(11-05-2017 08:15 PM)ParentofJMUMRDs Wrote:  Wife and I went to the JMU game at Elon in 2015. Very pretty campus and the stadium is also nice. As someone above noted no track and a grass field. gets points. Wife and I are looking forward to making the trip there in 2 weeks with the younger daughter (2015) and the older daughter (2010) and her husband who live in Raleigh.

Go Dukes!!

Brian

You’re starting to give JMUroadwarrior a run for his money.

I think Elon loses their last two games of the season.

(11-05-2017 02:46 PM)2Buck Wrote:  Elon is a great school. I have no problem with good adds like them to our conference, the rising water raises all boats. But to go out of your way to beat your chest about their growth over the last 20+ years when in many metrics it has surpassed our own seems dumb to me. Would anyone on here really be fine with them beating us because they are now a "mighty" conference rival?

We may have served as an "aspirational" school to them 20 years ago but obviously they need to set their sights higher since they seem to be out-pacing us in many areas. Maybe they should now serve as our "aspirational" school in terms of academics and doing more with less?

I just find it funny how the way we perceive Elon and Stony Brook is the way that Marshall, ECU and others (Central Florida, Memphis, UConn) perceive us. It's the "small school" JMU references in the media that are hard to shake. We are all victims in a way of the year that we went coed, the year we started playing D1 football, how long we have been Universities, etc.

The average JMU fan would be ok with Delaware and Richmond as rivals and on the schedule each year. If you look closely Stony Brook and Elon are doing more to grow their sports programs. Even Hofstra has a better national name than Stony Brook yet Hofstra has de-emphasized sports and Stony Brook is the more attractive conference mate.

Keep in mind that outside of the P5 schools are "too good" for other schools but not completely happy with their situation either. They pound their chest about being FBS while trying to get an invite to the P5. When that invite doesn't come they refuse to admit to themselves that a school like JMU would be a nice addition, rival, or conference mate. Even after beating ECU handily this season I doubt many ECU fans would admit to themselves that JMU is a better football program or worthy of playing with them in the same Conference. It would be more about their dumpster fire than the progress that JMU has made. ECU would talk about being in the same Conference as Cincinnati, Memphis, Houston and UConn yet those schools don't view ECU as a peer- they view the ACC and Big 12 schools as peers.

Everyone outside the top 60 is really in purgatory. People need to get over themselves, get past their perceptions, and do what makes sense.

(11-05-2017 08:37 PM)Potomac Wrote:  

(11-05-2017 08:15 PM)ParentofJMUMRDs Wrote:  Wife and I went to the JMU game at Elon in 2015. Very pretty campus and the stadium is also nice. As someone above noted no track and a grass field. gets points. Wife and I are looking forward to making the trip there in 2 weeks with the younger daughter (2015) and the older daughter (2010) and her husband who live in Raleigh.

Go Dukes!!

Brian

You’re starting to give JMUroadwarrior a run for his money.

The first thing I did when I got to my seat at URI was to shake Brian's and his Mrs. hands. The best way to be a roadwarrior is to have a roadwarrior spouse who is all-in!

(11-06-2017 07:18 AM)jmuroadwarrior Wrote:  

(11-05-2017 08:37 PM)Potomac Wrote:  

(11-05-2017 08:15 PM)ParentofJMUMRDs Wrote:  Wife and I went to the JMU game at Elon in 2015. Very pretty campus and the stadium is also nice. As someone above noted no track and a grass field. gets points. Wife and I are looking forward to making the trip there in 2 weeks with the younger daughter (2015) and the older daughter (2010) and her husband who live in Raleigh.

Go Dukes!!

Brian

You’re starting to give JMUroadwarrior a run for his money.

The first thing I did when I got to my seat at URI was to shake Brian's and his Mrs. hands. The best way to be a roadwarrior is to have a roadwarrior spouse who is all-in!

Come to think of it, but we sat behind Brian etal at the last Elon game too!

(11-06-2017 07:18 AM)jmuroadwarrior Wrote:  

(11-05-2017 08:37 PM)Potomac Wrote:  

(11-05-2017 08:15 PM)ParentofJMUMRDs Wrote:  Wife and I went to the JMU game at Elon in 2015. Very pretty campus and the stadium is also nice. As someone above noted no track and a grass field. gets points. Wife and I are looking forward to making the trip there in 2 weeks with the younger daughter (2015) and the older daughter (2010) and her husband who live in Raleigh.

Go Dukes!!

Brian

You’re starting to give JMUroadwarrior a run for his money.

The first thing I did when I got to my seat at URI was to shake Brian's and his Mrs. hands. The best way to be a roadwarrior is to have a roadwarrior spouse who is all-in!

Yeah as I think I’ve said to you before, you can’t devote that much time to rootin if your wife isn’t all in.

(11-06-2017 07:06 AM)NJDuke97 Wrote:  

(11-05-2017 02:46 PM)2Buck Wrote:  Elon is a great school. I have no problem with good adds like them to our conference, the rising water raises all boats. But to go out of your way to beat your chest about their growth over the last 20+ years when in many metrics it has surpassed our own seems dumb to me. Would anyone on here really be fine with them beating us because they are now a "mighty" conference rival?

We may have served as an "aspirational" school to them 20 years ago but obviously they need to set their sights higher since they seem to be out-pacing us in many areas. Maybe they should now serve as our "aspirational" school in terms of academics and doing more with less?

I just find it funny how the way we perceive Elon and Stony Brook is the way that Marshall, ECU and others (Central Florida, Memphis, UConn) perceive us. It's the "small school" JMU references in the media that are hard to shake. We are all victims in a way of the year that we went coed, the year we started playing D1 football, how long we have been Universities, etc.

The average JMU fan would be ok with Delaware and Richmond as rivals and on the schedule each year. If you look closely Stony Brook and Elon are doing more to grow their sports programs. Even Hofstra has a better national name than Stony Brook yet Hofstra has de-emphasized sports and Stony Brook is the more attractive conference mate.

Keep in mind that outside of the P5 schools are "too good" for other schools but not completely happy with their situation either. They pound their chest about being FBS while trying to get an invite to the P5. When that invite doesn't come they refuse to admit to themselves that a school like JMU would be a nice addition, rival, or conference mate. Even after beating ECU handily this season I doubt many ECU fans would admit to themselves that JMU is a better football program or worthy of playing with them in the same Conference. It would be more about their dumpster fire than the progress that JMU has made. ECU would talk about being in the same Conference as Cincinnati, Memphis, Houston and UConn yet those schools don't view ECU as a peer- they view the ACC and Big 12 schools as peers.

Everyone outside the top 60 is really in purgatory. People need to get over themselves, get past their perceptions, and do what makes sense.

If only the ADs at these schools could see this reality. The way to beat the P5s is not to wait around for an invite. Grow your own brand. Forms conferences that make sense and will attract fans and alums to games. Have a great Gameday environment and competitive games against schools fans recognize and want to play.