Showing posts with label IAA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IAA. Show all posts
Saturday, January 7, 2012
IAA National Champion Crowned
North Dakota State earned a tough win this afternoon over a very good Sam Houston State club in the IAA Championship game. It was football played the way it was supposed to be. I was pulling for the local team but having watched both this year I had a strong feeling that NDSU would be able to take this game. They earned the title of National Champion the right way.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Moving Up? More Cons than Pros?
Some programs in IAA ball are about to move up to the "big time" in college ball. Does this make sense? In some cases and for some schools perhaps so. Other programs should perhaps stay where they are. Let's explore this briefly.
Texas State (San Marcos) is poised to move out of the ranks of IAA and move into whatever is left of the WAC. They have hired (unfortunately for them) Dennis Franchione to guide their team during this transition. Does it make sense for the Bobcat program to move out of the IAA Southland Conference into the WAC? I would think not frankly. This, their last year in IAA, will prove again that this school has trouble fielding a team that even can compete in the mediocre IAA Southland. The hiring of Franchione will only damage their progress as they move into D1.
UTSA is about to field a football team and will take it into D1 next year. Is this a good move? I would think that playing in the D2 Lone Star Conference or the IAA Southland would be a better move than a jump into the D1 WAC. Perhaps they ought to emulate Lamar which has recently resurrected football and is now a full member of the Southland. They (UTSA) have hired Larry Coker as HC to get things going and that, at least, is a smart move.
It may actually make some sense for South Alabama to move into the D1 Sun Belt. The program could have taken a look at two (or three) IAA conferences to affiliate with but a move into D1 might be a good move on their part. The teams in the Sun Belt are, for the most part, a good geographical match and the league has made great strides in being taken seriously as a D1 conference. The schools' surprise the "big boys" at times and some big time programs probably are starting to rethink the wisdom of scheduling a Troy or Florida International for their Homecoming "sure win." Who can forget the ULM beat down of the Crimson Tide just a few years back? It just might make sense for South Alabama to make the move into the Sun Belt.
It is also being reported that UMASS will transition into the MAC soon. Now the MAC does indeed need another program to make the two divisions equal. One has six and the other division seven, but it does not make much sense for UMASS to be the evener. The Minutemen play in one of the elite conferences of the IAA ranks and usually put a pretty competitive team on the field. The good East Coast IAA squads (and there are a bunch) are often on just about the same talent level as a middle tier ACC or Big East team. Why the move into the MAC for UMASS? It makes little sense. Why not focus on working toward the IAA Championship instead of going to some "bowl" game that the MAC is involved with. Unless it is the contest the MAC Champion plays in, then it will be a "bowl game" no one watches. It is much more prestigious to be the IAA Champion than to play in a third tier "bowl game."
Some of the elite (and not so elite) schools in IAA football perhaps need to think very carefully before trying to transition to D1. Are the rewards really worth it in the long run? In most cases I would think not.
Texas State (San Marcos) is poised to move out of the ranks of IAA and move into whatever is left of the WAC. They have hired (unfortunately for them) Dennis Franchione to guide their team during this transition. Does it make sense for the Bobcat program to move out of the IAA Southland Conference into the WAC? I would think not frankly. This, their last year in IAA, will prove again that this school has trouble fielding a team that even can compete in the mediocre IAA Southland. The hiring of Franchione will only damage their progress as they move into D1.
UTSA is about to field a football team and will take it into D1 next year. Is this a good move? I would think that playing in the D2 Lone Star Conference or the IAA Southland would be a better move than a jump into the D1 WAC. Perhaps they ought to emulate Lamar which has recently resurrected football and is now a full member of the Southland. They (UTSA) have hired Larry Coker as HC to get things going and that, at least, is a smart move.
It may actually make some sense for South Alabama to move into the D1 Sun Belt. The program could have taken a look at two (or three) IAA conferences to affiliate with but a move into D1 might be a good move on their part. The teams in the Sun Belt are, for the most part, a good geographical match and the league has made great strides in being taken seriously as a D1 conference. The schools' surprise the "big boys" at times and some big time programs probably are starting to rethink the wisdom of scheduling a Troy or Florida International for their Homecoming "sure win." Who can forget the ULM beat down of the Crimson Tide just a few years back? It just might make sense for South Alabama to make the move into the Sun Belt.
It is also being reported that UMASS will transition into the MAC soon. Now the MAC does indeed need another program to make the two divisions equal. One has six and the other division seven, but it does not make much sense for UMASS to be the evener. The Minutemen play in one of the elite conferences of the IAA ranks and usually put a pretty competitive team on the field. The good East Coast IAA squads (and there are a bunch) are often on just about the same talent level as a middle tier ACC or Big East team. Why the move into the MAC for UMASS? It makes little sense. Why not focus on working toward the IAA Championship instead of going to some "bowl" game that the MAC is involved with. Unless it is the contest the MAC Champion plays in, then it will be a "bowl game" no one watches. It is much more prestigious to be the IAA Champion than to play in a third tier "bowl game."
Some of the elite (and not so elite) schools in IAA football perhaps need to think very carefully before trying to transition to D1. Are the rewards really worth it in the long run? In most cases I would think not.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Some Sports Radio Guys Are Morons
This weekend I travelled to Louisiana to attend the funeral of my long time friends' father. This took precedence of course over watching the college game and therefore I watched very little. I did watch a little on Thursday night and will for certain watch the Boise State/VA. Tech game tomorrow. At any rate, on the way home late Saturday night I came across a sports "talk" program and was astounded but really not surprised at some of the dumb ass things being broadcast. Now, I have been racking my brain trying to remember the guys name, but apparently he is a national/regional sports talk guy. How I don't know. I have never heard of him that I can tell you. I can not for the life of me recall what his name is but he is a fool. I don't think pills will help. His comments on the IAA Jacksonville State OT victory over the Ole Miss Rebels was ridiculous. He completely disparaged the Gamecock program, simply because he is not familiar with it and it is not "big time" college ball. What an arrogant no talent ass! Does he not recall the close call that Florida State had last year against this same program? Granted this year J'ville State does not have the pro caliber (but troubled) QB they did last season; but to totally write off a IAA program is foolish. It shows that he does not do his homework. It shows that he is not truly qualified for his job. A IAA squad beating a good D1 opponent is not real common occurrence, but it is not an anomaly either. Kansas was beaten by one this week along with the Rebs by a team from the lower division. This guy is a dolt but he is not alone. Unfortunately.
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