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The I-AA season is nearing full bloom, and I felt it was a good idea to take stock of what has happened in the world of I-AA football. Some things come as a bit of a surprise, others come as a great disappointment, and my job requires that I take stock of some of those things.
By far one of the least surprising things to surface this season is the level of competition at the I-AA level. Many fans of I-AA have long touted this subdivision as high-paced, big-time college football. We saw many I-AA teams go on an exodus to stadiums sometimes nine times the size of their own home field to take on a daunting I-A opponent. While the I-AA team has only emerged victorious six times as of the time of this writing, something that stands out is the absence of staggering blowouts that used to be expected when a game like this showed up on the schedule.
What could account for this? Many attribute this interesting turn of events to the fact that I-A's 85-scholarship limit is finally catching up to them after all these years. Another interesting (and credible) theory is that I-AA schools are starting to see more television exposure, both regionally and even nationally. Many high school athletes are eager to jump at the opportunity for exposure, and it's possible that the level of competition is becoming a moot point.
(FOR THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE, GO TO: http://www.panthernation.com/showthread.php?t=6052)
By far one of the least surprising things to surface this season is the level of competition at the I-AA level. Many fans of I-AA have long touted this subdivision as high-paced, big-time college football. We saw many I-AA teams go on an exodus to stadiums sometimes nine times the size of their own home field to take on a daunting I-A opponent. While the I-AA team has only emerged victorious six times as of the time of this writing, something that stands out is the absence of staggering blowouts that used to be expected when a game like this showed up on the schedule.
What could account for this? Many attribute this interesting turn of events to the fact that I-A's 85-scholarship limit is finally catching up to them after all these years. Another interesting (and credible) theory is that I-AA schools are starting to see more television exposure, both regionally and even nationally. Many high school athletes are eager to jump at the opportunity for exposure, and it's possible that the level of competition is becoming a moot point.
(FOR THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE, GO TO: http://www.panthernation.com/showthread.php?t=6052)
