Extra Point - Catching up on the Offseason

NCAA Football Betting Lines

01/26/2007 - Chattanooga, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Most football fans have enjoyed the stretch of playoff and bowl games that started at Christmas time and extends into next weeks Super Bowl. But if youre only a fan of the FCS, the last month was just the start of the offseason agony.

Some fans may get excited about recruiting, but the history of walk-ons and lightly-regarded recruits doing as well or better than the big signings simmers those interests. And recruiting day is still two weeks away anyway. Spring practice is even further down the line, and mere thought of the time until the season kicks off is enough to make FCS supporters cringe as the calendar slowly turns.

The entire offseason can drag for FCS fans, but theres nothing worse than January, when the 2006 season has been digested and the 2007 campaign feels like it will never come. The news and notes slow to a crawl as well, with most coaching positions filled and coaches hitting the recruiting trail hard. But even in this slow time, theres just enough action for your trusted FCS editor to bring you a few interesting tidbits that have crossed the desk in the first month of the year.

Below, take a lot at the five biggest current pieces of interest for FCS fans to know or follow as the offseason progresses. There might not be anything groundbreaking here, but at least you can whet the appetite a few weeks before checking out the recruiting releases on the "best class ever" for your team.

Still an 11-game season

Most observers expected a close decision for the addition of a 12th game on the FCS schedule when the legislation was voted on at the NCAA Convention earlier in the month. But the final tally was definitive, as only 48 percent of FCS schools wanted to override the decision to play an 11-game regular season, far below the required 62 percent to change the rule. Most proponents of the 12th game wanted an additional opportunity for either a home date or a game against an FBS opponent, but others were concerned about stretching out the season to 16 consecutive weeks for the national championship teams and unbalanced schedules on playoff selection day with some teams playing 12 games and others playing 11.

While the vote means the length of the season stays the same this year, staying at 11 games has obvious implications for 2007 and beyond. Take the case of North Dakota State, who has to find another date after Montana State opted out of a matchup this season in order to take on an FBS opponent. An 11-game season will leave some athletic directors with the tough decision of scheduling multiple FBS non-conference games and possibly putting their teams in playoff jeopardy, or forgoing a money game to play more home dates and take on a more playoff-friendly schedule. Sorting through teams that played a different number of games would have been difficult for the playoff selection committee, but that group will still have an unenviable task. Some teams will play multiple FBS opponents with few FCS non-conference games, while others may take on an all FCS schedule. Deciding on how to factor in the big wins, FBS games and overall strength of schedule could once again prove integral for the final playoff selections.

An Expanding FCS

Many FCS coaches complain that the subdivision boasts a lower percentage of playoff teams per participant than any NCAA sport. That argument doesnt hold that much water when you consider the leagues that dont participate in the postseason and others that dont offer scholarships to seriously compete at the highest level, but the coaches could have something to crow about in the near future. Six teams are set to become playoff eligible in the next four seasons, including UC Davis and Northern Colorado in 2007. A North Dakota State team that emerged as a powerhouse is on the way to playoff eligibility in 2008, with solid South Dakota State and Central Arkansas programs coming along nicely. As if that wasnt enough, look at all the teams that are on the way to Division I. Presbyterian and North Carolina Central begin their transition to Division I this year, and strong North Dakota and South Dakota programs are soon to follow. Old Dominion is set to add football in 2009, while schools like East Tennessee State, Georgia State and a few in Texas are discussing bringing back or adding a football program.

With a slew of Division I schools looking to add football programs and more schools likely to move up from a weakened Division II, the number of teams figures to keep growing for an FCS level that currently stands at 123 going into the 2007 campaign. While Western Kentucky leaves for the FBS this year, dont expect anybody else to follow in the near future. Strong programs like Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and James Madison are occasionally rumored to be interested in the FBS level, but none of those teams has a conference home or a more favorable situation to step into.

Which means the coaches might get their wish eventually. By keeping the season at 11 games, the NCAA governing boards and FCS committees will have the flexibility to add one round to the postseason without extending the length of the playoffs into the bowl season. They can take the bye week out of the season or start the year a week earlier, though the latter is unlikely because FBS teams do not kickoff until Labor Day weekend. In my opinion, there isnt a need for expanded playoffs right now and probably wont be for at least the next five years. The final two playoff spots went to teams with suspect overall resumes last season, and there are only going to be four teams that earn playoff eligibility in the next two seasons. But there will be more to come in the near future, and the improvements of leagues like the NEC and the Big South, along with the additional teams, could make a 20 or 24-team playoff a more realistic possibility down the line.

