JCline0429 wrote:
I didn't mind the high academic standards, but I didn't think it did anything for our program playing schools with 2,000 students either. Also it states a little about "fairness", shouldn't we be able to beat a tiny school.
Having said that however, I don't think it's fair for any school to change their "standard" for sports.
2,000 students? Which school had only 2,000 students? Was that Wofford? If so, that would seem unfair to them to be playing us with 17,000 (plus or minus students). Yet they upset us the very week after our historic win over the Michigan Wolverines. As to it not doing us any good to play whichever 2,000 student school you are referring, I imagine that Michigan felt the same way about playing us, especially since we defeated them.[/quote]
Elon, Samford, Furman and Wofford have between 2 - 6k students (I missed it a little I don't check everyday but I think the point is the same), we should win against them because we do have 17k+. Yes they do win against us sometimes and that will happen from time to time. Usually however we're playing 3rd string against one of these schools about every year. Do you really think that our stock goes up when we beat Wofford? That the sporting world stops and whispers "App just beat Wofford"?
Yes Michigan did feel the same way about us. They didn't play us to "build their cred" it was their throw away game. Do you think the sports world was shocked when Michigan got us on their schedule? Would it had been one of the "biggest upset of all time" if they weren't expected to win? (rhetorical question, I know it can't be an upset if expected).
I know there's a question about "does size matter", but not so much in football. Not every successful program comes from a huge schools but more so than not.
I know some of the Sunbelt teams are not household words either, but I think all are better known than all of what's left in the FCS.