Asmussen: Trips reap little more than payday

Each weekend you'll find a smattering of the matchups. Illinois vs. Middle Tennessee State. The Citadel at Florida. Eastern Illinois at Northern Illinois.

It's the little guys against the big guys. It's 63 scholarships against 85. It's local radio stations against national television. It's 15,000-seat stadiums against 100,000-seat monstrosities.

In 1978, football schools were split into the haves (I-A) and the have nots (I-AA). Each year, the lower division moves a bit closer to extinction.

The schools in I-AA are either moving up or moving out. Middle Tennessee State makes the switch to I-A next season. The Blue Raiders didn't see any choice. Coach Boots Donnelly wanted to get out while he still had a chance.

Other I-AA schools might simply drop down. Why play at that level when football barely pays for itself? With a 15,000-seat stadium and 63 scholarships to pay, not many I-AA teams are raking in extra cash.

Their answer is to play money games at Illinois, Florida and Northern Illinois. And even that source is being zapped.

Up until this season, I-A schools couldn't count wins over I-AA toward the six they need for a bowl bid. The rule was relaxed a tiny bit this season, allowing one win to count every four years. Yippee.

If the bigger schools want to help, they need to get rid of the bowl rules. Let Iowa play Northern Iowa every year. It will draw better than Iowa-Central Michigan and might even help the Panthers.

The I-A schools have little to fear when playing I-AA. The upsets are more rare than a Mark McGwire triple.

No contest

In 1997, I-A played 33 games against I-AA. The big schools won all but five.

And the losers weren't exactly football powers. I-A Kent lost to I-AA power Youngstown State. No surprise.

The Big West, a marginal I-A conference, had three of its teams lose to the I-AA. Cal State Northridge pounded Boise State, Cal Poly SLO edged New Mexico State and Eastern Washington kicked its way over Idaho. Among the independents, I-AA Southern Utah beat I-A Arkansas State 34-24.

Big Ten teams played only one game in '97 against I-AA, with Iowa blasting Northern Iowa 66-0. At least nobody outside the state had to see it.

The other power conferences ignored the smaller schools. The Pac-10, Big 12 and Southeastern conferences went a combined 1-0 against I-AA.

The number of games in '97 dropped from the previous season, when 46 games were played between the two. The small schools won seven in '96.

Again, the Big West did the worst job protecting the I-A turf, losing four games. Boise State dropped two of the games. Idaho and New Mexico State lost the others.

A power conference team found a I-AA team it couldn't beat. Montana blasted the Pac-10's Oregon State. The Oregon State staff was rewarded at the end of the season by getting fired.

Viewing pleasure

Don't discount the ability of I-AA players. Randy Moss was basically a I-AA player who moved up his final season. Jerry Rice came from I-AA. So did Doug Williams. And Steve McNair. And Neil Lomax. And John Friesz.

There have been some great teams. The Mississippi Valley State teams that Rice starred on scored billions of points. Youngstown State has the most wins of any I-AA team in the '90s.

Division I-AA is better than I-A in the way it decides its champion. No bowl alliance. No polls that count. Just a playoff, with 16 teams entered to see who is best. Can you imagine something so simple?

No wonder I-AA teams take the money and run. They're practical.

Bob Asmussen is a News-Gazette staff writer. His column on college football appears Saturdays throughout the season.

Comments

Add a Comment