http://sportsunbiased.com/ncaa/college-f...couldnt/2/

don't really disagree with any of his points.

Between the tightening of P5 regular season games against G5 teams and the virtual elimination of P5 vs G5 Bowl games, my enthusiasm for a potential move has really diminished. Not that I want to stay in the CAA. It's just that I wanted the chance to have that magical season and be rewarded with a bowl game against a power team. Or to have an occasional home game against a big boy at historic Showker Field @ Bridgeforth Stadium. Those two possibilities were the only thing that could make me stomach a slate full of directional schools.

The way the landscape has been set up, home and homes with P5 will be much harder to come by. And our chances of that are already further hampered by the FBS regional newbies gobbling up the few BCS level teams that were actually willing to play on the road. For me now, moving up won't get us closer to the big boys; it'll simply will distance us from the Elons and CCSUs of the world.

The author of the article seems to hang his entire argument on the following assumption:

"Fewer games against top teams will beget weaker recruiting classes"

And to that I call B.S. The existing limits on scholarships, and the continued growth in the American population of young men playing Prep School FB will continue to provide more talent than there are roster spots on P5 teams.

The so-called "cracks" through which talented players fall will only continue to grow wider, not smaller, resulting in more parity, not less.

(05-14-2014 01:28 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  The author of the article seems to hang his entire argument on the following assumption:

"Fewer games against top teams will beget weaker recruiting classes"

And to that I call B.S. The existing limits on scholarships, and the continued growth in the American population of young men playing Prep School FB will continue to provide more talent than there are roster spots on P5 teams.

The so-called "cracks" through which talented players fall will only continue to grow wider, not smaller, resulting in more parity, not less.

Good point. Unless the scholarship maximum is raised from 85 to say 95 or 100, I can't imagine the big boys will be any better than they are now. Kids want to play...the days of riding the pine for 3 years and bustin your butt with a hope to play for Bama or Texas one day are over.

What a P5 split MIGHT do is getting better players to the traditional P5 doormats like Indiana, Kentucky, Duke, Wake Forest by stealing kids who would've gone to a solid G5 like Marshall, ECU, Fresno State, etc. etc. just so that they could have the chance to compete at "the highest level."....I said might though, not definite.

(05-14-2014 01:28 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  The author of the article seems to hang his entire argument on the following assumption:

"Fewer games against top teams will beget weaker recruiting classes"

And to that I call B.S. The existing limits on scholarships, and the continued growth in the American population of young men playing Prep School FB will continue to provide more talent than there are roster spots on P5 teams.

The so-called "cracks" through which talented players fall will only continue to grow wider, not smaller, resulting in more parity, not less.

His arguemtn is based upon a diminishing talent pool resulting from concussion concerns. I believe that we are already starting to see the beginings of that as fewer parents are allowing their sons to play FB at the risk of their mental & physical health and length & quality of their lives. One factor he overlooks is that as elite teams become increasingly confined to playing other elite teams, their winning percentages (and thus their attendance & post season opportunities)will be increasingly adversely affected.

(05-14-2014 02:48 PM)BlueHenBill Wrote:  

(05-14-2014 01:28 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  The author of the article seems to hang his entire argument on the following assumption:

"Fewer games against top teams will beget weaker recruiting classes"

And to that I call B.S. The existing limits on scholarships, and the continued growth in the American population of young men playing Prep School FB will continue to provide more talent than there are roster spots on P5 teams.

The so-called "cracks" through which talented players fall will only continue to grow wider, not smaller, resulting in more parity, not less.

His arguemtn is based upon a diminishing talent pool resulting from concussion concerns. I believe that we are already starting to see the beginings of that as fewer parents are allowing their sons to play FB at the risk of their mental & physical health and length & quality of their lives. One factor he overlooks is that as elite teams become increasingly confined to playing other elite teams, their winning percentages (and thus their attendance & post season opportunities)will be increasingly adversely affected.

Yup, it'll be interesting to see how long the fat cat alums put up with 4-8 as opposed to 6-6. A team like Miss St. looks awfully smug beating up on FCS and low end 'Belt and C-USA teams. See how the bullies react when they play a steady diet of peers.

When the P5 schools box everyone else out, will the rest of the country lose interest in the P5 programs? If you did not attend nor grow up near these schools, will you feel a connection to them? How can fans of other schools want to watch the schools that in effect are having such a negative impact on the schools they love? When VT and UVA won't play JMU, UR and W&M, won't are fan bases come to resent them even more?

For years I have bought JMU season tickets but watched VT games on the TV and they have been my favorite 1A team. I am probably going to feel different about them once they turn their nose up to the Dukes.

I feel very much like Old Dawg. I am not going to be more excited watching SunBelt teams play JMU than CAA teams. That goes for a lot of CUSA/MAC too. I would love to develop/maintain rivalires with ODU, App St., Charlotte, ECU, Marshall, UD, Towson, Ohio etc. assuming they all were FBS. For now, I enjoy playing Nova, UR, UD and W&M more than I would playing "insert directional school here". I am very much looking forward to playing Lehigh and Charlotte this fall. That is a solid FCS program and Charlotte is a potential regional rivalry game.

If the Presidents of the G5 schools would wake up and realize that the future of their football programs will lie in the ability of their conference games to draw fan interest away from the P5 schools on TV, then they have a shot of building money making programs. Otherwise, they are going to find their teams playing in half empty stadiums every Saturday as they claw their way to some small amount of national recognition. More than likely, the will draw no attention other than steadfastly loyal alums like ourselves.