Two Pet Peeves

[UNICats]

I have a couple of things I need to get off of my chest. Perhaps I'm just missing something here, but these are really bugging me.

1. During today's Montana/Iowa game, Gary Dolphin kept singing the praises of the Montana program and their success in 1-AA. I have no problem with that because Montana has had a great run for the last decade plus. However, they also kept making references to the fact that Montana has 9 D-1 transfers on their team. From what I could tell, Iowa has 85 D-1 players on their team!! Sure, it helps Montana's team to have that many D-1 players transfer to their program, but is it worth them making such a fuss??

2. I have a lot of respect for Drake University. I have high respect for their academic standards and appreciate how they do not bend the academic rules for their athletes. However, the thing that has bugged me for some time now is how Drake and the local media here in Des Moines continues to remind everyone that they are a non-scholarship 1-AA team. In the Register after the UNI game, Phadavong (sp??) even was quoted making a comment about going up against a 'fully-funded program' in UNI. It always makes it sound like a built-in excuse for why they may lose. The Ivy League schools do not give out scholarships. I don't recall hearing the 'non-scholarship' title being thrown around during Colgate's deep run into the playoffs a couple of years ago. If you play 1-AA ball, you are a 1-AA team. The decision to offer scholarships should be based on the school and/or conference. Also, having different polls for 1-AA and 1-AA Non-Scholarship teams seems to cheapen the 1-AA title. I believe Drake was ranked #1 in 1-AA Non-Scholarship last year before they came to the Dome. Enough said.

Sorry for such a long post. Just had to get this off of my chest!! I'd be interested in any other perspectives the Panther Nation may have on these subjects.

[Mountain Panther]

My thoughts...

1. I think its worth mentioning, but maybe two times maximum. If the D-1A transfers are making a difference then absolutely give recognition, but don't overdue it.

2. Drake is at a disadvantage. But, people need to realize that Drake or others in the Patriot League will never be consistently competitive with scholly schools.

[JayJ79]

so if you don't think a distinction should be made between 65-scholarship football programs and 0-scholarship football programs,
do you think a distinction should be made between 65 scholarships and 85?

[MiloCat]

Colgate is not in the Ivy League. They play in the Patriot League and are allowed to give out need based scholarships. It not quite the same as athletic scholarships, but its better than nothing.

[LitchMingo]

2. I have a lot of respect for Drake University. I have high respect for their academic standards and appreciate how they do not bend the academic rules for their athletes. However, the thing that has bugged me for some time now is how Drake and the local media here in Des Moines continues to remind everyone that they are a non-scholarship 1-AA team. In the Register after the UNI game, Phadavong (sp??) even was quoted making a comment about going up against a 'fully-funded program' in UNI. It always makes it sound like a built-in excuse for why they may lose. The Ivy League schools do not give out scholarships. I don't recall hearing the 'non-scholarship' title being thrown around during Colgate's deep run into the playoffs a couple of years ago. If you play 1-AA ball, you are a 1-AA team. The decision to offer scholarships should be based on the school and/or conference. Also, having different polls for 1-AA and 1-AA Non-Scholarship teams seems to cheapen the 1-AA title. I believe Drake was ranked #1 in 1-AA Non-Scholarship last year before they came to the Dome. Enough said.

Unfortunately I was once a student at Drake before going to UNI. The football team may be "non-scholarship" but that is certainly not how it works. The University there finds ways of bending around the rules when it comes to it, such as need based scholarships and academic scholarships. It enables them to still give the scholarship the students would have received in a normal I-AA level program, but they just change the name of it. This practice was fairly well known around campus when I was there 4 years ago...

[Winder/aka Dan Holmes]

I think a lot of you are missing the big picture here!

Have you forgotten who the "Real Audience" of Iowa's announcers are?

They're "Hog-Eyes" fans!!

Normally I'd say they're dumbing down, but then again they are announcing for Iowa.

As far as the Drake game is concerned, I didn't see or hear the telecast, since I was in attendance. Any true Panther Fan would have been listening to Rima and Peterson. I would venture to guess that there was not true talent doing the play-by-play. I would further assume they would be close personal friends of some of our UNI haters/Panther Nation posters.

