Football Championship Subdivision Research Articles

Alumni Support for NCAA Division I Reclassification

We surveyed alumni of Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) in an attempt to measure their support for the school changing classifications in NCAA membership from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) up to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Using a contingent valuation method (CVM) mechanism, we show that alumni who intend to attend more football games in FBS are most likely to support the reclassification and support it most strongly. In general, alumni who donate to the university anyway, are out-of-state residents, are former intercollegiate athletes, attend football games, and think athletics are important would favor the reclassification.

Increased FBS application fee has underlying impact

In October, when the NCAA's Division I Council adopted a series of membership rules and requirements for colleges and universities wanting to move from the Football Championship Subdivision to Football Bowl Subdivision, the most significant change was raising the application fee from $5,000 to $5 million.

Exploring academic performance: An examination of athletic reclassification from FCS to FBS

ABSTRACT We examined the changes in academic qualifications of incoming freshmen to the general student population and the Academic Progress Rate (APR) of football student-athletes at universities who transition within National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I, from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Eight institutions that made the transition between 2012 and 2017 were included to see the changes in applications received, grade point averages (GPA) of the entire incoming class, and football team APR. Data analysis consisted of pre-and post-reclassification tests in 4-year and 8-year windows to explore the duration of changes. The results showed there was a significant increase in GPA of incoming students and a significant decrease in APR of football student-athletes. The findings suggest that the transition is positively correlated with the quality of students entering the general student population, while conversely having a negative correlation with football student-athlete academic progress metrics.

College football attendance in the long run: The Football Championship Subdivision

A balanced panel (61 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) football teams over 38 years) is used to estimate four regression models using time series and panel methods and identify variables that drive per‐game season attendance. Variables are either stationary or co‐integrated. Most coefficients are consistent across models: season win percentage, lifetime win percentage, undergraduate enrollment, and real gas price per mile driven were positive while real state per capita income exerted a negative impact. Unexpectedly, FCS games are inferior goods and greater travel costs raise attendance. Other coefficients displayed inconsistent results: playoff appearances in the last 10 years, county population, and state unemployment rate.

Safety of college football student-athletes: Playing guarantee games against superior opponents

ABSTRACT Powerhouse college football teams have historically scheduled lesser opponents to start a new season. Universities competing at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) make up the highest level, while universities competing at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) are the level below. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine if student-athletes from FCS schools had an increased potential for injury when competing against teams from the FBS level. A qualitative methodology was used while collecting data from eight FCS athletic trainers consistently involved in guarantee games. Because athletic trainers work to prevent injuries, the opportunity to hear rich, qualitative narratives was the foundation for this study. The findings indicated that a majority of FCS athletic trainers (N = 7) said their student-athletes suffered from increased soreness and in-game injuries following games against FBS schools.

The SEC vs. the Dow Jones: A Profitable Betting Strategy in NCAA Football

This article tests the efficient market hypothesis (EMH) and the profitability of a simple betting strategy in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college football. We examine all games that have a point spread, from September 2003 through January 2015, for inter-conference matches involving a Power Five/Automatic Qualifying (P5/AQ) team against a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponent. We further investigate one conference using these matches from 2016 through 2018 seasons. The betting strategy evidence suggests it is nonrandom and profitable to bet against the Southeastern Conference (SEC), despite its perceived status as the nation’s top conference.

Vitamin D Practice Patterns in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Collegiate Athletics Programs.

