TheCobbler

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  • #19217

    TheCobbler
    Participant

    Blaming the decrease in attendance on the students is the easy thing to do but I would argue it’s not true. If EVERY student attends we’re talking about 4,500 people. I think we can all agree that never happened. From the LU website, in 2002 the average home attendance for 6 games was 10,179 and that doesn’t include Laf game which was played in Easton. The average attendance in 2014 was 6,248 with the largest crown being Fordham, 9,372. Even if we are talking about 2,000 more students going to games (which I would argue there weren’t 2,000 more students at games in 2002 than 2014), there are still 2,000 people (who are not students) that no longer attend games.

    Since the move to Goodman, Laf games excluded, there have rarely been more than 1,000 students that actually go into games. The decrease in attendance isn’t due to the lack of students, it’s due to everyone else no longer going to games and I think that’s a fact.

    My opinions why are the Lehigh Valley has grown and there are many other things going on than there were 15 years ago. Also the alumni base is no longer a “local” group that goes to games every week. As LU grew they admitted students from different parts of the country. Those students don’t stay in the Lehigh Valley after graduation anymore and don’t go to games.

    Don’t blame the lack of attendance on the teams performance either because the attendance was just as poor in 2010-2013 when the team was good.

    • This reply was modified 8 years, 12 months ago by  TheCobbler.
    #16626

    TheCobbler
    Participant

    Plenty of good people on here too, just a few who have to ruin it with negativity….

    #16575

    TheCobbler
    Participant

    Bison,

    What is misleading? In my example Delaware can have 22 guys from lower income families that qualify for 50% tuition in need based aid, the same as a non-athlete. Even if they are all “counters”, which I don’t think they are until they play, the program is still below the NCAA 85 limit. The PL rules do not allow this. Even need based aid, the same as a non-athlete would receive, is part of the 60 scholarships allowed by the PL.

    You may think it’s a loophole, but it’s how FCS programs survive. No other way to keep roster numbers in place. The PL is going to learn the hard way that their rules need to change.

    #16574

    TheCobbler
    Participant

    Sundayamqb,

    All forms of financial aid count towards the PL limit of 60 scholarships. So yes, LU can find a recruit from a low income family that qualifies for full tuition based on need, but it still counts as one of their 60 football scholarships.

    #16530

    TheCobbler
    Participant

    Unfortunately, what I have described is not speculation but reality. I know High School coaches who have been told this by multiple PL coaches. The league does not want to have to differentiate between who was recruited and who is a “true” walk-on. Understandably, that could be a very grey area.

    The NCAA manual is available online. The NCAA restrictions for FCS football are 63 scholarships and 85 “counters”. So you can only have 85 guys receiving ANY form of aid. You can still only have 63 football scholarships. But in theory you could have 63 full scholarships and 22 need based financial aid players on the roster. Anyone on a football scholarship (even partial) is a counter. I believe an athlete on non-athletic fin aid is not a counter until the athlete plays. I know an athlete who does not receive any fin aid is never a counter regardless of whether or not he plays.

    Just for sake of example, lets say Delaware has 63 full scholarship players and 22 need based players who all receive 1/2 tuition in fin aid which is perfectly legal by NCAA rules. Under PL rules, they would have 74 scholarship equivalencies well above the 60 allowed.

    Just another disadvantage PL programs face.

    #16529

    TheCobbler
    Participant

    TMH,

    The way the rules are set up now, “on the team” and “in the recruiting class” are the same exact thing.

    You’re not being realistic if you think someone is going to go to LU over another PL school when one of those schools is offering $15,000-$20,000 more per year than LU is. Kids are not choosing PL schools because of football. They are choosing to play in the PL because of the education which is basically equal at all PL schools. It boils down to $. It did when it was non-scholarship and still does now with scholarships. Kids go to the school that offers them the most $. Not only for the obvious financial benefit, but the thought is the school that offers the most $ wants me the most. I would think the other factors you mention come into play when the $ is equal.

    There is a slightly better chance on beating a CAA school like Maine or UNH that offers 3/4 while LU offers 1/2 because of the education, but beating another PL school is not realistic IMO.

