What Will Happen First?

[GP1]

What will happen first? Americans calling D-1A the Football Bowl Subdivision and D-1AA the Football Championship Subdivision; or, Americans accepting the Metric System.I think we have a better shot at the Metric System. If anyone can explain why the NCAA started this stupidity, we are all listening. I'm pretty certain it must have had something to do with an intern needing another line on their resume.

[johnnyzip84]

A large part of the media and even a good number of head coaches still refer to them as 1 and 1-AA. It's kind of surprising really. I always thought that 1-AA was a horrible name to begin with. I assume it came about because they didn't want to change the naming of D-2 or D-3, yet the NCAA had to "squeeze in" another classification. OK, I ended up piquing my own interest enough to call upon the all-knowing Wikipedia (link below).D-1 History

[Zipsrifle]

I'm hoping for the metric system for 2 reasons 1) (WARNING...I'm an Engineer!!!) English units are the standard in what, 2 countries on the globe? They have stupid conversions and no good basis for their units. They do nothing but cause problems when the US tries to work with other countries. Change over all the speed limit signs, and car dashboards starting in 2009! It will be a cash cow for local law enforcement for a few years for those who resist!!.....they will learn eventually. We need to go cold turkey in the schools! All metric in all text books. 2) Money talks, BULL $#!+ walks, and the only way the NCAA will change the way it does buisness to determine the National Championship is by an act of Congress. Since all the Congressmen are elected by the zombies of the MAJOR schools, it will never happen.

[johnnyzip84]

I'm hoping for the metric system for 2 reasons 1) (WARNING...I'm an Engineer!!!) English units are the standard in what, 2 countries on the globe? They have stupid conversions and no good basis for their units. They do nothing but cause problems when the US tries to work with other countries. Change over all the speed limit signs, and car dashboards starting in 2009! It will be a cash cow for local law enforcement for a few years for those who resist!!.....they will learn eventually. We need to go cold turkey in the schools! All metric in all text books. 2) Money talks, BULL $#!+ walks, and the only way the NCAA will change the way it does buisness to determine the National Championship is by an act of Congress. Since all the Congressmen are elected by the zombies of the MAJOR schools, it will never happen.

On your 2nd point, Zipsrifle, I think you may have misunderstood the original question. While a playoff system is a hot topic these days, the question posed asked whether the metric system (and as a fellow engineer, I echo your thoughts here) would be adopted before the time people start universally using the terms FBS and FCS in place of the obsolete D1 and D1-AA.

[GP1]

1) (WARNING...I'm an Engineer!!!) English units are the standard in what, 2 countries on the globe?

I've always believe that if engineers controlled the United States, and Dilbert became President, the immediate adoption of the metric system would be the tool to unleash a Totalitarian state upon the remainder of the population.

[ziptrumpet87]

I'm also in the engineering field and wouldn't mind the switch to metric. I think everyone knows about what a liter is (2L soda bottles) so it shouldn't be hard to convert the remaining liquid commodities (gas might be hard; with price sensitivity what it is it would be tough to switch without someone thinking they're getting shafted worse).As for the FCS... FBS... I have never heard anyone outside the media using the terms so I can't see it ever really catching on.

[Zipsrifle]

1) (WARNING...I'm an Engineer!!!) English units are the standard in what, 2 countries on the globe?

I've always believe that if engineers controlled the United States, and Dilbert became President, the immediate adoption of the metric system would be the tool to unleash a Totalitarian state upon the remainder of the population.

Damn right!

[flipthezip]

Would love to have just one system to deal with. Unfortunately, will never happen. I am in the fastener business and easily 80% of the nuts, bolts, screws, and washers in your house, cars, and anthing else assembled is in English measurements. Start converting now with new assemblies and construction but manintenace and repair operations would take 40-50 years to phase out english measured parts.

[Zipsrifle]

flip, Why don't you just stock all metric fasteners? Join the movement!

[flipthezip]

flip, Why don't you just stock all metric fasteners? Join the movement!

Great idea. I'll check with my boss and see if he will go along with giving up 80% of our sales.

[Zip Watcher]

Would love to have just one system to deal with. Unfortunately, will never happen. I am in the fastener business and easily 80% of the nuts, bolts, screws, and washers in your house, cars, and anthing else assembled is in English measurements. Start converting now with new assemblies and construction but manintenace and repair operations would take 40-50 years to phase out english measured parts.

I'm not sure I agree with you on your 80% number. Some time back (mid-90's) I spent a lot of time tinkering with Chrysler vehicles, before the Benz takeover .. and almost all fasteners on the cars were Metric / SI. Certainly on the engine and powertrain, they were SI.There's not really any reason to not keep both in this area. The real pushback against the SI units 20 or 30 years ago was that the machining industry had all its machines and indexes set to the English system. That is, the milling machines, lathes .. production processes were run on machine with only English measurements built in. This is no longer the case with the (nearly) universal adoption of digital measurement readouts (that can provide either SI or English outputs) and CNC manufacturing.Any more, at least in our dealings with conventional manufacturing companies, there is no issue using either SI or English units. We generally use dual dimensioning schemes on all of our prints. So from the manufacturing sector, there is already wide adoption / acceptance of SI units.To me, elimination of English fasteners would be silly. Case in point being that the SI series don't always have the coursest thread options. Besides, a 1/4-28 fits nicely in the sizing tree between M6 and M7. Why not have both? There's no reason. Tools exist to make / use both .. no need to scrap them. I can tell you that for us there are clear occasions where one is preferred to the other, and it isn't always SI or English. It varies.