Throughout his coaching career, first at Division III Rowan University, then at Delaware, and now Sam Houston, K.C. Keeler has always been used to competing for championships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lots of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keeler is the only coach in FCS history to win national titles at multiple schools. He led Delaware to the 2003 championship (called I-AA back then) and Sam Houston to the FCS title in the spring of 2021 (when the season was moved due to COVID). He is the only coach in NCAA history to take three programs to the national title game. In 29 seasons, his teams have earned 18 NCAA appearances and appeared in at least the national semifinals 14 times, including nine times in the championship game. Throw in 11 conference titles and for the large majority of seasons, his teams were battling for something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That wasn\u2019t the case this past year, a transition season before Sam Houston would join the FBS and Conference USA, where the Bearkats will begin competition this fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So as part of the transition, Sam Houston was ineligible to compete in the FCS playoffs in 2022. Two of the teams on its schedule, Lamar and Incarnate Word, were planning to play in Sam Houston\u2019s conference, the Western Athletic Conference. But instead, UIW stayed in the Southland and Lamar moved to the Southland in 2022. This past July, Keeler said both schools dropped Sam Houston from its 2022 schedule, leaving the Bearkats with just nine games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So the Bearkats ended up going 5-4 in a season that opened with a 31-0 loss to Texas A&M, which was ranked No. 6 at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou look back, we had nine games, we can\u2019t play for anything, not even a mythical conference championship, so we were in a very unique situation,\u201d Keeler said in an interview with HERO Sports. \u201cSo we had to kind of get creative and it was probably the hardest season I have ever gone through.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keeler had to find a way to keep the team together, knowing that 2022 would be a transition year. One of the ways the program was creative was in saving eligibility for certain players. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWith a nine-game schedule, you begin to question do you really want to use a year of eligibility for your best players,\u201d Keeler said. \u201cSo, we wound up redshirting 15 of our best players.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two of those players are linebacker Trevor Williams and linebacker\/defensive lineman Markel Perry, both first-team all-WAC choices in the fall of 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some players who graduated but still had eligibility and didn\u2019t want to redshirt or play the nine-game schedule did transfer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThose players who wanted to go play elsewhere, I helped them, I made phone calls,\u201d Keeler said. \u201cThey got their degree, we get it because it was a situation they couldn\u2019t play for anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sam Houston will be eligible to win a Conference USA championship in the first year. At this time, Keeler said that there is a way that the school could reach a bowl game, but it would only be if there aren\u2019t enough .500 teams to qualify. Keeler says Sam Houston is appealing that and is hoping that the school can be eligible for a bowl regardless. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, earning a bowl bid will be difficult, especially with the early schedule. Sam Houston opens at BYU, hosts Air Force at Houston\u2019s NRG Stadium, and visits Houston in the first three games. Both BYU and Houston are moving to the Power Five Big 12. Air Force is coming off consecutive 10-3 seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ouch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The C-USA schedule, with teams like Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, and newcomer Liberty won\u2019t be any picnic either. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, there are so many benefits to moving to the FBS level, one of which is financial. G5 teams that visit Power Five Schools generally get a larger payoff for the scheduled game than those in FCS. In addition, there is a benefit with television revenue, and there is potential for bowl revenue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keeler says that many FCS teams lose money while competing in the playoffs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moving to FBS helps in recruiting, and it has to since the competition Sam Houston faces will be greater. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is no doubt that now that we are in FBS, the kids we got out of the portal, the kids we got out of junior college or high school recruiting, we benefited greatly (from now being an FBS school),\u201d Keeler said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n