Appalachian State to CUSA?

[Fresno St. Alum]

Time to be honest. How many people in college football land, other than the handul of people on this board and the players, coaches and team that wins it, gives a rat's ass about the FCS national championship? ASU has taken the Montana approach of dumbing down the regular season in order to get home field advantage. The regular season means nothing any longer. I would much rather have a great regular season schedule with the prospect of no postseason, than a sucky regular season just to make the playoffs. It is getting to the point many ASU fans now show up more for the tailgating because the games are so awful. Half the fun of winning is the prospect you could lose. That only comes into play for about 3-4 of ASU's 11 regular scheduled games these days. People are getting bored.

You don't think that is going to happen if you are FBS? In order to get home games, you will have to schedule 1 FCS, and do home and home with SunBelt, etc teams. And, you will have to do 2-1 or 3-1 to get any BCS teams in your house.

Is ULL, WKU, etc going to generate any excitement as OOC opponents? Move to SunBelt, ZERO rivals. Move to C-USA, you will have ECU and Marshall.

If they dumb down the schedule to make the playoffs, they will do the same to be bowl eligible.

The conf. games in the Sun Belt would be enough to get them to at least 6-6. If they go for 2-for-1 with the big names, they'll buy out so they won't have to go to Boone. If App needs money they will schedule big names (body bag games). They've won a body bag game.

[AppMan]

Time to be honest. How many people in college football land, other than the handul of people on this board and the players, coaches and team that wins it, gives a rat's ass about the FCS national championship? ASU has taken the Montana approach of dumbing down the regular season in order to get home field advantage. The regular season means nothing any longer. I would much rather have a great regular season schedule with the prospect of no postseason, than a sucky regular season just to make the playoffs. It is getting to the point many ASU fans now show up more for the tailgating because the games are so awful. Half the fun of winning is the prospect you could lose. That only comes into play for about 3-4 of ASU's 11 regular scheduled games these days. People are getting bored.

As I've always said I couldn't give a flying **** if the rest of the country doesn't care about what we're playing. The tailgating and the having some friends and seeing good games from some some conference rivals and then getting to play on the national scene against great teams from other conferences is what it's about for me.

To be able to play the App. States, Furman's, GA Southerns, means a whole lot to me. Some of the App fans feel like they are somehow diminished by being associated with a Wofford and others. I would love to play those kind of teams. I have a lot of respect them and what they've done. It appears to me that some of the App fans don't respect their conference as much as I and some others do. That's too bad.

I say if your fans don't get what they want out of what they are playing then you do need to move on. You may think it's gonna be some great deal and that you are gonna be in some position of respect by going FBS. I just don't see it. You're gonna be moving from a place that reveres ya to a place that you are now the Woffords of the world. If that's what your fan base needs to get by then more power to em'. I just don't think that a fan base that is bored with what's going on with App in the last decade is gonna be real happy in the next decade with a shitty conference and wallowing in new found obscurity. I've been wrong before though and wish App good luck and will be rotting for them in any game they play at the FBS level.

It is not so much ASU fans don't respect our conference members, but lack a connection with them. ASU has 17,000+ students and draws 27,000+ (reg season) per home football game. Five SoCon football schools have enrollments of 5500 or less and averaged 9316 per game in 2010. I don't want to be revered, I want to play schools which are more comparable to ASU. The SoCon has been a move of conference for decades. Just as Elon and Wofford believed thay had outgrown D-II and made the move to the SoCon, ASU has outgrown the FCS and it is time for us to move up as well.

[AppMan]

Time to be honest. How many people in college football land, other than the handul of people on this board and the players, coaches and team that wins it, gives a rat's ass about the FCS national championship? ASU has taken the Montana approach of dumbing down the regular season in order to get home field advantage. The regular season means nothing any longer. I would much rather have a great regular season schedule with the prospect of no postseason, than a sucky regular season just to make the playoffs. It is getting to the point many ASU fans now show up more for the tailgating because the games are so awful. Half the fun of winning is the prospect you could lose. That only comes into play for about 3-4 of ASU's 11 regular scheduled games these days. People are getting bored.

You don't think that is going to happen if you are FBS? In order to get home games, you will have to schedule 1 FCS, and do home and home with SunBelt, etc teams. And, you will have to do 2-1 or 3-1 to get any BCS teams in your house.

Is ULL, WKU, etc going to generate any excitement as OOC opponents? Move to SunBelt, ZERO rivals. Move to C-USA, you will have ECU and Marshall.

If they dumb down the schedule to make the playoffs, they will do the same to be bowl eligible.

I do not agree the schedule will be dumbed down. ASU has proved over the years they are willing to play anybody. Yea we will have to play a FCS team and there are plenty around who will be knocking on our door. There is already talk of a series with ECU in Charlotte and I'm willing to bet right now it will be a sell out. No disrespect intended, but why do the pro FCS folks always use the absolute worst examples when trying to make a point? Why not use Troy and MTSU? ASU has a bit of a history with each of them and they would cause far more excitement among our fans than some of the teams we play now.

