(10-07-2021 12:58 PM)Buc76 Wrote:  Sanders was asked on the radio show last night if he would like to move to FBS like APP ST, Georgia Southern, Coastal Carolina and others have done. He said he would have no problem with moving to FBS. He pointed out the crowds and how they were definitely helping the team. He said he had talked with AD Carter last year and this year about adding seats. He said it's all up to the AD and President.

The SoCon has provided a good home but ETSU cannot continue to grow in a conference that is losing ground to other mid major conferences. There are schools in nearly all of the sponsored sports that do not field a team in the high profile sports. For example, baseball and womens basketball are not represented by all members. This causes big problems in scheduling.

When football was brought back, supporters were shown renderings of a football stadium that ETSU was going to build. It was modeled after Charlotte and Coastal Carolina stadiums. We were told the first phase would be 10-12,000 at a cost of appox 26mil. That didn't happen. Instead, someone changed the plans to a 7600 stadium with an additional 3000 to be added the year after completion of first phase. That didn't happen. We were told ETSU will be ready move to a better conference when next reorganization of Conferences took place. We were told by the AD, ETSU goal was to be the preeminent mid major university. None of that has happened and six years have passed.

Bucs fans have been treated to a very good basketball program and a rising football program plus what has to be one of the best mid major bands in the country. Buc fans have also paid, IMO,, someone can correct me, the highest ticket prices in the SoCon.

ETSU does not have the burden of maintaining a basketball arena. ETSU has a new but one of the smallest football stadiums. Gardner Webb as an example, a small private school just over the Mtn, has a 9000 seat stadium. The Dome was built in 1974 with 12,000 seats. Johnson City and ETSU has maybe doubled in size since then. Why was 7600 thought to be adequate?

ETSU has the best overall attendance for all sports. How can ETSU Athletics continue to grow?

What happened to the promises that were made to the supporters? Where did the money go for the second phase of the football stadium? Why do football fans have to walk 50- 80 yds to concessions and bathrooms. So many promises, few if any, kept.

ETSU has and is improving in all phases of a university but what is the future? Is the current state of Athletics static? If it is static and this is the end of the road, I believe ETSU Athletics has achieved all it can in the SoCon with the exception of winning a game in in the 'Big Dance'.

Fans and supporters kept their promises. They have showed up in great attendance and they paid the asking price. When is ETSU Athletics going to keep their promises?

Sorry for the rant. I was in Boone, NC yesterday for the first time in 15 years Marvelled at what App St has become and the unbelievable growth of Boone. I envy App St and their fans. I saw first hand [/u]what could have been and what could be the future of ETSU. I can only hope.

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“By the end of the first phase of construction, the stadium will include a significant portion of its planned facilities, including 7,000 plus seats, a skybox, restrooms, concession stands and stands on the west and east sides of the field, but further work will be performed after the beginning of the fall 2017 football season.

Phase two of construction will include an additional 3,600 seats along a grass bank in the stadium and potential expansions to concessions and restrooms.”


https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/living/...c24db.html

https://heraldcourier.com/sports/bristol...7b44c.html

I would like keeping the grass bank as is. It's kind of unique and gives people a cheaper option especially for kids. Expand up on the existing stands instead. Why does it have to be a horseshoe? People on the bank would still give it a horseshoe look and feel But I don't write ETSU the big checks.

RE: SEC EXPANSION
I would like keeping the grass bank as is. It's kind of unique and gives people a cheaper option especially for kids. Expand up on the existing stands instead. Why does it have to be a horseshoe? People on the bank would still give it a horseshoe look and feel But I don't write ETSU the big checks.

I agree with you on 88' on the grassy bank. Leave it alone for the reasons you've stated. Build "UP" on Visitor side if possible. Up and as close to the field as possible. This would help keep the noise inside the stadium more and deflected toward the field which should help create a better and louder home field advantage.

I also agree with leaving the grass bank, but would like for there to be a way to build up on the home side instead of visitors. The press box tower placement would make that a bit awkward. The issue with the visitor side is the sun- if you notice ETSU has a hard time selling some of those sections on the visitors side even during sell outs when the grass bank is full. Either way, I would likely move from my current seats if there were an option to go higher. The easiest thing for them to do would be to put bleachers on the grass bank, but I think they would ultimately regret that.

I agree with keeping the grass bank. It just gives a great sell-out atmosphere and gives people that option of seating. Build up on the sides and possibly build a field house with seating on the south side. It will be good to see how we proceed as there are lots of options.

I think everyone agrees last place for seats would be endzone. When this was told to the group of supporters that I was part off, noone approved of endzone seating. The bank costs nothing and provides seating and it's a great atmosphere. Seating should be added on home side first. There is demand for those seats. The Ad needs to pay attention to what all other universities have built. Copy a success ful program. There are plenty of those within easy driving distance.

