FCS that could compete in the SB

[bigdaddyg]

Just spent a fun but extremely cold several days on Sugar skiing with family and friends. Always great to get up to God's country. Finished off the weekend with a Pig Out Special at Woodlands. Anyway, I am curious what some of you guys think. What FCS schools could legitimately compete in the Sunbelt in football right now even with fewer scholarship players? I felt that App had several teams over the years that could have held their own in a number of G5 conferences. Hopefully the list is short but I have a feeling there are more than one would think.

[MAD Doctor]

Sounds like a great weekend.
FWIW:
http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2015/8/1 ... -fbs-ready

[asu66]

Sounds like a great weekend.
FWIW:
http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2015/8/1 ... -fbs-ready

Coastal Carolina joins the 'Belt on July 1 for all sports except football. Football begins 'Belt play in '17.

[/\PP ST/\TE GRAD 09]

Depends on your definition of compete. Are we talking App State status or New Mexico State status? Both examples compete in the Sun Belt. One way better than the other.

I feel as though about half of the teams that made this past FCS playoff would compete.

[bigdaddyg]

Depends on your definition of compete. Are we talking App State status or New Mexico State status? Both examples compete in the Sun Belt. One way better than the other.

I feel as though about half of the teams that made this past FCS playoff would compete.

Good point on level of compete. I would say win 6 games and be bowl eligible. I feel like there were several App teams that could have held their own in most of the G5 conferences and could have finished at least middle of the pack with at least 6 wins per season. I preface this by saying that App and the other programs would still have fewer scholarship players so any of these stronger FCS schools would be slugging it out with larger programs with less to work with. I thought that in years past one major qualification for moving up was attendance. I read about the schools that are "primed" for the move average less than 15K per year. For that matter we have several in our own conference that barely reach that point. Guess that isn't a major criteria anymore.

[Yosef84]

On an "any given Saturday" basis, most of the FCS playoff teams could probably compete with most Sun Belt (or other G5) teams but trying to project which ones could compete in a full schedule and win 6 games is tough because there's no good way to project how their depth would hold up (injuries, etc.). Obviously, if the starters stay healthy it changes things vs. a few key injuries. If App had stayed healthy, we would likely have been undefeated this year in the Belt. I think there are probably only a handful of teams in FCS who could survive a sustained Sun Belt schedule with significant success.

That said, the bottom of the conference wouldn't be too tough although that does appear to be improving with GSU's improvement and some key coaching changes elsewhere.

[bigdaddyg]

On an "any given Saturday" basis, most of the FCS playoff teams could probably compete with most Sun Belt (or other G5) teams but trying to project which ones could compete in a full schedule and win 6 games is tough because there's no good way to project how their depth would hold up (injuries, etc.). Obviously, if the starters stay healthy it changes things vs. a few key injuries. If App had stayed healthy, we would likely have been undefeated this year in the Belt. I think there are probably only a handful of teams in FCS who could survive a sustained Sun Belt schedule with significant success.

That said, the bottom of the conference wouldn't be too tough although that does appear to be improving with GSU's improvement and some key coaching changes elsewhere.

Another excellent point. The attrition factor was part of my thinking which is why I said that the teams would have to do it with 65 players. I believe that a few of the playoff teams from last year would have a decent shot to compete (go about .500) but we were a living example that depth is key. We were close to a legit top 25 team in the FBS but we saw how a few injuries to the O-Line could wreck a season. The level of talent at even a top FCS school has to drop fairly significantly at key positions when the backups are called upon. Even the top App teams could not just slot guys in at key positions and continue without a beat. Of course this is purely conjecture but I would guess that the top 5 FCS programs from last year would wear down significantly by about the 8th game (even in the SB).

[Gonzo]

As a football team this can vary wildly from year to year. I think the four semi-finalists in the FCS playoffs could break .500 with a SBC schedule most years, as they would in any G5 Conference. Financially, there are only three schools with the support to survive a move to the Belt: Montana, NDSU, and JMU (geography considerations notwithstanding).

[Rekdiver]

I hate to be an ass here but I don't care about FCS anymore and haven't kept up with the division since we left.

[Yosef84]

I hate to be an ass here but I don't care about FCS anymore and haven't kept up with the division since we left.

Completely your prerogative, but why take the time to read and even comment in a thread that you don't care about?

[Rekdiver]

Had to read it first...I'm not Karnak

[sixtoes9134]

NDSU would pound most of the SB

[AppState89]

I agree, NDSU would finish in the top half of the Sun Belt.

