Big Sky Challenge (Big Sky Conference Pick'em)

[mr_griff]

I have setup a Pick'em for the Big Sky Conference called the Big Sky Challenge. It's free and just for bragging rights (unless someone donates prizes). You can create your own groups and play amongst friends while still competing to be the overall champion.

http://www.BigSkyChallenge.com

 

[EWURanger]

Sweet. Picks submitted.

 

[Screamin_Eagle174]

Thanks for setting that up, Griff. I'm in. :thumb:

 

[BLACKFALKIN1]

every home team except EWU v Idaho. Im kinda torn about the Sac St v New Mexico game tho... Sac might pull it off

 

[Screamin_Eagle174]

every home team except EWU v Idaho. Im kinda torn about the Sac St v New Mexico game tho... Sac might pull it off

That was exactly what I submitted, also with pause on the Sac/NMSU game. In the end, I think Sac lost too many key starters to pull it off.

 

[LDopaPDX]

I only picked Eastern to win from the road as well.

The moral of the story? Play your first game at home !!!

 

[BLACKFALKIN1]

every home team except EWU v Idaho. Im kinda torn about the Sac St v New Mexico game tho... Sac might pull it off

That was exactly what I submitted, also with pause on the Sac/NMSU game. In the end, I think Sac lost too many key starters to pull it off.

:lol: yup, do you think EWU will pull it off in Moscow? Honestly.

 

[BLACKFALKIN1]

I only picked Eastern to win from the road as well.

The moral of the story? Play your first game at home !!!

Does it not make financial sense for Eastern to play a weak FCS team at home for the first game? Then maybe an Idaho on the road in week 2.. Then back to a weak FCS team in week 3???

 

[Screamin_Eagle174]

every home team except EWU v Idaho. Im kinda torn about the Sac St v New Mexico game tho... Sac might pull it off

That was exactly what I submitted, also with pause on the Sac/NMSU game. In the end, I think Sac lost too many key starters to pull it off.

:lol: yup, do you think EWU will pull it off in Moscow? Honestly.

I do. I think it will be a close game, but we win by 3-7.

 

[LDopaPDX]

I only picked Eastern to win from the road as well.

The moral of the story? Play your first game at home !!!

Does it not make financial sense for Eastern to play a weak FCS team at home for the first game? Then maybe an Idaho on the road in week 2.. Then back to a weak FCS team in week 3???

Eastern does a whole lotta things that don't make financial sense. Fact is, Eastern is at a point where the $50k "general contract" still represents a profitable venture given the amount of revenue that can be generated by a home game at Woodward. Taking games at South Dakota for the same amount shows bad decision making at it's finest.

I really don't have a problem with a bodybag road game, whether it's week #1 or not. But the admin needs to realize these are referred to as bodybags for a reason, they usually result in losses. One loss doesn't hurt our playoff shot too much, two makes it much more difficult. I hate seeing schedules like the ones we've been seeing on a regular basis because they don't give our kids the best chance at success.

 

[BLACKFALKIN1]

I only picked Eastern to win from the road as well.

The moral of the story? Play your first game at home !!!

Does it not make financial sense for Eastern to play a weak FCS team at home for the first game? Then maybe an Idaho on the road in week 2.. Then back to a weak FCS team in week 3???

Eastern does a whole lotta things that don't make financial sense. Fact is, Eastern is at a point where the $50k "general contract" still represents a profitable venture given the amount of revenue that can be generated by a home game at Woodward. Taking games at South Dakota for the same amount shows bad decision making at it's finest.

I really don't have a problem with a bodybag road game, whether it's week #1 or not. But the admin needs to realize these are referred to as bodybags for a reason, they usually result in losses. One loss doesn't hurt our playoff shot too much, two makes it much more difficult. I hate seeing schedules like the ones we've been seeing on a regular basis because they don't give our kids the best chance at success.

Right. So basically it costs 50k to bring a fcs team to Roos? And why wasnt there a return game v South Dakota at Roos?

You would think Eastern (being a great FCS team) would only schedule "bodybag" games with teams like Idaho, NMSU, WIU, basically bad FBS mid-major teams. So you get the best of both worlds (Money & best chance of a win).. and Eastern would only schedule h-h's with weak fcs teams like Murray State, Eastern Illinois, etc...

 

[LDopaPDX]

I only picked Eastern to win from the road as well.

The moral of the story? Play your first game at home !!!

