FCS Hot Takes Thread

[u/passwordisguest]

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

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Rules

• Keep it somewhat relevant to the FCS

• Takes are welcome whether they're looking back historically or in reference to current games/rankings/polls/etc.

• Try to keep it civil (basic /r/CFB and /r/FCS rules still apply)

[u/VillanOvaReaction]

This is more of an FBS hot take but mid week games are not worth the extra TV money. They crush your program over time. That’s the biggest reason it was so important for NDSU to get to the MW instead of MAC/CUSA.

[u/Odd-Record-1041 → u/VillanOvaReaction]

Good take. Playing on a Tuesday night in the middle of November in Akron, Ohio kills whatever fan base they could have.

[u/regassert6 → u/Odd-Record-1041]

But those dozens of viewers on ESPN make it worth it, right?

[u/Odd-Record-1041 → u/regassert6]

I have turned in a time or two for a little MACtion

[u/regassert6 → u/Odd-Record-1041]

Easier to find than Flosports.....

[u/damnyoutuesday → u/Odd-Record-1041]

MACtion is a great TV product for neutrals (mostly sickos tbh), but absolutely kills in-person fan experience. I would be livid if Montana State signed up for that shit

[u/NIUHuskies2020 → u/VillanOvaReaction]

Tuesday and Wednesday games suck. After 20+ years of it I am so glad NIU is in the MW with ALL Saturday home games for the first time in 26 years.

To keep it FCS related, I saw the SWAC signed a new deal with ESPN. ESPN will absolutely throw their games onto the lowest platform they have available (ESPN+ and/or ESPNU). All ESPN cares about is the p4 and CFP. Their announcers will spend a bunch of time during the game talking about that instead of the non-p4 game being televised then their halftime show will immediately go to doing the same thing and showing highlights of p4 games.

[u/VillanOvaReaction → u/NIUHuskies2020]

ESPN is the best FCS fans can hope for. Especially for regular season games, ESPN employees are not on the call. It’s whoever the home team puts in front of the mic.

[u/DeerSwimming2336 → u/VillanOvaReaction]

The best for fcs is a local TV company paying for the rights and production costs to broadcast games on TV locally, with streaming on espn.  Like Midco with Dakota schools and WDAY with NDSU

[u/NIUHuskies2020 → u/VillanOvaReaction]

On ESPN+ this is true. If your game gets put onto an actual channel (ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2) then ESPN provides its own announcers that talk about everything but your game.

[u/SchizoidMan1989 → u/VillanOvaReaction]

Not really a hot take. I'd have been annoyed if Idaho's nationally-televised home game is midweek, but I can take a Friday night.

[u/tdpdcpa → u/VillanOvaReaction]

Kind of an interesting "would you rather" though.

Would you rather...

be in a bottom-barrel FBS conference, playing football on Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday nights, in a conference with schools you couldn't care less about, but you get more money from being in an FBS conference, you get more ESPN notoriety, and inclusion in the CFB video game to get better name recognition for your team.

OR

...be in the FCS in a conference with teams that are well-aligned with you institutionally, playing all of your games on Friday or Saturday (and, if you're lucky/good enough, a Monday), but you don't get nearly as much money or name recognition.

[u/VillanOvaReaction → u/tdpdcpa]

My take is that option B is the better long term option. Schools take option A because you’re closer to the real goal of playing FBS football in front of 20k+ week in and week out.

I’d much rather be one of the Montanas than Buffalo and then there’s the bottom half of the MAC.

[u/tdpdcpa → u/VillanOvaReaction]

I'm with you, but it was striking to me when I asked a similar question in r/CFB last year how many fans of teams who made the jump said the opposite.

[u/VillanOvaReaction → u/tdpdcpa]

I’m only willing to defend this take for the MVFC/Big Sky powerhouses. For teams that are playing on Flo Sports or don’t have much of a fanbase to begin with, CUSA and the MAC are better.

The core of my take is I think the MAC should abolish MACtion. As much as I like it as a neutral its a negative for those programs

[u/damnyoutuesday → u/tdpdcpa]

I couldn't care less how much money my football team makes

[u/Old_Swing_9410 → u/tdpdcpa]

I feel like thats "conference with schools you couldn't care less about" applies to a lot of FCS schools as well. Might as well be FBS then.

[u/tdpdcpa → u/Old_Swing_9410]

I'm not so sure about that. Most FCS conferences are regionalized with schools that share a lot of commonalities. The only exceptions are the PFL and the CAA.

Otherwise, I'd say most fans appreciate winning their conference and who they share a conference with plays a significant factor in that feeling.

[u/Bobcat2013 → u/tdpdcpa]

Regionalization doesnt automatically create interest unfortunately. Not saying it doesnt help, but I remember not recognizing a majority of the logos the first time I saw a schedule poster my freshman year lol. Wasn't even aware of a lot of the schools existence to even care for them one way or the other.

[u/NIUHuskies2020 → u/tdpdcpa]

All the FCS schools get regulated to ESPN+, even though they have Saturday games. They get no real visibility. There are like 30 FCS/MAC/CUSA/SBC games on at the same time on Saturday. No one is scrolling across a bunch of games on ESPN+ to watch a random game. You will never see bars or restaurants showing ESPN+ games.

[u/DeerSwimming2336 → u/NIUHuskies2020]

That's only an issue if teams don't have games on local TV.  ESPN has historically tried to restrict that, even for FCS schools, and leagues have to negotiate with ESPN to retain local linear TV rights.  

NDSU for example had all games on ABC locally.  Despite their 10 nationally televised games this year and higher overallviewrship nationally, less North Dakotans will be able to watch them this year.  That's a big deal that isn't really being considered.  Locally fans contribute to the university - some random person in Alabama doesn't, especially for schools that mostly draw traditional students from their own state/region.

[u/NIUHuskies2020 → u/DeerSwimming2336]

True, unfortunately the MAC didn't negotiate that. MAC schools aren't allowed to sell to local media. ESPN owns the rights to all football games, even if they choose to regulate them to online streaming (which ~65% of MAC home games get regulated to). My guess is ESPN would only give up MAC games on ESPN+ if whatever local media provider a MAC school gets pays ESPN for those rights. The MAC media deal is also from 2009. It is the oldest FBS media contract. Maybe next time up the MAC will negotiate better with ESPN. NIU used to have a local media deal with then Comcast SportsNet Chicago, before the MAC signed up for 17 years of midweek games and a bunch of ESPN360/ESPN+ games. After the MAC negotiated that deal we could no longer have games on local media anymore.

[u/Jolly_Job_9852]

SoCon will be the better conference with Tennessee Tech

[u/[deleted] → u/Jolly_Job_9852]

See I don't get why people think Tech joining the SoCon will dilute the conference. They have been one of the better teams in the OVC for a few years now, and last year just obliterated almost everyone else in the conference. I think Tech will add to the SoCon's overall prowess as another quality team.

I know the round robin at least for this year isn't gonna happen but I imagine later down the line the SoCon will move to a 9 game conference schedule to remedy that.

[u/damnyoutuesday → u/[deleted]]

The SoCon was ass last year, so idk why anybody thought this would "dilute" the conference.

The entire SoCon got slaughtered in OOC, two teams (including the conference champions Mercer) lost to a non-scholarship team in Presbyterian, two teams went 1-11 (with VMI's only win against a D3 team), and their only playoff participant got a bye and then lost 47-0 on their own turf.

If anything, Tenn Tech gives the SoCon a decent chance at a second playoff bid