OT: D1

[Fightingscot82]

Who do y’all have tonight? It’s the final college football game of the year, believe it or not. It seems like it was just yesterday we were watching Week 0 games in sweltering heat.

I like Washington in a close and exciting game. Michigan’s defense is legit, but this is the best offense they’ve seen all year. The real question is whether or not Washington can stop Michigan’s running game. If they can keep that in check, I think they win a 27-24 type game with maybe a walk-off field goal. If Michigan gets close to 200 yards on the ground, they’ll likely be taking home the trophy.

In case you missed it, South Dakota State is your FCS champion again. I wonder if Karst Hunter wishes he would have stayed?

I know a guy who was a D2 head coach at several schools and coordinator at FCS and P5 schools, although before any sort of playoff in FBS. He said the D2 and FCS playoffs are much more exciting than what he feels with the current FBS postseason setup. Maybe the expanded playoff will help, but the combination of the coaching carousel, draft holdouts, and transfer portal really seem to put a damper on this year's postseason.

[EastStroud13]

Why is Belle Vernon moving up for winning back to back state championships with no transfers, but Southern Columbia isn’t when they’ve won seven in a row? I’m just not sure how they are applying the rules. And even if it was consistent, I’m not sure any of it makes sense.

Belle Vernon is simply moving up because of enrollment numbers. They were one of the larger 3A schools, now they're one of the smaller 4A schools. The Southern Columbia situation deserves scrutiny, no doubt, but Belle Vernon isn't a good example to use.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Who do y’all have tonight? It’s the final college football game of the year, believe it or not. It seems like it was just yesterday we were watching Week 0 games in sweltering heat.

I like Washington in a close and exciting game. Michigan’s defense is legit, but this is the best offense they’ve seen all year. The real question is whether or not Washington can stop Michigan’s running game. If they can keep that in check, I think they win a 27-24 type game with maybe a walk-off field goal. If Michigan gets close to 200 yards on the ground, they’ll likely be taking home the trophy.

In case you missed it, South Dakota State is your FCS champion again. I wonder if Karst Hunter wishes he would have stayed?

Harbaugh wins his swan song - and tomorrow announces he's off to the NFL.

Washington is no joke, however.

[Ship69]

I know a guy who was a D2 head coach at several schools and coordinator at FCS and P5 schools, although before any sort of playoff in FBS. He said the D2 and FCS playoffs are much more exciting than what he feels with the current FBS postseason setup. Maybe the expanded playoff will help, but the combination of the coaching carousel, draft holdouts, and transfer portal really seem to put a damper on this year's postseason.

My local high school is a fairly large school in a relatively rural location. They get some good athletes on occasion, but the area is not a hotbed of sports. Last season the school had one of its best basketball teams in quite a while, but although they were playing 5A in football they got bumped up to 6A because the growing number of small private schools playing basketball helped fill up the !A and 2A slots and bumped everybody up. The result was that after winning one playoff game they ran tnto eventual state champ Reading in the second round and of course were beaten. So they sat at home while watching 5A teams they had beaten during the season do well in the playoffs.

According to the latest PIAA data, we'll also be bumped up to 6A in football next year, just at the time when a lot of the athletes who've fueled a strong recent run have departed. We're right on the classification border as a school in our division with 40 fewer male students remains 5A. If our school even makes the playoffs, we'll be playing schools with two, three, or even four times our male enrollment. Obviously, prospects are not good. What Aliquippa is doing is pretty amazing.

[Fightingscot82]

My local high school is a fairly large school in a relatively rural location. They get some good athletes on occasion, but the area is not a hotbed of sports. Last season the school had one of its best basketball teams in quite a while, but although they were playing 5A in football they got bumped up to 6A because the growing number of small private schools playing basketball helped fill up the !A and 2A slots and bumped everybody up. The result was that after winning one playoff game they ran tnto eventual state champ Reading in the second round and of course were beaten. So they sat at home while watching 5A teams they had beaten during the season do well in the playoffs.

According to the latest PIAA data, we'll also be bumped up to 6A in football next year, just at the time when a lot of the athletes who've fueled a strong recent run have departed. We're right on the classification border as a school in our division with 40 fewer male students remains 5A. If our school even makes the playoffs, we'll be playing schools with two, three, or even four times our male enrollment. Obviously, prospects are not good. What Aliquippa is doing is pretty amazing.