[Ursus A. Horribilis]

As I've always said I couldn't give a flying **** if the rest of the country doesn't care about what we're playing. The tailgating and the having some friends and seeing good games from some some conference rivals and then getting to play on the national scene against great teams from other conferences is what it's about for me.

To be able to play the App. States, Furman's, GA Southerns, means a whole lot to me. Some of the App fans feel like they are somehow diminished by being associated with a Wofford and others. I would love to play those kind of teams. I have a lot of respect them and what they've done. It appears to me that some of the App fans don't respect their conference as much as I and some others do. That's too bad.

I say if your fans don't get what they want out of what they are playing then you do need to move on. You may think it's gonna be some great deal and that you are gonna be in some position of respect by going FBS. I just don't see it. You're gonna be moving from a place that reveres ya to a place that you are now the Woffords of the world. If that's what your fan base needs to get by then more power to em'. I just don't think that a fan base that is bored with what's going on with App in the last decade is gonna be real happy in the next decade with a shitty conference and wallowing in new found obscurity. I've been wrong before though and wish App good luck and will be rotting for them in any game they play at the FBS level.

It is not so much ASU fans don't respect our conference members, but lack a connection with them. ASU has 17,000+ students and draws 27,000+ (reg season) per home football game. Five SoCon football schools have enrollments of 5500 or less and averaged 9316 per game in 2010. I don't want to be revered, I want to play schools which are more comparable to ASU. The SoCon has been a move of conference for decades. Just as Elon and Wofford believed thay had outgrown D-II and made the move to the SoCon, ASU has outgrown the FCS and it is time for us to move up as well.

Well that depends on the move doesn't it? I mean if you are talking attendance and so forth you have a few in the 10K to 13K range in the SB. I can see the move and the success if it were the right situation but it is likely going to be the wrong situation that is offered to ASU. If not then I totally get it.

You picked Elon & Wofford for good reason. There are three schools in the 7K-9K area as far as enrollment goes in the SB right? That doesn't seem like much of a step up either.

Is it worth the costs? Heck it may be but I can't see the advantage there.

The misnomer of money to be made at the FBS level is widespread. That's fine and all for the bar room talk but the reality of the situation is that the vast majority of FBS loses money even in good years let alone the economy we're in now.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5490686" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

App may be losing money now but I had thought you were one of the FCS schools turning a little profit from what I'd heard. That doesn't seem like a step forward either.

As I said if your school is moving on then all the luck in the world to ya. Moving on just to move on because it looks like some panacea of a situation may not work out real well though.

It's common that people get bored even with success and they start looking for the next big thing. Your increased enrolment, attendance, stadium, and bank account at ASU are due to your accomplishments in this subdivision. When the "new" wears off of the move and the accomplishments can not be achieved because your school is basically locked out of the cool kids club at FBS then the bills are still gonna come due but the revenues, attendance, enrollment, etc. may tend to retract a little. I like ASU a lot and I would hate to see a great program fall into the "who gives a shit" category like WKU, Troy, Marshall, etc. have fallen into.

[Skjellyfetti]

App may be losing money now but I had thought you were one of the FCS schools turning a little profit from what I'd heard. That doesn't seem like a step forward either.

As I said if your school is moving on then all the luck in the world to ya. Moving on just to move on because it looks like some panacea of a situation may not work out real well though.

We've got some mighty bright folks offering us insights and opinions.

Feasibility committee:
G.A. Sywassink, chairman and retired CEO of Standard Holding Corporation
Larry Stone, president and chief-operating officer of Lowe's Corporation
Derek Jenkins, senior vice president of Target Stores
John Blackburn, president of Linville Resorts
Mark Harrill, president of Foscoe Companies
Jay Howard, president of JHE Production Group
Doug Johnson, CEO of Blue Ridge Energies
Jeffrey A. Shepard, retired CEO of Footstar
Tommy Sofield, CEO of U.S. Buildings
Brad Wilson, CEO of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of North Carolina

If we move up it won't be on a whim or without a great deal of thought and a strategy for how to succeed.

[Ursus A. Horribilis]

App may be losing money now but I had thought you were one of the FCS schools turning a little profit from what I'd heard. That doesn't seem like a step forward either.

As I said if your school is moving on then all the luck in the world to ya. Moving on just to move on because it looks like some panacea of a situation may not work out real well though.

We've got some mighty bright folks offering us insights and opinions.

Feasibility committee:
G.A. Sywassink, chairman and retired CEO of Standard Holding Corporation
Larry Stone, president and chief-operating officer of Lowe's Corporation
Derek Jenkins, senior vice president of Target Stores
John Blackburn, president of Linville Resorts
Mark Harrill, president of Foscoe Companies
Jay Howard, president of JHE Production Group
Doug Johnson, CEO of Blue Ridge Energies
Jeffrey A. Shepard, retired CEO of Footstar
Tommy Sofield, CEO of U.S. Buildings
Brad Wilson, CEO of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of North Carolina

If we move up it won't be on a whim or without a great deal of thought and a strategy for how to succeed.

