(12-19-2011 11:09 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 12:39 AM)Rabonchild Wrote:  The total population of the counties that are in E. North Carolina is 2,100,000. That alone would place the population located around ECU above the state population of West Virginia, Nebraska, or Idaho.

That would also place the population around ECU at about 1,000,000 more than the urban population of San Diego, Dallas, or Orlando (equal to the Orlando metro population) and 1,800,000 less than Houston's urban population. Game attendance would seem to indicate that the population of 2,100,000 around ECU has bought into the program at a much higher rate than the other schools.

What counties are you including?

The generally accepted definition of Eastern North Carolina is everything east of I95. I don't know exactly where that cuts off in terms of counties exactly.

(12-19-2011 11:17 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 08:24 AM)NoQuarter08 Wrote:  Nothing ECU does other than stay in top 25 will help our cause with the BE. We don't match their profile since our campus isn't in a large urban area. To us it's a really dumb reason to lock us out but it is their main reason. Attendance doesn't matter to them and there's nothing else we can say to explain our loyal following and interest in NC. The Big East doesn't get it, will not get it and I'm still amazed that VT was ever in that conference.

Simply saying that someone who disagrees with you "doesn't get it" disrespects the other party. That's the arrogance that many of us resent among so many ECU fans.

Whether it's right or wrong, the Big East is entitled to map out whatever strategy they see fit & to decide for themselves who are the schools with whom they have the most in common. It's only a sense of entitlement that has so many ECU fans saying "We belong" & criticizing the Big East for not agreeing with them.

Every conference has its own sense of what schools are the right fit for them The Pac-12 decided that Colorado was the right choice for them even though BYU or UNLV would have made more geographic sense. The SEC decided that Missouri was the right fit for them even though West Virginia would have been a better fit geographically & culturally.

I don't understand why ECU fans think that the constant barrage of Big East criticism would make them more attractive to the conference nor do I understand why they would even want to be associated in any way with a conference that they so despise, deplore, & denigrate. Why not simply say that we'll each go our own way since it's obviously not working out between us & each go our own way but still be friends?

Because the truth is there isn't anything to move on to that's a palitable option. There isn't a conference with sensible geography for us, and there isn't a conference with like minded schools who support their football programs the way we do. Until that league exists there's just going to be general ECU fan unrest. Just kinda the way it is. We are tired of traveling across the country to play in empty stadiums with no financial pay off from it. We have 2 current peers in C-USA right now, Marshall and USM, and the rest we have nothing in common with and are seperated by massive distances.

(12-19-2011 10:32 AM)AnnapolisPirate Wrote:  I'll give the props to Va Tech where they are due, they have a large presence in VA as well as in the the DC metro, including Maryland. In fact, other than the small schools in Md (Salisbury, Towson etc) there appears to be more VPI support and stickers than any other school besides Md.

But this "state flagship" argument is more subjective than you make it out to be. Unfortunately, much like crappy intel we have had prior to some military operations, which really is impacted by "feet on the ground" or, HUMINT, this lack of perception is generated by people who don't really know what impact East Carolina has in the region. Nor do they care to find out.

So, please compare facts to facts: at the time VPI was added to the big East in the 90s, the two programs were relatively even. Today, the enrollment of the two schools is very close, ~30k to ECU's ~28k.

East Carolina draws students form across the state, as well as form the mid-atlantic. Many kids from Maryland and New Jersey enroll at ECU. it is possible that ECU has more kids from Va, MD and NJ than Wake Forest has students.

As for competitive draws, wake has some pull in NC as it is still a Southern school. Duke, however, is more of a National school as arguably has more of a national fanbase than a local one. That certainly has an effect within the state, but does not takeaway from ECU's following.

Currently, the Big East has next to no presence in Va, and none south of that, until you reach Florida. ECU, does have a measurable presence in this region, which will likely have more natural interest in the Big East than exists in California. (We did grow up watching the Big East ACC challenge after all). East Carolina is located in one of the fastest growing towns, in one of the fastest growing states, that already has ~10 million residents.

In addition to its strong statewide pull, and strong interest in the Virginia tidewater region (1.5 hours away), it is the only team with a physical presence in the Eastern portion of the state, itself home to ~2 million residents. You could say that we are the flagship in a region home to 2 million folks, but most won't, because you personally don't know this info and don't care to listen to people who do.

We have positive measurable TV ratings in all the state's major markets, proven attendance showing support of people willing to pay to attend games, had more people go to Memphis to watch the Liberty bowl than Ct could send to the Orange, overall strong attendance record in Bowl games, strong attendance in neutral site games in Charlotte, large overall commitment to all our programs, decent, and improving academics, etc.

All this has been measured and is not the product of opinion. That so many choose to ignore the facts tends to irritate us. That people rely on subjective opinions that don't truly have a strong factual basis only increases our ire.

Apparently it is the product of opinion & not based on facts. If it were factual, ECU would be in the Big East right now.

The Big East has worked with 6 major media consultants independent of the conference in developing their expansion strategy. These people measure this stuff for a living & they have access to what other people measure as well. It's what they do every day they report to work. They know way more about this stuff than you or any ECU fan does. And they're looking at it objectively, not from the bias of any individual school. The Big East is paying them big bucks to provide an unbiased opinion.

Regardless of you point of vies, apparently the networks are simply not going to pay at the levels needed to max out the conference's potential for a school that is the 5th AQ in the state. Even if you want to ignore Duke, Appalachian State is the #1 FCS draw in the country & draws as many fans to football games as Duke does. They are a presence in the state & draw almost entirely from within the state.

What you are ignoring is the fact that 50K fans at ECU games does little for the other schools in the conference. Ticket sales represent revenue for ECU. TV ratings are what benefits the conference as a whole because those translate directly into dollars in everyone's pockets. VA Tech is the 2nd AQ school in Virginia & that's their advantage. ECU is the 5th school in a market that is already maxed out. Just as ECU draws from around the state, so do UNC-CH & State, which means that ECU isn't the exclusive draw in the eastern part of the state. There's competiton for those TV ratings all over the state & apparently the folks who do this stuff for a living have assessed that ECU simply doesn't bring enough.

And you ignore basketball to your own detriment. Even though football is a bigger money machine, basketball is still a big part of the TV package - especially in a TV-first conference.

(12-19-2011 11:41 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 10:32 AM)AnnapolisPirate Wrote:  I'll give the props to Va Tech where they are due, they have a large presence in VA as well as in the the DC metro, including Maryland. In fact, other than the small schools in Md (Salisbury, Towson etc) there appears to be more VPI support and stickers than any other school besides Md.

