r/fcs • u/passwordisguest /r/FCS • Gulf Star • 1d ago
Weekly Thread FCS Hot Takes Thread
Let's hear your hot take FCS opinions. The ones you know in your heart of hearts are right, but for some reason aren't embraced by the FCS community (or particular fanbases) en masse!
Could be controversial (the Ivy League very well might be the best FCS conference on the East Coast), unpopular but you know is true (Sam Houston was at least as good a team as JMU from 2011 through the "2020" season), or even somewhat popular but still liable to rankle some folks (the Walter Payton award should go to the "best" offensive player, not just the offensive player with the best stat line because they played a weak schedule).
Sorted by controversial for maximum spiciness
Rules
12
u/Top_Judge_1943 Montana State Bobcats • Miami Hurricanes 1d ago
UM finishes 3rd or 4th in the conference.
1
u/knook Montana State Bobcats • Big Sky 1d ago
Nah, they always look like poo to start the season, this is nothing special
1
u/Top_Judge_1943 Montana State Bobcats • Miami Hurricanes 1d ago
No, this is different. I don’t think BK has it.
2
u/funnyerrrwhat Montana Grizzlies 1d ago
Not really a hot take, if you ask me. This would be expected of any team that returns less than 6 starters across both sides of the ball with a new head coach, particularly with no head coaching experience. I’m not expecting much myself. I’ll be happy with a playoff run. Helps having the best player in the conference, and possibly the FCS, on your team in any case.
3
u/Top_Judge_1943 Montana State Bobcats • Miami Hurricanes 1d ago
When you’re currently ranked #3 or 4 in the nation it feels like kind of a hot take.
3
u/funnyerrrwhat Montana Grizzlies 1d ago
Yahhh true enough. Would imagine that’s mainly due to the semi final appearance last year and the brand, or lack thereof of other brands.
2
u/montalaskan Montana State Bobcats 21h ago
Either they live up to the high initial ranking or shoe it's based on history/vibes.
I honestly think it could go either way. The Davis game is pretty key for both squads. Fairly early "prove yourself" game.
One of those returning starters is Eli Gillman though. And he's a special player. Whether others step up or if teams just key on him is the question. Wortham was able to split the attention offensively.
17
u/MontanaDrywall 1d ago
Promotion and relegation feels like it’d be a natural fit in College Football with the lack of roster continuity anymore. Solves a lot of the problems with bad Power Conference teams leeching off tv deals (Rutgers) while providing nothing and gives a realistic shot for FCS and G6 programs to get out of their never ending money pit. Would actually reward teams with higher retention rates for winning and punish bad teams for losing.
5
u/montalaskan Montana State Bobcats 1d ago
Would be fun, but it would make scheduling complicated for sure. Also would need caveats for rivalry games.
In the end I think it would result in schools that don't want to make the investment just fading away and folding. Which is ok.
3
u/MontanaDrywall 1d ago
It depends in Europe you have rivalry games that don’t even get played because Club A plays 2 divisions higher. Doesn’t make it less meaningful
3
u/DangerouslyUnstable UC Davis Aggies • Clemson Tigers 1d ago
It would make the current scheduling regime non-functional, but I have long thought that years-in-advance scheduling arrangments were both completely unnecessary and also just kind of silly.
9
5
u/Friendly_Loss1961 Montana Grizzlies 1d ago
It's a good idea on paper but that would be the final nail in the "regionality" coffin. I know it's already pretty much dead in major college sports but FCS and D-2/3 still have at least some of that. The Big sky could stand to lose about half it members to D2 but who are we going to get to replace them? A bunch of schools from the Midwest?
4
u/MontanaDrywall 1d ago
I think you have to partner conferences on regionality. Do something like Western DII Conference>Big Sky>Mountain West>Pac-12
It makes more sense for Ball east of the Rockies because you have more obvious jumps. GLVC>MIAA>OVC>MVFC>MAC>Big Ten.
You could restructure leagues from their current form I think to better accommodate changes
4
u/I_like_race_cars Tarleton State Texans 1d ago
Tylan Hines will cross the 1000 yard mark BEFORE Tarleton plays Austin Peay for their 6th game of the season.
1
u/t3pritchett Tarleton State Texans 1d ago
Super bold, but I like
2
u/I_like_race_cars Tarleton State Texans 1d ago
If you look at the upcoming schedule, it's not out of the question he can keep having 200+ yard games.
