SoCon, other Division I-AAs back in the money

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - With Furman's reputation as a giant killer known throughout college football, Paladins coach Bobby Lamb couldn't get a big-time school to return his call about a potential game. Then the NCAA mandated a 12th game for Division I-A beginning in 2006.
"The 12th game has opened up an avenue" for Division I-AA teams like Furman, Lamb said Tuesday at the Southern Conference rouser. - College Football -
And the results have been immediate. Furman is set to play North Carolina - a 28-3 victory over the Tar Heels in 1999 was the most recent evidence of Furman's skill at handling larger opponents - next season, Virginia Tech in 2008 and schools like Clemson and Florida waiting on deck. - College Football -
Furman was picked as the league's preseason favorites in voting by SoCon coaches and media.
This season, SoCon teams will travel to LSU, West Virginia, Florida State, Kansas and Ole Miss. Along with the exposure and the chance for I-AA players to hit the field against the biggest boys, comes a guaranteed windfall ranging from $300,000 to $450,000 for the athletic department. - College Football -
Citadel athletic director Les Robinson says he expects to clear more than $3 million in guarantees from such games between 2005 and 2010.
"I think it's the best thing to happen to I-AA football," Lamb says, "because from a financial standpoint you get the check you need and the exposure you're kids want."
There's still work to be done, says Wofford coach Mike Ayers, to get the right matchups and ensure you have a competitive team. "It's a work in progress," he said.
The athletic department at The Citadel, like some throughout Division I-AA, have struggled through some lean financial times. The Bulldogs also have had problems on the football field with only one winning season since 1995. Robinson understands that some might criticize the plan to send the overmatched team to Florida State of the Atlantic Coast Conference and Mississippi of the Southeastern Conference this fall. - College Football -
"They say, 'Oh, it's a greedy AD trying to get money' but those kids would walk to play there," Robinson said.
Citadel Dusty Benefield, a senior offensive lineman, agrees. He's gone with the Bulldogs into LSU's Death Valley and Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium through the years and never felt like a lamb headed to the slaughter. "You don't get to do that a lot, so it's special," he said.
Robinson says last year's Citadel tailback, Nehemiah Broughton, gained 73 yards in a 33-3 defeat at Auburn. Broughton was selected by the Washington Redskins in the seventh round of the NFL draft this past spring. "Nehemiah told me he didn't think he would've been drafted if he didn't get to play against Auburn," Robinson said. - College Football -
Such mismatches have long been a part of football. The bigger opponent typically gets a crowd-pleasing home victory and the chance to overcome early season sluggishness with a less-than-formidable opponent.
Furman had played at least one Division I opponent every season between 1976 and 1996 until the NCAA changed the rules. That's when larger schools had to be more selective about picking an opponent because they could only count a Division I-AA game once every four years to qualify for a bowl, Lamb said. - College Football -
A large victory was great, but if couldn't help you get to a bowl victory, how much good could it do?
Lamb, Robinson and others say the North Carolinas and Floridas went searching for lower tier Division I-A programs and paid them the massive guarantees - sometimes double what a Division I-AA team would receive. - College Football -
A 12th game - and the elimination of the one in four years rule for bowl qualification - puts Southern Conference schools back in play, says Geoff Cabe, the league's interim commissioner. "Those enhancements coupled with the 12th game help us," he said.
All contracts are different, Cabe says. But if you get the right deal, the guarantee can help pay for many things in an athletic department.
"It goes a long way toward meeting goals," Cabe said.
It also can bring a team benefits that can last throughout the season.
Benefield, the Citadel offensive lineman, says the Bulldogs gained untold confidence from moving the ball at Auburn (Citadel was outgained 593 yards to 169) and were only down 14-10 in the third quarter at Duke the following week. Duke went on to a 28-10 victory.
But Benefield says he and teammates have wondered if holding the Auburn Tigers (13-0) to 33 points "was the reason they weren't No. 1 last season." - College Football -
SoCon Notes: After Furman in the media vote, Georgia Southern was next followed by Appalachian State, Wofford, Western Carolina, Chattanooga, Citadel and Elon. The order of the coaches was similar with the only difference that Wofford and Western Carolina tied for fourth place.

PETE IACOBELLI
Associated Press