Looking over the proposed CFP plan for the top 6 conference chanpions and 6 at-large teams ... compelled to pose this question: does this mean we might see revisions in future FB schedules when/if/after this plan is adopted, or in advance in preparing for it?

Reason: Strength-of-schedule (SOS) will become more important to differentiate between the G5 champions going after that one spot, as well as competition for the 6 at-larges. For schools like NIU, SOS becomes paramount if it hopes to compete for the CFP in the future. NIU has at least one FCS opponent scheduled every year through 2026 (the in-state-plus program STF initiated).

P5 teams don't need to schedule FCS opponents, as there are plenty of G5s to schedule, and they are not going to dilute SOS with an FCS. I checked a few of the AAC and Sun Belt "futures," and except for Arkansas-Pine Bluff ("local" to some SBC and CUSA schools) couldn't find any other FCSs. They, then, are already prepped for the "new" CFP.

So ... of course NIU first has to win the MACC, but with those FCSs scheduled ... what does NIU do? Thoughts? Comments? Criticisms?

(06-17-2021 01:22 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  Looking over the proposed CFP plan for the top 6 conference chanpions and 6 at-large teams ... compelled to pose this question: does this mean we might see revisions in future FB schedules when/if/after this plan is adopted, or in advance in preparing for it?

Reason: Strength-of-schedule (SOS) will become more important to differentiate between the G5 champions going after that one spot, as well as competition for the 6 at-larges. For schools like NIU, SOS becomes paramount if it hopes to compete for the CFP in the future. NIU has at least one FCS opponent scheduled every year through 2026 (the in-state-plus program STF initiated).

P5 teams don't need to schedule FCS opponents, as there are plenty of G5s to schedule, and they are not going to dilute SOS with an FCS. I checked a few of the AAC and Sun Belt "futures," and except for Arkansas-Pine Bluff ("local" to some SBC and CUSA schools) couldn't find any other FCSs. They, then, are already prepped for the "new" CFP.

So ... of course NIU first has to win the MACC, but with those FCSs scheduled ... what does NIU do? Thoughts? Comments? Criticisms?

Yet another reason for NIU to schedule all OOC games with the big boys. Whether it's an away game in their stadiums or a "home" game in Soldier Field or SeatGeek, these games will now mean more. Plus, there's the original reason of money for the cash register. It will mean a game or two less in Huskie Stadium, but that's just the way it goes.

Excellent point. Not happy about it, but on point.

I haven't checked all, but I believe the MAC is more loaded with FCS teams in future than any other G5 conference. That could be a big problem, but NIU has to look out for itself FIRST. As for the O-O-C games, can keep the home-and-homes with Wyoming, Tulsa, UMass and New Mexiso State. If overlapped, they'll give NIU five home games. But what to do about Holy Cross, EIU, WIU, SIU and Illinois State?

The first year NIU can sked more P5s is 2025 (one opening) and then 2027 which -- fortunately -- is the last year of the ESPN TV contract (unless there are yet again "secret" negotiations to extend it).

If no pre-2025 "moves" can be made, it is absolutely critical that the 2025 opening be filled with a P5. Get it locked in to a contract. If a road game, as you say, that's the way it goes.

I would say this whole thing does not bode well for FCS. They are going to have a much harder time getting paycheck games going forward.

(06-17-2021 03:36 PM)NIU1981 Wrote:  I would say this whole thing does not bode well for FCS. They are going to have a much harder time getting paycheck games going forward.

FCS will be fine.

Under the new plans the blue blood P5 teams can make their OOC schedules as weak as they want, they just have to win their conference. So what is to stop teams like Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma, etc from scheduling FCS and low level G5 games and making it a cake walk to their conference games? Nothing. So the # of FCS vs. P5 probably increases.

Also, I think you guys are overestimating what it will take for G5 teams to be in position to claim a playoff spot. If you go back to 2014 and look at the teams that would have been in the playoff if the new rules were in place, it's pretty clear that there doesn't have to be some incredible SOS.

2014: Boise State - No FCS games, but they only played 1 ranked team (and lost) and lost to Air Force.

2015: Houston - Played Played Tennessee Tech, and lost to UConn.

