Flagstaffsooner
8/24/2007, 12:05 PM
I didn't know this.
http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2007/08/24/news/sports/20070824_sports_49.txt
NAU no longer I-AA, now FCS program
By CHRIS GABEL
Sun Sports Staff
Friday, August 24, 2007
What's in a name? According to the NCAA, enough to warrant a change in the labeling of its top two football subdivisions.
Gone are Division I-A and Division I-AA. In their place are Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision, the names referring to their respective postseason formats. Schools in both subdivisions remain Division I.
Acknowledging frustration that the previous classifications often branded an entire university as big-time or non-big-time -- NAU cannot compete against Southern California or Florida in the football postseason, but its can in basketball -- the association's Division I Board of Directors moved last August to rename the subdivisions. While the new nomenclatures officially went into effect in December, the upcoming season is when they will hit the mainstream.
"It's a great thing for our entire programs," Big Sky Conference commissioner Doug Fullerton said. "The problem with I-AA as a label was that it was not football specific. It was too easy to begin to label all of our programs I-AA, when they were not."
Only the names will change. Individual school affiliations, postseason formats, scholarship guidelines and other divisional specifics will remain the same. The major difference between FBS and FCS programs is the number of scholarships each can offer.
http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2007/08/24/news/sports/20070824_sports_49.txt
NAU no longer I-AA, now FCS program
By CHRIS GABEL
Sun Sports Staff
Friday, August 24, 2007
What's in a name? According to the NCAA, enough to warrant a change in the labeling of its top two football subdivisions.
Gone are Division I-A and Division I-AA. In their place are Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision, the names referring to their respective postseason formats. Schools in both subdivisions remain Division I.
Acknowledging frustration that the previous classifications often branded an entire university as big-time or non-big-time -- NAU cannot compete against Southern California or Florida in the football postseason, but its can in basketball -- the association's Division I Board of Directors moved last August to rename the subdivisions. While the new nomenclatures officially went into effect in December, the upcoming season is when they will hit the mainstream.
"It's a great thing for our entire programs," Big Sky Conference commissioner Doug Fullerton said. "The problem with I-AA as a label was that it was not football specific. It was too easy to begin to label all of our programs I-AA, when they were not."
Only the names will change. Individual school affiliations, postseason formats, scholarship guidelines and other divisional specifics will remain the same. The major difference between FBS and FCS programs is the number of scholarships each can offer.