But this "state flagship" argument is more subjective than you make it out to be. Unfortunately, much like crappy intel we have had prior to some military operations, which really is impacted by "feet on the ground" or, HUMINT, this lack of perception is generated by people who don't really know what impact East Carolina has in the region. Nor do they care to find out.

So, please compare facts to facts: at the time VPI was added to the big East in the 90s, the two programs were relatively even. Today, the enrollment of the two schools is very close, ~30k to ECU's ~28k.

East Carolina draws students form across the state, as well as form the mid-atlantic. Many kids from Maryland and New Jersey enroll at ECU. it is possible that ECU has more kids from Va, MD and NJ than Wake Forest has students.

As for competitive draws, wake has some pull in NC as it is still a Southern school. Duke, however, is more of a National school as arguably has more of a national fanbase than a local one. That certainly has an effect within the state, but does not takeaway from ECU's following.

Currently, the Big East has next to no presence in Va, and none south of that, until you reach Florida. ECU, does have a measurable presence in this region, which will likely have more natural interest in the Big East than exists in California. (We did grow up watching the Big East ACC challenge after all). East Carolina is located in one of the fastest growing towns, in one of the fastest growing states, that already has ~10 million residents.

In addition to its strong statewide pull, and strong interest in the Virginia tidewater region (1.5 hours away), it is the only team with a physical presence in the Eastern portion of the state, itself home to ~2 million residents. You could say that we are the flagship in a region home to 2 million folks, but most won't, because you personally don't know this info and don't care to listen to people who do.

We have positive measurable TV ratings in all the state's major markets, proven attendance showing support of people willing to pay to attend games, had more people go to Memphis to watch the Liberty bowl than Ct could send to the Orange, overall strong attendance record in Bowl games, strong attendance in neutral site games in Charlotte, large overall commitment to all our programs, decent, and improving academics, etc.

All this has been measured and is not the product of opinion. That so many choose to ignore the facts tends to irritate us. That people rely on subjective opinions that don't truly have a strong factual basis only increases our ire.

Apparently it is the product of opinion & not based on facts. If it were factual, ECU would be in the Big East right now.

The Big East has worked with 6 major media consultants independent of the conference in developing their expansion strategy. These people measure this stuff for a living & they have access to what other people measure as well. It's what they do every day they report to work. They know way more about this stuff than you or any ECU fan does. And they're looking at it objectively, not from the bias of any individual school. The Big East is paying them big bucks to provide an unbiased opinion.

Regardless of you point of vies, apparently the networks are simply not going to pay at the levels needed to max out the conference's potential for a school that is the 5th AQ in the state. Even if you want to ignore Duke, Appalachian State is the #1 FCS draw in the country & draws as many fans to football games as Duke does. They are a presence in the state & draw almost entirely from within the state.

What you are ignoring is the fact that 50K fans at ECU games does little for the other schools in the conference. Ticket sales represent revenue for ECU. TV ratings are what benefits the conference as a whole because those translate directly into dollars in everyone's pockets. VA Tech is the 2nd AQ school in Virginia & that's their advantage. ECU is the 5th school in a market that is already maxed out. Just as ECU draws from around the state, so do UNC-CH & State, which means that ECU isn't the exclusive draw in the eastern part of the state. There's competiton for those TV ratings all over the state & apparently the folks who do this stuff for a living have assessed that ECU simply doesn't bring enough.

And you ignore basketball to your own detriment. Even though football is a bigger money machine, basketball is still a big part of the TV package - especially in a TV-first conference.

I normally dont post on this board and read it to only get a few laughs in, but ECU is 3rd maybe 2nd in NC not 5th. Now continue with the pissing match

(12-19-2011 11:29 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 11:09 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 12:39 AM)Rabonchild Wrote:  The total population of the counties that are in E. North Carolina is 2,100,000. That alone would place the population located around ECU above the state population of West Virginia, Nebraska, or Idaho.

That would also place the population around ECU at about 1,000,000 more than the urban population of San Diego, Dallas, or Orlando (equal to the Orlando metro population) and 1,800,000 less than Houston's urban population. Game attendance would seem to indicate that the population of 2,100,000 around ECU has bought into the program at a much higher rate than the other schools.

What counties are you including?

The generally accepted definition of Eastern North Carolina is everything east of I95. I don't know exactly where that cuts off in terms of counties exactly.

Thanks

(12-19-2011 11:37 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 11:17 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 08:24 AM)NoQuarter08 Wrote:  Nothing ECU does other than stay in top 25 will help our cause with the BE. We don't match their profile since our campus isn't in a large urban area. To us it's a really dumb reason to lock us out but it is their main reason. Attendance doesn't matter to them and there's nothing else we can say to explain our loyal following and interest in NC. The Big East doesn't get it, will not get it and I'm still amazed that VT was ever in that conference.

Simply saying that someone who disagrees with you "doesn't get it" disrespects the other party. That's the arrogance that many of us resent among so many ECU fans.

Whether it's right or wrong, the Big East is entitled to map out whatever strategy they see fit & to decide for themselves who are the schools with whom they have the most in common. It's only a sense of entitlement that has so many ECU fans saying "We belong" & criticizing the Big East for not agreeing with them.

Every conference has its own sense of what schools are the right fit for them The Pac-12 decided that Colorado was the right choice for them even though BYU or UNLV would have made more geographic sense. The SEC decided that Missouri was the right fit for them even though West Virginia would have been a better fit geographically & culturally.

I don't understand why ECU fans think that the constant barrage of Big East criticism would make them more attractive to the conference nor do I understand why they would even want to be associated in any way with a conference that they so despise, deplore, & denigrate. Why not simply say that we'll each go our own way since it's obviously not working out between us & each go our own way but still be friends?

Because the truth is there isn't anything to move on to that's a palitable option. There isn't a conference with sensible geography for us, and there isn't a conference with like minded schools who support their football programs the way we do. Until that league exists there's just going to be general ECU fan unrest. Just kinda the way it is. We are tired of traveling across the country to play in empty stadiums with no financial pay off from it. We have 2 current peers in C-USA right now, Marshall and USM, and the rest we have nothing in common with and are seperated by massive distances.

But ECU fans also say you guys don't have anything in common with the Big East & that the only like minded schools are now gone from the conference. It doesn't endear ECU to any Big East fans to take the constant bashing of the conference from ECU fans but to then hear that you want to be in the conference.