Vitamin D status has been associated with performance, health, and well-being in athletic populations. The measurement of vitamin D status via 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] testing has increased in the general population, as has vitamin D supplement use. It is unclear if similar patterns exist in collegiate athletics programs. To describe the clinical care related to the prevention, evaluation, and treatment of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency used by sports medicine providers with National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I programs. Cross-sectional study. Population-based online survey. All NCAA Division I head athletic trainers. Information related to 25(OH)D testing, vitamin D supplementation, vitamin D-related protocols and procedures, and characteristics of athletic programs and participants. We received 249 responses (72% response rate). Use of 25(OH)D testing was described by 68% of participants, with the most common indicators being health status/history (78%) and injury status/history (74%). One-fifth of participants stated that vitamin D testing was conducted as screening (without a specific cause or indication). Target blood vitamin D concentrations were highly variable. A range of 8 to 1660 annual vitamin D blood tests was reported at a cost of <$50 (8%), $51 to $100 (51%), $101 to $150 (20%), and >$150 (10%). Forty-two percent of programs covered the cost of vitamin D supplements. More than half of the participants indicated that vitamin D blood testing and supplements were not a good use of program funds. In comparison with Football Championship Subdivision programs, Football Bowl Subdivision programs were more likely to conduct vitamin D testing and pay for vitamin D supplements, and their providers were more likely to believe that testing and supplements were a good use of program funds. A great deal of variability was present in vitamin D-related clinical practices among NCAA Division I athletics programs, which reflects existing contradictions and uncertainty in research, recommendations, and guidelines. Knowledge of current practice patterns is important in evaluating and establishing best practices, policies, and procedures for sports medicine and sports nutrition professionals in the collegiate setting.

Moving Up and Paying Up: A Case Study of Western Kentucky University’s Move to the Football Bowl Subdivision

A trend among college football programs is to ascend from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). While nine football programs have initiated the transition to the FBS since 2012, the football program at Western Kentucky University (WKU) was the only program from 2005 to 2011 to reclassify from the FCS to the FBS, providing a unique opportunity for a case study. Spending and revenue trends continue to fluctuate in athletic programs and in higher education at large. It is important to recognize the repercussions financially and otherwise of football reclassification and consider if elevating to FBS is a fiscally responsible decision for universities. Several financial decisions, including a stadium renovation, facilities expansion, aggressive coaching moves, conference realignment, and upgrading the nonconference schedule, demonstrated that WKU’s football program was an early adopter of the current reclassification trend in college athletics. By studying the case of WKU’s football transition to the FBS, we can explain the longitudinal impact of such a commitment and make connections to current trends in college football.Subscribe to TPE

Rising to the Challenge of Our Rival: Promoting Rivalry at Sam Houston State University Through Campus Recreation

Rivalries are a powerful promotional tool that can help drive identification with a brand, attendance at sports events, and subsequent consumer spending. While rivalries often benefit the participating athletic departments directly, there are other peripheral benefits that institutions can take advantage of. For instance, campus recreation departments can use the rivalry to help boost participation and provide additional psychic income benefits. This case focuses on two NCAA Football Championship Subdivision rivals and the ways in which the branding of their annual football contest, the Battle of the Piney Woods, can be best leveraged by other programs in the university, namely campus recreation. A sample scenario of a relatively new recreational sports employee is provided along with promotional elements and background for the universities and the Battle of the Piney Woods event. The reader is challenged to devise strategies that can best tie the Battle of the Piney Woods rivalry to the promotion of recreational sports offerings. The goal of such an exercise is to have one examine how large inter-institutional rivalries can also benefit other sport organizations that are within the university but are not necessarily just in the athletic department.

An examination of division I athletic-academic support services facilities and staffing

ABSTRACTThis study examined athlete academic support services in NCAA Division I schools across three broad areas: 1) program scope and budget, 2) program leadership and staffing, and 3) program facilities and equipment. A secondary purpose was to examine differences in these programs and facilities based upon football status amongst three categories including Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), and non-football Division I schools (NFS). A 48-item survey was developed with expert input to explore academic support programs and facilities. A total of 100 academic support program directors completed the online survey, including 29 FBS, 36 FCS, and 35 NFS institutions dispersed among 31 athletic conferences. Descriptive data for the Division I schools for 21 key variables were determined for the whole sample. Additional ANOVA results identified 18 areas of significant difference based upon football classification regarding athletic-academic support facilities and their leadership, staffing, budget, and facilities.

