Anything and everything about Liberty Flames football. Your comments on games, recruiting and the direction of the program as we move into new era.

Moderators: jcmanson, Sly Fox, BuryYourDuke, Class of 20Something

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By TH Spangler
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#527597
College Sports Journal wrote:POSTED ON FEBRUARY 20, 2017
BY CHARLES BURTON

FCS Teams Should Thank NCAA For Granting Liberty Their FBS Wish


When Liberty made a surprise announcement at 5:00 On Thursday, February 16th, Liberty University got word from the NCAA that their waiver to allow them to transition to FBS scholarship limits was granted. Starting with the upcoming season, the Flames would be able to start transitioning to competing as an FBS Independent.

As I was reading their press announcement, I thought about the late NEC commissioner, Brenda Weare.
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By Class of 20Something
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#527600
TH Spangler wrote:http://www.college-sports-journal.com/f ... heir-wish/
The author makes a great point. And that seemed refreshingly unbiased.

I'm really excited to see what happens in the next two years. Between more 3* recruits and hopefully some transitional success these next two years should be great for us.

Does HCTG pursue any 4* guys early? Snagging a verbal from a 4* would be an insane recruiting tool for the other 3* guys we look at. Less than 5 G5 schools got any 4* recruits this year.
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By Sly Fox
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#527627
Chuck catches a lot of grief in FCS circles, but he has always been fair toward us in his writing. He was almost an ambassador for us after he came down for the Lehigh game and experienced Williams Stadium on gameday in person. I think he was tiptoeing carefully around some other programs who fit the Liberty spending and ambition model in this story. But i agree with his premise.
By ballcoach15
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#527670
I still cannot believe Coastal went FBS with their stadium and attendance not meeting FBS standards.
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By Cider Jim
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#527683
Two words: Myrtle Beach.
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By Sly Fox
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#527688
JK37 wrote:Who else in FCS spends like Liberty?
Football budgets that are somewhat similar include Montana, Montana State, JMU and Delaware. ND State is moving toward these types of numbers as they have really turned the Fargodome into a cash cow and they are re-investing.

But yes, the list is very short. Perennial FCS powers like Sam Houston, Eastern Washington, Richmond and even Villanova operate on much smaller budgets.
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By gerb
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#527997
Hmm, did JMU AD/HC need to break their silence and respond to LU-FBS due to increasing alumni unrest? Since JMU doesn't have the financial resources or apparent willingness/ability to increase tuition, unless economics change for them in an unexpected way, they may have to deal with perpetually ticked alum. I'd like to say I feel sorry for them, but this brings me great joy due to their historic culture of arrogance & condescension towards LU.

“To each their own,” Houston said. “I think whatever fits your institution is what fits your institution. If that’s what they think is their future in athletics, then I wish them the best of luck. “If the right bid comes to us from the right conference at the FBS level, then I think you will see us enthusiastically transition. If that right bid does not come along, I’m just fine with being one of the top FCS programs in the country.” :BS

https://jamesmadison.rivals.com/news/li ... es-madison

Image
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By Purple Haize
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#528003
JMU is perfectly content with where they are at. And they did just win a NC
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By Purple Haize
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#528005
rogers3 wrote:
Purple Haize wrote:JMU is perfectly content with where they are at. And they did just win a NC
Also, we aren't the only ones building things. When it comes to Basketball, they might have a bigger vision than we do.
Hopefully they either have retractable seating or practice courts somewhere else
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By LUnpretty11
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#528012
gerb wrote:Hmm, did JMU AD/HC need to break their silence and respond to LU-FBS due to increasing alumni unrest? Since JMU doesn't have the financial resources or apparent willingness/ability to increase tuition, unless economics change for them in an unexpected way, they may have to deal with perpetually ticked alum. I'd like to say I feel sorry for them, but this brings me great joy due to their historic culture of arrogance & condescension towards LU.

“To each their own,” Houston said. “I think whatever fits your institution is what fits your institution. If that’s what they think is their future in athletics, then I wish them the best of luck. “If the right bid comes to us from the right conference at the FBS level, then I think you will see us enthusiastically transition. If that right bid does not come along, I’m just fine with being one of the top FCS programs in the country.” :BS

https://jamesmadison.rivals.com/news/li ... es-madison

Image
I could watch that gif all day. Absolutely hilarious.

Agreed with (pretty much) all of your points above. I do think JMU means what they say when they say they are "just fine" where they are if the right call does not come their way. <--- I concede that may have been a very poor sentence grammatically.
Anyway, I love that JMU is content being "at the top of the FCS". Their arrogance and nose in the air attitude can continue dwelling at the top of the bottom for all I care. Now, if the MAC ever does come knocking and picks up JMU, then I deeply hope a JMUvLU rivalry is made a top priority.
By JK37
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#528021
So JMU's administration is content. But what does it say about the FBS/FCS debate in general that they just won a freakin' NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, and their fan base is so disturbed by LU's transition to FBS that their admins have to issue what is essentially a wet blanket to try to quell the fire?!

