(08-01-2018 12:24 PM)Hart Foundation Wrote:  

(08-01-2018 11:41 AM)James Madison Wrote:  I go to Louisville for grad school right now so I could answer any questions you all have when the time comes

Yes! James Madison has officially become the event planner for a 3 day weekend to/in/from Louisville.

Take notes from JMU71 as he guides us through the do’s and don’ts For the N.C. State game at Raleigh.

Frankly, I'm stoked. What's ironic, years ago, prior to ACC, they inked a deal with UNC and wanted the date we had agreed on to play the Heels. We refused to give up our date. UNC had the option to buy out our contract for$600K. They opted to keep our date and push the Louisville game to October. Louisville faced a small amount of embarrassment due to sending out a press release and their local paper ran with it.

I know we’ve had a I-A games you would you like to see JMU schedule on here before, but that’s 130ish schools. Plus, lets face it, at this point, no G5 is going to be willing to schedule JMU. If you narrow it down to say somewhat driveable (say within about 8 hours/500 miles of JMU) P5s, its at least 21 schools. VT, UVa, UMD, WVU, UNC, NC State, Duke, and Louisville have been played or scheduled, the majority multiple times. If you narrow it down to driveable P5s that JMU HASN’T played or scheduled yet, I’ve got 13 schools (might have left off someone). Here’s how I would ranke them that I would like to see scheduled:
1.U Tenn (about 5 1/2 hrs from Harrisonburg). 100k+ Neyland Stadium on the Tenn River. Monster SEC tailgating. Tenn (4-8/0-8) last yr, JMU would have a good chance at a win right now (who knows in a few years though). Drive through/stop at the Great Smokies Nati Park/Gatlinburg on the way down or back.
2. Penn St: (under 4 hrs from Harrisonburg & NoVa). 107k legendary Beaver Stadium. SEC like tailgating. Course JMU would have little chance at a win.
3. Kentucky: (about 6 1/2 from Harrisonburg) hrs. About an hr closer than Louisville. SEC team & tailgating. JMU would have a good chance at a win. Still got all the bourbon & horse stuff.
4. Pitt: (about 4 1/2 hrs from JMU, 4 to 4.5 from NoVa). Steel City would be a good destination for stuff other than the game. NFL stadium. JMU would have a very good chance at a win. Don’t imagine the tailgating would be as good as most others on here.
5. Wake Forest: Only because its relatively close (3 1/2 hrs from Harrisonburg) and JMU would have a very good chance at a win. Not going to have that giant stadium & crowd & SEC like tailgating.
6. USC: (Under 6 hrs from Harrisonburg & Richmond). 80k William Bryce Stadium. SEC tailgating. JMU would have a chance at a win. After all, the last time MH was at Williams Bryce, he walked out with a win.
7. Vandy: (8 hrs from Harrisonburg, 9-11 hrs for most of thr fanbase). Most would fly. SEC school, but the SEC’s only private, the smallest stadium (only 40k), and I imagine like the private Wake Forest, wouldnt have the tailgating the other SEC schools would have. Cool city & JMU would have a good chance at a win (Vandy was 5-7/1-7 last year).
8. Ga Tech: (8 hrs from Harrisonburg & Richmond, 9-10 hrs from the majority of the fanbase). Most I think would fly into ATL. I imagine the tailgating & 55k Bobby Dodd Stadium pale in comparison to down the road in Athens. JMU would have a good chance at a win, though.
9. UGA: (about 7 1/2 hrs from Harrisonburg & Richmond). People would have to drive, or fly to ATL, rent a car and make the 1.5+ hr drive to Athens. It would be cool to see JMU play at 93k Sanford between the hedges, SEC tailgating, but JMU would have no chance/likely blown out.
10. Clempson: 6 1/2 hrs from Harrisonburg. Similar to UGA in tailgating & stadium (Death Valley 81k stadium), and would also have no chance/likely blown out.
11. Ohio State: (6+ hrs from Harrsionburg). Watching the Dukes play at the 105k Horseshoe. SEC like tailgating. Like UGA & Clempson though, JMU no chance & likely blown out.
12. Syracuse (6 1/2 hrs from Harrisonburg, less for NoVa). Other than JMU a very good chance at a win (Cuse was 4-8/2-6 last year) not much about this appeals to me other I’m only about a 4 hr drive and I’d get some fishing in 1/2 hr north of Cuse at the Salmon River).
13. Rutgers: the only appealing thing to me would be JMU would have a very good chance at a win. I guess some people would find it appealing because they could combine it with a trip to. NYC.

