Going where the action is

one loss doesn't knock you out of the FBS title game, or even two.

Next.

2008 is the first year ever when a 2-loss team has been in the title game.

Next. Right back at you.

Sorry to say...but it is most likely going to start happening more frequently. Parity is at an all-time high in college football, don't expect that to stop anytime soon. What does it matter anyway how many losses a team has? If a team does what it takes to get to the big game, because those two losses were relative to every other team's record, and wins it all then they are the champions whether they had no losses, or even 3. What is really the issue is the fact that anywhere from 2-4 teams could have made a legitimate argument that they deserved a shot at the championship game. I prefer my tournament to your game of craps any day.

You are ill-informed sir. There is no longer a I-AA simply Division I. Also the FBS division national champions of which you are speaking is actually not recognized by the NCAA as national champions, or as anything for that matter. Just as the Division I basketball championships, the NCAA logo and affiliation is everywhere, such as putting the logo at mid-court, banners, and signs in all host arenas. In the Division I Football Championship the same is the case, teams wear the NCAA logo, there are banners on the host stadium and so on. The FBS level you are so enamored with crowns a champion based off of sports writers, that is hardly official. If someone wanted to crown a basketball champion based on polls alone and the top two teams played for the championship everyone would consider that ludicrous, yet somehow for football it is excusable? Check NCAA.com... the only national champion in football for 2007 was Appalachian State, not LSU! LSU is recognized as BCS national champion, which has no affiliation with the NCAA. You claim one loss would eliminate a team? FBS football is the only level where that is the case. In the NFL you decide a champion in a playoff. Hell, by your account, the Patriots would be world champs right now. FBS football is the only level of major sports that the regular season is what matters and not the post-season. That goes against all logic.

You can call a dog turd filet mignon, but I'm not going to eat it. Div I-AA is still a lower division no matter what you call it and what they play for is not a National Championship.

Yeah, the BCS sucks, but it is the method that the top-tier football programs use to determine the National Champion.

Instead of waving your pom poms and trying to convince everyone that your little league trophy means something, why don't you come up and play a 12-game schedule against the big boys? I give App credit, I think they'd be better than half of the ACC in football if they did that. But until you stop playing against the boy scouts for 10 games a year, your record means nothing.

We would move up to your division if we could. Unfortunately there is a moratorium prohibiting moves up or down in classifications for football until 2011. We are currently getting our facilities in order so that we will be ready when such a move is allowed. Boise State was not as competitive as Appalachian during their stint in the FCS, so naturally when we do move, we will be even stronger then them, the same goes for USF. We try to schedule top teams every year and after Michigan the only team willing to play us was last year's supposed champion LSU. FSU, UNC, GT, the list goes on and on, they all turned us down because they are too scared. The best teams in the FCS don't want to play us either as they are afraid of a loss that will hamper their playoff chances. We play a lowly schedule not by choice, so get a clue. As soon as were are able to move up, and the right opportunity arises, we don't want to join the Sun Belt or MAC, we will and we will show all you doubters that it wasn't luck that made us national champions and the first team to beat a ranked FBS opponent, let alone a top 5.

You MUST be joking. Those teams won 10 of 12 national championships (including 7 straight) against the highest level of competition the sport had to offer at the collegiate level. Heck, App St. isn't even among the very best lower-tier "dynasties." John Hopkins, too, won three straight national championships in lacrosse (Division I), but they won 6 in 11 years (and 7 in 13.) Kenyon College has a Division III swimming streak that is currently at 29 consecutive years of championships. Is the current run by App impressive? Certainly. But don't go getting ahead of yourself. You'll need another few years at the top of the mountain with SUSTAINED success to be a true "dynasty."

From that perspective it was a bit of a stretch, but many schools don't have Lacrosse teams. Div III swimming? When was the last time a college football team --or basketball--or baseball--(major sport)can boast 3 consecutive national championships? Locally, I think Elon won 2 NAIA titles in the 80s, but not three. The U had 2 in a row (I think). There may be one, I really don't know, but I can't recall one from memory--UCLA is the most recent in my memory--almost 40 years ago, but I don't keep up with sports like you seem to.

As for the last insight, Don't assume that I am to defend my position by first accepting your definition dynasty. Three years as a national champion is SUSTAINED. If it happens once every thirty or forty years and you think it is not a dynasty, then you have lofty standards.

Since I need not go by YOUR definition of dynasty either, you could check your own sport and division. App (IMO) needs to at least match Youngstown State (4 titles in 7 years) or Georgia Southern (4 in 6.)
In DII, North Alabama matched your 3 straight from '93-'95, but then faded into obscurity. Personally, I think the runs by Grand Valley State (4 in 5 years) or North Dakota State (4 in 6) are more indicative of a truly strong PROGRAM, rather than one run with a largely similar group of players.
True dominance pops up again in DIII, where Mount Union has had two three-peats and a repeat since '96 (and a title in '93 to boot.) Heck, Augustana (Ill.) made 5 consecutive championship game appearances starting in '83, and won all four in a row from '84 on.
In baseball, LSU was able to win 4 titles in 7 years from '93-'00. In the '70s, Southern Cal won 5 consecutive, and 7 in 11 years.

All these other teams aside, I do not mean to demean what App has done. They are on a great run, and could well win next year with Armanti and his Superman cape coming back. I just think that a single three-year run does not lend a program to true dynasty status, and the national sports consciousness would probably agree.

Procton, wherever you go you sully the message boards with your omnipotence. First off you can't compare other sports, they are apples and oranges. Youngstown State and Georgia Southern are I-AA powerhouses but you write off App like it just appeared out of nowhere. Appalachian has fielded a consistently strong product for the past 30 years or so and it was by no means a fluke that we won three straight. Your reasoning is completely ridiculous. By your account three in a row is pure luck and not worth the title of dynasty but a single more in a span of 2 or 3 years to match would somehow justify that title. No...let me repeat this again...NO team at our level has ever won three in a row, so that speaks for itself. Also, for you to say we won with mostly the same players you are completely out of the loop. We had turnover every season at key positions...namely QB, what's his name? Oh yeah Armanti? And the best backup in the country? Oh yeah, Trey. We had an all new defensive line at every position last year. Get a clue. Your attitude and refusal to pay respect is just a perfect example of what motivates a quality football program to achieve what many say can't be done. I always have loved when people preface a statement with: "I don't mean any disrespect but..," and then proceed to dish it out endlessly.

So you are saying 4 titles in 7 years (57%-Youngstown St)is a dynasty, and 3 in 3 years (100%) is not? But you cannot find the feat (3 in a row) equalled or surpassed in Division I (A or AA) football? I hate APP St., but I appreciate what they have done because it is very hard with a playoff system. That is also why three in a row in harder than 4 out of 7--pressure to repeat.

I appreciate your opinion and see your points, however.