(04-19-2012 03:12 PM)redlegeagle Wrote:  Saint,

Many of the programs in the SBC are from smaller markets....if they weren't they would probably be in a larger conference, not the SBC. So by your agruement you are putting down teams like Troy, MTSU , the LA schools, etc....they are in similiar markets to Southern.....are they also leaches to your league?

The SBC is what it is....A newly formed conference for mid major schools to compete on the FBS level. The SBC does not have the ability to draw established programs from big markets and there lies the problem for you.

I personally have no issue with G-State/ Charlotte joining the SBC....it's a win win situation. But, just keeping it real here....neither program has accomplished ANYTHING on the field yet. Your only claim to fame is your location in a large market and the suppossed TV viewers you can bring. I ask you...mighty Saint, what is the Panther's Marque win over the last couple of seasons? Criket...Criket...Criket

If you want to think of Southern as a leach if we join the SBC...so be it, but I would be willing to bet my last nickel...that the Eagles would whoop that A** if we ever played. You know...and I know it.

See posts like this actually prove what I am trying to convey, which is that much like its fans, Georgia Southern is an outdated relic of college football past, unable to understand and adapt to the changing landscape of college football.

Let's forget for a second that comparing Southern to Troy, which has close to 60 campuses across the Southeast and U.S. in general, is silly; let's ignore the absurd comparison of Southern to the likes of WKU, whose basketball team has been consistently performing on the national level for decades. Schools like ULM and ULL were added to the Sun Belt over 10 years ago, when the conference was first forming and TV contracts did not rule college football.

But things have changed drastically. The days of adding a team for the sake of geographic footprint alone are over. For better or for worse, college football is dominated by TV contracts, and in this new model, Georgia Southern and its six flags on the pole are simply obsolete and irrelevant. And that is what Southern fans have trouble understanding.

What a school did at FCS level was never an indicator of its performance on the FBS stage. This is especially true for Southern, a program whose heyday was back in 80s and 90s. But the business of college football has become ultra competitive in the last decade, and since then, Southern hasn't done much of anything. Even with supposed resurgence of the Tripple Option under Monken, Southern has been dispatched out of the playoffs two years in a row with massive blowouts.

The fact of the matter is, Southern was relevant back in the day when college football wasn't as competitive as it is today, so they could easily get leftover Georgia athletes since there were only two FBS programs in the state. But again, those days are over. If there ever was a window for Southern to move up, it was back then, but as we all know, they couldn't then for the same reason they can't now: money. But now, even if they had money by some miracle, their lack of TV market automatically disqualifies them.

The good news for Southern is that in a few years, they will probably come to the Dome as a tune-up game for GSU, and get some coin in their pocket for the beatdown. And in all honesty, I don't think that will be a bad deal for them. It gives their alumni a chance to see what a world class facility looks like, and perhaps helps them in recruiting some FCS level talent around Atlanta, which there is certainly plenty of.

We all have our place in the food chain, and Southern simply needs to accept theirs, because FBS football is not it. Just being honest here.

(04-19-2012 04:44 PM)SaintDK10 Wrote:  And that is what Southern fans have trouble understanding.
What a school did at FCS level was never an indicator of its performance on the FBS stage.

Marshall? Boise? Nevada?

Just wondering if you can name some crappy FCS teams that have moved up and done really well.

The two schools that did move up with remotely similar FCS results to what Southern or App have gotten, dominated at the beginning, or are dominating now. Marshall and Boise won a combined 3 National Championships, App and GSU, try 9.

(04-19-2012 03:31 PM)redlegeagle Wrote:  ArkST,

We may just have to agree to disagree on this one. I personally don't think there is a whole lot, if any, difference between SBC teams and top CAA/ SOCON teams. The difference in schollies I am sure makes some difference over the course of an entire season, but to what degree I am not sure. I am not saying GSU/ APPY would come into the SBC and dominate right away, but, I would feel confident we would compete and compete well.

If GSU and APPY can't compete in the SBC....I sure feel sorry for the G-State fans....all 17 of them.