2016: Western Michigan - Didn't play any ranked teams and played North Carolina Central.

2017: UCF - Played Austin Peay.

2018: UCF - Played South Carolina State.

2019: Memphis - Played Southern and lost to Temple.

2020: Cincinnati - Played Austin Peay.
Coastal Carolina - Played Campbell.

Your point about the P5 is a good one, since they have built-in strength-of-schedule, so playing an FCS has little if any effect as long as they win. But for conferences like the MAC, which will be competing with the AAC for the 6th conference champion, it has a great effect. Competition for the 6 at-larges will also be fierce, with any AAC, Notre Dame and the P5 non-champs.

The AAC has not scheduled any FCS games after 2023 that I've found (could be wrong), and any FCS they'll be playing are pre-scheduled. The MAC also doesn't have a "regular" schedule that includes Houston, Cincinnati, Memphis, Navy, UCF, USF, etc.

That's why I checked, and the first chance to schedule another P5 is 2025. Somebody needs to get on that. That's all I'm sayin'.

We generally play the hardest non-conference schedules among G5 teams even with 1 FCS opponent. We usually play 2-3 P5s every year and almost always play them on the road.

Why are so many content with where things are at when an opportunity presents itself? Is that how NIU got mired in being an "also considered?" Are the Huskies content with being the second- or third-tallest midget? What's wrong with thinking ahead and looking up a little?

Yes, NIU plays a strong o-o-c schedule with 2 P5s (3, rarely), but the MAC is also widely viewed as the weakest of the G5 conferences (ok, maybe CUSA). Not saying that's right, but NIU rarely wins all its P5 games and the total package will be considered when it comes to strength-of-schedule.

Also, consider the point Dog Fan made about cash in the register. Is anyone saying NIU doesn't need the money if it can be gotten? Yes, more pressure on the team, but THammock is building P5-sized lines and focusing on P5 strength and speed (at least it looks that way).

But in the future CFP (as it comes to pass) lose one game to another MAC'er and we're peeling potatoes in Idaho. I don't even want to see that blue field on TV, let alone go there to see it up close and personal. And in December?! BTW, I like potatoes. Just not frozen.

I’d think a MAC team needs to run the table. SOS be damned if you have that 0 in the loss column. 13-0 with any SOS will always be better than 11-2 with the 85th best schedule. The bottom 30 weakest schedules are exclusively MAC, USA and Sun Belt teams for obvious reasons. So NIU will never have a better SOS than the AAC or MWC champs. Most likely we would need to have 2 less losses then them.

(06-17-2021 06:14 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  Why are so many content with where things are at when an opportunity presents itself? Is that how NIU got mired in being an "also considered?" Are the Huskies content with being the second- or third-tallest midget? What's wrong with thinking ahead and looking up a little?

Yes, NIU plays a strong o-o-c schedule with 2 P5s (3, rarely), but the MAC is also widely viewed as the weakest of the G5 conferences (ok, maybe CUSA). Not saying that's right, but NIU rarely wins all its P5 games and the total package will be considered when it comes to strength-of-schedule.

Also, consider the point Dog Fan made about cash in the register. Is anyone saying NIU doesn't need the money if it can be gotten? Yes, more pressure on the team, but THammock is building P5-sized lines and focusing on P5 strength and speed (at least it looks that way).

But in the future CFP (as it comes to pass) lose one game to another MAC'er and we're peeling potatoes in Idaho. I don't even want to see that blue field on TV, let alone go there to see it up close and personal. And in December?! BTW, I like potatoes. Just not frozen.

To me, there is a difference between what is best for NIU financially, what NIU needs to do regain G5 prominence, and what my comments were referring to - the overall outlook for MAC and G5 teams as far as SOS under the new playoff.

Yes, playing P5 instead of FCS is definitely better financially, is definitely more fun for us fans as well as the players, and is to an extent necessary to regain the reputation of a 7-8 years ago. No, it is not a requirement for a MAC or G5 team being able to make the playoff.

As for assigning G5 conferences "king" status over the others or saying the MAC is the worst...It is always changing. The MAC overall is down right now, no question, but in a 4 year span within the last decade 2 MAC teams played in New Years 6 bowls... Teams like Cincy, Memphis & Houston have 5-10 year spans within the last 20 years where a winning record was a rare thing and 7/8 wins was best case scenario.

