(03-06-2017 11:23 AM)FloridaJag Wrote:  

(03-06-2017 09:26 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(03-06-2017 08:25 AM)chargeradio Wrote:  I've heard that it was the dying wish of Mayer Mitchell for South to start football. It was only a few months after his death when the program was announced.

While much of the info on the recent posts seems to be onpoint (regarding Whiddon and the impact of the allocation of unused public education land grant revenues to USA at inception on its endowment), I'm not sure the Mitchells are pushing football as much as you'd think. I doubt they're opposed to football, but I'd note that while that family's reported donations to USA is approaching 100 million dollars (I think the total was around 93 million and counting 4 years ago), that their support of big ticket items at USA have not been concentrated in football. I don't know them, but one would think that if they were really pushing football as much as some might think, one would think that you'd see more Mitchell paid for investments in football. Seems to me that the real push (with the tuition programs) is to get USA's enrollment to 20,000 while increasing the academic profile of the average student - in order to help with retention). Maybe y'all know more than I do about them.

But USA has been very fortunate to have the oil/gas revenue and the Mitchell family backing the institution.

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The reasons why USA has a FBS team appears to be the result of a confluence of events that might not be applicable to UWF.

1) USA was in a conference that allowed USA to move directly to a FBS conference from program inception. At USA, it wasn't invest and 'maybe'. It was invest and you WILL be in a FBS conference. It was an almost unique situation (UALR - which will probably never do it, and UTA - which might at some point - are the only two programs that are similar). If the real goal of UWF is to move to FBS, they'd have a lot more variability about how to get there. UWF isn't moving to be a FBS indy.

2) USA didn't have to build a stadium to go FBS. Sure Ladd is a dump, but it seats 40,000 and its basically free. We will start on the OCS sometime around 2020. So basically, 15 years rent free to build the program. And while the stadium looks empty with 20,000 fans, it holds enough people to allow for USA to host bigger named teams. UWF will have to build a stadium, without any indication that they'll be able to jump into a conference in FBS.

3) USA's market didn't have close FBS alternatives. USM is 90 miles away, but USM never bothered to make any real attempt to leverage their position. And USM wasn't in the projected conference with USA and therefore, wasn't in a position to block USA. UWF would have local competition, and that competition would be in a position to attempt to block UWF from at least one potential conference landing spot.

In short, for USA, the decision was a lot easier for them than for other schools. No one else in the market, free place to play, and a conference home. Plus a really healthy endowment and a growing student population. While no moveup is going FBS to make money, USA could and did do it for far less money than other startups. Basically, spend FCS money, but play in FBS. UWF has none of those advantages. UWF will have to spend a pantload to get to FCS, then spend a pantload again to get to FBS, and then find a place that will have them.

Okay. I will play.

UWF has two routes that will help them to FBS and the Sun Belt.

Option 1. Join the Big South Conference.

The BSC current members are:

Charleston Southern
Kennesaw State
Liberty
Gardner Webb
Presbyterian
Monmouth
North Alabama

Not ideal but gives UWF room to schedule games against Sun Belt members.

With six conference games, UWF can schedule 2 games away games a year with Sun Belt members. Thereby, establishing a relationship.

This also leaves room to home vs home games against schedule games against Florida A&M, Alabama State, Jacksonville State and Jacksonville.

Example Schedule:

1. Alabama State
2. @ Florida A&M
3. @ Charleston Southern
4. Gardner Webb
5. @ Liberty
6. North Alabama
7. @ Troy
8. @ South Alabama
9. Monmouth
10. @Presbyterian
11. Kennesaw State

Plus UWF should start scheduling Baseball/Softball/Basketball games against USA, Troy, Georgia State, UNF and FGCU. I think ULM would look favorably and scheduling a UWF + USA road trip or a Troy + UWF + USA road trip.

Option 2 is the Southern Conference which stresses the UWF travel budget for non football sports. Plus leaves less room to play money games against Sun Belt members.

USA does schedule local FCS teams....but appears to do so against in state FCS programs only. There's a reason for that...if you going to pay a team to play, might as well help the budget of an instate team. I'm not sure playing UWF would be a good idea. The point of a FCS game is to get a win, not help another team recruit. There's little upside for USA to play UWF in the short or medium term, even if they're in the Big South. All risk, no reward (other than some UWF fans in the stadium). USA would play UWF in baseball no problem, and probably would in basketball

Basically, what I think USA should do with the FCS game is this....a school 500 miles away or more that is a terrible FCS program with the correct number of scholarships.