Conference Realignments

Western Kentuckys departure to FBS leaves the Gateway Conference with seven teams, and could just be the first domino to fall in conference realignments in the FCS. The Gateway is courting South Dakota State and North Dakota State to fill the void and give the league an eight-game conference slate. Both institutions have been invited attend the league meetings on Feb. 19, and could both move to the Gateway by 2008. The expansion is not a slam-dunk by any means, but it would certainly lock up the Gateway Conference as one of the best in the nation on a yearly basis and leave the Great West in flux at least until the "other" Dakota schools enter Division I down the line. The Southern Conference could be in the realignment game as well, with Samford piquing the interest of the league office. Adding another team would also put that league at nine teams, and East Tennessee State could also become a future candidate to return to the league if it brings back football.

One move is official, as Duquesne took its football team to the Northeast Conference as an associate member this week. On the surface, the Dukes shift appears to move one step closer to signifying an eventual end of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and gives the NEC a very worthy replacement for Stony Brook. But with Stony Brook going to full-scholarship status, and Albany and others possibly to follow, the re-structuring in the East may not be complete.

Georgia Southerns topsy-turvy week

The saying "coming in with style, going out a mess" might be a favorite for collegiate revelers, but its certainly not a goal for a coach taking over one of the most prestigious programs in the FCS. But thats exactly what happened with Georgia Southern and head coach Brian Van Gorder, who eschewed the schools offense and traditions to do things his way. The result: a 3-8 record that included a 2-5 home record, 2-5 mark in the Southern Conference and a five-game losing streak to finish the season. Instead of sticking it out to bring in recruiting classes that fit his schemes and finish the job he started, last week Van Gorder stayed true to his career history and bolted for another job. The Eagles really got what they were asking for by taking on a transient coach that has never spent more than four seasons in one job and moved to his seventh job since 1995. When Van Gorder left to become the linebackers coach for the Atlanta Falcons, the heat was on Georgia Southern athletic director Sam Baker, who had replaced the successful Mike Sewak with Van Gorder only to see the football program go from an 8-3 playoff team to a 3-8 also-ran in one season.

But Baker avoided lasting catcalls and turned a negative into a positive in the span of a few days. Before the ink was dry on columns about Van Gorders cut- and-run job, Georgia Southern hired highly successful Valdosta State head coach Chris Hatcher to lead the program last Friday. The Eagles figure to get a much longer stay out of a coach who is a proven winner from a very strong Division II program. Really, its a move they probably should have made a year ago when Van Gorder was hired. Only 33, Hatcher had a 76-12 record in seven seasons at Valdosta State, including the 2004 Division II national championship. He was a candidate for the head coaching job at Rice (which went to former Texas State coach David Bailiff). Hatcher, from Macon, Georgia, will be familiar with the Eagles recruiting bases in Georgia and Florida. He has the offensive expertise to lead the Eagles to a more wide-open attack, and seems to be aware of the significance of unique traditions like riding to the games in a yellow school bus and getting water from Beautiful Eagle Creek.

In the end, the Eagles probably got the guy they should have taken a long look at a year ago. They just had to survive an awful season and messy couple of days to get there.

All-Star games

Four All-Star games involving FCS players have taken place since the end of the season, including two outings that showcased some of the biggest names in the sub-classification against the best from around the country. The East-West Shrine game is the most prestigious game in the books, with the West winning, 21-3. Cal Poly linebacker and Buck Buchanan Award winner Kyle Shotwell had a quality performance, leading all players with seven tackles. While Shotwell only had one FCS counterpart (Weber State cornerback Bo Smith) on the West team, fans of the sub-classification saw plenty of big names on an East squad that featured 10 FCS alums. New Hampshire wide receiver David Ball left his mark with three receptions for 80 yards, while Massachusetts Steve Baylark notched 32 yards on seven carries. Hamptons Travarous Bain and Alabama States Michael Coe earned praise for their play in the game and week of practice, while Delaware tight end Ben Patrick has positioned himself at the top of the FCS draft class. Patrick caught two passes for 27 yards in the Shrine game, and earned a spot as the only FCS alum in Saturdays Senior Bowl.

Elons Chad Nkang left the best impression in the Hula Bowl. Nkang earned team MVP honors with nine tackles and one pass deflection as his West team fell to the East, 18-10. Southern Illinois running back Arkee Whitlock, Central Connecticut State running back Justise Hairston and Illinois State wide receiver Laurent Robinson also participated in the Hula Bowl. Three FCS running backs headlined the contingent for the North-South IntaJuice Classic, with Sam Houston States D.D. Terry scoring the eventual gamewinning touchdown in the 28-17 North victory.