats' don't shed any light on anything.

WVU 45 - JMU 10
WVU 56 - ECU 23
WVU 45 - USF 20

Where's the outcry over WVU playing ECU or USF?!

Clemson 28 - Furman 17
Clemson 37 - MTSU 14

Auburn 33 - Citadel 3
Auburn 31 - LA-Monroe 0
Auburn 52 - La Tech 7

Do you want me to continue?

[Mr. C]

Does anyone know the NCAA Division I winning percentage in football for home teams? Of course, teams are going to win most of the time when they play games always at home. Montana is one of the few I-AAs that I can remember in recent years playing a I-A at home and you know what the result of that was. I know folks in Idaho certainly do.

[Cap'n Cat]

Great work by all you guys. Cap'n Cat sent him nothing. He can go die, the ignorant *****.

:mad:

[colgate13]

My latest reply to his trash (sorry for being polite Cap'n!):

Joe,

Thanks for taking the time to defend your position. I think though you need to broaden your horizon beyond Robert Morris and Duquesne. There's a whole lot more to I-AA. And I wouldn't belittle Furman; how well they played Pitt says more about how close the top of I-AA is to the majority of I-A than anything else. This isn't about JMU losing to West Virginia. It's about the fact that there are plenty of circumstances and plenty of reasons for I-A to put a I-AA game on their schedule.

Now, as for that Pitt home attendance, isn't it nice to know that a lowly I-AA can outdraw fellow Big East (at the time anyway) member Boston College by 1,050 and come within 6,200 of both Nebraska and Rutgers? Sounds like the problem isn't with Furman there. Seems to me if you replaced that with a regional team like Youngstown State who averages between 14,000 and 17,000 fans the past two years you could easily outdraw more than half of Pitt's home schedule.

Keep doing your homework. Maybe you'll get it right one of these days. Let's go Youngstown State!

colgate13

[colgate13]

p.s.

May the gods of football shine upon YSU this fall and upset Pittsburgh.

http://dianedew.com/prayer.jpg

[89Hen]

:hyped: :lmao: :hurray: :beerchug:

Great work 13! I figured this would get old, but I'm enjoying the hell out of this!

[yomama]

I think though you need to broaden your horizon beyond Robert Morris and Duquesne.

Did I misunderstand the bit about I-AA's .150 winning percentage against I-A? I didn't think he was talking about Duquesne or Robert Morris.

[Rob]

Mr. C, try this link (http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/h-win-pct.pl?start=1869&end=2004&team=AirForce&team=Akron&team=Alabama&team=AlabamaBirmingham&team=Arizona&team=ArizonaState&team=Arkansas&team=ArkansasState&team=Army&team=Auburn&team=BallState&team=Baylor&team=BoiseState&team=BostonCollege&team=BowlingGreenState&team=BrighamYoung&team=Buffalo&team=California&team=CentralFlorida&team=CentralMichigan&team=Cincinnati&team=Clemson&team=Colorado&team=ColoradoState&team=Connecticut&team=Duke&team=EastCarolina&team=EasternMichigan&team=Florida&team=FloridaState&team=FresnoState&team=Georgia&team=GeorgiaTech&team=Hawaii&team=Houston&team=Idaho&team=Illinois&team=Indiana&team=Iowa&team=IowaState&team=Kansas&team=KansasState&team=Kent&team=Kentucky&team=LouisianaState&team=LouisianaTech&team=LouisianaLafayette&team=LouisianaMonroe&team=Louisville&team=Marshall&team=Maryland&team=Memphis&team=MiamiFlorida&team=MiamiOhio&team=Michigan&team=MichiganState&team=MiddleTennesseeState&team=Minnesota&team=Mississippi&team=MississippiState&team=Missouri&team=Navy&team=Nebraska&team=Nevada&team=NevadaLasVegas&team=NewMexico&team=NewMexicoState&team=NorthCarolina&team=NorthCarolinaState&team=NorthTexas&team=NorthernIllinois&team=Northwestern&team=NotreDame&team=Ohio&team=OhioState&team=Oklahoma&team=OklahomaState&team=Oregon&team=OregonState&team=PennState&team=Pittsburgh&team=Purdue&team=Rice&team=Rutgers&team=SanDiegoState&team=SanJoseState&team=SouthCarolina&team=SouthFlorida&team=SouthernCalifornia&team=SouthernMethodist&team=SouthernMississippi&team=Stanford&team=Syracuse&team=Temple&team=Tennessee&team=Texas&team=TexasAM&team=TexasChristian&team=TexasTech&team=TexasElPaso&team=Toledo&team=Tulane&team=Tulsa&team=UCLA&team=Utah&team=UtahState&team=Vanderbilt&team=Virginia&team=VirginiaTech&team=WakeForest&team=Washington&team=WashingtonState&team=WestVirginia&team=WesternMichigan&team=Wisconsin&team=Wyoming) for home winning percentages of I-A schools. Unfortunately, there's no combined percentage.