Regionalization — what a genius concept. Back To The Future.



https://www.cbssports.com/college-footba...ed-monday/

https://thespun.com/college-football/col...c-sun-belt

AAC shifting into pretentious mode. They’re being seriously weakened and there are simply no replacements out there that could help them achieve their fantasy. This whole thing is headed to some interesting times.



https://theathletic.com/news/conference-...BpnDUSshSs



UTC happy in SoCon:

https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/spor...ou/553154/

CUSA getting raided by AAC, could be down to 8 soon

Said it with the Sun Belt, will say it again... we should be on this like stink on ****. CUSA with MTSU, WKU, and possibly Marshall if they stay would be awesome.

(10-18-2021 08:40 PM)Mister Consistency Wrote:  CUSA getting raided by AAC, could be down to 8 soon

Said it with the Sun Belt, will say it again... we should be on this like stink on ****. CUSA with MTSU, WKU, and possibly Marshall if they stay would be awesome.

C-USA would be a very attractive but very large jump, maybe skipping a step or two up the food chain so to speak. If we could fund the travel costs associated with the move it would be great. I think the Sun Belt would be more of an ideal fit. Like minded state institutions instead of private schools. Strong regional presence (If App State and Ga Southern stays) in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Alabama. Plug in us and maybe UTC and that would be a nice step up for us.

Lot's of things to shake out and I'm with you Mister, we need to be out front on this and not just hope that something great happens

(10-19-2021 07:37 AM)BaseballPops Wrote:  

(10-18-2021 08:40 PM)Mister Consistency Wrote:  CUSA getting raided by AAC, could be down to 8 soon

Said it with the Sun Belt, will say it again... we should be on this like stink on ****. CUSA with MTSU, WKU, and possibly Marshall if they stay would be awesome.

C-USA would be a very attractive but very large jump, maybe skipping a step or two up the food chain so to speak. If we could fund the travel costs associated with the move it would be great. I think the Sun Belt would be more of an ideal fit. Like minded state institutions instead of private schools. Strong regional presence (If App State and Ga Southern stays) in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Alabama. Plug in us and maybe UTC and that would be a nice step up for us.

Lot's of things to shake out and I'm with you Mister, we need to be out front on this and not just hope that something great happens

So, a Sun Belt vs CUSA battle is shaping up. Which one will prevail. There will be movement from one to the other. Which way will that shake out. Could regionalization actually work here as both agree to trade off and align more regionally? And, is ETSU a candidate to move to an eastern version of one of these? Could ETSU, UTC, EKU, and JMU, for example, come on over together?

A new CUSA:
App State
Coastal Carolina
EKU
ETSU
FIU
Ga Southern
JMU
Marshall
MTSU
Old Dominion
UTC
WKU


I know, I know — wishful thinking won’t make it happen. $$$$ certainly could.

I love the wishful dreaming of moving “up” to the CUSA etc. My question is where does funding come from and why should etsu move.

The football stadium was initially to have seating on the grass bank, 2 concessions stands and rest rooms on both sides and a field house. The baseball stadium suppose to have offices, changing areas, and retail stores at the site. Women’s softball field to have offices and changing areas. None of this has happen because etsu lacked funding to make it happen.

To move to another conference will require at least 1/2 the budget we have now. I’ve read the CUSA teams get $500,000 yearly TV money. That hardly covers the cost. Plus travel for all sports would increase substantially.

I understand that some of you feel etsu is being left behind and that may have been true several years ago. Todays world i believe if your not in a power 5 conference your already left behind.

(10-19-2021 09:28 AM)Etsuwins Wrote:  I love the wishful dreaming of moving “up” to the CUSA etc. My question is where does funding come from and why should etsu move.

The football stadium was initially to have seating on the grass bank, 2 concessions stands and rest rooms on both sides and a field house. The baseball stadium suppose to have offices, changing areas, and retail stores at the site. Women’s softball field to have offices and changing areas. None of this has happen because etsu lacked funding to make it happen.

To move to another conference will require at least 1/2 the budget we have now. I’ve read the CUSA teams get $500,000 yearly TV money. That hardly covers the cost. Plus travel for all sports would increase substantially.

I understand that some of you feel etsu is being left behind and that may have been true several years ago. Todays world i believe if your not in a power 5 conference your already left behind.