(08-01-2018 04:44 PM)BDKJMU Wrote:  I know we’ve had a I-A games you would you like to see JMU schedule on here before, but that’s 130ish schools. If you narrow it down to say somewhat driveable (say within about 8 hours/500 miles of JMU), its probably close to 40 schools. If you narrow it down to driveable P5s, its at least 21 schools. VT, UVa, UMD, WVU, UNC, NC State, Duke, and Louisville have been played or scheduled, the majority multiple times. If you narrow it down to driveable P5s that JMU HASN’T played or scheduled yet, I’ve got 13 schools (might have left off someone). Here’s how I would ranke them that I would like to see scheduled:
1.U Tenn (about 5 1/2 hrs from Harrisonburg). 100k+ Neyland Stadium on the Tenn River. Monster SEC tailgating. Tenn (4-8/0-8) last yr, JMU would have a good chance at a win right now (who knows in a few years though). Drive through/stop at the Great Smokies Nati Park/Gatlinburg on the way down or back.
2. Penn St: (under 4 hrs from Harrisonburg & NoVa). 107k legendary Beaver Stadium. SEC like tailgating. Course JMU would have little chance at a win.
3. Kentucky: (about 6 1/2 from Harrisonburg) hrs. About an hr closer than Louisville. SEC team & tailgating. JMU would have a good chance at a win. Still got all the bourbon & horse stuff.
4. Pitt: (about 4 1/2 hrs from JMU, 4 to 4.5 from NoVa). Steel City would be a good destination for stuff other than the game. NFL stadium. JMU would have a very good chance at a win. Don’t imagine the tailgating would be as good as most others on here.
5. Wake Forest: Only because its relatively close (3 1/2 hrs from Harrisonburg) and JMU would have a very good chance at a win. Not going to have that giant stadium & crowd & SEC like tailgating.
6. USC: (Under 6 hrs from Harrisonburg & Richmond). 80k William Bryce Stadium. SEC tailgating. JMU would have a chance at a win. After all, the last time MH was at Williams Bryce, he walked out with a win.
7. Vandy: (8 hrs from Harrisonburg, 9-11 hrs for most of thr fanbase). Most would fly. SEC school, but the SEC’s only private, the smallest stadium (only 40k), and I imagine like the private Wake Forest, wouldnt have the tailgating the other SEC schools would have. Cool city & JMU would have a good chance at a win (Vandy was 5-7/1-7 last year).
8. Ga Tech: (8 hrs from Harrisonburg & Richmond, 9-10 hrs from the majority of the fanbase). Most I think would fly into ATL. I imagine the tailgating & 55k Bobby Dodd Stadium pale in comparison to down the road in Athens. JMU would have a good chance at a win, though.
9. UGA: (about 7 1/2 hrs from Harrisonburg & Richmond). People would have to drive, or fly to ATL, rent a car and make the 1.5+ hr drive to Athens. It would be cool to see JMU play at 93k Sanford between the hedges, SEC tailgating, but JMU would have no chance/likely blown out.
10. Clempson: 6 1/2 hrs from Harrisonburg. Similar to UGA in tailgating & stadium (Death Valley 81k stadium), and would also have no chance/likely blown out.
11. Ohio State: (6+ hrs from Harrsionburg). Watching the Dukes play at the 105k Horseshoe. SEC like tailgating. Like UGA & Clempson though, JMU no chance & likely blown out.
12. Syracuse (6 1/2 hrs from Harrisonburg, less for NoVa). Other than JMU a very good chance at a win (Cuse was 4-8/2-6 last year) not much about this appeals to me other I’m only about a 4 hr drive and I’d get some fishing in 1/2 hr north of Cuse at the Salmon River).
13. Rutgers: the only appealing thing to me would be JMU would have a very good chance at a win. I guess some people would find it appealing because they could combine it with a trip to. NYC.

