Villanova wins the national championship for FCS football tonight. I congratulate them. The announcers for ESPN said that Villanova had given up football for five years. HMMMM......

Not only that, but there have even been books written urging Villanova to cut football again.

Interesting to note that in Pennsylvania, they are the only FCS team with 63 scholarships. THe other FCS teams generally have only 18 or so.

The differences in the Villanova situation and the ETSU situation-

Villanova never sold off their football equipment. They still had their old stadium.

The athletic director who brought back the program was the quarterback who'd led Villanova to the Liberty Bowl a generation before.

There was a great sense of pride and optimism surrounding the Wildcats' athletic program because they won the National Championship in basketball the year they brought it back.

They brought it back at Division I-AA. Villanova (Howie Long U) had previously competed at a higher level.

Does that mean it can't be done here? NO! But here's what has to happen-

A- Consider reuse of The Vault of Victory. As unpopular as the place is/was, we're talking millions here saved in start up costs. Use it on a temporary basis until a new stadium can be built.

B- New AD wouldn't hurt.

C- How much pride and optimism this community can have about the Bucs, I don't know. There's a big difference between winning a national title and just making the NCAAs. My guess is that you can't try to tell us chickensh*t is chicken salad, as they currently try.

My idea is to essentially come out and say that you're looking to get bigger and better. We've had modest success in basketball recently and want to build off of it with a better conference, new arena, and football team.

Tell the community you want to be on the map, not that you're currently a "World Class athletic program" as those infamous "Welcome Home" spots said.

D- It might be worthwhile to start up smaller (non-scholarship, for instance) at first.

My how our fates have changed since 1996.

I was at the Dome the day we beat them in the playoffs.

I live in Chattanooga and watched Villanova win against Montana. Not once did I hear or read in any media about ETSU's quarter final win. I too was in the dome when it happened. When I noticed the crowd for a playoff home game, I wondered about the future of ETSU football. My worst fear was realized.

I would like to see a head to head comparison of budgets to see how other schools make football happen that also receive so little support. I miss football mightily but I personally don't have sugar-daddy resources to fund it, to bring it back.

My theory is that the medical school, pharmacy school limit our resources to fund athletics. I don't know.

I enjoy this board because I have an unending appetite for my school. I never had so much fun as during the Arizona victory...during the short LeForce reign. It's no fun to root for a school like Tennessee...they have incredible resources and victory is expected...but when itty bitty ETSU does it, that's a memory. Some call it "cow college" but when "cow college" wins against the mega, you don't forget...ask Michigan, ask Tennessee!

Tennessee isn't a cow college?

Anyway, love what you're saying, Mister, and a great handle.

But one thing on the playoff attendance. The game against Villanova drew 4,700. I was very critical of it, too. I did a commentary immediately after the game on my talk show talking about what a bad sports town the area is because of it (there's a surprise).

I stand by that, but I will say that there were eight Division I-AA football games that day, and ETSU drew the sixth best crowd that day.

Furthermore, had ETSU beaten Montana, they had bid to host the NCAA semifinal game and would have received it.

By the way, any way we can blame Peyton Manning for the bad crowd? I mean, if the reason ETSU didn't draw is because the fans were focused on the Vols . . .

But one thing I'd like to point out is for people to compare the media Villanova gets as compared to the media ETSU gets.

Villanova is in Philly (or 10 miles outside of it). And while I'm sure they aren't knocking the Eagles off the front page, they do get the most attention of any school in the Big Five.

Do you think that Villanova has a guy with a Sweater Vest on who insists the fans shouldn't be critical? Do you think they're banning writers for writing negative things about them? Do you think their athletic director could get away with saying the things Mullins says?

No, no, and no.

Do you honestly think Howard Eskin or Don Henderson would take to the airwaves and say something like "If you boo the Temple quarterback, you're not a real Owls fan," the way Bill Meade has said "If you boo Jonathan Crompton, you're not a real Vols fan!"

Point is, the fans and media hold Villanova, and all Philadelphia teams, to a high standard.

I mention this for all of those people who come on here and say I "live to put down ETSU accomplishments" or that we're too negative on this board.

Can you imagine the SID of a Philadelphia college going into the domain of Bill Conlin and telling Conlin he had "an agenda?" That SID would have to resign the next day!

If we actually were more critical, if we held the Bucs to a higher standard, I truly believe ETSU could have the same sort of slice of the athletic pie that Villanova has, at the very least.

Nobody in Philadelphia would buy that a first-round loss in the NCAAs by a Big Five team consisted of "playing for the National Championship." No flack could keep his job by suggesting such things.

And yes, I do believe a comparison with Johnson City and Philadelphia is legitimate. Give you an example- in 2003 or so when St. Joesph's was ranked No. 1 in the nation.

I started thinking- if St. Joes can be No. 1- why not ETSU?

And before we hear, "Well, they had star power on that team and are in the A-10 and there's more talent to recruit in Philadelphia than the Tri-Cities (WHAT? YOU MEAN SCIENCE HILL AND THE ARBY'S CLASSIC aren't the two greatest showcases of high school basketball talent in the history of the world?)," you know where I'm going with that and ultimately, you agree. If ETSU has to bow down before the likes of St. Joes, then they have to start improving their lot athletically immediately.