DOUGHERTY: I-AA in Good Shape
9/3/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
For two weeks in July and August, I embarked on journeys to meet media members, sports information directors and coaches, as well as educate myself in the world of I-AA, at eight different media days.
Beginning with the Big Sky media day on July 19, I made sure the pen and paper were handy as Big Sky commissioner Doug Fullerton addressed the gathering of media and coaches as they devoured breakfast.
Much of what Fullerton said intrigued me, and at the same time left me with questions. He asserted that I-AA football is in great shape, with exposure reaching an all-time high. However, almost in the same breath he talked about the need for a change, and how the I-AA label has become a "branding" problem.
So, trying to find a solution to the status of I-AA, I listened to a week straight of addresses from conference commissioners at the end of July. By the end, it was like sitting in ninth grade English class mindlessly taking notes on topics that have been instilled for years. I-AA gets lost in the shuffle, yet it’s better than ever. I-AA teams are all going to flee for the big bucks of I-A, yet conferences are all going to expand.
Finally done with waiting in airports, it was time to find the truth. Is I-AA really in serious danger, or is it becoming more credible than ever? To truly ponder the question, one fact has to be taken into account. There’s no winning with the NCAA, as its more powerful members continually push around the governing body. The board will get tough on the newer I-A schools when it comes to the 15,000 fans per game attendance requirement (that’s you, Florida Atlantic and Florida International) but don’t expect it to regulate teams from more established conferences like the MAC. Trust me, as a former employee in sports information, exaggerating attendance at events, even ticketed events, doesn’t exactly bring about an NCAA reprimand.
The NCAA will continue to place I-AA on the low end of its priority level. But that does not mean all is lost in the sub-classification. On the contrary, media (most importantly, television) is beginning to view I-AA as a valuable commodity on its own. Fifteen games will be broadcast from the Atlantic 10. Twenty-one will be shown from the Patriot League, while 28 Big Sky contests are set for live broadcasts. While many of these are on regional stations, the national media is taking note of the popularity of I-AA as well. CSTV, one of the fastest rising cable networks, will show 13 I-AA games, including three Saturdays of I-AA doubleheaders. ESPN will show the national championship and semifinals, and will also broadcast the quarterfinals in syndication. The Fox College Sports Network will soon be on the scene, and ESPN is exploring the idea of a college sports network.
Now, is I-AA still a niche product? Of course, but that’s not a bad thing. Few sports capture the nation’s attention and the rest fight to establish a fan base and gain some airtime on the national scene. With so many options out there, people will only focus on what they want to.
However, when the television networks explore the base for I-AA they see a stronger collection of fans than ever. For one, it’s football, and as NBC proved with the Arena League there can never be enough football games on television. More importantly, the group that supports I-AA is a dedicated bunch. As I’ve found out through e-mails, message boards and websites, I-AA fans have a passion and an enthusiasm for their teams and sport that is unmatched among the tennis and golf crowds. The fact that websites such as I- AA.org and I-AA.com have increased their coverage and influence only enhances the reputation of I-AA.
The cable networks are paying attention. They don’t look at I-AA and see a "second-class" of college football. They look at a product that has a base and can stand by itself in gaining ratings, no matter who tries to take the plunge into I-A. Maybe the brand isn’t so bad after all.
A quick look at some of the other issues that arose in the conference media days:
Expand the Playoffs?: Big South conference commissioner Kyle Kallander believes more schools need access to the I-AA postseason. Kallander believes that the playoff field should expand to 24 teams because less than a quarter of I-AA schools currently have access to the postseason.
However, there aren’t enough contenders to justify the increase at this time. There are 120 schools competing in football at the I-AA level. Of those, 22 are Mid-Majors that would likely not fare too well against the top teams in I-AA. The eight Ivy schools are barred from the postseason by league mandate. The SWAC division champions, along with Grambling State and Southern, also do not compete in the playoffs and the conference would have trouble fielding a participant as well. North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, UC-Davis, and South Dakota State are all ineligible for postseason play while in a transition phase from Division II.