I think the "win and move up" rule makes sense on paper but what you describe can happen pretty easily and without any fault to the team. If Aliquippa hits a talent gap and suddenly starts playing like a A or AA team, they're going to get kids hurt. This rule is pretty widely known anymore, but I am unfamiliar with the ability of a school to move down.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I think the "win and move up" rule makes sense on paper but what you describe can happen pretty easily and without any fault to the team. If Aliquippa hits a talent gap and suddenly starts playing like a A or AA team, they're going to get kids hurt. This rule is pretty widely known anymore, but I am unfamiliar with the ability of a school to move down.

It always reminds me of when Duke would play the defending D2 basketball champions to kick off the season (exhibition).

They were the champions last year and what usually happens to the D2 champ is a major reload the following year (or a total rebuild). Typically, they didn't even resemble the team from the previous March and would get blasted.

For those not recruiting at the high school level, down cycles are inevitable. In theory, you play the hand you're dealt. Some classes just aren't good and some 3-4 year cycles lack talent and participants.

How tiny Aliquippa has done this for so long is amazing. Most schools can go from good to great to garbage and back to good in a 5-6 year stretch.

[IUPNation]

Who do y’all have tonight? It’s the final college football game of the year, believe it or not. It seems like it was just yesterday we were watching Week 0 games in sweltering heat.

I like Washington in a close and exciting game. Michigan’s defense is legit, but this is the best offense they’ve seen all year. The real question is whether or not Washington can stop Michigan’s running game. If they can keep that in check, I think they win a 27-24 type game with maybe a walk-off field goal. If Michigan gets close to 200 yards on the ground, they’ll likely be taking home the trophy.

In case you missed it, South Dakota State is your FCS champion again. I wonder if Karst Hunter wishes he would have stayed?

I’m hoping Washington wins it. I don’t care if Meatchicken wins. I’m just glad there are no teams from The Confederacy in it…

[IUPbigINDIANS]

It's early but Washington's defense is overwhelmed.

[TDBoi8136]

Let's Go Blue baby!

[Fightingscot82]

It's early but Washington's defense is overwhelmed.

Yeah and Penix played like absolute dogsh*t. Had he played like in the semifinal, that game may have been a lot closer.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Yeah and Penix played like absolute dogsh*t. Had he played like in the semifinal, that game may have been a lot closer.

Their RB played with two spare tires for legs. They couldn't run at all and Michigan knew it. They got to tee off on Penix all night.

[Ram040506]

Their RB played with two spare tires for legs. They couldn't run at all and Michigan knew it. They got to tee off on Penix all night.

How does a national championship contender not have a #2 rb that they can go to battle with? It was obvious from the first carry he was limited, so there is no one else who can carry the ball? Ridiculous.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

How does a national championship contender not have a #2 rb that they can go to battle with? It was obvious from the first carry he was limited, so there is no one else who can carry the ball? Ridiculous.

As a famous PSAC basketball coach once told me, "next man up usually means you're f@cked"

But, yeah, a P5 program should at least have somebody somewhat capable.

[IUP24]

Yeah and Penix played like absolute dogsh*t. Had he played like in the semifinal, that game may have been a lot closer.

Penix cost himself a lot of money with his performance. That was the best defense he played all year (closest to an NFL defense in terms of scheme and pedigree he will see at this level). He looked overwhelmed and looked lost. I get he was under duress a lot, but he looked bad.

[IUP24]

The unique thing about Michigan is that I think it's hard for many people to recognize just how good they really are given the manner in which they play. It's very much an NFL approach and bygone methodology of how Harbaugh has done it there. They don't do it with much flash. They have good skill position players to be clear, but they aren't throwing the ball all over the place and amassing video game like numbers offensively. They beat you at the point of attach and just overwhelm teams at the line of scrimmage and possess the ball with purpose. They aren't straining to get yards I guess is what I'm saying. Three offensive possessions into the game and it was inside of a minute to play in the first quarter. When you are able to just melt away a game and run the ball when teams know you're going to do it, that's such a hard thing to stop.

Defensively, Washington was overwhelmed. They had no answer. Michigan just suffocated them all night.