(05-20-2015 11:55 AM)HerdZoned Wrote:  

(05-19-2015 11:51 PM)RamblinRedWolf44 Wrote:  particularly two names: eku and coastal Carolina

Neither of these two schools are ready, especially Coastal. If EKU would have started upgrades when WKU jumped they night be ready by now. The way Roy Kidd Stadium looks right now its not up to par with IA Stadiums. And well Coastal Carolina's Brooks Stadium holds just over 9K.

It would take EKU 5 or so years to be ready to jump and Coastal 7+, more like 10-15 years. I just don't see either as a viable option right now.

There are 2 options that could come in right now and be OK.

1)JMU would need no work at all and would need a recruiting class or 2 to be up to par with most SB schools. The thing is JMU wants IA, just not the SB.

2)Chattanooga would need a little work but they would fit in well. The thing is UTC has never had the desire to move up. And well with Appy and GA Southern gone the SoCon for the next few years should belong to UTC.

With the benefactors coastal has, they could be ready in a year or two. Their stadium is easily upgradable to 20k+ with metal bleachers. The program is solid and had more recent success over last 10 years than EKU. Location is great as well. Access to airport and bus ride for App and GS.

Coming off consecutive men's basketball appearances. Three years consecutive of FCS playoff appearances, ten NCAA baseball appearances since 2000, #1 regional seed four times since 2005, for the eastern side that cares about men's soccer, 10 NCAA appearances since 2000, four straight years of second round (two sweet 16 in that stretch).

Football is more ready than I realized competitively but they still have a way to go in facilities and support in football.

[quote='dahbeed' pid='12067933' dateline='14321227 hell......he'll probably win 19 games and coach 10 more years in jonesboro.
[/quote]

Not funny..not funny at all. But I think you knew that.

(05-20-2015 02:14 PM)GaSouthern Wrote:  I wonder why Missouri State is not getting any mentions as of late?

That's a very good question. One I wish I could answer.

- Not sure if you all have noticed, but MO State has a top 10 baseball team that is kicking some serious a** of late. If they take care of business in the Valley tournament we should get to host a regional.

- Football program hired a proven P-5 defensive coordinator and Broyles Award finalist as the new coach and he's getting everyone fired up about the future of our team. And, of note, I was told we are on pace for double the number of season ticket holders after averaging nearly 15,400 our first 3 games; unfortunately we lost a crap ton of games late in the season and people stopped caring, so we ended up averaging 11,600.

- Men's basketball has picked up some good recruits after a crap season. We should be able to build on our young talent to win us some games.

Overall, our facilities are new or like-new. The only real thing left for us to do regarding FBS is sh*t or get off the pot. I find it hard to fathom why we'd spend as much money as we're spending on football just to stay FCS.

(05-20-2015 03:54 PM)MO State Alum Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 02:14 PM)GaSouthern Wrote:  I wonder why Missouri State is not getting any mentions as of late?

That's a very good question. One I wish I could answer.

- Not sure if you all have noticed, but MO State has a top 10 baseball team that is kicking some serious a** of late. If they take care of business in the Valley tournament we should get to host a regional.

- Football program hired a proven P-5 defensive coordinator and Broyles Award finalist as the new coach and he's getting everyone fired up about the future of our team. And, of note, I was told we are on pace for double the number of season ticket holders after averaging nearly 15,400 our first 3 games; unfortunately we lost a crap ton of games late in the season and people stopped caring, so we ended up averaging 11,600.

- Men's basketball has picked up some good recruits after a crap season. We should be able to build on our young talent to win us some games.

Overall, our facilities are new or like-new. The only real thing left for us to do regarding FBS is sh*t or get off the pot. I find it hard to fathom why we'd spend as much money as we're spending on football just to stay FCS.

Promise you JMU has spent more money, and we're staying FCS. Over 200 million will have been spent on JMU athletic facilities from the 15 year period b/t 2003 and 2018.

The MSU and JMU admin must be birds of a feather.

(05-20-2015 03:41 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  Coming off consecutive men's basketball appearances. Three years consecutive of FCS playoff appearances, ten NCAA baseball appearances since 2000, #1 regional seed four times since 2005, for the eastern side that cares about men's soccer, 10 NCAA appearances since 2000, four straight years of second round (two sweet 16 in that stretch).

Football is more ready than I realized competitively but they still have a way to go in facilities and support in football.

The support would increase for football if they were FBS I think. The bar is pretty low with some of the other G5 programs out there for attendance.

(05-20-2015 03:54 PM)MO State Alum Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 02:14 PM)GaSouthern Wrote:  I wonder why Missouri State is not getting any mentions as of late?

