Jackrabbits in Top 25

[NightHawk78]

Re: Jackrabbits in Top 25

When a school goes over 40 years since a conference title (1963) and nearly 30 years without a playoff berth (1979), expectations often become tempered. Even when SDSU had a high-caliber player like Ranek on the field, attendance and overall excitement over Jackrabbit football wasn't that high. SDSU was a true basketball school; football was almost an afterthought.

The move to D-1 has been a real kickstart to the SDSU football program. The opportunity was there to face new teams, develop new rivalries, and have a new start for the SDSU football program. Instead of being content by being competitive (and by having tunnel vision of being content by just defeating USD), SDSU's football program has advanced by leaps and bounds. Becoming a fixture in the rankings and a perrenial playoff contender are very feasible goals (and should become expectations), no matter what conference we are in.

The increased excitement over football at SDSU is quite evident. Students talk about football more. The Collegian actually is quite aggressive in covering away games. Fans are eager for a new stadium. SDSU can draw over 10,000 on games outside of Hobo Day and drew two of the largest crowds in CAS history for the last two Hobo Days. SDSU may still have a ways to go in order to be a true football school (we need to get more fans at CAS after Hobo Day), but we no longer have to rely on Hobo Day, USD, or Augie to gets fans to buy tickets and attend games.

The upshot here is that the difference in excitement (both in an overall and a personal sense) for Jackrabbit football today is light-years ahead of what it was when I first arrived in Brookings four years ago. If we wanted to be "content," we would have stayed D-2.

[89rabbit]

Re: Jackrabbits in Top 25

The CSN COACHES POLL has us at #19! 8-)

http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/division_i_aa1.html


Go State!

[Rabbit74]

Re: Jackrabbits in Top 25

89Rabbit, the poll you cite above is actually the Sports Network Poll.  We are number 18 in the CSN coaches poll.  We are 17th in the AGS poll

http://www.i-aa.org/article.asp?articleid=80343

[Jacks99]

Re: Jackrabbits in Top 25

no offense taken, but I meant it in the respect that I would be content in top 15 versus top 10 or higher.

[89rabbit]

Re: Jackrabbits in Top 25

89Rabbit, the poll you cite above is actually the Sports Network Poll.  We are number 18 in the CSN coaches poll.  We are 17th in the AGS poll

http://www.i-aa.org/article.asp?articleid=80343

You are right, my bad. :-[ The good news is we are ranked higher then I thought.


Go State!

[89rabbit]

Re: Jackrabbits in Top 25

Don Hansen has us at #14, up one sport from last week and ahead of Montana State who made the playoffs!  8-)

http://www.donhansen.com/polls/ncaa1-aa.php

Go State!  

[Jacks99]

Re: Jackrabbits in Top 25

Not bad for a loss. Will be interesting to see how we rank to start next year. Hope we can earn it again.

[Crashola]

Re: Jackrabbits in Top 25

I see State fell two positions in the CSTV poll. That doesn't seem right after losing a hard-fought road game to the #4 team!

[89rabbit]

Re: Jackrabbits in Top 25

All Three Major Polls have us at #21.

http://www.i-aa.org/article.asp?articleid=80343

Top 25 for the season, not bad at all! 8-)


Go State!  

[MilwaukeeJacksAlum]

Re: Jackrabbits in Top 25

Not sure if they vote on the polls one more week, but the UC Davis v. San Diego game is this week. If UC Davis destroys San Diego (which could happen), then we should move up in the polls since they are ahead of us. Not sure if this can happen and/or if they put out another poll now that the playoffs are starting. Anyone know?

[propar80]

Re: Jackrabbits in Top 25

Here is the lastest/final GPI "Gridiron Points Index". This index is comparable to the BCS used in D-1A as it is an average of all the D-IAA polls...WOW there's a lot of them!

http://www.collegesportingnews.com/a...rticleid=82342

Kind of makes you wonder would've the Jacks received a playoff bid if they were elligible?????? They are ahead of MSU and Coastal Carolina in the GPI all with 7-4 records... and they're in. I actually don't even like thinking about it.
Makes me sick enough to think that #2 NDSU could win the whole thing if they were elligilble but won't get a chance, so we will never know. :-/

I guess that's just the way it is. :

I've heard from a very creditable source that if a D-1 school that does not currently and has never had a football program, say for example Creighton...if they were to start up a FB program next year they would be playoff elligible the next year. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but then again we are talking about the NCAA.

