PSAC Spring Football ???

[shipfbfan1]

At the D2 level it's kind of pointless to play a spring schedule at this point. Realistically if it were played it would be to showcase your senior class for professional scouts while also allowing them to play out their eligibility so that you can bring in your full HS recruiting class mixed in with some college transfers. However many D2 star players who were on NFL scout lists took the season to transfer up to the FCS/FBS rankings to improve their draft stock so scouts probably won't be at many D2/D3 spring scrimmages or games this March/April.

[Sec10-A-14]

I see it differently. Why play the game (any year, any season) if you're afraid to hurt your star players.
I mean sign star players and have them sit the bench all season? no sense
Even a short 3, 4 game season will give the coach a chance to evaluate new players and how others may have improved.
Also no eligibility yr is lost is for seniors. It also gives these young studs a chance to blow off some steam against an opponent
rather then a 18 months of practice frustrations.

[iupgroundhog]

I see it differently. Why play the game (any year, any season) if you're afraid to hurt your star players.
I mean sign star players and have them sit the bench all season? no sense
Even a short 3, 4 game season will give the coach a chance to evaluate new players and how others may have improved.
Also no eligibility yr is lost is for seniors. It also gives these young studs a chance to blow off some steam against an opponent
rather then a 18 months of practice frustrations.

I see your point about the possibility of injury because injuries can occur at any time. But it's not like you're playing a full competitive schedule. If you win them all, who cares? If you lose them all, who cares?

I don't think it would mean much to anybody. Plus, we aren't out of COVID yet. If you look at winter sports that have played and it's often a start and stop thing with so many COVID-related extras that need to be dealt with. My vote is to just get back on a regular-season schedule.

[Fightingscot82]

I see it differently. Why play the game (any year, any season) if you're afraid to hurt your star players.
I mean sign star players and have them sit the bench all season? no sense
Even a short 3, 4 game season will give the coach a chance to evaluate new players and how others may have improved.
Also no eligibility yr is lost is for seniors. It also gives these young studs a chance to blow off some steam against an opponent
rather then a 18 months of practice frustrations.

I see it both ways and agree with what you're saying. But this spring season counts for nothing. If Gannon wins all four of their games, they don't make the playoffs. They don't get a trophy. They probably won't order rings. I think the potential for disaster outweighs any benefit.

Edinboro had a limited wrestling schedule this year. Some matches ended up not being matches - only round robin. I didn't watch those. It didn't satisfy me the same way a real match does. I imagine a scrimmage against Slippery Rock would be the same thing. If Rock goes up 72-0 it counts for nothing other than getting my blood pressure up.

[Fightingscot82]

Pennsylvania has just eased their large group attendance guidelines (policy? law? recommendations?). Indoor events can now have 15% capacity and outdoor events 20%.

I wonder if that changes some attitudes on a fake spring season. Honestly, with how attendance capacity is in the PSAC, they just might have to force some people to sit on the away side and not much else changes.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Pennsylvania has just eased their large group attendance guidelines (policy? law? recommendations?). Indoor events can now have 15% capacity and outdoor events 20%.

I wonder if that changes some attitudes on a fake spring season. Honestly, with how attendance capacity is in the PSAC, they just might have to force some people to sit on the away side and not much else changes.

We have schools that would love to have 20% filled on game day.

[Sec10-A-14]

			Ave	Capacity		% of Cap
1	West Chester		5,639	7,500		75
2	Shepherd		4,787	5,000		96
3	Slippery Rock		4,584	10,000		46
4	Shippensburg		4,428	7,700		58
5	Kutztown		3,777	5,600		67
6	Edinboro		3,280	7,000		47
7	Indiana		3,162	6,500		49
8	California		2,698	5,000		54
9	Clarion		2,273	6,000		38
10	Bloomsburg		2,206	4,775		46
11	Millersville		1,873	6,500		29
12	Mercyhurst		1,837	2,300		80
13	E Stroudsburg		1,758	6,000		29
14	Gannon		1,380	2,500		55
15	Seton Hill		794	5,000		16
16	Lock Haven		712	3,000		24

[boatcapt]

I see it both ways and agree with what you're saying. But this spring season counts for nothing. If Gannon wins all four of their games, they don't make the playoffs. They don't get a trophy. They probably won't order rings. I think the potential for disaster outweighs any benefit.

Edinboro had a limited wrestling schedule this year. Some matches ended up not being matches - only round robin. I didn't watch those. It didn't satisfy me the same way a real match does. I imagine a scrimmage against Slippery Rock would be the same thing. If Rock goes up 72-0 it counts for nothing other than getting my blood pressure up.

The conference could have organized into two divisions and crowned a PSAC East and West Champions, given them trophies and even ordered Championship rings. Seems like thats what other conferences are doing.

[Fightingscot82]

The conference could have organized into two divisions and crowned a PSAC East and West Champions, given them trophies and even ordered Championship rings. Seems like thats what other conferences are doing.

You're right, they could have. I believe the vote was during a time of surging cases, which would make sense. Or its an opportunity to save some money. Probably a bit of both.

