OVC should invite the Ironton Tigers to join the league

[osu 77]

What is best for the whole school again and not just for the Football Team. In a few years it could get very hard for Ironton to schedule games in all sports then what happens? If I was the AD I would be thinking what is best for the whole athletic department.

[fuzzhead]

I agree with you that we would make the playoffs. I don't know how much it would prepare us once we made the playoffs.

^^^That's the better, more rational question. The question I would ask in return would be: What are you doing in the SEOAL that better prepares you for the playoffs? Most of Ironton's wins in the SEOAL last year came against mediocre or just flat-out bad teams. They got hammered by Logan and they got beat by Chilly (if I'm not mistaken).
If Ironton joined the OVC, they would get 4 non-con games. If the OVC would allow teams to mix non-con games throughout the season, rather than having to play them all at the beginning, Ironton could schedule some pretty tough teams (Wheelersburg, NY, etc) and get ready for the playoffs. But from what I've seen the past few years, Ironton is playing big cupcakes (insert any one of several large SEOAL schools with a sub-par football program, or the Canadian teams) and racking up points off their size. I showed the combined records of the teams they'd beaten in the regular season the past two years and it's not impressive.
But heck, I'd like to see Ironton in the SOCII just about as much as I would like to see them in the OVC.
Also, Ironton lost in the 2nd round last year, didn't make it at all in '07, and lost in the opening round in '06. Yeah, Ironton has made the playoffs 2 of the past 3 years while being in the SEOAL, but they've been out early on. Is that being prepared?

I did some number crunching to see where we would have finished if we played and beat Ashland, Gallia Acadamy, Portsmouth and Nelsonville York (which we did) and lost to Wheelersburg (which we did) and went undefeated in OVC play. The reults, our record would have been 9-1 and we would have finished 2nd in D4 Reg 15 vice 3rd.

Well I'm glad you settled that!

[Orange and Brown]

Ironton is scheduling NY now. I don't think we are a cupcake team.

[fuzzhead]

Ironton is scheduling NY now. I don't think we are a cupcake team.

Didn't say they were. I'm talking about D2 or D3 teams. Teams like a Jackson or a Warren or a Marrietta who are big schools, but they didn't have really good football teams this past year. The Canadian teams also count - they don't even play by the same rules, for crying out loud.
Wheelersburg or NY are both much stronger opponents than the above teams, they're just smaller.

[Westfan]

I've talked to a couple Ironton diehards lately, guys who have followed the team for 30 years or so, and they are definately concerned right now. Two years ago they were dogging Triplett and basically saying they were back (Lutz). Something is different.

[ohbuckeye2]

Ironton is scheduling NY now. I don't think we are a cupcake team.

You won't get any arguments from me, I like Nelsonville York alot and am very impressed with their whole Organization from top to bottom. Great team and great fans, I'm looking forward to seeing Nelsonville York at the Tank this year.

[osu 77]

Ironton played Wheelersburg the first game of the season. And I think if they had played them later in the season Ironton would have won. Ironton could have beat West as well. Minford -- i don't know enough about and haven't seen them play.

Dreams are great!

[2trap_4ever]

Here's the short and skinny of this topic: it's a lose/lose for both the OVC and Ironton,, Ironton might go undefeated every year in football but that doesn't help their legacy by beating up on OVC teams every year seeing that according to the people on here we are the weak conference. On the other hand what if there is that one year Ironton doesn't win then their legacy as a dominant team in southern Ohio is hurt.