Final 2012 game on schedule?

[tsg178]

Temple has been relesed from MAC.  Bowling Green might be an interesting match up, and they played Temple 10/22 last year.

[NYRam07]

Temple has been relesed from MAC.  Bowling Green might be an interesting match up, and they played Temple 10/22 last year.

Former Ram, Ian Pace, is on the coaching staff at Bowling Green.. not to mention that Clawson is the HC there.

[ram it 66]

If available, it would be better to play Bowling Green
than Cincinnati. In fact the game could be held at the
original Bowling Green on lower Broadway near the Bull.

[caliram]

Clawson desperately needs wins this year and has always been known for scheduling down for 2 wins somit makes sense. I think they already have rhode island so not sure if they would schedule another fcs. As far as I know the Mac schedule is not even fully completed yet

[Go...gate]

How did Loch Haven get on the sked?.  Those PSAA teams can be tough sometimes. 

[FUCoP69]

How did Loch Haven get on the sked?.  Those PSAA teams can be tough sometimes. 

That's true, but Lock Haven is not one of the tough ones. They are in the midst of a 40+ game losing streak.

[ramvet]

Fordham @. Cincinnati on Oct. 13. Confirmed by Coach (a guest) according to reliable voice at Friendly Sons pm 3/16.

[ace93]

Everybody should try really hard to not regurgitate what they have already said in this thread regarding a game against Cincinnati.

[ram it 66]

Fordham @. Cincinnati on Oct. 13. Confirmed by Coach (a guest) according to reliable voice at Friendly Sons pm 3/16.

I'm looking at an Army type ass-whipping like the one we got last October 29.
I will not be on a chartered bus like the last time.

There had to be another lesser team with a mutual open date.

[xtey92a]

Late December, Hudson Valley, treacherous roads, What could possibly go wrong?

[jimbo65]

Late December, Hudson Valley, treacherous roads, What could possibly go wrong?

One can ? the game but not the month.  Try October with all the leaves still on the trees.

[FUCoP69]

Fordham @. Cincinnati on Oct. 13. Confirmed by Coach (a guest) according to reliable voice at Friendly Sons pm 3/16.

This is really discouraging, but money talks. I guess Frank wanted the payday and I suppose Moorhead agreed, but I would have liked tp pass on scheduling BCS teams until we had at least one break-even season under our belt.

I can't help but cringe thinking about that Cincinnati-Austin-Peay game last season. 

[caliram]

I think its Great that we are playing cincy. Yes we will get crushed but who cares. We played 2 fbs schools last year , we started something and we should continue it. I dont know about you guys but where I grew up if you get beat up in the school yard by the bigger kid , you come back at him again the next day and give em hell. Yea you may get beat up but you keep coming at him , you dont run and hide. FU decided to go in this direction and how would it look if we quit because we took some lumps last year. It wasnt long ago that we were playing a division 3 schedule and now we are playing teams like Uconn , army and cincinatti. Lets keep moving forward and not look to run and hide because its hard .. Remember the magic happens outside of your comfort zone! Some of you and you know who you are would be happy beating up on marist and pace rather than trying to do something special

[NYRam07]

This is really discouraging, but money talks. I guess Frank wanted the payday and I suppose Moorhead agreed, but I would have liked tp pass on scheduling BCS teams until we had at least one break-even season under our belt.

I can't help but cringe thinking about that Cincinnati-Austin-Peay game last season. 

what makes you think it was Frank who scheduled this game and not  Moorehead? he is coming from the big east and has big east contacts. maybe he feels that this is best for the progrma, that it is helping him score some good recruits. i hate frank (as our AD) just as much as anyone else, but it gets tired seeing how everyone puts every decision made on him.

[71]

I think its Great that we are playing cincy. Yes we will get crushed but who cares. We played 2 fbs schools last year , we started something and we should continue it. I dont know about you guys but where I grew up if you get beat up in the school yard by the bigger kid , you come back at him again the next day and give em hell. Yea you may get beat up but you keep coming at him , you dont run and hide. FU decided to go in this direction and how would it look if we quit because we took some lumps last year. It wasnt long ago that we were playing a division 3 schedule and now we are playing teams like Uconn , army and cincinatti. Lets keep moving forward and not look to run and hide because its hard .. Remember the magic happens outside of your comfort zone! Some of you and you know who you are would be happy beating up on marist and pace rather than trying to do something special

I can see Army, or Navy, or BC. There's something there, and it could be in your words "special."  I don't see anything special about getting the crapped kicked out of us by the likes of UConn and Cincy.  We end up becoming the favorite Big East punching bag for Parents Day.  All we get out it is some bucks and the chance to be a punch line on SportsCenter.  I'm not sure that the UConn game did anything good for the team or the program last year. 

[An Old Coach]

Remember, it's not if Fordham wins or loses, it's how Fordham can pretend to be something it's not.

