Big football vs little football
Greg Burghardt
There’s a mutiny being waged in college football right now, and the real victims are the small conferences.
During the past decade, the innocence and prestige of college football has been held hostage by the money-thirsty conglomerates of the NCAA.
The Bowl Championship Series system was created in 1998 to counter the controversy of who should play for the National Championship. Despite the controversies and questions surrounding it, smaller schools like Fresno State and Tulane can’t play in one of the four BCS bowl games.
MAC Commissioner Rick Chryst said smaller conferences, however, aren’t just a blip on the radar screen anymore.
“I think the BCS conferences are aware of our concerns,” he said. “I don’t think we’re less visible than we were 30 years ago.”
Chryst, along with Marshall Athletics Director Bob Marcum, expressed concerns to other athletic directors in Phoenix about the BCS system in hopes of having change occur when the current contract runs out after the 2005-06 bowl season.
“If we keep good lines of communication I think there will be change to the system,” Chryst said.
He said the reputations of the BCS conferences have always been present.
“Those six conferences have historically received more recognition,” Chryst said. “The Big Ten didn’t suddenly emerge five years ago as a powerhouse conference.”
Chryst said the MAC is the only non-BCS conference to have two teams finish in the Top 25 after the bowl games.
CMU football Head Coach Mike DeBord said he believes the controversy with the BCS system will calm down.
“Let’s keep it college football,” he said.
Last season, Florida State appeared in the Sugar Bowl despite losing four regular season games. But because the Seminoles won the ACC — one of the six conferences that are a member of the BCS — they were given the invite over the likes of Notre Dame, a BCS member as an independent.
“I don’t know if any team that has four losses is at the top of its game,” DeBord said. “There’s a lot of factors that go into bowl selections. I think there is money issues with some bowls.”
While in 1998, Tulane went undefeated during the regular season, but only received quick glances from the NCAA for a possible BCS bowl bid because it is a Conference USA member. They accepted a bid in the Liberty Bowl.
Miami University football Head Coach Terry Hoeppner said the difference between a BCS school and a MAC school is merely outside the lines.
“On the field itself, there’s not that great a difference,” he said. “Our league is much improved.”
Hoeppner said the differences lay in exposure and the dollars available for recruiting and upgrading facilities.
“We need to try to change that culture,” he said.
Northern Illinois football Head Coach Joe Novak said the talent level in the MAC is consistent with the rest of the nation.
“Fifteen to 20 years ago, we didn’t get the respect we deserved,” he said. “The talent level now is far better than it used to be.
“Our league has gained prestige where kids aren’t afraid to say they’re going to a MAC school.”
The RedHawks have beaten Northwestern the last two meetings and lost to Iowa by five points last season. The RedHawks are 7-8 against their last 15 BCS opponents.
“We’re trying to play the best in the nation. I want to play those teams and play them early,” Hoeppner said. “We have to continue to beat those teams, and maybe one day we’ll be one of those big boys.”
Hoeppner said Miami University is the only school in the MAC that doesn’t have any Division II teams scheduled. Novak cautioned, however, that scheduling tough opponents on a yearly basis can become problematic.
“You do that to a program year after year and that’s three or four games they can lose,” Novak said.
DeBord said the future of the MAC as a whole looks bright in terms of receiving added recognition when it comes time to hand out bowl bids.
“People are going to recognize MAC schools are going to go to bowls we wouldn’t normally go to,” he said. “I think in the future, you’re going to see a third team come out of this conference.”
The MAC will have a record 17 national television appearances this season, with several of the bigger non-conference games being hosted by MAC schools.
“They’re putting us on TV not because of my wonderful personality, but because we have a great quarterback. We may have the best quarterback in the nation,” Hoeppner said.
