Ashland To the GMAC Must Happen

[EastStroud13]

I agree. Being in a tough conference does not turn an average team into a championship contender in a single year. It can, however, change a program over time simply by forcing them to step up to simply compete in conference. There are potential championship contending programs that don't reach their potential because they're not playing tough schedules.

Thanks for a fun discussion.

Likewise. I do agree that in order to be a contender for a championship, a tough schedule is pretty much required. These questions of overall ambition and measures of success are heady questions for a program to ask itself. This is shaping up to be an interesting year to see if one of the usual suspects wins the championship, or not, and what that will say about conference impact, if anything.

[Brandon]

Those schools should win more often than not against private universities based on resource allocation.

Ashland would have the largest football budget in the GMAC (among the top four) if they bolted.

Looking at information, it was interesting to find out that 110 of ODU's 441 (25%) male students are football players.

[Brandon]

These questions of overall ambition and measures of success are heady questions for a program to ask itself.

That's the key. Some programs want to win it all. Some want to make the playoffs. Some want to win the conference. Some want to win some games. Some want to be an enrollment driver.

[Runnin' Cat]

I think if you look at the list of champions, almost all of them come from a tough conference.

2018 - Gulf South
2017 - Lone Star
2016 - MIAA
2015 - MIAA
2014 - RMAC
2013 - MIAA
2012 - Gulf South
2011 - MIAA
2010 - NSIC
2009 - MIAA
2008 - NSIC
2007 - Gulf South
2006 - GLIAC
2005 - GLIAC
2004 - Gulf South
2003 - GLIAC
2002 - GLIAC
2001 - NCC
2000 - Gulf South
1999 - MIAA
1998 - MIAA
1997 - NCC
1996 - NCC
1995 - Gulf South
1994 - Gulf South
1993 - Gulf South
1992 - Gulf South
1991 - MIAA
1990 - NCC
1989 - Gulf South

That's the last 30 years.

RMAC is a tough conference?

[Brandon]

RMAC is a tough conference?

Hello reading comprehension? :)

Originally posted by Brandon
I think if you look at the list of champions, almost all of them come from a tough conference.

Even if you lump the NSIC in with with the RMAC, 27/30 should jive with "almost all."

[Thelakerman]

[KleShreen]

They were down 34-0 in the first quarter...lol. And Jimmy T got sacked 10 times that game...haha. Still does, and probably always will, remain the most lopsided football game I've ever seen and it was the freaking national semifinals.

[RetiredAU]

You either have no clue about football, or just blindly following Owens if you think Austin Brenner is every going to be a decent QB at Ashland. You want to know what Tranowski did his sophomore year at AU? 30 TD's 10 Int and a 62% completion percentage. That's not even in the same ball park as the crap Brenner put up this year. I have literally in all my years watching AU never seen a kid that could not throw a football the way Brenner has the last two year. You can see it on every throw its just not there. It has zero to do with the Oline, or the receivers, the kid just can't throw the football.

Owens was quoted in the news paper, that the goal for the game last week was to throw the football,and that after the first half they scrapped it because Brenner couldn't do it.

Nah, I have a pretty good clue about football and trust Coach Owens knows what he is doing since well, he was my coach. If you watched the game at all, you would have noticed that Bolin (WR#1) went out with a quad injury at the beginning of the 2nd half. So we start running the ball more since his most reliable option was gone. We had 5 dropped passes in the first half and our WR depth this year was extremely thin already. #6 dropped every other ball thrown to him all year and #81 was a freshman so when you lose your top target, you try to run the ball more, especially with a lead. You dont throw it all over the place and give the opposing team more chances if you have quick series. So we started running our Bunch formation and began to shred NMU defense. So when that happens what do you do? Well, you dont throw it, you keep running the ball when it's working. The result, Washington runs for over 100 yards in the second half, our back up runs for over 50 yards and we score 17 unanswered points and eat up the clock to seal the game. Owens also said his goal was to send the seniors out as winners and that's what he did. Changed the gameplan and it was successful.

[BillyGV]

Sure, but even if you expand the list to include teams/conferences that made the championship game, it doesn't get much better (margin of loss in parentheses).

MIAA - 8
GSC - 5
GLIAC - 4
SAC - 4 (-15, -6,-18, -9)
PSAC - 2(-29, -7)
LSC - 1
NSIC - 1
NCC - 1
MEC - 1 (-27)
CIAA - 1 (-28)
IND - 1 (-51)

I just think it shows that iron sharpens iron or whatever the saying might be.

Hey B, not sure what you are saying here - it seems you are saying if you expand your list to conferences that MADE the championship game, not just those who won it in the last 30 years - yes? - If that's the case the MIAA would be at least 10, GLIAC 8, GSC 7 or.maybe 8 - you missed some if that is what you are saying and it would further your thoughts showing the more competitive conferences make the championship game more often and oft times those conferences are playing each other like last year GSC v GLIAC

[unc4life]

Nah, I have a pretty good clue about football and trust Coach Owens knows what he is doing since well, he was my coach. If you watched the game at all, you would have noticed that Bolin (WR#1) went out with a quad injury at the beginning of the 2nd half. So we start running the ball more since his most reliable option was gone. We had 5 dropped passes in the first half and our WR depth this year was extremely thin already. #6 dropped every other ball thrown to him all year and #81 was a freshman so when you lose your top target, you try to run the ball more, especially with a lead. You dont throw it all over the place and give the opposing team more chances if you have quick series. So we started running our Bunch formation and began to shred NMU defense. So when that happens what do you do? Well, you dont throw it, you keep running the ball when it's working. The result, Washington runs for over 100 yards in the second half, our back up runs for over 50 yards and we score 17 unanswered points and eat up the clock to seal the game. Owens also said his goal was to send the seniors out as winners and that's what he did. Changed the gameplan and it was successful.

