Do you consider Youngstown State an elite FCS program?

[Pwns]

No smack intended, just a serious question. They're still in second place on the national championship score board but is that because of the quality of the program overall or because of one coach who they had who could win games?

[GannonFan]

No. Non-entity since Tressel left and no end in sight in that regard. Great team in the 90's though.

They're like the Paris Hilton's of the FCS world - they used to be relevant, but now just look old and tired.

Besides, UD's got 6 NC's themselves - football at this level didn't start in 1978, just a name change. That's like saying that NFL championships before they called them Super Bowls don't count. That's just silly.

[Hambone]

What is their attendance? That is normally the deciding factor......

[guinzone]

Attendance wise, we are down a bit from when were a power, but still stronger than 75% of the FCS programs out there. Our coaching staff has recruited the kids to get us back to the playoffs. Will it happen this year... No. Consensus among YSU fans is next year is the target year for a deep playoff run. This year will have a LOT to say about it.

2010: 15,110 per game (3 wins)
2009: 14,054 (6 wins)
2008: 14,497 (4 wins)
2007: 16,149 (11 wins)
2006: 15,159 (8 wins)
2005: 14,544
2004: 14,670
2003: 16,004
2002: 17,174
2001: 16,319
2000: 18,109
1999: 16,354
1998: 16,303
1997: 14,721

[JMUDuke2002]

I still think of them as one of the elites--good facilities, fan support etc... But what about Tressel? I now have questions of their success.

[bluehenbillk]

They used to be - now they're a team that fits in the second half of an average FCS auto-bid league.

[ASUG8]

I still think they're up there, but the Tressel issue certainly cast YSU's program in a negative light. I don't know if anything happened in Youngstown under his leadership, but it seems they're guilty by association and it calls their good seasons into question which is unfortunate if unfounded.

[Skjellyfetti]

They did make the semifinals in 2006. So, they haven't completely dropped off the map. All it took was a semifinal appearance for GSU to be "back."


But, I don't consider them an elite program because their titles are tainted by Tressel, imo.

[Trapped in CA]

I still think they're up there, but the Tressel issue certainly cast YSU's program in a negative light. I don't know if anything happened in Youngstown under his leadership, but it seems they're guilty by association and it calls their good seasons into question which is unfortunate if unfounded.

As coach at Youngstown (Ohio) State in the mid-1990s, he claimed not to know that his star quarterback had received a car and more than $10,000 from a school trustee and his associates -- even though it was later established in court documents that Tressel had told the player to go see the trustee.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/m ... z1SmNCvost" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[DJH]

Here's what attendance looks like at YSU games.




Probably was listed as a sellout...

[SuperHornet]

I find it kinda funny how a GSU fan asks a serious question strictly focused on YSU, yet some lonely Delaware fan who hasn't seen his school's name in the FCSFans lights much lately just had to insinuate it into the discussion.

[uofmman1122]

I find it kinda funny how a GSU fan asks a serious question strictly focused on YSU, yet some lonely Delaware fan who hasn't seen his school's name in the FCSFans lights much lately just had to insinuate it into the discussion.

Yeah.

Before you know it, some Jerry Falwell jock sniffer who's a crackpot fan of a team that hasn't done shit in pretty much anything worthwhile is gonna come in and complain about everything.

The nerve of some people.

[clenz]

Here's what attendance looks like at YSU games.




Probably was listed as a sellout...

The attendance for that game was listed at just under 14K....crock of shit - just like their listed attendance for every game.


The time UNI played there in 08 they listed it at a sell out (I believe) but anyone who was there said it as 4 or 5 thousand max.



To answer the original intent of this thread....HELL NO. Elite FCS teams don't have to sign 36 players in their recruiting class - with most of them as JUCO's and FBS rejects

[Skjellyfetti]

Besides, UD's got 6 NC's themselves - football at this level didn't start in 1978, just a name change. That's like saying that NFL championships before they called them Super Bowls don't count. That's just silly.

Eastern Kentucky won the I-AA title in 1979. Delaware won the D-II title in 1979. We didn't have two titles "at this level" in 1979.

[Cap'n Cat]

YSU - most dishonest attendance numbers in FCS, maybe all of college football, with the possible exception of the MAC.

[Trapped in CA]

Maybe they are publishing the weekly unemployment numbers for Youngstown in place of attendance.

[Cap'n Cat]

Maybe they are publishing the weekly unemployment numbers for Youngstown in place of attendance.

Or the number of Prop 48 and other non-quallies they couldn't get in....without Tressel there.

[SENOREIDA]

I find it kinda funny how a GSU fan asks a serious question strictly focused on YSU, yet some lonely Delaware fan who hasn't seen his school's name in the FCSFans lights much lately just had to insinuate it into the discussion.

Yeah.

Before you know it, some Jerry Falwell jock sniffer who's a crackpot fan of a team that hasn't done **** in pretty much anything worthwhile is gonna come in and complain about everything.

The nerve of some people.

Wanna be my bestfriend on the internets?

[BTD30]

.... Here goes those Northern Iowa fans hating again....smh

Anyways, are we a Elite program? No. We haven't been a elite team in the 2000's. Our best team we fielded that year was '06, when we lost to the eventual champion Appy State.

We gots a long ways to go to be elite again, but were making little progress...

[GannonFan]

Besides, UD's got 6 NC's themselves - football at this level didn't start in 1978, just a name change. That's like saying that NFL championships before they called them Super Bowls don't count. That's just silly.

Eastern Kentucky won the I-AA title in 1979. Delaware won the D-II title in 1979. We didn't have two titles "at this level" in 1979.

You can call it 5 then at this level and 1 in disupute - it did take a few years for the divisions to take shape. I-AA didn't fully take shape until sometime between 1980 and 1982 when the bulk of the teams made the move (laterally, up, or down). But I'll agree that it's clearly 5 titles at this level with an asterisk on the 6th. Thanks.

[GannonFan]

I find it kinda funny how a GSU fan asks a serious question strictly focused on YSU, yet some lonely Delaware fan who hasn't seen his school's name in the FCSFans lights much lately just had to insinuate it into the discussion.

??? Two national championship game appearances in the last 4 years and the most successful CAA team in the last decade is toiling in obscurity???

[guinzone]

We have not been elite since the 90s and haven't been relevant since the final four season of 2006. HOWEVER, at least we can say we were elite at one time... Something a certain program, cough UNI, can never say....

Elite programs win national titles. It takes more than 15 MVFC crowns to be an elite team.

[andy7171]

I find it kinda funny how a GSU fan asks a serious question strictly focused on YSU, yet some lonely Delaware fan who hasn't seen his school's name in the FCSFans lights much lately just had to insinuate it into the discussion.

[BTD30]

We have not been elite since the 90s and haven't been relevant since the final four season of 2006. HOWEVER, at least we can say we were elite at one time... Something a certain program, cough UNI, can never say....

Elite programs win national titles. It takes more than 15 MVFC crowns to be an elite team.

Yeah, well UNI the most consistent team in our league, mine as well say a elite team in our conference cause they are always challenging or winning the the MVFC crown every year. And we dont't...

[DJH]

We have not been elite since the 90s and haven't been relevant since the final four season of 2006. HOWEVER, at least we can say we were elite at one time... Something a certain program, cough UNI, can never say....

Elite programs win national titles. It takes more than 15 MVFC crowns to be an elite team.

At least we don't cheat.