Merrimack Out

[ctrabs74]

Re: Merrimack Out

Also worth noting that Merrimack competes in D1 ice hockey in the highly competitive Hockey East conference, the same league that features another former D2 school (UMass-Lowell) along with perennial powerhouses New Hampshire, Maine, Boston College and Boston University. Notre Dame was in Hockey East before the Domers joined (or are about to join) the B1G for hockey.

[cwfenn]

Re: Merrimack Out

IUP would mop the floor with the vast majority of NEC teams

[Fightingscot82]

Re: Merrimack Out

It's hard to judge. Everyone but Central Connecticut is private so it's hard to judge just how committed they are to football. They're about a decade into scholarship football and a couple seasons into lifting the cap. They have the same recruiting challenge as D2 schools: so much competition for a declining number of kids.

[SRU 88]

Re: Merrimack Out

Just because it might be FCS doesn't mean it's a step up.

Exactly, that is why I posed the question.

[QBWR]

Re: Merrimack Out

Just because it might be FCS doesn't mean it's a step up.

I applaud your undying devotion to DII/PSAC football...however, it is a "step up" as far as the ability to grant/give more scholarship money, the chance to play FBS schools ( yeah I know before you say it, NEC teams typically get blown out by FBS teams....still if you're a player, the chance to play at Syracuse, BYU, Hawaii, FAU, FIU, Montana State etc) and the payout that comes along with it, to travel to the host school.
I certainly agree that the PSAC West could do a lot of damage in the NEC.
So I guess you need to clarify "step up" then. If you're a very good-excellent player, what would you do if, for example:
IUP offers you X amount of scholarship $..1/2, maybe 3/4 tuition/board, the chance to go deep into the DII playoffs
or
St. Francis/Wagner/Central Ct. offers you full tuition/board, 20% chance of making the playoffs, chance to play in the Carrier Dome in front of 35k people, greater(??) national exposure if you're dreaming of a tryout for the next level etc.

[laker]

Re: Merrimack Out

I applaud your undying devotion to DII/PSAC football...however, it is a "step up" as far as the ability to grant/give more scholarship money, the chance to play FBS schools ( yeah I know before you say it, NEC teams typically get blown out by FBS teams....still if you're a player, the chance to play at Syracuse, BYU, Hawaii, FAU, FIU, Montana State etc) and the payout that comes along with it, to travel to the host school.
I certainly agree that the PSAC West could do a lot of damage in the NEC.
So I guess you need to clarify "step up" then. If you're a very good-excellent player, what would you do if, for example:
IUP offers you X amount of scholarship $..1/2, maybe 3/4 tuition/board, the chance to go deep into the DII playoffs
or
St. Francis/Wagner/Central Ct. offers you full tuition/board, 20% chance of making the playoffs, chance to play in the Carrier Dome in front of 35k people, greater(??) national exposure if you're dreaming of a tryout for the next level etc.

FCS also includes the Pioneer League, which offers no scholarships.

The MEAC and the SWAC have decided not to compete for the playoffs (neither does the Ivy League but that is a different story).

So not all of the FCS situations are the same. Neither are all D2 situations.

[QBWR]

Re: Merrimack Out

FCS also includes the Pioneer League, which offers no scholarships.

The MEAC and the SWAC have decided not to compete for the playoffs (neither does the Ivy League but that is a different story).

So not all of the FCS situations are the same. Neither are all D2 situations.

I fail to see your point. What does no scholarships in the Pioneer conference have to do with the post you responded to?

[laker]

Re: Merrimack Out

NE-10 is DII...NEC is FCS, so a step up

I applaud your undying devotion to DII/PSAC football...however, it is a "step up" as far as the ability to grant/give more scholarship money, the chance to play FBS schools ( yeah I know before you say it, NEC teams typically get blown out by FBS teams....still if you're a player, the chance to play at Syracuse, BYU, Hawaii, FAU, FIU, Montana State etc) and the payout that comes along with it, to travel to the host school.
I certainly agree that the PSAC West could do a lot of damage in the NEC.
So I guess you need to clarify "step up" then. If you're a very good-excellent player, what would you do if, for example:
IUP offers you X amount of scholarship $..1/2, maybe 3/4 tuition/board, the chance to go deep into the DII playoffs
or
St. Francis/Wagner/Central Ct. offers you full tuition/board, 20% chance of making the playoffs, chance to play in the Carrier Dome in front of 35k people, greater(??) national exposure if you're dreaming of a tryout for the next level etc.