[rabidrabbit]

Re: Jackrabbits in Top 25

Here is the lastest/final GPI "Gridiron Points Index". This index is comparable to the BCS used in D-1A as it is an average of all the D-IAA polls...WOW there's a lot of them!  

http://www.collegesportingnews.com/a...rticleid=82342

Kind of makes you wonder would've the Jacks received a playoff bid if they were elligible?????? They are ahead of MSU and Coastal Carolina in the GPI all with 7-4 records... and they're in.  I actually don't even like thinking about it.  
Makes me sick enough to think that #2 NDSU could win the whole thing if they were elligilble but won't get a chance, so we will never know. :-/

I guess that's just the way it is.   :

I've heard from a very creditable source that if a D-1 school that does not currently and has never had a football program, say for example Creighton...if they were to start up a FB program next year they would be playoff elligible the next year.  Doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but then again we are talking about the NCAA.

The Jacks, had they been eligible, would have run afoul of the same issue that did in Cal Poly this year. We didn't have 7 wins over DI programs. Only 6. Therefore, even had we been eligible, no not in. The lesson to be learned is to schedule ONLY DI's. We are better off, from the stand point of qualifying for play-offs to schedule a Drake or Valpo than USD or UND. (unless they move up.)

Best situation, would get a low-life Sunbelt or MAC or WAC, MWC school to pay us to come in and beat them. Unfortunately, a strong CS program is going to be avoided by "beatable" BS schools. If going to pay for the priviledge of going there the host school is expecting to win. CU paid price, We paid for our 1st game, definitely a tough sell, but it can happen.

[Rabbit74]

Re: Jackrabbits in Top 25

Last year there was one final GPI released after the playoffs were over. It actually came out in January. So I assume the same will happen again and we might move up then unless McNeese wins a couple of games and passes us. They and Lafayette are the only ones in the playoff below us in the polls I think.


http://www.i-aa.org/article.asp?articleid=75205

[Jacks99]

Re: Jackrabbits in Top 25

I've heard from a very creditable source that if a D-1 school that does not currently and has never had a football program, say for example Creighton...if they were to start up a FB program next year they would be playoff elligible the next year.  Doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but then again we are talking about the NCAA.

From what I've seen on AGS, the probation period was to keep "hot" programs from jumping up on a whim without much thought. The specifically mentioned Savannah st. as one.

For a new program this wouldn't apply, so the rule makes sense in that respect. Still bites though.

[filbert]

Re: Jackrabbits in Top 25

[quote author=propar80 link=1162231789/45#55 date=1164127792]
I've heard from a very creditable source that if a D-1 school that does not currently and has never had a football program, say for example Creighton...if they were to start up a FB program next year they would be playoff elligible the next year. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but then again we are talking about the NCAA.

From what I've seen on AGS, the probation period was to keep "hot" programs from jumping up on a whim without much thought. The specifically mentioned Savannah st. as one.

For a new program this wouldn't apply, so the rule makes sense in that respect. Still bites though.[/quote]

Remember that whatever NCAA Division you're in applies to your entire athletic program offered by a university--not to individual sports. When a university reclassifies its athletic programs, it reclassifies all of them. (Exceptions exist, like D-II schools playing D-I hockey, but they are not germain to the discussion).

Once you're in a classification, you can start any athletic program you want, and it will compete at the classfication level of the university, and will be immediately eligible for championships. When SDSU becomes a full D-I member (the 2008-09 academic year), we could for instance start a men's and women's D-I hockey program if we wanted to, and both would be immediately championship-eligible.

There is a shorter (2-year) transition period for I-AA programs moving to I-A in football. I would guess that once D-II gets set up with high- and low-scholarship subdivisions, something similar will be in effect there as well.

But if Creighton wanted to start football, they'd pick I-A or I-AA, start the program, and be immediately eligible for championships or bowls, because they're already a Division I institution in good standing.