I remember them winning the Atlantic Sun basketball tournament the year before ETSU joined the conference and they left.
Tonight it's being reported that UCF has recieved an invite to join the Big East.
TAAC (Transition American Athletic Conference - the factual name). Atlantic Sun name change was an attempted cover for what this thing really is. Look at all those who have come and gone in such a short time in order to transition UP, while ETSU used it to transition DOWN!
UCF also has 50,000 students and sits in talent rich Florida. I think it's a shame they were ever in the ASun. Their AD is also top notch. Keith Tribble knows what he's doing.
(This post was last modified: 10-11-2011 09:40 AM by LetsgoBucs.)
(10-11-2011 10:20 AM)bucfan81 Wrote: At least UCF had sense enough to get out. There is still only ONE school that moved down to the A-Sun.
A-Sun = TAAC (Transitional American Athletic Conference)
As you point out, making my alma mater the ONLY state regional university in the United States to transition down in athletics in recent memory. What a distinction!
(10-11-2011 09:39 AM)LetsgoBucs Wrote: UCF also has 50,000 students and sits in talent rich Florida. I think it's a shame they were ever in the ASun. Their AD is also top notch. Keith Tribble knows what he's doing.
It is a shame that UCF was in the A-Sun but it is perfectly fine for ETSU to settle for it? Wow.. I don't know who Tribble is but I know our AD is bottom of the barrell, the only thing Mullins is qualified to do is say "Yes sir, Dr. Stanton sir, whatever you say sir". However he does that very well to bad it won't help him come January.
(10-11-2011 09:39 AM)LetsgoBucs Wrote: UCF also has 50,000 students and sits in talent rich Florida. I think it's a shame they were ever in the ASun. Their AD is also top notch. Keith Tribble knows what he's doing.
It is a shame that UCF was in the A-Sun but it is perfectly fine for ETSU to settle for it? Wow.. I don't know who Tribble is but I know our AD is bottom of the barrell, the only thing Mullins is qualified to do is say "Yes sir, Dr. Stanton sir, whatever you say sir". However he does that very well to bad it won't help him come January.
ETSU and UCF are nothing alike. We aren't on their level and very probably never will be. There tends to be a little shooting for the stars mentality on this board that isn't realistic as far as expectations.
UCF has so many advantages over ETSU it isn't even funny. It is far more embarrassing for UCF that they competed in the ASun that it is that ETSU does. For one thing, because they have 50,000 students, they generate $17.5 million from student fees alone. We cannot compete with that.
UCF has a $35 million budget today. They had a $20 million budget in 2004-2005. That was their last year in the ASun. I think it's far more embarrassing that a school with a $20 million budget (far greater than any other school in the conference at the time. Over double I'm sure) was competing in the ASun than the fact that ETSU is.
(10-11-2011 09:39 AM)LetsgoBucs Wrote: UCF also has 50,000 students and sits in talent rich Florida. I think it's a shame they were ever in the ASun. Their AD is also top notch. Keith Tribble knows what he's doing.
It is a shame that UCF was in the A-Sun but it is perfectly fine for ETSU to settle for it? Wow.. I don't know who Tribble is but I know our AD is bottom of the barrell, the only thing Mullins is qualified to do is say "Yes sir, Dr. Stanton sir, whatever you say sir". However he does that very well to bad it won't help him come January.
ETSU and UCF are nothing alike. We aren't on their level and very probably never will be. There tends to be a little shooting for the stars mentality on this board that isn't realistic as far as expectations.
UCF has so many advantages over ETSU it isn't even funny. It is far more embarrassing for UCF that they competed in the ASun that it is that ETSU does. For one thing, because they have 50,000 students, they generate $17.5 million from student fees alone. We cannot compete with that.
UCF has a $35 million budget today. They had a $20 million budget in 2004-2005. That was their last year in the ASun. I think it's far more embarrassing that a school with a $20 million budget (far greater than any other school in the conference at the time. Over double I'm sure) was competing in the ASun than the fact that ETSU is.
I dont usually disagree with letsgobucs, but here i do. We may not match up with ucf in many ways, but we do have to, if not "shoot for the stars", shoot for better. we should always look to move up, with or without football. when we dropped FB, we put our eggs in mens bb to take us further up. that just has not happened. we should have been able to build on the success and dominate the asun. good not great etsu teams and belmont got in the way of that. many of the teams in the asun have gotten better and etsu has slipped a bit i believe. we ddint capitalize when we should have and now we may be stuck.
just look at the teams that have left the asun in the 2000's, troy, ucf, FAU, samford, ga state....would have made a pretty good FB and basketball conference today. the asun has been the bigger of the problems with etsu athletics vs the loss of football, imo. both hurt...but today, "moving up" is a move back to the socon (or big south). thats not a good place to be...