I fail to see your point. What does no scholarships in the Pioneer conference have to do with the post you responded to?

Brandon said that FCS isn't always a step up. I was giving an example of cases where it was not.

[Brandon]

Re: Merrimack Out

I applaud your undying devotion to DII/PSAC football...however, it is a "step up" as far as the ability to grant/give more scholarship money, the chance to play FBS schools ( yeah I know before you say it, NEC teams typically get blown out by FBS teams....still if you're a player, the chance to play at Syracuse, BYU, Hawaii, FAU, FIU, Montana State etc) and the payout that comes along with it, to travel to the host school.
I certainly agree that the PSAC West could do a lot of damage in the NEC.
So I guess you need to clarify "step up" then. If you're a very good-excellent player, what would you do if, for example:
IUP offers you X amount of scholarship $..1/2, maybe 3/4 tuition/board, the chance to go deep into the DII playoffs
or
St. Francis/Wagner/Central Ct. offers you full tuition/board, 20% chance of making the playoffs, chance to play in the Carrier Dome in front of 35k people, greater(??) national exposure if you're dreaming of a tryout for the next level etc.

It was an evaluation of the level of competition in the NEC itself, not the FCS. A move to the MFVC would certainly be a step up for any team in the GLIAC, MIAA, GSC, etc. while the NEC would not be as competitive. It was also not a criticism about the level of play because if that was my main personal concern, I'd be watching SEC football every week. It is simply an evaluation.

I don't think playing in the NEC or a game with an NEC member versus Syracuse comes with national attention, with the caveat of an upset of a nationally ranked Syracuse team. As a member of this board who follows a BCS team once said, "D2 and the FCS are alike that they are local and regional games while the FBS is a national game (paraphrasing)."

To answer your question, where I attended would depend on the course of study I wanted to pursue.

[shipfbfan12]

Re: Merrimack Out

Despite the NEC being a bottom feeder FCS conference probably 2nd worst conference behind the Pioneer league I would think its still a step up as mentioned previously the ability for the kids to play at a FBS stadium against the likes of Syracuse, Georgia, FAU, Hawaii, BYU, etc... If New Haven and Assumption decide to jump ship for the NEC then the league will be in a world of trouble, otherwise the NE-10 will be fine for years to come. Merrimack will be fine and benefit from the UMASS defects as most of their kids who don't get playing time and want to start opt for 1AA anyways so now they'll be able to stay in state at the FCS level. Question is will they expand the stadium to get larger schools like a JMU/Delaware/ to agree to a home/home series?

[iupgroundhog]

Re: Merrimack Out

There's an ebb and flow to competitiveness of football conferences and even football divisions. It's always been dynamic. For example, D2 went through a stretch when they lost many of the top programs to FCS. A few years ago all the jokes about the NE-10 were justified but now they are very competitive with the PSAC. I think it's a good move for Merrimack competitively but, particularly, in terms of geography. I see them "fitting into" the NEC. My point, though, is as previously stated the NEC only started offering scholarships 10 years ago and many of those programs have been getting better e.g. St. Francis, Duquesne, among others. If they collectively step up to the plate in the NEC this whole thread will be seen as being silly in about 5 years.

[Champ]

Re: Merrimack Out

They shouldn't have made it that year. They had three losses to IUP's 2.

I'm still bitter!

Really?? you didn't seem too care last year when 3 loss West Chester got in over 2 loss LIU Post.. giving the PSAC 4 teams.. yea still bitter too.

[IUPalum]

Re: Merrimack Out

The NEC teams won't play IUP anymore because IUP was destroying them. It's been at least 10 years since the last time IUP played an NEC team in football or basketball.

[Fightingscot82]

Re: Merrimack Out

The NEC teams won't play IUP anymore because IUP was destroying them. It's been at least 10 years since the last time IUP played an NEC team in football or basketball.

And that was also during their transition away from non-scholarship football. Duquesne, RMU, and St Francis are all offering in the high-40s to low 50s in scholarships. Take that with a grain of salt, but that's still a distinct resource advantage. I'd love to see the games just to see the direct comparison. But you can also say the same for FCS vs FBS. James Madison could compete in the Mountain West, AAC, or Sunbelt.

[IUPNation]

Really?? you didn't seem too care last year when 3 loss West Chester got in over 2 loss LIU Post.. giving the PSAC 4 teams.. yea still bitter too.