Unfortunately the result of realignment for a lot of us is too many unpalatable options. Do you think that the Big East schools really want to be traveling to the Mountain & Pacific time zones? Unfortunately Boise State gives the conference the best shot at AQ & they come with a request for a travel partner on the ohter side of the Rockies. Everyting else falls in place from that starting point. Had the old Big East coalition with TCU held in place, I think that ECU would have had a much better shot at inclusion.

(12-19-2011 11:49 AM)not_again Wrote:  I normally dont post on this board and read it to only get a few laughs in, but ECU is 3rd maybe 2nd in NC not 5th. Now continue with the pissing match

Facts, please.

There are already 4 AQ schools & only 4 in NC. ECU would like to become #5.

(12-19-2011 11:27 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 10:00 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 09:52 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 08:59 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  Yeah if VT was on the outside now they probably wouldn't get invited to a league either, because they don't have the "market." VT and WVU were always the exceptions in the BE, the teams that never really fit culturally in the league, and of course the only real supporters of us joining. I've always enjoyed our relationships with those 2 schools and hope they both remain fixtures on our schedule for many years to come.

Not true at all. Virginia Tech has a statewide presence in Virginia where it has the largest enrollment of any school. The entire state is their market.

If they currently had the non-AQ stigma associated with their name they wouldn't get credit for having a statewide presence. ECU has a statewide presence and a huge enrollment and no one cares. VT has a smaller market than ECU does. If they had never been in an AQ league and were sitting in our position right now they would be given the same reasons we are for why we aren't attractive.

You can keep repeating that mantra all day, but it simply demonstrates that you are out of touch with reality. VA Tech is the #2 school in Virginia. ECU is #3. In that regard it's more like NC State, not ECU.

In addition, it is the 2nd AQ school sin Virginia, not attempting to be the 5th.

Those 2 factors are enormous problems for anyone wanting to add ECU to their conference. Even if they agreed with you, they'd have an impossible time selling that to the networks.

Furthermore, any conference that looks at ECU for the whole package that they would bring to the conference sees a basketball program that doesn't win games & doesn't draw fans. That's another problem - especially in a basketball-mad state like North Carolina where the pecking order was established long ago.

Finally, ECU hasn't performed in a very long time on the field like a program that draws 50,000 fans. 4 winning season in 11 years is a problem even if you don't recognize it.

Add up all of those realities & they are a lot of obstacles to overcome - not just for the Big East, but for any conference. It's not like the Big East is the only conference of this opinion. The SEC expanded & it's not like ECU was the bridesmaid. Nor were they the bridesmaid when the ACC expanded. When the Big XII decided to come as far east as Morgantown, it's not like they were also pondering ECU & that ECU made it a close call between them & West Virginia.

Why is all the hate directed at the Big East. ECU has been passed over without a 2nd look by every conference that has been involved in realignment. The Big East has been the only one to give ECU any consideration.

The hate is because you guys are weak and you're ducking ECU. And the whole world knows it. Like UConn is some big football jugernaut with 35,000 in the seats of a gifted stadium, propped up by the state. You're just a propped up D1AA yourself in football. You think you get to a BCS bowl at 8-4 without an invitational format to prop you up?
ECU just went to five straight bowls and won two league titles in this decade even with three coaching changes. They only needed one more win to get to two or three more CUSA title games this decade.

East Carolina beat Duke, Wake Forest, UNC, NC State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Texas Tech, West Virginia this decade alone. Has anyone of these others you're bringing in done more but maybe Boise State? Because ECU beat them too.

You can't say ECU can't compete in basketball when they beat Memphis last year in Greenville and lost at their place by 3. They beat UCF three times. When's the last time SMU did anything in football or basketball? That's just a gifted invite to try to claim a Dallas market that SMU does not carry. So while you're talking about who carries North Carolina, you might want to consider who really carries Florida, Texas and California and Kentucky. And I'll give you a hint, it ain't Louisville, UCF, SMU, Houston or San Diego State. I can assure you. So those folks have nothing on ECU until they can outdraw them. They don't outdraw ECU in basketball either.

ECU has beaten more Big East schools than those you brought in have beaten by far. You're bringing in schools who are fifth in their state but
you can't bring on in who is behind the best two college basketball programs in the country? Not just our state... in Duke and Carolina.
You can bring in SMU with 12,000 in the seats. What fiddle are they again? 7th or 8th fiddle in Texas but you can't bring in the third biggest football program in N.C. ? Yeah right. ECU was beating Big East teams in football when UConn was a D1AA the whole time. ECU would stomp UConns butt in football right now. Even in a bad year. ECU doesn't load up on four cupcakes in the preseason to pad their record. It would be easy enough to do that and then claim winning seasons a lot more years.

You're bringing in one team with two BCS wins lifetime. And you're saying ECU at 9-2 vs UCF isn't good enough but they are? Ha...ECU is far more popular in our state than UCF is in theirs. ECU manhandled Arkansas three years ago and all they needed to do was hit the FG to beat them. That's a top ten team. You all saw that. Don't act like you didn't. It wasn't some downtrodden Georgia team like UCF lucked out to land. In perfect weather in Memphis when we're out there in 19 degrees pushing Arkansas around.

Don't tell me ECU can't complete with these same teams they've been beating for years. That's baloney. They already proved they can over the course of the past 20 years. I notice you folks always want to just look at the past 10 years. How about the past 20? ECU averaged almost nine wins a season all through the 1970's too under Pat Dye and Clarence Stasavich. You guys in Connecticut have a complex because you can't really get past Duke and Carolina in basketball. The whole world chases those two. It's not some newly upgraded D1AA's job to say if ECU can play bigtime football or not though. When's the last time UConn took 30,000 to a bowl? Never, that's when. When you can, get back to us about market, "Melky". You can look in the NFL right now and find both the highest paid fullback and highest paid running back is from where?
East Carolina. They had so-called 2-stars playing in the SuperBowl and pro bowl last year.
The only thing ECU might not be is corrupt enough for the Big East. They might not be sweet enough either for you guys in the Northeast.

(12-19-2011 12:19 PM)Oh Really? Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 11:27 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 10:00 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 09:52 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 08:59 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  Yeah if VT was on the outside now they probably wouldn't get invited to a league either, because they don't have the "market." VT and WVU were always the exceptions in the BE, the teams that never really fit culturally in the league, and of course the only real supporters of us joining. I've always enjoyed our relationships with those 2 schools and hope they both remain fixtures on our schedule for many years to come.