LetsGoBucs, you have illustrated that you are the problem at ETSU, should be terminated IMMEDIATELY and lose your retirement benefits. That is simply pathetic.
(10-11-2011 09:39 AM)LetsgoBucs Wrote: UCF also has 50,000 students and sits in talent rich Florida. I think it's a shame they were ever in the ASun. Their AD is also top notch. Keith Tribble knows what he's doing.
It is a shame that UCF was in the A-Sun but it is perfectly fine for ETSU to settle for it? Wow.. I don't know who Tribble is but I know our AD is bottom of the barrell, the only thing Mullins is qualified to do is say "Yes sir, Dr. Stanton sir, whatever you say sir". However he does that very well to bad it won't help him come January.
ETSU and UCF are nothing alike. We aren't on their level and very probably never will be. There tends to be a little shooting for the stars mentality on this board that isn't realistic as far as expectations.
UCF has so many advantages over ETSU it isn't even funny. It is far more embarrassing for UCF that they competed in the ASun that it is that ETSU does. For one thing, because they have 50,000 students, they generate $17.5 million from student fees alone. We cannot compete with that.
UCF has a $35 million budget today. They had a $20 million budget in 2004-2005. That was their last year in the ASun. I think it's far more embarrassing that a school with a $20 million budget (far greater than any other school in the conference at the time. Over double I'm sure) was competing in the ASun than the fact that ETSU is.
I dont usually disagree with letsgobucs, but here i do. We may not match up with ucf in many ways, but we do have to, if not "shoot for the stars", shoot for better. we should always look to move up, with or without football. when we dropped FB, we put our eggs in mens bb to take us further up. that just has not happened. we should have been able to build on the success and dominate the asun. good not great etsu teams and belmont got in the way of that. many of the teams in the asun have gotten better and etsu has slipped a bit i believe. we ddint capitalize when we should have and now we may be stuck.
just look at the teams that have left the asun in the 2000's, troy, ucf, FAU, samford, ga state....would have made a pretty good FB and basketball conference today. the asun has been the bigger of the problems with etsu athletics vs the loss of football, imo. both hurt...but today, "moving up" is a move back to the socon (or big south). thats not a good place to be...
I never said that ETSU shouldn't try to improve. I am merely of the opinion that just because at one time UCF was once in the ASun and is now looking at potential Big East membership that is no reason to think that ETSU should be at the same place. Of course ETSU should try to achieve as much as possible. I'm simply saying college athletics is not an equitable landscape where each school has equal opportunity for achievement. There are so many factors that go into athletics success that require far more than a simple "can do" attitude and positive "vision". If it were that easy more schools would achieve higher levels of success. I also do not believe that Ole Miss and Miss St (or Vanderbilt for that matter) will ever achieve the levels of success that Florida, Alabama, and LSU have and they are all in the same conference. Is that also just being negative? I don't think so. I think that's being a realist with a sensible understanding of what it takes to be successful.
Let's also be honest and say that this is not just about UCF's achievement, but more about the impotence and overall low quality of the Big East as a football conference. It's not that UCF has achieved such a high level of success that the Big East is just dying to have them. It has more to do with the Big East trying to maintain some semblance of quality as an automatic qualifier in the BCS and considering UCF, and other similar schools, as a last ditch grab to try and maintain their precarious position in the overall major football picture.
(10-11-2011 03:43 PM)Buccaneerlover Wrote: LetsGoBucs, you have illustrated that you are the problem at ETSU, should be terminated IMMEDIATELY and lose your retirement benefits. That is simply pathetic.
Well no worries there, since I don't work for ETSU.
Obviously I knew it would touch a nerve when I said ETSU isn't on UCF's level and probably would never be. Now, I wasn't trying to just get people angry. I also didn't mean it as a slight against ETSU. There are many tiers in NCAA athletics and ETSU isn't near the top. Never have been. That's not necessarily a problem. To me, if you look at the facts, UCF enjoys many advantages that ETSU cannot equal. One, they are in Florida. That is a recruiting boon. We cannot replicate that in any way, shape, or form. Tennessee and the surrounding states simply don't come close to Florida as a recruiting area. I think we'd all agree on that. Second, they are located in Orlando. That's a destination city, with high levels of exposure simply because of Mickey Mouse among other things. They have one of the largest convention centers in the country and attract tons of visitors. They are a viable TV market and an attractive destination for opposing teams. Again, Johnson City isn't currently, and will not be in the future, a city on par with Orlando. Third, they are a huge university. This has a lot of tangible effects, the most obvious being student fee income. Again, a huge advantage. ETSU has room for growth, but they aren't ever going to be one of the five largest universities in the country. I think we'd all agree on that.
