Shaw is picked to finish next to last.

CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams Parker always has the last say to close out Football Media Day.

On Wednesday, McWilliams Parker not only had the last say, but she also, arguably, had the best quote of the day.

“Win your games and then we don’t have to break ties,” she said directing her comments at the head coaches.

The parity in CIAA football has made the last weekend of the regular season a suspenseful thriller instead of “so, who’s playing Fayetteville State?”

Coaches hate tiebreakers. Fans hate tiebreakers. The team that loses is going to cry foul and blast the tiebreaking system. The winner is under more pressure to prove it’s the better team.

McWilliams Parker decided to nip in the bud any late-season whining now. Win or SHADDUP!

Weekend Expansion

Media day at the Durham Hilton Hotel began by answering the question on everyone’s lips since word leaked that championship football weekend was expanding.

The weekend will begin Friday, Nov. 13, 6 p.m., with a matchup between the third- and fourth-place teams in the final standings.

The CIAA Football Championship Game is Nov. 14, 3 p.m., between the top two teams, with the winner earning an automatic berth in the NCAA playoffs. Both games will be played at Durham County Memorial Stadium.

Five of the 11 teams finished above .500 last season. Only Lincoln (Pa.) and Bowie State were never in contention for the title at some point during the season.

The Wild Wild West has officially begun.

First Upset

The morning also began with the first upset of the new season.

Virginia Union was picked No. 1 overall by the conference coaches despite losing to Johnson C. Smith in the championship game. Coaches either have more respect for Panthers coach Alvin Parker or they think the Golden Bulls’ record-setting season was a fluke. JCSU did receive the No. 2 seed, but it's rare for a defending champion not to be ranked No. 1 in the preseason.

To add further insult, the inaugural Black College Football Poll has JCSU as the top-ranked DII team. See how your own (conference) folks do ya!

“Perfume is great to smell, but it’s dangerous to taste,” JCSU coach Maurice Flowers said about polls.

Y-E-A-H, but it’s still a slap. And don’t think for a moment anybody is fooled that it won’t be used as bulletin board material throughout the season.

Lucky Seven?

If Shaw, which was picked to finish next to last, advances to either Friday night or Saturday in November, head coach Lamar Manigo deserves an immediate contract extension for winning with the smallest football staff ever.

A campus source said interim athletics director Randy McClure, who wants the job permanently, made several cost-cutting moves in the athletics department and football wasn’t spared.

Manigo’s staff was trimmed to seven assistants – not including support staff.

I visited the other 10 schools’ rosters and not one has a football staff in the single digits. Elizabeth City State comes closest with 10 personnel. Virginia State and Bowie State have the most with 16, more than doubling Shaw’s roster.

Will seven be a lucky number for the Bears? Or will McClure be forced into witness protection?

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