The non-conference analysis is simply a look at who each FCS team is playing as of late May / early June. Occasionally schedules change, FBS schools buyout contracts and swap opponents, causing a domino effect. So these are tentative opponents, subject to change.
Pioneer
Butler: @ Illinois State, @ Franklin, vs. Taylor
Campbell: vs. Methodist, vs. Georgetown, @ Presbyterian
Davidson: vs. Brevard, @ Western Carolina, vs. Guillford
Dayton: @ Robert Morris, vs. Southeast Missouri State, vs. Duquesne
Drake: vs. South Dakota, vs. Southwestern Kansas, @ South Dakota State
Jacksonville: @ Mercer, vs. Walsh, vs. Guillford
Marist: @ Bucknell, @ Georgetown, vs. Columbia
Morehead State: vs. Kentucky Christian, @ Liberty, @ Austin Peay
San Diego: vs. Western New Mexico, @ Cal Poly, @ Princeton
Stetson: @ Sacred Heart, vs. Dartmouth, vs. Brown
Valparaiso: @ Montana, vs. Duquesne, @ Trinity International
With 33 non-conference games for the entire league, only 22 are against FCS opponents. It wouldn’t sound as bad if some of those other 11 were against the FBS, but they aren’t. San Diego finally broke the glass ceiling and won a playoff game for the conference last year, but they’re one of only a few teams in the Pioneer who actually tries to test themselves outside the league. Back to back road games at Cal Poly and Princeton prove that. There’s only 3,000 miles or so between those venues. It’s difficult to get stronger FCS programs to come to your place when you’re a smaller, private school and your conference is the new kid on the block, but 2-for-1 deals can be struck. Butler and Valparaiso are actually playing games away against sub-Division I opponents. That kind of stuff needs to be cleaned up before the Pioneer ever has a chance to be considered a major player on the FCS landscape.
