(03-05-2021 11:18 AM)Yosef84 Wrote:  

(02-28-2021 05:16 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(02-28-2021 04:57 PM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  I honestly thought it’d be App right on our heels followed by Delaware and Youngstown St.

I thought Delaware, being the Flagship of the state, would have the best chance and Youngstown with their success in the 90’s... I guess they are happy being a relatively big fish in a small pond. And from everything I understand is that JMU blew it when they turned down the belt...

Was there ever an official offer? Or is that a rumor?

Never an official offer, but JMU made it known that they were not interested.

I know revisionist history that they turned us down, but it was more of they told us no when we called to gauge interest.

Not every team who says "no" is doing it out of disrespect for the Belt. Chattanooga is not anywhere close to being ready for a move up and they probably made the right decision in declining.

You're right but JMU fans have been pretty vocal about looking down on the Sun Belt in the past. That seems to have changed with this past football season though. Their board is interesting and entertaining.

I'm glad we have Coastal instead of UTC, and that was even before this past football season.

(03-05-2021 11:30 AM)Bobcat2013 Wrote:  

(03-05-2021 11:18 AM)Yosef84 Wrote:  

(02-28-2021 05:16 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(02-28-2021 04:57 PM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  I honestly thought it’d be App right on our heels followed by Delaware and Youngstown St.

I thought Delaware, being the Flagship of the state, would have the best chance and Youngstown with their success in the 90’s... I guess they are happy being a relatively big fish in a small pond. And from everything I understand is that JMU blew it when they turned down the belt...

Was there ever an official offer? Or is that a rumor?

Never an official offer, but JMU made it known that they were not interested.

I know revisionist history that they turned us down, but it was more of they told us no when we called to gauge interest.

Not every team who says "no" is doing it out of disrespect for the Belt. Chattanooga is not anywhere close to being ready for a move up and they probably made the right decision in declining.

You're right but JMU fans have been pretty vocal about looking down on the Sun Belt in the past. That seems to have changed with this past football season though. Their board is interesting and entertaining.

i am very much pro JMU and would LOVE for them to join the SBC. They would be a great add in any circumstance.

That being said, their fans have a totally unrealistic view of their place in the college sports landscape. Very UNCCesque

Too bad VCU does not have football

(03-05-2021 11:30 AM)Bobcat2013 Wrote:  

(03-05-2021 11:18 AM)Yosef84 Wrote:  

(02-28-2021 05:16 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(02-28-2021 04:57 PM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  I honestly thought it’d be App right on our heels followed by Delaware and Youngstown St.

I thought Delaware, being the Flagship of the state, would have the best chance and Youngstown with their success in the 90’s... I guess they are happy being a relatively big fish in a small pond. And from everything I understand is that JMU blew it when they turned down the belt...

Was there ever an official offer? Or is that a rumor?

Never an official offer, but JMU made it known that they were not interested.

I know revisionist history that they turned us down, but it was more of they told us no when we called to gauge interest.

Not every team who says "no" is doing it out of disrespect for the Belt. Chattanooga is not anywhere close to being ready for a move up and they probably made the right decision in declining.

You're right but JMU fans have been pretty vocal about looking down on the Sun Belt in the past. That seems to have changed with this past football season though. Their board is interesting and entertaining.

Based on their comments 2014-2017 JMU can stay in purgatory until they become Delaware. They are still AAC bound...

Let's not forget that Charlie Cobb **** talked the Sun Belt plenty and only told them we'd take an offer when it looked like zero percent chance that a GS/App combo would go the CUSA route.

I was on the feasibility committee when he said that and cringed.

He and LA Techs AD would get along.

(03-05-2021 04:27 PM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  Let's not forget that Charlie Cobb **** talked the Sun Belt plenty and only told them we'd take an offer when it looked like zero percent chance that a GS/App combo would go the CUSA route.

Most idiotic thing Cobb ever said in Boone. He nearly got us stuck in FCS. It's funny how things have changed, and now CUSA is a shell of its former self while the SBC is taking off.