The academic impact of participating in college football playoff games

ABSTRACTThis study uses ten years of football team data from NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) institutions to explore the academic impact of intercollegiate football playoff participation. Fixed effects regression analyses of panel data spanning the 2003–04 to 2013–14 academic years show participation in three weeks of postseason play has a negative effect on fall team GPA, though an extremely small sample size elicits concerns regarding generalizability. In contrast, analyses of Academic Progress Rate (APR), the NCAA metric for student-athlete team academic success, reveals teams participating in three weeks of playoffs contention have higher APR scores than teams not competing. The study also compares results produced through Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and fixed effects regression analyses.

The Embodied Experience of a Football Championship Subdivision Student-Athlete

Many scholars feel that due to the intensity of college sport, student-athletes are confined to borders, being denied a well-rounded experience (Potuto &amp; O’Hanlon, 2007). Although past research has focused on the educational experiences in regards to the general student-athlete population, few studies have focused on the culture that constructs the overall student-athlete experience. This study utilized the narrative methodology, revealing the genuine human experience and assisting in mobilizing action for progressive social change (Riessman, 2008). This study utilized semi-structured interviews and journals to examine the embodied in-season experience of an athletically gifted Cuban FCS football student-athlete. Open coding revealed two major themes that will be discussed: football, identity, social support, and stereotype. This study is one of the first to explore the experience of a FCS student-athlete and sheds light on a Cuban football student-athlete’s experience.

A Decade of Referee Bias against College Football Programs from Historically Black Colleges and Universities

The central objective of this investigation was to examine within game penalties that were levied against football programs from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States. Previous scholarship that sets an appropriate background on sports science and culture has revealed that referee bias has occurred in many European sports. It was in the methods section of this scholarship that statistical analyses were discussed in terms of game day penalties that occurred within the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) from the 2006 through the 2015 season. The results illustrated that referees penalized football teams from historically black college and universities (HBCUs) significantly more than football teams from predominantly white institutions (PWIs). An interpretation of this quantitative data was subsequently completed and Expectancy Violations Theory (EVT) was appropriately spotlighted in the discussion section of this study in an effort to assign meaning to the analytics of interest.

Creatine Usage and Education of Track and Field Throwers at National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Universities.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the level of creatine use along with the perceived benefits and barriers of creatine use among collegiate athletes who participate in throwing events within the sport of track and field. A total of 258 throwers from National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I institutions completed an online survey regarding creatine. The results provided baseline levels of creatine use and allowed for the analysis of factors related to athletic conference affiliation. Results indicate that creatine use remains to be a common (32.7%) practice among throwers with significantly higher levels of use among Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conference athletes (44.6%) than Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) conference athletes (28.8%), χ² = 5.505, p = 0.019. The most common reasons for using creatine included a desire to improve/increase: strength (83.3%), recovery time (69.0%), and performance (60.7%). The most common perceived obstacles included contamination/quality control (39.5%), cost (33.3%), inconvenience (16.7%), and cramping (14.3%). A desire for additional education and training was noted through an expression of interest (55.6%) with significantly higher levels of interest from FBS athletes (65.6%) than FCS athletes (52.2%), χ² = 6.425, p = 0.039. However, the athletic departments provide nutritional supplement counseling at only 26.6% of the schools. Although the access to full-time nutritionist counsel was available at 57.3% of the schools, there was a significant difference (χ² = 9.096, p = 0.003) between FBS schools (73.7%) and FCS schools (51.7%).

College Football Attendance: A Panel Study of the Football Championship Subdivision

Panel data across 8 years for the Football Championship Subdivision are used to estimate regular season game‐day percent of capacity regression equations. Higher ticket prices reduce attendance (elasticity of −1.9). Better team performance, in the short and intermediate terms, and traditional rivalries increase percent of capacity used. Poor weather and higher travel costs decrease it. Fan interest wanes as a season progresses, but this is offset as a team wins more games. Games played on Saturdays, played against conference opponents, or played by teams from the Football Bowl Subdivision increase stadium utilization. Results provide some evidence for the uncertainty of outcome hypothesis. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

A Refined Prediction Model for Core and Lower Extremity Sprains and Strains Among Collegiate Football Players.

