The little guy ain't so little anymore

All Hail Division I-AA!
All Hail the FCS!
The tyranny of Division I-A is over!

Ok, so maybe its not. But after the "little guys," from James Madison University, a small school in mid-Virginia, upset supposed national title contender Virginia Tech this past weekend it's clear that it doesn't always matter how big your football program is or how much money you have; at the end of the day football is football, there are winners and losers and sometimes the loser is going to be the "better team."

I've always felt that Division I-AA teams were always looked on with a sort of casual indifference by the experts, too good for Division II but not good enough to be classed with the so-called elite. But more and more it's proven that the I-AA teams can be just as good as the I-A teams if not better.

Maybe it's a question of the lower level teams want it more, they have nothing to lose while the bigger teams treat the contest as a cupcake game. It's a tried and true method of the I-A teams, schedule lower level games to bolster you're own records while granting the "little guy," with some prime-national exposure, or embarrassment. Bottom line, they don't take the game seriously.

But they should and some are taking notice. Last week the Big East extended an offer to my alma mater, the defending FCS Champion Villanova Wildcats, to move up to the next level and join the football side of the conference (most other Nova sports including basketball are already part of the Big East). Villanova probably won't join as it'll require too much change to the athletic landscape on campus but at least the big boys are starting to realize that there's a lot of talent and excitement to be had at I-AA.

Odds are though most I-A teams will continue to schedule games against the lower level assuming it'll be an easy win and while most times that's true, I'll still advise those teams to not be so quick to assume an easy victory.

What I will do is guarantee that team's like Michigan (after an epic loss to Appalachian State) and now Virginia Tech will never make that mistake again.