(12-07-2012 05:44 PM)Burn the Horse Wrote: I will say this though, all the MTSU fans sporting C-USA avatars and sig banners are annoying. They'd hate it if another fanbase was leaving the Conference they are in, and bragged about it constantly with their forum appearance. Especially if the league said fanbase was moving over to was a much-despised one such as C-DOA.
I will say this, most of us didn't change the anything until mods and respected posters started throwing out barbs about our fictional wrong doing. Also avatars are the same on here as they are on CUSA board most of us have began posting in both places. If there is a way to censor them on this board only so it doesn't hurt the feelings of our more sensitive posters let us know.
I don't mind CUSA avatars. You ARE moving to CUSA, so no big deal on my end.
In spite of Burn's animosity I'll continue to be a fan of Troy and the Belt. Hope you guys don't get stuck with rift raft. And hopefully Benson won't screw you guys out of getting Southern and App (i.e. best available on the board).
I agree, they are the best available. App losing their coach is a bit of a concern, but I think they'll manage. Thanks for the words, I'd like to continue playing middle, it would be wierd not seing you guys on the schedule.
(12-07-2012 08:06 PM)Burn the Horse Wrote: Yep, you were wrong. Notice I did not return your bs neg rep with one of my own. I could have, but I did not.
Wasn't BS. You can take your personal attacks to someone else.
And just so we're clear I was wrong that you could be objective.
Best of luck with all your bitterness.
My post had nothing to do with being bitter about yall leaving. You were slamming Benson over some bs and I called you out for it. You took it personal and hit me with neg rep.
Notice I have not gotten on to any other Middle fans, that is because I dont blame yall for leaving. I got on to you over what you were saying about Benson. You apparently took it wrong, I don't know if that was a mistake or not. I don't appreciate the bs neg rep, but it isn't the end of my world, I'll push on.
(This post was last modified: 12-07-2012 09:11 PM by Burn the Horse.)
(12-07-2012 09:10 PM)ThreeifbyLightning Wrote: You've criticized just about every MT poster on this board since the announcement. Definition of bitterness.
What?! Present some evidence to that claim please sir.
edit: ...I'm waiting...
(This post was last modified: 12-07-2012 09:24 PM by Burn the Horse.)
(12-07-2012 09:10 PM)ThreeifbyLightning Wrote: You've criticized just about every MT poster on this board since the announcement. Definition of bitterness.
What?! Present some evidence to that claim please sir.
edit: ...I'm waiting...
If you're going to keep pissing in each other's *****, do it over PM.
I don't see this being a topic we're going to agree on. Several threads have turned to this pointless back and forth about MT leaving, Benson sucking, Sun Belt vs CUSA...etc.
Let's just drop it all. It's so stupid. We're a member of the Sun Belt for the rest of this season, there's no changing that, we may or may not be a member of the Sun Belt in 2013. We aren't going to agree on the Benson issue.
I'm not a huge fan of the way MT fans are talking to the other SBC fans and I'm not a huge fan of the way the other SBC fans are talking to MT fans. I'm just going to stay out of these threads because they're never going to end well and I want to spend the remainder of my time as a fan of a Sun Belt school posting in threads that aren't pointless arguments. The Sun Belt has been a great home for us and this board is a great community, but we're making a move that we believe to be in our best interest. I don't think there's any reason for any of us to be mad over it, because we didn't have anything to do with this decision. So as long as we're a member of this conference, I'm going to be around talking about games and players and coaches and tournaments etc. and since we aren't going to be a member of the Sun Belt much longer,
I'm not going to spend any of my time arguing about a decision I had nothing to do with.
Let's just get along for however long we're still conference mates, the arguing is just so stupid.
(12-07-2012 01:14 PM)Burn the Horse Wrote: It isn't his fault that the Sun Belt hasn't secured more lucrative TV contracts after ONE season. If MTSU and FAU had stuck around then he would have gotten it done, but yall bailed on us, so we'll never know now.
If we don't lose MTSU and Florida Atlantic, we add App State and Ga Southern OR Southern Miss, and the Belt passes C-DOA by. It was all ready to go and Middle and FAU run off, ruining everything. That's how it is, and no ammount of blaming Benson will change that fact.
The Sun Belt might have eventually passed up C-USA in the future if all of our teams had stayed, but to say for a fact that would've happened is a bit unreasonable.
Well you are very right, still had we not lost FIU, and UNT last year, things would have been in the Sun Belts favor. When they bailed, and I am not blaming anyone for leaving, the death knell was tolling, and anyone not wanting to get the black plague needed to exit. Glad for you guys, still in mourning for UL and ASU.
(12-07-2012 05:33 PM)GSU Eagles Wrote: No way to know how much is or is not Benson's fault. Where he could have had an impact is gaugeing whether or not MTSU and FAU were going to bolt. If he knew they were eventually going to bolt which was obvious given FAU was on an island and MTSU fans were so upset they didn't get a CUSA bid last spring, then Benson should have ignored their wishes and tried to get the remaining teams to do what was best for the conference. Clearly FAU and MTSU did not want to expand to add FCS as they knew they would leave soon anyway and they didn't want to be seen as associated with upstarts. To appease MTSU's, the SB did not expand to 12 or more last Spring. MTSU and FAU left anyway and now SB is scrambling for survival and lost a year of transition with the new teams that would be ready to play this fall and a full member the following one.
