These Wagner type games are horrible, NCAA should do away with them

[elimunelson]

Necessary evils when you don't have preseason football. i think they should just schedule them all in week 1. Have a few marquee games but have everyone else play the lower ranked teams then. It's weird to have a scrimmage in week 2 but it is what it is. 6 wins is needed and for us, we need them however the opponent looks.

 

[lionf96]

Think about this ... middling D-1 schools use games vs. FCS team to either rest/do nothing (Bama for instance) or earn cruddy bowl bids against similar middling programs.

How about, instead of angling for the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl (that's real BTW), why not play a regular-season home-and-home with a fellow middling/average program?

In SU's instance, let's get a home-and-home going with Indiana, Texas Tech, Kentucky, Navy, Purdue, etc. instead of hoping to find them at Yankee Stadium the last week of December? It's maddening how stupid this all is.

While I do agree that games like the ones you mentioned are infinitely more interesting. These are still student athletes we are talking about. They have other things to worry about besides football so I see no issues if schools want to schedule a super cupcake. Would be nice to have some special events take place during halftime of those games though.

 

[dan7800]

Power 5 wins against FCS schools shouldn't count towards the win total. Heck, a game against UMASS etc... would be way better.

 

[Frozen]

Also kills attendance.

Do you really think there would be much of a difference in Carrier Dome attendance if SU played an FBS team like Northern Illinois as opposed to an FCS team like Southern Illinois? I think we'd see similar crowds for those games.

 

[OrangeinBoston]

Do you really think there would be much of a difference in Carrier Dome attendance if SU played an FBS team like Northern Illinois as opposed to an FCS team like Southern Illinois? I think we'd see similar crowds for those games.

No, but it would be better if SU played a Vanderbilt, or a Northwestern, or - I'm holding my nose - Rutgers.

 

[McNabb2Brominski]

If you've won 5 of the last 10 national championships, and have only lost a total of 11 games over the past 10 years, you should be banned from playing FCS schools (*cough* Alabama *cough*).

 

[sdhall01]

Play versus the 105 schools or whatever it is that play 1A football. I always enjoy going to Syracuse football games, tailgating and having a few beers but I have grown tired of the annual game like this but you can't win here. What good comes from a game like this? Just so boring and makes no sense to me.

Tough to get fired up for the homeowner playing CW post

It makes perfect sense. There are only so many teams and we don’t want to have to schedule stronger teams that may result in losses. We can’t just schedule 2 MAC or Sun Belt teams because that would be expensive and there are only so many MAC and Sun Belt teams to go around. Also, I don’t want to hear about how boring these games are; we’re barely 3 years removed from the Villanova debacle.

 

[sdhall01]

No, but it would be better if SU played a Vanderbilt, or a Northwestern, or - I'm holding my nose - Rutgers.

Well, we’d lose by 10 to either Vanderbilt or Northwestern.

 

[Chip]

It's fine the way it is now. Playing a weak FCS school can act as a bye or preseason game that counts.

No reason to risk player's health on a game that doesn't count. Syracuse players will not take the game serious, but you know damn well the FCS team will. That's just a disaster waiting to happen. Also, why pay an FCS school for nothing in return?

What should be banned is playing two FCS schools.

Give the FCS team a portion of the gate for the scrimmage game. Won't mean much playing some schools (cough SU, BC, Rutgers), but all the big schools get 50-100,000 for spring scrimmage. They'd draw money for a preseason game the weekend before Labor Day. I bet it wouldn't be too hard to get them on TV either.

The FCS team won't want to lose all their best players to injury either. The game doesn't mean anything for them either. It's just a chance to prep for their own season.

 

[SU94]

Top tier FCS teams can easily drop the bottom half of the FBS. If you don't like a gimme game, then schedule a team like JMU, and hold on for dear life. Villanova is a top 25 FCS team, so they dropped Temple. Not surprising.

There are FCS teams with .500 records, or better playing FBS teams(with more than 10 such contests). The top tier is legit. I'll never have a problem with those teams playing up a level, for 1 game. While the lower level FCS are often pushovers, every once in a while, you get that Howard game, last year. The biggest point spread upset in the history of College football.

As long as it's not against your team, who doesn't like rooting for Davey?

