[Purple Haize]

Mailbag - taking your FBS questions

http://www.aseaofred.com/mailbag-taking ... questions/

LU will never recoup their investment in FBS football. The best way to justify it is as an Advertising Expense.

[ballcoach15]

I think it is too early to tell if we'll recoup the investment. But if we do, it will take years to happen.

[VarsityLu]

The LU logo was on the ESPN ticker every week already

My point is, if you are not FBS, to 99.9% of America, you aren't playing football. In order to be associated with CFB, you need to be listed here:

http://www.cbssports.com/college-footba ... egular/13/
http://www.espn.com/college-football/sc ... /2/week/13
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaaf/sc ... 13/div1.a/

These are College Football Scoreboards. Most people in America don't even know there is any other football teams out there other than these 130 teams.

[ValleyBoy]

PH is, unfortunately, correct about this. Liberty and Alabama are FBS, true, but nowhere near the same level. The sad reality is, until Liberty builds street cred with Ws, the relevance Liberty has on the top tier (i.e. P5) won't change. In fact, I would argue that JMU is seen as a more prestigious football program as an FCS than Liberty by many within the P5 circles. Yes, Liberty gets more scholarships now. Yes, Liberty gets to play FBS football. Yes, that SHOULD make Liberty better. However, there is the harsh reality that many "low-mid major schools" are very irrelevant in CFB. How relevant are the Sun Belt schools? They're not. Yes, there is name recognition, but (most) those teams are floundering in the bottom and would get beat by 7+ against JMU.
Edit: JMU is associated with winning. Liberty is associated with money. It's the harsh reality and one that should (I hope quickly) change.

Yes, Liberty will be seen as a very low level FBS member by P5 members which is no different than how the vast majority of P5 members see most non-P5 members.
Yes the Sun Belt has it bottom dwellers just like the other 4 G5 conferences. The main different between the Sun Belt and the other 4 G5 conferences is that there is not 1 or 2 dominant members of the conferences like some of the other g5 conferences. Yes JMU could compete with some of the present Sun Belt members but could they do it weekend and week out, that we will not know until they move up to FBS because no Sun Belt member has any reason to schedule them as there FCS game.

[VAGolf]

[Purple Haize]

I think it is too early to tell if we'll recoup the investment. But if we do, it will take years to happen.

Based on your grasp of Athletic finance this response doesn't surprise me

[TH Spangler]

I think it is too early to tell if we'll recoup the investment. But if we do, it will take years to happen.

For years some said, "LU will never play FBS football. If they do it's decades away".

[ballcoach15]

Remember, back in 1971, some people laughed, when Dr. Falwell said he was starting up a college.

[TH Spangler]

When they expand the stadium they should go ahead do the visitors end zone and wrap it in red until the seats are needed. Would look better on TV.

[Purple Haize]

I think it is too early to tell if we'll recoup the investment. But if we do, it will take years to happen.

For years some said, "LU will never play FBS football. If they do it's decades away".

It took decades

[TH Spangler]

I think it is too early to tell if we'll recoup the investment. But if we do, it will take years to happen.

For years some said, "LU will never play FBS football. If they do it's decades away".

It took decades

Yeah, but they said it last year.

[Purple Haize]

True. But my statement is based on the economic realities of intercollegiate Athletics. The vast majority of FBS FB programs lose money. I would not be surprised if only a handful of G5 programs made money.

[VarsityLu]

A few years old, but NCAA says only 24 FBS programs make money.

http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/med ... l-minority

[Purple Haize]

A few years old, but NCAA says only 24 FBS programs make money.

http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/med ... l-minority

It's the most recent data. I was surprised by the expenditure jump from 04 to 14
I didn't see the report list programs in terms of ranking who made the most to who lost the most, but I'm sure something like that is out there. In 'start up' cases Like LU and CCU etc you have to factor in Capitol Improvement costs as well.

[Class of 20Something]

If the BSC votes to keep us, does LFSN still get free reign over LU athletics or do they get pigeon holed into only covering football?

[jimflamesfan]

If the Big South allows all of our other sports to stay, I do not think we are in bad shape as a football independent.

The Big South has one of the best footprints of any conference. Many games are bus trips. The money that we save in regular conference travel cost for all of our other sports by staying in the Big South will help offset some of the costs of ONE SPORT, football, being independent and having to do more travel.

Providing the Big South provides us with the waiver, it puts us in a great position as we wait for a conference opening. I could even see a football conference simply taking our football team as an associate member, and the rest of our teams staying in the Big South. But even if we have to wait 10 years before a conference picks up our football team...we still will only be only spending a small portion on travel compared to what the Sunbelt schools have to do for all sports.

We REALLY, REALLY need the Big South right now. I know people say that there is always the Asun...but the footprint of the Big South is much better.

[LiberTbone07]

I'm really happy that Liberty is out of the FCS. The FCS is basically the triple-a minor league of college football. Rooting for LU felt like rooting for the Columbus Clippers instead of the Cleveland Indians. I honestly don't care if we only win 3-4 games a season our first few FBS years, I'm happy to now be rooting for a legit college team.

[A Sea of Red]

I'm really happy that Liberty is out of the FCS. The FCS is basically the triple-a minor league of college football. Rooting for LU felt like rooting for the Columbus Clippers instead of the Cleveland Indians. I honestly don't care if we only win 3-4 games a season our first few FBS years, I'm happy to now be rooting for a legit college team.

Welcome to the board!

[LUGrad2000]

I'm really happy that Liberty is out of the FCS. The FCS is basically the triple-a minor league of college football. Rooting for LU felt like rooting for the Columbus Clippers instead of the Cleveland Indians. I honestly don't care if we only win 3-4 games a season our first few FBS years, I'm happy to now be rooting for a legit college team.

+1

[lawrenceq]

Some fans have turned uppity over the last week.

[LiberTbone07]

Welcome to the board! [/quote]

Thanks!

[rogers3]

Some fans have turned uppity over the last week.

Same thing happens to fans from other schools that have recently made the transition. Just go read the Sunbelt csnbbs. The wackiest fans are from the late move ups including our buddies at CCU.

[Purple Haize]

Some fans have turned uppity over the last week.

Words never uttered about me

[lawrenceq]

Some fans have turned uppity over the last week.

Same thing happens to fans from other schools that have recently made the transition. Just go read the Sunbelt csnbbs. The wackiest fans are from the late move ups including our buddies at CCU.

Some fans went from t-shirts and jeans to mink coats and shades. Before long Jerry's Jokers will dress like Broadway Joe.

[LUnpretty11]

Thanks!

It's great having new folks on the board. Stick around and keep posting.

It is clear, regardless how much PH hates the move to FBS, the move has helped increase the following and interest of our fans/alumni.

Can't wait until there is a second tower on the student side with a packed house.