Posts Tagged ‘Southwestern Athletic’

Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Conference Expansion Explored!

April 22nd, 2010

Currently there are a lot of rumors, speculation, and chatter about the Big Ten, Pac Ten, and possibly the Big East, Big 12, and the Mountain West Conferences respectively expanding their conferences, whether for more and or better markets, due to TV network contracts, or just for survival.

With that being said, some conferences in the world of Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) need and should follow suit.

I took some time to examine the current line-up of FCS Conferences, and came up with a number of conferences that should or need to expand.

 

Southland Conference

The Southland Conference is like the SEC of Football Bowl Champion Subdivision. It has a strong number of core teams, and it has established its own network to show the conference’s athletic events.

Currently, the Southland Conference has so much pull in the FCS, it was basically awarded the FCS Championship Game near its own headquarters (Frisco, Texas at Pizza Hut Stadium).

With that said, one of its current members; Univ. of Texas at San Antonio, (UTSA) will be starting its inaugural football season in 2011.

UTSA has all ready stated it wants to compete in the FBS, and is making current arrangements to enter into the FBS as an independent.  Overall that will leave the Southland Conference will 11 total members, but 9 competing in football (The Univ. of Lamar Cardinals will resume its football program this up-coming season).

The other two members, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and University of Texas at Arlington do not have a football program.

This a great time for the conference to open its doors to expand and possibly have a championship game.  Here are a few teams the conference can take a look at.

· Grambling State Tigers:   The Tigers has a solid football team, and has finished with a winning record year in and year out. They fit geographically as well.

It would benefit the Tigers based on the fact that while they are in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) even if they win their conference title (as with all conference football members) they will not be able to participate in the FCS playoffs, for a chance to win a national championship.

That's because the SWAC does not participate in the FCS Playoffs due to games scheduled at the time the FCS Playoffs start. Also it would  boost to the schools recruiting of athletes as well.

· Univ. of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Golden Lions (UAPB): The Golden Lions are in the same situation as Grambling State, with not being able to participate in the FCS Playoffs. Ark at PB would add another rivalry to the Southland Conference by playing the Central Arkansas Bears and fits geographically.

· Prairie View A&M Panthers: PVA&M is a Texas based team, who along with UAPB and Grambling State also play in the SWAC Conference. The Panthers football team is on the rise and currently are the SWAC champions. Unfortunately, even with a 9-3 record, because of the SWAC rules, they were forced to sit at home during the FCS Playoffs.

 

 

Big Sky Conference

Over the years the Big Sky Conference has molded itself to become a solid conference with power-house football program, the Montana Grizzlies, and solid programs like Weber State Wildcats, Eastern Washington Eagles and the Montana State Bobcats.

Currently the conference has nine members; adding three more members would give the Big Sky a conference championship game.

· San Diego Toreros: The Toreros would be a nice fit with the Big Sky. As stated in the Great West Conference portion, the Toreros are out of place in the Pioneer Conference.

San Diego would give the Big Sky another California-based team as well as the San Diego market, which could be a nice area for a conference championship game if the conference expanded to 12 teams.

Also it would add another rivalry to the conference with fellow California based team the Sacramento State Hornets.

· Southern Utah Thunderbirds : Southern Utah is a team out of the Great West Conference. The Thunderbirds definitely fits geographically and gives the conference another Utah-based program.

· North Dakota Fighting Sioux : North Dakota (the nickname “Fighting Sioux” will soon change) gives the conference another team that fits regionally. North Dakota plays in the Great West Conference.

The Fighting Sioux’s football program is currently getting better. North Dakota is known for its men’s hockey team, but is solid in other sports as well.

· South Dakota Coyotes: The Coyotes, like the “Fighting Sioux” plays in the Great West Conference. Regionally they also fit as well.

· Univ. of California-Davis Aggies: The UC Davis Aggies is another California based team that plays in the Great West Conference. The Aggies have a rising football program and would give the conference another California based team and would add another rivalry to the conference with Sacramento State.

 

Great West Conference

 The Great West Conference is a fairly new football conference in the FCS, only comprised of five football members. This without more members, in my opinion this leaves the conference open to being raided.

If the conference was able to add two or three more teams it could help it become a more solid conference.

The Great West Conference does not have an automatic berth bid to participate in the FCS playoffs, it's invitation only. Adding more members could change that. Here is a possible candidate.

 

· San Diego Toreros: The Toreros currently plays in the Pioneer League, which is comprised of teams mostly based in the mid-west, Ohio valley and the east coast. San Diego University is the only team from California and the western region of the United States.

The Great West Conference would be a perfect fit. It would help with the cost of travel and with current Great West Conference member Cal Poly Mustangs would give the conference a solid in-state rival.

 

Big South Conference: In 2002 the Big South began sponsoring football. Currently the conference only has seven football members.

At this time the Big South has an automatic bid into the FCS Playoffs. Adding a school or two would help strengthen this conference.

· Jacksonville Dolphins: The Dolphins currently play in the Pioneer Conference. If the Big South would add the Dolphins to their conference, it would give them the Jacksonville, Florida market and its surrounding areas.