Benson's biggest mistake is that in hindsight, he should have not catered to MTSU and FAU's wishes since they left anyway. Appeasing them to hopefully keep them from leaving was a mistake. The strategy of going after Southern Miss and others now looks silly. Once La Tech went to CUSA, the writing was on the wall. Benson should have convinced the commited members to add App State and Ga Southern last Spring.
That is the only thing you could fault Benson on even though it is a hindsight view of things. Had he added FCS last spring and MTSU and FAU left, then people would blame him for adding FCS which caused MTSU and FAU to leave.
I dread the day when I saw WE with either app state, or georgia southern. mstu and fau did not control this debate, most of the other presidents did not want to bring in more 1aa schools or it would have happened.
(12-08-2012 08:08 AM)CajunExpress Wrote: I dread the day when I saw WE with either app state, or georgia southern. mstu and fau did not control this debate, most of the other presidents did not want to bring in more 1aa schools or it would have happened.
I don't understand the condescending "1aa schools" attitude toward App St and Ga Southern when those two schools have better attendance than a majority of the current Sun Belt membership. App State was 16-11 against current FBS move-up's and Ga Southern was 35-16 and holds a winning record against every team in the Sun Belt we've played except 2-2 vs ULM.
IF invited we'll be the new-kid-on-the-block/low-man-on-the-totem-pole, but neither Ga Southern nor App St will pull the Sun Belt Conference down in either attendance or competitiveness. As small-market schools, our only hope of getting the respect/attention we crave is to put a good product on the field and win more OOC games. Belittling other small-market schools won't elevate your own.
(This post was last modified: 12-08-2012 08:49 AM by Eagle's Cliff.)
(12-08-2012 08:08 AM)CajunExpress Wrote: I dread the day when I saw WE with either app state, or georgia southern. mstu and fau did not control this debate, most of the other presidents did not want to bring in more 1aa schools or it would have happened.
I don't understand the condescending "1aa schools" attitude toward App St and Ga Southern when those two schools have better attendance than a majority of the current Sun Belt membership. App State was 16-11 against current FBS move-up's and Ga Southern was 35-16 and holds a winning record against every team in the Sun Belt we've played except 2-2 vs ULM.
IF invited we'll be the new-kid-on-the-block/low-man-on-the-totem-pole, but neither Ga Southern nor App St will pull the Sun Belt Conference down in either attendance or competitiveness. As small-market schools, our only hope of getting the respect/attention we crave is to put a good product on the field and win more OOC games. Belittling other small-market schools won't elevate your own.
Ga Southern and App State have higher enrollments, will have higher budgets and higher attendance than most of the Sun Belt. Not to mention more success when we were FCS at the same time. Enjoy the facade of feeling better than Ga Southern an App State for now as that will be all but gone soon.
I can assure you that Ga Southern and App State will elevate the profile of the Sun Belt much more than FAU and FIU ever did.
(This post was last modified: 12-08-2012 08:58 AM by GSU Eagles.)
(12-08-2012 08:08 AM)CajunExpress Wrote: I dread the day when I saw WE with either app state, or georgia southern. mstu and fau did not control this debate, most of the other presidents did not want to bring in more 1aa schools or it would have happened.
I don't understand the condescending "1aa schools" attitude toward App St and Ga Southern when those two schools have better attendance than a majority of the current Sun Belt membership. App State was 16-11 against current FBS move-up's and Ga Southern was 35-16 and holds a winning record against every team in the Sun Belt we've played except 2-2 vs ULM.
IF invited we'll be the new-kid-on-the-block/low-man-on-the-totem-pole, but neither Ga Southern nor App St will pull the Sun Belt Conference down in either attendance or competitiveness. As small-market schools, our only hope of getting the respect/attention we crave is to put a good product on the field and win more OOC games. Belittling other small-market schools won't elevate your own.
Many people still refer to the current FCS level as 1AA. If you find that distinction insulting, then simply move up. Until you move up, people will always refer to Ga Southern as FCS or 1AA. It is the same for SBC schools constantly being refered to as Non-AQ programs or bottom FBS programs, that is the distinction we live with on the daily basis. If you find that distinction condescending, then get over it! Or perhaps you are on the wrong board.
(12-10-2012 02:24 PM)CrazyCajun Wrote: Many people still refer to the current FCS level as 1AA. If you find that distinction insulting, then simply move up. Until you move up, people will always refer to Ga Southern as FCS or 1AA. It is the same for SBC schools constantly being refered to as Non-AQ programs or bottom FBS programs, that is the distinction we live with on the daily basis. If you find that distinction condescending, then get over it! Or perhaps you are on the wrong board.