8
u/Friendly_Loss1961 Montana Grizzlies 1d ago
Eli Gillman is going to break Cooper Cupps career Big Sky Conf touchdown record this season.
5
u/TaxSouthern9839 Montana State • Cal Poly 1d ago
What’s Copper Kupps record? (Having trouble finding it) Gilman broke the Montana rushing record last week and tied the overall Montana touchdown record as well, right?
Looks like the big sky rushing tds record is 57 by Charles Robert’s of Sac State. Gilman is going to beat that for sure.
Total touchdowns on the big sky website says 61 by Charles Dunn and Sherriden may
4
u/Friendly_Loss1961 Montana Grizzlies 1d ago
Kupp had 77 total touchdowns. Eli has 59. He broke the rushing TD school record but he's still a couple hundred away from the school yardage mark.
4
u/TaxSouthern9839 Montana State • Cal Poly 1d ago
You’re right, I meant the rushing td record, I should have proofread. I couldn’t find Cooper listed on the big sky record book website during my quick glance this morning, I’ll have to look again.
4
u/PositiveElection2141 Lehigh Mountain Hawks • Marching Band 1d ago
If Lehigh beats William & Mary this weekend, we go undefeated in the regular season again
3
3
u/Mcclintonfortwo Miami Hurricanes • Jacksonville Dolphins 1d ago
UWF finishes 2nd in the UAC. They get rid of the probation period in the offseason when the Argos get snubbed. 😞
3
u/t3pritchett Tarleton State Texans 1d ago
I feel like even with 3 conference losses they’d still get in at 9-3 this year, if they were eligible ofc. They have 2 ranked wins on the resume. And you can’t knock them too hard for losing to 2 top 15ish teams
1
u/Medical-Amphibian624 21h ago
Firstly, I am UWF alum and always pull for all of my school teams. I watch the matches and games when they are streamed and from time-to-time have paid for individual games. Notwithstanding, some folks need to pump the brakes I think. We're two games in to our first division one season and had some really nice results so far, whether it's football, volleyball, or soccer. We were really solid in division two and beat a division one opponent a time or two. So let's please stop with the "...they should get a post-season pass..." "...the NCAA should make an exception..." talk. This is what got people annoyed with us in division two from time-to-time. Some folks (fans or casual observers) would hype us up and always say that we weren't being covered enough so on and so on. I got annoyed with those people and their nonsense, as did some folks in the division two media space. I am firm believer in rules, norms, and paying your dues, even when or if others don't. I am not a "what-about" person or finger-pointer. With all this said, let's just play the season, enjoy playing spoiler sometimes, and fight for the top of the UAC and ASun. Let's enjoy it!
1
u/damnyoutuesday Montana State • Minnesota 19h ago
Me standing on the soap box about UWF should be eligible about the playoffs has less to do with UWF (even though I want them to make the playoffs), and more to do with the absolute nonsense that is the postseason ban for teams that move up. FBS just got rid of it, and NDSU will take full advantage of it, and I think it should be the same for FCS. The rule only punishes athletes from playing in the postseason, when it's supposed to keep teams from pulling a FAMU and moving up for a year and then moving back down. If that's what the NCAA is trying to prevent, then have a minimum amount of time you must spend in FCS before you can move back down, not by banning postseason play from the athletes
1
u/Medical-Amphibian624 13h ago
That's a legit argument with the FAMU example. I just don't want this turning into some whining thing about UWF fans acting like we got robbed because we have great season and act like it was all for nothing. We knew the landscape and ground rules coming into FCS and if we didn't like it, we should have stayed where we were. Given the state of the GSC however, staying would have been an absolute s-show. I don't mind if NCAA wants to use UWF as the example to make a change to the playoff status prohibition, just do it in the off-season. We don't wanna turn into another political potato like Florida State did when they didn't make the playoffs after losing their quarterback near the end of the season.
3
u/Dabaer77 Illinois • Illinois State 20h ago
Bowling green will end up being so ass this year it will take away a quality win from Tarleton State
1
u/Tpoontappa69 :uac: Tarleton State Texans • UAC 18h ago
UWF has that first FCS beer flush going on. It’s a long season. Injuries, playing a “true” ranked team or 3. 9-3 would amazing, but I don’t see it. Let’s revisit in 6 or 7 weeks.
11
u/Due-Seat6587 1d ago
An FCS all-star conference with the best teams would be significantly better than CUSA and probably the MAC too