[jimbo65]

When I saw the update to this thread yesterday I thought it was a joke.  Well it is a joke, just not the joke I thought it was.  However, I honor Ace's request and will not repeat my rant from the original posting.

[caliram]

Bunch of cry babies !!! Let's just go back to d3 and u will all be happy

[FUCoP69]

what makes you think it was Frank who scheduled this game and not  Moorehead?

I don't know who made the decision, I'm just speculating. But I also don't care who made the decision, I think it's ill-advised. As 71 says, the only thing Fordham gains from this game is money. We are not resurrecting some ancient rivalry or creating some new big game series with Fordham students and alumni making pilgrimages to Cincinnati. We are setting ourselves up as a Big East cupcake available for purchase by the highest bidder. 

And scheduling what what has the possibility of being an utter rout in the middle of the season could have the effect of knocking the wind out of our sails if, by chance, we have gotten off to a good start in our first few games. How many games did we win after the Army debacle last season?

Cali, I admire your upbeat optimism, but I question your connection with reality where this program is concerned.

[An Old Coach]

what makes you think it was Frank who scheduled this game and not  Moorehead? he is coming from the big east and has big east contacts. maybe he feels that this is best for the progrma, that it is helping him score some good recruits. i hate frank (as our AD) just as much as anyone else, but it gets tired seeing how everyone puts every decision made on him.

Are you trying to say that Frank/gray didn't have to sign off on this?  Frank is supposed to be the adult in the room.  He had final approval. 

[w89]

Will the team bus out to Ohio that morning?

[FUCoP69]

Will the team bus out to Ohio that morning?

How many of the "let's upgrade the program by scheduling BCS teams" alumni will be willing to travel to Cincinnati for the game    Will there be any people cheering for dear old Fordham in that great big Cincy stadium 

[NYRam07]

Maybe.. just Maybe Moorhead got feedback from recent recruits that the reason why they chose us was because of the opportunity to play in a BCS game. Maybe Moorhead is using this as a recruiting tool. Maybe Moorhead knows more about what is going on that all of you (and me). You can sit here and type "this doesnt help with recruiting" all you want, but the fact of the matter is you have 0 clue on if it does or not. Unless you are sitting in the meeting rooms with allt he coaches, or unless you are sitting in the recruits house... you really have no idea. none of us do. I think it does help, and I think Moorhead made this decision in a carefully thought out way. He doesnt seems to be the type that acts on emotion or without a plan.

I believe he was able to use UCONN and Army as a recruiting tool, and the promise to play more big time schools as a tool as well.

 "Hey, you saw us go up against Army and UCONN last year. We didnt play as well as we wanted to, and we didnt see the results that we expected, but we will continue to play those teams and we will compete and eventually upset these teams. Are you going to be the WR who makes that TD that upsets Cinci and gets a top play on ESPN? Are you going to be the DE that records a game changing sac/fumble that gets your picture on ESPN? Are you going to be that guy? the hero? Well, I can promise you that you'll have that opportunity here at Fordham. I can also promise you that we are bringing in more guys just like you that want to make a name for themselves and for the school. Wouldn't it be great to be a part of something special? something so few people who ever wore maroon and white have done? And dont forget that we are competing for a championship again. You can do more here than you can at other patriod league schools. Do something special!"

I'm sure Moorhead can it much better than I can, but if something said that to me when I was deciding on different schools there is no way it wouldnt have an effect on me. To suggest otherwise means you are so deadset on your ways that you refuse to see the positive in the situation. Have some guts. Have some passion. Stop being debbie downers and embrace the challenge.

I think I've come to the conclusion that some of the people on this board will never be hapy. You're pissed when we play d2 schools, your pissed when we play BCS schools, your pissed when we play schools that dont have some type of connection to fordham - whether it be history or religion  - your pissed when we lose and your not happy enough when we win... because dont forget, we did win 2 patriot league titles last decade along with sending a number of players to the NFL.

Oh, and on the point of playing schools with a connection to Fordham. Let me tell you that anyone 27 years old and younger doesnt care. Playing BC makes just as much sense as playing Cinci. Playing Army makes as much sense as playing Alabama. People my age only care about playing schools that we'd have interest in watching. Whether it be a jesuit school, or a school with an old rivalry or a school we see on national TV every weekend. It doesnt matter. As long as we know who we are playing we'll be interested. I can promise you that. Times have changed.

Sorry that this isnt the best formatted post. It is certainly more of a rant. Just wanted to type and get some things off my chest. Some of you think the school and the administration and the team is frustrating... reading this board and the opinions of some of the people here are even more frustrating. maybe when i'm older and I can say i've been following fordham for 50 years i'll feel the same way as some of you. I hope to God I don't. I don't expect to become that way though. 

[71]

Maybe..
 

07, I won't go through all your points. Some are valid, and I admire your enthusiasm.