That's a very good question. One I wish I could answer.

- Not sure if you all have noticed, but MO State has a top 10 baseball team that is kicking some serious a** of late. If they take care of business in the Valley tournament we should get to host a regional.

- Football program hired a proven P-5 defensive coordinator and Broyles Award finalist as the new coach and he's getting everyone fired up about the future of our team. And, of note, I was told we are on pace for double the number of season ticket holders after averaging nearly 15,400 our first 3 games; unfortunately we lost a crap ton of games late in the season and people stopped caring, so we ended up averaging 11,600.

- Men's basketball has picked up some good recruits after a crap season. We should be able to build on our young talent to win us some games.

Overall, our facilities are new or like-new. The only real thing left for us to do regarding FBS is sh*t or get off the pot. I find it hard to fathom why we'd spend as much money as we're spending on football just to stay FCS.

To be more broad based and competitive.

(05-20-2015 03:45 PM)OsageJ Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 06:52 AM)dahbeed Wrote:  hell......he'll probably win 19 games and coach 10 more years in jonesboro.

Not funny..not funny at all. But I think you knew that.

no. it's tragic. you guys used to love hoops. first you got dick nutted and now you've been john bradied.

and he could win some games with 23 seniors. it's like maestri was at troy. every other year he'd be loaded with seniors and was never good enough to go to the ncaa but they certainly had enough talent to beat you and be a spoiler.

if he doesn't lose the team (which i've seen him do) ya'll could have a nice season. to be followed by an empty bench. hopefully he'd just ride off into the sunset.

Your last sentence....yes!

(05-20-2015 06:52 AM)dahbeed Wrote:  is John Brady still coaching the red woofs?

wow. didn't know that. i figured he was gone for sure. won't he have 9 or 10 seniors this year since it's the second year of a juco haul? hell......he'll probably win 19 games and coach 10 more years in jonesboro.

(05-20-2015 01:41 PM)CrazyCajun Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 10:34 AM)GoAppsGo92 Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 10:30 AM)CrazyCajun Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 09:53 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 09:04 AM)GaSouthern Wrote:  Coastal is a good dark horse candidate but I can't believe that their football program is really ready to make the jump?

I think EKU can be ready for the '16 season but I have doubts about coastal.

If CCU gets called up I would not be upset but I don't think they should be our #2 option. I'd rather have JMU or Liberty first.

To me Coastal makes no sense unless they are taking a slower path to FBS, say 5-10 years but want in now and are willing to slog along getting ready.

Exactly! I didn't hear of any mention of adding another football playing member. I didn't hear which programs were discussed, but it makes sense for Coastal Carolina or Eastern Kentucky in Olympic sports. We don't need another football program right now in my opinion.

If Idaho is gone you can't get to 12 without adding 2 more teams. If NMSU is to be brought in as a full member you need another Olympic only preferably in the east. I'm thinking 12/16 is the plan.

I have no problem jettisoning Idaho period. We don't need 12 programs with deregulation to have a championship game. Many assume ESPN will televise the championship game because its in their best interest. Funny thing is ESPN is all about money and we have no corporate sponsor.

Is the travel to Idaho really that bad?? It's only every other year, if that. BTW Idaho didn't play ULL last season, nor this season, so ULL hasn't had to travel to Idaho yet at all. I would think that a 12 team (football) conference would be better than a 10 or 11 team conference, even if the deregulation regarding 12 teams for a CCG gets passed. It's not like the difference in the amount of conference money to be shared is a huge amount. Is replacing Idaho and/or NMSU with two FCS move-ups EKU and Costal Carolina really making the Sun Belt a better conference? Nothing against either school, but just a couple honest questions.

(05-20-2015 06:00 PM)VandyBen Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 01:41 PM)CrazyCajun Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 10:34 AM)GoAppsGo92 Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 10:30 AM)CrazyCajun Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 09:53 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  To me Coastal makes no sense unless they are taking a slower path to FBS, say 5-10 years but want in now and are willing to slog along getting ready.

Exactly! I didn't hear of any mention of adding another football playing member. I didn't hear which programs were discussed, but it makes sense for Coastal Carolina or Eastern Kentucky in Olympic sports. We don't need another football program right now in my opinion.

If Idaho is gone you can't get to 12 without adding 2 more teams. If NMSU is to be brought in as a full member you need another Olympic only preferably in the east. I'm thinking 12/16 is the plan.

I have no problem jettisoning Idaho period. We don't need 12 programs with deregulation to have a championship game. Many assume ESPN will televise the championship game because its in their best interest. Funny thing is ESPN is all about money and we have no corporate sponsor.