No doubt man that's a hell of a good looking crew. As I said earlier in the thread I won't pretend to have a modicum of the knowledge that the ASU Dept. will have on the issue but I can counterpoint what the rest of it with those in my position.

There's no doubt that they will make an informed decision.

[AppMan]

It is not so much ASU fans don't respect our conference members, but lack a connection with them. ASU has 17,000+ students and draws 27,000+ (reg season) per home football game. Five SoCon football schools have enrollments of 5500 or less and averaged 9316 per game in 2010. I don't want to be revered, I want to play schools which are more comparable to ASU. The SoCon has been a move of conference for decades. Just as Elon and Wofford believed thay had outgrown D-II and made the move to the SoCon, ASU has outgrown the FCS and it is time for us to move up as well.

Well that depends on the move doesn't it? I mean if you are talking attendance and so forth you have a few in the 10K to 13K range in the SB. I can see the move and the success if it were the right situation but it is likely going to be the wrong situation that is offered to ASU. If not then I totally get it.

You picked Elon & Wofford for good reason. There are three schools in the 7K-9K area as far as enrollment goes in the SB right? That doesn't seem like much of a step up either.

Is it worth the costs? Heck it may be but I can't see the advantage there.

The misnomer of money to be made at the FBS level is widespread. That's fine and all for the bar room talk but the reality of the situation is that the vast majority of FBS loses money even in good years let alone the economy we're in now.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5490686" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

App may be losing money now but I had thought you were one of the FCS schools turning a little profit from what I'd heard. That doesn't seem like a step forward either.

As I said if your school is moving on then all the luck in the world to ya. Moving on just to move on because it looks like some panacea of a situation may not work out real well though.

It's common that people get bored even with success and they start looking for the next big thing. Your increased enrolment, attendance, stadium, and bank account at ASU are due to your accomplishments in this subdivision. When the "new" wears off of the move and the accomplishments can not be achieved because your school is basically locked out of the cool kids club at FBS then the bills are still gonna come due but the revenues, attendance, enrollment, etc. may tend to retract a little. I like ASU a lot and I would hate to see a great program fall into the "who gives a ****" category like WKU, Troy, Marshall, etc. have fallen into.

I can say with almost 100% certainty ASU is not considering the SunBelt or MAC. Those leagues do not generate enough revenue through television or the NCAA tournament to offset the travel expense we would incur. I could be dead wrong, but if the option isn't CUSA we won't be going anywhere. My preference would be to see a new FBS league form in the mid atlantic states. ASU, Delaware, Charlotte, Ga State, Ga Southern, JMU, Liberty and ODU would almost be a perfect arrangement. All are about same size institutions with similar facilities, not a ton of travel, and exposure in some very good TV markets. I doubt it will ever happen, but it would be nice to see it.

This moving up idea came out of nowhere and without any warning. The NCAA has given a lot of hints they would like to stop the upward movement and I think they are close to shutting the door. IMO, the ASU administration knows this and is moving quickly to take advantage of any opportunity that may come along. The suddenness of it all leads me to believe something is at work behind the scenes driving it. I have no concrete proof, but there are just too many coincidences involved. I know Chancellor Peacock wants to advance the university and the athletics program. He is a visionary and a very sharp businessman. He was Dean of ASU’s School of Business prior to his appointment as chancellor and is well aware with the economics involved. I can assure you Ken Peacock will not do this just for the sake of making a move and am very confident he has dotted every i and crossed every t.

[Appaholic]

I don't even know how it's a question. I also don't understand how winning in sub par conferences with the red headed stepchildren of FBS is something great but somehow I guess others see it as something.

If there were a dozen or so bowls and you got an invite to one I'd see the glory in that as well but this silly **** of acting like the majority of these bowls are anything more than just another game with little or no meaning is **** silly bs. I ain't against having an extra game and so forth but saying your the Motor City Bowl Champion just doesn't mean **** to me.

Time to be honest. How many people in college football land, other than the handul of people on this board and the players, coaches and team that wins it, gives a rat's ass about the FCS national championship? ASU has taken the Montana approach of dumbing down the regular season in order to get home field advantage. The regular season means nothing any longer. I would much rather have a great regular season schedule with the prospect of no postseason, than a sucky regular season just to make the playoffs. It is getting to the point many ASU fans now show up more for the tailgating because the games are so awful. Half the fun of winning is the prospect you could lose. That only comes into play for about 3-4 of ASU's 11 regular scheduled games these days. People are getting bored.