Realistically, that leaves 76 programs competing for the playoff spots. The importance and the magnitude placed on every regular season game in college football makes the sport unique and is a big reason for its popularity. By expanding the playoffs at this point, the regular season would lose some of its luster. Last season, four-loss teams like Villanova, Georgia Southern and Appalachian State all might have received bids despite not having stellar seasons.
A second problem with expanding the field is logistics. Either the season would have to start a week earlier (like Division II) or the playoff would have to run a week later. Since running the playoffs a week later would put it back to Christmas Day, we’ll assume the season would have to start a bit earlier. The two squads in the championship game would have to play either 16 or 17 games if they played in the first round of the playoffs. The season would run from around August 25 to a week before Christmas, which is just too long for a classification that still cares about the first word in the phrase "student- athletes."
The only other option would be to shorten the regular season. I know I wouldn’t want to be the one to tell athletic directors that the big-money game with a I- A school or the sixth home game won’t be happening this year. A resounding "No" would be the least of the answers to that proposition.
Eventually, if the membership increases and deserving teams end up being left out of the playoff battle, the issue of an expanded field will have to be addressed. Currently, there is no need to mess with the success of the 16-team format.
Conference Realignment: While I-AA may never have the upheaval caused by the ACC on the I-A level, don’t expect the current conference affiliations to last forever. The eight-member Big Sky is exploring the expansion issue with North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Southern Utah and Northern Colorado (all Great West members) possibly in its sites. The Southern Conference could be looking at Coastal Carolina, Samford, or VMI, and the Southland Conference may get to eight or nine members with Southeastern Louisiana already on board for 2005.
The Atlantic 10 could be fighting just to keep its league alive. Six of the current A-10 teams are members of the Colonial Athletic Association for other sports, and the CAA has already discussed starting a football league when the A-10 contract runs out in 2006.
This could mean a bigger Big Sky, Southern and Southland, but start up conferences like the Great West and Big South could struggle to compete. If the Big Sky raids the Great West for three teams, the remaining group would have to find an affiliation or go right back to independent status. The Big South only has five teams to begin with, so losing even one squad could force the league to reconsider its status. The Great West and Big South could always try to fill the spots with teams that make the jump from Division II, or take a struggling program from a major conference like the Big South did with VMI. There might not be sweeping changes, but expect some shifting of affiliations after the season is complete.
Now, we'll take a look at the rest of the week and the offseason that was in I- AA football:
WELCOME, NORTH DAKOTA STATE
In the four games last weekend, the North Dakota State Bison made by far the biggest statement. Granted, they beat a Mid-Major (Valparaiso), but NDSU completely dominated the game from start to finish and never even allowed the Crusaders to cross the 50-yard line. The Bison proved that anyone taking them lightly because of their past Division II status should think again. North Dakota State’s Kyle Steffes ran for 175 yards and four touchdowns on just 13 carries to earn the first Great West Offensive Player of the Week honor. Of course, why the Great West felt the need to give player of the week honors when only one team was in action is another story. It’s a good thing the Gateway didn’t award anyone from Indiana State after the Sycamores fell 49-0 to Miami (OH). North Dakota State’s victory was also the first for anyone in Great West history, though the conference will make some more noise as the season goes on. Give the Bison time and they can develop into a perennial contender in the future. This week, North Dakota State and Northern Colorado battle in the first Great West conference game and a matchup that could go a long way toward determining the league champion.
COMING SOON TO A CABLE STATION NEAR YOU
Both CSTV and the Football Network appear to have overcome early hurdles and established themselves as quality options on cable and satellite packages. CSTV will broadcast 13 games, with the only down side being a deal to show Princeton basketball and lacrosse that also subjects viewers to two of the Tigers football games. But CSTV will be great exposure for I-AA football, especially since it is willing to have programs throughout the week that will promote the sport. CSTV’s deal with the Mountain West Conference doesn’t hurt matters either. It gives the network some instant credibility and opens it up to places like Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and San Diego. CSTV is already in Detroit, Cleveland, and Houston among others, and is the top new station in interest among cable operators. The Football Network received $30 million in funding from Cornell Capital, L.P. The network was running and set to broadcast the I- AA All-Star game a year ago before financial difficulties forced it to cancel the contest. Hopefully The Football Network will be a major player for I-AA again.
