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Duquesne... Danny White confirmed via Twitter that UB will take on the Dukes August 30th in Buffalo and pay out 125,000 dollars for the contest.
Excited about 2014 Tailgate Concert series! Students asked for more country, so we open 8/30 with Easton Corbin. Game vs. Duquesne. #NYBI
— Danny White (@UBDannyWhite) February 4, 2014
If this rumor is true, and if Norfolk State stays on the schedule that would mean UB has two FCS games, something which is rare in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Dukes play football in the Northeast Conference (NEC) since their primary conference, the A-10, does not support football.
Duquesne was the ECAC Bowl champions and NCAA Division I FCS Mid-Major National Champions in 2003. They also won the ECAC Bowl in 1995.
Despite their stature as an FCS school Duquesne was rated #1 in NCAA Division I by the Massey Ratings in 1941.
The reason that so few FBS teams schedule multiple FCS opponents is because only one win against Division One's lower tier can count towards bowl eligibility. The Mid Major level teams already struggle to make a bowl with six or seven wins, factor in two of those wins against FCS opponents and only an 8 or more win season really puts you in a good position.
At this point in the offseason there were several teams with openings in their schedules, including FIU, who had a game against UCF scrapped. Back when the announcement of a seventh game was made after the Potato Bowl there were not fewer than a half dozen or so teams needing that last out of conference game.
While I am sure there may be more money in paying out around 125,000 dollars for this contest it's not a program building moment and as a fan I find two FCS games in a season rather disappointing.