    #16517

    TheCobbler
    Participant

    …and you don’t have a Kicker, Punter or Long Snapper on your team…

    #16516

    TheCobbler
    Participant

    Also by your method, you will have 8 OL on your roster, only 4 of which will be full scholarship players. Not to mention 2 of the 8 will be Freshmen, so some of those “best available” on O need to be OL if you want to practice with a scout team let alone field a championship team. Otherwise your putting an OL out there that has 3 full scholarship players or 4 full including a Freshman. And that’s assuming all of your scholarship OL stay healthy and are good players.

    #16514

    TheCobbler
    Participant

    When you say best available, are you talking about the best football players available or the best players available at the $ you have available?

    Now that PL football programs can control the $, the market often dictates the value of prospects. LU can offer a kid a 1/2 scholarship but all it takes is one other PL school to offer full or even 3/4 scholarship and the kid isn’t going to LU.

    So my question is, do you match the offer to get the best available football player and know your roster #’s will suffer, or do you let him go to Lafayette and take a worse football player for the 1/2 scholarship you have available?

    #16513

    TheCobbler
    Participant

    Bison,

    If a enrolled Freshman at Villanova on need based financial aid decides to walk-on to the football team in the spring of his Fr year, that $ does not count towards Villanova’s 63 scholarships.

    With the same scenario at a PL school, the $ counts towards the football team’s 60 scholarships. Therefore the only walk-on’s PL schools can add to their rosters are ones who are paying full tuition.

    #16482

    TheCobbler
    Participant

    The PL rules are any form of financial aid counts as football scholarship $. Even if a recruit has a 1600 SAT and a 4.0 GPA and admissions gives him and academic scholarship to LU, it still counts towards the 15 football scholarships. Makes no sense, but then again, it’s the Patriot League.

    #16479

    TheCobbler
    Participant

    There are only 15 scholarships and 4 are taken. So 11 left. People want to load up on linemen. How many of the 11 scholarships are going to OL? DL? DB? I saw someone said K too? Oh and LU needs some “FAST, TALL” WR. How many of the 11 remaining scholarships are being used on them?

    Wish list should not just be about needs, but also about availability. Scholarship class sizes have been 19 & 20. Tells me on the high end, 12-13 guys are getting full scholarships. Remaining 7-8 guys are partial scholarships or paying $60,000+ per year (can’t be easy to find families willing to do that). Assuming early commits are full scholarship, there are only 8 or 9 full scholarships left if you want enough bodies to field a team. Over 4 years that still only gets you 75-80 on the roster.

    So my question to the guys that have all the answers in here, how are you dividing the remaining 11 scholarships across positions to have a recruiting class of 19 or 20 guys?

    #16356

    TheCobbler
    Participant

    So basically LehighGuy you think #51 and #25 should be playing and #29 and #57 should be off the field cause otherwise, the guys you listed are already the guys playing. And you keep saying the D is too small yet you want to move a DB to OLB and get smaller…

    What have you seen from #51 and #25 that tells you they should be playing? I don’t believe either one has set foot on the field this year. Are you basing it on their H.S. film because every guy on the LU roster had an impressive H.S. film.

    #16268

    TheCobbler
    Participant

    I keep reading there are more talented guys on the sideline, but have not read any names. Who should be playing that isn’t currently playing? How do you have any idea if they are better than the guys that are playing? And don’t give me “well they can’t be any worse” B.S. First on here it was #8 should play more. He started a few games and was worse than the guy before. Then I read a lot the last few weeks about how #14 should be playing more. Did anyone see how bad he was on Saturday? So yes, the guys who aren’t playing, are probably worse than the ones who are!

    #16188

    TheCobbler
    Participant

    LU has been able to run the football against everyone this year. There is a chance they can grind it out and keep FU off the field. All it takes is a long scoring drive by LU then a stop by the D and another long TD drive by O and frustration can set in for FU. There is no doubt the FU players feel the same way people on here feel, that LU won’t be able to stop them. If they start getting frustrated they can press and make mistakes. That plays right into LU hands. Can’t turn the football over on O and need to make a play on special teams (turnover, blocked kick, big return, etc.)

    I suspect Fordham will prevail in the end, but this can be a closer game than most think.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 60 total)