I would definitely add BC to that list. I know it's slightly outside of your 500-mile radius, but it's not off by that much. (NoVa is within that radius, though.) Many options to travel (car, plane, train) and many things to do in Boston.


Plus, I (along with many New England Dukes) would get to go....

I think Temple, Army and Navy are attractive games. Understand the appeal to wanting to play perennial top 10 programs, but I'd rather attend a game that is winnable with stuff to do/see. Part of loves the thought of playing Penn State, given the profile and closeness in proximity, but not a draw other than the football game and at least at this point, a likely L.

I concur on BC.

(08-03-2018 06:56 AM)PhillyDuke Wrote:  I think Temple, Army and Navy are attractive games. Understand the appeal to wanting to play perennial top 10 programs, but I'd rather attend a game that is winnable with stuff to do/see. Part of loves the thought of playing Penn State, given the profile and closeness in proximity, but not a draw other than the football game and at least at this point, a likely L.

I concur on BC.

Navy won't play JMU anymore after they lost to the Dukes 2 out of 3 games in the late eighties. They backed out of a three game series planned in the nineties.

One think I like about Houston that he has balls. He will call out P5s that won't play JMU. He did so in a recent article about keeping good verbal commits.

We as a group have been claiming UVA won't play JMU. It is time to call out UVA in the media. No chest thumping smack, just a call out about scheduling.

UVA probably would and should beat JMU but UVA knows that UVA would have to show up and they would rather schedule VMI.

(08-03-2018 06:56 AM)PhillyDuke Wrote:  I think Temple, Army and Navy are attractive games. Understand the appeal to wanting to play perennial top 10 programs, but I'd rather attend a game that is winnable with stuff to do/see. Part of loves the thought of playing Penn State, given the profile and closeness in proximity, but not a draw other than the football game and at least at this point, a likely L.

I concur on BC.

Its almost pointless to talk about which G5s would be attractive now because at this point NONE of them will schedule JMU. Heck, I bet 1/3 to 1/2 your P5s won’t schedule JMU.

JMU has
2019 @ WVU ($550k)
2020 @ UNC ($500k)
2021 none
2022 @ L’ville ($600k)

It will be intereresting to see if can get a P5 that still has an opening on the 2021 schedule, doesn’t already have another I-AA scheduled, is willing to play JMU while paying north of a half million. The chance of getting a G5 is between slim and none..

2021 is a great year to start a home & home vs. an FCS “name” like J-ville State, Montana or NDSU. If we can’t get any FBS team worth getting, turn the negative into a positive!

(08-04-2018 02:14 AM)HyperDuke Wrote:  2021 is a great year to start a home & home vs. an FCS “name” like J-ville State, Montana or NDSU. If we can’t get any FBS team worth getting, turn the negative into a positive!

Before reading this thread, I eluded to the same over on the Future schedule thread. I believe we are already in the talks with someone, with a good possibility of it being a higher profile FCS home and home deal, just haven't inked it yet.

(08-04-2018 05:52 AM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  

(08-04-2018 02:14 AM)HyperDuke Wrote:  2021 is a great year to start a home & home vs. an FCS “name” like J-ville State, Montana or NDSU. If we can’t get any FBS team worth getting, turn the negative into a positive!

Before reading this thread, I eluded to the same over on the Future schedule thread. I believe we are already in the talks with someone, with a good possibility of it being a higher profile FCS home and home deal, just haven't inked it yet.

I really would like to see us ink quality FCS opponents. I know we play in a tough conference but playing teams like NSU is not entertaining. I think we can all agree on that. This year we have two really bad out of conference opponents. That should never happen. At least half of our CAA games will be blow outs this year. Why schedule two more?

(08-04-2018 07:54 AM)JMUNation Wrote:  At least half of our CAA games will be blow outs this year. Why schedule two more?

Why? Ws. As the late, great Al Davis said, just win baby.

JMU can play all the quality FCS teams the Dukes can handle at home in the playoffs if JMU earns a high seed.