EDIT: it may take a minute to load

[GreatAppSt]

Meanwhile, Division I-AA teams, by my unofficial count, had a .150 winning percentage against I-A last season, going 6-40. Three of the six victories came against I-A newbies Florida International (two) and Florida Atlantic (one).


I wonder what the percentage would be if only Full Scholly or equivalant I-AA teams were counted. Robert Morris & Duquesne give me a break.

[Mr. C]

Keep doing your homework. Maybe you'll get it right one of these days. Let's go Youngstown State!

colgate13
Nice comeback my RED Raider friend (sorry, I'm not one of those PC types, it' still Red Raiders in my book).

[Mr. C]

Mr. C, try this link for home winning percentages of I-A schools. Unfortunately, there's no combined percentage.

EDIT: it may take a minute to load
Thanks for the info, Rob. When Mr. C does need to look up a fact, it's nice to have the AGS board around to help.

[WMTribe90]

This guy keeps shifting the debate. Its not about how many wins I-AA has over IA. Here is the real question as it relates to his original piece.

Is it better for BCS conference members to play a non-BCS IA or a regional I-AA team in terms of fan interest (attendance) and competitiveness of the game?

I think the answer is it depends and the question can only truly be answered on a case by case basis. It would certainly be better for Wake Forest to play ASU than North Texas. Both would offer the same level of competitiveness, while the Mountaineers would certainly draw more fans.

For this guy to make a blanket statement about IA is of course ridiculous.

As a general rule, it is better for the IA BCS school to play a regional scholarship (grant/aide included) program than a non-regional non-BCS program.

I would love to see the win percentages and average margin of victory for BCS home games between these two groups.

Scholarship I-AA vs Non-BCS IA

I bet the numbers would be very close. This is the stat which would be most relevant to the guy's flawed agrument.

[89Hen]

Did I misunderstand the bit about I-AA's .150 winning percentage against I-A? I didn't think he was talking about Duquesne or Robert Morris.
Did you skip my above post? The point about DU and RMC is that he's basing his whole perception of I-AA on programs that don't draw 2000 fans per game, aren't a part of the playoffs, and would have a .000 winning percentage against I-A. Look, nobody here wants to bad mouth DU or RMC, but they are certainly not representative of the top half of full scholarship I-AA.

[yomama]

Not his point at all. He was merely paying respect to a couple of local programs that have been successful (to the chagrin of so-called I-AA fans on this board).

While West Virginia certainly beat others aside from JM, the fact remains I-AA lost about 85% of the time against D1. Even on the road, no one in I-A is that futile.

[colgate13]

the fact remains I-AA lost about 85% of the time against D1. Even on the road, no one in I-A is that futile.

No one? You would think the way that this reporter is getting blasted for making generalizations would serve as a warning to others. I can think of plenty I-As that ARE that futile on the road. Buffalo... Rice.... Tulane... UL-Lafayette.... UNLV... Directional Michigans... SW Louisiana... Ball State...

Help me out folks!
:cool:

[colgate13]

Christ! TEMPLE!

[FightinBluHen51]

No one? You would think the way that this reporter is getting blasted for making generalizations would serve as a warning to others. I can think of plenty I-As that ARE that futile on the road. Buffalo... Rice.... Tulane... UL-Lafayette.... UNLV... Directional Michigans... SW Louisiana... Ball State...

Help me out folks!
:cool:



You sure you wanna put Ball St. on that list...the fighting football fighting cards are making a resurgance :deadhorse: :bang:

[FightinBluHen51]

Christ! TEMPLE!


SMU, Baylor.