About the same number of people that give's a rat's ass about the winner of the Papa John's Bowl or the Motor City Bowl or winning the Sun Belt, MAC or C-USA conference championship. We've "dumbed down" our regular season to the tune of Michigan, LSU, ECU & Florida with VaTech in the future. With respect to FCS teams, we lost our home game in the home-n-home series against McNeese and have Montana coming to Boone in 2012 & us returning to the Zoo in 2013 (the same Montana we have yet to beat once...even with Armanti). Even with this cupcake schedule, we haven't advanced beyond the semis in 4 years. Don't worry, we'll have the prospect of losing 2-3 conference games this year with Wofford returning most, GSU's re-emergence to national prominence & the losses in our own personnel. Let's also throw in the looming retirement of Coach Moore in the next couple of years. I can't think of a worse reason to make this move than fair weather fans getting bored at the tailgate, but our boredom should alleviate some when the same fans realize we can't live off our 3Peat forever and there's a good chance we may not be able to hang our hat on a 7th straight SoCon championship. We've got our work cut out for us in the next few years.

[Ursus A. Horribilis]

Well that depends on the move doesn't it? I mean if you are talking attendance and so forth you have a few in the 10K to 13K range in the SB. I can see the move and the success if it were the right situation but it is likely going to be the wrong situation that is offered to ASU. If not then I totally get it.

You picked Elon & Wofford for good reason. There are three schools in the 7K-9K area as far as enrollment goes in the SB right? That doesn't seem like much of a step up either.

Is it worth the costs? Heck it may be but I can't see the advantage there.

The misnomer of money to be made at the FBS level is widespread. That's fine and all for the bar room talk but the reality of the situation is that the vast majority of FBS loses money even in good years let alone the economy we're in now.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5490686" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

App may be losing money now but I had thought you were one of the FCS schools turning a little profit from what I'd heard. That doesn't seem like a step forward either.

As I said if your school is moving on then all the luck in the world to ya. Moving on just to move on because it looks like some panacea of a situation may not work out real well though.

It's common that people get bored even with success and they start looking for the next big thing. Your increased enrolment, attendance, stadium, and bank account at ASU are due to your accomplishments in this subdivision. When the "new" wears off of the move and the accomplishments can not be achieved because your school is basically locked out of the cool kids club at FBS then the bills are still gonna come due but the revenues, attendance, enrollment, etc. may tend to retract a little. I like ASU a lot and I would hate to see a great program fall into the "who gives a ****" category like WKU, Troy, Marshall, etc. have fallen into.

I can say with almost 100% certainty ASU is not considering the SunBelt or MAC. Those leagues do not generate enough revenue through television or the NCAA tournament to offset the travel expense we would incur. I could be dead wrong, but if the option isn't CUSA we won't be going anywhere. My preference would be to see a new FBS league form in the mid atlantic states. ASU, Delaware, Charlotte, Ga State, Ga Southern, JMU, Liberty and ODU would almost be a perfect arrangement. All are about same size institutions with similar facilities, not a ton of travel, and exposure in some very good TV markets. I doubt it will ever happen, but it would be nice to see it.

This moving up idea came out of nowhere and without any warning. The NCAA has given a lot of hints they would like to stop the upward movement and I think they are close to shutting the door. IMO, the ASU administration knows this and is moving quickly to take advantage of any opportunity that may come along. The suddenness of it all leads me to believe something is at work behind the scenes driving it. I have no concrete proof, but there are just too many coincidences involved. I know Chancellor Peacock wants to advance the university and the athletics program. He is a visionary and a very sharp businessman. He was Dean of ASU’s School of Business prior to his appointment as chancellor and is well aware with the economics involved. I can assure you Ken Peacock will not do this just for the sake of making a move and am very confident he has dotted every i and crossed every t.

Good to see you're not one of the move at any cost guys. You have a cool idea with the mid atlantic there and I agree it is not even close to likely but it is cool anyway. I was bringing in the SB, MAC, etc. because it was put forth as a stepping stone to a better FBS conference and I can see the logic in that but the fact of the matter is that the next step is not something that one could bank on with any sense of surety.

We agree on pretty much all the points it appears.

[CharlestonAppFan]

About the same number of people that give's a rat's ass about the winner of the Papa John's Bowl or the Motor City Bowl or winning the Sun Belt, MAC or C-USA conference championship. We've "dumbed down" our regular season to the tune of Michigan, LSU, ECU & Florida with VaTech in the future. With respect to FCS teams, we lost our home game in the home-n-home series against McNeese and have Montana coming to Boone in 2012 & us returning to the Zoo in 2013 (the same Montana we have yet to beat once...even with Armanti). Even with this cupcake schedule, we haven't advanced beyond the semis in 4 years. Don't worry, we'll have the prospect of losing 2-3 conference games this year with Wofford returning most, GSU's re-emergence to national prominence & the losses in our own personnel. Let's also throw in the looming retirement of Coach Moore in the next couple of years. I can't think of a worse reason to make this move than fair weather fans getting bored at the tailgate, but our boredom should alleviate some when the same fans realize we can't live off our 3Peat forever and there's a good chance we may not be able to hang our hat on a 7th straight SoCon championship. We've got our work cut out for us in the next few years.

