I for one, as an alum, am extremely excited and proud to see the effort being put into this football program/stadium. What future out of conference rivalrly games would everyone like to see once we get a few years under our programs belt? I love the UT game for the state and both schools involved. I would also love to start playing Appy State in a home/home series.

Well Appy, is out of the question because they moved up. Usually in football you don't play the same OOC teams over and over. Would be nice to play other TN state schools.

(03-27-2015 07:04 PM)bucwild11 Wrote:  I would also love to start playing Appy State in a home/home series.

This will never happen since Appy has now moved up to IA. IAs do not play at IAA stadiums....

And if you can't tell I still call it IA/IAA...

(03-27-2015 07:19 PM)HerdZoned Wrote:  

(03-27-2015 07:04 PM)bucwild11 Wrote:  I would also love to start playing Appy State in a home/home series.

This will never happen since Appy has now moved up to IA. IAs do not play at IAA stadiums....

And if you can't tell I still call it IA/IAA...

Getting the cart before the horse here, but the dream would be that ETSU would join App State at their level someday (whatever NCAA level system that evolves) maybe in a regional conference with schools like EKU, JMU, ODU, UTC, UNCC, Ga State, Ga Southern, MTSU, WKU, WCU, etc. In the meantime, 90% other FCS schools on home-and-home deals.

Immediate future OOC games I'd like to see with FCS teams
Tennessee Tech
Austin Peay
Coastal Carolina
TSU (preferred at LP Field)
Kennesaw should be an annual deal
Liberty
JMU
I see no reason for ETSU to play FCS teams outside of a 4-5 hour driving radius until the program is on solid footing.

FBS
Vanderbilt
Middle Tennessee
Western Kentucky
App
Charlotte
Old Dominion
Troy
Va. Tech - They need to go to Blacksburg
Ga. Tech
Wake Forest
Duke

While not a ton of sexy name teams, they're teams that ETSU can play and perhaps not get bludgeoned (Tennessee/Va. Tech notwithstanding) and depending on the timing of when ETSU catches the mid major FBS teams, you just never know.

Definitely UT and MTSU as much as we can get them. I'd like to see us play VA Tech, Vandy, and KY too

(03-30-2015 09:58 AM)etsudolfan Wrote:  Definitely UT and MTSU as much as we can get them. I'd like to see us play VA Tech, Vandy, and KY too

But, we don't have the scholarships and athletes to realistically compete with the likes of UT, VT. But, like I said dreaming, hope we move up to the App State, GA Southern level before too many years -- then it would be a more level playing field but still challenging.

(03-30-2015 01:09 PM)Buc66 Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 09:58 AM)etsudolfan Wrote:  Definitely UT and MTSU as much as we can get them. I'd like to see us play VA Tech, Vandy, and KY too

But, we don't have the scholarships and athletes to realistically compete with the likes of UT, VT. But, like I said dreaming, hope we move up to the App State, GA Southern level before too many years -- then it would be a more level playing field but still challenging.

I totally understand what you are saying and I agree...but man I'll take a $500,000 game (like the one we have with UT) to play a big school each year! That will help the program grow financially, give the players experience against tougher teams, and exposure.

(03-27-2015 07:56 PM)Buc66 Wrote:  Getting the cart before the horse here, but the dream would be that ETSU would join App State at their level someday (whatever NCAA level system that evolves) maybe in a regional conference with schools like EKU, JMU, ODU, UTC, UNCC, Ga State, Ga Southern, MTSU, WKU, WCU, etc. In the meantime, 90% other FCS schools on home-and-home deals.

I just don't see ETSU moving up within 5-10 years. You have to many IA and IAA programs to compete with in a 6 hour circle, not to mention a few DII programs that are power programs in DII.

Also if "Full Cost of Attendance" is passed I can see more than a few schools either dropping their football program or dropping down to IAA. This will also stop a lot of schools who want to jump.

(04-03-2015 01:13 PM)HerdZoned Wrote:  

(03-27-2015 07:56 PM)Buc66 Wrote:  Getting the cart before the horse here, but the dream would be that ETSU would join App State at their level someday (whatever NCAA level system that evolves) maybe in a regional conference with schools like EKU, JMU, ODU, UTC, UNCC, Ga State, Ga Southern, MTSU, WKU, WCU, etc. In the meantime, 90% other FCS schools on home-and-home deals.

I just don't see ETSU moving up within 5-10 years. You have to many IA and IAA programs to compete with in a 6 hour circle, not to mention a few DII programs that are power programs in DII.

Also if "Full Cost of Attendance" is passed I can see more than a few schools either dropping their football program or dropping down to IAA. This will also stop a lot of schools who want to jump.

Yea, that full cost of attendance funding is coming for the power 5 conference schools plus more autonomy in the NCAA with maybe their own division at some point --- placing considerable pressure on the other FBS conferences. This one will be interesting to see how it plays out.