1. Before I talk about the win over Butler, I want to start with this score from Saturday: Indiana State 27, Ball State 20.

Earlier in the week, YSU athletic director Ron Strollo http://www.vindy.com/news/2014/sep/10/schedule-starts-with/?mobile" target="_blank">explained why the Penguins scheduled three weak home games, including one against the non-scholarship Bulldogs. And I get it. Running an athletic department isn't cheap and, like most schools, YSU needs football to pay the bills.

But I also think it's short-sighted. Unlike most schools in the Missouri Valley, the Penguins play in a MAC-obsessed state. Beating a team like Ball State may cost YSU a little money in the short-term, but not only does it give your playoff hopes a boost, it gets people talking about Youngstown State football. And trust me, as someone who writes about YSU football for a living, there's not enough of that happening in Youngstown.

Maybe the Penguins' accountants wouldn't trade the Butler game for Ball State, but I think they're the only ones.

2. Saturday's crowd wasn't bad — there were 14,381 tickets distributed, although I'd guess they probably had half that number in the stands — but nobody was there because they thought it would be a great game. They were there because they like watching YSU football.

I think these games do long-term damage, because I think many fans can (and do) start to resent having to watch blowouts just so YSU can balance its budget. Maybe a game at Akron or Kent doesn't make as much sense financially, but the fans (and, yes, the media) would love it.

It also doesn't help that YSU's home conference schedule stinks. The Penguins play North Dakota State and South Dakota State on the road and don't play Northern Iowa at all. (UNI is off YSU's schedule this year and next year.) That leaves Western Illinois, Southern Illinois, South Dakota and Indiana State.

3. One more point: If YSU had won more conference game in each of the last three seasons, this whole discussion is moot. Nobody would care. The frustration over YSU's playoff drought is spilling over into everything else.

But as I wrote earlier this week, YSU is one of just two MVFC teams not to play at least one full-scholarship FCS team in its non-conference schedule. And the other one, Western Illinois, is playing two Big Ten teams.

(If you're curious about the rest of the league, I'll attach the breakdown at the bottom of this blog.)

4. Back to Butler. Like everyone else, I was impressed by the performance of true freshman Hunter Wells, but you can't help but mention that it came against a non-scholarship FCS team that needed to rally in the second half just to beat Division III Wittenberg next week.

Would the regular starter, Dante Nania, have thrown for 300 yards and four TDs? Hard to say. But my guess is yes.

That's not a knock on Wells. He's got a good grasp of the offense, he makes good reads, he goes through his progressions, he's accurate and he's got good size. He doesn't have a cannon, but his arm is strong enough. His time will come. But if Nania is healthy, he should start.

Of course, Nania is rarely healthy.

5. YSU's coaches and players have been talking about how they're a no-name team, something that got repeated after Saturday's win.

"We don't have any big names," WR Jelani Berassa said. "We just play together as a team."

"I like coaching a no-name team," added YSU coach Eric Wolford. "I don't have to worry about no All-Americans and NFL prospects and all this stuff. It's kind of nice. I'm just a no-name guy."

Just a guess, but this probably stems from YSU having just one preseason first team all-conference selection: WR Andre Stubbs, who made it as a kick returner. Running back Martin Ruiz is probably an exception to this rule — he was the MVFC newcomer of the year last season — but they're right. I doubt most YSU fans could name more than a half-dozen guys on the team.

And while it's good to have NFL prospects and guys gunning for awards, it can hurt the team chemistry.

A couple of this year's defensive players have told me they thought last year's team was plagued by some selfishness, so maybe the "no-name" theme is a response to that.

6. YSU gave up 221 passing yards to Butler but the Penguins were missing three potential starters at cornerback: sophomore Nate Dortch (concussion), sophomore Eric Thompson (shoulder) and junior Kenneth Durden (awaiting paperwork on his transfer from South Florida).

I have no idea what's holding up the transfer. Youngstown State officials have told me they've done everything they need to do, so this is coming from USF. He got busted for marijuana possession down there, so maybe they're still miffed?

Anyway, that's two FBS transfers (Dortch played at Miami, Fla.) out of the lineup. YSU has been content to play shell coverage to avoid giving up big plays, but that approach isn't going to work in MVFC play.
"We gotta get healthy," Wolford said.

7. As I reported earlier in the week, Fitch's Will Mahone left the team for "personal reasons" after the Illinois game. He did not respond to an interview request, but tweeted on Wednesday that he's still enrolled at YSU and he's looking to transfer next semester to play football.

"I don't know where so don't ask," he wrote.

Mahone spent 10 days in jail this summer after a strange, drunken incident in Austintown in June. I talked to someone from Austintown this week who said he thinks Mahone should leave Youngstown. "If he stays here, everyone will keep bringing up what he did," he said. "If he leaves, it'll be forgetten wherever he goes."

8. In case you missed it, http://www.vindy.com/news/2014/sep/09/strollo-upgrades-needed-coming/?newswatch" target="_blank">I wrote a story in Tuesday's paper about some of YSU's facility upgrades, including plans to boost the lighting at Stambaugh Stadium.

9. Saturday was a good day for the MVFC. North Dakota State hosted ESPN Gameday (for the second straight year) and obliterated Incarnate Word 58-0.

As of 11 p.m. on Saturday, the conference was 8-0 in all Saturday games and has not lost to an FCS school in 2014. (South Dakota was playing Montana in the lone late game.)

I'd be stunned if the conference doesn't have at least three playoff teams this year.

10. As promised above, here's the breakdown of MVFC non-conference games:

Illinois State (only three games, all full-scholarship FCS)
Mississippi Valley State: SWAC
Eastern Illinois: OVC
Austin Peay: OVC

Indiana State (two FBS, two full-scholarship FCS)
Indiana: Big Ten
Tennessee Tech: OVC
Ball State: MAC
Liberty: Big South

Missouri State (one FBS, three full-scholarship FCS)
Northwestern State: Southland
Oklahoma State: Big 12
North Dakota: Big Sky
Central Arkansas: Southland

North Dakota State (one FBS, three full-scholarship FCS)
Iowa State: Big 12
Weber State: Big Sky
Incarnate Word: Southland
Montana: Big Sky

UNI (two FBS, two full-scholarship FCS)
Iowa: Big Ten
Hawaii: Mountain West
Northern Colorado: Big Sky
Tennessee Tech: OVC

South Dakota (one FBS, two full-scholarship FCS, one NAIA)
Oregon: PAC-12
William Penn: NAIA
Montana: Big Sky
Northern Arizona: Big Sky

South Dakota State (one FBS, two full-scholarship FCS, one Division III)
Missouri: SEC
Cal Poly: Big Sky
Southern Utah: Big Sky
Wis.-Oshkosh: Division III

Southern Illinois (one FBS, two full-scholarship FCS, one NAIA)
Taylor: NAIA
Eastern Illinois: OVC
SE Missouri State: OVC
Purdue: Big Ten

Western Illinois (two FBS, two non-scholarship FCS)
Valparaiso: Pioneer
Wisconsin: Big Ten
Drake: Pioneer
Northwestern: Big Ten