FCS Championship Game in 12 minutes (in case you missed it like I did).
Attendance 17,866

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=fcs...ORM=VDQVAP

(01-12-2020 07:40 AM)Bucc18 Wrote:  FCS Championship Game in 12 minutes (in case you missed it like I did).
Attendance 17,866

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=fcs...ORM=VDQVAP

Watching this game reminds me that the Bucs are no where near the level of either of these teams. No where to go but up, right??

8th win in last 9 years for NDSU.
Last SoCon team in finals 2007.

(01-12-2020 09:07 AM)Bucfreak23 Wrote:  

(01-12-2020 07:40 AM)Bucc18 Wrote:  FCS Championship Game in 12 minutes (in case you missed it like I did).
Attendance 17,866

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=fcs...ORM=VDQVAP

Watching this game reminds me that the Bucs are no where near the level of either of these teams. No where to go but up, right??

NDSU is just in a class by itself in the FCS. JMU is close and maybe a couple of others. I was hoping last year would be a huge step up for us but we will have to wait for the Fall to see if the program is improving.

(01-12-2020 05:13 PM)bucfan81 Wrote:  

(01-12-2020 09:07 AM)Bucfreak23 Wrote:  

(01-12-2020 07:40 AM)Bucc18 Wrote:  FCS Championship Game in 12 minutes (in case you missed it like I did).
Attendance 17,866

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=fcs...ORM=VDQVAP

Watching this game reminds me that the Bucs are no where near the level of either of these teams. No where to go but up, right??

NDSU is just in a class by itself in the FCS. JMU is close and maybe a couple of others. I was hoping last year would be a huge step up for us but we will have to wait for the Fall to see if the program is improving.

And, they’ve won these FCS championships with THREE different coaches!
Quick google — they’ve won 16 national championships altogether — College Division, Division II, and I-AA/FCS. To me, it would be foolish for them to move to FBS. They obviously have some significant recruiting advantages, one being location outside the college football happy south (as someone on here nicely explained). NDSU, JMU, (or FBS App State, example) will NEVER face Clemson, LSU, or anyone else for a FBS (or whatever it’s now officially called) national championship. As for ETSU — it MUST try and COPY as best it can NDSU, JMU, and other consistently winning programs. We took a step backwards this year — not acceptable.

PS: it’s called the CFP National Championship (LSU vs Clemson as you know this year) which is part of NCAA Division I FBS football, which always involves the Power Five Conferences, which is part of the top six bowls, including two rotating playoff bowls (name of that?). Maybe that’s a close enough description? Forget trying to explain the other mostly empty stadium FBS bowl games of which NDSU vs JMU likely outdrew more than half of them.

Unfortunately the Bucs do not have the fanbase or the facilities to compete at the highest level of FCS.

It's no different in the FBS. The same 6-10 will play in the playoffs every year with the final four practically the same with an occasional exception.

The FBS playoffs has been the demise of the Bowl games, the creation of upper and lower divisions of conferences and the dramatic rise of FBS football budgets.

(01-13-2020 03:34 PM)Buc76 Wrote:  Unfortunately the Bucs do not have the fanbase or the facilities to compete at the highest level of FCS.

It's no different in the FBS. The same 6-10 will play in the playoffs every year with the final four practically the same with an occasional exception.

The FBS playoffs has been the demise of the Bowl games, the creation of upper and lower divisions of conferences and the dramatic rise of FBS football budgets.

Rough look at that USA Today athletic budgets database for 2017-18, ETSU ranks in the top 15 of FCS football schools, FIRST among the SoCon schools. Perhaps there’s a breakdown somewhere of FCS football only budgets/expenditures for a better look. The #8 FCS school, NDSU, beat the #1 FCS school, JMU, this year for the national title. Question — with our athletic budget being among the top 15 NCAA FCS schools and 1st among SoCon schools, shouldn’t there be a little higher expectation than dead last in SoCon football?

(01-20-2020 01:26 PM)Buc66 Wrote:  

(01-13-2020 03:34 PM)Buc76 Wrote:  Unfortunately the Bucs do not have the fanbase or the facilities to compete at the highest level of FCS.

It's no different in the FBS. The same 6-10 will play in the playoffs every year with the final four practically the same with an occasional exception.

The FBS playoffs has been the demise of the Bowl games, the creation of upper and lower divisions of conferences and the dramatic rise of FBS football budgets.

Rough look at that USA Today athletic budgets database for 2017-18, ETSU ranks in the top 15 of FCS football schools, FIRST among the SoCon schools. Perhaps there’s a breakdown somewhere of FCS football only budgets/expenditures for a better look. The #8 FCS school, NDSU, beat the #1 FCS school, JMU, this year for the national title. Question — with our athletic budget being among the top 15 NCAA FCS schools and 1st among SoCon schools, shouldn’t there be a little higher expectation than dead last in SoCon football?

Please check the dataset. The last time I looked at it it didn't include private institutions unless they chose to disclose that information. If that is the data you are referring to, ETSU is not in the top 15. Below is the link to the data I have seen.

NCAA Athletic Budgets USA Today

Like you, I haven't seen football only data.

If you are looking at different data then I stand corrected.

As a side note, I have always wondered why WCU is just not competitive in much of anything. Then I notice that their athletic budget is nearly half that of ETSU and is similar to that of VMI.

Western Carolina has to be one of the most isolated D1 schools anywhere. Johnson City is by no means cosmopolitan but Cullowhee is pretty much WCU and a bunch of 2nd homes for Floridians. Outside of a few in AVL, there are zero D1 athletes in any sport to recruit locally. It’s got to be a crazy tough job to sell a place like that to 18 year olds. Parents might like the idea of quaint and quiet but how many high school athletes are looking for that?

(01-20-2020 01:34 PM)BucDoctor Wrote:  

(01-20-2020 01:26 PM)Buc66 Wrote:  

(01-13-2020 03:34 PM)Buc76 Wrote:  Unfortunately the Bucs do not have the fanbase or the facilities to compete at the highest level of FCS.

It's no different in the FBS. The same 6-10 will play in the playoffs every year with the final four practically the same with an occasional exception.

The FBS playoffs has been the demise of the Bowl games, the creation of upper and lower divisions of conferences and the dramatic rise of FBS football budgets.

Rough look at that USA Today athletic budgets database for 2017-18, ETSU ranks in the top 15 of FCS football schools, FIRST among the SoCon schools. Perhaps there’s a breakdown somewhere of FCS football only budgets/expenditures for a better look. The #8 FCS school, NDSU, beat the #1 FCS school, JMU, this year for the national title. Question — with our athletic budget being among the top 15 NCAA FCS schools and 1st among SoCon schools, shouldn’t there be a little higher expectation than dead last in SoCon football?

Please check the dataset. The last time I looked at it it didn't include private institutions unless they chose to disclose that information. If that is the data you are referring to, ETSU is not in the top 15. Below is the link to the data I have seen.

NCAA Athletic Budgets USA Today

Like you, I haven't seen football only data.

If you are looking at different data then I stand corrected.

As a side note, I have always wondered why WCU is just not competitive in much of anything. Then I notice that their athletic budget is nearly half that of ETSU and is similar to that of VMI.

Well, yea — could be that Wofford, Mercer, Furman, and Samford are spending $25 million or more a year on athletics plus a number of other FCS privates. Of the 42 I-AA/FCS championships, three have been won by the privates - Furman, Richmond, and Villanova. Again, with our budget, my guess is that the decision makers expect consistently winning football, especially SoCon championship level football.