[89Hen]

Not his point at all. He was merely paying respect to a couple of local programs that have been successful (to the chagrin of so-called I-AA fans on this board).
ABSOLUTELY part of his point and in NO WAY was that intended to pay respect to them. The two main points he presented were that the I-AA games were non-competitive and not of interest. The real truth is that the Sun Belt, WAC, MAC... aren't competitive against the BCS either. To single out I-AA and not all non-competitive games is silly. As for the comment on RMC and Duquesne, he's using them to say he knows I-AA football and no I-A fan would be interested in playing them. While RMC and DU are in I-AA, they are NOT representative of I-AA and they certainly don't have the following a YSU, GSU, UD, UM.... have. He's saying a DU/Southern Cal game would be ridiculous.... you know what, IT WOULD BE! But a Pitt/YSU game? A PSU/Lehigh game? A GT/GSU game?.... yomama, your defending of this clown is putting you on thin ice. People are going to start wondering if you perhaps might not be this author.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Basically, I think Joe (like many) got into sportswriting so he could watch "big-time" games from the pressbox and wax prophetic in a column every week. Pitt playing I-AA or little-known I-A teams isn't so much an affront to fans as it is to Joe's view of himself as a "big-time" sports writer.

Um, isn't that why I got into I-AA sportswriting? And, dammit, I *am* a big-time I-AA sportswriter!!!

:cool:

[Lehigh Football Nation]

ABSOLUTELY part of his point and in NO WAY was that intended to pay respect to them. The two main points he presented were that the I-AA games were non-competitive and not of interest. The real truth is that the Sun Belt, WAC, MAC... aren't competitive against the BCS either. To single out I-AA and not all non-competitive games is silly. As for the comment on RMC and Duquesne, he's using them to say he knows I-AA football and no I-A fan would be interested in playing them. While RMC and DU are in I-AA, they are NOT representative of I-AA and they certainly don't have the following a YSU, GSU, UD, UM.... have. He's saying a DU/Southern Cal game would be ridiculous.... you know what, IT WOULD BE! But a Pitt/YSU game? A PSU/Lehigh game? A GT/GSU game?.... yomama, your defending of this clown is putting you on thin ice. People are going to start wondering if you perhaps might not be this author.

DU vs. USC would be ridiculous since it betrays the author's lack of knowlege of I-AA and the rule that was passed.

First, the Dukes don't have 63 equivalencies, so therefore a victory against them would not count towards your win total.

Second, there was nothing *stopping* USC to schedule Duquesne had they wished. The game just wouldn't have counted towards their win total for bowl eligibility. They still could schedule the game now - but, like last year, it still wouldn't count towards their bowl total.

Third, USC would never schedule Duquesne since they'd have to fly them halfway across the country, with only a handful of fans, to have the game not count towards their bowl total.

This, along with the other points repeated here (I-AAs are competitive with certain I-As, local matchups with a I-AA vs. I-A are desireable for fans of both schools) mean it's clear that the guy probably isn't a real fan of college football.

I'm not going to pile on the guy, but also worthy of note is a middling I-AA, Eastern Illinois, outdrew Northern Illinois (the co-champion of the MAC) at Eastern Michigan last year. So the idea that people are not going to go through the turnstiles for I-AA matchups is also ridiculous. If Eastern Illinois outdraws the best the MAC has to offer, that's pretty significant.

:cool:

[yomama]

You also might have missed the part of the column where I said there are "plenty" of I-AA teams that are better than the worst I-A teams.

Meanwhile, Division I-AA teams, by my unofficial count, had a .150 winning percentage against I-A last season, going 6-40.

Three of the six victories came against I-A newbies Florida International (two) and Florida Atlantic (one).

The other three wins were against Mississippi State (3-8), Eastern Michigan (3-8) and Rutgers (4-7).

In other words, no Division I-AA team beat even a respectable Division I-A team last year.

Furthermore, I'm not sure where you come up with all these "competitive" games.

The average score in those 40 losses was 38-12.

There were nine shutouts and only three of 40 games decided by less than a touchdown (of course, one involved Florida International).

The scores: 28-7, 49-7, 21-7, 42-0, 28-10, 33-3, 42-14, 32-0, 52-0, 56-17, 27-13, 49-38, 39-24, 23-0, 14-7, 22-16, 59-0, 42-0, 27-17, 34-20, 19-7, 48-0, 41-38, 53-7, 52-21, 42-20, 48-28, 38-21, 37-21, 28-0, 49-0, 45-10, 31-10, 29-7, 39-14, 47-28, 52-14, 42-3, 28-24, 21-3.

If I'm not mistaken, then, there were only two instances last year of a Division I-AA team coming within a touchdown of a beating a winning I-A team.

