The Toughest, Best, Premier FCS/IAA Football Conference

[BisonNeil]

Over the past several months there have been a lot of threads and posts that either directly or indirectly referenced the Missouri Valley Football Conference. During several of these references the descriptors used for the conference usually used some adjective describing the conference as the "toughest", or the "best", or the "premier" football conference in FCS/IAA. This has been no more evident than during the recent trials and tribulations of our beloved Bison as they wade through their first year in the MVFC. Many fans attribute the current record to the toughness of the MVFC.

There can be no doubt that the MVFC is, indeed, "tougher" than the Bison's former conference, the Great West. But is the MVFC the toughest, best much less the premier FCS football conference? Since most of these comments were nothing more than opinion, I decided to look for statistics that would attempt to determine which of the football conferences was the best.

There are probably a number of ways to do this but I decided to compare the MVFC (Gateway) to the Colonial (Atlantic 10), Southern and Big Sky conferences. I consider these four football conferences to be 'premier' football conferences because they have won the FCS/IAA football championship 14 times out of the last 15 years. So, I ignored all other conferences.

I decided to examine the number of playoff appearances each team from that conference made, the number of wins each conferences teams garnered, the number of times each conference had a member in the championship game and the number of championships won by a conference member. I examined the playoffs for each year of the last 15 years, from 1993-2007. The data are here if anyone wants to check the stats:

http://www.fcspreview.com/history.html

Because I went back 15 years, I also included such teams as Idaho and Boise State for the Big Sky and Western Kentucky for the MVFC despite the fact they are no longer members of the conference. I did this because these teams would have contributed to the "toughness" of the conference schedule. Here is what I learned:

Number of Championship Appearances/Number of Wins in the Playoffs

Colonial teams have made the playoffs 35 times during this period and have notched 40 wins. The Southern conference has sent 32 teams to the playoffs and has notched 46 wins. MVFC has sent 29 teams to the playoffs and has notched 44 wins while the Big Sky has sent 30 teams notching 32 wins.

My interpretation: Among these three conferences the MVFC is no better than third in ranking. The Colonial and Southern conferences have sent more teams and all have about the same number of victories. The Big Sky and MVFC have sent about the same number of teams but clearly the MVFC has done better than the Big Sky when competing against these better teams.

Championship Game Appearances and Championships

The Colonial conference has sent five teams to the championship game and has won 3 championships. The Southern conference has sent six teams to the championship game winning five championships. The MVFC has sent five teams to the championship game, winning four times. The Big Sky has sent 6 teams to the championship game winning twice.

My interpretation: Clearly the Southern conference is the premier conference when it comes to getting teams to the championship game and winning it. That's what happens when you have Appalachian State and Georgia Southern in the same conference. The Colonial and MVFC are basically tied for second in this category with a slight edge going to the MVFC with one more championship, however in this period two of those went to a former member that is now FBS, Western Kentucky. The Big Sky has been quite successful in getting teams to the big dance buy Montana has managed just two victories despite all those appearances.

My overall impression after looking at the data is that the MVFC is not the toughest, best or premier FCS/IAA football conference, at least not during the last 15 years. The Southern conference is clearly the premier football conference and the the MVFC is probably no better than third, given the prowess of the Colonial conference the past five years in which teams from that conference have made four appearances in the championship game, winning twice. During the same time period only one MVFC team has made the championship game. Among the four conferences mentioned here, the MVFC is clearly only better than the Big Sky.

[NDSUstudent]

The MVFC needs to step it up, our non-conference wins this year are pretty bad...

Team-GPI
Hampton-42
SFA-43
SFA-43
CCSU-65
USD-72
Murray St-83
Nicholls St-86
SEMO-95
Austin Peay-102
Central State-DII
Quincy-DII? NAIA?

Yeah, that Central Conn. team we beat up is the 4th best MVFC non-conference win, we are about as bad as the Big Fluffy Sky this year.

[CarringtonBison]

Nice analysis BisonNeil, thanks for the effort. I would say that the MVFC is one of the premier conferences. Not the premier conference, but one of.

It is hard to compare conferences over time as the ebb and flow of the conference changes. All the listed conferences are top conferences, with each one being better during different time frames.

