B10 Finalizes Non FCS Policy

Harry · April 29, 2013

"It was fully explored," Delany said of a 10-game league schedule. "It would have been nice, but we were having difficulty seeing 28 nonconference games and getting accomplished what we want in terms of major matchups. We felt we'd have a much harder time getting to seven home games.

"We just thought it was a reach. Who's to say in the future where we may go, but right now, we felt nine was the right place to be."

The league's athletic directors and presidents also approved a scheduling model that includes at least one team from a major FBS conference per year and no FCS teams. Delany hopes the model will be in place league-wide by 2016.

The league approved a nine-game schedule in August 2011 but went back to eight after forming a scheduling partnership with the Pac-12. When the partnership fell apart last summer, the Big Ten decided to keep an eight-game league schedule, which will remain for the next three seasons.

The Big Ten's initial division alignment for the 2011 season was based primarily on competitive balance rather than geography. Teams such as Wisconsin and Illinois were moved in the opposite division from some of their rivals, and several top rivalries, such as Michigan-Ohio State, were protected with crossover games.

Read more: http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/9220734/big-ten-schools-ok-realignment-9-game-schedule

emmitt01 · April 29, 2013

"It was fully explored," Delany said of a 10-game league schedule. "It would have been nice, but we were having difficulty seeing 28 nonconference games and getting accomplished what we want in terms of major matchups. We felt we'd have a much harder time getting to seven home games.
"We just thought it was a reach. Who's to say in the future where we may go, but right now, we felt nine was the right place to be."
The league's athletic directors and presidents also approved a scheduling model that includes at least one team from a major FBS conference per year and no FCS teams. Delany hopes the model will be in place league-wide by 2016.
The league approved a nine-game schedule in August 2011 but went back to eight after forming a scheduling partnership with the Pac-12. When the partnership fell apart last summer, the Big Ten decided to keep an eight-game league schedule, which will remain for the next three seasons.
The Big Ten's initial division alignment for the 2011 season was based primarily on competitive balance rather than geography. Teams such as Wisconsin and Illinois were moved in the opposite division from some of their rivals, and several top rivalries, such as Michigan-Ohio State, were protected with crossover games.
Read more: http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/9220734/big-ten-schools-ok-realignment-9-game-schedule

Ha. There are teams worried about getting seven home games. I'd settle for a consistent six.

untjim1995 · April 29, 2013

I am thrilled by this announcement and I hope that all other AQs follow this, too. I absolutely hate the September games between FCS schools and top AQs. Its bad enough to see SBC, MAC, and CUSA schools playing at AQ powers for a check, but they are all supposedly equal by being in FBS. Watching Alabama play Georgia State or Texas A&M play South Carolina State is just worthless to me.

UNTFan23 · April 29, 2013

It'll be interesting to see if this new rule backfires against a B1G school at some point in the future.

Eagle1855 · April 29, 2013

I think all the leagues should adopt such a rule.

VideoEagle · April 30, 2013

I don't see all the leagues adopting in it. First, it would kill the already very weak FCS. Secondly, the Mississippi States of the world need something to get six wins.

Eagle1855 · April 30, 2013

Secondly, the Mississippi States of the world need something to get six wins.

They could just schedule the us's of the world, right?

Arkstfan · April 30, 2013

Winthrop Intelligence had an interesting study of FBS attendance.

One of their findings (relevant to this thread) is that hosting an FCS is bad for attendance UNLESS the team is from your state or a border state. Otherwise, you lose ticket sales playing FCS schools.

untjim1995 · May 1, 2013

They could just schedule the us's of the world, right?

Exactly--the "weak" FCS isn't exactly that far behind the low end of FBS. Sam Houston, North Dakota State, Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, and others aren't terribly far from any SBC, MAC, or CUSA team right now. But that doesn't make it fair for an AQ team with 88 scholarships to playa team with 65 or wahtever number the FCS schools are allowed. Those money games should, at the very least, be against teams with similar scholarship levels. IOW, Texas should play North Texas or Texas State, not Sam Houston State or SFA.

GL2Greatness · May 1, 2013

Exactly--the "weak" FCS isn't exactly that far behind the low end of FBS. Sam Houston, North Dakota State, Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, and others aren't terribly far from any SBC, MAC, or CUSA team right now. But that doesn't make it fair for an AQ team with 88 scholarships to playa team with 65 or wahtever number the FCS schools are allowed. Those money games should, at the very least, be against teams with similar scholarship levels. IOW, Texas should play North Texas or Texas State, not Sam Houston State or SFA.

get a clue....since the 1983 season Texas has played 2 D1-AA teams and that was Sam Houston in 2006 and the score was 56-3.....they also played north Texas that year and the score was 56-7 and before that it was north Texas in 1983

so in 30 seasons Texas has played two D1-AA teams and one of them was north Texas 30 years ago and the other was Sam Houston in 2006 and they also played north Texas that year as well

so before you single out a team for playing D1-AA teams try and know what you are talking about....and in that 30 years Texas played north Texas 6 times so once every 5 years

forevereagle · May 1, 2013

get a clue....since the 1983 season Texas has played 2 D1-AA teams and that was Sam Houston in 2006 and the score was 56-3.....they also played north Texas that year and the score was 56-7 and before that it was north Texas in 1983

so in 30 seasons Texas has played two D1-AA teams and one of them was north Texas 30 years ago and the other was Sam Houston in 2006 and they also played north Texas that year as well

so before you single out a team for playing D1-AA teams try and know what you are talking about....and in that 30 years Texas played north Texas 6 times so once every 5 years

Cerebus · May 1, 2013

get a clue....

forevereagle · May 2, 2013

untjim1995 · May 2, 2013

get a clue....since the 1983 season Texas has played 2 D1-AA teams and that was Sam Houston in 2006 and the score was 56-3.....they also played north Texas that year and the score was 56-7 and before that it was north Texas in 1983

so in 30 seasons Texas has played two D1-AA teams and one of them was north Texas 30 years ago and the other was Sam Houston in 2006 and they also played north Texas that year as well

So before you single out a team for playing D1-AA teams try and know what you are talking about....and in that 30 years Texas played north Texas 6 times so once every 5 years

I'm quite familiar with who Texas has scheduled over the years. I was just using them as an example. I could have added A&M or Tech to the end of that sentence and it would have meant the exact same thing as it did with me using just Texas. It still doesn't change my mind on who any of those big AQ schools should play in their OOC schedule.

By the way, one piece of advice. Please stop posting here, checkfacts. You just aren't very good at this stuff.

VideoEagle · May 2, 2013

Just ignore trolls and they will go away. If you respond in anyway they will stay. Use the ignore feature and you don't even see their posts. Trolls will never leave if you feed them.