Division formerly known as I-AA debates new name

[VULB#62]

I'm old school and still think in Div-IAA terms.  But over the years I have kinda dealt with FCS.  Wonder what's next?  They're trying to do this to coincide with the bracket expansion to 24 teams next year.

From NWI Times
Division formerly known as I-AA debates new name

Football is the only NCAA Division I sport that is divided into two levels, the one that fills 100,000-seat stadiums and the one that gets no respect.  Representatives from colleges in the second subdivision aren't sure how to fix it.

"Quite frankly, our level of football continues to have an identity crisis," said Patty Viverito, commissioner of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

For years, this group of schools was in what was known as Division I-AA, a moniker that became a sore spot with coaches from other sports. To them, AA was not OK.  So in 2006, the top tier was renamed the Football Bowl Subdivision and the second level was labeled the Football Championship Subdivision. There are 120 FBS teams, which play in bowl games and are allowed 85 scholarship players. The 122 FCS schools decide a champion through a 20-team playoff format and are limited to 63 scholarship players.

The move to the FBS and FCS monikers has cured some heartburn for baseball and basketball coaches, but it has led to more stammer than glamour for the teams in what was formerly known as I-AA.

"To be honest, Football Championship Subdivision is a mouthful, and it doesn't make the case for our Division I stature really much better than the I-AA moniker did," Viverito said. "We've tried to fix this for years. It's a dilemma."

Six years after the switch to FCS, the NCAA is funding a rebranding initiative that could lead to a new moniker. NCAA officials are not revealing the cost of the plan, nor do they want to end the suspense by releasing a recently completed consultant's report.

But it's about more than just a name, NCAA spokesman Damani Leech said.

"There's other things related to branding. There's the strategy behind it. There's the actual messages," Leech said. "It's more than just what you call yourselves, but it's what you say about yourself and how you talk about yourself."

A group of NCAA staff, college presidents, conference commissioners, coaches and athletic directors is working on details for a brand rollout in 2013, to coincide with the FCS increasing its playoff bracket from 20 to 24 teams.  Some have suggested dumping all subtitles and playing under plain old Division I, but that probably wouldn't impress anyone, said John Iamarino, commissioner of the Southern Conference.

"The reality is, there's going to be a label used somewhere to differentiate between the Nebraskas of the world and the Woffords and Georgia Southerns of the world," he said. "It is a case of do we want to control the label or not."

Even so, Iamarino believes the subdivision should be careful about changing monikers again so quickly because he fears even more confusion.

"I almost think we just ought to grit our teeth and work a little harder and make FCS work," he said.

Coach Craig Bohl of North Dakota State calls himself "an old I-AA guy" and said he just recently became accustomed to the FCS label. Trent Miles of Indiana State isn't there yet.  "I call it I-AA, just because I'm old school and I get confused sometimes," Miles joked.

Bohl's Bison know all about a lack of respect. Their championship banner for winning last season's FCS title was mistakenly mailed to the University of North Dakota.  Regardless of the moniker, subdivision leaders believe there's much to sell, beginning with good football at a reasonable price. More than a dozen FCS players were drafted by NFL teams in 2012, led by Appalachian State wide receiver Brian Quick, who went to the St. Louis Rams to start the second round.

Iamarino said football at the FCS level encourages community involvement. Fans can take ownership of their team with access to players before and after the game, which is rare at bigger schools.

"We've got a model here with our football that is kind of more in line with what mainstream America thinks about when they think about college athletics," Iamarino said.

[historyman]

I, myself. was just getting used to FCS. Remembering that the "B" in FBS stands for Bowl which in turn refers to the "Big Boys" who play their championship in one of the Bowl games. I think the biggest issue is that FCS sounds too similar to FBS. One must enunciate clearly in order to make the distinction.

[vuweathernerd]

i will still call it i-aa. unless they find a new name that's better. i was not a fan of the fbs/fcs division.

[crusadermoe]

Dittos from me.    I just think I-AA and ignore the stupid new titles.     Even serious fans have to read it twice.  It's a gimmick to put "championship" in both titles to make I-AA feel better I guess.
Really stupid.

[milanmiracle]

Gotta say I am in the 1-AA camp. I've made no bones about it, I think the FBC and FCS were stupid and too close together in lettering. Now which one is better? As for the people who didn't like the 1-AA...get over it. It IS a lower level of football. It doesn't mean it's not good football or that it doesn't provide plenty of entertainment (a playoff is key to that), but Valpo certainly isn't dedicating the same resources as Nebraska, or playing at that level.

[VULB#62]

I often wondered why, in their wisdom way back then, the NCAA originally went with D-IA and DI-AA.      Why not just D-I and D-IA?  Everyone used to call the biggies D-I (seldom, if ever  D-IA) and the now FCS D-IAA.  Like I said, it's me wondering and not worth the time to discuss.