While I respect your opinion Appa, I don't think you are looking at this move up as a whole for the university. Rather it seems you are only looking at this from a football only perspective. I agree with you that nothing beats a playoff system, however, you have to give some thought as to what this move may bring from an overall athletic and academic standpoint as well.

Griping about how our football schedule and our playoff schedule are far superior to FBS will only get you so far with your arguments against the move. I'd press you to research a little more as to the overall benefit for the university.

[Appaholic]

About the same number of people that give's a rat's ass about the winner of the Papa John's Bowl or the Motor City Bowl or winning the Sun Belt, MAC or C-USA conference championship. We've "dumbed down" our regular season to the tune of Michigan, LSU, ECU & Florida with VaTech in the future. With respect to FCS teams, we lost our home game in the home-n-home series against McNeese and have Montana coming to Boone in 2012 & us returning to the Zoo in 2013 (the same Montana we have yet to beat once...even with Armanti). Even with this cupcake schedule, we haven't advanced beyond the semis in 4 years. Don't worry, we'll have the prospect of losing 2-3 conference games this year with Wofford returning most, GSU's re-emergence to national prominence & the losses in our own personnel. Let's also throw in the looming retirement of Coach Moore in the next couple of years. I can't think of a worse reason to make this move than fair weather fans getting bored at the tailgate, but our boredom should alleviate some when the same fans realize we can't live off our 3Peat forever and there's a good chance we may not be able to hang our hat on a 7th straight SoCon championship. We've got our work cut out for us in the next few years.

While I respect your opinion Appa, I don't think you are looking at this move up as a whole for the university. Rather it seems you are only looking at this from a football only perspective. I agree with you that nothing beats a playoff system, however, you have to give some thought as to what this move may bring from an overall athletic and academic standpoint as well.

Griping about how our football schedule and our playoff schedule are far superior to FBS will only get you so far with your arguments against the move. I'd press you to research a little more as to the overall benefit for the university.

Of course I'm basing this on a football-only perspective. It's an FCS football board & I got my degree, so I don't give a fok how it benefits them in any other realm...I want a playoff dammit!.

But seriously, aren't we already D1 in all other sports? We're eligible for the NCAA tourneys in all other sports as is, so I don't see how this could benefit us anymore. Is Troy or WKU anymore well known & respected academically now that they are FBS? Does anyone, outside of Troy or WKU alumni, even give a shit that they are FBS now? Nothing, outside of a BCS "title", will benefit AppSt as much as the Michigan win. We currently have 1-2 chances per year, maybe, to repeat that success. I'm guessing we'll have the same number of chances if we move to SB or CUSA to schedule and play a Mich or Fla. Except if we beat them then, it's an FBS over and FBS....not quite the same impact. What will change is, if we experience success and win the new conf title, our university will now be on the hook for paying for the seat allotment for a Liberty Bowl / Motor City Bowl / etc....that can't be good for the finances.....

Hey, if we move out to FBS, then I hope it's for, at the very least, a CUSA bid. I still won't support, but can more understand the rationale. However, I could never understand a move to the Sunbelt seeing how there are no historical rivalries & the travel budget would be outrageous. But my opinion & $.50 might get you a cup of coffee on this subject.

[ASUSandman]

While I respect your opinion Appa, I don't think you are looking at this move up as a whole for the university. Rather it seems you are only looking at this from a football only perspective. I agree with you that nothing beats a playoff system, however, you have to give some thought as to what this move may bring from an overall athletic and academic standpoint as well.

Griping about how our football schedule and our playoff schedule are far superior to FBS will only get you so far with your arguments against the move. I'd press you to research a little more as to the overall benefit for the university.

I want a playoff dammit!:

I read and hear, from the same vocal few, how the playoffs are what makes ASU football great. Unfortunately, the historical attendance data clearly indicates just the opposite is true. I have attended every playoff game in Boone
(and most on the road) since 1-AA came into existence. With the exception of 4 or 5 games attendance has been pitiful. I was in the stands with 3,884 others in 1998 to see Tenn State, 5,278 to watch W&M in 2001 and 4310 vs Main in 2002. But let us move to happier times. In 2005 reg season attend ave was 23,169 - playoff 10,914 (52% less), 2006 reg season 22,509 - playoffs 16,460 (27% less), 2007 reg season 27,140 - reg season 18,375 (32% less), 2008 reg season 28,727 - reg season 14,463 (50% less), 2009 reg season 25,697 - playoffs (1 game) 12,206 (53% less), 2010 reg season 29,449 - playoffs 14,514 (51%). Please don't give me the Thanksgiving and students not being there excuses. There dozens of 1-A regular season games every Thanksgiving and the stadiums are packed. My question, and I believe it to be a fair one, is how can regular season games be more worthy of someone's attendance than the all important playoff games?