It would also open up more recruiting in the state of Florida.

· Charlotte 49ers: The Univ. of Charlotte begins play in 2013, resuming its football program, which discontinued play in 1948. The 49ers have stated it would eventually like to move up to FBS status, but there is not time table set for such a move.

Inviting Charlotte to the Big South would be perfect, since one a number of their current members are based in the state of North Carolina and to it would give the Big South the Charlotte, N.C., market.

 

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Posted in College Football, NCAA, Opinion

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NCAA: Why Holding Postseason Conference Tournaments Hurts Mid-Majors

March 8th, 2010

The madness has got to stop.

No more conference tournaments.

The NCAA Tournament that starts in March actually is fulfilling. However, the conference tournaments that prelude the pageantry of the Final Four are not.

At least not for many small college basketball programs the last few years.

The best teams from the mid-majors are usually left sitting in their dorms studying for mid-terms, while underachievers move on to the annual first-round drubbing at the hands of one of the No. 1 seeds.

Jackson State's stellar 17-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference record and 19-11 overall record will mean nothing once the SWAC Tournament starts (March 10-13 in Shreveport, L.A.).

The Tigers would be one loss away from heading home for the rest of the season if they falter in the conference tournament.

From 2004-2007, Delaware State University posted one of the greatest stretches of regular season dominance in modern Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference history. The Hornets were a combined 46-8 and went into the MEAC Basketball Tournament as the top seed each year.

The 2004 season would be the only year that the Hornets would win the MEAC championship and receive an automatic bid to the NCAA national tournament, eventually losing to number one seed Duke University by only 11 points.

In a rare twist, 20-loss Coppin State won the MEAC Tournament. That's right, 20.

No 20-loss team deserves to be in the same postseason bracket as high school programs, let alone the best 64 college basketball programs in the country.

Oakland University, who finished the 2005 regular season with a 7-9 record in Mid-Continent play, won the conference tourney and gained an NCAA birth.

Many believe that the chances of a small college program upsetting a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament are slim to none, so it might not matter anyway, right?

Mid-majors get an automatic bid to the NIT. That is only accomplished by winning the regular season title.

Considering that those being part of a league that feature a poor RPI weigh heavily against those that don't participate in major conferences, it is time for the powers that be to think about scrapping the season-ending dog-and-pony shows and let the regular season champ represent the conference in the largest amateur basketball party in the world.

Continuing this practice only makes the regular season meaningless. Many college coaches believe the regular season schedule accurately reflects who the best teams are versus a four-day conference tournament.

If Syracuse—the Big East regular season champion—can afford to lose in their conference tournament and still make the field of 65, then a mid-major regular season champ should be afforded that same luxury.

Duke lost to 5-11 NC State (conference record), Ohio State lost to 7-10 Michigan  (conference record), and Kentucky lost to 6-10 South Carolina (conference record).

Should those elite teams not make the NCAA Tournament if they don't win the ACC, Big Ten, or SEC conference tournaments?

Of course they are going to the Big Dance. But my point in bringing those programs up is because they all had off nights against inferior opponents.

The Tar Heels lost in the ACC Tournament just a season ago to Florida State, but went on to win the national title.

So to say a mid-major regular season champion shouldn't get a mulligan after potentially losing in the conference tournament is shortsighted at best.

Take this into consideration as well: If the conference tournament matters so much, you can't have the average teams in the league participating in them.

It makes no sense in terms of competitive structure. In essence, what these leagues are saying is that their mediocre programs should have the same right to advance to the NCAA tournament as the regular season conference champion such as the Big East has done in inviting all 16 schools. So that means one-win DePaul will get another shot at playing for a national title. 

But because having another revenue source available for leagues by holding a conference tournament is too good to pass up, the postseason practice will not depart any time soon. Currently, the Ivy League is the only conference which does not have a postseason tournament. 

Mid-major front runners beware.

 



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Posted in College Basketball, NCAA, Opinion, ncaa tournament

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Missouri Tigers News and Notes: Spring Practices Rapidly Approaching

February 13th, 2010

Don't know about you, but I'm getting a little sick of battling the shakes as part of my war with college football withdrawal.

Alas, relief is on the horizon, as only three and half weeks separate us from the beginning of the Missouri Tigers' spring practices, which commence on Mar. 9th.

Here's a few links to chew on regarding the MU football program and other happenings around the athletics department:

  • In the first of what figures to be a number of incidences of attrition within the program, No. 4 running back Gilbert Moye decided this week to leave the team and will reportedly transfer after the end of the current semester.

A redshirt sophomore, Moye began his career at safety but was converted to running back prior to the 2009 season. In very limited duty, he rushed for 35 yards on six carries, all of which came against Furman on Sept. 19th. He reportedly hopes to play his old high school position of quarterback at his new destination, likely a school from either the Southland Conference or Southwestern Athletic Conference, both FCS members.

With Moye's defection, assuming that each of the 23 newcomers who signed earlier this month qualify academically, MU now has 89 players on its roster. Per NCAA rules, 85 scholarships are allowed to be given out each season, which means the Tigers overshot their recruiting numbers purposely, perhaps under the assumption that Moye would be but one of a small handful of players who will either decide to transfer or have their scholarship stripped.

