NewTimes
All American
Posts: 3,107
Joined: May 2012
Reputation: 95
I Root For: Flames & Canes
Location: Rome, GA
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RE: Life in the G5
(09-10-2015 03:32 PM)TribePride91 Wrote: (09-06-2015 10:23 PM)NewTimes Wrote: (09-04-2015 04:08 PM)TribePride91 Wrote: (09-04-2015 04:01 PM)Sitting bull Wrote: You can get a nice feel for it this afternoon on ESPNU, Charlotte at Georgia State.
It's a pathetic excuse to pretend this is FBS football.
Judge Judy is on CBS, better entertainment.
Yet, some at JMU and Liberty are desperate for that very experience.
If you were a member of the Big South, and just saw your number one, and only true rival, receive a FBS invite, when your facilities/attendance and more were superior, you would be peeved, not desperate to escape the BSC. The Big South, with Monmouth being a rental, will be in even a more dangerous position with it's automatic bid when Coastal leaves.
If most Tribe fans want to play in and enjoy the FCS, then more power to you. If Liberty or JMU, or even GaSt want FBS then accept it if those schools have different desires. Poking at Liberty and JMU for desiring FBS seems like sour grapes. GaSt is a train wreck that should have had some level of FCS success before moving up, and because of that, it will take them longer to succeed.
Sorry that it is a touchy subject. Despite our differences on the field, it is good for the different schools in the Commonwealth to be successful. I just happen to think that some of the desire to go FBS is a little delusional. The Tribe will do what is best for its programs as will all the other schools. The landscape has dramatically changed to where there might not be anything to gain by going to G5. That is my only point. If a school does not have a seat at the P5 table(and Liberty, ODU, App St, JMU, GA Southern, Coastal etc. have no shot at that at all), they are expending many millions of dollars for a limited shot at the Weed Eater Bowl. In the next 5 years, there is a much greater likelihood that the existing G5 conferences(including all of the ones the Flames' fans and Dukes' fans covet) are left in a FCS like championship grouping for football with the top 3-4 FCS conferences(the CAA is likely to be one of those, the Big South probably not). So, a school moves up for 2-3 years only to fall back to where they are now. But, it all other sports, rivalries are destroyed, travel costs dramatically increase, and exposure is non-existent. The Big South has been a good conference for Liberty in all sports as has the CAA for W&M and JMU. But, I am sure a totally spread out MAC, Sunbelt or Conference USA would be much better.....
Liberty, W&M and JMU will all be successful moving forward. I just tire of the angst from the fans desperate for something else and missing what is right in front of them. We will see you in November on the basketball court and perhaps in football that month as well.
The one difference for Liberty is they covet the very highest levels of the FBS. I know it sounds almost ludicrous but LU desires, and openly states they want to be P5. It will not happen soon and will take a very long. Years and years. It will take years and much to happen to change for the university.
But the fact is that is what the school desires. Will the FCS to FBS be a huge step. Yes. But where Coastal or App St may desire to graduate to the CUSA or maybe the AAC, do they realistically have a chance to go beyond that? Liberty, once they can shed more of their past baggage, win more profile games, upgrade the current academic reality and perception, grow the on-campus student body, and have the online program become a more accepted method of learning, LU will be positioned to reach the higher goals of the P5, with one remaining exception.
The school can continue to carry it flagship moniker and brand but it must be wiser in actions and stances in high profile, national news story mentions. Bringing Bernie Saunders to speak like Trump, Palin, Perry, and other high profile political figures bring importance and awareness to the school. The continual mention of the Monmouth poltical poll on all the major networks brings public awareness without being offensive.
What the school must do as it upgrades it's academics and perception as mentioned above, is it must be wiser in it's high profile decisions. Hiring Bob McDonald as an instructor was a bad idea. Worse was hiring Matt Staver as dean of the law school. Staver is way too right wing and righteous and McDonald was an accused and later a convicted felon. The school has yet to recognize choices like that effect the current perception of the university and reminds others of past leadership blunders.
Lastly, with the schools resources, and overt desire, as it slowly shakes off the past bad decisions, and slowly increases it's perception, and wins big games, so will it's appeal. If one really ponders it, the school is positioned in the future for the big time. Well beyond the FCS and beyond the low level and mid level FBS. Will it take time, absolutely. The question is not will it happen or not. The question is when.
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