[Saint3333]

Some of NDSU's success can be attributed to timing. They moved up to the FCS as the NE and even more so the SE FCS programs were suffering due to the transition of 8-10 FCS programs to the FBS.

They'd go at least 4-4 in the SBC, but I don't think they'd beat Ark St., App, or GS next year, especially not playing a 12 game FBS schedule.

App and GS's timing to join the SBC was pretty good. ULL was on the down slope as was Troy and ULM. Throw in terrible teams GA St., NMSU, and Idaho in 2014 and that's a nice time to make the jump.

The 2016 versions of GA St., Troy, Texas St., and maybe Idaho will be better than the 2014 versions of those teams.

NDSU like they did in D2 with continue to beat up on a watered down version of their current division. They would be a nice add to the MAC and would do well there. Great fanbase.

[huskie3]

When I looked at NDSU roster, I was surprised they had so few FBS transfers. They do a good job getting in people from their region.

[ASUDieHard]

I hate to be an ass here but I don't care about FCS anymore and haven't kept up with the division since we left.

I, too, don't understand why we can't leave FCS discussions in our rearview, especially discussions that appear to do little more than belittle the conference we're currently in.

[WVAPPeer]

Well I would agree that if you have no interest in this thread then don't waste time on it - just because you leave one place behind doesn't mean you also have to disparage it --- Personally I still watch some of the FCS games and several of the playoff games - It is still good football, even though we have moved on to a higher level --- We aren't P5 but I watch those games as well ---

[CVAPP]

I hate to be an ass here but I don't care about FCS anymore and haven't kept up with the division since we left.

I, too, don't understand why we can't leave FCS discussions in our rearview, especially discussions that appear to do little more than belittle the conference we're currently in.

This is simple. If you ain't interested pass it up, but don't try to dictate other poster's interests. That is bordering on "control issues."

[bigdaddyg]

I hate to be an ass here but I don't care about FCS anymore and haven't kept up with the division since we left.

I, too, don't understand why we can't leave FCS discussions in our rearview, especially discussions that appear to do little more than belittle the conference we're currently in.

This is simple. If you ain't interested pass it up, but don't try to dictate other poster's interests. That is bordering on "control issues."

Guess I don't know the rules. I see threads on this board that I have no interest in. I might read what is posted and then move on. My intent wasn't to belittle the Sunbelt. I should have said, "what current FCS programs could compete at the FBS level?". I really am more specifically interested to see what guys think about those teams ability to compete in G5 conferences. In my opinion the list would be relatively small. I don't think there is a huge gap between the better FCS teams and the weaker G5 teams. Of course the rosters are different in number but some aspects like game attendance, school size, etc are relatively equal.

This is just a slow time of year for sports. Not much to talk about with our hoops teams and baseball hasn't cranked up.

[AppinVA]

You can't just look at game-to-game. Sure, the top of the CAA, SoCon, MVC, Southland and Big Sky can hang with G5 programs in a one-off game and few pull upsets. Liberty did it to us before we switched out our FCS talent for FBS recruits. One or two may be able to hold on for a season. We could've done it in 2006 and 2007 (especially 2006 -- that was our best defense ever before 2015).

You'd be lying if you didn't admit that NDSU is the exception.

This past year, JMU could have gone a full season before Vad Lee got hurt, but he was a transfer, and likely wouldn't have transferred into JMU if he had to sit out a year. Also, once he went down, they had trouble beating the CAA bottom-feeders. Jacksonville State impressed me this year, but it had been a while since the OVC had been on the national scene. Can they do it again? Until they do, I have doubts.

Let's look at GSU and App. Georgia Southern, for all their success, didn't have a FBS pelt until they beat Florida. We get a ton of credit for beating Michigan, but it wasn't until we beat Troy the week after the Liberty debacle that we got one since 9/1/07 (though I will argue that a healthy Armanti would have beaten ECU in 2009, and that team could've posted a good record in the G5).

Still, it's a totally different thing for one of these programs (NDSU excepted) to maintain their program on a year-to-year basis. Montana (like us back in the day) draws well enough that they make more money by playing a lower level FCS/D-II game than by going on the road, so why bother, except for the challenge? And they tend to avoid taking that challenge.

Of the teams remaining in FCS, NDSU, JMU, Liberty, and maybe Montana could devote the resources necessary (and NDSU and Montana are the only ones that have proven they have the fan culture to hang year in and year out) to compete on the FBS level for an extended period of time. I have my doubts about Coastal, but they, like UNC Harrisburg, had to answer the door when opportunity knocked. Their academic profile may not be that of JMU, but they do have more common sense.