So, Delaware State made themselves a deal to play at Michigan to collect a paycheck but forgot to reschedule a conference game? Now they have to forfeit the conference game AND go to Michigan to lose on the same day? There is just something terribly wrong with this. Yes, I know Delaware State is probably desperate for that check they will receive to be Michigan’s 70-3 opponent that day. Yes, I remember Appalachian State, but that’s not going to happen in this case.
Is there anything the NCAA can do about this mess? While I know big schools will often schedule smaller schools, at least they’re usually scheduling in state directional schools. There is no reason on earth a Division II school from Delaware needs to go to Michigan in the first place.
The NCAA doesn’t care. There are rules as to how many Division II opponents you can play in a season, but the decision is made by the schools. If two teams agree to play, the NCAA stays out of it.
Delaware is playing for the paycheck; it probably will pay for their program for the rest of the season. It’s bad for college football as a whole, but Michigan gets to play a cupcake and enhance their poll rating. As long as the people who vote in college football polls are impressed by that, it will continue to happen.
The best way to end it is if the polls agree to only consider games against Division I opponents when voting. If Michigan plays Delaware, it’s treated as a bye week for voting purposes. Do that for a few years and the practice will end. Don’t include the game for the computer rankings, either.
The hard part would be to get the poll voters to go along.
Sure there is, and you’ve said it yourself: $500,000. That’s a lot of money for a DII athletic program. At this point Delaware St. has to forfeit one of the games. Would you forfeit the one that pays you $500,000? Hopefully the NCAA will sanction Delaware ($500,000? heh) because it does compromise the integrity of the sport. Or maybe they can reschedule. Most teams get a bye week in a twelve week season; use that week to reschedule one of the games.
Is that a half-time score?
I disagree. It will enhance their won-loss record (and bowl eligibility) but defeating a Division II opponent as an elite Division I team, at home, will probably not enhance their poll standing, especially in the BCS. In fact, it appears Michigan has nothing to gain here and risk losing a lot, ala App. St.
I think the ultimate question is should they play for money or a chance to win. But, presumably, they’d use that money to increase their chances of winning in the future, so it’s kind of the same thing.
What are the odds that Delware St. shares that bye week with either Michigan or the other team?
How did you come to the conclusion that it’s bad for college football? I think the App. St. game was great for the sport, and makes a solid argument for coaches of smaller schools to be able to go out and recruit better talent. Spreading the wealth around can only mean more exciting upsets, making every game (not just BCS Team A v. BCS Team B) a “must watch”.
In raw probability, I don’t know, (1/12 * 1/12)? I’m rusty here.
In actuality, 0/1 or 1/1. Either they do or they don’t. But I get your point; I hadn’t considered the other team’s schedule…and that’s probably how Delaware got in trouble. Anyway, schedule the game a week before the season opens (or a week after it ends, but this might be a problem with Division II playoffs).
It will have no effect upon bowl-eligibility. It doesn’t act to qualify them (6 wins vs. Div I teams needed), and it will be ignored in terms of deciding if they are the fifth or sixth best team in the Big-10 this year.
Why should they? Delaware State appears to be gaming the system, forfeiting the game for the $500,000. I hate it when top schools pad their record with games against I-AA teams, but nobody’s being victimized here.
They relaxed the rules to accommodate Bowl Bloat. Now, a team CAN include a win vs. a I-AA (I refuse to use that other label) in their 6, and can be only .500 too. So most I-AA teams take the same deal Del State is, every year, to cover most of their expenses. They’re called “guarantee games” in I-AA.
Losing a I-A game doesn’t typically seem to hurt in the I-AA polls or playoff selections, but winning one does get noticed.
I have to be one of the few people in the country who wasn’t surprised at seeing App State win. They were the repeat defending I-AA champion, after all, and if you watch I-AA as much as I do you know their best teams are on a par with lower level I-A squads, like Michigan. It wasn’t any more of an upset than Maine winning their guarantee game almost every year, including Nebraska a couple of years ago.
In 2010, it’s my UMass Minutemen’s turn to invade the Big House, and come home with their annual budget covered and maybe even a nationally-noticed win …
BTW, it’s not at all uncommon for a team to make a late change in the schedule if there’s money or TV exposure involved. Normally they have the burden of finding a replacement opponent for the team they’re blowing off, but apparently this time Del State couldn’t.
Well, yeah, they are. North Carolina A&T, the conference school that Delaware State blew off, is being “victimized” by the empty thrill of winning by forfeit instead of playing a football game. And the rest of the MEAC is being victimized by having their conference standings distorted by a forfeit.
The OP attacks the wrong target with a general rant against I-A versus I-AA football matchups. Those have been going on for years, and don’t hurt anybody. If anything, the NCAA would probably like to encourage such matchups. They give smaller schools a cut of the revenue and exposure and an outside shot at glory. (They’re also necessary when a I-AA school wants to upgrade, as happens from time to time.)
But in this specific case, Delaware State blew off a previously scheduled conference game for a I-A payday, without their opponent’s permission. Then, when the mistake was brought to their attention, they said they’d take the money anyway and forfeit, and screw their conference.
This is not admirable behavior in an institution of higher learning.
In all seriousness, I did once see a game that went to 56-0 at halftime, and Villanova (the winning team) has never really been all that great in football. Mercifully, the game was called after halftime, due to rain.
Oh hell, just four years ago, Illinois was trailing Penn State 56-3 at halftime. Unmercifully, that game was played to a finish. Mercifully, Joe Paterno didn’t run up the score, and nobody in the Chicago area was watching because the White Sox were playing the same night in the World Series.
It’s an open secret that the officials, with the coaches’ private concurrence, will often let the clock run in the second half when the rules say it should be stopped in such situations. The coaches will go along with the plan by calling more running plays and fewer timeouts. Ever notice how few points get scored in the second half of blowout games?
Sorry, I’m not seeing it. It’s a bullshit move and I agree it’s not admirable behavior for a college, but I don’t think NCA&T or the MEAC are being victimized. However if the NCAA canceled the Michigan game and made Delaware forfeit the NCA&T game - or made them play NCA&T and return the check - I’d consider that just, and very, very funny.
