2021 FCS Realignment

[ByeSonBusiness]

Do these new startup FCS conferences get football autobids? If so that is BS. Two more at-large spots taken away from more deserving MVFC schools.

I dont see why they shouldn't be given an auto-bid. Isn't the entire thing FCS fans shit on FBS for basically locking out their smaller teams?

[NDSUstudent]

EKU, JSU and UCA are going to play in the WAC for one season, but I guess the SLC schools are waiting. Regardless one of those schools is going to be good enough to make the playoffs, maybe even all three. Not sure why the auto matters.

[NDSU92]

I dont see why they shouldn't be given an auto-bid. Isn't the entire thing FCS fans shit on FBS for basically locking out their smaller teams?

Surely you understand the difference between locking out an undefeated AAC champ vs “locking out” a 8-3 Patriot champ.

[ByeSonBusiness]

Surely you understand the difference between locking out an undefeated AAC champ vs “locking out” a 8-3 Patriot champ.

In a playoff system where there is 24 teams.... every conference champ who wants in should be in

[Professor Chaos]

In a playoff system where there is 24 teams.... every conference champ who wants in should be in

Agreed, did leaving a 7-5 SIU out hurt the FCS playoffs all that much last year?

Give me a league champ over a 4th or 5th place MVFC/Big Sky/CAA team. Everyone beyond the top 8 is pretty much just cannon fodder for the contenders anyway. If you're going to crown a "national champion" you should give every team in the (sub)division access to the championship... best way to do that in the FCS playoffs is to give every league that wants one an automatic bid to the playoffs. That way every FCS team (in a playoff participating league) controls their own destiny.

[NDSU92]

In a playoff system where there is 24 teams.... every conference champ who wants in should be in

Fair point, but what about conferences that don’t allow schools to utilize the full scholarship allotment? I would say if you’re a conference that does that you shouldn’t have a seat reserved for you. Any conference champion worth a damn is going to be in the top 24 anyways. The only situation you’re covering with the auto bids is a situation where you have some junk conference champion who is 8-3 in a no scholly or reduced scholly conference.

Let’s not kid ourselves, the conference auto-bid deal was only to reduce the number of at larges that the committee had to choose.

[NDSU92]

Agreed, did leaving a 7-5 SIU out hurt the FCS playoffs all that much last year?

Give me a league champ over a 4th or 5th place MVFC/Big Sky/CAA team. Everyone beyond the top 8 is pretty much just cannon fodder for the contenders anyway. If you're going to crown a "national champion" you should give every team in the (sub)division access to the championship... best way to do that in the FCS playoffs is to give every league that wants one an automatic bid to the playoffs. That way every FCS team (in a playoff participating league) controls their own destiny.

They already have control of their own destiny. 20% of the teams make the playoffs. If you’re in a lowly conference, beat up on your bad teams like you should and you’ll be in.

The ironic part about all of this is that the teams that this hurts the most are the 10-1 Lehigh types that finish 2nd in their conference. If it was all at larges they’d be in.

[ByeSonBusiness]

Fair point, but what about conferences that don’t allow schools to utilize the full scholarship allotment? I would say if you’re a conference that does that you shouldn’t have a seat reserved for you. Any conference champion worth a damn is going to be in the top 24 anyways. The only situation you’re covering with the auto bids is a situation where you have some junk conference champion who is 8-3 in a no scholly or reduced scholly conference.

Let’s not kid ourselves, the conference auto-bid deal was only to reduce the number of at larges that the committee had to choose.

I'm pretty sure most or all sports in D1 allow any conference champion to participate. I'm not seeing any issue here.

[bisonaudit]

They already have control of their own destiny. 20% of the teams make the playoffs. If you’re in a lowly conference, beat up on your bad teams like you should and you’ll be in.

The ironic part about all of this is that the teams that this hurts the most are the 10-1 Lehigh types that finish 2nd in their conference. If it was all at larges they’d be in.

I don’t think a legit 10 win team has been left out of the postseason in the 24 team era. There were a couple early on with an NAIA or a DII as their 10th victory.

[heffray]

Agreed, did leaving a 7-5 SIU out hurt the FCS playoffs all that much last year?

Give me a league champ over a 4th or 5th place MVFC/Big Sky/CAA team. Everyone beyond the top 8 is pretty much just cannon fodder for the contenders anyway. If you're going to crown a "national champion" you should give every team in the (sub)division access to the championship... best way to do that in the FCS playoffs is to give every league that wants one an automatic bid to the playoffs. That way every FCS team (in a playoff participating league) controls their own destiny.

I believe NDSU got in at 7-4 in 2010 and should have beat the eventual Champ in the Quarters, so there’s that...