3-8 to the playoffs?

[backpages]

Those are interesting statistics. An additional thing in favor or teams being able to do it this year, such as NDSU, is that FCS has a 20 team format

20-Teams? After #8 isn't it starting to get watered down? With the bigger schools the goal is BCS. After that it's all seems sort of relative and ho-hum. Time will tell.

[unbison]

SD is right on the money here folks it falls on the master and commanders back !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I guess we could keep plugging into the excusometer and blame flooding for poor conditioning which lead to injuries .......... or the cops for harassing the players or........ just bad luck...... come on people you make your own luck with effort and discipline!

[56BISON73]

You also have to understand that they had less time to condition themselves, and had an abbreviated spring practice due to the flood. Couple that with at least 6-7 players getting kicked off the team for run-ins with the law, and that gives you what we saw on the field.

Full spring practice this year, great transfers, only one run-in with the law, full summer conditioning, and I think we will be greatly improved.

That had absolutely NOTHING to do with the Bisons poor play last year.

Less time to condition themselves???????

[DjKyRo]

20-Teams? After #8 isn't it starting to get watered down? With the bigger schools the goal is BCS. After that it's all seems sort of relative and ho-hum. Time will tell.

I think the difference is that in FCS even those watered-down teams still have a shot at the title as opposed to the FBS schools just looking for a bigger paycheck and some TV time.

[OldBison]

20-Teams? After #8 isn't it starting to get watered down? With the bigger schools the goal is BCS. After that it's all seems sort of relative and ho-hum. Time will tell.

That would be one argument. However, DII has a 24 team format, DIII has a 32 team format. DIAA is going >16 for the first time, so we'll see.

I have followed all divisions for years and in some years the first round games are very competitive, in others, not so much. Last year half of the first round games in DII were settled by < 3pts, two went into OT. In DIII only 1/16 first round games was decided by <3 pts and only 3/16 were decided by <7 pts, so at that level it was, perhaps, a bit "watered down"

[ndsubison1]

I think 20 teams is perfect for the playoffs. Anymore than that you can say making the first round isnt even the greatest of accomplishments. I want it to be worth something, instead of all this expanding crap

[Panther Fan]

They are just expanding it, and will expand it even more to a total of 24 - 32 teams IMO, to make room for the non-BCS FBS programs that will be dropping like flies down to FCS in the coming years. Ultimately we will end up with BCS, FCS, DII, DIII. At least that is my conspiracy theory.