Does it not make financial sense for Eastern to play a weak FCS team at home for the first game? Then maybe an Idaho on the road in week 2.. Then back to a weak FCS team in week 3???

Eastern does a whole lotta things that don't make financial sense. Fact is, Eastern is at a point where the $50k "general contract" still represents a profitable venture given the amount of revenue that can be generated by a home game at Woodward. Taking games at South Dakota for the same amount shows bad decision making at it's finest.

I really don't have a problem with a bodybag road game, whether it's week #1 or not. But the admin needs to realize these are referred to as bodybags for a reason, they usually result in losses. One loss doesn't hurt our playoff shot too much, two makes it much more difficult. I hate seeing schedules like the ones we've been seeing on a regular basis because they don't give our kids the best chance at success.

Right. So basically it costs 50k to bring a fcs team to Roos? And why wasnt there a return game v South Dakota at Roos?

You would think Eastern (being a great FCS team) would only schedule "bodybag" games with teams like Idaho, NMSU, WIU, basically bad FBS mid-major teams. So you get the best of both worlds (Money & best chance of a win).. and Eastern would only schedule h-h's with weak fcs teams like Murray State, Eastern Illinois, etc...

I think Eastern would rather schedule BCS-type bodybags for two reasons... #1, it increases exposure to play the big boys; #2, the payouts for these kinds of games are usually $400k or more. While we have a better shot to win against the Idaho's and Toldeo's of the world, they only pay $150k per game... less than half of what we'd make against a big-conference foe.

I'd rather see us stick to playing FCS opponents home/home whenever possible. To make that even more attractive, I'd be a regular in Pioneer Conference and SWAC Conference offices offering a home/home to any of those garbage teams. Don't you think a team like St. Francis, who has never played a major FCS team at home, would love a former FCS Champion on their home turf? We may only get 3,000 at their home game, but two likely FCS wins is worth it for that type of game.

 

[BLACKFALKIN1]

I only picked Eastern to win from the road as well.

The moral of the story? Play your first game at home !!!

Does it not make financial sense for Eastern to play a weak FCS team at home for the first game? Then maybe an Idaho on the road in week 2.. Then back to a weak FCS team in week 3???

Eastern does a whole lotta things that don't make financial sense. Fact is, Eastern is at a point where the $50k "general contract" still represents a profitable venture given the amount of revenue that can be generated by a home game at Woodward. Taking games at South Dakota for the same amount shows bad decision making at it's finest.

I really don't have a problem with a bodybag road game, whether it's week #1 or not. But the admin needs to realize these are referred to as bodybags for a reason, they usually result in losses. One loss doesn't hurt our playoff shot too much, two makes it much more difficult. I hate seeing schedules like the ones we've been seeing on a regular basis because they don't give our kids the best chance at success.

Right. So basically it costs 50k to bring a fcs team to Roos? And why wasnt there a return game v South Dakota at Roos?

You would think Eastern (being a great FCS team) would only schedule "bodybag" games with teams like Idaho, NMSU, WIU, basically bad FBS mid-major teams. So you get the best of both worlds (Money & best chance of a win).. and Eastern would only schedule h-h's with weak fcs teams like Murray State, Eastern Illinois, etc...

I think Eastern would rather schedule BCS-type bodybags for two reasons... #1, it increases exposure to play the big boys; #2, the payouts for these kinds of games are usually $400k or more. While we have a better shot to win against the Idaho's and Toldeo's of the world, they only pay $150k per game... less than half of what we'd make against a big-conference foe.

I'd rather see us stick to playing FCS opponents home/home whenever possible. To make that even more attractive, I'd be a regular in Pioneer Conference and SWAC Conference offices offering a home/home to any of those garbage teams. Don't you think a team like St. Francis, who has never played a major FCS team at home, would love a former FCS Champion on their home turf? We may only get 3,000 at their home game, but two likely FCS wins is worth it for that type of game.

So wtf? Why doesnt EWU schedule those easy D1 wins? And how can you call gettin killed 42-7by a BCS team exposure? Wouldnt you rather get exposure from the playoffs every year & selling out games every year? I dont get it.

 

[kalm]

I only picked Eastern to win from the road as well.

The moral of the story? Play your first game at home !!!

Does it not make financial sense for Eastern to play a weak FCS team at home for the first game? Then maybe an Idaho on the road in week 2.. Then back to a weak FCS team in week 3???