A good QB makes his wide receivers better. Its hard to catch a ball when you never know where its going to be. You can argue all you want, but as long as Brenner is the QB for Ashland they will never win a GLIAC title or make the playoffs, and the stats back that up. If your happy with that then i guess that's you. AU pumps a lot of money into a program that is starting to become very average when it has many other programs that have performed much better with less.

[IceMan54]

NewEraWarrior & Brandon make great points. The Gulf South and MIAA are much better managed conferences and have more evenly matched teams. I think the D2 Committee and AFCA has messed with the GLIAC and GMAC too much, as you see 5 or more teams in those Conferences at 400-500.

tartar8...Regarding your statement "WSU had arguably the toughest schedule in DII." ...Not even close! As tough as the GLIAC teams usually play, they were all visibly weaker this year (5 teams under .400). and look at the comments about GV and Ashland from players and coaches from those programs...neither were not the usual powerhouse regimes. So, the GLIAC was watered down quite a bit this year.

Also, Brandon makes a great point about what a Program's Agenda is... ("Some programs want to win it all. Some want to make the playoffs. Some want to win the conference. Some want to win some games. Some want to be an enrollment driver.") ... Wayne State has the funding, the local talent pool to pull from, and the Admin backing, but cannot compete with Ferris...or Slip-Rock..or even Truman St. Seems like WSU favors the last 2 categories.

[Brandon]

Hey B, not sure what you are saying here - it seems you are saying if you expand your list to conferences that MADE the championship game, not just those who won it in the last 30 years - yes? - If that's the case the MIAA would be at least 10, GLIAC 8, GSC 7 or.maybe 8 - you missed some if that is what you are saying and it would further your thoughts showing the more competitive conferences make the championship game more often and oft times those conferences are playing each other like last year GSC v GLIAC

That is a list of those that made it. It should be added to those that won it to get the true participation.

[Brandon]

Here is an accurate list of championship participants...
x

Conference	#	# Different
GSC	20	7
MIAA	16	2
Ind	10	7
NCC	10	4
GLIAC	9	4
SAC	4	2
NSIC	3	2
LSC	3	2
Mid-Con	3	2
PSAC	2	2
OVC	2	1
CIAA	1	1
MEC	1	1
RMAC	1	1
Far West	1	1
Big Sky	1	1
CCAA	1	1
Southland	1	1

[tartar8]

tartar8...Regarding your statement "WSU had arguably the toughest schedule in DII." ...Not even close! As tough as the GLIAC teams usually play, they were all visibly weaker this year (5 teams under .400). and look at the comments about GV and Ashland from players and coaches from those programs...neither were not the usual powerhouse regimes. So, the GLIAC was watered down quite a bit this year.

Iceman, I respectfully disagree with your "Not even close!" opinion.

Pulled this from an article published today regarding Nicholas receiving GLIAC back of the year and Winters receiving Gliac coach of the year. It states that they faced the 5th toughest schedule with an opponents winning percentage of .604. Don't agree with my statement of toughest schedule? Fair enough. "Not even close!"? Hardly. It can't go unnoticed that two of their three losses were to #1 seeds in the playoffs. And their 3rd loss was to 9-2 Truman State.

"WSU was predicted to tie-for-fifth by the league coaches prior to the 2019 campaign and finished second notching a 7-1 record with the only setback to Super Region 3 top seed Ferris State. Wayne State played the fifth-toughest schedule in Division II with an opponents winning percentage of .604 (64-42) and the three losses were to teams that went a combined 30-2."

[NewEraWarrior]

Iceman, I respectfully disagree with your "Not even close!" opinion.

Pulled this from an article published today regarding Nicholas receiving GLIAC back of the year and Winters receiving Gliac coach of the year. It states that they faced the 5th toughest schedule with an opponents winning percentage of .604. Don't agree with my statement of toughest schedule? Fair enough. "Not even close!"? Hardly. It can't go unnoticed that two of their three losses were to #1 seeds in the playoffs. And their 3rd loss was to 9-2 Truman State.

"WSU was predicted to tie-for-fifth by the league coaches prior to the 2019 campaign and finished second notching a 7-1 record with the only setback to Super Region 3 top seed Ferris State. Wayne State played the fifth-toughest schedule in Division II with an opponents winning percentage of .604 (64-42) and the three losses were to teams that went a combined 30-2."

Agree w/ Tartar8, definitely a tough schedule. I would agree that the GLIAC had a down year but their non-conference games were against a top 10 team (Slippery Rock) a good team (Truman St), & yes a bad team (Quincy). All in all, I'd say they played a tough schedule because they played (and unfortunately loss) two tough non-conference games. The GLIAC was not particularly strong this year outside Ferris but that will be more prevalent when you have a top heavy conference w/ only 9 teams. Need more GLIAC teams!