Future FBS Opponents

[CHIP72Participant]

[quote quote=26988]FBS games are a balance between:
I don’t think Lehigh should ever just simply put FBS teams on the schedule just because, but for the right opportunity, I don’t think Lehigh should shy away from that. We don’t do that in men’s basketball. Why would we do that for football?

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The differences are 1) in basketball all Division I teams are in the same classification and 2) basketball teams play roughly 3 times as many non-conference games as football teams, so games against stronger D1 opponents make sense for both the marquee program and the lower-level program.

From Lehigh’s perspective, if they are going to schedule Division I-A/FBS games, IMO they should aim for G5 or lower-level P5 programs that are relatively close by (so many Lehigh fans have a reasonable shot of attending the game) and they can be competitive and have a chance to win. (At a bare minimum, all Lehigh FBS games should meet one of those two criteria.) I personally don’t think Lehigh has to play DI-A/FBS opponents every year.

[LUHawkerParticipant]

[quote quote=26988]

Most people know my position – I want Lehigh to travel to LSU. I don’t think Lehigh should ever just simply put FBS teams on the schedule just because, but for the right opportunity,…

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Chuck – other than your personal desire to go to New Orleans (and potentially catch a Lehigh and Saints game the same weekend), how world does LSU fall under the category of “”right opportunity”? There is nothing to be gained from such a match-up. A certain loss, zero similarity in terms of school profile, etc., not geographically compatible and on and on.

I’d be first on the list to attend and FBS game that had some, any relevance and was reasonably close, but a trip to LSU holds no interest in getting on a plane for. Give me a Pitt, BC, Vandy, Wake Forest, Virginia, Duke, Rutgers, Temple, etc, before a trip to the Bayou. I’d rather a game against a strong FCS team before a game at an irrelevant FBS site.

[RichHParticipant]

[quote quote=27031]

lfnadmin wrote:

Most people know my position – I want Lehigh to travel to LSU. I don’t think Lehigh should ever just simply put FBS teams on the schedule just because, but for the right opportunity,…

Chuck – other than your personal desire to go to New Orleans (and potentially catch a Lehigh and Saints game the same weekend), how world does LSU fall under the category of “”right opportunity”? There is nothing to be gained from such a match-up. A certain loss, zero similarity in terms of school profile, etc., not geographically compatible and on and on.

I’d be first on the list to attend and FBS game that had some, any relevance and was reasonably close, but a trip to LSU holds no interest in getting on a plane for. Give me a Pitt, BC, Vandy, Wake Forest, Virginia, Duke, Rutgers, Temple, etc, before a trip to the Bayou. I’d rather a game against a strong FCS team before a game at an irrelevant FBS site.

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+1
Have nothing against an “event” game but I too want one with a school we have some connection with. I would add UCONN and UMASS to your list.

[MillerParticipant]

Love what Colgate is doing as far as scheduling. They have the right idea as far as moving forward,and have said it before. Lehigh should look at Temple,BC, Rutgers,and Penn St. Lastly would be a MAC team, but our AD has no vision and is stuck in the past, and if that continues it may hurt recruiting.

[RichHParticipant]

Pretty sure scheduling has helped Gate recruiting as well as their pockets.
Problem is no one has any idea whether we are pursuing anything or not. Given what little has been said by Joe and Andy, I wouldn’t expect much at all.

[Go Lehigh TU OwlParticipant]

[quote quote=27034]Pretty sure scheduling has helped Gate recruiting as well as their pockets.
Problem is no one has any idea whether we are pursuing anything or not. Given what little has been said by Joe and Andy, I wouldn’t expect much at all.

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I really don’t think Colgate’s FBS scheduling has improved their recruiting much. I think Colgate’s overall track record of success and commitment to the program is why they’ve recruited well. They’ve gotten crushed in their FBS games. Syracuse is going to murder them again this season. I honestly don’t think recruits care that much about FBS games in the PL.

Lehigh has has put together some excellent schedules recently. They’ve usually had two really good FCS games which is the way to do it…
2010 – Defending national champ Villanova and UNH
2011 – UNH and Liberty
2012 – ….ugh….
2013 – UNH….Princeton was good too…
2014 – JMU, UNH and a darn good Yale team
2015 – JMU and 3 quality Ivies…
2016 – Villanova Big South Monmouth and 3 quality Ivies….

Overall, that’s as good as anyone in the league this decade, including Colgate. Lehigh does not a need a yearly FBS game to win recruiting battles imo. Find a defense, beat some CAA teams and things will take care of themselves on the recruiting trail….

I’m not a huge FBS game fan but there’s 3 matchups I’d love to see, Army, Virginia and UConn. Virginia would be my first choice. Reasons being: incredible campus, beautiful stadium, a bumbling ACC program and it’s doable day trip/easy overnighter….

[RichHParticipant]

I like our schedule. No cupcakes OOC. Ghink adding an FBS game every 2-3 yearswould add zest. For that matter I would like to see Wofford and Liberty H&Hs.
UVA would be great. I was at Whitehead’s game there.