RIGHT THING TO DO
No one wishes for a coach to lose his job, especially when the coach didn’t directly do anything wrong. But Nicholls State’s action in firing head coach Daryl Daye was a completely understandable and correct decision. Daye was not implicated in accusations of academic fraud involving players and an assistant coach, but he was still the one steering the ship. Having control of every one of your coaches and players is harder in football than any other collegiate sport. However, it still has to be done. It was Daye’s duty to make sure that everything involving his program was run the right away, and he should pay the penalty when it did not. He still hired the staff and has to carry some blame for the actions of those beneath him.
LONG OFFSEASON FINALLY OVER AT FLORIDA A & M
While the eight or nine month offseason drags on for all I-AA fans, no one will be happier to get back on the field than Florida A & M. The Rattlers had 11 MEAC championships taken away and must pay back $175,000 in title payouts to the conference. All this while the school is reportedly in debt up to $700,000. The Rattlers tried to get by for years with just one person in the compliance department. Going on the cheap showed when 196 violations (of the same couple problems) were committed in 14 sports from 1998-2003. Despite warnings of these problems, the Rattlers still tried to go ahead with a move to I-A. They’ll pay for it with four players sitting out the first four games and a tough early schedule. Hopefully, the Rattlers can at least get through the season without any problems, restore some integrity to the school, and eventually get back to being a contender in the MEAC.
SPEARS’ STATUS UP IN THE AIR
All male readers of the column, relax. The headline does not pertain to Britney Spears and her engagement to the backup dancer with the sideways baseball cap. However, the Spears mentioned here, Grambling State head coach Melvin Spears, may see his job go away even before his aforementioned namesake ties the knot. Spears, who already had to prove his resume was accurate, will have to prove himself on the field as an interim coach. When Grambling State president Horace Judson said there is still an issue of filing the position on a permanent basis, it wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement for Spears’ candidacy. On the plus side for Grambling and Spears, the Tigers will open the 2004 season at home against Alcorn State Saturday instead of playing the contest in Los Angeles. The game, which was set to be called the Silver Dollar Classic, would have brought in some money. However, fans would have had to wait for October 16 for the first Tigers home game if the deal held on. That’s just not fair to your home supporters, especially with Payton Candidate Bruce Eugene leading the way in his senior season.
BRANCH, EUGENE AMONG FIRST PAYTON HOPEFULS
The 2003 winner, Colgate’s Jamaal Branch, and runner-up, Grambling State’s Bruce Eugene, highlighted a group of 16 players on the first Walter Payton Award watch announced by the Sports Network this week. Branch ran for an NCAA record 2,326 yards and tied a I-AA record with 29 rushing touchdowns in 2003, while Eugene threw for 3,805 yards and 34 touchdowns. Illinois State’s Boomer Grigsby heads the list of 16 candidates for the Buck Buchanan Award. Grigsby, the runner-up in 2003, made 179 tackles a year ago. The Payton Watch and Buchanan Battle pages can be found at The Sports Network’s website (www.sportsnetwork.com). Both awards, along with the Eddie Robinson Award honoring I-AA’s top coach and the Sports Network Cup bestowed upon the nation’s best I-AA Mid-Major program, will be presented on the eve of the national title game on December 16th in Chattanooga, TN.
THE GAMES
Living up to my predecessor in the picks department will be a tough task. Still, I picked up some confidence after correctly calling Murray State and Samford’s victories over DII squads, Indiana State’s thrashing at the hands of Miami (OH), and North Dakota State’s demolition of Valparaiso. I wish I could count those on the record, but I’ll just start with the full slate this week. Without further ado, the first shots at picking this week’s I-AA games:
For Matt Dougherty's predictions, go to
http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/misc/extrapoint.htm
You can reach Matt Dougherty at: mdougherty@sportsnetwork.com
Beginning with the Big Sky media day on July 19, I made sure the pen and paper were handy as Big Sky commissioner Doug Fullerton addressed the gathering of media and coaches as they devoured breakfast.