Not true at all. Virginia Tech has a statewide presence in Virginia where it has the largest enrollment of any school. The entire state is their market.

If they currently had the non-AQ stigma associated with their name they wouldn't get credit for having a statewide presence. ECU has a statewide presence and a huge enrollment and no one cares. VT has a smaller market than ECU does. If they had never been in an AQ league and were sitting in our position right now they would be given the same reasons we are for why we aren't attractive.

You can keep repeating that mantra all day, but it simply demonstrates that you are out of touch with reality. VA Tech is the #2 school in Virginia. ECU is #3. In that regard it's more like NC State, not ECU.

In addition, it is the 2nd AQ school sin Virginia, not attempting to be the 5th.

Those 2 factors are enormous problems for anyone wanting to add ECU to their conference. Even if they agreed with you, they'd have an impossible time selling that to the networks.

Furthermore, any conference that looks at ECU for the whole package that they would bring to the conference sees a basketball program that doesn't win games & doesn't draw fans. That's another problem - especially in a basketball-mad state like North Carolina where the pecking order was established long ago.

Finally, ECU hasn't performed in a very long time on the field like a program that draws 50,000 fans. 4 winning season in 11 years is a problem even if you don't recognize it.

Add up all of those realities & they are a lot of obstacles to overcome - not just for the Big East, but for any conference. It's not like the Big East is the only conference of this opinion. The SEC expanded & it's not like ECU was the bridesmaid. Nor were they the bridesmaid when the ACC expanded. When the Big XII decided to come as far east as Morgantown, it's not like they were also pondering ECU & that ECU made it a close call between them & West Virginia.

Why is all the hate directed at the Big East. ECU has been passed over without a 2nd look by every conference that has been involved in realignment. The Big East has been the only one to give ECU any consideration.

The hate is because you guys are weak and you're ducking ECU. And the whole world knows it. Like UConn is some big football jugernaut with 35,000 in the seats of a gifted stadium, propped up by the state. You're just a propped up D1AA yourself in football. You think you get to a BCS bowl at 8-4 without an invitational format to prop you up?
ECU just went to five straight bowls and won two league titles in this decade even with three coaching changes. They only needed one more win to get to two or three more CUSA title games this decade.

East Carolina beat Duke, Wake Forest, UNC, NC State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Texas Tech, West Virginia this decade alone. Has anyone of these others you're bringing in done more but maybe Boise State? Because ECU beat them too.

You can't say ECU can't compete in basketball when they beat Memphis last year in Greenville and lost at their place by 3. They beat UCF three times. When's the last time SMU did anything in football or basketball? That's just a gifted invite to try to claim a Dallas market that SMU does not carry. So while you're talking about who carries North Carolina, you might want to consider who really carries Florida, Texas and California and Kentucky. And I'll give you a hint, it ain't Louisville, UCF, SMU, Houston or San Diego State. I can assure you. So those folks have nothing on ECU until they can outdraw them. They don't outdraw ECU in basketball either.

ECU has beaten more Big East schools than those you brought in have beaten by far. You're bringing in schools who are fifth in their state but
you can't bring on in who is behind the best two college basketball programs in the country? Not just our state... in Duke and Carolina.
You can bring in SMU with 12,000 in the seats. What fiddle are they again? 7th or 8th fiddle in Texas but you can't bring in the third biggest football program in N.C. ? Yeah right. ECU was beating Big East teams in football when UConn was a D1AA the whole time. ECU would stomp UConns butt in football right now. Even in a bad year. ECU doesn't load up on four cupcakes in the preseason to pad their record. It would be easy enough to do that and then claim winning seasons a lot more years.

You're bringing in one team with two BCS wins lifetime. And you're saying ECU at 9-2 vs UCF isn't good enough but they are? Ha...ECU is far more popular in our state than UCF is in theirs. ECU manhandled Arkansas three years ago and all they needed to do was hit the FG to beat them. That's a top ten team. You all saw that. Don't act like you didn't. It wasn't some downtrodden Georgia team like UCF lucked out to land. In perfect weather in Memphis when we're out there in 19 degrees pushing Arkansas around.

Don't tell me ECU can't complete with these same teams they've been beating for years. That's baloney. They already proved they can over the course of the past 20 years. I notice you folks always want to just look at the past 10 years. How about the past 20? ECU averaged almost nine wins a season all through the 1970's too under Pat Dye and Clarence Stasavich. You guys in Connecticut have a complex because you can't really get past Duke and Carolina in basketball. The whole world chases those two. It's not some newly upgraded D1AA's job to say if ECU can play bigtime football or not though. When's the last time UConn took 30,000 to a bowl? Never, that's when. When you can, get back to us about market, "Melky". You can look in the NFL right now and find both the highest paid fullback and highest paid running back is from where?
East Carolina. They had so-called 2-stars playing in the SuperBowl and pro bowl last year.
The only thing ECU might not be is corrupt enough for the Big East. They might not be sweet enough either for you guys in the Northeast.

You guys are just AWESOME!!!!!! Absolutely put the "A" in AWESOME!!!

^^^ All of that.

ECU isn't a flagship, neither is anyone in the "New Big East" except Rutgers or Uconn. ECU isn't in an large market urbann area, neither is Boise State. ECU hasn't busted the BCS, neither did UC, USF, UCF, SMU or Houston. The anger is created by the hypocrisy in the system which is essentially locking college towns (with a desire to move up) out of a college game. The perfect example of the corruption caused by the BCS is the Big East who blantantly goes after market grabs and attempts to destroy not one but TWO conferences in the process. None of those schools taken by the Big East were BCS worthy before but somehow they are now?? That's the real issue ECU & USM fans have with the big east.

Now all we as fans can do is wait for the dust to settle and hope we can piece something together that will last. It's getting pretty damn old honestly because we, as fans have done EVERYTHING we can possibly do here. We can't help we didn't become a Boise State type of program. We aren't coaches and we sure as hell aren't the players. Hell....if the Big East was truely a BCS worthy conference they wouldn't be going after Boise in the first place. That's why you see the jokes on here, because it is a joke. The whole damn system is a joke and everybody here knows it. I'm ready for the BE to go ahead and take who they're going to take and get this $hit over with.

(12-19-2011 12:04 PM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  But ECU fans also say you guys don't have anything in common with the Big East & that the only like minded schools are now gone from the conference. It doesn't endear ECU to any Big East fans to take the constant bashing of the conference from ECU fans but to then hear that you want to be in the conference.