Stop spouting off AGS propaganda. Could App State or Southern beat our bottom two programs? Yes. Could yall compete week in and week out in our Conference and do well? No. There is a HUGE difference in playing a single game and playing a full FBS schedule. the majority of FCS programs lack the facilities, overall talent, and depth to be able to maintain success over the course of a full season. Look at ArkSt's examples and take off the FCS shaded glasses.

I respect Southern and App, heck I like William & Mary and watch a good bit of FCS football during the season...I even watch the Gulf South Conference game of the week on CSS on Thursdays during the season. However, I recognize it for what it is. Solid football that is not on the same level as the FBS. It's like comparing private school highschool football to public school football. Both have good players, good coaches, and solid products that are fun to watch. But, there IS a difference.

I was the starting runningback for a top private school (won the 1A state title) and we were very good. We probably could have beaten one of the weaker public school teams in the area, but there is no way we could have competed with the public schools for a full season. That's just how it is, and FCS ball when compared to FBS ball is the same.

(04-19-2012 03:31 PM)redlegeagle Wrote:  

(04-19-2012 02:45 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-19-2012 01:02 PM)redlegeagle Wrote:  Sluggo13,

There is no doubt that the top tier FCS teams could compete quite well in the SBC, even with the reduced amount of schollies. GSU and APPY would not finish in the bottom tier of the SBC next year, not saying either school would win the conference, but both would do well and both schools would destroy G-State....to say otherwise you would be depised...

As an Eagle Fan, I do have reservations concerning any possible move to SBC and not having the opportunity to compete for a National Championship and participate in the playoffs. I am sure there are quite a few fans of SBC schools that understand what I am talking about, since some schools are not far removed from FCS. (GAYSTATE fans disregard, you wouldn't know a playoff game if it slapped you upside the face). Troy/ MTSU fans have all done well in the playoffs and I wonder if any of the fans of these schools wish the move to FBS had not been made?

Whatever happens...so be it. Love Eagle Football and if we play in the SBC one day then great...if not, oh well. Might be fun to renew some old rivalries with Troy and MTSU.

Go Eagles!!!

Actually there is a lot of doubt.

Western Kentucky fans used to talk the same way. Hey won the FBS national title we can handle the Sun Belt. Right 0-12 first season.

Let's peruse the records.
FAU. 2003 Made the FCS semi-finals, next year as a transitional went 9-2. Next year as a member of the Sun Belt went 2-9.

ULM, a former FCS champion, playoff team 3 of 4 years leading to transition, has not finished better than .500 since moving up.

ArkSt. Never lost a first round FCS game, made one title game, has finished over .500 twice since moving up.

Idaho ranked 9 out of 10 seasons in FCS before moving up has posted a total of 3 winning records since moving up.

Boise was ranked in FCS before moving up. Didn't post a winning record until their third year in the Big West and they beat three FCS in non-conference to get to 6-5 that first successful year.

Sure Marshall and Nevada did well immediately but other powerful FCS programs have moved up and not found success.

There have been 18 schools make the leap and the track record does nothing to support your assertion

ArkST,

We may just have to agree to disagree on this one. I personally don't think there is a whole lot, if any, difference between SBC teams and top CAA/ SOCON teams. The difference in schollies I am sure makes some difference over the course of an entire season, but to what degree I am not sure. I am not saying GSU/ APPY would come into the SBC and dominate right away, but, I would feel confident we would compete and compete well.

If GSU and APPY can't compete in the SBC....I sure feel sorry for the G-State fans....all 17 of them.

I've watched my team make the shift. I once was one of those "look how we've done against I-A" people.

Do some FCS schools beat FBS schools? Of course. Non-AQ's beat AQ's. It's a ball game.

But you have to remember there are big differences.
#1. Even a lower tier FBS school will most likely evaluate more players from a broader area. We have to look across a broad area to find players who can meet the academics and play at this level. Looking at the Georgia Southern roster, I see four kids not from Georgia, Florida, or Alabama. There's one Texan, one from South Carolina, one from Oklahoma, and one from Virginia. FIU has 14 players not from one of those three states.
#2. There are very few kids who have an offer for a scholarship to play FBS who decline it to play FCS. Now that's not to stay there aren't kids who were OFFERED a chance to be an invited walk-on or OFFERED the chance to gray shirt but most any kid on an FCS recruiting list who says they were recruited by an FBS school did not have an offer of a scholarship. If the coaches are reading the talent, that means there is a talent gap.
#3. When you are FCS you go into FBS games with something to prove, its a game you look forward to. At the FBS school everyone circled that game as a win back when the schedule was released. The mind-set going in is just different.
#4. The full eight game league grind is different as well. Coaches learn your tendencies, they learn your roster. It is just harder to win because of the familiarity.

