FCS Scheduling questions

[George Ferguson]

68, you're a 100 percent right.

 

['68griz]

68, you're a 100 percent right.

Thank you.

 

[PlayerRep]

Scheduling is tough out West. Not many teams to schedule, other than D-II's and FCS. Some of you get bugged that all the teams don't play each other ever year, and someone can win the conference, without playing some of the good teams. Doesn't bother me. Just like some of the 12-team FCS conferences.

The Big Sky is a very good conference. It has been run fairly well for years. Sure, it's not perfect, but almost nothing is. It is way better than any alternative I am aware of. The conference is very competitive. How long has it been since the Griz won the conference? '09? Some of the conference members are interesting schools. The hated Bobcats are in the conference. The rating of the men's basketball conference isn't great, but the conference is competitive. The addition of Idaho has made the hoops more competitive. The conference hoops games are fun, both men and women. UM compete for the championship and get the ncaa's relatively often.

I love the FCS football playoffs.

 

[kemajic]

I guess the only two things that annoy me about some of the complaining about scheduling is 1. There's never a schedule that's good enough. This comes up every year. 2. Some posters act like this is something new. Trust me, Some of the absolute worst teams I've EVER seen, and that includes MVSU, were played in the Don Read days.

You're missing the point. In the Read era you played every team in the BSC, to include BSU, Nevada and Idaho, so there was a true champion. One can always argue about SOS with non-conf. games, but Read also played more FBS games than we have more recently. Recognize with a 12,000 home capacity, the revenue to offer good money to non-conf. visitors for home games wasn't there like it is now.

 

[mtgriz]

I guess the only two things that annoy me about some of the complaining about scheduling is 1. There's never a schedule that's good enough. This comes up every year. 2. Some posters act like this is something new. Trust me, Some of the absolute worst teams I've EVER seen, and that includes MVSU, were played in the Don Read days.

I am okay with the non conference games. You are correct, I remember one year we hosted Thomas Moore College. I think it was their first year of fielding a football team.

My comment above was not a complaint, but rather just message board discussion of a possible way to address the OP's issue with the conference scheduling protocol. And yeah, I have no delusion such an off the wall idea has a chance.

 

[George Ferguson]

I guess the only two things that annoy me about some of the complaining about scheduling is 1. There's never a schedule that's good enough. This comes up every year. 2. Some posters act like this is something new. Trust me, Some of the absolute worst teams I've EVER seen, and that includes MVSU, were played in the Don Read days.

You're missing the point. In the Read era you played every team in the BSC, to include BSU, Nevada and Idaho, so there was a true champion. One can always argue about SOS with non-conf. games, but Read also played more FBS games than we have more recently. Recognize with a 12,000 home capacity, the revenue to offer good money to non-conf. visitors for home games wasn't there like it is now.

Well, I was only addressing the first part of the OP, which was why the Griz played a team like MVSU. I wasn't addressing the conference schedule. And the reason I'm not going to argue with Everett and Kem about that is because I already know that absolutely NOTHING I, or anyone else says about the Big Sky will matter to them. You want the Griz out of the Big Sky. We all get that. But, they're not leaving tomorrow or next week or anytime this season, so the conference schedule they play the rest of this year is what it is and it's kind of silly to argue it considering the Big Sky has no intentions of changing it in the middle of the season.

And I completely disagree that the Read era played stronger OOC schedules because of a few FBS games or back then, Division IA. From 1988-1995, the Griz played six FBS games. From the 1996-2005 they played five FBS games. The number has dropped from 2007-2015 having only played three FBS games, but, that is also the era when two things started to change with scheduling. Bigger home-and-home series with FCS rivals, as well as O'Day towards the end of his career and now Haslam, trying diligently to play an all Division I schedule, eliminating Division II teams from the schedule all together.

Again, I realize that Kem and Everett hate the Big Sky and don't want to even watch the Griz play NAU or EWU or whoever. But, as 68 pointed out, there is no control over that at present time, none whatsoever. Really the only thing a fan can do about it at the moment is stop being a Griz fan. However, as far as the OOC schedules go, I think the last 10 years the Griz non-conference schedules have trended wayyyyy up compared to the days of Carson-Newman and Minnesota-Duluth in the SAME season.

 

[Bscwatcher]

Can someone please explain who decides teams schedules, and why we have teams like MVSU even on our schedule (and why we paid them $250k to come here?)

