(12-22-2014 05:10 PM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  

(12-22-2014 04:47 PM)BDKJMU Wrote:  

(12-21-2014 11:04 AM)JMUNation Wrote:  I think I read there are currently 125 FCS schools. If the MEAC does not participate in the playoffs, that brings the participating schools to 96 (MEAC, SWAC & IVY = 29 teams). Basically, 1 in 4 teams will qualify to make the playoffs each year.

Jay Walker (MEAC homer commentator calling the UNH/ISU game) was taking about the playoff field during the game. They put up a graph that showed 124 teams. ESPN is showing 124, but that includes UNCC, so that leaves 123.
http://espn.go.com/college-football/stan..._/group/81
Take away the 29 from the MEAC/SWAC/IVY and that leaves 94 for 24 spots. But the 11 team Pioneer will NEVER get more than one as long as they remain non scholly with not even equivalencies, FCS in name only.

That basically leaves 1 spot for the Pioneer and 23 for the remaining 82 teams. Rough about 1 for every 3 1/2 teams..

Might as well allow all teams to play. A coach who has a bonus based off of making the play-offs should also have to give back money if he doesn't make it.

Agree it's too watered down. This year they had to resort to taking a 7-5 MVFC team for the last At-Large. Now who would they have taken this year if there had been an additional at large spot to fill due to the MEAC (Morgan St) not being in the field? In a 12 game season were down to taking a 6-7 Div I win team from a power conference or an 8 win team from one of the weaker conferences. And you had JMU posters on here with the silly notion that an 8-4 JMU team wouldn't make the field.

I wanted to bump this thread to share that the meac has officially planned for this espn bowl with the swac starting next season. They will no longer be competing in the playoffs and there's now an extra at-large spot.
This is a good thing from our perspective. Well, aside from yet another bowl game out there of course.

With this happening, I wonder if this could shift some teams out of the MEAC. I look at a more northern team like Delaware State...would they really care about playing a SWAC team for a little money? ($1 million dollars split amongst all of the HBCUs is not a lot.) Tennessee State has shown that an HBCU does not need to stay with an HBCU conference...so could DSU start looking for a playoff-level? The Big South would probably take them in a heartbeat - they would be a good geographic partner with Monmouth.