Researchers have identified high exposure to game conditions, low back dysfunction, and poor endurance of the core musculature as strong predictors for the occurrence of sprains and strains among collegiate football players. To refine a previously developed injury-prediction model through analysis of 3 consecutive seasons of data. Cohort study. National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Championship Subdivision football program. For 3 consecutive years, all 152 team members (age = 19.7 ± 1.5 years, height = 1.84 ± 0.08 m, mass = 101.08 ± 19.28 kg) presented for a mandatory physical examination on the day before initiation of preseason practice sessions. Associations between preseason measurements and the subsequent occurrence of a core or lower extremity sprain or strain were established for 256 player-seasons of data. We used receiver operating characteristic analysis to identify optimal cut points for dichotomous categorizations of cases as high risk or low risk. Both logistic regression and Cox regression analyses were used to identify a multivariable injury-prediction model with optimal discriminatory power. Exceptionally good discrimination between injured and uninjured cases was found for a 3-factor prediction model that included equal to or greater than 1 game as a starter, Oswestry Disability Index score equal to or greater than 4, and poor wall-sit-hold performance. The existence of at least 2 of the 3 risk factors demonstrated 56% sensitivity, 80% specificity, an odds ratio of 5.28 (90% confidence interval = 3.31, 8.44), and a hazard ratio of 2.97 (90% confidence interval = 2.14, 4.12). High exposure to game conditions was the dominant injury risk factor for collegiate football players, but a surprisingly mild degree of low back dysfunction and poor core-muscle endurance appeared to be important modifiable risk factors that should be identified and addressed before participation.

A Qualitative Analysis of Athletic Apparel and Equipment Sponsorship Related to Student-Athlete Recruitment

The purpose of this study was to extend previous literature on student-athlete college choice by examining part of the recruitment process as a precursor to student-athlete decision-making. More specifically, this exploratory study aimed to empirically examine the extent to which apparel sponsorships affect student-athlete recruitment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten football players at a state-supported NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) institution in the Rocky Mountain region. An inductive approach was used in identifying three emergent themes. These themes suggest that football players at this institution did not hold the apparel and equipment sponsorship as a deciding factor for the commitment to a school, though they did hold strong opinions towards New Balance, and the other three brands referenced during the interviews. The values expressed by these participants can provide a basis for future apparel and equipment contracts at this institution. As this study was exploratory in nature, the findings lay the framework for similar research across gender, sport, school, and conference.

Should Western Arkansas University Move to a Football Bowl Subdivision Conference?

Mary Graham is the athletic director at Western Arkansas University (WAU), a successful Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) school that is about to receive an invitation to join a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conference. WAU’s Board of Regents has put the decision to join in her hands, but WAU’s president is pushing her to recommend accepting the invitation. Using details from a recently completed feasibility study and information from a professor in the sport management program, Graham must decide the future of her athletic program and university.

An Investigation of Financial Spending and Distributive Justice Principles in NCAA Division I Athletic Departments

The Knight Commission cites two critical spending issues in Division I college athletics: the imbalance of rapidly rising expenditures against slow-moving revenues and the widening gap between wealthy conferences and struggling conferences (2009). The purpose of this study is to compare expenditure trends in men’s revenue sports, men’s non-revenue sports, and female sports from 2006–2009, to determine if differences in distributive justice principles exist in budget decisions of athletic departments that fall within three Division I classifications: Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), and the Non-Football Subdivision (Division I without Football). FBS institutions were found to almost completely abide by equity principles when making budgetary decisions while the FCS and Non-Football Subdivision made more decisions founded in principles of equality and need.

Does becoming a Member of the Football Bowl Subdivision Increase Institutional Attractiveness to Potential Students

In recent years, a number of colleges and universities have made the decision to pursue membership in the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) with the idea that participating in higher profile intercollegiate football can help attract students to their institution. This belief, however, has not been empirically examined. Using difference-in-differences estimation, this study examined freshmen application trends at three colleges and universities (Florida Atlantic University, Florida International University, and Western Kentucky University) which moved from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the FBS in the mid-2000s relative to similar FCS institutions which did not move to the FBS. Findings showed that moving to the FBS had a positive, statistically significant correlation with freshmen applications at the two institutions located in Florida but not at Western Kentucky University.