We don't have anything in common with the BE, but there's no league we do have anything in common with except for one that will never add us. I couldn't care less about endearing myself to fans of the BE. That and a couple of bucks will buy me a cup of coffee. For a long time ECU was the favorite of fans on this board and it's predicessor, but that meant nothing. Being hated by BE fans isn't changing anything either. The BE is just simply the only option that would ever have gotten rid of the non-AQ label that was realistic. At this point I just want to see the committed FCS schools with good fanbases like ODU, JMU, App, and Delaware to move up and give us some sort of option besides the merger.

(12-19-2011 01:15 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 12:04 PM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  But ECU fans also say you guys don't have anything in common with the Big East & that the only like minded schools are now gone from the conference. It doesn't endear ECU to any Big East fans to take the constant bashing of the conference from ECU fans but to then hear that you want to be in the conference.

We don't have anything in common with the BE, but there's no league we do have anything in common with except for one that will never add us. I couldn't care less about endearing myself to fans of the BE. That and a couple of bucks will buy me a cup of coffee. For a long time ECU was the favorite of fans on this board and it's predicessor, but that meant nothing. Being hated by BE fans isn't changing anything either. The BE is just simply the only option that would ever have gotten rid of the non-AQ label that was realistic. At this point I just want to see the committed FCS schools with good fanbases like ODU, JMU, App, and Delaware to move up and give us some sort of option besides the merger.

As an ACC football fan, I'd gladly trade UNC and Duke for East Carolina and either Rutgers, Connecticutt, Louisville, or Cincinnati -- RIGHT NOW. The pirates may not be a great team on the field right now, but at least they will fill the stadium.

(Unfortunately for all involved - the ACC Commish is a UNC grad,)

(12-19-2011 01:29 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 01:15 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 12:04 PM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  But ECU fans also say you guys don't have anything in common with the Big East & that the only like minded schools are now gone from the conference. It doesn't endear ECU to any Big East fans to take the constant bashing of the conference from ECU fans but to then hear that you want to be in the conference.

We don't have anything in common with the BE, but there's no league we do have anything in common with except for one that will never add us. I couldn't care less about endearing myself to fans of the BE. That and a couple of bucks will buy me a cup of coffee. For a long time ECU was the favorite of fans on this board and it's predicessor, but that meant nothing. Being hated by BE fans isn't changing anything either. The BE is just simply the only option that would ever have gotten rid of the non-AQ label that was realistic. At this point I just want to see the committed FCS schools with good fanbases like ODU, JMU, App, and Delaware to move up and give us some sort of option besides the merger.

As an ACC football fan, I'd gladly trade UNC and Duke for East Carolina and either Rutgers, Connecticutt, Louisville, or Cincinnati -- RIGHT NOW. The pirates may not be a great team on the field right now, but at least they will fill the stadium.

(Unfortunately for all involved - the ACC Commish is a UNC grad,)

The Commish is far from the biggest reason we will never be in the ACC, but as always I appreciate and respect VT more than any other program in the country. Hate that we won't be playing the next 2 seasons, but look forward to hopefully making the trip back to Blacksburg in 2014.

(12-19-2011 11:49 AM)not_again Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 11:41 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 10:32 AM)AnnapolisPirate Wrote:  I'll give the props to Va Tech where they are due, they have a large presence in VA as well as in the the DC metro, including Maryland. In fact, other than the small schools in Md (Salisbury, Towson etc) there appears to be more VPI support and stickers than any other school besides Md.

But this "state flagship" argument is more subjective than you make it out to be. Unfortunately, much like crappy intel we have had prior to some military operations, which really is impacted by "feet on the ground" or, HUMINT, this lack of perception is generated by people who don't really know what impact East Carolina has in the region. Nor do they care to find out.

So, please compare facts to facts: at the time VPI was added to the big East in the 90s, the two programs were relatively even. Today, the enrollment of the two schools is very close, ~30k to ECU's ~28k.

East Carolina draws students form across the state, as well as form the mid-atlantic. Many kids from Maryland and New Jersey enroll at ECU. it is possible that ECU has more kids from Va, MD and NJ than Wake Forest has students.

As for competitive draws, wake has some pull in NC as it is still a Southern school. Duke, however, is more of a National school as arguably has more of a national fanbase than a local one. That certainly has an effect within the state, but does not takeaway from ECU's following.

Currently, the Big East has next to no presence in Va, and none south of that, until you reach Florida. ECU, does have a measurable presence in this region, which will likely have more natural interest in the Big East than exists in California. (We did grow up watching the Big East ACC challenge after all). East Carolina is located in one of the fastest growing towns, in one of the fastest growing states, that already has ~10 million residents.

In addition to its strong statewide pull, and strong interest in the Virginia tidewater region (1.5 hours away), it is the only team with a physical presence in the Eastern portion of the state, itself home to ~2 million residents. You could say that we are the flagship in a region home to 2 million folks, but most won't, because you personally don't know this info and don't care to listen to people who do.

We have positive measurable TV ratings in all the state's major markets, proven attendance showing support of people willing to pay to attend games, had more people go to Memphis to watch the Liberty bowl than Ct could send to the Orange, overall strong attendance record in Bowl games, strong attendance in neutral site games in Charlotte, large overall commitment to all our programs, decent, and improving academics, etc.

All this has been measured and is not the product of opinion. That so many choose to ignore the facts tends to irritate us. That people rely on subjective opinions that don't truly have a strong factual basis only increases our ire.

Apparently it is the product of opinion & not based on facts. If it were factual, ECU would be in the Big East right now.

The Big East has worked with 6 major media consultants independent of the conference in developing their expansion strategy. These people measure this stuff for a living & they have access to what other people measure as well. It's what they do every day they report to work. They know way more about this stuff than you or any ECU fan does. And they're looking at it objectively, not from the bias of any individual school. The Big East is paying them big bucks to provide an unbiased opinion.

Regardless of you point of vies, apparently the networks are simply not going to pay at the levels needed to max out the conference's potential for a school that is the 5th AQ in the state. Even if you want to ignore Duke, Appalachian State is the #1 FCS draw in the country & draws as many fans to football games as Duke does. They are a presence in the state & draw almost entirely from within the state.

