FB: Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference

[victorybell_57]

sure it does, john L came highly recommended as a top notch football coach. sadly, he has dropped off some, but it counts. it counts like when you play strip poker and the hot girls win and you are stuck with the lardbacca to stare at. it's not right, but those are the way it plays out sometimes.

[Adam Sayer]

D3 football. Strip poker, fun in the sun, and football. Nothing better. Found some interesting points in VBell's comment.

"IMO the college football game would be improved dramatically by getting rid of the BCS tag and allowing the teams to recruit the same players. we all know that when FSU or USC or OSU recruits, the BCS and the national title is part of their selling points. Take that away and every team can say they will have an opportunity to play for the national championship. The scholarships evened out has helped, but they are still hampering the nonBCS conferences with the BCS tag. If that happens, you will see many more of the non traditionals competing."

I think this is an interesting point and could work out and even things up a little bit, but it would take a lot of time. Sure, some new blood emerges every now and then and lasts for a couple years but overall programs are established. Ohio State, Southern Cal, Texas, Florida, Michigan, etc. Teams who even when they have a down year are usually 8-4/9-3 and still bidding for a solid bowl (unless your in trouble like OU). Other than Boise State and TCU, mid majors typically have 1 or 2 great years and then they play average ball for a couple years before having another breakout year. Many times you also have to wonder at the difficulty of the schedule and if that plays into some of the rare mid-major success stories. Look up TCU's schedule and W-L record since 2002 on espn.com and tell me if they played in the Big East, a conference not even listed among the best BCS conferences, if they would be close.

[SaintsFAN]

"To the Liberty Bowl!"
"L- Yes!"

Tricksnaps is probably the only one that gets this...

Word is John L is back in Louisville living off the money the Spartans threw away.

[dc_has_been]

Michigan State should just accept the fact that they will always be in the shadow of Michigan & just try to get those diamonds in the rough for a recruiting stand point.  They are wasting money on coaches the same way the Lions do.

[Adam Sayer]

I partly agree, but people said the same words or worse about Rutgers and look where they are. It's always possible for a team to have one good year and sometimes that's all it takes. If Michigan State can muster a top 10 ranking and a 11-2/10-3 record, that gives there recruiting a solid backbone. Is Dantonio the man to do it. I don't know but I would assume he's a better coach than John L Smith who had the talent at MSU to win some ball games.

[SaintsFAN]

Rutgers also is the only MAJOR college program in the state of New Jersey....NOT a hotbed for HS Talent, I know...but still.

[victorybell_57]

New Jersey can't be that bad in high school talent, JoePa recruited HEAVILY there for thousands of years before the new millenium.

One good thing about Michigan St. football that you couldn't say about the former Rutgers teams, they pack over 80,000 in Spartan stadium each saturday. They also have some very good years and WIN bowl games. They are just so incosistent and when you have Michigan (for the most part) being so consistent over the decades, you mauy play second fiddle. On a curious note, Michigan State was pretty darn good during the 60's when Michigan was down. And they did have a solid 1980's. Most fans will tell you that the state of Michigan is split on who to root for, the Snobby Wolverines or the Blue Collar Spartans.

[SaintsFAN]

victory,

JoePA hit up mostly Northern NJ....namely Hoboken, Newark and the surrounding areas of NYC.  Have you seen the Sopranos?  when they go to central and southern NJ to dump a body, they were doing that down there for a reason....nobody around.

[Adam Sayer]

That lines up with me. I'm blue collar and will never root for the wolverines. Even if God himself is a Michigan fan, I will hate them. I do hope someone from the Big Ten steps up. Word around is Zooker has a very solid class at Illinois.

[ADAWGISADAWG4LIFE]

Saintsfan:

Part of Coach Schiano's(sp?) strategy in turning Rutgers around was actually keeping the in state talent in state.  Oddly enough New Jersey does push out some very good football players on a yearly basis and he has amazing success in recruiting them.  Obviously his ties in the Miami area help as does the fact that you will see Rutgers billboards in the Miami-Dade area.

[victorybell_57]

florida recruiting is key because there are so many players there! i don't think the florida football player is better, i think there are a lot more players. hence, you will find more good football players. you are right about the hoboken area, paterno has owned that in the past. 

zook has a super awesome class coming in. word on the street is that he is bringing in a class like tressell did at osu. now, if he can keep it up and win, illinois could be the next big thing.

i have only watched some of the sopranos, what i know of new jersey is based off the movie snake eyes.

[70_dc_alum]

VBell agree that for the most part there is a big jump from 1AA to Bowl Series, BUT there is just as large if not larger a jump from the top 5-10 (depending on year not always  more than a handful) in 1AA from the rest of 1AA.  why becuase there a handful of programs that scrounge 1A players.  you get caught smoking dope at Michigan and get kicked out you finish your career at 1AA.  when my brother coached at Western Illinois they were all 1A players.  they had 4 guys drafted his last year.  with the best being Mr Edgerton Hartwell now of the Cincy Bengals, their corner was the nickel corner for Michigan when they one the national championship.  2 of the 4 guys drafted were Jr's.

App State is one of the best 1AA teams in the last 20 years.  they should beat anyone in the MAC, they should lose to Michigan by 28, but if Michigan takes week one off they will be in a dog fight.  App state offense will put up 30+ pts even is Michigan plays well.    no different than if Mount Union was playing the bottom of D2 i would take MUC, if they played Grand Valley they would have a chance if Grand Valley was not hitting on all cylinders

[victorybell_57]

i think you guys need to spend some time at the IAA and IA practices, or D3 and D2 practices. Mount would beat a lot of AVERAGE DII teams, they wouldn't touch the top 25. mount union may not even beat the DII's in their own state!! and please don't say Urbana or Malone. I am talking Ashland, Findlay, Tiffin.  Last time GVSU played a IAA playoff team, they beat them pretty sound at home. GVSU gets IA transfers who played IA ball. not the IA guys who were either walk-ons or 4th stringers. Mount gets a lot of transfers who fall into the latter, from what i have been told. of course, you have your exceptions, but you get my point. mount still puts a team on the field with mostly solid D3 players and above average D3 players who transfer in. it's a good combo to win with. Grand Valley wins with above average D2 players, and a good core of DI transfers to compliment that.

there is just a large bridge to cross when you jump up a division. you are dealing with scholarships, expectations of the program (GVSU runs their program like a big ten program, not for the DIII experience), a different brand of athlete (for good or bad), and the resources of playing scholarship football.

i think app st is awesome for IAA. i think IAA has been watered down the last 5 years, and i think michigan will crush them and send them back to reality land. if i am wrong, i will come on here, apologize, let you all flog me, dump mayonaise on me, and dump me in the pit with 300 lb women and donuts.

[ADAWGISADAWG4LIFE]

vitorybell:

Zook has always been a great recruiter, even at Florida he had no trouble with the recruiting aspect.  It has been turning the talent into W's that he has had a hard time with.  I would love to see a competitve Illinois again, whats it been 6 years since they were relevant, back when they had Kurt Kitner and were winning games?

[70_dc_alum]

my guess is win or lose you will still be up for volunteering for "dump mayonaise on me, and dump me in the pit with 300 lb women and donuts."