It's ironic to complain about Texas State and U.Mass, and wish for WKy or ODU. Go back a few years and all of those were FCS schools. It's entirely possible that WKy and ODU could have turned out to be garbage today, and Texas State and U.Mass could have been the ones that improved. I actually tought Whipple was going to turn U.Mass around, but so far it hasn't worked out that way. [/QUOTE]Wouldn't call it ironic.
WKU, since turning FBS, after scuffling thru the first four years ... has been a program that has won at least 7 games and been to four bowl games in the last 6 years.
http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/western-kentucky /
ODU, since turning FBS, has been 8-4, 5-7, 6-6, 10-3 and won a bowl game already. Now maybe ... just maybe ... they fall on tough times. But being in a legit league (CUSA) and being a playoff caliber team in FCS for years under Bobby Wilder....I'm guessing they'll be okay. Not to mention, they are a helluva lot closer to Athens than San Marcos, TX ... making it a much more appealing game.
Texas State....one winning season (7-5) in the five years in FBS. They play in a subpar league ... arguably as bad as the MAC some years (Sun Belt)...have a somewhat weak FCS history with only two playoff appearances and again ....ARE LOCATED IN SAN MARCOS, TX, a mere 1300+ miles from Athens.
UMass ... when are we just going to admit their jump to FBS is a just a full-blow failure. They had a pretty good thing going in FCS...won a couple titles...were a pretty regular playoff contender. But since jumping to FBS, they've won 10 games in five years. 10 GAMES. You have to go back to 1904 to find the last time they had a winning record in Division I. There is a reason (other than basketball wouldn't join) the MAC wasn't pained to see them go.
[QUOTE=L.C.]
As far as the comment above that obviously recent recruiting classes are not better because Ohio is still 8-6, remember that last year's team was made up primarily of the 2012 and 2013 recruiting classes, while this fall's team will be mostly 2013 and 2014 recruits. Are the most recent classes dramatically better? Ask me in a few years. They look good now, but they have a lot of work to do to prove it on the field.