2018 Football Non-Game Thread

[VULB#62]

Thought I'd start this one up to collect any football news that doesn't involve recruiting or the player roster (both already covered).

On another thread a question came up about the 2018 Schedule.  I started to look at some postings on the PFL site and a few teams have already posted their schedules for next season.  Here's what I noticed regarding games scheduled with Valpo.

9/1
9/8
9/15 @ Youngstown State
9/22
9/29
10/6  @ Dayton
10/13  Butler
10/20
10/27
11/3  @ Marist
11/10  Jacksonville
11/17  @ Stetson

Of note, Butler announced their 2018 schedule and Youngstown State is listed as their body bag game 9/1. So I Checked EKU and they are bringing in Morehead for a sacrificial slaughter on that date.  Further investigation indicates we will have 2 games under our belt before we meet YSU (finally, we don't open with a body bag game!!!).  We catch YSU after they play a guarantee game @ West Virginia.  Hopefully we open with a NAIA school followed by Duquesne.  That's a good progression toward YSU. 

[usc4valpo]

I would bag the NAIA school.

Is it asking too much for a goal of winning the Pioneer conference?

[VULB#62]

By bagging, USC, do you mean just leave that date open and have a 10 game schedule?  If so why?

All (well, usually all) PFL Teams play (1) a body bag game plus (2) a NEC, Big South, Ivy FCS caliber team or perhaps a high level  NCAA D-II team and then (3) one ham and egger (Most of the time I am seeing D-III or NAIA schools, like, Butler has been playing Taylor, a D-III).  MLB has committed to the same structure.  The ham and egger is usually NAIA (who give scholarships, BTW). Then there is a more competitive FCS school like Duquesne or Sacred Heart.

Funny, unti Dave turned the competitiveness up a notch we couldn't even beat the ham & eggers.

[usc4valpo]

ok, I am ok with that. I would have liked to see a Patriot league or bad Ivy League team like Cornell

[VULB#62]

Actually, me too. But we have to earn that type of schedule. We are not there yet but getting closer. I am very jealous of Butler, Stetson, Jacksonville, etc. who have Ivies on their current schedules. During the Carlson era, I was still living in Massachusetts and did a little in person amateur scouting for him at two games on the same weekend: USD @ Harvard in the afternoon and Butler @ Darthmouth in the evening.  Both of them hung in pretty well but lost. Personally I wish we would stop the body bag games and always schedule Ivy, Patriot and NEC opponents.

[talksalot]

9/1
9/8
9/15 @ Youngstown State
9/22
9/29 Campbell - Homecoming 1PM
10/6  @ Dayton
10/13  Butler
10/20
10/27
11/3  @ Marist
11/10  Jacksonville
11/17  @ Stetson

[vu72]

Actually, me too. But we have to earn that type of schedule. We are not there yet but getting closer. I am very jealous of Butler, Stetson, Jacksonville, etc. who have Ivies on their current schedules. During the Carlson era, I was still living in Massachusetts and did a little in person amateur scouting for him at two games on the same weekend: USD @ Harvard in the afternoon and Butler @ Darthmouth in the evening.  Both of them hung in pretty well but lost. Personally I wish we would stop the body bag games and always schedule Ivy, Patriot and NEC opponents.

I sure like the sound of playing Dartmouth or Yale versus Youngstown State!  But, these "body bag" games are getting closer as we improve--witness the Montana game--and, we would not be paid to play an Ivy or NEC or Patriot game and I suspect the pay days are important to the program and also, as Coach C has said, the players want to play the scholarship teams.

[VULB#62]

Actually, me too. But we have to earn that type of schedule. We are not there yet but getting closer. I am very jealous of Butler, Stetson, Jacksonville, etc. who have Ivies on their current schedules. During the Carlson era, I was still living in Massachusetts and did a little in person amateur scouting for him at two games on the same weekend: USD @ Harvard in the afternoon and Butler @ Darthmouth in the evening.  Both of them hung in pretty well but lost. Personally I wish we would stop the body bag games and always schedule Ivy, Patriot and NEC opponents.

I sure like the sound of playing Dartmouth or Yale versus Youngstown State!  But, these "body bag" games are getting closer as we improve--witness the Montana game--and, we would not be paid to play an Ivy or NEC or Patriot game and I suspect the pay days are important to the program and also, as Coach C has said, the players want to play the scholarship teams.

Yeah, I know the body bag games are important for the progress of the program, but I don't like them as much as I would playing the Ivy League schools.

[VULB#62]

9/1
9/8
9/15 @ Youngstown State
9/22
9/29 Campbell - Homecoming 1PM
10/6  @ Dayton
10/13  Butler
10/20
10/27
11/3  @ Marist
11/10  Jacksonville
11/17  @ Stetson

I don't think the Campbell addition is accurate.

