2021 Non-Conference Schedules

[Ram040506]

Lake Erie @ Clarion. Toss up
Edinboro @ Grand Valley State. Loss
Gannon @ Northwood. Loss
Alderson Broaddus @ Mercyhurst. Win
Wheeling @ Seton Hill. Loss.
Slippery Rock @ Wayne State (MI). Toss up
Bloomsburg @ Stonehill. Win.
Pace @ East Stroudsburg. Win.
Assumption @ Kutztown. Win.
Lock Haven @ Lincoln (PA). Win.
American International @ Millersville. Loss.
Shepherd @ Ohio Dominican. Loss.
West Virginia State @ Shippensburg. Win.
West Chester @ Bentley. Win
If Cal does play Fairmont = win
if IUP would grow a pair and play Tiffin = loss

Ohio Dominican got a gift last time vs Shepherd. Shepherd controlled that entire game and blew it at the end. It was good for them to lose though as it put them behind the 8 ball and they had to string together a lot of wins to sneak into the playoffs last year (2019) as a young team. It's a toss up, that I would be surprised if Shepherd drops this time.

[Fightingscot82]

Yes there is: putting some action behind IUP's talk of being an elite program; playing a full schedule for both your players and your supporters; helping your chances of getting into the playoffs because 8-3 looks a lot better than 7-3; getting a real game before Kutztown; and not appearing afraid to play anyone. I know we disagree on this but IUP football is dealing with a declining fanbase. You need to feed the fanbase.

[boatcapt]

Read the selection criteria posted above.

Had nothing to do with the selection criteria although I would point out that by finishing 9-1 as opposed to 10-1 negatively effects a number of selection criteria. I was told that playing tough OOC opponents made a team stronger come playoff time BUT that supposed strength did not come from playing tough in-conference opponents.

[Matt Burglund]

Yes there is: putting some action behind IUP's talk of being an elite program; playing a full schedule for both your players and your supporters;

You're looking at it from a fan standpoint. Coaches get hired to win games and fired when they don't, no matter the size of the crowd. If you have a team you legitimately think can make a run, you take this game, like IUP did in 2017 and 2018 with Ashland. It's a test to see if you're ready. But the 2021 IUP team has a lot of questions right now. New QB. Young defense.

helping your chances of getting into the playoffs because 8-3 looks a lot better than 7-3;

Based on that logic, why not play a cupcake just to get the extra win? If stacking wins is the objective, why play a tough game when you know you've got Kutztown, Shepherd, Slippery Rock, California and West Chester down the road? I was told IUP tried the cupcake route, but for whatever reason, it didn't work out.

and not appearing afraid to play anyone.

Where does that appear? On a message board? Show me someplace else where high school recruits and IUP fans are informed that IUP is afraid of Tiffin. All we have now is one fan stating they heard the Tiffin coach and/or AD say that. Maybe you're overestimating the scope of D2 fandom. There aren't many people like you and I, who have a deep interest in D2 football. This isn't Penn State ducking Alabama or something.

I know we disagree on this but IUP football is dealing with a declining fanbase. You need to feed the fanbase.

We don't disagree on this. I'm just letting y'all know that, like many things we deal with as adults, there are several sides to every story. Feeding the fan base is important. So is getting to the playoffs.

[Matt Burglund]

I was told that playing tough OOC opponents made a team stronger come playoff time

That's probably true as a tie-breaker when the NCAA is seeding teams or when choosing home field in the semifinals. I'm talking about just getting to the playoffs. IUP had a tough enough road already.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

To Matt's point, it seems the non-IUP perspective has much higher expectations for IUP this year than the actual IUP fanbase does.

They could be really good. Lot of skill. The QB, however, is too much of a question mark. They may be much stronger at that position than we've been led to believe. Or, they may have a serious problem.

If there ever was a year to play a Week 1 cupcake, this was it. Sounds like they couldn't find said sacrificial lamb.

You can talk to actual IUP fans today who think the team will be 10-0, 9-1, 8-2, 7-3 or 6-4. They haven't had a team with this many unknowns in a long time.

As it stands, they have 5 out of 10 really tough games -- and they can legitimately lose all of them. Those (Kutz, Shep, Cal, SRU, WCU) are all very strong programs. Adding a 6th tough game, if the offer even existed, wouldn't have made any sense. If they could have signed an Alderson Broaddus or West Liberty, etc., to come in here for a Week 1 game ... they would have taken it.

Water under the bridge now. They aren't adding a game at this point.

Just about any coach around says the biggest improvement every team sees is from Week 1 to Week 2. By not playing Week 1 (and Kutztown is playing) ... it very well could make IUP a home dog in the opener.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Yes there is: putting some action behind IUP's talk of being an elite program; playing a full schedule for both your players and your supporters; helping your chances of getting into the playoffs because 8-3 looks a lot better than 7-3; getting a real game before Kutztown; and not appearing afraid to play anyone. I know we disagree on this but IUP football is dealing with a declining fanbase. You need to feed the fanbase.

That's probably up for debate. They were actually making some serious strides the two years prior to Covid. Nobody at IUP can count so the reported gate numbers aren't telling. From those who actually attend the games, you could easily tell they were drawing much, much better. The biggest crowd I've seen at Miller since the early 2000s was the Thursday night game against Ashland. It was jam-packed ... and IUP reported 3,500 or so. It was drastically more.

By declining, if you mean aging, I'd agree. IUP has an extremely loyal football following but it's getting older by the day. The fact of life is some of those people can no longer attend games or have died off. It's imperative to draw a younger crowd -- and get said crowd in the habit of attending weekly. They've taken steps to do so -- allowing tailgating, etc. Now, obviously charging $65 per game for a 'tailgate spot' is beyond insane ... but, baby steps.

