I will guess 2010: THE YEAR WE MAKE A BOWL GAME.

Since your poll didn't extend passed 2010, I chose 2010. It's not likely because I feel this transition will be challenging.....However, I have faith and lots of HOPE.

GO TOPS

It's a whole new world in I-A. WKU fans are going to have to be reprogrammed. In I-AA football, eight wins was a must, no more than losses. That's gone.

SIX WINS is the key now. A six win record is SUCCESS. That makes you bowl eligible. Granted, in the SBC it may not GET you a bowl game, but you are in the mix.

We won't have a winning record next year likely and not in 2008. Guys, this I-A transition is not a short-term thing. We are building for the FUTURE. Future may mean 10-15 years down the road. The SBC is going to be harder than many WKU fans want to admit. We are not going to just jump in and win it our first or second year.

But I am excited about what this will do for WKU, not only as an athletic department, but as an institution.

galojay Wrote:It's a whole new world in I-A. The SBC is going to be harder than many WKU fans want to admit. We are not going to just jump in and win it our first or second year.

But I am excited about what this will do for WKU, not only as an athletic department, but as an institution.

You are correct; it will be difficult for Western at first as it was for Troy. Many fans on the Trojan Board berated SBC football and were positive they would walk in and own the football conference -- it did not happen!

I look forward to you guys coming on board in 2009, but it will not be a cake walk -- just ask Troy fans.

Since your poll didn't extend passed 2010, I chose 2010. It's not likely because I feel this transition will be challenging.....However, I have faith and lots of HOPE.

There was supposed to be another option for 'not in the forseeable future' but I don't know what happened to it.

It's a whole new world in I-A. WKU fans are going to have to be reprogrammed. In I-AA football, eight wins was a must, no more than losses. That's gone.

I also think that there needs to be a shift in marketing strategy to some extent. Every single game needs to be its own event; its own championship to some extent. Like with EKU, it doesn't matter if they're down or we're down... that game is an event for its own sake. Somehow we have to make every game that way.

You are correct; it will be difficult for Western at first as it was for Troy. Many fans on the Trojan Board berated SBC football and were positive they would walk in and own the football conference -- it did not happen!

I look forward to you guys coming on board in 2009, but it will not be a cake walk -- just ask Troy fans.

I agree, it will most definately not be easy. And I expect the next two or three seasons to be rough for WKU. But I do think that the Gateway is closer to the Sunbelt than some Sunbelt fans think also.