I too like rooting for Davey, as you say. But those noteworthy upsets happen once every 5-6 years (I dont count Villanova beating Temple as noteworthy ... I won't remember it in 2 weeks). It's not worth putting up with hundreds of predetermined "matchups" in between Appy State and Michigans. It's all a crock of crap.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Play versus the 105 schools or whatever it is that play 1A football. I always enjoy going to Syracuse football games, tailgating and having a few beers but I have grown tired of the annual game like this but you can't win here. What good comes from a game like this? Just so boring and makes no sense to me.

Tough to get fired up for the homeowner playing CW post

The NCAA won't allow a scrimmage, so this is what you get.

 

[Trueblue25]

Well, we’d lose by 10 to either Vanderbilt or Northwestern.

Doubt it.

 

[sdhall01]

Doubt it.

Well, we’ll find out if we’re bowl eligible for the first time in 5 years due in large part to a win over Wagner.

 

[sdhall01]

Doubt it.

Also, Northwestern won 10 games last year and was ranked 17th.

 

[Frozen]

No, but it would be better if SU played a Vanderbilt, or a Northwestern, or - I'm holding my nose - Rutgers.

But if you scheduled those teams, you’d have to play at their stadium as well. With FCS games, they are all home games that don’t need to be returned.

 

[blizz]

Totally agree. We should just wear dunce caps out of the tunnel and take a knee.

 

[JoeSU]

Play versus the 105 schools or whatever it is that play 1A football. I always enjoy going to Syracuse football games, tailgating and having a few beers but I have grown tired of the annual game like this but you can't win here. What good comes from a game like this? Just so boring and makes no sense to me.

Tough to get fired up for the homeowner playing CW post

So by the same token, are you opposed to the SU hoops team scheduling early season games against teams like Cornell, Iona, Colgate, etc.?

 

[Chip]

Also, Northwestern won 10 games last year and was ranked 17th.

Also, Vanderbilt lost 7 games last year and wasn't ranked 17th.

They do seem to own Shafer and MTSU though, so they've got that going for them.

 

[RandomGuy]

Then there is this little nugget... Cuse is undefeated vs. FCS... Rutgers? 3 LOSSES!!! Hahahahahahahahaha! The last being a 35-24 loss to New Hampshire. They couldn't even keep it to a single digit loss.

 

[sdhall01]

Also, Vanderbilt lost 7 games last year and wasn't ranked 17th.

They do seem to own Shafer and MTSU though, so they've got that going for them.

Fair enough. Regardless, I don’t want to play Vandy, and I REALLY don’t want to play Northwestern. Our chances of bowling would be greatly reduced if we had to play either team. We would not be favored beat Northwestern either last year or this year. I’d put the spread at NW -14.

 

[RF2044]

I hear you, IB -- but there are a lot of factors in favor of these types of games:

• The NCAA allows them to count toward bowl eligibility
• Football doesn't lend itself to exhibition games, since it takes the players nearly a week to physically recover
• Having tune-up games can benefit the team / depth / player development

I definitely think that they are boring. But games like this have their place and utility.

 

[dasher]

isnt that the same thing Alabama would think about playing us.

We beat Clemson last year. Let me know when a school like Wagner does something like that. I think these games are a waste of time.

 

[reedny]

IB, you need to find a better tail gate, bruh. Come on down to the Fine Mess - you'll be so stuffed you won't care that it's a cupcake game.

 

[dasher]

Play versus the 105 schools or whatever it is that play 1A football. I always enjoy going to Syracuse football games, tailgating and having a few beers but I have grown tired of the annual game like this but you can't win here. What good comes from a game like this? Just so boring and makes no sense to me.

Tough to get fired up for the homeowner playing CW post

I couldn't agree more. I may not even watch tomorrow.

 

[SU in Hershey]

I hear you, IB -- but there are a lot of factors in favor of these types of games:

• The NCAA allows them to count toward bowl eligibility
• Football doesn't lend itself to exhibition games, since it takes the players nearly a week to physically recover
• Having tune-up games can benefit the team / depth / player development

I definitely think that they are boring. But games like this have their place and utility.

I agree with all your points, and I want to add one. This game isn't necessarily a gift, in that we still have to play the game. And if we play the game, we risk injury.
While we get one win closer to bowl eligibility and increase knowledge about our team and get valuable developmental experience, it isn't without the specter of loss due to injury.
To further my point, I don't think we can gain too much optimism if we win "like we should," but we have room to feel more concerned if we don't win by 40+ points. That would not likely be of any benefit to the team or its fanbase.
I will hope for the presumed win, with some flashy play from those we expect and some of those we haven't seen much from to date, and emerge relatively unscathed heading into next week's matchup.