Ralph's Rag

I'll repeat something that I always feel about the first couple weeks of the FCS, they are my least favorite.

It's not because the teams are rusty, not because the newer coaches are still refining their systems, and not because it's difficult keeping up with all the new players and missing the matriculated stars. No, it is because there are too many mismatches in the form of money games and cupcakes for our FCS.

Look at Thursday, September 2 the opening day. 20 games and all but one had our FCS teams playing non-D-I or FBS squads. All but one was won by the home team. So you get the idea, the FCSers were either playing at FBS for the cash or hosting a lower division team for the win.

Oh and that one game? Two FCS squads faced off and Albany beat Maine, the home team.

Friday, September 3 was a little better in that 66% of the games pitted FCS squads against each other. Downside? There were only three games total. At least we got to see our champion Villanova almost knock out their FBS foe.

So came Saturday, that revered day of the week in the FCS. 62 games!! 16 with FCS teams playing each other, all but three of them out of conference tilts and the home team winning all but four. Sweet.

But alas, 27 games at FBS stadiums blotted the day except for the big wins by Jacksonville State and North Dakota State. Take that SEC and Big 12! While several of the other games were respectable, the slate did include 13 single digit outputs by our FCSers and seven more in the teens.

Then there were the lower division games, 19 of them, and sure enough we lost two of them, both at home. So together that made nearly 75% of the games playing the FBS and lower divisions.

Sunday, September 5 was all FCS HBCU, both games.

I just can't get excited about the non-FCS battles so it makes for a lackluster opening week for me.