Sure Marshall was immediately competive. Nevada was as well.
UConn wasn't. USF did OK year one but didn't in year 2 and 3. UAB wasn't immediately competitive. UCF struggled. Akron struggled. Buffalo was terrible. Boise needed a couple years. Idaho struggled. ASU was awful. FIU and FAU struggled (FIU won 3 league games their first year and fell apart), ULM struggled. MTSU did better than most and won 3 their first year in FBS. UNT was bad. Troy did better than most but still had some issues. WKU certainly wasn't competitive off the bat. La Tech had a bad year, 2 good ones and then four straight losing seasons.

There are exceptions and everyone thinks their school is the exception but most are wrong.

I, for one, like Georgia Southern. It has 20,000 plus students and would make a good partner for Georgia State. No they won't be immediately competitive. Neither will South Alabama or Georgia State by the way. Georgia Southern does help some with the wider state of Georgia and is in the Savannah market. Appalachian State, which also would not be immediately competitive, has better facilities but is a little bit outside the footprint. Both would look to be solid additions.

Furthermore, both Georgia Southern and Appalachian State being in smaller markets will be less likely to be called up by a bigger conference so they would be more likely to grow with the league.

I'm real curious to know who Benson has in mind for the additional invite within the next 90 days or if that's just talk. I suspect it isn't idle chit chat but, as things are in flux, things could change.

(04-19-2012 05:33 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  Sure Marshall was immediately competive. Nevada was as well.

UConn wasn't. USF did OK year one but didn't in year 2 and 3. UAB wasn't immediately competitive. UCF struggled. Akron struggled. Buffalo was terrible. Boise needed a couple years. Idaho struggled. ASU was awful. FIU and FAU struggled (FIU won 3 league games their first year and fell apart), ULM struggled. MTSU did better than most and won 3 their first year in FBS. UNT was bad. Troy did better than most but still had some issues. WKU certainly wasn't competitive off the bat. La Tech had a bad year, 2 good ones and then four straight losing seasons.

There are exceptions and everyone thinks their school is the exception but most are wrong.

It's not that simple with these three teams. UConn was transitional in 2000 and 2001, going 3-8 and 2-9 those two years. The team was competitive through the first half of both seasons before finishing with four straight losses in 2000 and six straight losses in 2001, due to not yet having enough depth to endure the hard grind of a full FBS season.

Dan Orlovsky, who would later helm a bunch of games for the Detroit Lions, established himself as QB in 2002 and the Huskies went 6-6 as an independent. The next year was even better, with a 9-3 campaign that concluded with five straight wins, but sadly no bowl bid. UConn joined the Big East in 2004, going 8-4, and winning the Motor City Bowl.

South Florida went 7-4, 8-3, and 9-2 as a transitional team in 2000, 2001, and 2002. The Bulls joined CUSA in 2003 and went 7-4. The next year, they redshirted a bunch of players in anticipation of saving them for the Big East, and went 4-7. South Florida then went 6-6 upon joining the Big East in 2005 and played in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

I would add that Central Florida had a guy named Daunte Culpepper playing QB during its transitional years, 1996 and 1997, and went 5-6 both seasons. The Knights broke out when he was a senior in 1998, going 9-2, but got squeezed out of a bowl bid by an upset in the last week of the season. Coaching issues later hurt them in 2003 and 2004.

Someone said that adding App State and Ga Southern would not add anything to the league, just take away because of their small markets. Well here is my take on it. As far as App State goes, yes they are in a small TV market but I think they will generate national interest. They are well-known and respected so people will want to see how they do at the FBS level of play. Because of this they will be a benefit when negotiating television deals.

Ga Southern may not have that ability to draw attention, but they will provide us with a long-term member who will help bridge the distance from FAU to the rest of us, will provide Ga State with a rival while they are still with us, and once State leaves will allow us to maintain a presence in Georiga which is very important.

