Would this be a good conference?

FB-Liberty
Radford
Longwood
FB-Gardner Webb
UNC Ashville
FB-Campbell
High Point
FB-Monmouth
N. Kentucky
Lipscomb
FB-Kennesaw St.
FB-Charleston So.
FB-Coastal Carolina
Winthrop
FB-Presbyterian
SC Upstate
North Florida
FB-Florida Gulf Coast
FB-Stetson
FB-Jacksonville

(03-10-2015 08:35 AM)army56mike Wrote:  Would this be a good conference?

FB-Liberty
Radford
Longwood
FB-Gardner Webb
UNC Ashville
FB-Campbell
High Point
FB-Monmouth
N. Kentucky
Lipscomb
FB-Kennesaw St.
FB-Charleston So.
FB-Coastal Carolina
Winthrop
FB-Presbyterian
SC Upstate
North Florida
FB-Florida Gulf Coast
FB-Stetson
FB-Jacksonville

One could agree that the Big South Conference would be wise to expand and the FL schools would be a great catch. As rumblings about Coastal being an attractive program to one day move up to FBS, and LU's overt desire, those would be major hits for the BSC to lose. With the huge upside with Kennesaw, one can assume it will be a matter of time before they too seek a higher conference with their market and huge school attendance. As a Big South Conference action, this is an easy action to support.

I think that would be a mistake. By my count there are eleven football schools which is one short of a championship game. The conference would be too big and unstable. It would be better as two conferences and split by football and non-football. It would be a very impersonal conference and hard to develop rivalries.

So you'd be happier with a conference of

Liberty
Gardner Webb
Campbell
Monmouth
Kennesaw St.
Charleston So.
Coastal Carolina
Presbyterian
Florida Gulf Coast
Stetson
Jacksonville

... and maybe a start up program or three from Radford, Longwood, Ashville, High Point, N. Kentucky, Lipscomb, Winthrop, SC Upstate, or N. Florida.

(03-10-2015 09:47 AM)army56mike Wrote:  So you'd be happier with a conference of

Liberty
Gardner Webb
Campbell
Monmouth
Kennesaw St.
Charleston So.
Coastal Carolina
Presbyterian
Florida Gulf Coast
Stetson
Jacksonville

... and maybe a start up program or three from Radford, Longwood, Ashville, High Point, N. Kentucky, Lipscomb, Winthrop, SC Upstate, or N. Florida.

As a hypothetical conference this second group is much more attractive. I don't really care which one of the other options you listed for the final spot. Each has their pros and cons. I wouldn't want Longwood to get a football team though. It is already bad enough we share the Big South with them.

I'd be most happy witht he Big South in the rearview mirror. But I appreciate the ideas, guys. There is no question that it is in the best interest of the Big South to find a way into Florida. If Jacksonville could get their finances in order or North Florida made the commitment to step up, they would both be viable options. FGCU likely has much loftier goals.

(03-10-2015 02:08 PM)SlyFox Wrote:  I'd be most happy witht he Big South in the rearview mirror. But I appreciate the ideas, guys. There is no question that it is in the best interest of the Big South to find a way into Florida. If Jacksonville could get their finances in order or North Florida made the commitment to step up, they would both be viable options. FGCU likely has much loftier goals.

It's nice to have discussion about our present conference. Not necessarily something that is going to shift things for LU other than a lateral perception of the conference recognition. It seems the emphasis is strongly geared towards gaining a higher conference affiliation in FBS. In the meantime, FL would be nice in November.

The reason why many of us longtime FlameFans always focus on getting out of the Big South is that decades of membership in the league has us pining away for anything else. As long as Kallender is running the show, any positive developments will be a pleasant surprise.

(03-10-2015 03:52 PM)SlyFox Wrote:  The reason why many of us longtime FlameFans always focus on getting out of the Big South is that decades of membership in the league has us pining away for anything else. As long as Kallender is running the show, any positive developments will be a pleasant surprise.

Unfortunately the BSC is perceived as one of the weakest FCS conferences. The SoCo and CAA, our nearest competitors, have huge nostrils from looking so long down on us for so long as BSC members. The last conference I want to be a part of is the SoCo and their past history with LU. Any FCS conference is a lateral move at best. I'm okay with having new members improve it, I just don't want to move to another FCS as it will take us away from the bigger prize. I still like FL in Nov.

If we are moving to another FCS league unless we need to park oru other programs while we are playing football in an FBS league.

I wouldn't mind joining the the CAA but they wouldn't take us. It would be nice to improve the profile of Liberty and play stronger competition until we go FBS.

I agree, the CAA wouldn't be a bad move. But I'd be just as happy being in an ever improving BSC. Our football is growing. Baseball has some good programs. Men's basketball is pretty weak. Women's basketball is pretty weak also. Pulling some strong programs from the A-Sun would be an epic success. I know the hope and plan is to move to FBS. But we can't rest on that. While we are still current members of the BSC we need the conference to grow and be strong.

ODU to receive $339,000 more from Under Armour sponsorship. Enlightening post on the ODU board about how ODU went from a $61,000 sponsorship to $400,00 being FBS.

http://m.pilotonline.com/?cu=spreed%3A%2...2F42439457

Ooops, that was the JMU board.