The Mess That is the FCIAC Football Schedule
The furor over all but one of the Game 5 week games not counting toward the league standings has temporarily died down — though the controversy could soar again next week — but the bottom line right now is that the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference football schedule is a complete and utter mess.
It is embarrassing that the league has to resort to a point system where teams not only have to worry about the outcome of their games, but whether they can accrue enough bonus points depending on how their previous opponents fare. This is a system in theory similar to college football’s BCS over the past few years, and we have all seen what a joke that has turned out to be.
Right now St. Joseph has to worry about beating Wilton tomorrow and hope for wins from Brien McMahon and Danbury to build up bonus points. Is this really how we want the finalists for the league’s title game to be decided?
And if you thing the Week 5 furor was bad a month ago, imagine what will happen if the Cadets win tomorrow and then defeat Darien and reach the final because their loss to Stamford dis not count in the league standings.
I’ve been busy looking into this story for the last couple of weeks, talking to coaches and league officials. I plan on weighing in with my own opinion next week in the paper.
I spent 15 minutes talking with FCIAC executive secretary John Kuczo about this at the title game of the soccer tournaments. Kuczo is as frustrated as everyone, but like everyone feels hamstrung.
A 19-team league creates an impossible scenario. But the bigger problem is league bylaws which mandate that divisions have to be arranged by school size, and that certain teams outside of Thanksgiving Day rivals must meet during the regular season.
There can be no perfect system, but I still believe the current one came be improved. It is going to require the FCIAC to take the bold step of reworking its bylaws for football, which is different than all other sports. Right now you have 19 athletic directors whose agendas vary.
Not everyone is going to be happy, but right now the overwhelming priority should be to come up with the best system possible even if it does not meet 100 percent approval. And that means deciding your finalists based on wins and losses, not a convoluted point system that few understand and fewer like.
Many consider the FCIAC to be the best league in the state. It is hard to disagree. But greatness also comes from having the courage to be bold, and while the league has tried hard to come up with a system that works for the most, it is time to try harder. The current format does not come close to meeting the level of excellence that has characterized the FCIAC.
Right now I have my own proposal that will please some and not others. I don’t have any affiliations to individual schools or an agenda. But the players, coaches and fans deserve better. A lot better. The FCIAC championship game should be the showcase of the scholastic season. Its stature has been badly diminished in the past decade.
It is time to return to greatness, and that comes with sacrifice and leadership.
Do fans out there feel the same way? What are your thoughts?