If an FCS top Tier team prepped for its move, and got all its ducks in a row, they could quickly compete. What they cant do is come in assuming they will dominate either way, and find themselves totally unprepared for the rigors of an FBS Non-AQ schedule.

The real question is could a team like Georgia Southern play Alabama one week, North Carolina the next, and then turn around and beat a Troy the next week. That is the catch that our programs often find themselves in. Even some of our best programs have figured out how to beat a major conference school, only to lose a conference game the very next week.

(04-19-2012 04:44 PM)SaintDK10 Wrote:  

(04-19-2012 03:12 PM)redlegeagle Wrote:  Saint,

Many of the programs in the SBC are from smaller markets....if they weren't they would probably be in a larger conference, not the SBC. So by your agruement you are putting down teams like Troy, MTSU , the LA schools, etc....they are in similiar markets to Southern.....are they also leaches to your league?

The SBC is what it is....A newly formed conference for mid major schools to compete on the FBS level. The SBC does not have the ability to draw established programs from big markets and there lies the problem for you.

I personally have no issue with G-State/ Charlotte joining the SBC....it's a win win situation. But, just keeping it real here....neither program has accomplished ANYTHING on the field yet. Your only claim to fame is your location in a large market and the suppossed TV viewers you can bring. I ask you...mighty Saint, what is the Panther's Marque win over the last couple of seasons? Criket...Criket...Criket

If you want to think of Southern as a leach if we join the SBC...so be it, but I would be willing to bet my last nickel...that the Eagles would whoop that A** if we ever played. You know...and I know it.

See posts like this actually prove what I am trying to convey, which is that much like its fans, Georgia Southern is an outdated relic of college football past, unable to understand and adapt to the changing landscape of college football.

Let's forget for a second that comparing Southern to Troy, which has close to 60 campuses across the Southeast and U.S. in general, is silly; let's ignore the absurd comparison of Southern to the likes of WKU, whose basketball team has been consistently performing on the national level for decades. Schools like ULM and ULL were added to the Sun Belt over 10 years ago, when the conference was first forming and TV contracts did not rule college football.

But things have changed drastically. The days of adding a team for the sake of geographic footprint alone are over. For better or for worse, college football is dominated by TV contracts, and in this new model, Georgia Southern and its six flags on the pole are simply obsolete and irrelevant. And that is what Southern fans have trouble understanding.

What a school did at FCS level was never an indicator of its performance on the FBS stage. This is especially true for Southern, a program whose heyday was back in 80s and 90s. But the business of college football has become ultra competitive in the last decade, and since then, Southern hasn't done much of anything. Even with supposed resurgence of the Tripple Option under Monken, Southern has been dispatched out of the playoffs two years in a row with massive blowouts.

The fact of the matter is, Southern was relevant back in the day when college football wasn't as competitive as it is today, so they could easily get leftover Georgia athletes since there were only two FBS programs in the state. But again, those days are over. If there ever was a window for Southern to move up, it was back then, but as we all know, they couldn't then for the same reason they can't now: money. But now, even if they had money by some miracle, their lack of TV market automatically disqualifies them.

The good news for Southern is that in a few years, they will probably come to the Dome as a tune-up game for GSU, and get some coin in their pocket for the beatdown. And in all honesty, I don't think that will be a bad deal for them. It gives their alumni a chance to see what a world class facility looks like, and perhaps helps them in recruiting some FCS level talent around Atlanta, which there is certainly plenty of.

We all have our place in the food chain, and Southern simply needs to accept theirs, because FBS football is not it. Just being honest here.

Look, just because Georgia Southern doesn't have the media market like Ga State, it in by no way means that they can't or won't be in the FBS and be successful. Now that the Sunbelt has the Atl market, why not bring in Georgia Southern. We are a hell of a lot closer to being successful on the field at the FBS level than Ga State is. People would actually turn on the TV to see us play a Troy, MTSU, WKU. Then throw in App State and you could potentially have some great games on TV.

With Ga State you get a big market but they are basically Duke in football without the academics. So I say, lets use Ga State for what they were brought in for which is the media market so we can watch some real teams on the field.