[jegbomb52]

There needs to be no more I-AA Non-Scholly, they need to start being called what they really are, D-III. All it does is make the overall I-AA name look bad!

Another little pet peeve of mine is that yesterday I watched bits and peices of the Hampton/Grambling game (two terrible football teams) and they kept referring to Grambling as the I-AA National Champions from a year ago? WTH?

[CIPanther]

During today's Montana/Iowa game, Gary Dolphin kept singing the praises of the Montana program and their success in 1-AA. I have no problem with that because Montana has had a great run for the last decade plus.

UNICats - They did praise Montana a bit much. However I listened to their broadcast and came off feeling like Gary Dolphin and the other guy (also the sideline reporter) had respect for I-AA. I felt they were very respectful for UNI as well (the few times we came up). This has changed quite a bit over the past five to ten years where I-AA used to be a joke to them.

I-AA has come a long way and I expect it to continue to get better. Just my opinion.

[General_Panther]

I've always wondered why Drake is a Non-Scholarship school. I have never known this, and always thought to myself "Why doesn't Drake have scholarships?"

Could anyone explain this to me? Does the school have a choice or is it based on Student Body numbers or what?

Thanks

[Matt Trump]

Drake has scholarships for all their other sports, but football. They are division I in sports and their programs are funded that way. Their adminstration does not want to fund football as because it is too expensive and they are "focused on academics".

They actually had a good football program in the early 80s (they beat UNI) but they dropped it. In order to get it back, they and the other schools in their league decided to start football on a non-scholarship basis and keep their other programs at the DI level.

[Newsbreaker]

The transfer thing is important, and bares repeating. There's a big difference between a IAA, and a IAA with a bunch of DIA transfers. A big part of how Montana stays 'on top' is by getting those kinds of transfers...the ESPNU crew made mention of this several times themselves.

Hell, we rely to a certain extent on transfers as well...not to that extent, but we do use it.

Dolph has always been very complimentary towards UNI, and IAA football in general. This is no surprise.

[Matt Trump]

Farley has said before that he likes to build the team with a core a Iowa and Midwest kids. Then he "fills in the pieces" with transfers. The only person I've heard in IAA that made a whole team of transfers was Randy Ball at WIU and MSU. Otherwise, most coaches like to have most of their guys locals.

Montana has an advantage in that they are the #1 show in the state and the region They get all the best players in Montana. Plus, they can out-recruit teams like Idaho, Idaho st, Wyoming, etc that aren't a force in the Rockies. Plus, they can easily go into California where there is a TON of talent. They have filled in their roster with transfers, not built it with them. I think there is a difference with what they do at quarterback. With Swogger and Ochs before him, they have had transfers at QB and that is not the way to go. But, all the top teams in I-AA are guilty of the transfer way.

[VeloPanther]

UNICats - They did praise Montana a bit much. However I listened to their broadcast and came off feeling like Gary Dolphin and the other guy (also the sideline reporter) had respect for I-AA. I felt they were very respectful for UNI as well (the few times we came up). This has changed quite a bit over the past five to ten years where I-AA used to be a joke to them.

I-AA has come a long way and I expect it to continue to get better. Just my opinion.

I was at the game, so I didn't hear the broadcast. But the sideline reporter you speak of is Rob Brooks, who does the UNI games on TV and the coaches shows.

[UNI Fight]

I know what you're saying UNI Cats. Everytime any of the Des Moines media mentions any of the Drake vs UNI football games they add on "UNI Beats Up on Non Scholarship Drake". The Rob Ash will give an interview "that's what happens when you go up against fully funded programs". Maybe its an excuse or maybe he wants to motivate Drake to let him have a few scholarships. I believe it is for the fact that Drake is a Des Moines institution and Des Moines is proud to have Drake in it so they want to defend it.

[TravelingPanther]

[QUOTE=Newsbreaker;51471]A big part of how Montana stays 'on top' is by getting those kinds of transfers...the ESPNU crew made mention of this several times themselves.
QUOTE]

I believe Montana had very few transfers on their NC teams. Would have to check the rosters, but that was the impression I've gotten.