Would love to see JMU in FBS soon. Just stinks that they haven't been picked up yet. Fans definitely want FBS, but does the admin, that is the question?
If it's an FCS team, prefer New Hampshire but they can't make the jump and Delaware seems to show no interest in the MAC. Realistically it's JMU though I'd like Leigh as a dark horse, who is never talked about since they are a much smaller private University but have a billion for an endowment.
One poster said they way it works is that there is a long period of silence and a flurry of activity.
The way it worked at UMass was it was very quiet through late spring till mid-November when word leaked out at the pre-game to the Sacret Heart game. About 2 weeks later it was made public by the Boston Heard. We all got very excited and then soon discovered our invite was hinged on Temple commiting to an indefinite contract, which binded with us together. Nova continued to block Temple to the Big East. Remember this, February meeting of University presidents meeting we were voted on. From this point assume it would going very quickly, but for us no news. McQuirk was unacceptable to the MAC without a new press box, perhaps some suites and new football facilities. We needed the Kraft Group and Gillette and the contract negotiations were a very long back and forth affair. Hence it was almost a year from start to finish.
Wish you luck and silence maybe a sign of serious negotiations. Have zero inside knowlege, just giving you our perspective on the move to FBS.
We also had different reasons as the time the CAA north was shrinking and the CAA was moving south with Georgia State. The MAC started to look very good. Plus we wanted to be treated seriously, especially by the Boston Media. Not to mention the key player in Chancellor Robert Holub that want us to be an AAU Institution and be like all other peer research universities, which all except a few have FBS Football.
(This post was last modified: 12-08-2012 05:04 PM by Steve1981.)
(12-08-2012 04:11 PM)jmufan Wrote: Thanks for the post Steve, I hope we can get there soon. Maybe even the MAC.
If you're moving up, certainly hope it's the MAC.
if this youtube is a bit much can delete it. Basically in the first 10 minutes, you hear all the reason why we moved up and what was important about us from MAC commissioner, Jon Steinbrecher. Academics and media markets are mentioned. Footnote MAC Game Of The Week against Miami was picked up by Channel 5, ABC Boston. It was a proud day for us and hope you guys get to feel the pride and excitement.
(This post was last modified: 12-10-2012 10:19 PM by Steve1981.)
Steve that is a good video that I wish some on the JMU side would watch. Many unfortunately are going to fact that UMASS faculty is against the move and that the money hasn't been entirely there as a reason why JMU should not move up. What many fail to realize is that UMASS will be successful in a few years, that UMASS is playing 2 hours away while JMU would play on campus, and it takes time. People think just because you move up to FBS that you can be successful right away and while sometimes that does happen, it usually doesn't happen that way. Nor can you be picky in which conference comes calling. If you really want FBS, then you wouldn't be snobbish about what conference you will go into. I would love the MAC as stated earlier. But I would also be happy with CUSA and even the SBC.
i really do think that part of jmu's admin's hesitation in relation to fbs is the fact that it seems like 1/3-1/2 of our posters (at least the one's vocalizing their opinion) are against moving to fbs or against moving unless it's to a bcs level conference immediately (acc or bust mentality). There are supposedly at least a handful of high dollar donors at jmu who are telling the admin that they want to stay fcs and will remove their support if they commit to fbs.
to a degree, it's our own fan base's fault for not making up its mind, as much as it is our admin not making up their mind. i wish more pro-fbs supporters would voice their opinion but i feel that many posters on the caazone intimidate people who don't favor their opinion and some choose to not post.
(This post was last modified: 12-14-2012 07:21 PM by Dukes09.)
The 8 million contained many one time charges, non revenue stream for first year, and infrastructure that were required to be competitve at the CAA level, never mind the MAC.
We paid over a half million to terminate Kevin Morris and his coaching staff. We'll be paying a million in annual bond cost for the 34.5 million new football facilities and press box. Our facilities were sub standard at the CAA level and were on the books for a long time. Hence we are required to play at Gillette until the improves are completed. We paid a 1/2 million enterance fee to the MAC plus 100k in annual dues. We receive zero BCS Football money as well as ESPN TV money. Those revenue streams kick in next year. We never averaged 14k at McQuirk and average over the golden years of CAA/FCS play was around 11k, which is the same at Gillette, when we where 1-11. The sample attendance quote was for the last game on black Friday, which was the lowest attended game. Our buy games this year were not fully priced as a FBS school, especially the UConn game, which was booked many years ago as a FCS priced buy game.
Our goal is to loss the same or less after an initial investment and this is expected 4-5 years from now.
Give us these 4 years and then write the articles and see if we are more like Buffalo or UConn.
(This post was last modified: 12-31-2012 01:51 AM by Steve1981.)
(12-08-2012 04:11 PM)jmufan Wrote: Thanks for the post Steve, I hope we can get there soon. Maybe even the MAC.
If you're moving up, certainly hope it's the MAC.
if this youtube is a bit much can delete it. Basically in the first 10 minutes, you hear all the reason why we moved up and what was important about us from MAC commissioner, Jon Steinbrecher. Academics and media markets are mentioned. Footnote MAC Game Of The Week against Miami was picked up by Channel 5, ABC Boston. It was a proud day for us and hope you guys get to feel the pride and excitement.
