re: So the B1G will not play FCS teams anymore

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yeah the MAC is the Big ten's Sunbelt just worse.

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The MAC>>>>>>>Sun Belt.

Also, Ohio State announced they are only scheduling BCS schools in their non-conference schedule.

I don't know if they will still schedule an in-state school like Ohio or Kent State.

I really like that move on Ohio States part.

For anyone with the time: is the Big Ten's recent winning percentage against mid-majors worse than it is against FCS teams? Because they do occasionally lose to FCS teams.

This is great for pandering but not meaningful IMO. What would be meaningful would be a commitment to playing heads up games between them and other major conferences (top to bottom matchups between the Big 10 and either SEC or PAC)

For a real team a traffic cone is a traffic cone.

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only downside is that FCS schools can accuse the FBS of collusion to hold them down financially by not paying them to be whipping boys...

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So what. FCS schools have no recourse. By the way, in 2012, not only did Notre Dame not play any FCS schools, they didn't play an non-AQ schools either.

This might not even happen...

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Taylor said he got his information from another Big Ten athletic director on Wednesday, who told him some schools in the power conference don’t want to give up the FCS game.

“One of (the ADs) said we’re not all in the upper echelon of the Big Ten,” Taylor said. “We need those guys. Our coaches would hang us if we played only non-FCS teams.”

He said one factor was the need to reach six victories to become bowl eligible. That in theory would be tougher for some Big Ten teams if only Football Bowl Subdivision games were on the slate.

Taylor said he also talked with an athletic director from the Big 12 Conference, who told him that league has never discussed not scheduling FCS teams.

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LINK /

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What would be meaningful would be a commitment to playing heads up games between them and other major conferences (top to bottom matchups between the Big 10 and either SEC or PAC) 

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The Big Ten did this with the Pac-10 but the Pac-10 backed out. Fact.

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LSU has had a top ten schedule for the past five seasons and yes, it has included the occasional FCS team. It has also included a steady diet of top 25 teams from other conferences, and the toughest SEC schedule possible.

Wrong again. 2011 was the only time in the last five years that any of the computers rated LSU's schedule in the top ten.

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I didn't make the claim and I'm not one that thinks the computers do a good job of differentiating what makes a schedule strong for teams of different calibers.

But FWIW

The NCAA ranked LSU #9 in 2012

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Massey ranked LSU #5 in 2012 (under SOS in that chart)

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I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you realize LSU had a tremendously difficult schedule in 2011 (setting a record for the number of ranked teams beaten in a season).

Any evaluation of schedule strength that did not place LSU #1 for 2011 frankly exposed itself as a system of questionable and probably little validity

LINK

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bullshite! Good FBS teams don't have to be on upset alert when they play crappy FCS teams like Savannah State, but they do for decent FBS teams including some from non-AQ conferences.

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A crappy team is a crappy team. The best FCS teams could beat the worst FBS teams pretty consistently. Savannah State couldn't, but Montana or App St are routinely better than the dregs of the Sun Belt or the WAC.

And while I agree the MAC actually is better than the Sun Belt, and I rather enjoy MAC football, no team should pat itself on the back for playing a tough schedule because it decided to beat Central Michigan by 20 instead of beating Southern Illinois by 50. It's still a rent-a-win, and the marginal value of toughness is negligible over the course of the season.

Play, and beat, good teams. The only school that doesn't play FCS teams that can truly talk smack is USC, because they play a Pac-12 schedule and then play Notre Dame and routinely another high end ACQ team. Their schedule is, year in and year out, legit.

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Don't schedule them anymore. Its a detriment to the game.

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if you're scheduling a 1AA team or a shitty 1A team, it makes no difference for a good team

and beating shitty 1AA teams is a big deal for crap 1A teams who need some wins

SOCON teams are greater than EMU WMU AKRON BUFFALO etc.

(SOCON teams are the app states, Georgia southerns, woffords, and furmans)