  • Gabe DeArmond of Power Mizzou gets an early jump on spring ball by breaking down what stories will dominate the Tigers' early-season practice period. Among them is whether either of the two newly-minted quarterbacks — freshmen Tyler Gabbert and James Franklin (above) — will be able to land the backup role.
  • DeArmond's father, Kansas City Star writer Mike DeArmond, spoke with MU head coach Gary Pinkel at a recent area function. When asked about the state of his team's defense, particularly the maligned secondary, Pinkel responded: "Coverage-wise, we’re looking at a couple of different options now. We’re talking to some people. We’ve got to get it fixed.”
  • Missouri joining the Big Ten makes sense. Colorado defecting to the Pac-10 probably even more so. Texas to either of those conferences? Forget about it.
  • In an attempt to zap even more emotion and enthusiasm from the game of college football, the NCAA is proposing a rule that would flag a player for taunting on his way to the end zone and assess the penalty at the spot of the foul, therefore negating the touchdown. If the incident occurs in the end zone, officials will apply the current rule, which imposes a 15-yard penalty on the ensuing kickoff.

If the NCAA were smart, it would not tinker with the ways things are now, which happen to be outrageously subjective to begin with, all because no official seems to have a clear grasp as to what actually constitutes taunting or unsportsmanlike conduct? Now they want to potentially rob a team of a game-winning score because of what one player may or may not have done?

  • Onto college basketball, where the notion of increasing the NCAA Tournament field to include 96 teams has been meant with fervor, with much of the opposition residing within the media. Meanwhile, coaches don't seem to mind the idea, while one writer in particular interjects with a dose of reason.
  • ESPN.com columnist Pat Forde recently polled writers from each of the six major conferences on the best and worst towns within their respective leagues, as well as which town was the best for basketball. Suffice it to say, I wasn't all that shocked that Columbia wasn't mentioned ahead of a place like Lawrence, albeit a hoops synagogue that resides in the "vast nothingness that is the middle of Kansas."
  • In the same article, Forde — an MU alum — lists Kansas' Mar. 6 date with the Tigers in Columbia as the Jayhawks' "scariest" game from here on out.
  • Believe it or not, the Missouri baseball team begins its season next week. The Tigers, which feature only three seniors, will play in the Collegiate Cactus Classic in Tuscon, Ariz., beginning on Feb. 17.
  • One final note, and it has to do with a bit of shameless self-promotion. Be sure to read my article, "Five New Ways To Watch The Olympics," which was recently posted at Askmen.com.

Photo credit: HSgametime.com

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Posted in College Football, Gary Pinkel, Missouri Tigers Football, NCAA, Rankings/List

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RB Gilbert Moye Leaves Team, Will to Transfer From Missouri

February 9th, 2010

The crowd that is Missouri's offensive backfield has become a little less dense.

Running back Gilbert Moye has left the team and will transfer from the university upon completion of the current semester, school officials confirmed to the Columbia Daily Tribune on Monday.

According to MU beat writer Dave Matter, a source close to Moye confirmed the news, as did team spokesman Chad Moeller, who told the paper Monday evening that the running back has, indeed, parted ways with the team.

Matter reported that Moye intends to transfer to a program from either the Southwestern Athletic Conference or Southland Conference—both of which are part of college football's Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA—where he hopes to play his old high school position of quarterback.

Missouri will now enter next month's spring practices with three scholarship running backs on its roster, but that number may very well double entering preseason workouts. The trio of senior Derrick Washington, junior De'Vion Moore, and sophomore Kendial Lawrence will be joined in the fall by freshmen Marcus Murphy (DeSoto, Tx.), Henry Josey (Angleton, Tx.), and Greg White (DeQueen, Ark.), all of whom were part of MU's recent recruiting class.

Considering Moye's past in the MU program—which was laden with variety but light on production—his decision to leave should not be altogether surprising.

A former standout quarterback from Diboll High School in Texas, Moye was quickly converted to the safety position upon his arrival in Columbia in 2007 as one of the country's top-rated "athletes." After a redshirt season, he played in 11 games in 2008, with a significant portion of his time spent on MU's kickoff return unit. All the while, Moye was receiving plenty of reps in practice while learning from one of the best safeties in MU history—current Atlanta Falcon William Moore.

But along with the 2009 season came yet another position switch. In an attempt to utilize Moye's coveted blend of size, speed, and athleticism, the Missouri staff moved him to running back, where the 6'2", 220-pound native of Jasper, Texas, figured to challenge for a backup role.

However, with Washington and Moore entrenched as the team's top two backs, Moye struggled at times with inconsistency and fumbles during preseason workouts in August, resulting in him losing his No. 3 role to Lawrence.

Buried on the depth chart as MU's fourth option at running back, Moye was nearly invisible this past season, rushing for only 35 yards on six carries, all of which came versus Furman on Sept. 19.

 

Photo courtesy of Columbia Daily Tribune.

You can find this article and more at my page at Examiner.com.

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Posted in Breaking News, College Football, Missouri Tigers Football, NCAA

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