Western Illinois football set to make the jump from Division I-AA to Division I-A ahead of the 2005 NCAA season
'Necks will leave the Gateway Conference to become an I-A Independent
In a surprising move, the Western Illinois Leathernecks have put a plan into motion to transition from NCAA Division I-AA to Division I-A, beginning with the 2005 NCAA season. They will start out as an independent, but hope to accept a conference invite within a couple years.
Head coach Don Patterson is heading into his 7th season with Western Illinois, and knows it may be a rough transition.
"We are very excited for the opportunity to compete with some of the most talented teams in college football," Patterson said following the transition announcement. "It may take a few seasons to adjust to the higher level of play, but I'm confident that our players and coaches have what it takes to begin this journey."
While WIU's 4-7 mark and 5th place finish in conference play in 2004 were both lows under Patterson, the program felt now was the time to make the move.
The Leathernecks, who have won four Gateway Conference championships in the past eight seasons, may be coming off of a down year, but are confident in their program's decision to make the jump. Nonetheless, Hanson Field in Macomb, Illinois is now home to a Division I-A program, and the fans are excited to see what's in store for their 'Necks.
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GAME: NCAA Football 06
CONSOLE: PS2 (emulated on PCXS2)
ROSTERS: 2005 Named Rosters*
QUARTER LENGTH: 7 Minutes (changed from 8 to 7 after first season)*
HOUSE RULES
Recruiting: I will recruit realistically, meaning not going for a bunch of 4 and 5 star recruits from across the country. I will try to stick to prospects who are initially interested in WIU, and will be mainly focused on in-state and surrounding area prospects.
Players Leaving/Transfers: I cannot stop a player for leaving for the NFL draft or to another school, and must accept all incoming transfer requests.
Suspensions: I will discipline players based on the game's recommendations.
Scheduling: I will mainly stick with the CPU-generated schedule each season, with the exception of scheduling Illinois State as a rivalry game each year.
Coach Contracts: If my coach is fired from WIU, I will create a new one to take over and keep the dynasty going.
AUTHOR'S NOTES
-*The names on the initial Western Illinois roster correlate with a mix of the 2003-04 seasons, as the named roster I am using did not get all the I-AA rosters up to the 2005 season perfectly. However, with the heavy senior presence on WIU's roster, I am fine with using it, as the team will look very different from the second season onward.
-This is my first attempt at a NCAA dynasty write-up on the forum. I will be learning things as I go, but am very excited to get this started and have been reading up on some other dynasties recently as well to help prepare for my own. Thank you to all who read/interact with this dynasty
