YSU notebook

YSU notebook

Expanded playoffs: The Football Championship Subdivision will have 20 playoff teams for the first time this fall after competing with 16 in recent history. Two of those spots will be automatic berths for the champions of the Big South and Northeast conferences. The other two will be at-large. The Missouri Valley Football Conference has one automatic berth and has had at least one at-large berth for the past 15 years. The league is hoping to earn at least one more at-large berth under the new format. “We believe sincerely our top teams are in a very good position for either [an at-large spot] or both,” said league commissioner Patty Viverito. Under the new format, the bottom eight teams will play four opening-round games on Nov. 27. The 16-team, second round will begin the following week, followed by the quarterfinals and semifinals the following two weeks. The championship game will be Jan. 7, the day before the BCS championship game. Viverito said she’s hoping the field will eventually be expanded to 24 teams but has been told by the NCAA that the finances aren’t available for that to happen anytime soon.

Thinking ahead: Viverito also said she’s had open discussions with the Summit League, which is exploring adding football in the future. The Summit (formerly the Mid-Continent Conference, of which YSU is a former member) has three teams that also compete in the MVFC: Western Illinois, North Dakota State and South Dakota State. The latter two joined the MVFC in 2008 and are under contract through 2015. Viverito is understandably concerned about losing members but said the MVFC has not discussed expanding or joining forces with the Summit. Still, she points to the 12-team Colonial Athletic Association (which features defending FCS champion Villanova) as a league that has been successful with more members. “Nine is a pretty perfect number for a lot of reasons,” she said of the MVFC’s current lineup. “But there are external factors developing in the Midwest and we need to be cognizant of that. The Colonial has opened some eyes for what larger leagues can be. If nothing else, it lets us know there’s more than one way to skin this playoff cat.”

Other YSU roster notes: Junior safety Scott Sentner (McDonald), junior right end Joel Younkins (Hubbard) and sophomore linebacker Bryan Whitaker (Boardman) will be out at the start of camp due to injury. Senior kickers Bob Gratz (Boardman) and Jarrod Satmare (Beaver Local) did not make the opening camp roster but will likely be added later this month. Also, incoming freshman Eric Franklin, an offensive tackle from Mooney, will spend the fall semester meeting eligibility requirements and will not be on the roster.

Joe Scalzo