What you are ignoring is the fact that 50K fans at ECU games does little for the other schools in the conference. Ticket sales represent revenue for ECU. TV ratings are what benefits the conference as a whole because those translate directly into dollars in everyone's pockets. VA Tech is the 2nd AQ school in Virginia & that's their advantage. ECU is the 5th school in a market that is already maxed out. Just as ECU draws from around the state, so do UNC-CH & State, which means that ECU isn't the exclusive draw in the eastern part of the state. There's competiton for those TV ratings all over the state & apparently the folks who do this stuff for a living have assessed that ECU simply doesn't bring enough.

And you ignore basketball to your own detriment. Even though football is a bigger money machine, basketball is still a big part of the TV package - especially in a TV-first conference.

I normally dont post on this board and read it to only get a few laughs in, but ECU is 3rd maybe 2nd in NC not 5th. Now continue with the pissing match

I don't normally defend Melky for various reasons but do read what he said. He was not talking about fan support or football team quality. He said they want to be the 5th AQ which is true. There are 4 AQ teams in NC and two of them certainly have less support in football than ECU in football but they are AQ so ECU wants to be number 5 in NC for an AQ.

(12-19-2011 03:59 PM)Sultan of Euphonistan Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 11:49 AM)not_again Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 11:41 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 10:32 AM)AnnapolisPirate Wrote:  I'll give the props to Va Tech where they are due, they have a large presence in VA as well as in the the DC metro, including Maryland. In fact, other than the small schools in Md (Salisbury, Towson etc) there appears to be more VPI support and stickers than any other school besides Md.

But this "state flagship" argument is more subjective than you make it out to be. Unfortunately, much like crappy intel we have had prior to some military operations, which really is impacted by "feet on the ground" or, HUMINT, this lack of perception is generated by people who don't really know what impact East Carolina has in the region. Nor do they care to find out.

So, please compare facts to facts: at the time VPI was added to the big East in the 90s, the two programs were relatively even. Today, the enrollment of the two schools is very close, ~30k to ECU's ~28k.

East Carolina draws students form across the state, as well as form the mid-atlantic. Many kids from Maryland and New Jersey enroll at ECU. it is possible that ECU has more kids from Va, MD and NJ than Wake Forest has students.

As for competitive draws, wake has some pull in NC as it is still a Southern school. Duke, however, is more of a National school as arguably has more of a national fanbase than a local one. That certainly has an effect within the state, but does not takeaway from ECU's following.

Currently, the Big East has next to no presence in Va, and none south of that, until you reach Florida. ECU, does have a measurable presence in this region, which will likely have more natural interest in the Big East than exists in California. (We did grow up watching the Big East ACC challenge after all). East Carolina is located in one of the fastest growing towns, in one of the fastest growing states, that already has ~10 million residents.

In addition to its strong statewide pull, and strong interest in the Virginia tidewater region (1.5 hours away), it is the only team with a physical presence in the Eastern portion of the state, itself home to ~2 million residents. You could say that we are the flagship in a region home to 2 million folks, but most won't, because you personally don't know this info and don't care to listen to people who do.

We have positive measurable TV ratings in all the state's major markets, proven attendance showing support of people willing to pay to attend games, had more people go to Memphis to watch the Liberty bowl than Ct could send to the Orange, overall strong attendance record in Bowl games, strong attendance in neutral site games in Charlotte, large overall commitment to all our programs, decent, and improving academics, etc.

All this has been measured and is not the product of opinion. That so many choose to ignore the facts tends to irritate us. That people rely on subjective opinions that don't truly have a strong factual basis only increases our ire.

Apparently it is the product of opinion & not based on facts. If it were factual, ECU would be in the Big East right now.

The Big East has worked with 6 major media consultants independent of the conference in developing their expansion strategy. These people measure this stuff for a living & they have access to what other people measure as well. It's what they do every day they report to work. They know way more about this stuff than you or any ECU fan does. And they're looking at it objectively, not from the bias of any individual school. The Big East is paying them big bucks to provide an unbiased opinion.

Regardless of you point of vies, apparently the networks are simply not going to pay at the levels needed to max out the conference's potential for a school that is the 5th AQ in the state. Even if you want to ignore Duke, Appalachian State is the #1 FCS draw in the country & draws as many fans to football games as Duke does. They are a presence in the state & draw almost entirely from within the state.

What you are ignoring is the fact that 50K fans at ECU games does little for the other schools in the conference. Ticket sales represent revenue for ECU. TV ratings are what benefits the conference as a whole because those translate directly into dollars in everyone's pockets. VA Tech is the 2nd AQ school in Virginia & that's their advantage. ECU is the 5th school in a market that is already maxed out. Just as ECU draws from around the state, so do UNC-CH & State, which means that ECU isn't the exclusive draw in the eastern part of the state. There's competiton for those TV ratings all over the state & apparently the folks who do this stuff for a living have assessed that ECU simply doesn't bring enough.

And you ignore basketball to your own detriment. Even though football is a bigger money machine, basketball is still a big part of the TV package - especially in a TV-first conference.

I normally dont post on this board and read it to only get a few laughs in, but ECU is 3rd maybe 2nd in NC not 5th. Now continue with the pissing match

I don't normally defend Melky for various reasons but do read what he said. He was not talking about fan support or football team quality. He said they want to be the 5th AQ which is true. There are 4 AQ teams in NC and two of them certainly have less support in football than ECU in football but they are AQ so ECU wants to be number 5 in NC for an AQ.

I'm actually not debating that point that hard. It is truly a valid point, though one which we believe has less weight than people make it out to be. (agree to disagree on the weight) The point with other schools was the minor point in the overall argument.. One of these days I will learn to delete those as they dillute the arguments with many people and distract people from the prime thrust.

back to Melky:
I said
All this has been measured and is not the product of opinion. That so many choose to ignore the facts tends to irritate us. That people rely on subjective opinions that don't truly have a strong factual basis only increases our ire.

You said:
[/quote]

Apparently it is the product of opinion & not based on facts. If it were factual, ECU would be in the Big East right now.

Your point is total supposition. What I presented was factual. Obviously those facts were not sufficient, or not evident to the decision makers. It could also be that other factors than simply money were at play.


By the way, ECU has been bad at basketball, but not necessarily from ignoring the problem. We hope Lebo has the program on the right track, with a winning season last year (his first) and with a new basketball practice facility (practice courts, locker rooms, offices etc) at a price tag of 15 mil. All without the TV $$ of many conferences and BCS money.

(12-13-2011 03:21 PM)ShoreBuc Wrote:  

(12-13-2011 02:52 PM)TOGC Wrote:  ECU has more in common with Sun Belt teams than SEC teams. SEC teams are, by and large, Flagship institutions.