Point is, is that we have stepped up into a tough conference that makes you prepare to play week in, week out. If not, you will lose and that can devestate a season.

[CaBisonFan]

Neil:

Very good analysis and information.

In terms of our experience in the MVFC to this point...it has more to do with our quality of play vs. the caliber of our opponents. A Steve Walker-led team, with a Nate Safe, Majeski, and Joe Mays (among others) would likely have itself in the top 2 or 3 in this conference. A conference championship would have been very realistic. That team also would have been a serious threat in the playoffs. But we don't have that team, do we? The most glaring problem is behind center. This has been a tough initiation into a very strong conference, without an experienced leader at QB. Let me emphasize 'experience.' Nick Mertens is a lot like a redshirt freshman...and I think that the offensive scheme wasn't adjusted to his skills.

Not correcting you Neil. Just adding an opinion to the discussion.

The numbers don't lie in terms of the MVFC compared to other conferences. Still...we're in a larger conference with 3 or 4 teams that have athletes like Cal Poly, or better.

[56BISON73]

Over the past several months there have been a lot of threads and posts that either directly or indirectly referenced the Missouri Valley Football Conference. During several of these references the descriptors used for the conference usually used some adjective describing the conference as the "toughest", or the "best", or the "premier" football conference in FCS/IAA. This has been no more evident than during the recent trials and tribulations of our beloved Bison as they wade through their first year in the MVFC. Many fans attribute the current record to the toughness of the MVFC.

There can be no doubt that the MVFC is, indeed, "tougher" than the Bison's former conference, the Great West. But is the MVFC the toughest, best much less the premier FCS football conference? Since most of these comments were nothing more than opinion, I decided to look for statistics that would attempt to determine which of the football conferences was the best.

There are probably a number of ways to do this but I decided to compare the MVFC (Gateway) to the Colonial (Atlantic 10), Southern and Big Sky conferences. I consider these four football conferences to be 'premier' football conferences because they have won the FCS/IAA football championship 14 times out of the last 15 years. So, I ignored all other conferences.

I decided to examine the number of playoff appearances each team from that conference made, the number of wins each conferences teams garnered, the number of times each conference had a member in the championship game and the number of championships won by a conference member. I examined the playoffs for each year of the last 15 years, from 1993-2007. The data are here if anyone wants to check the stats:

http://www.fcspreview.com/history.html

Because I went back 15 years, I also included such teams as Idaho and Boise State for the Big Sky and Western Kentucky for the MVFC despite the fact they are no longer members of the conference. I did this because these teams would have contributed to the "toughness" of the conference schedule. Here is what I learned:

Number of Championship Appearances/Number of Wins in the Playoffs

Colonial teams have made the playoffs 35 times during this period and have notched 40 wins. The Southern conference has sent 32 teams to the playoffs and has notched 46 wins. MVFC has sent 29 teams to the playoffs and has notched 44 wins while the Big Sky has sent 30 teams notching 32 wins.

My interpretation: Among these three conferences the MVFC is no better than third in ranking. The Colonial and Southern conferences have sent more teams and all have about the same number of victories. The Big Sky and MVFC have sent about the same number of teams but clearly the MVFC has done better than the Big Sky when competing against these better teams.

Championship Game Appearances and Championships

The Colonial conference has sent five teams to the championship game and has won 3 championships. The Southern conference has sent six teams to the championship game winning five championships. The MVFC has sent five teams to the championship game, winning four times. The Big Sky has sent 6 teams to the championship game winning twice.

My interpretation: Clearly the Southern conference is the premier conference when it comes to getting teams to the championship game and winning it. That's what happens when you have Appalachian State and Georgia Southern in the same conference. The Colonial and MVFC are basically tied for second in this category with a slight edge going to the MVFC with one more championship, however in this period two of those went to a former member that is now FBS, Western Kentucky. The Big Sky has been quite successful in getting teams to the big dance buy Montana has managed just two victories despite all those appearances.

My overall impression after looking at the data is that the MVFC is not the toughest, best or premier FCS/IAA football conference, at least not during the last 15 years. The Southern conference is clearly the premier football conference and the the MVFC is probably no better than third, given the prowess of the Colonial conference the past five years in which teams from that conference have made four appearances in the championship game, winning twice. During the same time period only one MVFC team has made the championship game. Among the four conferences mentioned here, the MVFC is clearly only better than the Big Sky.

