Playoff droughts

[Inkblot]

I just compiled a list of playoff appearances in the 24/28-team era (16 seasons/404 total berths). It's interesting that Northwest Missouri State has made it all 16 years, but no one else has managed more than 11. A total of 91 current D2 programs have made it in that span, plus 16 former ones.

SR1
GMAC
Ashland 5
Hillsdale 3
Ohio Dominican 2
Findlay 1
Tiffin 1

MEC
UNC Pembroke 3
Concord 2
Notre Dame (OH) 2
Charleston 1
Fairmont State 1
West Liberty 1

NE10
Southern Connecticut 4
Assumption 3
New Haven 3
American International 2
Bentley 1

PSAC
Shepherd 10
West Chester 10
Bloomsburg 7
California (PA) 7
Indiana (PA) 6
Slippery Rock 5
Kutztown 4
Shippensburg 4
East Stroudsburg 3
Edinboro 2
Mercyhurst 1
Seton Hill 1

SR2
CIAAGSC
Valdosta State 11
Delta State 7
West Alabama 5
West Georgia 4
North Greenville 2
West Florida 2

SACSIAC
Albany State 8
Tuskegee 4
Miles 2
Fort Valley State 1
Morehouse 1

SR3
GAC
Harding 6
Ouachita Baptist 4
Henderson State 3
Arkansas Tech 2
Southeastern Oklahoma State 1

GLIAC
Grand Valley State 11
Ferris State 6
Saginaw Valley State 4
Northwood 3
Michigan Tech 2
Wayne State (MI) 1

GLVC
Indianapolis 6
Lindenwood 1
Southwest Baptist 1

MIAASR4
GNAC
Central Washington 4

LSC
Midwestern State 8
West Texas A&M 7
Texas A&M Commerce 5
Texas A&M Kingsville 3
Angelo State 2

NSICRMAC
CSU Pueblo 8
Colorado Mines 6
Chadron State 4
Colorado Mesa 2

Former D2 teams (last D2 season in parentheses):

[Inkblot]

It's interesting that the ten schools that were in the NSIC in 2007 have combined for 7 playoff appearances and 6 of those belong to Winona State.

[laker]

I just compiled a list of playoff appearances in the 24/28-team era (16 seasons/404 total berths). It's interesting that Northwest Missouri State has made it all 16 years, but no one else has managed more than 11. A total of 91 current D2 programs have made it in that span, plus 16 former ones.

NSICRMAC
Sioux Falls 4
CSU Pueblo 8
Colorado Mines 6
Chadron State 4
Colorado Mesa 2

Not sure who else should be in that spot.

[boyblue]

11 appearances, GV and VSU have so much in common, it's uncanny

[Inkblot]

Not sure who else should be in that spot.

Paste fail.

[Twincitiesmav]

And both schools play each other this weekend how ironic!

[d2-football-fan]

I'll challenge this statement. Arkansas Tech got a billboard with a picture of our men's golf team holding their trophies and the words "2021 National Champions" across the top. "ATU Men's Golf" is on one side and a school logo on the other side. That billboard is about 80 miles from campus in Little Rock. This was done by the institution in celebration and to promote the school. We have placed a high value on winning championships. Every year, the previous school year's champions are brought onto the field and introduced at halftime of a football game with the team's accomplishments announced.

I mean, awesome!?! But, has it created a pathway of people beating down the admissions doorway at ATU? And I wish it would, my son is a sophomore there. I went to the football game this year where they honored all of the conference champions / NCAA qualifiers / National Champions from the last year plus. But, that being said, winning in golf - or a bigger sport like football or basketball - doesn't change the footprint of the school.

I get that this is the biggest outlier of statistics that there is, but Saban has had an INCREDIBLE impact on the overall campus at Alabama. Simply in general in enrollment, since he arrived and began winning a national championship every other year. It has made a difference, because it is big time. This just in, it also translates in his ability to recruit - high school athletes or transfer portal athletes. So his winning begets more winning. That's just not true at the D2 level. I'm not knocking any program or any champion. It's a hell of an achievement. But if Western Colorado gets in this year and breaks their decades long draught from making the D2 football playoffs, they are not a threat to win the championship and their enrollment will not jump 10% next year because the general student wants to be near that program. In short, they are not "competitive" because they make the playoffs. VSU, NWMS, Ferris, etc. are not scared.

[d2-football-fan]

How is that different than any other NCAA tournament?