Says the guy whose team has finished ranked once ever in Football ... 1963. Has only three Bowl victories that were gained against WAC, MAC and a Sunbelt teams, has never won a CUSA Championship and in fact your last Championship was 1971 Missouri Valley Championship. Who exactly does Memphis have something in common with ???

Mount Union. Three D3 NC Games lost to the same team in a row. PS: Memphis, just because it's called the black and blue bowl doesn't mean you have to get BEATEN black and blue.

(12-13-2011 12:18 PM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(12-13-2011 11:56 AM)Capital Pirate Wrote:  

(12-13-2011 11:50 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  Duke - 28,7

With all due respect, the fact that you would post this (and rely on it) shows that you (like most of the posters here) know nothing about college football in the State of North Carolina.

...but keep on keeping on if it makes you feel better about your opinion.

It's snide remarks like this that prevent there from ever being an intelligent discussion about ECU's situation. So much time & effort is wasted by some ECU fans whining about how unfair it all is that you miss the reasons why ECU isn't being included. All some of you seem to do is play the victim card.

I'm not pretending to know what the situation for college football is in NC. Frankly if Duke & Wake didn't exist, you'd still have a problem as the 3rd school in a state with a population of 9 million when the flagship & the 2nd school both have higher attendance than you do. Furthermore, you're aspiring to a basketball-first conference & you have a terrible basketball program which draws no fans. Those are both real problems whether you like it or not.

What I said about Duke & wake is based on their reported attendance. Even if those attendance figures are way off, they still draw some fans. That's all I was saying; you can't simply write off those numbers as if they don't exist even though they're lower than ECU's. If it's off by 20%, they still combine for about the same number of fans in the stadium as ECU. Those are fans whose interests lie somewhere else. When TV networks look at NC, they see 4 schools that are part of a TV contract & wonder how they're going to generate enough interest in the state for a 5th school in 2 sports. Even though Duke & Wake don't individually draw a lot of fans, they still are part of the ACC TV package & they'll still get fans of other ACC teams watching their games. Because of their location, they don't have to pull viewers in based only on their own merits like ECU does. That's unfortunate, but it's the reality.

In NC, 3 schools report attendance of 50K+. That's one issue. But 3 other schools report attendance of 25K+ & combine for 80K+. You can ignore that at your own peril but the media consultants that the Big East hires aren't ignoring it. To play the victim card & act as if you're simply the victim of bias is not living in the real world.

Half the time, Duke doesn't even have 20,000 in Durham. The only way they do is if the road team brings the fans. ECU is more popular in football statewide than Duke or Wake and they rival NC State very well in statewide popularity. Raleigh's market is drawn to within 15 miles of Greenville one town over literally in our county. They don't ask teams for showcase games in Charlotte if a team can't draw. ECU has been there about 7 times now. They have proven ability to travel to bowls and fill the seats. That's all that matters for television purposes.
There is more than enough market for East Carolina in the nation's 10th largest state to warrent inclusion. Always was. Always will be.
BCS or not.

Virginia, Navy, Virginia Tech, NC State, North Carolina, Temple, Syracuse, WVU, Miami, Cincinnati and all these other various schools haven't set up home and homes with ECU over the past 30 years if ECU isn't worthy of holding up their end. And they have....
NC State leads the ECU series 16-11 with most of the games played on their home field dating back to the 1970's. ECU beat NC State in the 1970's. Beat North Carolina in the 1970's. Beat Virginia Tech several times in the 1980's and 1990's and beat Miami two of the last three games. They were ranked in the top 9 both times and in the top 3 the week before. ECU has nothing to prove to this bunch in the Big East. ECU is 1-0 vs Boise State and 2-1 vs TCU. They are 6-5 vs Houston, 9-2 vs UCF, 15-3 vs Cincinnati. ECU already beat the teams who left for the ACC. Twice beat the team who just left for the Big 12. ECU beat Missouri, Texas Tech, Pitt, & Stanford along the way. We have nothing to prove to any former DIAA football program. ECU has been D1A since the advent of D1 in 1978.

East Carolina opened three bowls in this country and played in more than enough bowls to long since deserve to be in a BCS league. Shouldn't matter how many teams are in our state when ECU is the third most popular anyway in football in a top 10 state. To say ECU with the 2nd largest non BCS following in the COUNTRY isn't good enough "market wise" for the Big East is utter bull****

Greenville is the fastest growing city in what will be the nation's 7th largest state in 15 years. There is more than ample census data to back that up. Population migration is growing to the southeast faster than any other region. If you can park 7 BCS teams in Texas and five in Florida, you can sure have five in North Carolina when Duke doesn't even care about football and Wake doesn't even outdraw ECU anyway. NC State barely outdraws ECU only because ECU hasn't gone to 60,000 seats yet. Third largest school in the state = Texas Tech in Texas. ECU is pretty much level with NC State in football and not far behind North Carolina either.

It's not like their basketball isn't getting better. They beat Memphis, UAB and UCF last year. They beat a 9-1 Coast Carolina team last NIGHT who just beat both LSU and Clemson and beat them by 25 points.

To act like a BCS ECU wouldn't draw even more fans, excitement to both our market and to the league, add more recruits that will end up in the ACC otherwise and end up drawing even more population to our region is disingenous. It's not like the Big East doesn't have more than enough markets already too so now it comes down to COMPETITON. A brand new market in North Carolina would have been good for the Big East on the east coast. ECU leads Conference USA in attendance among these so-called big markets. For some of these folks to come in here and say ECU should be in the SunBelt is laughable when the very guys saying that put less than a thousand in the Liberty Bowl for Conference USA football at home and have never played in their own bowl while ECU has been there four times. Once chosen over the Conference USA champ as mandated by the bowl sponsor and the bowl itself before ECU was in Conference USA after winning two LB Alliance titles in the mid 1990's. Twice in a row on two separate occasions.

How would you guys feel if you were cheated out of being able to play while these other teams who haven't done any more get to play instead?
While they park west coast teams in the Big East? And teams who have done absolutely nothing in 25 years. If these markets are so great, they'd outdraw East Carolina. Until you can, folks in the Big East and CUSA really ought to pipe down about ECU's market when they're the only ones who even look authentic in football among all of these candidates.