(See what I did there with my analogy?)
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By LUnpretty11
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#528022
JK37 wrote:So JMU's administration is content. But what does it say about the FBS/FCS debate in general that they just won a freakin' NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, and their fan base is so disturbed by LU's transition to FBS that their admins have to issue what is essentially a wet blanket to try to quell the fire?!

(See what I did there with my analogy?)
Nicely done. It proves we are making the right move. Sustainability is the key.
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By gerb
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#528029
There is no way JMU is satisfied with FCS even by winning the title. They're still in the baby pool - their fans know it and we know it. I think JMU's official position is cover for this reality:

1. higher education as a whole will be faced with a major financial correction in the coming years (student loan tightening, enrollment drops, exploding administrative overhead, downward tuition price pressure, acceleration to online). Many institutions will be struggling to stay solvent and there will be a cull at the FBS level as weaker schools look to cut expenses.

2. Moving to FBS in light of this looming correction without a significant financial cushion is risky as alternative sources of revenue (TV, tuition & fundraising) will be limited or non-existant.

LU can make the bet because of the strength of our balance sheet (and forecast that our online cash cow continues to produce). Period. JMU may be arrogant and condescending but they aren't stupid. And they characterize LU as diploma mill because they are jealous they don't have a comparable cash cow of their own.

Which is what makes the Coastal move to FBS surprising. Moglia should know better. Maybe the move is an ego trip. Or he'll start writing big checks. Or he doesn't care because Coastal is a stepping stone for him. Whatever it is, they are willing to risk the long term financial health of the school.

Without having looked deeply at the economics of FBS, it makes sense to me that LU's FBS ROI is built on a marketing/branding strategy to protect and grow the online program through further differentiation and increased brand exposure. I mean, there are only so many ads can we put on TV and putting out a product with national exposure can be more effective than ads.

My 2c
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By Purple Haize
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#528031
gerb wrote:There is no way JMU is satisfied with FCS even by winning the title. They're still in the baby pool - their fans know it and we know it. I think JMU's official position is cover for this reality:

1. higher education as a whole will be faced with a major financial correction in the coming years (student loan tightening, enrollment drops, exploding administrative overhead, downward tuition price pressure, acceleration to online). Many institutions will be struggling to stay solvent and there will be a cull at the FBS level as weaker schools look to cut expenses.

2. Moving to FBS in light of this looming correction without a significant financial cushion is risky as alternative sources of revenue (TV, tuition & fundraising) will be limited or non-existant.

LU can make the bet because of the strength of our balance sheet (and forecast that our online cash cow continues to produce). Period. JMU may be arrogant and condescending but they aren't stupid. And they characterize LU as diploma mill because they are jealous they don't have a comparable cash cow of their own.

Which is what makes the Coastal move to FBS surprising. Moglia should know better. Maybe the move is an ego trip. Or he'll start writing big checks. Or he doesn't care because Coastal is a stepping stone for him. Whatever it is, they are willing to risk the long term financial health of the school.

Without having looked deeply at the economics of FBS, it makes sense to me that LU's FBS ROI is built on a marketing/branding strategy to protect and grow the online program through further differentiation and increased brand exposure. I mean, there are only so many ads can we put on TV and putting out a product with national exposure can be more effective than ads.

My 2c
Other than the 1st sentence it's well worth more than $.02
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By gerb
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#528039
Purple Haize wrote:
Other than the 1st sentence it's well worth more than $.02
Abandon JMU related hyperbole? Never! :D
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By LUnpretty11
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#528092
I can't seem to find the recruiting discussion from before, but it seems relevant for this thread. Bleacher Report (take that for what it's worth) put out a top 25 ranking of the states that produce the best CFB players. Beej, I think you will find this particularly educational --> not a knock at all.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2696 ... g-national

Virginia isn't in the top 10
Although Virginia doesn't have immense volume, the quality of prospects is terrific. An average 3.46 rating is the highest among states with at least 10 qualifiers.
1-5 are pretty much on par for what I would have expected.
6. Alabama
5. Ohio
4. Georgia
3. California
2. Florida
1. Texas

How does this relate to Liberty to FBS? HCTG does a great job of recruiting nationally, specifically Texas and Florida. Liberty will be in a great position for early success at the FBS level if it can transition the 2-stars to 3-stars and the 3-stars to 4-stars. It's exciting to see all of the 3-star recruits HCTG has already offered, but it will be interesting to watch how many of those turn into verbals. Time will tell, but it makes sense why Texas, Florida and Georgia are a recruiting focal point for this coaching staff.
By ballcoach15
Registration Days Posts
#528095
lawrenceq wrote:Why not stay FCS, move to the CAA and start a yearly rivalry with JMU? :mrgreen:

Not a good idea at all. LU should ignore that JMU even exists. If I were AD, LU would not play them in any sport. As for CAA, being in FBS is better.
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By BJWilliams
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#528099
I believe that lawrence's statement was partially based in sarcasm ballcoach...
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