CCSU is playing a D-III this season after all

[bonarae]

I believe they are the first FCS scholarship program to play a D-III in years.

http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnf ... id=4606058

[danefan]

Not CCSU's fault.

As per Aceinthehole:

1) CCSU has just 4 HOME games scheduled (3 NEC games + Holy Cross) and 7 ROAD games
2) CCSU has back-to-back BYE weeks (Oct. 19 and 26)
3) CCSU has reached out to all FCS teams available for those weeks (Charlotte, Georgia Southern, Stetson, Stony Brook) and none are willing to come to New Britain.
4) CCSU's non-conf schedule is brutal for the first 5 weeks - @ JMU, @ Lehigh, vs. Holy Cross, @ Albany, at URI (3 CAA teams + 2 Patriot)
5) CCSU is NOT going on the ROAD for the 8th time this season, period.

This is completely the NEC's fault for (a) denying Monmouth affiliate membership and (b) not rearranging its league schedule to fix issues like this and (c) not be proactive about league membership despite the fact that it knew Albany (and URI to some extent) would bolt if a better full scholarship alternative came to light (i.e., the new CAA North).

[Stickman]

Is there any real difference between playing D-3 and NAIA team? Have seen several FCS do that.

[bonarae]

Is there any real difference between playing D-3 and NAIA team? Have seen several FCS do that.

The last time a scholarship FCS played a D-III was Portland State beating Willamette 36-10 on October 22, 2011. PFL members regularly play D-III and NAIA on their OOC schedules yearly.

According to another Albany poster on AGS:

On average, D-III schools are a little weaker than NAIA.

[SuperHornet]

Is there any real difference between playing D-3 and NAIA team? Have seen several FCS do that.

I would actually consider the upper-tier NAIA schools as equivalent to D-II. That's schools like Carroll, Evangel, Cal Lutheran, etc. Note that there IS some limited cross-membership of schools between NAIA and NCAA, usually at D-II. A good example is Southern Oregon.

[andy7171]

D.III = football for the short and slow

[BDKJMU]

Not CCSU's fault.

As per Aceinthehole:

1) CCSU has just 4 HOME games scheduled (3 NEC games + Holy Cross) and 7 ROAD games
2) CCSU has back-to-back BYE weeks (Oct. 19 and 26)
3) CCSU has reached out to all FCS teams available for those weeks (Charlotte, Georgia Southern, Stetson, Stony Brook) and none are willing to come to New Britain.
4) CCSU's non-conf schedule is brutal for the first 5 weeks - @ JMU, @ Lehigh, vs. Holy Cross, @ Albany, at URI (3 CAA teams + 2 Patriot)
5) CCSU is NOT going on the ROAD for the 8th time this season, period.

This is completely the NEC's fault for (a) denying Monmouth affiliate membership and (b) not rearranging its league schedule to fix issues like this and (c) not be proactive about league membership despite the fact that it knew Albany (and URI to some extent) would bolt if a better full scholarship alternative came to light (i.e., the new CAA North).

What about a Div II team? Heck, they've got at least one in CT (New Haven).

[bonarae]

What about a Div II team? Heck, they've got at least one in CT (New Haven).

No Division II teams in the region are available on 10/26.

[Willie]

D.III = football for the short and slow

BTW, Willamette hung in there fairly well with PSU for being D-III, and we (my team) whooped them in Moorhead in 2009.

[BDKJMU]

What about a Div II team? Heck, they've got at least one in CT (New Haven).

No Division II teams in the region are available on 10/26.

Then look outside the region. Sounds like their AD screwed up royally. You don't go into the year with ZERO home OOC games lined up.

[SuperHornet]

No Division II teams in the region are available on 10/26.

Then look outside the region. Sounds like their AD screwed up royally. You don't go into the year with ZERO home OOC games lined up.

This is correct. Even with UOP's suicide schedule in that last year of play in '95, the AD made sure the Tigers had a home OOC game, which they won (an upset of then-Pac-10 Oregon State). Of course, playing THAT game in a string with Fresno State, Arizona, Nebraska, and Oregon sorta killed the season for UOP, who finished 3-8 in a mediocre Big West Conference that was Sagarin-rated below the Big Sky despite technically being a I-A conference.

[UAalum72]

Then look outside the region. Sounds like their AD screwed up royally. You don't go into the year with ZERO home OOC games lined up.

This is correct. Even with UOP's suicide schedule in that last year of play in '95, the AD made sure the Tigers had a home OOC game, which they won (an upset of then-Pac-10 Oregon State). Of course, playing THAT game in a string with Fresno State, Arizona, Nebraska, and Oregon sorta killed the season for UOP, who finished 3-8 in a mediocre Big West Conference that was Sagarin-rated below the Big Sky despite technically being a I-A conference.

Blue Devils DO have a home OOC game - Holy Cross on Sept. 14. These openings are late October when almost everyone is playing league games.

[Libertine]

I believe they are the first FCS scholarship program to play a D-III in years.

http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnf ... id=4606058

Wesley played at Charleston Southern on 10/1/11. And smoked 'em.

Of course, Wesley made the national semifinals that year and CSU went 0-fer.