My issue isn't with the "1-aa" label, but with the condescending attitude some Group of 5 fans have with 63 scholarship schools.
Montana, Delaware, North Dakota St., Georgia Southern, App St., James Madison and a few others have programs on par or better than many Sun Belt, CUSA, MAC, and MW schools. The issue we all deal with the perception that 30 schools (Notre Dame, Michigan, Alabama, LSU, Penn St., etc) represent "College Football" with 90K+ in the stands when the reality is closer to 40K for successful 1A programs.
ULL kicking McNeese St isn't going to elevate ULL, but it will help support the fallacy that small schools don't put a good product on the field. This especially applies to a school like ULL which hasn't won more than a co-championship in 42 years.
ULL, ULM, McNeese, Northwestern St., and Ga Southern all share a common burden in trying to promote our programs while our own alumni are wearing LSU and UGA attire and staying home to watch TV when our games conflict with the SEC. We're never going to win that battle completely, but the proper marketing strategy isn't to demean other schools.
(12-10-2012 02:24 PM)CrazyCajun Wrote: Many people still refer to the current FCS level as 1AA. If you find that distinction insulting, then simply move up. Until you move up, people will always refer to Ga Southern as FCS or 1AA. It is the same for SBC schools constantly being refered to as Non-AQ programs or bottom FBS programs, that is the distinction we live with on the daily basis. If you find that distinction condescending, then get over it! Or perhaps you are on the wrong board.
My issue isn't with the "1-aa" label, but with the condescending attitude some Group of 5 fans have with 63 scholarship schools.
Montana, Delaware, North Dakota St., Georgia Southern, App St., James Madison and a few others have programs on par or better than many Sun Belt, CUSA, MAC, and MW schools. The issue we all deal with the perception that 30 schools (Notre Dame, Michigan, Alabama, LSU, Penn St., etc) represent "College Football" with 90K+ in the stands when the reality is closer to 40K for successful 1A programs.
ULL kicking McNeese St isn't going to elevate ULL, but it will help support the fallacy that small schools don't put a good product on the field. This especially applies to a school like ULL which hasn't won more than a co-championship in 42 years.
ULL, ULM, McNeese, Northwestern St., and Ga Southern all share a common burden in trying to promote our programs while our own alumni are wearing LSU and UGA attire and staying home to watch TV when our games conflict with the SEC. We're never going to win that battle completely, but the proper marketing strategy isn't to demean other schools.
From your perspective I can understand why you would say all of the above. At the same time understand that there are fans at UL that have waited over 30 years to move or improve themselves and get into a better conference. UL has never played football in 1AA, it left the SLC to pursue a conference at the 1A level. So to return to a conference with the likes of McNeese State is a slap in the face to the many that have supported the UL program for years in hopes of something better now. UL is just now starting to support football and athletics, excitement has returned in record numbers because of Hudspeth.
This is a program that averaged over 29,000 last year in football and without 2 Tuesday night games and 1 Thursday night might have hit that number this season. UL is also in the top 25 in NCAA baseball and soft attendance every season and has averaged over 4,500-5,000 in recent mediocre basketball seasons. This program also sold 18,000 bowl tickets last year and has already reached that number this week for the 2012 NO Bowl. Now understand, the average bowl tickets sold per program with all bowls included is around 9,000-10,000 per game. That puts UL in the top 3rd of bowl ticket sales in NCAA Football.
UL is also 10 Master Programs away from becoming a Tier 1 University and should hit that number within the next couple of years.
Its not about your programs potential or lack of it, but simply wanting something better as you do for your program. Its up to UL to fund its programs better, but don't expect Cajun fans to cheer your addition into the Sun Belt Conference because it reflects upon the failure of this university to properly fund its programs.
(12-11-2012 06:35 PM)CrazyCajun Wrote: Its not about your programs potential or lack of it, but simply wanting something better as you do for your program. Its up to UL to fund its programs better, but don't expect Cajun fans to cheer your addition into the Sun Belt Conference because it reflects upon the failure of this university to properly fund its programs.
I totally understand your perspective. ULL's problems are a reflection on the state of Louisiana's favoritism toward LSU and the culture of Tiger Football that permeates every corner of the state. We have the same problem.
Unfortunately, we didn't start football until after the IA/I-AA split. We had a chance in the early 90's and again in the early 2000's to move up, but we just didn't have the money. Many Georgia Southern Alumni and people in Southern Georgia, especially Savannah, have been going to Athens and cheering for the Dawgs for generations. It takes more than 30 years to change that culture.
The way I see it, punching the Big Boy in the mouth is the only thing that will increase the market share of non-flagships and that's nearly impossible with 22 fewer scholarships. Most of our fans are going to be as unimpressed with playing Troy, Ga St, WKU, etc. as they are with playing Furman, Wofford, and UT-Chattanooga. Group of 5 schools will only get the attention they want by defeating AQ schools and that goes for every school in MAC, Sun Belt, and CUSA.
I know your fans won't cheer, but App St and Georgia Southern will prove themselves on the field and in the stands if invited and bring OOC wins to the conference in time.
