The Toughest, Best, Premier FCS/IAA Football Conference

[BisonNeil]

The problem is, the Gateway is the deepest league but they rarely have the best team. Usually a bunch of really good teams. They are close. But the other confernces are top heavy and usually have 1 great team a bunch of above average teams.

That would be true of the Big Sky and the Southern league but not the Colonial. That league has Delaware, James Madison, U Mass, New Hampshire and Richmond that are all in the hunt every year for the playoffs and all have made the playoffs in the past 5 yrs. William & Mary, Villanova, Northeastern and Maine have occasionally made the playoffs. In the MVFC you have YSU, S. Ill and N. Iowa in the playoff hunt annually with W. Ill and Illinois St occasionally getting in. So, The Colonial is clearly the toughest conference from top to bottom.

[CarringtonBison]

That would be true of the Big Sky and the Southern league but not the Colonial. That league has Delaware, James Madison, U Mass, New Hampshire and Richmond that are all in the hunt every year for the playoffs and all have made the playoffs in the past 5 yrs. William & Mary, Villanova, Northeastern and Maine have occasionally made the playoffs. In the MVFC you have YSU, S. Ill and N. Iowa in the playoff hunt annually with W. Ill and Illinois St occasionally getting in. So, The Colonial is clearly the toughest conference from top to bottom.

i would agree with this, but travel would be a bitch for us in the colonial

[NDSUstudent]

That would be true of the Big Sky and the Southern league but not the Colonial. That league has Delaware, James Madison, U Mass, New Hampshire and Richmond that are all in the hunt every year for the playoffs and all have made the playoffs in the past 5 yrs. William & Mary, Villanova, Northeastern and Maine have occasionally made the playoffs. In the MVFC you have YSU, S. Ill and N. Iowa in the playoff hunt annually with W. Ill and Illinois St occasionally getting in. So, The Colonial is clearly the toughest conference from top to bottom.

Not every team plays every team in the CAA, and I think that makes a bit of difference. Some teams play very hard schedules and other play very favorable schedules.

[Bisonguy]

Good post.

The real question is... "In 10 years, what will be the toughest conference?" The Gateway held their own and that was without NDSU or SDSU. Competition makes you better and we're finding that out.

Gateway had the 2nd least amount of playoff appearances but the 2nd most wins, which is the best indicator. They just needed more appearances. Problem is one Gateway team always got shafted.

The problem is, the Gateway is the deepest league but they rarely have the best team. Usually a bunch of really good teams. They are close. But the other confernces are top heavy and usually have 1 great team a bunch of above average teams.

Here's a question... How would Appy do if they moved to the MVFC? Could they survive a full season? Remember, Youngstown won 4 National Championships, but have only won ONE since joining the Gateway. (and that was in their first season and haven't won any since) They have only won the conference twice in 13 years.

Common opponents? Georgia Southern has struggled with Austin Peay and Central Conn State the last 2 years.

How about competition against the D1-A teams? Remember SIU was the first team to beat a big ten school.

There were 9 wins over D1-A teams last year.

Gateway- 4 (2 NDSU, UNI, and SIU) 2 of them were
Colonial- 2 (Deleway/New Hamp)
Southland (not the southern) - 2 (Mcneese and Nicholis)
Sothern - 1 (Appy over Michigan)


D1AA wins over D1A in 1997

W 9/1 Appalachian St, 34 ; Michigan, 32
W 9/1 Nicholls State, 16 ; Rice, 14
W 9/8 Southern Ill, 34 ; Northern Ill, 31
W 9/8 Northern Iowa, 24 ; Iowa State, 13
W 9/15 New Hampshire, 48 ; Marshall, 35
W 9/15 McNeese State, 38 ; UL Lafayette, 17
W 9/22 North Dakota St, 44 ; Central Mich, 14
W 10/20 North Dakota St, 27 ; Minnesota, 21
W 10/27 Delaware, 59 ; Navy, 52

I say 1) MVFC 2) Colonial 3) Southern
but they are ALL great conferences. I just like the tough guy run the ball midwest mindset of the Gateway.

Looking over those FBS teams, I'd say the SoCon and CAA wins were a lot bigger than any other conferences.


Throw out Indiana State (which is a really, really horrible team) and the MVFC is pretty strong (possibly the strongest) top to bottom.

However, championships and teams in the playoffs are the best measurement for overall strength of a conference. The MVFC is the third best conference in FCS.

[unbison]

do u realize..... that u will never regain the time u waste looking into this...... that is like useless dribble to these people.... they will all come up with a reason the mvfc is the toughest and u will never regain the hour it took u to do this

[SlickVic]

do u realize..... that u will never regain the time u waste looking into this...... that is like useless dribble to these people.... they will all come up with a reason the mvfc is the toughest and u will never regain the hour it took u to do this

hahahaha wow unbison your the man made me just burst out laugin reading that +++++++

[bisonbrody9]

do u realize..... that u will never regain the time u waste looking into this...... that is like useless dribble to these people.... they will all come up with a reason the mvfc is the toughest and u will never regain the hour it took u to do this

hahahahaha zing!

MVFC = toughest conference ever

this thread sounds like a bunch of excuses

[BisonNeil]

For anyone paying attention, the Colonial got 5 teams into the 2008 playoffs, as opposed to two for the MVFC, and four of them won their first round games. Only Maine lost and they played UNI which was the only MVFC to win their game. SIU lost to New Hampshire which now plays UNI. It's up to UNI to carry the torch for the Valley against the Colonial!

[SDbison]

For anyone paying attention, the Colonial got 5 teams into the 2008 playoffs, as opposed to two for the MVFC, and four of them won their first round games. Only Maine lost and they played UNI which was the only MVFC to win their game. SIU lost to New Hampshire which now plays UNI. It's up to UNI to carry the torch for the Valley against the Colonial!

Yeah, but the MVFC is so tough it was not NDSU's fault that they lost 4 conference games.

[CaBisonFan]

In terms of the number of champions from each conference, if one team makes a run...like App. State or Georgia Southern...it tips the scale, and skews the comparison somewhat. It would have been interesting to see what four or five MVFC teams would have done this past weekend.

Still, it's a good analysis.