Why Play a Tough Non Conference Schedule?

[BisonTru]

2011- Sam Houston #1 seed
2013- Eastern Illinois # 2 seed
2015- JSU #1 seed

I'm sure there are more but these are the best examples I can think of.

I'm not just talking NDSU though. McNeese is a great example. Why the fuck where they #4? Who did they beat to deserve that seed?

Sam Houston had an FBS win, as well as played 2 or 3 teams in the Southland that were transitioning up. The Southland isn't what it use to be in '11. Albeit it does look like some of the new teams like Nichols St now have a pulse. They dominated their conference that year as well.

Eastern Illinois had a dominating FBS win as well as dominated the OVC.

JSU had a strong Chattanooga victory, dominated their conference, and the Auburn loss was also impressive.

This year, Sam Houston hasn't played shit. They will face Central Arkansas, who looks like a legit playoff team. They must win that game as well as dominate the rest of their games to even be in the #1 seed conversation, and that just gets them in the talk. NDSU or EWU winning out could easily be seeded above them.

We will have all sorts of time to bitch about the committee, no need to start now.

Edit: I see PC pretty much beat me to everything I just said.

[thundarsdaddy]

Because we had some younger, less experienced players, at key positions this year that needed bigtime game experience, and as Teach alluded to, not Ferris State. Not that NDSU knew this when they scheduled these tough teams in past years. I'm glad Easton Stick got a ton of good experience last year, but with young guys in the o-line, young guys at d-back, an inexperienced punter, young receivers....they need to play in big games so they can grow up fast. Even Tanner Volson filling in at center helped the Bison out bigtime, in the first two games I think every year should go like this!

[Schwarz04]

The teams that are ranked ahead of NDSU right now really have no logical reason being ranked there. How are any of those resumes better or even equal to NDSU's? In the end I don't give a shit as long as NDSU ends up a top 4 seed; then the road to Frisco rolls through Fargo, and all the teams with bullshit weak schedules get destroyed by the Bison in front of our home crowd whether it be in the dome or Fargo South.

[BisonTru]

The teams that are ranked ahead of NDSU right now really have no logical reason being ranked there. How are any of those resumes better or even equal to NDSU's? In the end I don't give a shit as long as NDSU ends up a top 4 seed; then the road to Frisco rolls through Fargo, and all the teams with bullshit weak schedules get destroyed by the Bison.

We need to be top 2 to insure the road goes through Fargo. Anyway, the Stats poll and the coaches polls don't mean jack to the selection committee. At this point we just need to win out and hope the committee sees it correctly. They are much better at weighing this stuff than the polls are.

[bisonaudit]

Better than the polls, sure. But, that isn't a very high bar.

[ndsubison1]

Because if we have close games we can bitch about them

[Bison Bridge Guy]

Because if we have close games we can bitch about them

And maybe if we consistently play top FCS teams in non-conference games there will be a reduction in the "FCS sucks lets move to FBS" threads on Bisonville. (Doubtful I know.)

[1993bison]

No one wants to play us. We take what we can get.

Just a matter of time until we go on the road for the playoffs.

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[LITTLEGUYSINGREEN]

Seriously, what is the point? NDSU plays in the toughest conference in the FCS. From the standpoint of getting the team ready for the playoffs, going through the gauntlet of the MVFC already gets us ready for the playoffs.

NDSU's first three games was clearly the toughest schedule in the FCS. How has that helped NDSU? If the current top 4 teams win out, there is zero doubt the playoff committee WILL NOT seed NDSU higher than JSU and Sam Houston State who play NOBODY. They have continuously proven to reward teams for going undefeated and playing nobody.

I just don't know if the scheduling philosophy is worth it anymore. Discuss.

Two words: BRING ON THE COMPETITION!

[El_Chapo]

I'd rather play 2 fbs

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How about play ALL FBS? Freakin western Illinois in Macomb is ranked #13. Think about that and how bad the fcs is, hell und is 4-2 in the fcs playing no one ,the fcs is a joke, we've already dominated it. Time to go