(04-20-2012 12:30 PM)Tennessee_Eagle Wrote:  

(04-19-2012 04:44 PM)SaintDK10 Wrote:  

(04-19-2012 03:12 PM)redlegeagle Wrote:  Saint,

Many of the programs in the SBC are from smaller markets....if they weren't they would probably be in a larger conference, not the SBC. So by your agruement you are putting down teams like Troy, MTSU , the LA schools, etc....they are in similiar markets to Southern.....are they also leaches to your league?

The SBC is what it is....A newly formed conference for mid major schools to compete on the FBS level. The SBC does not have the ability to draw established programs from big markets and there lies the problem for you.

I personally have no issue with G-State/ Charlotte joining the SBC....it's a win win situation. But, just keeping it real here....neither program has accomplished ANYTHING on the field yet. Your only claim to fame is your location in a large market and the suppossed TV viewers you can bring. I ask you...mighty Saint, what is the Panther's Marque win over the last couple of seasons? Criket...Criket...Criket

If you want to think of Southern as a leach if we join the SBC...so be it, but I would be willing to bet my last nickel...that the Eagles would whoop that A** if we ever played. You know...and I know it.

See posts like this actually prove what I am trying to convey, which is that much like its fans, Georgia Southern is an outdated relic of college football past, unable to understand and adapt to the changing landscape of college football.

Let's forget for a second that comparing Southern to Troy, which has close to 60 campuses across the Southeast and U.S. in general, is silly; let's ignore the absurd comparison of Southern to the likes of WKU, whose basketball team has been consistently performing on the national level for decades. Schools like ULM and ULL were added to the Sun Belt over 10 years ago, when the conference was first forming and TV contracts did not rule college football.

But things have changed drastically. The days of adding a team for the sake of geographic footprint alone are over. For better or for worse, college football is dominated by TV contracts, and in this new model, Georgia Southern and its six flags on the pole are simply obsolete and irrelevant. And that is what Southern fans have trouble understanding.

What a school did at FCS level was never an indicator of its performance on the FBS stage. This is especially true for Southern, a program whose heyday was back in 80s and 90s. But the business of college football has become ultra competitive in the last decade, and since then, Southern hasn't done much of anything. Even with supposed resurgence of the Tripple Option under Monken, Southern has been dispatched out of the playoffs two years in a row with massive blowouts.

The fact of the matter is, Southern was relevant back in the day when college football wasn't as competitive as it is today, so they could easily get leftover Georgia athletes since there were only two FBS programs in the state. But again, those days are over. If there ever was a window for Southern to move up, it was back then, but as we all know, they couldn't then for the same reason they can't now: money. But now, even if they had money by some miracle, their lack of TV market automatically disqualifies them.

The good news for Southern is that in a few years, they will probably come to the Dome as a tune-up game for GSU, and get some coin in their pocket for the beatdown. And in all honesty, I don't think that will be a bad deal for them. It gives their alumni a chance to see what a world class facility looks like, and perhaps helps them in recruiting some FCS level talent around Atlanta, which there is certainly plenty of.

We all have our place in the food chain, and Southern simply needs to accept theirs, because FBS football is not it. Just being honest here.

Look, just because Georgia Southern doesn't have the media market like Ga State, it in by no way means that they can't or won't be in the FBS and be successful. Now that the Sunbelt has the Atl market, why not bring in Georgia Southern. We are a hell of a lot closer to being successful on the field at the FBS level than Ga State is. People would actually turn on the TV to see us play a Troy, MTSU, WKU. Then throw in App State and you could potentially have some great games on TV.

With Ga State you get a big market but they are basically Duke in football without the academics. So I say, lets use Ga State for what they were brought in for which is the media market so we can watch some real teams on the field.

No

You guys talk about App being a small tv market but here's the deal. They get coverage out of Winston-Salem, Charlotte AND the Tri-Cities, especially in football. ETSU doesn't have football obviously, so those TV stations from a top 100 market come across to cover. There's around 500,000 or so viewers in the Tri-Cities DMA covering Virginia, Tennessee, and parts of NC, KY and West Virginia. Winston-Salem, not sure what the rank is, but they give App attention as well. I'm pretty certain they come close to if not outdraw Wake Forest consistently in attendance and overall interest. Charlotte also covers them, I think I remember getting from Mooresville to Boone one day in around 90 minutes or so. So while it's a small town, it gets news hits both in print and television from alot of areas. Adding both would be beneficial, but it would be nice for North Carolina to build a four lane connector into Tennessee so teams could fly into there and be closer to Boone.
Nobody ever talks about James Madison. I still wonder if they're moving up soon or not.