(08-04-2018 07:54 AM)JMUNation Wrote:  

(08-04-2018 05:52 AM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  

(08-04-2018 02:14 AM)HyperDuke Wrote:  2021 is a great year to start a home & home vs. an FCS “name” like J-ville State, Montana or NDSU. If we can’t get any FBS team worth getting, turn the negative into a positive!

Before reading this thread, I eluded to the same over on the Future schedule thread. I believe we are already in the talks with someone, with a good possibility of it being a higher profile FCS home and home deal, just haven't inked it yet.

I really would like to see us ink quality FCS opponents. I know we play in a tough conference but playing teams like NSU is not entertaining. I think we can all agree on that. This year we have two really bad out of conference opponents. That should never happen. At least half of our CAA games will be blow outs this year. Why schedule two more?

See there, you are 7 for 7 with that post. As I agree with all six statements and the one rhetorical question.

Very interested in what FCS program we’re talking to!

(08-04-2018 02:14 PM)HyperDuke Wrote:  Very interested in what FCS program we’re talking to!

Hopefully, none. UNLV has openings in 2021 thru 2027 per fbschedules.com. I think Alger and Bourne should pay UNLV half a million every season to play every year at UNLV or Las Vegas Raiders stadium.

Just sayin'.

(08-04-2018 01:54 PM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  

(08-04-2018 07:54 AM)JMUNation Wrote:  

(08-04-2018 05:52 AM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  

(08-04-2018 02:14 AM)HyperDuke Wrote:  2021 is a great year to start a home & home vs. an FCS “name” like J-ville State, Montana or NDSU. If we can’t get any FBS team worth getting, turn the negative into a positive!

Before reading this thread, I eluded to the same over on the Future schedule thread. I believe we are already in the talks with someone, with a good possibility of it being a higher profile FCS home and home deal, just haven't inked it yet.

I really would like to see us ink quality FCS opponents. I know we play in a tough conference but playing teams like NSU is not entertaining. I think we can all agree on that. This year we have two really bad out of conference opponents. That should never happen. At least half of our CAA games will be blow outs this year. Why schedule two more?

See there, you are 7 for 7 with that post. As I agree with all six statements and the one rhetorical question.

A friend of mine and I were talking yesterday. We are considering selling our club seats and staying home for the opener against Robert Morris. We definitely are not going to NSU.

While I agree the playoffs offer quality opponents, based on score one could argue not until the quarterfinals.

(08-06-2018 07:20 AM)JMUNation Wrote:  

(08-04-2018 01:54 PM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  

(08-04-2018 07:54 AM)JMUNation Wrote:  

(08-04-2018 05:52 AM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  

(08-04-2018 02:14 AM)HyperDuke Wrote:  2021 is a great year to start a home & home vs. an FCS “name” like J-ville State, Montana or NDSU. If we can’t get any FBS team worth getting, turn the negative into a positive!

Before reading this thread, I eluded to the same over on the Future schedule thread. I believe we are already in the talks with someone, with a good possibility of it being a higher profile FCS home and home deal, just haven't inked it yet.

I really would like to see us ink quality FCS opponents. I know we play in a tough conference but playing teams like NSU is not entertaining. I think we can all agree on that. This year we have two really bad out of conference opponents. That should never happen. At least half of our CAA games will be blow outs this year. Why schedule two more?

See there, you are 7 for 7 with that post. As I agree with all six statements and the one rhetorical question.

A friend of mine and I were talking yesterday. We are considering selling our club seats and staying home for the opener against Robert Morris. We definitely are not going to NSU.

While I agree the playoffs offer quality opponents, based on score one could argue not until the quarterfinals.

I gave up my season tix last year. Ironically in the 3-4 years I've become a much bigger fan but have dropped my season tix. I still went to 3 games last year plus the playoff games, Weber St was the best game I've ever attended on any level I think, although GBvDAL when Dez caught it is up there as well, but I could not get excited about the weekly 48-0 at the half scores that I kept seeing so I figured I'd drop the season tix and buy tix for the good games.

I don't know what the correct answer is because if we filled our schedule with FBS teams and top FCS teams it would be a lot more exciting but you run a huge risk of playing all playoff games on the road. Which means we don't have that Weber St game last year. On the other hand if you play those games and win you have some phenomenal regular season games at BFS that would be rocking. I can see the good and bad on both side. For now I will just keep getting single tickets to the "good" games and catch the 78-0 halftime score against NSU at home.