Very well done!!! PL

[HerdBot]

Over the past several months there have been a lot of threads and posts that either directly or indirectly referenced the Missouri Valley Football Conference. During several of these references the descriptors used for the conference usually used some adjective describing the conference as the "toughest", or the "best", or the "premier" football conference in FCS/IAA. This has been no more evident than during the recent trials and tribulations of our beloved Bison as they wade through their first year in the MVFC. Many fans attribute the current record to the toughness of the MVFC.

There can be no doubt that the MVFC is, indeed, "tougher" than the Bison's former conference, the Great West. But is the MVFC the toughest, best much less the premier FCS football conference? Since most of these comments were nothing more than opinion, I decided to look for statistics that would attempt to determine which of the football conferences was the best.

There are probably a number of ways to do this but I decided to compare the MVFC (Gateway) to the Colonial (Atlantic 10), Southern and Big Sky conferences. I consider these four football conferences to be 'premier' football conferences because they have won the FCS/IAA football championship 14 times out of the last 15 years. So, I ignored all other conferences.

I decided to examine the number of playoff appearances each team from that conference made, the number of wins each conferences teams garnered, the number of times each conference had a member in the championship game and the number of championships won by a conference member. I examined the playoffs for each year of the last 15 years, from 1993-2007. The data are here if anyone wants to check the stats:

http://www.fcspreview.com/history.html

Because I went back 15 years, I also included such teams as Idaho and Boise State for the Big Sky and Western Kentucky for the MVFC despite the fact they are no longer members of the conference. I did this because these teams would have contributed to the "toughness" of the conference schedule. Here is what I learned:

Number of Championship Appearances/Number of Wins in the Playoffs

Colonial teams have made the playoffs 35 times during this period and have notched 40 wins. The Southern conference has sent 32 teams to the playoffs and has notched 46 wins. MVFC has sent 29 teams to the playoffs and has notched 44 wins while the Big Sky has sent 30 teams notching 32 wins.

My interpretation: Among these three conferences the MVFC is no better than third in ranking. The Colonial and Southern conferences have sent more teams and all have about the same number of victories. The Big Sky and MVFC have sent about the same number of teams but clearly the MVFC has done better than the Big Sky when competing against these better teams.

Championship Game Appearances and Championships

The Colonial conference has sent five teams to the championship game and has won 3 championships. The Southern conference has sent six teams to the championship game winning five championships. The MVFC has sent five teams to the championship game, winning four times. The Big Sky has sent 6 teams to the championship game winning twice.

My interpretation: Clearly the Southern conference is the premier conference when it comes to getting teams to the championship game and winning it. That's what happens when you have Appalachian State and Georgia Southern in the same conference. The Colonial and MVFC are basically tied for second in this category with a slight edge going to the MVFC with one more championship, however in this period two of those went to a former member that is now FBS, Western Kentucky. The Big Sky has been quite successful in getting teams to the big dance buy Montana has managed just two victories despite all those appearances.

My overall impression after looking at the data is that the MVFC is not the toughest, best or premier FCS/IAA football conference, at least not during the last 15 years. The Southern conference is clearly the premier football conference and the the MVFC is probably no better than third, given the prowess of the Colonial conference the past five years in which teams from that conference have made four appearances in the championship game, winning twice. During the same time period only one MVFC team has made the championship game. Among the four conferences mentioned here, the MVFC is clearly only better than the Big Sky.

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.

[pantherhawkrolling]

I think that evaluating the top FCS teams is a lot like evaluating the top FBS teams. Take the Big 10, Big 12, SEC, and Pac 10. Sure, you can rank those conferences, but they are all very tough. They are the 'big boys' in FBS. Likewise, the MVFC is one of the big boys in FCS. That's always how it is going to be: it will not clearly be the best conference, but on the other hand no other conference will clearly be better than it.

And like someone else said, the figures you mentioned were from before the addition of NDSU and SDSU. Those two teams, Southern Illinois, UNI, Youngstown State, plus solid middle-tier teams like Illinois State and Missouri State...no conference right now is clearly tougher, and that includes the Colonial.