I would contend that men's basketball is nearing that difference, with the performances of Butler's, VCU's, etc. in recent years. But, in short, I agree. And that was my point. Simply because a lot of teams have qualified for the playoffs in D2 football, doesn't mean there is a balanced field for competitiveness. There are a handful of teams that the winner will come from, over time we may add a couple of teams to that group, and another couple may drop from that group. But, it's beyond unlikely that a no-name rushes the party and wins it all. D2 football is not that competitive, in terms of number of teams who will truly vie for a championship.

I'm neither complaining nor wishing it were different, simply stating what it is. Hopefully my team can work its way up to that elite status, but it hasn't, I still keep up with them, still go to games when I can, and am glad when they make the playoffs - or even win a game in the playoffs. But, they are no threat to the big boys.

[NWFanatic]

[d2-football-fan]

Northwest has been able to parlay their NC's into an enormous amount of fundraising for the institution...levels we couldn't have sniffed before 1998.

Our last initiative was told by "consultants" you can only raise about $5M...we went over $55M, including an Indoor Facility and a new Agriculture Learning Center at the University farm...no way we could have done that before 1998. IIRC the previous initiative was a little less than $40M that began in 2001 and included a renovation to our football stadium...

I can assure you that has a tremendous impact on us at an institutional level...not to mention our enrollment is considerably higher than it was pre-1998.

Man I agree 100%. But what NWMS has done is such a minority case. The quality of their "run", and now the length of it. It is incredibly impressive. But they are an outlier, and not the norm. And honestly, it's the result of winning multiple national championships, and fighting for it so many other years, that builds that type of support. If they had simply had a couple of great recruiting classes, put it all together and won a single championship and then relegated back to average, there would be no $55M. But all the credit to them (admin, coaches, classes and classes of players), because they have built that legacy and made themselves into a D2 model.

[Argonut]

Inkblot's playoff drought lists and the comments piqued my curiosity to see what the differences were, if any, between the title game participants in D2, FCS and FBS in terms of variety vs. blue blood repeaters. The list below covers the time frame from the first FBS playoff title game in 1998 to the latest title game with the playoff appearances listed beside each team with their titles in parentheses. I was surprised to see more variety in FBS than I anticipated and, as expected, the blue bloods in all three divisions dominate in appearances and titles.

FBS (17 different teams with 12 making multiple appearances and 6 with multiple titles)

Alabama- 8 (6)
Ohio St.- 5 (2)
LSU- 4 (3)
Clemson- 4 (2)
Fla. St.- 4 (2)
Oklahoma- 4 (1)
Florida- 2 (2)
Miami- 2 (1)
USC- 2 (1)
Texas- 2 (!)
Auburn- 2 (1)
Oregon- 2 (0)
Tenn.- 1 (1)
Va.Tech.- 1 (0)
Nebraska- 1 (0)
Notre Dame- 1 (0)
Georgia- 1 (0)

FSC (21 different teams with 10 making multiple appearances and 4 with multiple titles)

NDSU- 8 (8)
Montana- 5 (1)
James Madison- 4 (2)
Appalachian. St.- 3 (3)
Georgia So.- 3 (2)
Sam Houston St.- 3 (1)
Delaware- 3 (1)
E. Washington- 2 (1)
UMass.- 2 (1)
Youngstown St.- 2 (0)
Villanova- 1 (1)
Richmond- 1 (1)
W. Kentucky- 1 (1)
Furman- 1 (0)
McNeese St.- 1 (0)
Colgate- 1 (0)
No. Iowa- 1 (0)
Towson- 1 (0)
Illinois St.- 1 (0)
Jacksonville St.- 1 (0)
So. Dakota St.- 1 (0)

D2 (19 different teams with 10 having multiple appearances and 4 with multiple titles)

NWMo.St.- 10 (6)
Grand Valley- 6 (4)
Valdosta St.- 5 (4)
Minn.-Duluth- 2 (2)
No. Dakota- 2 (1)
Pittsburgh St.- 2 (1)
Delta St.- 2 (1)
West Fla.- 2 (1)
Minn.-Mankato- 2 (0)
Carson-Newman- 2 (0)
CSU-Pueblo- 1 (1)
TAMU-Commerce- 1 (1)
Bloomsburg- 1 (0)
Ferris St.- 1 (0)
No. Ala.- 1 (0)
Lenior-Rhyne- 1 (0)
Winston-Salem St.- 1 (0)
Wayne St. (Mich.)- 1 (0)
Shepard- 1 (0)

[BlazerLady]

[Rational Observer]

GAC

...and this is from a conference created from the lower halves of two conferences, and still, only three have managed to win enough games to get to the playoffs. They quickly fade once they face actual competition.