Here is the link to Campbell's 2018 posted schedule:  It shows no Valpo (and no other PFL teams) and on the 29th they play North Alabama at home. It also includes a full 5 game Big South schedule.

http://gocamels.com/schedule.aspx?schedule=222

[talksalot]

my source is the Homecoming meeting notes from the Alumni Office that lists this game for us.  that's NOT an Athletics Department release.

[VULB#62]

That alumni thing might have come from something that predated Campbell leaving the PFL as of the end of 2017?

[talksalot]

quite possible

[JD24]

The Campbell vs North Alabama game is also mentioned in one of their schedule news story's. So it won't be Campbell. It will probably be a league game and possibly against whichever team fills in for Campbell on the PFL schedule....Davidson or San Diego. Neither of those teams have put out their 2018 schedule.

[vu72]

The Campbell vs North Alabama game is also mentioned in one of their schedule news story's. So it won't be Campbell. It will probably be a league game and possibly against whichever team fills in for Campbell on the PFL schedule....Davidson or San Diego. Neither of those teams have put out their 2018 schedule.

I'll take............Davidson! 

[JD24]

The Campbell vs North Alabama game is also mentioned in one of their schedule news story's. So it won't be Campbell. It will probably be a league game and possibly against whichever team fills in for Campbell on the PFL schedule....Davidson or San Diego. Neither of those teams have put out their 2018 schedule.

I'll take............Davidson! 

That's a tough one. I'll consider all the facts prior to deciding which would be the better option for your 2018 Crusader Football Squad.

[VULB#62]

Apparently the PFL schedule has been determined cuz others have released theirs. Why not releas3 a partial sch3dule with PFL only games and the follow up with the OOC?

[JD24]

The 9-29 game can eliminate Morehead State as they are Butler's opponent that day. Can't be San Diego as they are playing Stetson. Cant be Drake as they are playing Jax. Valpo's scheduled vs every other team at some other point on the schedule.

That leaves Davidson as a PFL opponent for that game. That may be good since I don't think both San Diego and Davidson will be added to Valpo's schedule this year as this is the 2nd year after the opponent home and home switch. Of course, if Davidson already has a game scheduled against another opponent for that day, it may be a non conference opponent which means that one of the first two weeks would be in conference which is unusual but some teams do it. Seems that Stetson and Marist have played week 2 recently. It could also mean San Diego is added rather than Davidson on another date.

edit: Since the rest of the PFL is occupied on 9-29, Valpo and Davidson would have to be playing each other unless either team has a non conference game scheduled 5 weeks into the season. We probably can safely put Davidson for 9-29's Homecoming Game.

[JD24]

9-8 is probably the Dukes as they appear to be available both 9-1 and 9-8. This would set the Dukes schedule up the same as last year when they played Valpo and Dayton on consecutive weekends. Dayton plays the Dukes on 9-16. So it would appear the schedule is lacking a lower level team for week 1.

[VULB#62]

9-8 is probably the Dukes as they appear to be available both 9-1 and 9-8. This would set the Dukes schedule up the same as last year when they played Valpo and Dayton on consecutive weekends. Dayton plays the Dukes on 9-16. So it would appear the schedule is lacking a lower level team for week 1.

Ahah!  That leaves the first game to either a D-II, NAIA, or a (hope not) D-III. That would be a challenging, progressive path to YSU and we could be 2-0 going into that game.

[JD24]

9-8 is probably the Dukes as they appear to be available both 9-1 and 9-8. This would set the Dukes schedule up the same as last year when they played Valpo and Dayton on consecutive weekends. Dayton plays the Dukes on 9-16. So it would appear the schedule is lacking a lower level team for week 1.

Ahah!  That leaves the first game to either a D-II, NAIA, or a (hope not) D-III. That would be a challenging, progressive path to YSU and we could be 2-0 going into that game.

I prefer the opposite approach. Play the money game first. Then the home and home and then the game we win the week prior to the start of conference play.

[VULB#62]

But it appears that at least for this next season we are stuck with a third week body bag game. Of course, I failed to mention earlier that after YSU we insert a bye week to lick our wounds 

[usc4valpo]

I can respect playing the body bag game to get the paycheck. But I would rather see similar opponents than play the ham and egged, for which a Valpo football goal is to not depend on that for success. A game against Trinity or College of Faith or Missouri Baptist has no value.

[usc4valpo]

I can respect playing the body bag game to get the paycheck. But I would rather see similar opponents than play the ham and egged, for which a Valpo football goal is to not depend on that for success. A game against Trinity or College of Faith or Missouri Baptist has no value.

[IndyValpo]

I can respect playing the body bag game to get the paycheck. But I would rather see similar opponents than play the ham and egged, for which a Valpo football goal is to not depend on that for success. A game against Trinity or College of Faith or Missouri Baptist has no value.

I disagree those games allow everyone to play which is valuable, removing College of Faith From the discussion. Big time schools do it, not sure why we shouldn't.

[JD24]

One thing regarding the schedule is that last year's schedule was officially released on March 7th and I don't think that was out of the ordinary in terms of timing.