Much of what Fullerton said intrigued me, and at the same time left me with questions. He asserted that I-AA football is in great shape, with exposure reaching an all-time high. However, almost in the same breath he talked about the need for a change, and how the I-AA label has become a "branding" problem.
So, trying to find a solution to the status of I-AA, I listened to a week straight of addresses from conference commissioners at the end of July. By the end, it was like sitting in ninth grade English class mindlessly taking notes on topics that have been instilled for years. I-AA gets lost in the shuffle, yet it’s better than ever. I-AA teams are all going to flee for the big bucks of I-A, yet conferences are all going to expand.
Finally done with waiting in airports, it was time to find the truth. Is I-AA really in serious danger, or is it becoming more credible than ever? To truly ponder the question, one fact has to be taken into account. There’s no winning with the NCAA, as its more powerful members continually push around the governing body. The board will get tough on the newer I-A schools when it comes to the 15,000 fans per game attendance requirement (that’s you, Florida Atlantic and Florida International) but don’t expect it to regulate teams from more established conferences like the MAC. Trust me, as a former employee in sports information, exaggerating attendance at events, even ticketed events, doesn’t exactly bring about an NCAA reprimand.
The NCAA will continue to place I-AA on the low end of its priority level. But that does not mean all is lost in the sub-classification. On the contrary, media (most importantly, television) is beginning to view I-AA as a valuable commodity on its own. Fifteen games will be broadcast from the Atlantic 10. Twenty-one will be shown from the Patriot League, while 28 Big Sky contests are set for live broadcasts. While many of these are on regional stations, the national media is taking note of the popularity of I-AA as well. CSTV, one of the fastest rising cable networks, will show 13 I-AA games, including three Saturdays of I-AA doubleheaders. ESPN will show the national championship and semifinals, and will also broadcast the quarterfinals in syndication. The Fox College Sports Network will soon be on the scene, and ESPN is exploring the idea of a college sports network.
Now, is I-AA still a niche product? Of course, but that’s not a bad thing. Few sports capture the nation’s attention and the rest fight to establish a fan base and gain some airtime on the national scene. With so many options out there, people will only focus on what they want to.
However, when the television networks explore the base for I-AA they see a stronger collection of fans than ever. For one, it’s football, and as NBC proved with the Arena League there can never be enough football games on television. More importantly, the group that supports I-AA is a dedicated bunch. As I’ve found out through e-mails, message boards and websites, I-AA fans have a passion and an enthusiasm for their teams and sport that is unmatched among the tennis and golf crowds. The fact that websites such as I- AA.org and I-AA.com have increased their coverage and influence only enhances the reputation of I-AA.
The cable networks are paying attention. They don’t look at I-AA and see a "second-class" of college football. They look at a product that has a base and can stand by itself in gaining ratings, no matter who tries to take the plunge into I-A. Maybe the brand isn’t so bad after all.
A quick look at some of the other issues that arose in the conference media days:
Expand the Playoffs?: Big South conference commissioner Kyle Kallander believes more schools need access to the I-AA postseason. Kallander believes that the playoff field should expand to 24 teams because less than a quarter of I-AA schools currently have access to the postseason.
However, there aren’t enough contenders to justify the increase at this time. There are 120 schools competing in football at the I-AA level. Of those, 22 are Mid-Majors that would likely not fare too well against the top teams in I-AA. The eight Ivy schools are barred from the postseason by league mandate. The SWAC division champions, along with Grambling State and Southern, also do not compete in the playoffs and the conference would have trouble fielding a participant as well. North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, UC-Davis, and South Dakota State are all ineligible for postseason play while in a transition phase from Division II.
