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Gateway coaches hope for playoff expansion
By Todd Hefferman, The Souther
ST. LOUIS - The Gateway Conference's coaches are proud they have the most difficult job - statistically - in college football. Now they would like to see it get a little easier.
Only 16 of the 116 Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-AA) teams made the postseason in 2006, and only 16 will make it in this season. In the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-A), 64 of 119 schools made bowl games.
"Division II has a higher percentage," said Western Illinois coach Don Patterson, who coached 20 years at the University of Iowa before taking over the Leathernecks. "Division III also has a higher percentage of playoff qualifiers, so, you think about it, the truth about it is, the FCS coaches, to use the new terminology; we're more likely to get fired than guys in D-2 or D-3."
The Gateway got three teams into the FCS playoffs last year, with one reaching the national semifinals (Youngstown State). It was only the second time in league history three teams made it, although the fact only two made it the two previous years was one of the chief reasons some coaches called for expanding the field.
In 2005, Youngstown State tied for the Gateway lead at 5-2 but ended an 8-3 campaign short of the playoffs. Northern Iowa felt the sting twice in the last three years, falling short at the end of last season with a 7-4 record and in 2004 at 7-4 again.
"The Gateway has placed multiple teams into the playoffs for the past 12 seasons, but when teams as strong as Northern Iowa last year and Youngstown State the year before are left out of the playoff field, that's all the evidence that I need, for sure, to understand that the playoffs need to be expanded," Gateway Commissioner Patty Viverito said. "Expansion, undoubtedly, would be welcome, both for greater access for more at-large teams, and because it would also require the committee to seed more teams, which is another thing we are very anxious to see happen nationally." . . . (read more)
Go State!
Gateway coaches hope for playoff expansion
By Todd Hefferman, The Souther
ST. LOUIS - The Gateway Conference's coaches are proud they have the most difficult job - statistically - in college football. Now they would like to see it get a little easier.
Only 16 of the 116 Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-AA) teams made the postseason in 2006, and only 16 will make it in this season. In the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-A), 64 of 119 schools made bowl games.
"Division II has a higher percentage," said Western Illinois coach Don Patterson, who coached 20 years at the University of Iowa before taking over the Leathernecks. "Division III also has a higher percentage of playoff qualifiers, so, you think about it, the truth about it is, the FCS coaches, to use the new terminology; we're more likely to get fired than guys in D-2 or D-3."
The Gateway got three teams into the FCS playoffs last year, with one reaching the national semifinals (Youngstown State). It was only the second time in league history three teams made it, although the fact only two made it the two previous years was one of the chief reasons some coaches called for expanding the field.
In 2005, Youngstown State tied for the Gateway lead at 5-2 but ended an 8-3 campaign short of the playoffs. Northern Iowa felt the sting twice in the last three years, falling short at the end of last season with a 7-4 record and in 2004 at 7-4 again.
"The Gateway has placed multiple teams into the playoffs for the past 12 seasons, but when teams as strong as Northern Iowa last year and Youngstown State the year before are left out of the playoff field, that's all the evidence that I need, for sure, to understand that the playoffs need to be expanded," Gateway Commissioner Patty Viverito said. "Expansion, undoubtedly, would be welcome, both for greater access for more at-large teams, and because it would also require the committee to seed more teams, which is another thing we are very anxious to see happen nationally." . . . (read more)
Go State!
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