To me, it is an exercise in futility to look too far into the future and try to say what is best or what is needed. Reality always changes. At the back end of the Carey days, even when NIU was still winning, it was a very boring brand of QB run up the middle and play defense football. Fan interest waned. Being a winning but boring G5 program is a terrible recipe for wanting any interest in scheduling P5 teams. Scheduling local FCS was a pretty logical step. If what Hammock is building turns out to be what we hope, that fan and P5 interest will pick back up and NIU can trade up in opponent using the P5 $$ to pay off the abandoned FCS games. One step at a time.

(06-17-2021 07:05 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  I’d think a MAC team needs to run the table. SOS be damned if you have that 0 in the loss column. 13-0 with any SOS will always be better than 11-2 with the 85th best schedule. The bottom 30 weakest schedules are exclusively MAC, USA and Sun Belt teams for obvious reasons. So NIU will never have a better SOS than the AAC or MWC champs. Most likely we would need to have 2 less losses then them.

NIU Orange Bowl season we were 102nd out of 124 in SOS, lost to a 4-8 Iowa team, and still ended up ranked 16th. Go figure how that one happened lol

According to a USAToday article from Jan 1., 2013, #15 NIU got in because it finished among the top 16 in the BCS standings, ahead of the champions from automatic qualifying conferences. Those were Louisville of the old Big East at #21 and Big Ten Wisconsin at #16. NIU lost to Iowa but beat #17 Kent State in the MACC.

(06-17-2021 08:04 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  According to a USAToday article from Jan 1., 2013, #15 NIU got in because it finished among the top 16 in the BCS standings, ahead of the champions from automatic qualifying conferences. Those were Louisville of the old Big East at #21 and Big Ten Wisconsin at #16. NIU lost to Iowa but beat #17 Kent State in the MACC.

Wasn’t there some weird rules too back then about highest G5 qualifying IF this and that and some Other odd stuff. Then in the luckiest final weekend of the regular season I think teams ranked 18,17, and 16 all got upset and it moved NIU up. A lot happened to let NIU kinda luck their way into that bowl. I think that’s why it pissed off so many P5 fans.

(06-17-2021 08:04 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  According to a USAToday article from Jan 1., 2013, #15 NIU got in because it finished among the top 16 in the BCS standings, ahead of the champions from automatic qualifying conferences. Those were Louisville of the old Big East at #21 and Big Ten Wisconsin at #16. NIU lost to Iowa but beat #17 Kent State in the MACC.

I understand the "how." My point was with a strength of schedule ranked 102nd out of 124 teams, with a loss to a 4-8 Iowa team, the fact that NIU ended up ranked at all was pretty shocking/amazing.

(06-17-2021 08:31 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(06-17-2021 08:04 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  According to a USAToday article from Jan 1., 2013, #15 NIU got in because it finished among the top 16 in the BCS standings, ahead of the champions from automatic qualifying conferences. Those were Louisville of the old Big East at #21 and Big Ten Wisconsin at #16. NIU lost to Iowa but beat #17 Kent State in the MACC.

Wasn’t there some weird rules too back then about highest G5 qualifying IF this and that and some Other odd stuff. Then in the luckiest final weekend of the regular season I think teams ranked 18,17, and 16 all got upset and it moved NIU up. A lot happened to let NIU kinda luck their way into that bowl. I think that’s why it pissed off so many P5 fans.

And, let us not forget how it pissed off important know-it-alls like Herbshit.

(06-17-2021 08:31 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(06-17-2021 08:04 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  According to a USAToday article from Jan 1., 2013, #15 NIU got in because it finished among the top 16 in the BCS standings, ahead of the champions from automatic qualifying conferences. Those were Louisville of the old Big East at #21 and Big Ten Wisconsin at #16. NIU lost to Iowa but beat #17 Kent State in the MACC.

Wasn’t there some weird rules too back then about highest G5 qualifying IF this and that and some Other odd stuff. Then in the luckiest final weekend of the regular season I think teams ranked 18,17, and 16 all got upset and it moved NIU up. A lot happened to let NIU kinda luck their way into that bowl. I think that’s why it pissed off so many P5 fans.

