For Football fans

First a bit of homerism.

Because I am an unabashed Appalachian State Mountaineer (ASU)football fan I enjoyed the back-to-back national championships and the unfortunately waning prospects of a three-peat. It is tough to dominate when your defense is just good enough to keep you in games. I get a good look early Saturday morning at the tailgaters lining the approaches to the stadium and preparing for a day of revelry. It is a stark contrast with the crowds twenty years ago.

A handful of hardy souls would set up grills and some even went to the extreme of erecting a cabana. As the football team got better, the crowds grew. Now, ASU is among the leaders in NCAA FCS (I sure hope the marketing genius who came up with that garble of letters to replace the clear and elegant 1AA did not get promoted), finishing third in attendance in 2006 with averaging crowds of 20,546 over 9 games. A look at the figures shows those extra games tend to make a significant difference in not only total attendance but in average as well.There is a bit of a skew in that data.Those extra games are played by winning teams and you know how everyone loves a winner. What better evidence is there of that than the mania which swept Boone in the wake of their upset of Michigan. That is reflected in the skyrocketing gates this year.

Appalachian Among National Leaders in Attendance Figures
by Appalachian Sports Information

October 18, 2005 - BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University football ranks among the nation’s top three in both average attendance and average percentage of capacity, according to the latest I-AA statistics released by the NCAA on Tuesday.

Appalachian has averaged 22,377 fans per game at Kidd Brewer Stadium this season, good for third nationally behind only Tennessee State (25,342 per game) and Montana (23,506).

But on to the reason for this posting...

There was an interesting piece in the Winston-Salem Journal. While focusing on scoring in the Southern Conference, I think the trends elucidated could easily apply to all college football. I offer as evidence the record of the Oregon Ducks who have put up 43.75 points per game in going 7-1 and earning #4 national BCS rating. Lazy me did not work the stats to see if there was (and there probably is) a higher scoring team. Pro football is a different game.

More Points: Offenses have been clicking this season, particularly in the Southern Conference

By Tommy Bowman

JOURNAL REPORTER

Do you like high-scoring football games?
Check out the Southern Conference this season.
Five SoCon teams rank in the top 15 in scoring offense among the 116 that compete in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision.

Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, The Citadel, Wofford and Elon are all averaging between 35 and 39 points a game. Any of those five averages would have led the league in scoring last season.

There are some interesting quotes in the story.

(Furman coach Bobby) Lamb said: “Whether you’re a Spread team that passes the ball or a Spread team that runs the ball, it’s effective. A team like Appalachian spreads you out to run, and a team like Elon spreads you out to throw…. The Spread offense has really produced scoring in this league.”

and

Other factors for increased scoring range from more plays per game because of this season’s changes in play-clock rules, as well as offenses starting in better field position than before because kickoffs are now made from the 30-yard line.

“Common sense will tell you, the more opportunities you get with the football in your hands the more chances you have to score points,” Coach Chris Hatcher of Georgia Southern said. Teams in the SoCon are averaging 15 more plays a game than last season.

Link

As Cenk would say, 'Just saying'.