ยท An article in the Aug. 26 Sports section incorrectly said the University of Central Florida was an NCAA division I-AA school at the time Daunte Culpepper was its starting quarterback. UCF became a I-A school in 1996.
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I-AA Enjoys That Validated Feeling
Tony Robertson, right, and Brad Coley, carry Appalachian State Coach Jerry Moore off the field after last season's upset at Michigan.
(By Duane Burleson -- Associated Press)
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Some elite I-AA teams have yet to feel the backlash. London, who came to the Spiders from Virginia's staff, said Richmond, which advanced to the semifinals last season, can still schedule I-A opponents by pitching to schools with similar academic profiles; Richmond plays Virginia this season and has future games scheduled against Duke and Vanderbilt.
Some I-A programs have adopted the practice of scheduling I-AA opponents later in the season to avoid being shocked. No preseason scrimmages or games against other teams, unlike high school and professional football, leaves coaches uncertain about their own personnel in the first week. Plus the disadvantage of having just 63 scholarship players instead of 85 is not as pronounced before the injury attrition of a season has taken hold.
"A lot of things can happen -- a lot of things that wouldn't happen in the fifth ballgame -- in that first ballgame," Virginia Tech Coach Frank Beamer said. "Particularly when you play a I-AA team in the opener, you don't know what your team is all about." (The Hokies play Furman in their second game.)
The Downside of Success
The surge of I-AA football might be slowed by an old problem. Programs that can compete almost evenly with I-A foes, such as Marshall in the late 1990s, cease being I-AA schools and leap to I-A. Appalachian State, with its success and sparkling facilities, might seem ready to be next.
Cobb said the issue was "a moot point" because of the four-year moratorium currently in place for teams changing divisions. However, he didn't dismiss the possibility, either.
"Our chancellor says we want to be the best we can be. What that is, don't define it," Cobb said. "We're going to put ourselves in a position to go where we want to go. I don't think we're going to limit ourselves."
Said Moore: "To tell you the truth, we're not ready to go into the ACC or Big East. But we're approaching that, I can tell you that. In the future, down the line, I can picture it."
It takes imagination these days to consider what is possible for Appalachian State. For example: Could Edwards be considered for the Heisman? If not this year, then perhaps next season, when he'll be a senior who has slain Michigan and, perhaps, a winner of three national titles. Moore would welcome the frenzy that would surely follow Edwards becoming the most serious I-AA Heisman hopeful since Daunte Culpepper and Steve McNair.
"There's a lot of pride that goes along with that," Moore said. "A lot of coffee-shop talk."
His program last season sparked countless conversations. One year later, more than ever, people will sit and talk in places such as Boone and Richmond, waiting to see what happens next.