Eastern does a whole lotta things that don't make financial sense. Fact is, Eastern is at a point where the $50k "general contract" still represents a profitable venture given the amount of revenue that can be generated by a home game at Woodward. Taking games at South Dakota for the same amount shows bad decision making at it's finest.

I really don't have a problem with a bodybag road game, whether it's week #1 or not. But the admin needs to realize these are referred to as bodybags for a reason, they usually result in losses. One loss doesn't hurt our playoff shot too much, two makes it much more difficult. I hate seeing schedules like the ones we've been seeing on a regular basis because they don't give our kids the best chance at success.

Right. So basically it costs 50k to bring a fcs team to Roos? And why wasnt there a return game v South Dakota at Roos?

You would think Eastern (being a great FCS team) would only schedule "bodybag" games with teams like Idaho, NMSU, WIU, basically bad FBS mid-major teams. So you get the best of both worlds (Money & best chance of a win).. and Eastern would only schedule h-h's with weak fcs teams like Murray State, Eastern Illinois, etc...

I think Eastern would rather schedule BCS-type bodybags for two reasons... #1, it increases exposure to play the big boys; #2, the payouts for these kinds of games are usually $400k or more. While we have a better shot to win against the Idaho's and Toldeo's of the world, they only pay $150k per game... less than half of what we'd make against a big-conference foe.

I'd rather see us stick to playing FCS opponents home/home whenever possible. To make that even more attractive, I'd be a regular in Pioneer Conference and SWAC Conference offices offering a home/home to any of those garbage teams. Don't you think a team like St. Francis, who has never played a major FCS team at home, would love a former FCS Champion on their home turf? We may only get 3,000 at their home game, but two likely FCS wins is worth it for that type of game.

So wtf? Why doesnt EWU schedule those easy D1 wins? And how can you call gettin killed 42-7by a BCS team exposure? Wouldnt you rather get exposure from the playoffs every year & selling out games every year? I dont get it.

Indeed. opcorn:

 

[BLACKFALKIN1]

I only picked Eastern to win from the road as well.

The moral of the story? Play your first game at home !!!

Does it not make financial sense for Eastern to play a weak FCS team at home for the first game? Then maybe an Idaho on the road in week 2.. Then back to a weak FCS team in week 3???

Eastern does a whole lotta things that don't make financial sense. Fact is, Eastern is at a point where the $50k "general contract" still represents a profitable venture given the amount of revenue that can be generated by a home game at Woodward. Taking games at South Dakota for the same amount shows bad decision making at it's finest.

I really don't have a problem with a bodybag road game, whether it's week #1 or not. But the admin needs to realize these are referred to as bodybags for a reason, they usually result in losses. One loss doesn't hurt our playoff shot too much, two makes it much more difficult. I hate seeing schedules like the ones we've been seeing on a regular basis because they don't give our kids the best chance at success.

Right. So basically it costs 50k to bring a fcs team to Roos? And why wasnt there a return game v South Dakota at Roos?

You would think Eastern (being a great FCS team) would only schedule "bodybag" games with teams like Idaho, NMSU, WIU, basically bad FBS mid-major teams. So you get the best of both worlds (Money & best chance of a win).. and Eastern would only schedule h-h's with weak fcs teams like Murray State, Eastern Illinois, etc...

I think Eastern would rather schedule BCS-type bodybags for two reasons... #1, it increases exposure to play the big boys; #2, the payouts for these kinds of games are usually $400k or more. While we have a better shot to win against the Idaho's and Toldeo's of the world, they only pay $150k per game... less than half of what we'd make against a big-conference foe.

I'd rather see us stick to playing FCS opponents home/home whenever possible. To make that even more attractive, I'd be a regular in Pioneer Conference and SWAC Conference offices offering a home/home to any of those garbage teams. Don't you think a team like St. Francis, who has never played a major FCS team at home, would love a former FCS Champion on their home turf? We may only get 3,000 at their home game, but two likely FCS wins is worth it for that type of game.

So wtf? Why doesnt EWU schedule those easy D1 wins? And how can you call gettin killed 42-7by a BCS team exposure? Wouldnt you rather get exposure from the playoffs every year & selling out games every year? I dont get it.

Indeed. opcorn:

This years' OOC games:
@Idaho
@Wash State
Cal Poly

All great games & Im sure theyll be fun to watch BUT, EWU can EASILY lose all 3 and be forced to win 7 or 8 conference games. Thats total bullshxt! Idc what team you are, thats frickin tough. Not to mention 2 of the 3 games are away. Is the money that good? Is EWU that broke? Is a 6-5 season worth 550k?