One of those I-A teams was Pitt, which says a whole lot more about where they were early last year than it does about Furman.

That game, incidentally, drew a paltry crowd of 35,121 at Heinz Field.

The Division I-AA champion, James Madison, lost its only I-A game, 45-10, to West Virginia.




Neither Duquesne nor RM play I-A teams, so let's put that to rest and stop hiding behind scapegoats and personal attacks.

Aside from his nod to Pittsburgh schools, I've listed the dozen relevant sentences on I-A versus I-AA. I hope this helps your reading comprehension. If not, have fun adding another 10 pages to this thread without me.

[colgate13]

I'm not going to pile on the guy,

Why not, it's fun!

[89Hen]

Neither Duquesne nor RM play I-A teams, so let's put that to rest and stop hiding behind scapegoats and personal attacks.

Aside from his nod to Pittsburgh schools, I've listed the dozen relevant sentences on I-A versus I-AA. I hope this helps your reading comprehension. If not, have fun adding another 10 pages to this thread without me.
My reading comprehension is fine. You just have a chip on your shoulder when anyone mentions anything about a mid-major. The point is that HE brought up Duquesne AND RMC, not any of us. HE used them as a ridiculous example. HE intimates that he knows I-AA because of the successful DU and RMC programs in his area. Here are my points in big type again in case you missed them for the fourth time:

1. DUQUESNE AND RMC ARE NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF I-AA. Saying you are familiar with them doesn't mean you are familiar with the rest of I-AA. Saying that a game between DU and SoCal would be ridiculous and of non-interest is speaking in hyperbole and not making a valid point.

2. BCS TEAMS BEAT MANY NON-BCS TEAMS BY THE SAME MARGINS THEY BEAT I-AAs. If your point is that you don't want I-A's picking up I-AA's for their 12th game because they aren't extrememly competitive, then BCS I-A's should be forced to stop scheduling Sun Belt teams too.

3. I-AA's ARE OFTEN MORE INTERESTING OPPONENTS THAN NON-BCS I-A's. You can't seriously argue that Pitt would get more interest from their fans by bringing in Utah State or La Tech then they would YSU. I can tell you when UVA brought in Troy a couple years ago, people had no idea that there were colleges in ancient Turkey still playing CF today. There is MUCH more interest in playing a JMU, W&M, Richmond...

:deadhorse

[Mr. C]

It would certainly be better for Wake Forest to play ASU than North Texas. Both would offer the same level of competitiveness, while the Mountaineers would certainly draw more fans.

Funny that you would put App State, Wake Forest and North Texas in the same sentence. App State's now Ex-AD took a TON of flack in 1995 when he scheduled a game against Division II Edinboro after turning down a game with I-A North Texas (North Texas went I-A in 1995 after nearly beating I-AA finalist Boise State in the first round of the 1994 playoffs). He went to great lengths to lie about the fact that North Texas (where Jerry Moore had his first head coaching job) had offered ASU the game. ASU had beaten Wake Forest the previous week (bringing in the largest home crowd of the year at Groves Stadium) and probably would have beaten North Texas too. That would have given the Mountaineers a 2-0 record against I-As to start the 1995 season. That Mountaineer team beat Edinboro 49-7 instead, playing their second and third teams the entire second half. ASU won 12 straight games that year and was ranked No. 2 in the country behind McNeese State before injuries to two NFL players caught up with them against Stephen F. Austin.

There are a lot of I-AA vs I-A matchups that make tons of sense, such as ASU traveling to North Carolina State next season. YSU going to Pitt is a great game for the Penguins and I bet there will be plenty of folks from Youngstown making the couple of hours trip to this game.

[89Hen]

I really think yomama is Joe Starkey. His latest response was simple and so was my reply back....

-----Original Message-----
From: Joe Starkey [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2005 5:37 PM
Subject: RE: Absurd is right!

The numbers speak for themselves.

My reply:

So do these….