I do not see ASU moving to the SunBelt or MAC. The revenues are simply not there to offset the expenses. If it isn't CUSA I don't see it happening. I would give up the playoffs in a heartbeat to play ECU. Marshall,

[WacoKid]

While I respect your opinion Appa, I don't think you are looking at this move up as a whole for the university. Rather it seems you are only looking at this from a football only perspective. I agree with you that nothing beats a playoff system, however, you have to give some thought as to what this move may bring from an overall athletic and academic standpoint as well.

Griping about how our football schedule and our playoff schedule are far superior to FBS will only get you so far with your arguments against the move. I'd press you to research a little more as to the overall benefit for the university.

Of course I'm basing this on a football-only perspective. It's an FCS football board & I got my degree, so I don't give a fok how it benefits them in any other realm...I want a playoff dammit!.

But seriously, aren't we already D1 in all other sports? We're eligible for the NCAA tourneys in all other sports as is, so I don't see how this could benefit us anymore. Is Troy or WKU anymore well known & respected academically now that they are FBS? Does anyone, outside of Troy or WKU alumni, even give a **** that they are FBS now? Nothing, outside of a BCS "title", will benefit AppSt as much as the Michigan win. We currently have 1-2 chances per year, maybe, to repeat that success. I'm guessing we'll have the same number of chances if we move to SB or CUSA to schedule and play a Mich or Fla. Except if we beat them then, it's an FBS over and FBS....not quite the same impact. What will change is, if we experience success and win the new conf title, our university will now be on the hook for paying for the seat allotment for a Liberty Bowl / Motor City Bowl / etc....that can't be good for the finances.....

Hey, if we move out to FBS, then I hope it's for, at the very least, a CUSA bid. I still won't support, but can more understand the rationale. However, I could never understand a move to the Sunbelt seeing how there are no historical rivalries & the travel budget would be outrageous. But my opinion & $.50 might get you a cup of coffee on this subject.

So you don't think a move to CUSA would benefit us in sports like basketball (men and women) and baseball? We would get recruits to sign that won't even return phone calls right now just like in football. Sure we can get to the NCAA in basketball but we have to win the SoCon Tourney to make it. Thats not the case in CUSA.

[MTPiKapp]

I agree, I was exaggerating. But in factoring in the important component of novelty, with App St. being new to FBS, I think don't think it's a stretch to think that they'd sell more tickets than they have for home playoff games. One of the biggest problems in FCS is that problem: some great, historic programs like App St. and UD just have no fans at their playoff games compared to some ho-hum regular season conference game against a pushover school. The fans just need more time to schedule, something even an awful nearby bowl would give them.

MTSU couldn't even sell 2K tickets for their first ever bowl game...

Way to tell the whole story. Our first bowl game was played over 600 miles away, in Detroit, Michigan, the day after Christmas. I was at my parents house in Atlanta on Christmas break. On Christmas day, I left my aunt and uncle's house early(around 7pm EST) got into Murfreesboro around 9pm central, stopped and grabbed a frozen pizza at a gas station and ate it by myself as the only person in the fraternity house that night, I got onto the student bus on campus at midnight that night, road for 12 hours, we checked into our hotel about six or seven hours before kickoff, went out, bar hopped, went to the game, went out after the game, went to bed around 2am, got up at 8am and got back on the bus for a 12 hour bus ride home. We were in Detroit for less than 24 hours, it was less than an ideal situation for our first bowl game, but I went and I had a blast. We also had a large number of fans who could not attend, buy tickets and donate them. Since then, we've traveled very well to the New Orleans Bowl two years ago and the GoDaddy.com bowl this year. Both of those games are the current attendance records for those bowls.

[CatMom]

MTSU couldn't even sell 2K tickets for their first ever bowl game...

Way to tell the whole story. Our first bowl game was played over 600 miles away, in Detroit, Michigan, the day after Christmas. I was at my parents house in Atlanta on Christmas break. On Christmas day, I left my aunt and uncle's house early(around 7pm EST) got into Murfreesboro around 9pm central, stopped and grabbed a frozen pizza at a gas station and ate it by myself as the only person in the fraternity house that night, I got onto the student bus on campus at midnight that night, road for 12 hours, we checked into our hotel about six or seven hours before kickoff, went out, bar hopped, went to the game, went out after the game, went to bed around 2am, got up at 8am and got back on the bus for a 12 hour bus ride home. We were in Detroit for less than 24 hours, it was less than an ideal situation for our first bowl game, but I went and I had a blast. We also had a large number of fans who could not attend, buy tickets and donate them. Since then, we've traveled very well to the New Orleans Bowl two years ago and the GoDaddy.com bowl this year. Both of those games are the current attendance records for those bowls.

And I bet if you get the financial reports your U lost a shit load of money.

[dbackjon]

MTSU couldn't even sell 2K tickets for their first ever bowl game...