Is the travel to Idaho really that bad?? It's only every other year, if that. BTW Idaho didn't play ULL last season, nor this season, so ULL hasn't had to travel to Idaho yet at all. I would think that a 12 team (football) conference would be better than a 10 or 11 team conference, even if the deregulation regarding 12 teams for a CCG gets passed. It's not like the difference in the amount of conference money to be shared is a huge amount. Is replacing Idaho and/or NMSU with two FCS move-ups EKU and Costal Carolina really making the Sun Belt a better conference? Nothing against either school, but just a couple honest questions.

Fair questions....Since Idaho is only playing football in the conference, what else are do you bring to the table besides increased travel cost outside the conference footprint? EKU and Coastal Carolina bring good basketball and baseball programs. They both present a possible travel partner for App. State as well, something Idaho can not do. As I stated, I'm not interested in either as a football member. I don't hate Idaho, I just do see the long term fit for your program in the SBC.

On the other hand, NMST has very good basketball, solid baseball and a NCAA regional program in softball. It's not hard to get flights to El Paso and drive to New Mexico State.

So, here are my thoughts on everything I have read, just gathered into one long reply:

Is the travel to Idaho that bad? No. Is the success that Idaho has had recently that bad? Yes. Idaho is dragging the conference down more than even Georgia State is. The Vandals played their first season in 1893, but their record is a whopping 443-568-26. I know that records don't tell the whole story, but a school that is way out of the footprint and is not showing any progress does not deserve yet another chance to prove the conference wrong again.

In regards to EKU and CCU, I would rather take Coastal. I know that is not a popular opinion, but I think South Carolina has always been like North Carolina, in that there have been a few schools that dominated the state (Clemson, USC, UNC, Duke, NC State). Coastal would tap into a bit of a new market while providing some quality athletic teams. I know the support isn't astronomical, but when you're playing the likes of Elon, South Carolina State, and Gardner Webb, who can expect a huge spike in attendance? I just think EKU would see a short spike in attendance due to them being FBS, and then it would dwindle away, with a majority of the fair weather fans heading up the road to UK or Louisville for bigger names when the team starts to fall. Coastal could be ready, facilities wise, quickly with a few renovations, while EKU is looking to have to start over in a few places.

All in all, my top pick would still be JMU. I know that they want nothing to do with the Belt, but their chances at moving up are getting smaller and smaller by the day. I would also love to have UT-Chattanooga as a member of the conference, as they get us back into Tennessee, their facilities are already pretty solid, they're relatively successful, and they're in a market that we haven't really tapped into quite yet. My list, in this order, would be JMU, Missouri State, UTC, Coastal, Liberty, and EKU.

Also, if Idaho is given the boot, I'm okay with NMSU joining as a full member as long as they make great strides to improve their football team and attendance over the next five years. If you're lagging behind in football at this point, it's either time to nut up or shut up. To earn a better reputation for the conference, we can't afford stragglers.

The reason Coastal hasn't made it in the SoCon is because there's three private members in South Carolina who won't let their membership come to a vote. Also, there's concerns about their academics.

App has played Coastal a three times in football, all in Boone. It's about 300 miles between Conway and Boone and they travel decently well. Moglia is a solid coach who was once in charge of TD Ameritrade, no joke. Basketball has danced a couple times recently and baseball is top notch.

They also have a recruiting advantage because of a state law saying if an out-of-state student wants to major in something that isn't offered in his home state public schools, he can go to Coastal for in-state tuition.

Coastal is an interesting discussion. They would have everything to gain by moving up. However, would Texas State and Lafayette want to fly teams into Myrtle Beach? That's the big question.

And they have a teal field.

(05-20-2015 07:14 PM)T-Dog Wrote:  The reason Coastal hasn't made it in the SoCon is because there's three private members in South Carolina who won't let their membership come to a vote. Also, there's concerns about their academics.

App has played Coastal a three times in football, all in Boone. It's about 300 miles between Conway and Boone and they travel decently well. Moglia is a solid coach who was once in charge of TD Ameritrade, no joke. Basketball has danced a couple times recently and baseball is top notch.

They also have a recruiting advantage because of a state law saying if an out-of-state student wants to major in something that isn't offered in his home state public schools, he can go to Coastal for in-state tuition.

Coastal is an interesting discussion. They would have everything to gain by moving up. However, would Texas State and Lafayette want to fly teams into Myrtle Beach? That's the big question.

And they have a teal field.

Moglia is quite a story. After being done at TD Ameritrade, he went to Nebraska to learn coaching and lived in a hotel room in Lincoln for a year working as a volunteer coach and learning how to be a coach. He has done a great job at Coastal. His only issue so far has been they keep getting sent to North Dakota State. Played them closer this year.