FSU 34 – UAB 7
Florida 52 – MTSU 16
Auburn 31 – LA Monroe 0
Arkansas 49 – LA Monroe 20
Missouri 52 – Arkansas State 20
LSU 53 - Arkansas State 3
K State 40 – LA Lafayette 20
Arkansas 63 – New Mexico State 16
California 41 - New Mexico State 14
Texas 65 – North Texas 0
Colorado 52 – North Texas 21
Alabama 48 – Utah State 17
Washington State 49 – Idaho 8
Oregon 48 – Idaho 10
Florida 49 – Eastern Michigan 10
Purdue 59 – Ball State 7
Missouri 48 – Ball State 0
Virginia Tech 63 – Western Michigan 0
Penn State 48 – Akron 10
Virginia 51 – Akron 0
Indiana 41 – Central Michigan 10
Syracuse 37 – Buffalo 17
Iowa 39 – Kent 7
Wisconsin 34 – Central Florida 6
West Virginia 34 – Central Florida 20
Penn State 37 – Central Florida 13
South Carolina 34 – South Florida 3
Tennessee 42 – UNLV 17

[ISUMatt]

Thats what he sent me... The numbers speak for themselves...What a moron

[WMTribe90]

Following this guys logic, bowl participant UNC shouldn't have played conference and BCS mates Duke and GT last year.

UNC vs WM 49 - 38
UNC vs Duke 40 -17
UNC vs GT 34 - 13

[D1B]

I really think yomama is Joe Starkey. His latest response was simple and so was my reply back....

-----Original Message-----
From: Joe Starkey [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2005 5:37 PM
Subject: RE: Absurd is right!

The numbers speak for themselves.

My reply:

So do these….

FSU 34 – UAB 7
Florida 52 – MTSU 16
Auburn 31 – LA Monroe 0
Arkansas 49 – LA Monroe 20
Missouri 52 – Arkansas State 20
LSU 53 - Arkansas State 3
K State 40 – LA Lafayette 20
Arkansas 63 – New Mexico State 16
California 41 - New Mexico State 14
Texas 65 – North Texas 0
Colorado 52 – North Texas 21
Alabama 48 – Utah State 17
Washington State 49 – Idaho 8
Oregon 48 – Idaho 10
Florida 49 – Eastern Michigan 10
Purdue 59 – Ball State 7
Missouri 48 – Ball State 0
Virginia Tech 63 – Western Michigan 0
Penn State 48 – Akron 10
Virginia 51 – Akron 0
Indiana 41 – Central Michigan 10
Syracuse 37 – Buffalo 17
Iowa 39 – Kent 7
Wisconsin 34 – Central Florida 6
West Virginia 34 – Central Florida 20
Penn State 37 – Central Florida 13
South Carolina 34 – South Florida 3
Tennessee 42 – UNLV 17

Nice Hen. Jackass sent me the same reply, cept I aint smart enuff to hit em back with a decent reply. Thanks for having R bax! :D

[blur2005]

I gave this guy some love as well.

[GASIUalum]

nice of him to leave out the road game weak 1-AA SIU played at MAC co-champ NIU that drew a record crowd and that SIU could have won with 47 seconds left.

[igo4uni]

I love it!!

Good work, boys!!

peace

igo4uni

[putter]

My reply was:

You might have missed the part of the column where I said there are "plenty"
of I-AA teams that are better than the worst I-A teams.



Meanwhile, Division I-AA teams, by my unofficial count, had a .150 winning
percentage against I-A last season, going 6-40. Three of the six victories
came against I-A newbies Florida International (two) and Florida Atlantic
(one).



The other three wins were against Mississippi State (3-8), Eastern Michigan
(3-8) and Rutgers (4-7).



In other words, no Division I-AA team beat even a respectable Division I-A
team last year.



Furthermore, I'm not sure where you come up with all these "competitive"
games. The average score in those 40 losses was 38-12. There were nine
shutouts and only three of 40 games decided by less than a touchdown (of
course, one involved Florida International).



The scores: 28-7, 49-7, 21-7, 42-0, 28-10, 33-3, 42-14, 32-0, 52-0, 56-17,
27-13, 49-38, 39-24, 23-0, 14-7, 22-16, 59-0, 42-0, 27-17, 34-20, 19-7,
48-0, 41-38, 53-7, 52-21, 42-20, 48-28, 38-21, 37-21, 28-0, 49-0, 45-10,
31-10, 29-7, 39-14, 47-28, 52-14, 42-3, 28-24, 21-3.



If I'm not mistaken, then, there were only two instances last year of a
Division I-AA team coming within a touchdown of a beating a winning I-A
team. One of those I-A teams was Pitt, which says a whole lot more about
where they were early last year than it does about Furman.



That game, incidentally, drew a paltry crowd of 35,121 at Heinz Field.



The Division I-AA champion, James Madison, lost its only I-A game, 45-10, to
West Virginia.



Sincerely,

Joseph Starkey