So App has a beat reporter in all those places?

(04-20-2012 01:33 PM)panama Wrote:  So App has a beat reporter in all those places?

What does that matter? In the end it's about watching football. Yeah times have changed and college football is big money, but ultimately people want to see good football. You can be in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, LA but if the quality football is being played in Troy, Bowling Green, Murfreesboro no one gives a crap if there is a beat reporter for the schools in the small markets.

Youre saying they are covered in all of those places so just asking. Are we just talking about their games being seen in those places?

(04-20-2012 01:51 PM)Tennessee_Eagle Wrote:  

(04-20-2012 01:33 PM)panama Wrote:  So App has a beat reporter in all those places?

What does that matter? In the end it's about watching football. Yeah times have changed and college football is big money, but ultimately people want to see good football. You can be in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, LA but if the quality football is being played in Troy, Bowling Green, Murfreesboro no one gives a crap if there is a beat reporter for the schools in the small markets.

The only claim to fame for G-State is that there school is in a so called "market". G-State fans know their team has under preformed and is simply awful....heck, the Eagles have won more National Championships than G-State has won games... What they won't tell you is that there school is best known for being a large commuter university. For example, my brother and his wife live in Atl (FSU Grads) and decided to each get their masters degree's....well, G-State was close and an easy commute so they enrolled. Do you think my brother gives a chit about G-State football....heck NO. Not even sure he realizes they have a team. The student/ fan support simply does not exist at G-State....Atlanta historically is famous for not being a great sports city.

G-State will live and die by their attendance numbers. The Panthers have realistically little chance next season of winning at best 2 games....and it wouldn't surprise me at all if they went ....0 FER 11. They will enter the SBC and then the beatings will just countine to get worse.

If I were a GAY State fan like, Panama, I would be more concerned about my program even existing in 5 years than what the next step for GSU Eagles may be.

(04-20-2012 01:28 PM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  You guys talk about App being a small tv market but here's the deal. They get coverage out of Winston-Salem, Charlotte AND the Tri-Cities, especially in football. ETSU doesn't have football obviously, so those TV stations from a top 100 market come across to cover. There's around 500,000 or so viewers in the Tri-Cities DMA covering Virginia, Tennessee, and parts of NC, KY and West Virginia. Winston-Salem, not sure what the rank is, but they give App attention as well. I'm pretty certain they come close to if not outdraw Wake Forest consistently in attendance and overall interest. Charlotte also covers them, I think I remember getting from Mooresville to Boone one day in around 90 minutes or so. So while it's a small town, it gets news hits both in print and television from alot of areas. Adding both would be beneficial, but it would be nice for North Carolina to build a four lane connector into Tennessee so teams could fly into there and be closer to Boone.
Nobody ever talks about James Madison. I still wonder if they're moving up soon or not.

You can add Greensboro, NC to that coverage area. UNCG has no football, and never will. Thats three of the top four populated cities in a state of 8 million. The highest numbers of App students come from Wake County (Raleigh,) Mecklenburg (Charlotte,) Guilford (Greensboro) and Forsyth (Winston Salem.)

(04-20-2012 03:07 PM)redlegeagle Wrote:  

(04-20-2012 01:51 PM)Tennessee_Eagle Wrote:  

(04-20-2012 01:33 PM)panama Wrote:  So App has a beat reporter in all those places?

What does that matter? In the end it's about watching football. Yeah times have changed and college football is big money, but ultimately people want to see good football. You can be in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, LA but if the quality football is being played in Troy, Bowling Green, Murfreesboro no one gives a crap if there is a beat reporter for the schools in the small markets.

The only claim to fame for G-State is that there school is in a so called "market". G-State fans know their team has under preformed and is simply awful....heck, the Eagles have won more National Championships than G-State has won games... What they won't tell you is that there school is best known for being a large commuter university. For example, my brother and his wife live in Atl (FSU Grads) and decided to each get their masters degree's....well, G-State was close and an easy commute so they enrolled. Do you think my brother gives a chit about G-State football....heck NO. Not even sure he realizes they have a team. The student/ fan support simply does not exist at G-State....Atlanta historically is famous for not being a great sports city.