To me, these are not disputable facts. They are all factors that contribute to athletics success.
So for those of you who think I'm dead wrong, I'd love to hear actual ideas as to how ETSU could make up for those disadvantages and catch up to UCF. I'm not being sarcastic in any way, it's just not something I see happening. Maybe I'm negative, if so please point out where I'm wrong and how ETSU could be at that level.
I want ETSU to be a successful athletic program. I think we should all focus on that one idea that we all are in agreement on - we support ETSU athletics and want it to be successful. So, I'm asking for a respectful dialogue on this issue of UCF as a case study. How could we catch up to them?
(10-11-2011 04:55 PM)LetsgoBucs Wrote: Obviously I knew it would touch a nerve when I said ETSU isn't on UCF's level and probably would never be. Now, I wasn't trying to just get people angry. I also didn't mean it as a slight against ETSU. There are many tiers in NCAA athletics and ETSU isn't near the top. Never have been. That's not necessarily a problem. To me, if you look at the facts, UCF enjoys many advantages that ETSU cannot equal. One, they are in Florida. That is a recruiting boon. We cannot replicate that in any way, shape, or form. Tennessee and the surrounding states simply don't come close to Florida as a recruiting area. I think we'd all agree on that. Second, they are located in Orlando. That's a destination city, with high levels of exposure simply because of Mickey Mouse among other things. They have one of the largest convention centers in the country and attract tons of visitors. They are a viable TV market and an attractive destination for opposing teams. Again, Johnson City isn't currently, and will not be in the future, a city on par with Orlando. Third, they are a huge university. This has a lot of tangible effects, the most obvious being student fee income. Again, a huge advantage. ETSU has room for growth, but they aren't ever going to be one of the five largest universities in the country. I think we'd all agree on that.
To me, these are not disputable facts. They are all factors that contribute to athletics success.
So for those of you who think I'm dead wrong, I'd love to hear actual ideas as to how ETSU could make up for those disadvantages and catch up to UCF. I'm not being sarcastic in any way, it's just not something I see happening. Maybe I'm negative, if so please point out where I'm wrong and how ETSU could be at that level.
I want ETSU to be a successful athletic program. I think we should all focus on that one idea that we all are in agreement on - we support ETSU athletics and want it to be successful. So, I'm asking for a respectful dialogue on this issue of UCF as a case study. How could we catch up to them?
And now UCF is a large FBS school. Fans are wanting to reestablish ETSU at the FCS level. Two different things. We are big enough to compete with Austin Peay right now. We just need leadership and hopefully this will start in January 2012.
Fine, we aren't on par with UCF. But how about Middle Tennessee? or Appy St? or even Marshall? If those schools can do it why can't ETSU? OH yeah terrible leadership at the top.
I have a feeling they won't be the last team from C-USA to start talking to the Big East. ECU is well-established in these negotiations, but Marshall might try to get in as well.
I see what the adjacent states are doing at all levels - UCF going FBS and possibly BCS, all the North Carolina schools and their seemingly endless athletic goodies, and then the Virginia schools with their ridiculously nice facilities (particularly ODU), and it just infuriates me that Tennessee schools can't even hold their jocks. We have such a colossal lack of alumni engagement in this state and general student apathy now that only UTK and Vanderbilt can build any kind of real athletic momentum, because they're the only schools anyone has any pride in. Even alumni of other schools in the state are more interested in Tennessee and Vanderbilt than their alma mater. Need I mention Kenny Chesney?
I'm knee-deep in that apathy every day when I go to class. Students would rather spend their time mocking the university than trying to affect change. Welcome to The Daily Show generation, I guess.
(10-12-2011 09:29 PM)Mister Consistency Wrote: I have a feeling they won't be the last team from C-USA to start talking to the Big East. ECU is well-established in these negotiations, but Marshall might try to get in as well.
I see what the adjacent states are doing at all levels - UCF going FBS and possibly BCS, all the North Carolina schools and their seemingly endless athletic goodies, and then the Virginia schools with their ridiculously nice facilities (particularly ODU), and it just infuriates me that Tennessee schools can't even hold their jocks. We have such a colossal lack of alumni engagement in this state and general student apathy now that only UTK and Vanderbilt can build any kind of real athletic momentum, because they're the only schools anyone has any pride in. Even alumni of other schools in the state are more interested in Tennessee and Vanderbilt than their alma mater. Need I mention Kenny Chesney?
I'm knee-deep in that apathy every day when I go to class. Students would rather spend their time mocking the university than trying to affect change. Welcome to The Daily Show generation, I guess.
The attitude of too many ETSU students and alumni toward the university is, indeed, a psycho-sociological phenomenon that would be an excellent dissertation research by someone working on the PhD in psychology at ETSU.