I forget the exact rankings of each but in the last 3 weeks of the season SJSU, Louisville and Boise were all ahead of NIU in the top 25 BCS rankings and all three of them had completely out of nowhere losses to BAD teams. Louisville was even top ten if memory serves and lost to Syracuse and someone else back-to-back. Boise lost to I think UConn. Don't remember who it was for SJSU. At the same time Kent State and Toledo were both red hot and climbing the rankings. So then when NIU beat them both, the vacuum caused by SJSU, Lousiville and Boise losing launched us from unranked to 15th in 3 weeks lol. It was nuts.

(06-17-2021 08:47 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(06-17-2021 08:31 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(06-17-2021 08:04 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  According to a USAToday article from Jan 1., 2013, #15 NIU got in because it finished among the top 16 in the BCS standings, ahead of the champions from automatic qualifying conferences. Those were Louisville of the old Big East at #21 and Big Ten Wisconsin at #16. NIU lost to Iowa but beat #17 Kent State in the MACC.

Wasn’t there some weird rules too back then about highest G5 qualifying IF this and that and some Other odd stuff. Then in the luckiest final weekend of the regular season I think teams ranked 18,17, and 16 all got upset and it moved NIU up. A lot happened to let NIU kinda luck their way into that bowl. I think that’s why it pissed off so many P5 fans.

That whole still annoys me every time I see his sneering face. tOSU fans ran his ass out of Columbus.

And, let us not forget how it pissed off important know-it-alls like Herbshit.

What made that year even more crazy is going back and looking...Those last 3 wins that moved NIU up to 15th were vs. Toledo (8-2 SOS of 100 at the time), EMU (2-9 SOS of 98 at the time), and Kent St (11-1 SOS of 104 at the time). Toledo and Kent should not have been anywhere near the rankings to begin with and they were the main street cred that got NIU there! Ball St, Toledo, Kent, NIU and Ohio were all ranked at one time or another that season, despite the strongest MAC SOS being Ball St at 81st. Next was Toledo at 90, EMU at 97 and everyone else was below 100.

(06-17-2021 08:47 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(06-17-2021 08:31 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(06-17-2021 08:04 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  According to a USAToday article from Jan 1., 2013, #15 NIU got in because it finished among the top 16 in the BCS standings, ahead of the champions from automatic qualifying conferences. Those were Louisville of the old Big East at #21 and Big Ten Wisconsin at #16. NIU lost to Iowa but beat #17 Kent State in the MACC.

Wasn’t there some weird rules too back then about highest G5 qualifying IF this and that and some Other odd stuff. Then in the luckiest final weekend of the regular season I think teams ranked 18,17, and 16 all got upset and it moved NIU up. A lot happened to let NIU kinda luck their way into that bowl. I think that’s why it pissed off so many P5 fans.

And, let us not forget how it pissed off important know-it-alls like Herbshit.

That butt plug annoys me every time I see him. No wonder the tOSU fans ran him out of Columbus.

(06-17-2021 09:10 PM)sarasotahuskie Wrote:  

(06-17-2021 08:47 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(06-17-2021 08:31 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(06-17-2021 08:04 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  According to a USAToday article from Jan 1., 2013, #15 NIU got in because it finished among the top 16 in the BCS standings, ahead of the champions from automatic qualifying conferences. Those were Louisville of the old Big East at #21 and Big Ten Wisconsin at #16. NIU lost to Iowa but beat #17 Kent State in the MACC.

Wasn’t there some weird rules too back then about highest G5 qualifying IF this and that and some Other odd stuff. Then in the luckiest final weekend of the regular season I think teams ranked 18,17, and 16 all got upset and it moved NIU up. A lot happened to let NIU kinda luck their way into that bowl. I think that’s why it pissed off so many P5 fans.

And, let us not forget how it pissed off important know-it-alls like Herbshit.

That butt plug annoys me every time I see him. No wonder the tOSU fans ran him out of Columbus.

I framed just the “Kirk Herbstreet can bite me” back part of that shirt and it hangs on my Huskie wall.