Way to tell the whole story. Our first bowl game was played over 600 miles away, in Detroit, Michigan, the day after Christmas. I was at my parents house in Atlanta on Christmas break. On Christmas day, I left my aunt and uncle's house early(around 7pm EST) got into Murfreesboro around 9pm central, stopped and grabbed a frozen pizza at a gas station and ate it by myself as the only person in the fraternity house that night, I got onto the student bus on campus at midnight that night, road for 12 hours, we checked into our hotel about six or seven hours before kickoff, went out, bar hopped, went to the game, went out after the game, went to bed around 2am, got up at 8am and got back on the bus for a 12 hour bus ride home. We were in Detroit for less than 24 hours, it was less than an ideal situation for our first bowl game, but I went and I had a blast. We also had a large number of fans who could not attend, buy tickets and donate them. Since then, we've traveled very well to the New Orleans Bowl two years ago and the GoDaddy.com bowl this year. Both of those games are the current attendance records for those bowls.

But Detroit type bowl games are the reality of life in The Sunbelt/MAC. And many bowl games are further than 600 miles from your school.

I lived in Nashville then - MTSU was begging someone/anyone to buy the required tickets. And yes, many people bought tickets knowing full well they were going. MTSU took a bath on that game.

Great that you did that - but fans like you are few and far between.

[Fresno St. Alum]

How about the NO Bowl? How many people showed up. SBC gets what 2 bowls? 3 if there's a spot by another conf. that can't get filled. Win the SBC and you get the NO Bowl, it will be easier to get your fans there. Fresno just had the Boise fans show up and cheer for us since x-mas break in Boise doesn't sound like fun to us Cali people.

[AppMan]

Way to tell the whole story. Our first bowl game was played over 600 miles away, in Detroit, Michigan, the day after Christmas. I was at my parents house in Atlanta on Christmas break. On Christmas day, I left my aunt and uncle's house early(around 7pm EST) got into Murfreesboro around 9pm central, stopped and grabbed a frozen pizza at a gas station and ate it by myself as the only person in the fraternity house that night, I got onto the student bus on campus at midnight that night, road for 12 hours, we checked into our hotel about six or seven hours before kickoff, went out, bar hopped, went to the game, went out after the game, went to bed around 2am, got up at 8am and got back on the bus for a 12 hour bus ride home. We were in Detroit for less than 24 hours, it was less than an ideal situation for our first bowl game, but I went and I had a blast. We also had a large number of fans who could not attend, buy tickets and donate them. Since then, we've traveled very well to the New Orleans Bowl two years ago and the GoDaddy.com bowl this year. Both of those games are the current attendance records for those bowls.

But Detroit type bowl games are the reality of life in The Sunbelt/MAC. And many bowl games are further than 600 miles from your school.

I lived in Nashville then - MTSU was begging someone/anyone to buy the required tickets. And yes, many people bought tickets knowing full well they were going. MTSU took a bath on that game.

Great that you did that - but fans like you are few and far between.

I was really wanting ASU to make the finals this year and see how many of our die hard FCS fans made the trip to Frisco. From conversations I had it would not have been a very large group.

It is a 17-20 hour drive from most of ASU's big alumni centers to Frisco and 9-11 hours to Detroit. Ths cost to fly from Charlotte to Frisco or Detroit is within $10 (around $300).

[Skjellyfetti]

How about the NO Bowl? How many people showed up.

2001 27,004
2002 19,024
2003 25,184
2004 27,253
2005 18,338
2006 26,423
2007 25,146
2008 30,197
2009 30,228
2010 29,159

In a 70,000+ stadium.

[Pwns]

Has anyone noticed the epic thread on the GSU board about this? Seems funny that GSU fans are more credulous about this than anyone.

[Appaholic]

Please don't give me the Thanksgiving and students not being there excuses. There dozens of 1-A regular season games every Thanksgiving and the stadiums are packed. My question, and I believe it to be a fair one, is how can regular season games be more worthy of someone's attendance than the all important playoff games?

I do not see ASU moving to the SunBelt or MAC. The revenues are simply not there to offset the expenses. If it isn't CUSA I don't see it happening. I would give up the playoffs in a heartbeat to play ECU. Marshall,

Regular season games can be planned a year in advance. Look at the FBS games on Thanksgiving weekends historically....Bama-Auburn, Texas-Texas A&M, UF-FSU, OK-OKSt, ND-USC, SouthCar-Clemson, Colorado-Nebreska....traditional blood rivalries that occur annually and are as much of a tradition as Thanksgiving Dinner iteslf. Sorry to say, but AppSt-ECU or AppSt-MTSU surely wouldn't qualify & attendance would be marginal at best even scheduled a year out. Now try to schedule a week out. However, I concede your point, just think a sample removing Thanksgiving weekend playoff games would give a more accurate portrayel....granted, it would still be lower, but I imagine attendance at the Motor City Bowl would be lower than most regular season conf games if we moved to FBS as well. FWIW, I would support a move to C-USA just to insure we didn't get tempted to move to the Sunbelt because I know it's inevitable & since we have traditional rivals.

[Appaholic]

Of course I'm basing this on a football-only perspective. It's an FCS football board & I got my degree, so I don't give a fok how it benefits them in any other realm...I want a playoff dammit!.