Also, can someone explain why North Dakota doesn't have to play the Griz, EWU, or SUU? Are they possibly going to win the Big Sky without even having to play any tough teams?

Trying to figure it out, not complaining just genuinely curious.

Thanks

:thumb:

The Griz and EWU are lucky they aren't playing UND. Two sides two a coin


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[kemajic]

Can someone please explain who decides teams schedules, and why we have teams like MVSU even on our schedule (and why we paid them $250k to come here?)

Also, can someone explain why North Dakota doesn't have to play the Griz, EWU, or SUU? Are they possibly going to win the Big Sky without even having to play any tough teams?

Trying to figure it out, not complaining just genuinely curious.

Thanks

:thumb:

The Griz and EWU are lucky they aren't playing UND. Two sides two a coin

We would both rather play UND than each other.

 

[kemajic]

Again, I realize that Kem and Everett hate the Big Sky and don't want to even watch the Griz play NAU or EWU or whoever.

I went to the last NAU game in Flagstaff; did you? I go to ISU and UNC; do you? I go to every home game; do you? Obviously I don't "want to even watch the Griz play".

Change starts with criticism. Accepting what can't be changed ensures that it won't.

 

[EverettGriz]

I guess I don't quite understand continually complaining about something that, anyway for now, isn't going to be/can't be changed.

--said an 1850s slaver

No, I just believe that bitching endlessly about something about which you can do nothing is a waste of time and energy. At this point, there is nowhere Montana could go, so complaining about where the Griz are, conference-wise, is an exercise in futility.

Perhaps it's futile. Perhaps it isn't. But I know one thing with absolute certainty: If we don't voice concerns with the status quo, the status quo will always be good enough. And I think we can all agree it is not. Whether the change is UM moving to an FBS conference if and when the opportunity arises, or it's changes within the BSC to make staying in it somewhat palatable, without us constantly stating that the current situations is not good enough for Montana, well be stuck with it forever.

 

[George Ferguson]

Again, I realize that Kem and Everett hate the Big Sky and don't want to even watch the Griz play NAU or EWU or whoever.

I went to the last NAU game in Flagstaff; did you? I go to ISU and UNC; do you? I go to every home game; do you? Obviously I don't "want to even watch the Griz play".

Change starts with criticism. Accepting what can't be changed ensures that it won't.

I don't disagree that change starts with criticism, but with all due respect to Chris Lynn, cause I love Egriz, but posting your criticisms here anonymously won't change anything. EVER. Now, Kem, if you've talked to Kent, whether face-to-face, via e-mail or on the phone, then I certainly applaud you for trying to affect change. If it's just here anonymously, well, you can certainly see you're getting nowhere.

 

[Ursa Major]

Again, I realize that Kem and Everett hate the Big Sky and don't want to even watch the Griz play NAU or EWU or whoever.

I went to the last NAU game in Flagstaff; did you? I go to ISU and UNC; do you? I go to every home game; do you? Obviously I don't "want to even watch the Griz play".

Change starts with criticism. Accepting what can't be changed ensures that it won't.

+1

And there are things that UM can do as far as shaping the future of the BSC and positioning ourselves to be more attractive to a decent conference. We went along with Foolerton on this endless endeavor to expand the BSC. He saw this as not only job security but an answer to an existential crisis for the conference. The bigger you are the better you are positioned for survival in the future. I would think one of the primary threats that led to this strategy was the potential loss of the Montana schools. We ended up with a lot of schools in the conference that many of us believe are not peer institutions, with inferior scholastic qualities, inferior fan support and inferior facilities. Combine this with the pure volume of schools and you have this screw-ball scheduling in both basketball and football against many opponents you couldn't care less about. Yeah, that pisses people off. Competing in the BSC is like kissing your homely cousin. Yeah, you get to play but you're too embarrassed to tell your friends about it.

Montana, and a couple others, don't belong in the BSC. It's really that simple.

 

[Eriul]

The only issue I have is that the conference champ is not decided by game and you don't play every team. Some teams, mostly the southern due to rivalry rules, can get lucky and play bad teams all year and win conference and go to fcs playoffs. The conference championship matters to these players and it's just not a fair competition. MSU, EWU, UMT get screwed every year

 

[Bscwatcher]

Can someone please explain who decides teams schedules, and why we have teams like MVSU even on our schedule (and why we paid them $250k to come here?)