[sambini]

Over the past several months there have been a lot of threads and posts that either directly or indirectly referenced the Missouri Valley Football Conference. During several of these references the descriptors used for the conference usually used some adjective describing the conference as the "toughest", or the "best", or the "premier" football conference in FCS/IAA. This has been no more evident than during the recent trials and tribulations of our beloved Bison as they wade through their first year in the MVFC. Many fans attribute the current record to the toughness of the MVFC.

There can be no doubt that the MVFC is, indeed, "tougher" than the Bison's former conference, the Great West. But is the MVFC the toughest, best much less the premier FCS football conference? Since most of these comments were nothing more than opinion, I decided to look for statistics that would attempt to determine which of the football conferences was the best.

There are probably a number of ways to do this but I decided to compare the MVFC (Gateway) to the Colonial (Atlantic 10), Southern and Big Sky conferences. I consider these four football conferences to be 'premier' football conferences because they have won the FCS/IAA football championship 14 times out of the last 15 years. So, I ignored all other conferences.

I decided to examine the number of playoff appearances each team from that conference made, the number of wins each conferences teams garnered, the number of times each conference had a member in the championship game and the number of championships won by a conference member. I examined the playoffs for each year of the last 15 years, from 1993-2007. The data are here if anyone wants to check the stats:

http://www.fcspreview.com/history.html

Because I went back 15 years, I also included such teams as Idaho and Boise State for the Big Sky and Western Kentucky for the MVFC despite the fact they are no longer members of the conference. I did this because these teams would have contributed to the "toughness" of the conference schedule. Here is what I learned:

Number of Championship Appearances/Number of Wins in the Playoffs

Colonial teams have made the playoffs 35 times during this period and have notched 40 wins. The Southern conference has sent 32 teams to the playoffs and has notched 46 wins. MVFC has sent 29 teams to the playoffs and has notched 44 wins while the Big Sky has sent 30 teams notching 32 wins.

My interpretation: Among these three conferences the MVFC is no better than third in ranking. The Colonial and Southern conferences have sent more teams and all have about the same number of victories. The Big Sky and MVFC have sent about the same number of teams but clearly the MVFC has done better than the Big Sky when competing against these better teams.

Championship Game Appearances and Championships

The Colonial conference has sent five teams to the championship game and has won 3 championships. The Southern conference has sent six teams to the championship game winning five championships. The MVFC has sent five teams to the championship game, winning four times. The Big Sky has sent 6 teams to the championship game winning twice.

My interpretation: Clearly the Southern conference is the premier conference when it comes to getting teams to the championship game and winning it. That's what happens when you have Appalachian State and Georgia Southern in the same conference. The Colonial and MVFC are basically tied for second in this category with a slight edge going to the MVFC with one more championship, however in this period two of those went to a former member that is now FBS, Western Kentucky. The Big Sky has been quite successful in getting teams to the big dance buy Montana has managed just two victories despite all those appearances.
rall impression after looking at the data is that the MVFC is not the toughest, best or premier FCS/IAA football conference, at least not during the last 15 years. The Southern conference is clearly the premier football conference and the the MVFC is probably no better than third, given the prowess of the Colonial conference the past five years in which teams from that conference have made four appearances in the championship game, winning twice. During the same time period only one MVFC team has made the championship game. Among the four conferences mentioned here, the MVFC is clearly only better than the Big Sky.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[99Bison]

How about a simpler way... What's the w/l records of said conferences... Overall and/or against each other?

[stevdock]

The one thing that makes it really hard to compare conferences is that one conference doesn't play all of its members (CAA). Because of that they have the possibility of getting more teams into the playoffs. There is a possibility of not having the top two teams in the conference on someone's schedule. Imagine if for example a team in the MVFC didn't have to play UNI and SIU, that team is going to have a great possibility of making the playoffs if they take care of business in their other games.

Even with that being said, the CAA has done a great job of turning playoff appearances into championship game appearances. The SoCon is a very top heavy conference most years with App St and GSU leading the way. I'm interested to see in the upcoming weeks how that shakes out as Elon and Wofford are having very good years so far. That's pretty much the same for the Big Sky in Northern Arizona and Weber St, who are also having very good years along with Montana.

The great thing is we have moved from one of the best conferences in the nation (NCC) to another one that is right at the top also (MVFC).