But seriously, aren't we already D1 in all other sports? We're eligible for the NCAA tourneys in all other sports as is, so I don't see how this could benefit us anymore. Is Troy or WKU anymore well known & respected academically now that they are FBS? Does anyone, outside of Troy or WKU alumni, even give a **** that they are FBS now? Nothing, outside of a BCS "title", will benefit AppSt as much as the Michigan win. We currently have 1-2 chances per year, maybe, to repeat that success. I'm guessing we'll have the same number of chances if we move to SB or CUSA to schedule and play a Mich or Fla. Except if we beat them then, it's an FBS over and FBS....not quite the same impact. What will change is, if we experience success and win the new conf title, our university will now be on the hook for paying for the seat allotment for a Liberty Bowl / Motor City Bowl / etc....that can't be good for the finances.....

Hey, if we move out to FBS, then I hope it's for, at the very least, a CUSA bid. I still won't support, but can more understand the rationale. However, I could never understand a move to the Sunbelt seeing how there are no historical rivalries & the travel budget would be outrageous. But my opinion & $.50 might get you a cup of coffee on this subject.

So you don't think a move to CUSA would benefit us in sports like basketball (men and women) and baseball? We would get recruits to sign that won't even return phone calls right now just like in football. Sure we can get to the NCAA in basketball but we have to win the SoCon Tourney to make it. Thats not the case in CUSA.

And we can't even win the SoCon tourney as is...but I don't disagree with that, I'm speaking primarily from a football perspective. We will get some better recruits in Football & we'll need them. And I'm speaking from a purely selfish POV....I think bowl games suck, we will not be allowed to participate in the major bowls no matter how well we do in my lifetime, & will never be allowed to play for a National Championship (see Boise State, TCU, Utah) no matter how well we perform on the field.

[ASUG8]

After reading through the pros and cons of a potential move "up" I have to admit it really doesn't excite me too much to see who we would be playing. No question ASU has been on the highs of a football cycle for several years now and it's been great to watch. That being said, GSU, Wofford, and Chatty all have much better than average shots of knocking us off next year given what we're losing. Moore won't be there for much longer, and I haven't really heard any rumblings of a successor - we could be exploring the move up just as a lot of things in the program are changing pretty dramatically. I'm not an advocate of perenially smacking down everybody in the conference - if that's happening you need to move up for sure - but moving up for the sake of moving up makes no sense.

All that aside, I can't see the fan base really getting behind a CUSA traveling schedule given the concentration of fans and alumni in the Charlotte area. You can get decent flights out of CLT to most places, but how many are really likely to fly to UTEP/Southern Miss/Tulsa? I can drive to Boone, Elon, The Citadel, & GSU in 3+ hrs, Samford in 4 hrs, Wofford in :30, Furman in :15 and Chatty in 5 hrs. Clearly it's feasable to make every game in the season as it stands, but without the fan attendance I just see the ASU program falling into obscurity. Unfortunately, the CUSA option is the best one in a move up scenario IMO.

[Appaholic]

After reading through the pros and cons of a potential move "up" I have to admit it really doesn't excite me too much to see who we would be playing. No question ASU has been on the highs of a football cycle for several years now and it's been great to watch. That being said, GSU, Wofford, and Chatty all have much better than average shots of knocking us off next year given what we're losing. Moore won't be there for much longer, and I haven't really heard any rumblings of a successor - we could be exploring the move up just as a lot of things in the program are changing pretty dramatically. I'm not an advocate of perenially smacking down everybody in the conference - if that's happening you need to move up for sure - but moving up for the sake of moving up makes no sense.

All that aside, I can't see the fan base really getting behind a CUSA traveling schedule given the concentration of fans and alumni in the Charlotte area. You can get decent flights out of CLT to most places, but how many are really likely to fly to UTEP/Southern Miss/Tulsa? I can drive to Boone, Elon, The Citadel, & GSU in 3+ hrs, Samford in 4 hrs, Wofford in :30, Furman in :15 and Chatty in 5 hrs. Clearly it's feasable to make every game in the season as it stands, but without the fan attendance I just see the ASU program falling into obscurity. Unfortunately, the CUSA option is the best one in a move up scenario IMO.

+1

[collegesportsinfo]

Problem is, as 49RFootballNow as alluded to, the Bowls leave the majority of the schools that play in them deeply in the red for having done so. Very few make any money and what money they do actually make (in the end) is usually under 100K

Under that argument, are you saying that having playoffs is a better financial alternative? Because the road fans don't travel and even worse, the home fans don't come to the home games. It's a sad state when UD and AppSt, two attendance powerhouses in the regular season, fill 1/4 of their stadium two or so weeks in a row. I was in Missoula for the UMass national semi-final game a few years ago, and it was the same problem: lots of empty sections.

Not to mention that depending on the school and their seed, a school might rack up the charges for all the road playoff FCS games...even it they leave their bands at home.

It would seem the best alternative would be to just have the regular season and then plug the teams into EA NCAA '11 and run "simulate games".