(08-06-2018 07:54 AM)doubleduke2016 Wrote:  

(08-06-2018 07:20 AM)JMUNation Wrote:  

(08-04-2018 01:54 PM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  

(08-04-2018 07:54 AM)JMUNation Wrote:  

(08-04-2018 05:52 AM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  Before reading this thread, I eluded to the same over on the Future schedule thread. I believe we are already in the talks with someone, with a good possibility of it being a higher profile FCS home and home deal, just haven't inked it yet.

I really would like to see us ink quality FCS opponents. I know we play in a tough conference but playing teams like NSU is not entertaining. I think we can all agree on that. This year we have two really bad out of conference opponents. That should never happen. At least half of our CAA games will be blow outs this year. Why schedule two more?

See there, you are 7 for 7 with that post. As I agree with all six statements and the one rhetorical question.

A friend of mine and I were talking yesterday. We are considering selling our club seats and staying home for the opener against Robert Morris. We definitely are not going to NSU.

While I agree the playoffs offer quality opponents, based on score one could argue not until the quarterfinals.

I gave up my season tix last year. Ironically in the 3-4 years I've become a much bigger fan but have dropped my season tix. I still went to 3 games last year plus the playoff games, Weber St was the best game I've ever attended on any level I think, although GBvDAL when Dez caught it is up there as well, but I could not get excited about the weekly 48-0 at the half scores that I kept seeing so I figured I'd drop the season tix and buy tix for the good games.

I don't know what the correct answer is because if we filled our schedule with FBS teams and top FCS teams it would be a lot more exciting but you run a huge risk of playing all playoff games on the road. Which means we don't have that Weber St game last year. On the other hand if you play those games and win you have some phenomenal regular season games at BFS that would be rocking. I can see the good and bad on both side. For now I will just keep getting single tickets to the "good" games and catch the 78-0 halftime score against NSU at home.

True fan right here guys

I can’t wait for the NSU game. Their band is so good. Gonna be a blast.

(08-06-2018 07:54 AM)doubleduke2016 Wrote:  I don't know what the correct answer is because if we filled our schedule with FBS teams and top FCS teams it would be a lot more exciting but you run a huge risk of playing all playoff games on the road. Which means we don't have that Weber St game last year. On the other hand if you play those games and win you have some phenomenal regular season games at BFS that would be rocking. I can see the good and bad on both side. For now I will just keep getting single tickets to the "good" games and catch the 78-0 halftime score against NSU at home.

JMU will run the risk of playing all playoff games on the road? True that, especially if JMU adopts your scheduling philosophy.

That in turn makes me wonder how that would make BFS “rock” if JMU doesn’t advance very far in the playoffs, or misses out on postseason play altogether. It also makes me wonder how JMU’s national sports identity would be impacted if BFS wasn’t available as a post-season venue. Of the three recent nationally televised playoff games against Sam Houston, Weber and SD State, only Weber was exciting, but the value of playing at home is incalculable.

Your moniker tells me your interest in JMU FB may have been heightened (if one of your JMU degrees was earned in 2016) by the recent run of winning 3 CAA titles. Of course, winning 3 titles in a row has only happened once before in league history (nearly 30 years ago), so there’s no guarantee a 4th title in a row will happen, even though JMU is heavily favored to do so.

A consistent record of success attracts new fans and typically reinforces a fanbase’s existing faithful. Everybody loves a winner. That’s not news. What would be news is seeing attendance at BFS improve if the team wasn’t hosting postseason games (or making the postseason altogether) because the scheduling philosophy changed to include a slate of tougher OOC opponents. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a documented case of attendance increasing for a less successful program.

Attendance at BFS is presently strong (remember the predictions that it would dwindle because of JMU’s FCS status?). I suspect BFS attendance will continue to be strong as long as the team continues to win and make the playoffs (playing a number of those games at BFS). In short, JMU has figured out the present system and is finally leveraging the institution’s resources to maximize program success, and if it ain’t broken, don’t try to fix it.