The smaller the school the greater the impact. A lot of the small schools don't have the luxuary of having backups. The teams that don't have this problem tend to be the better teams, because it also means that they can take an injury or two without feeling the impact. Where a smaller schoolthat is effected by this problem is also one or two injuries aways froma bad season also. So I do believe it is a valid excuse, just as key injuries would also be a valid excuse. But in the end the championship goes to the best team on the field and not the best team with excuses.