G-State will live and die by their attendance numbers. The Panthers have realistically little chance next season of winning at best 2 games....and it wouldn't surprise me at all if they went ....0 FER 11. They will enter the SBC and then the beatings will just countine to get worse.

If I were a GAY State fan like, Panama, I would be more concerned about my program even existing in 5 years than what the next step for GSU Eagles may be.

Childish homophobia is not going to gain you, or your Chick-Fil-A supported institution, more fans. Georgia Southern needs the goodwill of the Sun Belt (and even that might not be enough for you guys).

If you'd like to make fun of Georgia State, I'm sure you can do so without using the word Gay as if it were an insult. When you do so, you are insulting Gay people like me, more than you are Georgia State. You know, even among Sun Belt denizens, South Georgia has a pretty bad reputation for being...uhh...backwards. You'd do yourself and the institution you claim to support better if you didn't feed those stereotypes.

Now you can go back to insulting Ga State. Just leave me and my people out of it. Peace.

What Georgia Southern has done in the past will be irrelevant if and win we move up. Most of the teams will have bigger and faster athletes so we would have some catching up to do.

Has the school made mistakes in the past absolutely. But if you take and honest look at what is going on down there and not constantly talk about the lack of media market, it makes total sense for us to move up.

1. About to break ground on a privately funded 10 million dollar football operations building.
2. About to put a vote in front of the students in order to raise fees to add 6,300 seats to OUR stadium.
3. The 10 million dollar football operations building is part of a multi year 36 million dollar capital campaign specifically for athletics which also includes another stadium expansion.
4. 20,000 students and the majority of them are not commuters.
5. Had 800 people show up last weekend at $50 a ticket to raise money for our Eagle Football Alumni Association. That is 40k raised on one night not including the items that were auctioned off. That had to be another 15 to 20k.

We may not have all these CEO's and be located in a large city like Atlanta, but there is plenty of people with a lot of money connected to the University. Have they been out of the picture for awhile, absolutely. But they are making their way back.

The fact is we do have a rabid fan base that may be small in comparison to big FBS schools but very loyal. The last thing Ga State wants to happen is for us to move up because that will move them back to being totally irrelevant.

(04-20-2012 03:51 PM)Tennessee_Eagle Wrote:  What Georgia Southern has done in the past will be irrelevant if and win we move up. Most of the teams will have bigger and faster athletes so we would have some catching up to do.

Has the school made mistakes in the past absolutely. But if you take and honest look at what is going on down there and not constantly talk about the lack of media market, it makes total sense for us to move up.

1. About to break ground on a privately funded 10 million dollar football operations building.
2. About to put a vote in front of the students in order to raise fees to add 6,300 seats to OUR stadium.
3. The 10 million dollar football operations building is part of a multi year 36 million dollar capital campaign specifically for athletics which also includes another stadium expansion.
4. 20,000 students and the majority of them are not commuters.
5. Had 800 people show up last weekend at $50 a ticket to raise money for our Eagle Football Alumni Association. That is 40k raised on one night not including the items that were auctioned off. That had to be another 15 to 20k.

We may not have all these CEO's and be located in a large city like Atlanta, but there is plenty of people with a lot of money connected to the University. Have they been out of the picture for awhile, absolutely. But they are making their way back.

The fact is we do have a rabid fan base that may be small in comparison to big FBS schools but very loyal. The last thing Ga State wants to happen is for us to move up because that will move them back to being totally irrelevant.

There is also an argument that is in Georgia Southern's favor. Its that Georgia Southern has no competition of any real kind for hundreds of miles around it. I would imagine a FBS Georgia Southern would get a lot of press in Savannah.

Total support = number of fans x intensity of support. Georgia State wins on potential number of fans...but Georgia Southern could potentially win on the total support number due to the intensity of support as a result of a more loyal fanbase and an absence of competition.

But unfortunately for Georgia Southern, the powers that be feel that Georgia State has more potential for total support based upon the market.