yankovic fan 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2005 http://www.i-aa.com/news/article_7619.shtml A-10 surpasses non-BCS leagues in FB ratings Otto Fad, CFAA/I-AA.com Jan 2, 2005, 15:28 Email this article Printer friendly page With just two games to go in the 2004-05 college football season, the I-AA Atlantic-10 Conference ranks above three I-A leagues in the current Sagarin Division I computer ratings. According to Sagarin's statistical means, the A-10 ranks as the ninth-strongest football conference in all of Division I, trailing only the six BCS leagues, the Mountain West, and by a narrow margin, the Western Athletic (WAC). The combined I-A Independents (Navy and Notre Dame) rank behind just three I-A conferences. The A-10 leads Conference-USA by a razor-thin .01, and easily tops the Sun Belt and Mid-American (MAC) Conferences. The A-10 sent four teams to the I-AA playoffs in 2004, including eventual national champions James Madison University. That's one less team than the MAC sent bowling in I-A, yet the A-10 stands nearly ten full percentage points above the I-A league. Two other I-AA associations -- the fledgling Great West and the established Big Sky - also rank above the MAC. Individually, nine of the A-10's twelve teams (JMU, William & Mary, New Hampshire, Delaware, Villanova, Northeastern, Massachusetts, Maine, and Hofstra) rank among the top 100 NCAA Division I football teams in the Sagarins, led by No. 34 JMU. Even the lowest-ranked A-10 program (No. 164 Towson) ranks above five I-A teams. Other interesting tidbits: × The top-rated Sun Belt team, Troy State, would rank No. 5 in the Atlantic 10 Football Conference. × The Sun Belt’s champion, North Texas, would be No. 10 in the Atlantic 10. × Every A-10 team stands above five teams from the Mid-American Conference × Only four teams from non-BCS leagues (Utah, Boise State, Louisville, and Fresno State) have a higher Sagarin rating than I-AA National Champions JMU. × 18 of the Sagarin top 100 Division I programs come from I-AA. CURRENT SAGARIN CFB RATINGS BY CONFERENCE 1 ATLANTIC COAST (A) = 77.83 2 PAC-10 (A) = 77.55 3 BIG 12 (A) = 76.90 4 I-A INDEPENDENTS (A) = 76.68 5 BIG TEN (A) = 75.61 6 SOUTHEASTERN (A) = 73.98 7 BIG EAST (A) = 71.99 8 MOUNTAIN WEST (A) = 71.96 9 WESTERN ATHLETIC (A) = 67.50 10 ATLANTIC 10 (AA)= 65.77 11 CONFERENCE USA (A) = 65.76 12 SUN BELT (A) = 60.35 13 GREAT WEST (AA)= 56.81 14 BIG SKY (AA)= 55.96 15 MID-AMERICAN (A) = 55.78 16 SOUTHLAND (AA)= 55.63 17 IVY LEAGUE (AA)= 54.98 18 SOUTHERN (AA)= 52.45 19 PATRIOT LEAGUE (AA)= 52.03 20 GATEWAY (AA)= 51.38 21 I-AA INDEPENDENTS (AA)= 46.53 22 OHIO VALLEY (AA)= 43.85 23 MID-EASTERN (AA)= 41.98 24 BIG SOUTH (AA)= 41.80 25 SOUTHWESTERN (AA)= 38.79 26 NORTHEAST (AA)= 35.32 27 PIONEER (AA)= 27.31 28 METRO ATLANTIC (AA)= 22.83 For the Sagarin conference ratings, click here. © Copyright 1997-2004 by I-AA.com and College Football Annual Advantage; Lakeland, Florida USA For permission to reprint or for more information, please phone 863.604.5962 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I think that's pretty cool. I went to a 1-AA football school and we would play a lot of 1-A programs rather close, and one year actually beat one (albiet Arkansas State). It's good to see that the smaller programs are getting some form of respect. (I remember someone once saying "who cares about 1-AA?" well this is the thread for those who could say "I do") Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
USC Wuz Robbed! 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2005 Well thereya go, the Pac-10 is better than Big 12.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C Dubya 04 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2005 As a Delaware Alum, I follow 1 AA very closely (even had my heart broken by the 21 point lead that UDel blew in the playoffs this year). Thanks for posting this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Art Sandusky 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2005 ... the hell? SEC 6th?!?! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
USC Wuz Robbed! 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2005 ... the hell? SEC 6th?!?! Yeah I don't see how BIG TEN would be rated ahead of the SEC.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yankovic fan 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2005 ... the hell? SEC 6th?!?! I'm going to assume that Vandy, Mississippi State, and the like brought the overall rating down. Does that make sense? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Art Sandusky 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2005 I considered that, but there are basement dwellers in the others too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianChris 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2005 I don't think anyone was as spectacularly bad as Vandy, Kentucky, and the Mississippi schools. The ranking apparently rewards consistent mediocrity rather than polarization. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2GOLD 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2005 Poor poor Conference USA. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cabbageboy 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2005 The A 10 being ahead of C-USA is a joke....think any of those division AA teams want a crack at U of L? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HarleyQuinn 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2005 The A 10 being ahead of C-USA is a joke....think any of those division AA teams want a crack at U of L? I'm sure they could handle the other great teams in the conference like Tulane and TCU who went 5-6. Don't forget Army who went a sterling 2-9. They could probably hang with Cincinnati and Southern Miss too. The A 10 had 4 teams that finished 10-3, 11-3, 12-2, and 9-4 and that's all within the same conference. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yankovic fan 0 Report post Posted January 5, 2005 The A 10 being ahead of C-USA is a joke....think any of those division AA teams want a crack at U of L? Last season, Northwestern State of Louisiana (Southland conference)took Tulane to overtime. This year the same 1-AA took it to UL Lafayette for all they were worth as well. Last year Nicholls State (whoo Go Colonels) went 3 1/2 quarters with C-USA USF finally getting out maned in the last 7 minutes to fall 21-17. For the record that game was the most fun I had losing. Watching the little brother of 2 NFL kickers (Grammatica) getting blocked 3 times was very vindicating for our travel time. A-10, Big Sky, and Southland are VERY competitve 1-aa conferences. As far as anyone wanting to play Louisville, every conference has that one superior team. Some have more than others. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C Dubya 04 0 Report post Posted January 5, 2005 Hood, you forgot that last year Delaware handed Navy (a bowl team) one of it's four losses. And this year Northeastern beat Rutgers in Jersey the week after Rutgers topped MSU. Which also lead to the greatest quote of the year by a Northeastern player when asked about the importance of the win. He said "well it's good to win a game, but it's not like it was U Mass or anything." That one is not going in the Rutgers media guide for next year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