(02-28-2021 04:13 PM)eaglewraith Wrote:  

(02-28-2021 01:33 PM)Usajags Wrote:  Everything is cyclical, no one stays on top forever. Just because a team is good in the ‘90’s doesn’t mean they are to be good forever. Alabama has been good for the last 10 years, but they too will fall back to the crowd. It doesn’t mean they need to move to the NFL.

NDSU can’t maintain that level any more then any other team has maintained that level, everyone on top eventually gets knocked off, always have, always will. Change in rosters, change in coaches, other teams making changes in coaching, changes in the game, all of these cause a constant change of who’s on top, and who’s trying to get on top.

Except when you're playing in a pool as diluted as FCS is.

It's NDSU....then JMU.....and everyone else.

It's really quite remarkable that the division has turned into that, but the primary programs interested in moving beyond the bonds of FCS or even having the desire to do it have done so. The rest seem to have no desire to move up.

For what it's worth, Jax State and EKU have both wanted to.move up, I'm pretty sure. I think Missouri State wanted to move up also, but I'm not sure.

(03-05-2021 04:27 PM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  Let's not forget that Charlie Cobb **** talked the Sun Belt plenty and only told them we'd take an offer when it looked like zero percent chance that a GS/App combo would go the CUSA route.

I guess I wasnt around or wasnt paying attention when that happened. What did he say?

He said the SBC wasn’t a step up from the FCS.

It was partly appeasing to the small group, but deep pocketed alums, that thought App should jump right into a conference with ECU.

I wasn’t a deep pocket donor in that group. As most of you know there are donors and there are doers in those organizations, both are needed for them to be impactful.

He did 180 six months later, glad it worked out.

I recall much of the App State fan base knowing that we were likely going to FBS, but where was the question. The feeling seemed to be that most alum and fans wanted CUSA, but would take SBC as a consolation prize. Sometimes not getting what you want is a blessing in disguise. This is one of them.

Funny how it played out. If you asked me now which conference I would rather be in it is the Sun Belt Conference hands down. I much prefer the SBC to CUSA, and very happy it turned out like it did.

The only reason I had any interest in CUSA was simple: Marshall and ECU. Adding those two to a conference schedule that included GaSo would have App bringing in 30k+ a couple times a year. However, when CUSA lost ECU it became a wash. SBC with GaSo was very little difference to CUSA with Marshall. SBC having GaSt and a promise of bringing in another east school made SBC > CUSA for App. And it wasn't even a question, really.

(03-05-2021 11:56 AM)EigenEagle Wrote:  I'm glad we have Coastal instead of UTC, and that was even before this past football season.

Agreed. CCU was a much better add than UTC or EKU would have been. They also fit the Belt better culturally and geographically than if WKU would have stayed around.

(03-08-2021 09:24 AM)Goronic Wrote:  I recall much of the App State fan base knowing that we were likely going to FBS, but where was the question. The feeling seemed to be that most alum and fans wanted CUSA, but would take SBC as a consolation prize. Sometimes not getting what you want is a blessing in disguise. This is one of them.

Funny how it played out. If you asked me now which conference I would rather be in it is the Sun Belt Conference hands down. I much prefer the SBC to CUSA, and very happy it turned out like it did.

The funny thing, the reason the SBC is better then CUSA is because of what Coastal, GaSo and App St brought to the conference.

It did help shedding some dead weight in the process.

(03-08-2021 09:34 AM)Usajags Wrote:  

(03-08-2021 09:24 AM)Goronic Wrote:  I recall much of the App State fan base knowing that we were likely going to FBS, but where was the question. The feeling seemed to be that most alum and fans wanted CUSA, but would take SBC as a consolation prize. Sometimes not getting what you want is a blessing in disguise. This is one of them.

Funny how it played out. If you asked me now which conference I would rather be in it is the Sun Belt Conference hands down. I much prefer the SBC to CUSA, and very happy it turned out like it did.

The funny thing, the reason the SBC is better then CUSA is because of what Coastal, GaSo and App St brought to the conference.

It did help shedding some dead weight in the process.

There was definitely some addition AND some addition by subtraction.