With the Big East impending raid on C-USA, looks like there will be opportunity for App State to move to C-USA. Will ETSU take advantage of this and re-enter the Southern Conference? Could this be the first athletic challenge of the new president, to reorganize the $11 million a year ETSU athletic department in order to go back to the SoCon? Why not play football in the Dome while an outdoor football stadium capital campaign is conducted? Can ETSU afford to let this opportunity slip by?

It would be perfect timing for us if App moved out, but I have zero faith that ETSU would take advantage of the opportunity. I would LOVE to be wrong on this.

Oh that would be the best case scenario, but I feel that it won't happen. I do however see App moving to C-USA. That would leave 8 football playing schools in the SoCon. They then would have a 7 game conference schedule and be able to maybe pick up additional games against D-1A schools for paydays. Add ETSU back in andyour back to 8 conference games which limits the # of D-1A possibilities as most D-1AA schools like to try and schedule as many home games as possible after thier money games.

What a schedule for the New Bucs::
Furman, Wofford, UTC, Samford, Citadel, Elon, WCU, and Ga Southern as long as they stay in SoCon (as they are also looking at a jump to D-1A.) Then add a game against App after they go up and maybe even MTSU every other year or so. Then for the final 2 games play a Brevard or another SAC school to prepare for the conference schedule.

The only problem with these D-1A mergers is that going to 14-16 schools expands those conferences schedule to 9 games. This then in turn limits the # of opportunities for D-1AA schools to pick up the $$ games. The FBS schools like Clemson for example must always play S.Carolina as an out of conference opponent. It's a state law. This means they have 2 other games to fill most seasons and would try and fill one with another FBS school. That leaves one opportunity to get a game with an FBS school for an ETSU and any other D-1AA program. But we can hope.

One can only hope.

if etsu pushed, they could probably get back in without football...if they pushed. but will they?

If I were SoCon I would not consider us back without football.

If we want change we should be pushing for better than that. How about a REAL league, say the CAA or A10?

Why the SoCon? Look at the direction the conference has been heading. They keep going the private school route. I wonder if there will come a point in time where we do see Ga. Southern, UT-C, Western Carolina and Greensboro move out? For the Carolina based public schools, it just seems the Big South would be a better home for them. I just see the SoCon as not being what we want it to be once Appalachian is gone.
And like 88 says, why not set the sights higher? For me, I would like to see ETSU set its' sights higher. Bring back football with the clear understanding that we are investing in it to move to FBS level football. Get to the Sun Belt. Spend and throw money at it, WIN and get butts in the seats. Position this team where a conference like the Sun Belt would find us attractive, good football and good basketball with a geographic location that could appeal to MTSU, WKU and possibly Appalachian State.

(11-02-2011 10:24 AM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  Why the SoCon? Look at the direction the conference has been heading. They keep going the private school route. I wonder if there will come a point in time where we do see Ga. Southern, UT-C, Western Carolina and Greensboro move out? For the Carolina based public schools, it just seems the Big South would be a better home for them. I just see the SoCon as not being what we want it to be once Appalachian is gone.
And like 88 says, why not set the sights higher? For me, I would like to see ETSU set its' sights higher. Bring back football with the clear understanding that we are investing in it to move to FBS level football. Get to the Sun Belt. Spend and throw money at it, WIN and get butts in the seats. Position this team where a conference like the Sun Belt would find us attractive, good football and good basketball with a geographic location that could appeal to MTSU, WKU and possibly Appalachian State.

Good comments in there. If indeed Appy moves up, then the SoCon is a bit less attractive, although still better than the ASun. Now would be an ideal time for some university prez with a vision to try and organize a completely new league, maybe mostly of public schools, in the TN/NC/VA/SC area. Or maybe, as has been mentioned before, expand the A10 Southward - make two divisions. I'm not going to get ahead of ourselves here, but this would be a better time than when we talked a lot about this 2-3 years ago.

ETSU will not be able to move to Sun Belt, A10. C-USA or CAA.....We have no basketball or football facilities that meet their equirements and there is nothing on the drawing board to show these conferences that ETSU is committed too building them.

ETSU doen't even have a track facility for one of the most respected coaches in the country, another black eye for the athletic program.