[Go Lehigh TU OwlParticipant]

What’s weird is the current long drought without a FBS game. I’m guessing it’s the longest stretch in the modern era without a game against a high level school. By the time Lehigh plays Navy it will have been 15 years since the UConn game. Even more strange is the fact that Lehigh played back-2-back 1A/FBS games in 2002 and 2003.

I think the long wait for another one is more of the issue. That honestly is too long. I would have loved to have seen the 2011 or 2012 team play a low level FBS team. Especially the 2011 squad.

[RichHParticipant]

Wow. DidnDidn’t realize that its been so long. Same decision makers, no shock if same decisions.

[MillerParticipant]

Uva will never be an option because they always cater to the Va. schools first. And they should. Richmond/W&M/even VMI dot the schedule.In fact,with the CAA,Southern and Big South, the ACC is taken care of. Move to the NE and possible get SU/BC, but…………Colgate will take care of that. If you want to make the playoffs and make waves, stop being satisfied with a schedule that has 2 really good FCS teams, which, BTW, is the way to do it if you want a mediocre program. HELLO MVC and BIG SKY.geesh!

[RichHParticipant]

MVC and Big Sky are specifically off our radar from Joe and Andy’s comments. Like meeting them in playoffs but really have no interest in an away game out there.
Agree that UVA is not a real possibility but still can hope
Only way wewe’ll hear anything is if either drops a name or 2 at the area get togethers. Altho,which what started the hubbub over Cuse and PSU which didn’t pan out too well

[Go Lehigh TU OwlParticipant]

UVA maybe an impossible reach given the in-state preference for FCS games. Even so, a school like UVA would be cool. Duke in Durham would be a nice weekend gettaway. The Big 10 has three schools that would work imo, Rutgers, Maryland and Northwestern. Unfortunately, given their stance on FCS games it seems impossible. I really have no interest in a Lehigh-PSU game. Vanderbilt, Tulane (Chuck still gets to the bayou), or one of the bumbling Texas schools like Rice or SMU would be a cool watch too. I have to throw in North Texas as well.

I still some are underrating the the MAC opponents. Academically, Miami(OH) would fit and they’re very beatable. Akron and Kent State are easy trips too. Several of the schools are located in Lehigh’s recruiting footprint and the MAC has some cred.

Miller, you really think there’s a correlation between scheduling a FBS game and FCS success? I don’t believe that for a second. FCS wins something like 7% of their FBS games. Even the really good programs in FCS get blowing out more often then they’re even competitive. NDSU is clearly the exception to that right now. I’ll continue to take those two elite FCS games a year as a way to prepare for the league and the playoffs.

My one real issue with the schedule is the lack of imagination. Lehigh plays the same teams over and over and over. It’s the same Ivies (Princeton and Yale) and it’s the same CAA teams (UNH, Villanova and JMU) and then Monmouth or CCSU. How about William & Mary? Richmond? Towson? Maine? Albany? I’d love to see Joe branch out to the MVFC. Lehigh has really picked up recruiting in the Great Lakes area so it makes sense from that aspect. Likewise with establishing ties with the SoCon. Wofford, Furman, and The Citadel would be great opponents.

[MillerParticipant]

I did not mean to schedule the MVC or Big Sky, what I meant was, hello and wake the hell up and follow what the top teams in those conferences do. Sorry for the confusion. And Owl, you can recruit much better if you promise/have FBS schools on your schedule.We are no longer recruiting like the PFL or Ivies anymore. If you are a 2-3 star and overlooked and have a chip on the shoulder, then you want payback. A scholly at Lehigh offers that to many kids that 5 years ago could not afford the experience. NDSU moved to D1 in 2004 and could not wait to upgrade schedule and play FBS………..1 losing season early and how many titles? Stop worrying about a lose to a FBS team and just play them………upsets happen.

[RichHParticipant]

OK got it. We are all sadly spinning our wheels. We have a tough OOC this year. No cupcakes but winnable games ( I hope).
Navy next year a great start but it would be nice to be able to see orhers down the road. Agree , FBS games spice up the future schedules for recruits ,players and alums.

[Go Lehigh TU OwlParticipant]

Trust me, I follow what the top schools in other conferences are doing. I lived in Big Sky country and got to follow Montana and Montana State quite closely. These schools are playing FBS games for one reason, money. Most of the top schools in FCS are third and fourth tier state schools that face really tight budget issues. They are forced to pimp out their football teams to subsidize their athletic expenses. Some are able to do it rather intelligently while others could care less about the drubbing their teams take. A lot of these schools schedule D2 teams. Something Lehigh hasn’t done in nearly 30 years.

Lehigh football players should be self motivated to compete against the best in FCS. When given the opportunity to challenge themselves against a FBS team hopefully they rise up and equate themselves well.

We’ll see how Navy goes in two years. I think they’re going to crush Fordham this year and do the same to Lehigh.

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