Yes - I know, today’s world of college athletics is one that an old guy like me can hardly keep up with. As you know, it is now controlled by money and the TV contracts as the Power Five conferences continue their consolidation of that. ESPN and the other sports networks have essentially taken over college athletics with the NCAA becoming more irrelevant. In this environment, a “move up” by mid-level, especially regional universities, can end up being too costly for the benefits derived. I know we’re still coming out of the pandemic— but all these empty seats in these expanded stadiums, expansions required in order to move up in the first place, suggest that, perhaps, this didn’t work out as originally envisioned — especially when much of the costs are being underwritten by student fees. Like you say, the distance between the Power Five conferences (maybe the new Big 12 can hang on there) and the rest, no matter the classification terminology, is growing wider and wider. But, all this said - regional universities like ETSU are in a bind as this latest reorganization plays out.

(10-19-2021 07:37 AM)BaseballPops Wrote:  

(10-18-2021 08:40 PM)Mister Consistency Wrote:  CUSA getting raided by AAC, could be down to 8 soon

Said it with the Sun Belt, will say it again... we should be on this like stink on ****. CUSA with MTSU, WKU, and possibly Marshall if they stay would be awesome.

C-USA would be a very attractive but very large jump, maybe skipping a step or two up the food chain so to speak. If we could fund the travel costs associated with the move it would be great. I think the Sun Belt would be more of an ideal fit. Like minded state institutions instead of private schools. Strong regional presence (If App State and Ga Southern stays) in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Alabama. Plug in us and maybe UTC and that would be a nice step up for us.

Lot's of things to shake out and I'm with you Mister, we need to be out front on this and not just hope that something great happens

I don't think it's that big of a jump. If anything, CUSA is at the bottom of the ladder in the G5, as evidenced by the speculation on Marshall/Southern Miss to the Sun Belt that has been floating around. Whether it's leadership, TV money, or whatever other reason, other conferences see CUSA as a target. But for ETSU, being at the dance at all has some value. I, for one, would embrace CUSA with enthusiasm, not because I hate the SoCon, but because it's a chance to raise the profile of the school.

I'm not super worried about the financials on our end, especially in CUSA. We're already not that far away from Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech budget-wise and have headroom to grow from there, and we'll be helped out by substantially larger guarantees, presumably more TV money (I don't know our numbers but can't imagine we're pulling $400k a year like we would in CUSA) and the CFP payout, which could potentially get a lot larger in the near future. The main question is, how much of an appetite does CUSA have to reload, and where do they want to look geographically? Our chance would depend on the number of teams they want and if they're ready to stand by their previously stated desire for geographic coherence (which they didn't have before, but could achieve now).

If CUSA wants to go back to 10, we won't get a look. If they go to 12, we're a longshot. But if they're going back up to 14, I think ETSU (and UTC and EKU and JSU) is a school they have to do due diligence on.

(10-19-2021 12:55 PM)Mister Consistency Wrote:  

(10-19-2021 07:37 AM)BaseballPops Wrote:  

(10-18-2021 08:40 PM)Mister Consistency Wrote:  CUSA getting raided by AAC, could be down to 8 soon

Said it with the Sun Belt, will say it again... we should be on this like stink on ****. CUSA with MTSU, WKU, and possibly Marshall if they stay would be awesome.

C-USA would be a very attractive but very large jump, maybe skipping a step or two up the food chain so to speak. If we could fund the travel costs associated with the move it would be great. I think the Sun Belt would be more of an ideal fit. Like minded state institutions instead of private schools. Strong regional presence (If App State and Ga Southern stays) in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Alabama. Plug in us and maybe UTC and that would be a nice step up for us.

Lot's of things to shake out and I'm with you Mister, we need to be out front on this and not just hope that something great happens

I don't think it's that big of a jump. If anything, CUSA is at the bottom of the ladder in the G5, as evidenced by the speculation on Marshall/Southern Miss to the Sun Belt that has been floating around. Whether it's leadership, TV money, or whatever other reason, other conferences see CUSA as a target. But for ETSU, being at the dance at all has some value. I, for one, would embrace CUSA with enthusiasm, not because I hate the SoCon, but because it's a chance to raise the profile of the school.

I'm not super worried about the financials on our end, especially in CUSA. We're already not that far away from Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech budget-wise and have headroom to grow from there, and we'll be helped out by substantially larger guarantees, presumably more TV money (I don't know our numbers but can't imagine we're pulling $400k a year like we would in CUSA) and the CFP payout, which could potentially get a lot larger in the near future. The main question is, how much of an appetite does CUSA have to reload, and where do they want to look geographically? Our chance would depend on the number of teams they want and if they're ready to stand by their previously stated desire for geographic coherence (which they didn't have before, but could achieve now).

If CUSA wants to go back to 10, we won't get a look. If they go to 12, we're a longshot. But if they're going back up to 14, I think ETSU (and UTC and EKU and JSU) is a school they have to do due diligence on.