What is "market" doing for Temple in football? Or Cincinnati, Tampa, Orlando, Louisville, Syracuse, Pitt or UConn? You don't outdraw us.
That's just an excuse to avoid what has been solid competition between ECU and both CUSA and Big East teams for decades. The only reason to leave ECU out is to GIVE all our region's recruits to the ACC. Not sure how the Big East benefits from propping up
the ACC.
You think ECU can't beat Boise State? Go ask them if ECU can. Go ask Bolger or Avon or White if ECU can't beat WVU. Go ask Van Pelt if ECU
can beat Pitt. Go ask Coach P if ECU can beat Syracuse. Go ask Pitino. Go ask Crean. Go ask Lutz. Go ask Lorenzo Romar. Go ask Tom Penders.
Ask Mike Davis or Matt Doherty if ECU should be in the SunBelt. Go ask
Dan Morgan or Santana Moss or Reggie Wayne or Wayne Portis if ECU belongs in the Sun Belt.

(12-19-2011 11:17 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 08:24 AM)NoQuarter08 Wrote:  Nothing ECU does other than stay in top 25 will help our cause with the BE. We don't match their profile since our campus isn't in a large urban area. To us it's a really dumb reason to lock us out but it is their main reason. Attendance doesn't matter to them and there's nothing else we can say to explain our loyal following and interest in NC. The Big East doesn't get it, will not get it and I'm still amazed that VT was ever in that conference.

Simply saying that someone who disagrees with you "doesn't get it" disrespects the other party. That's the arrogance that many of us resent among so many ECU fans.

Whether it's right or wrong, the Big East is entitled to map out whatever strategy they see fit & to decide for themselves who are the schools with whom they have the most in common. It's only a sense of entitlement that has so many ECU fans saying "We belong" & criticizing the Big East for not agreeing with them.

Every conference has its own sense of what schools are the right fit for them The Pac-12 decided that Colorado was the right choice for them even though BYU or UNLV would have made more geographic sense. The SEC decided that Missouri was the right fit for them even though West Virginia would have been a better fit geographically & culturally.

I don't understand why ECU fans think that the constant barrage of Big East criticism would make them more attractive to the conference nor do I understand why they would even want to be associated in any way with a conference that they so despise, deplore, & denigrate. Why not simply say that we'll each go our own way since it's obviously not working out between us & each go our own way but still be friends?

You were a D-1aa school a few years ago, so please get off that high horse you are on & look at the facts. One thing you need to know about Pirates is they don't make up things. Except them or don't!!!

(12-20-2011 01:05 AM)whitey Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 11:17 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 08:24 AM)NoQuarter08 Wrote:  Nothing ECU does other than stay in top 25 will help our cause with the BE. We don't match their profile since our campus isn't in a large urban area. To us it's a really dumb reason to lock us out but it is their main reason. Attendance doesn't matter to them and there's nothing else we can say to explain our loyal following and interest in NC. The Big East doesn't get it, will not get it and I'm still amazed that VT was ever in that conference.

Simply saying that someone who disagrees with you "doesn't get it" disrespects the other party. That's the arrogance that many of us resent among so many ECU fans.

Whether it's right or wrong, the Big East is entitled to map out whatever strategy they see fit & to decide for themselves who are the schools with whom they have the most in common. It's only a sense of entitlement that has so many ECU fans saying "We belong" & criticizing the Big East for not agreeing with them.

Every conference has its own sense of what schools are the right fit for them The Pac-12 decided that Colorado was the right choice for them even though BYU or UNLV would have made more geographic sense. The SEC decided that Missouri was the right fit for them even though West Virginia would have been a better fit geographically & culturally.

I don't understand why ECU fans think that the constant barrage of Big East criticism would make them more attractive to the conference nor do I understand why they would even want to be associated in any way with a conference that they so despise, deplore, & denigrate. Why not simply say that we'll each go our own way since it's obviously not working out between us & each go our own way but still be friends?

You were a D-1aa school a few years ago, so please get off that high horse you are on & look at the facts. One thing you need to know about Pirates is they don't make up things. Except them or don't!!!

Pirate fans make up as much as everybody else. There is no such as as a fan base that does not make stuff up. Saying "get off your high horse" and then talking with such arrogance is insulting at best and hypocritical at worst. You are doing a disservice to your school's fans as it does not matter how many years ago UConn was a FCS program and being insulting does not help you (it might make YOU feel better but it does not help your cause or the perception of your school). You need to learn to learn to accept that.

(12-20-2011 01:13 AM)Sultan of Euphonistan Wrote:  

(12-20-2011 01:05 AM)whitey Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 11:17 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(12-19-2011 08:24 AM)NoQuarter08 Wrote:  Nothing ECU does other than stay in top 25 will help our cause with the BE. We don't match their profile since our campus isn't in a large urban area. To us it's a really dumb reason to lock us out but it is their main reason. Attendance doesn't matter to them and there's nothing else we can say to explain our loyal following and interest in NC. The Big East doesn't get it, will not get it and I'm still amazed that VT was ever in that conference.

Simply saying that someone who disagrees with you "doesn't get it" disrespects the other party. That's the arrogance that many of us resent among so many ECU fans.

Whether it's right or wrong, the Big East is entitled to map out whatever strategy they see fit & to decide for themselves who are the schools with whom they have the most in common. It's only a sense of entitlement that has so many ECU fans saying "We belong" & criticizing the Big East for not agreeing with them.

Every conference has its own sense of what schools are the right fit for them The Pac-12 decided that Colorado was the right choice for them even though BYU or UNLV would have made more geographic sense. The SEC decided that Missouri was the right fit for them even though West Virginia would have been a better fit geographically & culturally.

I don't understand why ECU fans think that the constant barrage of Big East criticism would make them more attractive to the conference nor do I understand why they would even want to be associated in any way with a conference that they so despise, deplore, & denigrate. Why not simply say that we'll each go our own way since it's obviously not working out between us & each go our own way but still be friends?

You were a D-1aa school a few years ago, so please get off that high horse you are on & look at the facts. One thing you need to know about Pirates is they don't make up things. Except them or don't!!!

Pirate fans make up as much as everybody else. There is no such as as a fan base that does not make stuff up. Saying "get off your high horse" and then talking with such arrogance is insulting at best and hypocritical at worst. You are doing a disservice to your school's fans as it does not matter how many years ago UConn was a FCS program and being insulting does not help you (it might make YOU feel better but it does not help your cause or the perception of your school). You need to learn to learn to accept that.

WOW 1st person on the board that has ever called me arrogant. Be real & hear what we are saying. We fought to be equal to any BcS team without AQ. So we dislike schools that get in because of luck