I agree with you: we don't know whether this is a recruiting tool. Neither do you. You're speculating also.  Recruiting is sales and you sell what you have.  If we didn't have FBS on the schedule, he would be going in and saying: "We're building something special and real here.  We're not going to play just for the money or completely off the scope. Did you see what happened to Austin Peay last year? We're not going to do that."

The truth is this program is not ready for this scheduling. We don't have the players and the structure to give us a realistic chance; not this year.  I don't think that people really object to FBS opponents. They object to what appears to be a scattershot, non-planned approach that is neither incrementally progressive nor logical.

You say: " As long as we know who we are playing we'll be interested. . . . Times have changed."  Well who do you know?
 Why is Cincy someone that Fordham fans of any age would know or get excited about?  You're right and wrong at the same time. People do want to know who they are playing; times have not changed in that regard.  When I mentioned BC earlier (and I was just throwing that out there,I don't think the opportunity exists), it being a Jesuit school was only a small part of it.  The larger part was playing a school like that is it would likely get better attendance from alumni.  Who's going to make the road trip to Cincinnati?  It does matter who you play.  I think that playing Army and trying to schedule Navy made some sense in trying to build something. They offer added attraction in addition to the football; a kind of destination event while giving alums more exposure to the football program. Also, the talent level at those schools is different because of their unique circumstances. So you had an attraction and a chance (the snow rout not withstanding).

Going to Cincinnati just to get clobbered?  I'm not making the trip.  I didn't go to the UConn game for about the same reason.  It was too nice at the beach; there was nothing that made me want to go.

We need a plan to do this properly. And waiting for people to ask us to play at the last minute because they've got holes in their schedule doesn't seem like much of a plan.

[Battering Ram]

We need a plan to do this properly. And waiting for people to ask us to play at the last minute because they've got holes in their schedule doesn't seem like much of a plan.

no doubt but the new staff was given a bad hand.  They filled one hole with a cupcake and another hole with a FBS team. 

I think we should play FBS/IA teams but who we play is important, too, especially given our situation.  The key is to play teams where we can get a payday and where it helps us recruit football players and applicants for the general student population. 

As for the Cincy game, I don't think we can be hypercritical of the choice.  The new staff had only a sort time to get a game while at the same time recruiting and getting to know the current roster.  If any choice is a mulligan, this is it.

[FUCoP69]

no doubt but the new staff was given a bad hand.  They filled one hole with a cupcake and another hole with a FBS team. 

I think we should play FBS/IA teams but who we play is important, too, especially given our situation.  The key is to play teams where we can get a payday and where it helps us recruit football players and applicants for the general student population. 

As for the Cincy game, I don't think we can be hypercritical of the choice.  The new staff had only a sort time to get a game while at the same time recruiting and getting to know the current roster.  If any choice is a mulligan, this is it.

The one undeniable fact in this discussion is that, if we had competent administration in the athletic department, our 2012 football schedule would have been set two or more years ago, and we would not be patching together a schedule at the very last minute. Leaving aside the question of whether or not playing BCS teams helps recruiting efforts, this program needs wins to re-establish itself as a legitimate FCS program now. Remember, we had two merit scholarship classes and yet were only 1-7 against FCS teams with no merit scholarships.

[An Old Coach]

Ram07... That is an awful lot of maybes for one of the worst programs in the country.  I was on the recruiting trail myself for a long time and I still have a lot of contact with football coaches in quite a few schools. I've yet to hear of an instance where a solid recruit with options is seriously considering any school because they're playing a particular game. On top of that, there is no way last seasons embarrassment on national tv is helping with recruiting.  The types of athletes Fordham needs to get the program turned around are going to base their decisions on a lot of things. Playing the U of C isn't one of them. 
This game is going to be a distraction and will not help building a successful program in the near or long term.

For everyone who is so anxious for this game, tell me how many will be going. There won't be 1000 people from Fordham. 

[xtey92a]

One can ? the game but not the month.  Try October with all the leaves still on the trees.

I grew up in Westchester, went to a HS winter track meet at WP one Saturday night. Everyone on the bus thought we would die that night, the road to the Bear Mountain bridge is scary as H3ll

[ram it 66]

Will the team bus out to Ohio that morning?

Yeah, without a restroom like the one to West Point.

[PA Ram]

I agree with you: we don't know whether this is a recruiting tool. Neither do you. You're speculating also.  Recruiting is sales and you sell what you have.  If we didn't have FBS on the schedule, he would be going in and saying: "We're building something special and real here.  We're not going to play just for the money or completely off the scope. Did you see what happened to Austin Peay last year? We're not going to do that."
...

NY07 isn't speculating.  Both our former coach and our current one have that playing FBS schools is a recruiting tool and they emphasized that it's a good one.  Doesn't mean that the games are always worthwhile but on the single topic of whether or not it's a recruiting tool, the answer is definitive - it is.