(04-05-2021 12:10 PM)Oldyeller Wrote:  

(04-05-2021 10:40 AM)CitrusUCF Wrote:  

(04-05-2021 09:40 AM)Oldyeller Wrote:  

(04-04-2021 10:59 AM)CitrusUCF Wrote:  

(04-03-2021 02:04 PM)Oldyeller Wrote:  Georgia fans are committed no different than Florida fans. Florida has more transplants than locals. Despite the marketz blunders numbers of eyeballs still matters.

Here's a relatively reasonable scenario. Ga state continues to improve fan interest by winning and improving facilities. Georgia Southern sustains a nice run similar to our rival App state at the top of the Sun Belt and continues to improve facilities both currently building new roughly 8000 seat convocation centers. This happens and the lure of snagging the state of Georgia becomes almost impossible to over look.

Problem is GS's not going anywhere without App state. Likely a threefer package deal. Pick up likely the most intense rivalry in the G5 as well as two in a state filling a GIGANTIC void reducing travel expenses along the way. This was a meaningful scenario for CUSA until the Sun Belt lost them the tail lights.

LOL, Georgia Southern would leave the Sun Belt and App State in a New York minute if the AAC offered membership.

These alliances fall apart as soon as some school gets a better opportunity. Rice-Tulane-SMU-Tulsa were all tied at the hip. Until Tulane and SMU got offered to join the Big East and Tulsa and Rice didn't. Then Tulsa got invited. But Rice is still in CUSA and their old allies aren't fighting to add them to the AAC.

You should also check out how the WAC teams sold out Utah State when they were working to bring BYU back into the WAC. Fresno State and Nevada turned traitor and told the MWC what Utah State and the WAC were doing to lure BYU back, so the MWC went ahead and invited all the WAC schools except Utah State. Who did finally get in as well when the dust all settled.

Each and every school works for its own betterment. It's all a medieval power battle where alliances are temporary until someone gets a better opportunity.

Maybe your right. UCF and USF get the motor running but the rest not so much. Too many what ifs. What if GS and App perform at a level similar to UCF and USF in short time? Could be argued that's already the case. We've played UCF a dozen times and i don't think we've lost. What if Marshall jumps to the Belt? What if USM jumps to the Belt? Putting App GS Marshall USM Troy Ark state UL Ga state CCU Texas state and USA and ULM in the same conference sounds like fun. Dare I say a slight shuffle of the Sun Belt and CUSA would certainly make it tougher for the AAC. With the pandemic we may find out sooner than later.

Thinking that playing UCF as a D-2 and FCS program is similar to playing us now is laughable, first of all. Second of all, let me know when Ga Southern or App State make and win multiple NY6 games.

The Sun Belt has had a couple of nice seasons, but your revenues are nowhere near the AAC's. You can shuffle programs all you want, and it won't matter to the AAC's dominance at the G5 level unless you land an AAC-level TV contract and your programs start bringing in AAC level ticket and donation revenues. The Sun Belt is certainly poised to overtake CUSA permanently, but then you can set your eyes on rivaling the Mountain West before you think about the AAC. Without the revenues, you can't sustain competition at this level...the bottom half of the AAC isn't great, but they all generate revenue above the Sun Belt level, much less the top half of the AAC that can compete with much of the P5.

Your kinda making my point. Only recently has UCF enjoyed such amazing success. You can argue six ways from Sunday why but when the horses were lined up GS had no problem competing with UCF going 10 zip. So what's the magic medicine? Could it be location? Or maybe marketz? Could be luck but it ain't money. We'll see how this works out for Ga state. The Sun Belt is betting on none of what's driven UCF so you may be right in the end. But I kinda doubt it.

Are you saying that UCF's financial position in the late 80s-early 90s is the same as now? Because it very much was not. We were running a shoestring program with a rented stadium, extremely poor facilities, and a cheap coaching staff. There's no resemblance in the situations. But also, it was 10-1 for Southern...UCF actually won the first meeting.

At any rate, results from the 80s and 90s in lower levels mean precisely dick now. The entire sport has changed in terms of media, recruiting, facilities, coaching, etc. It's as meaningless as when Pitt fans try to act like their 1976 national title still makes them a power.

I'd actually like to see UCF schedule Southern so that we can start making up that deficit. Easy road trip for both sides.