As a whole, Joe gets a younger crowd than Tort. But, the seasons are different. Joe plays exclusively Saturday night home games. Up until now, Tort was largely stuck in the dreaded, crowd-killing noon spot. Noon kicks instantly eliminate all the soccer and pee-wee football families from attending. Most people don't like to tailgate at 10 a.m., either. This isn't Alabama or State College. So, the 2 p.m. move was another good step.

[Fightingscot82]

To Matt's point, it seems the non-IUP perspective has much higher expectations for IUP this year than the actual IUP fanbase does.

They could be really good. Lot of skill. The QB, however, is too much of a question mark. They may be much stronger at that position than we've been led to believe. Or, they may have a serious problem.

If there ever was a year to play a Week 1 cupcake, this was it. Sounds like they couldn't find said sacrificial lamb.

You can talk to actual IUP fans today who think the team will be 10-0, 9-1, 8-2, 7-3 or 6-4. They haven't had a team with this many unknowns in a long time.

As it stands, they have 5 out of 10 really tough games -- and they can legitimately lose all of them. Those (Kutz, Shep, Cal, SRU, WCU) are all very strong programs. Adding a 6th tough game, if the offer even existed, wouldn't have made any sense. If they could have signed an Alderson Broaddus or West Liberty, etc., to come in here for a Week 1 game ... they would have taken it.

Water under the bridge now. They aren't adding a game at this point.

Just about any coach around says the biggest improvement every team sees is from Week 1 to Week 2. By not playing Week 1 (and Kutztown is playing) ... it very well could make IUP a home dog in the opener.

I wouldn't be surprised if travel cost is a major factor. Finding an opponent who meets the criteria without a significant travel cost. Its somewhat rare for a DII school to offer a guarantee but they do sometimes offer free or subsidized food or hotel through campus or a local sponsor.

But don't sandbag on us about 2021. Say what you want now but if IUP goes 6-4 a lot of people on here will be moaning that its not up to IUP standards.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I wouldn't be surprised if travel cost is a major factor. Finding an opponent who meets the criteria without a significant travel cost. Its somewhat rare for a DII school to offer a guarantee but they do sometimes offer free or subsidized food or hotel through campus or a local sponsor.

But don't sandbag on us about 2021. Say what you want now but if IUP goes 6-4 a lot of people on here will be moaning that its not up to IUP standards.

Of course it won't be. That's not sandbagging ... just reality. I wouldn't bet your money on this season. Do they have fancy playmakers? Yes. Many. Will they be able to get them the ball? That's the million dollar question. We're just fans. I don't draw a paycheck from IUP. You go 6-4 here and it's a problem. No doubt about it. This isn't Clarion or somewhere that a parade gets thrown for being 6-4. Here it's essentially a disaster. If the QB position becomes a major problem obviously people are going to fume that they had two years to figure it out.

I said a couple weeks ago I think this is a big season for Tort. That's by absolutely no means saying his job is on the line, but you never want an ugly duck in Year 4 of a regime. If he were to lose a third straight to SRU ... again, not a good look.

It's still just too early. They are going to beef up several spots this summer and may have a completely different vibe by the time camp opens. There's already some players in mix that haven't appeared on this board yet.

[Fightingscot82]

Of course it won't be. That's not sandbagging ... just reality. I wouldn't bet your money on this season. Do they have fancy playmakers? Yes. Many. Will they be able to get them the ball? That's the million dollar question. We're just fans. I don't draw a paycheck from IUP. You go 6-4 here and it's a problem. No doubt about it. This isn't Clarion or somewhere that a parade gets thrown for being 6-4. Here it's essentially a disaster. If the QB position becomes a major problem obviously people are going to fume that they had two years to figure it out.

I said a couple weeks ago I think this is a big season for Tort. That's by absolutely no means saying his job is on the line, but you never want an ugly duck in Year 4 of a regime. If he were to lose a third straight to SRU ... again, not a good look.

It's still just too early. They are going to beef up several spots this summer and may have a completely different vibe by the time camp opens. There's already some players in mix that haven't appeared on this board yet.

I think you'd be surprised how the other half lives. 6-4 makes people at Clarion cautiously optimistic. When Justin Lustig took Edinboro from 0-11 to 9-2 it got him a big raise of...$0. Probably a good reason he started to make calls about leaving. Any special attention he got was because the Erie media is so in love with Cathedral Prep.

[iupgroundhog]

So glad to see we're getting back to normalcy.

[CALUPA69]

VULCANS open '21 on 9/2 @Fairmont.
https://calvulcans.com/sports/football/schedule

[Fightingscot82]

VULCANS open '21 on 9/2 @Fairmont.
https://calvulcans.com/sports/football/schedule

Really surprised they're doing that. There's no reason for Cal to take that game.

[CALUPA69]

Really surprised they're doing that. There's no reason for Cal to take that game.

Other than perhaps getting back to something that feels like a normal 11 game season. I've no idea who's still on the team much less who's starting, but with a super soft schedule I'll venture a guess that they'll head into 10/23 @IUP and 11/6 @SRU with nothing less than 6-1 likely 7-0. Looking forward to forgetting our LOST YEAR !!

[Ram040506]

Really surprised they're doing that. There's no reason for Cal to take that game.

Why? Every team should be playing 11 games if they are able. Nobody in this league should be saving themselves for the playoffs. The players deserve as many games as you can give rhem