Realistically, that leaves 76 programs competing for the playoff spots. The importance and the magnitude placed on every regular season game in college football makes the sport unique and is a big reason for its popularity. By expanding the playoffs at this point, the regular season would lose some of its luster. Last season, four-loss teams like Villanova, Georgia Southern and Appalachian State all might have received bids despite not having stellar seasons.
A second problem with expanding the field is logistics. Either the season would have to start a week earlier (like Division II) or the playoff would have to run a week later. Since running the playoffs a week later would put it back to Christmas Day, we’ll assume the season would have to start a bit earlier. The two squads in the championship game would have to play either 16 or 17 games if they played in the first round of the playoffs. The season would run from around August 25 to a week before Christmas, which is just too long for a classification that still cares about the first word in the phrase "student- athletes."
The only other option would be to shorten the regular season. I know I wouldn’t want to be the one to tell athletic directors that the big-money game with a I- A school or the sixth home game won’t be happening this year. A resounding "No" would be the least of the answers to that proposition.
Eventually, if the membership increases and deserving teams end up being left out of the playoff battle, the issue of an expanded field will have to be addressed. Currently, there is no need to mess with the success of the 16-team format.
Conference Realignment: While I-AA may never have the upheaval caused by the ACC on the I-A level, don’t expect the current conference affiliations to last forever. The eight-member Big Sky is exploring the expansion issue with North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Southern Utah and Northern Colorado (all Great West members) possibly in its sites. The Southern Conference could be looking at Coastal Carolina, Samford, or VMI, and the Southland Conference may get to eight or nine members with Southeastern Louisiana already on board for 2005.
The Atlantic 10 could be fighting just to keep its league alive. Six of the current A-10 teams are members of the Colonial Athletic Association for other sports, and the CAA has already discussed starting a football league when the A-10 contract runs out in 2006.
This could mean a bigger Big Sky, Southern and Southland, but start up conferences like the Great West and Big South could struggle to compete. If the Big Sky raids the Great West for three teams, the remaining group would have to find an affiliation or go right back to independent status. The Big South only has five teams to begin with, so losing even one squad could force the league to reconsider its status. The Great West and Big South could always try to fill the spots with teams that make the jump from Division II, or take a struggling program from a major conference like the Big South did with VMI. There might not be sweeping changes, but expect some shifting of affiliations after the season is complete.
Now, we'll take a look at the rest of the week and the offseason that was in I- AA football:
WELCOME, NORTH DAKOTA STATE
In the four games last weekend, the North Dakota State Bison made by far the biggest statement. Granted, they beat a Mid-Major (Valparaiso), but NDSU completely dominated the game from start to finish and never even allowed the Crusaders to cross the 50-yard line. The Bison proved that anyone taking them lightly because of their past Division II status should think again. North Dakota State’s Kyle Steffes ran for 175 yards and four touchdowns on just 13 carries to earn the first Great West Offensive Player of the Week honor. Of course, why the Great West felt the need to give player of the week honors when only one team was in action is another story. It’s a good thing the Gateway didn’t award anyone from Indiana State after the Sycamores fell 49-0 to Miami (OH). North Dakota State’s victory was also the first for anyone in Great West history, though the conference will make some more noise as the season goes on. Give the Bison time and they can develop into a perennial contender in the future. This week, North Dakota State and Northern Colorado battle in the first Great West conference game and a matchup that could go a long way toward determining the league champion.
COMING SOON TO A CABLE STATION NEAR YOU
Both CSTV and the Football Network appear to have overcome early hurdles and established themselves as quality options on cable and satellite packages. CSTV will broadcast 13 games, with the only down side being a deal to show Princeton basketball and lacrosse that also subjects viewers to two of the Tigers football games. But CSTV will be great exposure for I-AA football, especially since it is willing to have programs throughout the week that will promote the sport. CSTV’s deal with the Mountain West Conference doesn’t hurt matters either. It gives the network some instant credibility and opens it up to places like Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and San Diego. CSTV is already in Detroit, Cleveland, and Houston among others, and is the top new station in interest among cable operators. The Football Network received $30 million in funding from Cornell Capital, L.P. The network was running and set to broadcast the I- AA All-Star game a year ago before financial difficulties forced it to cancel the contest. Hopefully The Football Network will be a major player for I-AA again.
