Around FCS: Good Intentions Gone Awry

NCAA Football Betting Lines

10/29/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Since 1986, the FCS playoffs have followed the same format. Sixteen teams have made the playoff field, and teams have played four consecutive weeks to determine a true national champion.

Over the course of the past 22 years, other things have changed, but the championship has grown and thrived using this same un-tampered-with format. But with the playoffs moving to a 20-team bracket in 2010, and potentially 24 teams in the future, the championship committee has decided to make major changes in the title game.

Now I'll announce my disclaimer right at the top. I am a traditionalist, who lives by the motto if it's not broken, let's not fix it. I have followed FCS exclusively since 1993, covered every title game in person since 2001, and I like the way our 125 teams determine their champion.

But the NCAA Division I Football Championship committee and the NCAA Sports Management Cabinet have approved a schedule that would move the title game for 2010 to Jan. 5, 2011 - nearly three weeks after the semifinals. The game would be televised by ESPN the night before the BCS title game.

The proposal was presented to the NCAA Presidents Advisory Group today in Indianapolis.

Since 2004, the semifinals have been held on Friday nights and Saturdays, with the championship game on the following Friday night.

Now, the championship participants will have to wait until after the holidays to conclude their seasons.

The expansion to 20 teams - with the Big South Conference and Northeast Conference receiving automatic bids beginning in 2010 - had forced the championship committee to investigate several options for changing the FCS calendar.

There was the idea of following Division II's lead and starting the season a week early, or doing away with the bye week in teams' schedules to begin the playoffs a week earlier than the traditional Thanksgiving weekend start.

Most schools were not in favor of starting the season earlier, mainly due to the costs associated with housing players on campus an additional week. Several conferences, particularly the Colonial Athletic Association, expressed concerns about the loss of the bye week.

Keeping the regular season on the same calendar and playing the championship game a week later was also looked at, but finding a slot to televise the championship game was problematic, with broadcast-partner ESPN embarking on its annual bowl schedule.

About three weeks ago, the tide for moving the title game into January began to build when ESPN approached the committee with the idea of playing the game the night before the BCS blockbuster. And that proposal got just enough support to win approval from the championship committee.

Unfortunately, it may just be a hasty solution, and one that could make the FCS championship game an afterthought to more football fans.

The current format has seen growing support and prestige in recent years, as the game has finally began to establish a firm foothold in Chattanooga. Attendance has grown to the point of overflow crowds in the midst of Appalachian State's record-setting run of three consecutive titles, and TV ratings have never been higher.

There has also been a noticeable increase in media attention over the past few years, and the quality of play has continued at a high level.

But most of those things could be compromised by moving the game to January.

I'll guarantee you that the quality of play will suffer. All you have to do is look at those awful performances in most bowl games, or at the difference between two weeks of preparation versus one in past Super Bowl contests, to see that most teams don't thrive on long layoffs.

Most coaches worry about rust issues coming back from a bye week. What will they think of having nearly three weeks to prepare for a national championship game?

There will also be financial ramifications, with schools having to house players for extra practice time at a point when almost all institutions are closed for semester breaks. Teams competing for a title will have to let their players go home for the holidays and then get them back on campus for championship preparations - not an easy task.

And how about weather concerns at many schools? Imagine trying to practice for a championship game in late December and early January when you go to school somewhere like Missoula, MT or Hamilton, NY?

Try telling anyone that there are not serious issues in terms of the welfare of student-athletes.

Even worse is the fact that the championship game will likely lose all of the momentum that has been built in the previous rounds of the playoffs. The championship game will be out of sight and out of mind for most football fans for a couple of weeks, instead of building to the crescendo as it currently does.

Some folks are already warning that the FCS championship could become lost in the excitement of the BCS game, with some even calling it the "JV" game. Another problem will be the possibility of the game being held on different nights of the week in the future, instead of in a consistent time slot.

There has also been talk this week of moving the game away from Chattanooga to some more temperate, destination setting, like Orlando, FL. What if the NCAA had taken a similar approach to some of its other championships, like the College Baseball World Series, which has grown and blossomed by staying in Omaha, NE for so many years?

The new proposal is not completely devoid of positives. The break will give fans more time and flexibility in planning travel for the title game, and it would give most athletes a break from having to take finals during championship week.

Players will be able to see injuries heal from a long, grueling season. There is also the opportunity to get more games televised by ESPN.

But the positives are far outweighed by what could be lost. It is simply a short-sighted approach that was born more out of financial considerations rather than what is best for the long term health of FCS.

Hopefully, the championship committee will make the 2010 experiment a one-time thing, and will learn from a decision that is rife with potential problems.