(01-04-2012 11:55 AM)jvllepirate Wrote:  Seems to be a lot more positive posts regarding ECU now that our idiot posters have left the boards and it's sunk in that we did not get into the big east. Hopefully we can have a breakout year this season and get this program on track. Whether our market is great or not, you would think the big east would try and get a good blend of football scholls(ecu and southern miss) with good fan bases and market schools.

As much as I despise ECU on the playing field, I've always hoped ECU would be included. I'm proud of the comittment UCF has made to building great facilities, and I think what we've done has been outstanding. But I'll be the first to admit ECU has somewhat nicer facilities than we do. I've been to Greenville the last two times UCF played up there, and you can't help but be impressed when you walk around and see what they've done. Frankly, it drives me nuts when I see names like Temple thrown out as likely candidates when a school that actually supports its football program passionately is left out. Not meaning to flame Temple at all, but the truth is in the attendance numbers.

(01-04-2012 11:55 AM)jvllepirate Wrote:  Seems to be a lot more positive posts regarding ECU now that our idiot posters have left the boards and it's sunk in that we did not get into the big east. Hopefully we can have a breakout year this season and get this program on track. Whether our market is great or not, you would think the big east would try and get a good blend of football scholls(ecu and southern miss) with good fan bases and market schools.

I think most BE members - even those that aren't necessarily in favor of inviting them - have positive feelings toward ECU fans and great respect for the program. You are correct that the lunatic fringe was making it difficult to maintain that respect.

Nobody on these boards has any power to influence who does and who does not get invited, but one thing's for certain with Big East fans, once somebody's in, negativity ceases. Case in point: Louisville & especially USF fans both had negative feelings for UCF, feelings that were mutual, but all of that disappeared once the announcement was made.

There's no real bad blood between ECU and anybody else - it's just a question of profile & TV market. If the powers that be determine that ECU is a fit, then everybody else will quickly fall in line. It's not so much blindly following our leaders as it is circling the wagons. We've all been left out at one time or another, so we all support each other until a program proves themselves unworthy of support.

(01-04-2012 08:10 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  Let's face it: It's been a quarter-century since SMU got the death penalty, and very little progress has been made since then in returning the program to its glory days. If it happens ever, it probably won't happen in our lifetimes.

The school has gradually loosened the academic restrictions on athletes and it needs to continue in that direction. SMU cannot have some of the most strict admissions standards in college football. It needs to compete on a level playing field with TCU & Baylor.

SMU has gone from being ranked #115 a few years ago to about #32 in October of this year. That's solid improvement.

(01-04-2012 12:13 PM)Scroggins Wrote:  

(01-04-2012 08:39 AM)CardinalJim Wrote:  It should be obvious to anyone that follows college football that The Big East needs to pick-up ECU. I've been saying it for years. Unfortunately for some reason those in power in Providence don't see it that way. I hate to sound like Mr. Obvious but there must be some concern not visible to normal fans like ourselves. I'm not even sure they have told ECU wahts it is.
CJ

The most likely reason is they do not want ECU basketball. Also, I doubt if anyone really thinks Big East football will last long what with Louisville, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Rutgers, and even Notre Dame(and its bowl influence) always looking for greener grasses. The basketball schools don't want ECU hoops and they want them even less after the possibility that the aforementioned schools will leave.

ECU is far from a world beater in basketball but we are far and away better than we have been before. We had a winning record last year. We were 9-4 coming into tonight (albeit with a low SOS) but we just lost by 2, on the road at a very tough Southern Miss who has a #3 rpi. Plus the addition of our $15 million dollar basketball facility and a good coach. We had over 6,000 for a game last week with the students out of town.