The Future of D2 Football

[the Northeasterner]

The two outliers are the Harding Games. As others have said on the GAC board, Harding has a large number of graduates in the Dallas metroplex. I think the norm would be around 5K. The other big thing about the DII games is it is played IN THE FALL semester and a week after the semi's. What would the numbers be like it the game was moved back some? Thoughts?

The biggest thing hurting D2 championship game was the fact that the lone Star and the MIAA have not been good enough to get teams in the finals. Harding has a huge Dallas base and so is able to up the numbers. But it's hard to get travel plans made in a week to go to McKinney Texas.

[4nick8]

Isn’t the location put up for bids every few years? IDK

[EastStroud13]

Much worse. I do like the thought of maybe holding the FCS/D2 and D3 championship games on a Saturday in succession with one another. D3 at noon, D2 at say 4 and then FCS at 8pm. Think that would be a fun day for small school football.

FCS has had a lot of success with the Monday night after week 18. No MNF to compete with, no FBS to compete with. I can't see them moving off of Monday, but it would be fun for D2 and D3 to join them.

[FoothillBison]

The HC at Harding just resigned to be the GM and manage NIL deals. This shows you the state of College football right now...

[SW_Mustang]

FCS has had a lot of success with the Monday night after week 18. No MNF to compete with, no FBS to compete with. I can't see them moving off of Monday, but it would be fun for D2 and D3 to join them.

Might just be me but I thought the new venue looked great on TV compared to Frisco - and the game seemed to draw a lot of attention. Guessing they aren't going to want to change.

[Eagle74]

4 Division 2 schools in NC, FSU, UNC-Pembroke, WSSU, and ECSU's athletic departments have all started receiving between 2 and 3 million dollars each annually in an agreement with on-line betting and the state of North Carolina. That's a nice guaranteed windfall!

[Bballfan]

Just puts the private D2 schools at a bigger disadvantage than they already was.

[d2-football-fan]

Every level of football is simply a funnel for the next level. There is not a single level that is not being exploited by the levels above it - or better programs within it. High school kids who used to get the FBS opportunities are not, in favor of an FCS / D2 kid who has proven more against better competition than the high school kid. FCS is poaching D2 kids. D2 is poaching JC and weaker D2 kids, and then still doing high school recruiting. But, since better high school kids are making it to lower levels, because upper levels are taking transfers instead, that means the better high school kids will show out at D2 / FCS and move up. It all leads to the big schools getting all of the best kids, even if they missed them coming out of high school.

It's now a constantly whirling funnel. There is very little reason for kids to not move up, and the lion share of those who can - will.

I have no idea if this is as bad a problem in other sports, because I just don't watch them very much. But, this is the new football model. Lower schools will get 1-2 years with talented kids before they move on. They have to become even better at developing high school recruits.

This will also create an opportunity, the programs that can consistently develop kids (instead of just poaching) will have an advantage. They will create their own funnel from quality high school recruits. This will largely be the same 10-15 teams who are serious contenders at the D2 level, imo.

For the record, I don't like this model. I hope it dies a quick and painful death.

[ctrabs74]

Isn’t the location put up for bids every few years? IDK

Bids for almost all of the NCAA championships are awarded in a three-to-four year cycle (D1 men's and women's basketball, D1 baseball and softball (College World Series) are the exceptions I know of off the top of my head).

[Predatory Primates]

Those non-D1 body types are going to be more valuable than ever. The 300 lb OL or DT who is 6- 0 or less. The 5-8 WR or DB. The 5-11 QBs, etc.

These guys have been staples in D2 for a long time. I think they'll be even more crucial now.

[Buffalo/Islander Alum]

No problem with the Venue in Dallas. The problem is the timing. It is played on the same day as the Texas State Championship not far down the road. Casual football fans go to that instead.

This comment 100%.

I had plans to go to the D2 championship game but the flu virus intervened in our household.

I invited several peeps to go with me had I been able to go and most of them turned me down to see those championship games.

To be honest its probably a better ticket that weekend to see the 6A title games as you will see more future D1 talent there than the D2 championship game.

It may be up to a LSC Texas school to step up and keep attendance numbers up if Harding falters with their coaching changes.

[Bballfan]

For the record, I don't like this model. I hope it dies a quick and painful death.

It is awful for college football and men's basketball. And to a certain extent you see it in volleyball and women's basketball. Not so much in other sports, because there really isn't money involved.

[Matt Witwicki]

This comment 100%.

I had plans to go to the D2 championship game but the flu virus intervened in our household.

I invited several peeps to go with me had I been able to go and most of them turned me down to see those championship games.

To be honest its probably a better ticket that weekend to see the 6A title games as you will see more future D1 talent there than the D2 championship game.

It may be up to a LSC Texas school to step up and keep attendance numbers up if Harding falters with their coaching changes.

I don't think the NCAA is really expecting randoms in the local area to show up for the game to the tune of more than 100 extra bodies. The amount of HS players that might show up and then suddenly decide to play their college ball at Ferris, Harding, Valdosta, etc..seems extremely remote.

In a big market like DFW, it's going to be small potatoes there since it's D2. It's just understood..and the D2 doesn't have the same draw as the FCS..if we are being honest.

Honestly, of the challenges we have in D2 (plentiful with roster mgmt currently), I have zero concerns about where the chip is played. It's a very good setup for our level..and they do a nice job hosting.

[KleShreen]

There's really not a good solution if you're trying to get good attendance at all three lower level games. It would be awesome to play all three games on the same day in the same location, so you essentially get six teams' worth of fans watching multiple games. However, that feels logistically impossible in terms of locker room space, practice space leading up to it, and warm-up space to prepare for the second and third games.

Another option is to play them all on consecutive days in the same week, but there's not really a good time for that because of the NFL schedule and FBS playoff schedule. Week 18 of the NFL season doesn't have a Thursday night game for TV purposes, so you could maybe do Wed/Thur/Fri of that week, but then you're gonna be competing with FBS playoff games. I suppose they could say "we just care about the in-person experience and not TV, therefore who cares what we're in direct competition with" but we all know the NCAA doesn't care about in-person attendance. They care about the TV.

[Bisonfan from FLA]

There's really not a good solution if you're trying to get good attendance at all three lower level games. It would be awesome to play all three games on the same day in the same location, so you essentially get six teams' worth of fans watching multiple games. However, that feels logistically impossible in terms of locker room space, practice space leading up to it, and warm-up space to prepare for the second and third games.

Should there be an effort to have all three games in one location for the same weekend, you make a great point about a huge cross-section of fans watching multiple games but yet the logistic issues of locker space, practice space and warm-up space for the games. I would offer not to have all three games on the same day but have D3 on Friday, then D2 at 11 am Saturday and FCS that evening at 6 or 7 pm. High school championships can have successful two a day games scheduled. Of course the NCAA is not interested in increasing fan enjoyment.