Also, can someone explain why North Dakota doesn't have to play the Griz, EWU, or SUU? Are they possibly going to win the Big Sky without even having to play any tough teams?

Trying to figure it out, not complaining just genuinely curious.

Thanks

:thumb:

The Griz and EWU are lucky they aren't playing UND. Two sides two a coin

We would both rather play UND than each other.

Cal poly would rather play the Griz than UND also


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kemajic]

Can someone please explain who decides teams schedules, and why we have teams like MVSU even on our schedule (and why we paid them $250k to come here?)

Also, can someone explain why North Dakota doesn't have to play the Griz, EWU, or SUU? Are they possibly going to win the Big Sky without even having to play any tough teams?

Trying to figure it out, not complaining just genuinely curious.

Thanks

:thumb:

The Griz and EWU are lucky they aren't playing UND. Two sides two a coin

We would both rather play UND than each other.

Cal poly would rather play the Griz than UND also

Yes, they would rather play to full stadiums. As for results, CPSLO is 5-15 against UM (3 of their wins by a total of 4 points) and 3-4 against UND. So if they needed a win in any given year I'm pretty sure they would want UND.

 

[WILDCATFAN]

The Griz and EWU are lucky they aren't playing UND. Two sides two a coin

We would both rather play UND than each other.

Cal poly would rather play the Griz than UND also

Yes, they would rather play to full stadiums. As for results, CPSLO is 5-15 against UM (3 of their wins by a total of 4 points) and 3-4 against UND. So if they needed a win in any given year I'm pretty sure they would want UND.

and 4-2 against Montana since 2010 including 3 straight. As for points who cares? A win is a win and a loss is a loss whether its by 1 point or 40

Hell I could boast that Weber is 15-7 overall against SUU........but why would I when they are 1-4 against them since 2011?

It's easy to make yourself look great when you use your historical success to overshadow your recent success....or lack there of

 

[Bscwatcher]

The Griz and EWU are lucky they aren't playing UND. Two sides two a coin

We would both rather play UND than each other.

Cal poly would rather play the Griz than UND also

Yes, they would rather play to full stadiums. As for results, CPSLO is 5-15 against UM (3 of their wins by a total of 4 points) and 3-4 against UND. So if they needed a win in any given year I'm pretty sure they would want UND.

Hey Marty McFly would you rather win or play in a full stadium?

Now is all that matters, unless you are telling us Cal Poly's recent success against the Griz will determine the outcome of the BSC next year and so on.

Cool thing about stats they change with each game and the importance of the older diminishes over time.





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[garizzalies]

I guess I don't quite understand continually complaining about something that, anyway for now, isn't going to be/can't be changed.

--said an 1850s slaver

No, I just believe that bitching endlessly about something about which you can do nothing is a waste of time and energy. At this point, there is nowhere Montana could go, so complaining about where the Griz are, conference-wise, is an exercise in futility.

For being such a liberal person, it's weird you don't seem to know how progressivism works

 

[EverettGriz]

Again, I realize that Kem and Everett hate the Big Sky and don't want to even watch the Griz play NAU or EWU or whoever.

I went to the last NAU game in Flagstaff; did you? I go to ISU and UNC; do you? I go to every home game; do you? Obviously I don't "want to even watch the Griz play".

Change starts with criticism. Accepting what can't be changed ensures that it won't.

+1

And there are things that UM can do as far as shaping the future of the BSC and positioning ourselves to be more attractive to a decent conference. We went along with Foolerton on this endless endeavor to expand the BSC. He saw this as not only job security but an answer to an existential crisis for the conference. The bigger you are the better you are positioned for survival in the future. I would think one of the primary threats that led to this strategy was the potential loss of the Montana schools. We ended up with a lot of schools in the conference that many of us believe are not peer institutions, with inferior scholastic qualities, inferior fan support and inferior facilities. Combine this with the pure volume of schools and you have this screw-ball scheduling in both basketball and football against many opponents you couldn't care less about. Yeah, that pisses people off. Competing in the BSC is like kissing your homely cousin. Yeah, you get to play but you're too embarrassed to tell your friends about it.

Montana, and a couple others, don't belong in the BSC. It's really that simple.

GREAT post.

 

[HelenaHandBasket]

BSC going to a 9 game conference schedule in 2020.