 

[EWURanger]

The scheduling model for success is this:

1 x BCS payday game (Preferably Pac-12 NW team to keep it regional)
1 x Division II (Preferably the first game of the season)
1 x FCS non-conference. Any FCS game is winnable, so it doesn't really matter who it is. This should be a home and home arrangement.

 

[LDopaPDX]

Falkin--- you're right in premise. I barf when I see our schedules recently. We could've easily been a playoff contender last year with a better schedule. It is absolutely not worth missing the playoffs to play 2 FBS games for $550k.

EWURanger... you're formula is also correct. That kind of ABC scheduling has proven successful over and over again. EWU has never made the playoffs when scheduling two FBS opponents in the same season, yet here we go trying it again (what's the definition of insanity again???) I hope we buck the trend, and we certainly could, but why make it tougher than it needs to be?

 

[Screamin_Eagle174]

IMO, the recipe for successful scheduling is one $$$ BCS game, and two FCS. Fat chance on us Western teams getting TWO FCS teams though, it's hard enough to get one.

 

[BLACKFALKIN1]

I dont see the point of the Div2 game. I think thats why we have two FBS games bc you dont get credit for a d2 win and you have to pay for it so you might as well get paid & a possible D1 win while youre at it. Has the AD ever spoken publicly about schedueling?

 

[Screamin_Eagle174]

I dont see the point of the Div2 game. I think thats why we have two FBS games bc you dont get credit for a d2 win and you have to pay for it so you might as well get paid & a possible D1 win while youre at it. Has the AD ever spoken publicly about schedueling?

Not sure, but I did email him about it a while back.

Bill,

As an alumnus and die hard EWU football fan, I was wondering if you could answer some questions about out-of-conference scheduling. I understand from a monetary standpoint that BCS/FBS games are a necessity to stay in the black or as close to it as possible. I'm pretty thrilled about this year's matchups, despite there being two, because for once in what seems like a long while, they're very winnable. Texas Tech, West Virginia, Cal, etc... not so much. Although Idaho and WSU were scheduled to garner interest because they're also regional, would it be possible to start scheduling more winnable FBS games, like SJSU in 2005, or as North Dakota State has done with Minnesota, Kansas, and this year with Colorado State? I know the bottom line comes down to dollars and the bigger/tougher schools pay more, but it seems that with the growing trend for FBS schools is to schedule at least one FCS school every year because they're allowed one to count toward the six-win bowl eligibility requirement, that finding a solid payday and winnable match-up would become easier.

Also, I've been loving the all D-I schedule last year and this year by getting other FCS schools on the calendar. USD and the Cal Poly home and home was a great start, but can we as fans expect that to continue? Weber State announced today a home and home series with SFA, after having secured a HAH with McNeese State last year. Is it feasible for EWU to do this? Has there been an effort to get a deal worked out with a school like San Diego who would provide an easy win (non-scholarship Pioneer teams can't really compete), a counter towards the seven-win playoff benchmark, and they're also fairly regional. What about their PL counterpart, Drake, whom MSU has benefited from the last two years? They would only be a few hundred miles further than North Dakota. How much does distance affect travel costs? It would seem like once you're in the air, a few hundred miles isn't going to cost a whole lot more. As fans, I think playing FCS teams from other conferences that we rarely (playoffs) or never see would build excitement and interest. I wouldn't even mind playing contenders, as I think we have shown that we can compete with the best in the nation at this level, year in and year out. I'd imagine that NDSU would be itching for a rematch, how about a HAH with them?

As EWU continues to upgrade facilities and fan support, creating advantageous schedules would be the final major piece in allowing for the success and growth of both the Football Program and EWU.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to address my questions.

Regards,
SE174

SE174,

Thank you for the thoughtful email…football scheduling is inexact at best and trust me we explore all potential avenues – FCS home and homes, BCS games both non-Big 6 conference and others as well as play down games. It comes down to how many games we are allowed to play (some years 12 while most years 11). With that, please know we are exploring everything – at times, it just comes down to many schools would rather bus to a non-conference game than fly to Spokane – I fully understand the SFA-Weber, App-UM and MSU-Drake (although Coach Ash was at Drake before MSU), etc…I hope this helps a bit…Best, Bill

Not much of an answer. :lol: :|