[Fightingscot82]

			Ave	Capacity		% of Cap
1	West Chester		5,639	7,500		75
2	Shepherd		4,787	5,000		96
3	Slippery Rock		4,584	10,000		46
4	Shippensburg		4,428	7,700		58
5	Kutztown		3,777	5,600		67
6	Edinboro		3,280	7,000		47
7	Indiana		3,162	6,500		49
8	California		2,698	5,000		54
9	Clarion		2,273	6,000		38
10	Bloomsburg		2,206	4,775		46
11	Millersville		1,873	6,500		29
12	Mercyhurst		1,837	2,300		80
13	E Stroudsburg		1,758	6,000		29
14	Gannon		1,380	2,500		55
15	Seton Hill		794	5,000		16
16	Lock Haven		712	3,000		24

794 at Seton Hill HAS to include players on both teams plus gameday staffing. No offense to SHU but the away side sometimes has more fans than the home side. Its like Saturday afternoon high school JV.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

794 at Seton Hill HAS to include players on both teams plus gameday staffing. No offense to SHU but the away side sometimes has more fans than the home side. Its like Saturday afternoon high school JV.

The reported numbers are always entertaining. IUP, for instance, simply can't count. There will be games at Miller with literally more than 4,500 people and they'll report 2,220. The next week in the rain and cold there will be about 1,100 and they report 4,100. They have fixed many of the 'count' issues -- such as securing the 10 different stadium gates and locking the doors underneath the home bleachers. An extraordinary number of people used to not pay to get inside.

I've been to many, many games on the road when IUP takes a bigger crowd than the home team has in the stands. That has happened frequently at Gannon, Clarion and Seton Hill. If Clarion is averaging 2,273 they must count every human within a 3-block radius of the stadium.

[IUPalum]

The reported numbers are always entertaining. IUP, for instance, simply can't count. There will be games at Miller with literally more than 4,500 people and they'll report 2,220. The next week in the rain and cold there will be about 1,100 and they report 4,100. They have fixed many of the 'count' issues -- such as securing the 10 different stadium gates and locking the doors underneath the home bleachers. An extraordinary number of people used to not pay to get inside.

I've been to many, many games on the road when IUP takes a bigger crowd than the home team has in the stands. That has happened frequently at Gannon, Clarion and Seton Hill. If Clarion is averaging 2,273 they must count every human within a 3-block radius of the stadium.

All true!

[playersdad]

although some schools may be afraid to publicize their spring games/joint practices, other area teams have committed to them. I expect this is a way to keep interested people away, which they won't because players will talk to their families and friends. the psac won't come out and publish anything in support of spring football, as a conference tied to politics they have to be mindful of what their governor's political ideology is. Schools such as Gannon, Seton Hill, Shepherd, and Mercyhurst (all privates I believe) will participate in spring activities to keep players engaged, keep coaches on salary, recruit, and players will benefit from this. yes, as with football, injuries may happen though.

[Fightingscot82]

although some schools may be afraid to publicize their spring games/joint practices, other area teams have committed to them. I expect this is a way to keep interested people away, which they won't because players will talk to their families and friends. the psac won't come out and publish anything in support of spring football, as a conference tied to politics they have to be mindful of what their governor's political ideology is. Schools such as Gannon, Seton Hill, Shepherd, and Mercyhurst (all privates I believe) will participate in spring activities to keep players engaged, keep coaches on salary, recruit, and players will benefit from this. yes, as with football, injuries may happen though.

Shepherd is public but a WV state school.

I believe the timing for a vote on a PSAC-sponsored spring football season was ill-timed. The time for a vote probably would have been when cases were surging and before the vaccine rollout was showing signs of progress. Pennsylvania has not been a state on the looser side of pandemic regulation. It seems that D2 football is happening in well, more "red" states. Campus presidents have the voting authority in the PSAC so the coach and AD would have to convince the president that playing football was a good idea. I don't know if you'd have that at this level with presidents consumed with balancing a budget, finding any and all cost savings, and trying to make sense of next year.

I think its still possible that football has restrictions in the fall. I'm thinking limited people on the sidelines, spacing out spectators, etc. Maybe this is the situation that forces some to invest in the streaming experience!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Shepherd is public but a WV state school.

I believe the timing for a vote on a PSAC-sponsored spring football season was ill-timed. The time for a vote probably would have been when cases were surging and before the vaccine rollout was showing signs of progress. Pennsylvania has not been a state on the looser side of pandemic regulation. It seems that D2 football is happening in well, more "red" states. Campus presidents have the voting authority in the PSAC so the coach and AD would have to convince the president that playing football was a good idea. I don't know if you'd have that at this level with presidents consumed with balancing a budget, finding any and all cost savings, and trying to make sense of next year.

I think its still possible that football has restrictions in the fall. I'm thinking limited people on the sidelines, spacing out spectators, etc. Maybe this is the situation that forces some to invest in the streaming experience!

Come on ... I love our current Blair Witch broadcasts.