I would like to get everyone's thoughts on playing FCS schools to start the season. I personally don't like it. I think it gives our guys a false sense of what it takes to finish a game. After being at the game and digesting what happened I felt the hype and stage was to big for our young guys. They came out over confident as a result of the success they had the previous week. I know that's part of the maturation process, but I think playing an FBS school to start and allowing our guys to see what it feels like to get punched in the mouth early is better preparation than playing a cup cake early.
FCS
- Thread starter bluefutcpa
- Start date
Im not a fan of it either because the games are boring to watch for me, and I agree it is hard to truly see what needs to be improved from week one to two. That said, there is probably financial and availability reasons we open with FCS teams.
I get the reason to get to bowl eligible but I don't like going to bowls that don't do anything for the program either. Load up...double down and take a chance. Schedule the fcs schools every other year or so.
Our problems against Vandy had nothing to do with the game against an FCS. We should play one each year for the win, the idea of playing them to open the season is sound. You get to have an exhibition game to work on your craft.
The problem is the turnovers and penalties continued into the game against Vandy.
The problem is the turnovers and penalties continued into the game against Vandy.
I'd prefer not play an FCS. But, if we find the need, it should be an OVC or preferably a Tennessee-based team (UTC, maybe ETSU--they are playing W. Carolina this week at Bristol) for crowd draw and mainly to help our state school brethren. The risk is losing to a FCS is very damaging to home crowds for rest of the season (SEMO a good example). My preference is opening with conference game (Vandy did so with So. Carolina this year) or OOC team from the MAC, Mountain West, or Sun Belt leagues. The later OOC options are most preferable.
From a perception standpoint, there is no difference between us playing Chatanooga or Arkansas State. If we played South Bama instead of Alabama A&M, no one would show up for that either. In fact, Alabama A&M brought more fans than South Bama would.
We deal with SEC fans here. You telling me that they would care if we played ECU, UCF or even a SDSU here at home? They don't care. It's the same as McNeese St. in their eye. We had ECU here in 2013 and nobody came. I rest my case your honor.
I say, book the game, play it and move on. Get the W and build on it. Still gotta play no matter who you line up against. We're 1-1. Let's go beat BG.
We deal with SEC fans here. You telling me that they would care if we played ECU, UCF or even a SDSU here at home? They don't care. It's the same as McNeese St. in their eye. We had ECU here in 2013 and nobody came. I rest my case your honor.
I say, book the game, play it and move on. Get the W and build on it. Still gotta play no matter who you line up against. We're 1-1. Let's go beat BG.
I don't mind it. Ideally, the OOC schedule should look like this :
FCS
MAC/SBC
MAC/AAC/lower level P5 on a home/home contract
P5 money game
Theoretically, this gives the FB program an automatic win, automatic loss (P5 money game), and two toss ups.
The reason MT lost at Vandy had nothing to do with Alabama A&M and everything to do with how they played on Saturday. They made mental mistakes. They executed poorly. They didn't tackle well.
FCS
MAC/SBC
MAC/AAC/lower level P5 on a home/home contract
P5 money game
Theoretically, this gives the FB program an automatic win, automatic loss (P5 money game), and two toss ups.
The reason MT lost at Vandy had nothing to do with Alabama A&M and everything to do with how they played on Saturday. They made mental mistakes. They executed poorly. They didn't tackle well.
I get it! Ultimately, it's how the team executes the game plan and avoids costly turnovers that helps us win games of prominence. Wins against quality competition (perceived or otherwise) are what counts to the fan. We can lose in the loss column to SEMO or McNeese State about as well as we lose to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Record will show a one loss just the same. However, perception sells tickets, generates fan engagement, and tells us our prospects as the season progresses. If we have contingents of SEC fans who apparently "don't care" as mentioned elsewhere in another post, how do we make 37130, 29,28,27, and most of all 32 to care? That's really not for me to answer. But we certainly appear to have ongoing difficulties with fan engagement when tarps being installed and we allow 47 points to Vandy by executing poorly and not tackling well in the game plan. Are we building towards championships with our schedule, or heading towards the aura of being excited with mere bowl eligibility again? Time will tell. Saturday is important for us to start reversing the trend to get back towards the hunt, because Marshall, Western, and Louisiana Tech appear more ready at this early juncture in championship contention.
I think sometimes a 1aa/fcs team is useful when you need to get younger players some game experience without risking a loss. I have no desire to see a peay, a tsu, tn tech, or utc on the schedule. We still have low information CFB fans, the wal-mart 'ESS E CEE' fans, who still think MT is in the ovc and FCS. Playing the local ovc/in-state fcs programs don't help end the perception. If we are going to play an fcs, a swac team is just perfect for this kind of thing.
MT's attendance has been stuck at 20k (reported) for the last few years because the community has gotten tired of disappointing losses. The pre-game hype was followed by a post-game letdown. The games themselves were dull and the atmosphere wasn't much better. Fan engagement is mediocre at best.
Certainly a home game against a "name" opponent generates more hype but MT has failed to capitlize (BYU, GaTech, Vandy, Miss State) so the "no-name" opponents at least put points on the board and a "W" in the column, building up hype until they are followed by embarrassing loss (to McNeese St, Vandy, etc). Any momentum that was previously gained by a blowout win to Alabama A&M and Savannah State was lost.
It's the Middle pattern. Hype followed by disappointment.
people don't come to games because we don't win enough and don't win early. Even the year we went 10-3, we were 3-3 after 6 games. You have to get ahead and start fast...we have NEVER done this.
No we haven't as a FBS/1A. We've never been ranked as FBS/1A either. Relatively few Blue Raider fans have vivid memories of the last perfect Blue Raider regular season of 1985 (31 years ago) and even that closed at 11-1 with an early out to Georgia Southern. Even fewer were around in 1965 (51 years ago) for the last season that ended as undefeated. We are in desperate need an 11-1, 12-0, or 12-1 season, or at the very least a outright conference championship. No co-championships, not good enough. An 8-4 or 8-5 season doesn't move the needle anymore as we are approach two full decades in FBS. Back to back 11-2 records might get tickets to sell if we sneak in ranked in one poll at 25, 24 or as high as 23. Must be consistent and not a "one year wonder".
Coming back to this thread after some thought. The proof is self evident. MT still was hammered by what is appearing so far to be a pretty poor Vandy team in the 2nd game after MT having a "scrimmage." I get that the athletic dept in some years may be backed into a corner if they want a 5th home game. Maybe even every once in a while with an extremely young team needing game experience. Seeing how Vandy is not demonstrating much quality at all to this point, that loss is looking progressively worse. I just don't see how these so called exhibition games or scrimmages vs FCS teams is supposed to be helping MT in the typical season.
There is no doubt about it. FCS schools are doing nothing for our preparedness or perception. Vandy is awful ... what does that make us?
FBS game over any FCS school.
FBS game over any FCS school.
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