This is getting interesting. Who will do the raiding in this Sun Belt vs CUSA situation, or will they actually work out a regional realignment deal? CUSA will have to add members, the Sun Belt has been talking about adding members. There will be 18 football playing schools left in the two conferences — 8 in CUSA and the current 10 in the Sun Belt. (What about the two Sun Belt basketball schools?). Like you say, depends on how big these two conferences want to become. My guess, James Madison and Eastern Kentucky are two prime candidates to make a quick move. Beyond that, let’s hope ETSU could be a party of interest. Bottom line, for these two conferences to expand in what ever way that happens, they will have no choice but to look at FCS schools in the vicinity.

It was mentioned in an earlier post — Marshall and Southern Miss to the Sun Belt? Will CUSA even survive? What if the SoCon “moved up” and added ODU, WKU, MTSU, James Madison, EKU, and Jacksonville State? Now there’s some wild speculation for you.



https://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/r...037e5.html

https://www.wavy.com/news/national/odu-t...e-leaving/

As we discussed earlier in this thread, several of out peer Institutions have moved up to FBS and more are going to make the move very soon. These peer Institutions thought it was a good move and found a path to make the move.
Why do you think ETSU cannot do the same?

Pluses for ETSU

Higher enrollment
Improved and additional facilities
Higher fan and student attendance
Larger number of home games
More Business community support
Regular National TV exposer
City and area growth

All of the above result in better funding for the University in Academics and Athletics which in turn provides a better environment for students and supporters.[/align]

(10-20-2021 02:02 PM)Buc76 Wrote:  As we discussed earlier in this thread, several of out peer Institutions have moved up to FBS and more are going to make the move very soon. These peer Institutions thought it was a good move and found a path to make the move.
Why do you think ETSU cannot do the same?

Pluses for ETSU

Higher enrollment
Improved and additional facilities
Higher fan and student attendance
Larger number of home games
More Business community support
Regular National TV exposer
City and area growth

All of the above result in better funding for the University in Academics and Athletics which in turn provides a better environment for students and supporters.[/align]

As you know, the bottom line is MONEY — always has been and always will be. For example, Coastal Carolina, a four year college since 1974, essentially bought their way into FBS and the Sun Belt Conference with a rich donor (someone on here said - $95 million) and, of course, they are currently reaping a reward in football. Without that donor, however, they would still be in the Big South. Perhaps this will increase their enrollment and academic offerings. Guess is, that $95 million could have resulted in the start up of an Engineering School, or a Pharmacy School, or a Medical School, etc. ETSU has the undergraduate and graduate academics that surpasses those of a number of our regional university FBS athletic peers. Our long history as a an undergraduate, graduate, and professional school university would indicate we’re a natural for athletic Division I FBS status.

Bottom line — MONEY. It costs money to play DI/FBS sports, certainly outside the Power Five leagues, and that cost will likely increase going forward as the Power Five continue to consolidate the money.

Things are cranking up. CUSA left holding the proverbial bag?

OK, what will CUSA do to survive?



https://www.cbssports.com/college-footba...expansion/


https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/colleg...usa-teams/

https://www.deseret.com/2021/10/20/22737...ss-liberty

https://richmond.com/sports/college/jmu-...64aee.html

Where are the posters on this board coming up with these inflated costs to go FBS?

No way would it cost 95 million to move to FBS.

To add 22 schlorships, the max allowed for FBS...approx. .$300,000 yearly. Many FBS programs do not fully fund 85 schlorships.
Improvements to Greene Stadium aporox..3- 5mil (One time cost ) Additional seating added as needed.

Monies generated by additional students, monies from larger ticket sales, monies from business sponsors, monies from donors, approx double the monies for money games and tv monies would completely offset additional costs associated with the cost to go FBS. Sunbelt, CUSA or a totally new FBS conference do not have monster 100-200 mil budgets. Their budgets are approx 18-39mil,
but they reap far more benefits than a FCS conference. ETSU current budget is approx 25 mil. Not only do the institutions reap greater benefits but the Cities and surrounding areas they are located in have grown like weeds.

ETSU has the amenities, except the additional seating needed for the football stadium, and all the intangibles, a larger metro area, located in a growing City, an interste system an airport and a populace that loves and supports athletics.

How many of our peer Institutions do you have to look at to understand it can and has been done by smaller institutions, with lesser assets than ETSU.

Last nights attendance at the App State/Coastal Carolina game in Boone, N C for a Wed night game on ESPN...31,000. Imagine the money spent in Boone yesterday and the national exposure that was garnered by
Boone and App State with the ESPN broadcast.

ETSU was in the same conference and larger than APP State. Coastal Carolina started football in 2003. Both institutions have been ranked in top 25 FBS. Both Institutions are located in smaller markets.

They found a way and their [/align]results speaks volumes.