RIGHT THING TO DO
No one wishes for a coach to lose his job, especially when the coach didn’t directly do anything wrong. But Nicholls State’s action in firing head coach Daryl Daye was a completely understandable and correct decision. Daye was not implicated in accusations of academic fraud involving players and an assistant coach, but he was still the one steering the ship. Having control of every one of your coaches and players is harder in football than any other collegiate sport. However, it still has to be done. It was Daye’s duty to make sure that everything involving his program was run the right away, and he should pay the penalty when it did not. He still hired the staff and has to carry some blame for the actions of those beneath him.
LONG OFFSEASON FINALLY OVER AT FLORIDA A & M
While the eight or nine month offseason drags on for all I-AA fans, no one will be happier to get back on the field than Florida A & M. The Rattlers had 11 MEAC championships taken away and must pay back $175,000 in title payouts to the conference. All this while the school is reportedly in debt up to $700,000. The Rattlers tried to get by for years with just one person in the compliance department. Going on the cheap showed when 196 violations (of the same couple problems) were committed in 14 sports from 1998-2003. Despite warnings of these problems, the Rattlers still tried to go ahead with a move to I-A. They’ll pay for it with four players sitting out the first four games and a tough early schedule. Hopefully, the Rattlers can at least get through the season without any problems, restore some integrity to the school, and eventually get back to being a contender in the MEAC.
SPEARS’ STATUS UP IN THE AIR
All male readers of the column, relax. The headline does not pertain to Britney Spears and her engagement to the backup dancer with the sideways baseball cap. However, the Spears mentioned here, Grambling State head coach Melvin Spears, may see his job go away even before his aforementioned namesake ties the knot. Spears, who already had to prove his resume was accurate, will have to prove himself on the field as an interim coach. When Grambling State president Horace Judson said there is still an issue of filing the position on a permanent basis, it wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement for Spears’ candidacy. On the plus side for Grambling and Spears, the Tigers will open the 2004 season at home against Alcorn State Saturday instead of playing the contest in Los Angeles. The game, which was set to be called the Silver Dollar Classic, would have brought in some money. However, fans would have had to wait for October 16 for the first Tigers home game if the deal held on. That’s just not fair to your home supporters, especially with Payton Candidate Bruce Eugene leading the way in his senior season.
BRANCH, EUGENE AMONG FIRST PAYTON HOPEFULS
The 2003 winner, Colgate’s Jamaal Branch, and runner-up, Grambling State’s Bruce Eugene, highlighted a group of 16 players on the first Walter Payton Award watch announced by the Sports Network this week. Branch ran for an NCAA record 2,326 yards and tied a I-AA record with 29 rushing touchdowns in 2003, while Eugene threw for 3,805 yards and 34 touchdowns. Illinois State’s Boomer Grigsby heads the list of 16 candidates for the Buck Buchanan Award. Grigsby, the runner-up in 2003, made 179 tackles a year ago. The Payton Watch and Buchanan Battle pages can be found at The Sports Network’s website (www.sportsnetwork.com). Both awards, along with the Eddie Robinson Award honoring I-AA’s top coach and the Sports Network Cup bestowed upon the nation’s best I-AA Mid-Major program, will be presented on the eve of the national title game on December 16th in Chattanooga, TN.
THE GAMES
Living up to my predecessor in the picks department will be a tough task. Still, I picked up some confidence after correctly calling Murray State and Samford’s victories over DII squads, Indiana State’s thrashing at the hands of Miami (OH), and North Dakota State’s demolition of Valparaiso. I wish I could count those on the record, but I’ll just start with the full slate this week. Without further ado, the first shots at picking this week’s I-AA games:
For Matt Dougherty's predictions, go to
http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/misc/extrapoint.htm
You can reach Matt Dougherty at: mdougherty@sportsnetwork.com
Wednesday, June 10
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Friday, March 13