Here's a Grantland story about Moglia before his first season. He's been a rousing success so far.

http://grantland.com/features/former-for...l-program/

(05-20-2015 06:30 PM)rknj8993 Wrote:  So, here are my thoughts on everything I have read, just gathered into one long reply:

Is the travel to Idaho that bad? No. Is the success that Idaho has had recently that bad? Yes. Idaho is dragging the conference down more than even Georgia State is. The Vandals played their first season in 1893, but their record is a whopping 443-568-26. I know that records don't tell the whole story, but a school that is way out of the footprint and is not showing any progress does not deserve yet another chance to prove the conference wrong again.

In regards to EKU and CCU, I would rather take Coastal. I know that is not a popular opinion, but I think South Carolina has always been like North Carolina, in that there have been a few schools that dominated the state (Clemson, USC, UNC, Duke, NC State). Coastal would tap into a bit of a new market while providing some quality athletic teams. I know the support isn't astronomical, but when you're playing the likes of Elon, South Carolina State, and Gardner Webb, who can expect a huge spike in attendance? I just think EKU would see a short spike in attendance due to them being FBS, and then it would dwindle away, with a majority of the fair weather fans heading up the road to UK or Louisville for bigger names when the team starts to fall. Coastal could be ready, facilities wise, quickly with a few renovations, while EKU is looking to have to start over in a few places.

All in all, my top pick would still be JMU. I know that they want nothing to do with the Belt, but their chances at moving up are getting smaller and smaller by the day. I would also love to have UT-Chattanooga as a member of the conference, as they get us back into Tennessee, their facilities are already pretty solid, they're relatively successful, and they're in a market that we haven't really tapped into quite yet. My list, in this order, would be JMU, Missouri State, UTC, Coastal, Liberty, and EKU.

Also, if Idaho is given the boot, I'm okay with NMSU joining as a full member as long as they make great strides to improve their football team and attendance over the next five years. If you're lagging behind in football at this point, it's either time to nut up or shut up. To earn a better reputation for the conference, we can't afford stragglers.

I like Idaho, they are fighters, but they are a pain to travel to and hurt our power ratings. I'm glad they were available when we needed help to get through the transition but that era has ended. Time to end it.

EKU, I like the attitude of their president but I'm leery of a fourth FBS in a hoops state, especially when the school doesn't elevate us in football or basketball.

Coastal, I like everything about them except football attendance and their stadium. They are just over two hours from South Carolina and four from Clemson in a metro of 430k+

NMSU hurts us in football but can help in other sports. Either get them in all sports or cut them loose.

JMU, I don't believe their administration is that interested in FBS unless there is enough pressure and the looming July 1, 2016 deadline requiring state approval changes their mind.

I still think a brokered deal is possible, we will vote for your eastern school of choice if you vote for NMSU.

I don't think we announce any FCS to FBS add before June 1 so scratch any FCS until after football season.

My guess is if expansion is imminent (ie. an announcement prior to July 1, 2015) that NMSU is the announcement and if that announcement happens I'd say there is a 60%-75% chance we announce an eastern FCS move-up some time between December 2015 and May 2016.

EKU has a storied history and an in state rival. Apparently their considering building a new stadium from scratch. It's a no brainer particularly if they plan to remove the word Kidd from the new stadium.

With CUSA at 13 when they would like to be at 12, the SBC is relatively safe from further raids. Therefore we cut Idaho and keep NMSU football only for the near future. Outside of that, no other changes are needed. Coastal, EKU and Jacksonville St would drag the conference down. We now have a solid football conference with Idaho, NMSU and GaSt being the only bad programs. Eliminate Idaho and the conference can finish at the top of the G5 very soon.

(05-20-2015 07:14 PM)T-Dog Wrote:  The reason Coastal hasn't made it in the SoCon is because there's three private members in South Carolina who won't let their membership come to a vote. Also, there's concerns about their academics.

App has played Coastal a three times in football, all in Boone. It's about 300 miles between Conway and Boone and they travel decently well. Moglia is a solid coach who was once in charge of TD Ameritrade, no joke. Basketball has danced a couple times recently and baseball is top notch.

They also have a recruiting advantage because of a state law saying if an out-of-state student wants to major in something that isn't offered in his home state public schools, he can go to Coastal for in-state tuition.

Coastal is an interesting discussion. They would have everything to gain by moving up. However, would Texas State and Lafayette want to fly teams into Myrtle Beach? That's the big question.

And they have a teal field.

Put in a green field before you get my vote.