[-army56mike-]

I know that playing FBS and D2 schools is a hot topic of discussion for Liberty. I don't know if this is accurate or not, but I assume Liberty is having difficulty scheduling home and home games with some FCS teams. I want to know if you were in charge of making the Liberty schedule, what would you do? How would you schedule? Who would you schedule?

There are two things I know. Liberty sees itself as a national university. Liberty has its sights set on playing FBS football.

Because LU sees itself as a national university, should it get out into the nation more? Don't we have the resources to play games down in Florida, out in Texas, or out in California? I imagine teams from those distances are willing to have us come to them, but are unable to financially make the return trip maybe? I know we recruit Texas and Florida. Playing there may be helpful getting the Liberty name known in those states and nationally. It's always good to play ball down in Florida. I would try and schedule FLORIDA TEAMS like: BETHUNE-COOKMAN, FAMU, JACKSONVILLE, STETSON; TEXAS TEAMS like: ABILENE CHRISTIAN, HOUSTON BAPTIST, INCARNATE WORD, SAM HOUSTON ST., McNEESE ST.; CALIFORNIA TEAMS like: SACRAMENTO ST., CAL POLY, SAN DIEGO, UC DAVIS; and some traditionally competitive FCS teams across the nation, like when we played Montana. And of course we need to hit our home and recruiting territories of VA, NC, MD, GA etc.

I like the idea of playing FBS teams. I don't even mind two of them a year. But they need to be strategic games. They need to be within driving distance for fans to attend or they need to be games that will garner national headlines against well known traditionally competitive opponents. I'd like to see ODU, CHARLOTTE, APP ST., Any ACC, SEC, B1G, PAC12, Big12 team, BYU, some GA, NC, FL, VA schools.

Or do we schedule all winnable FCS schools OOC and then play our BSC slate and hope to finish no worse than 10-2 every year and make the playoffs?

[Chippy]

We played ODU two weeks ago? We played JMU, Richmond and Norfolk State the best FCS teams in the state. We have played NC State, West Virginia, Wake Forest, we will play NC next year, we're slated to play VT and Baylor in a couple of years. We have played Montana State and Lehigh last year, perennial FCS playoff teams. Last year alone we played , I think, 4 teams that made it to the playoffs and Wake Forest. We have been 10-2 only once. We play a much harder schedule than Coastal and anyone else in the BSC

[LUconn]

We seem to be playing a schedule that was needed in 2006 every year. Who's in charge of that jazz anyway? AD Jeff Barber? I really think scheduling is the key to taking the next step forward.

[BJWilliams]

We played ODU two weeks ago? We played JMU, Richmond and Norfolk State the best FCS teams in the state. We have played NC State, West Virginia, Wake Forest, we will play NC next year, we're slated to play VT and Baylor in a couple of years. We have played Montana State and Lehigh last year, perennial FCS playoff teams. Last year alone we played , I think, 4 teams that made it to the playoffs and Wake Forest. We have been 10-2 only once. We play a much harder schedule than Coastal and anyone else in the BSC

Montana not Montana State and I think they are set to come to Lynchburg in 2015 barring any realignment matters

[comet]

I believe that we're skipping a step from going from the Big South to FBS. As I've said before, I'd like to see us step up to a conference such as Colonial Athletic.

In addition to having stronger teams, the CAA is also a deeper conference. The shallowness of Big South football is what leaves us in the spot of playing the likes of Kentucky Wesleyan and Brevard. A CAA conference slate would give us those two homes games vs. CAA opponents (and not D2 cream puffs). It would also replace Presby with a better opponent.

The addition of Monmouth and Kennesaw State will grow the Big South, or so it seems. I spoke with a few Coastal folks at the Days Inn in Altavista on Saturday, and word from them is Coastal Carolina is aggressively courting Colonial Athletic.

All that to say we may be able to fix this issue by joining a better, deeper conference. Currently, Big South has 6 teams, CAA has 11 teams, and Southern Conference has 9 teams.

I would love, love a five-year stay in Colonial Athletic as a stepping stone to FBS.

[SuperJon]

Next year we have two FBS games (UNC and one to be announced soon) and one Division II (Brevard). The Brevard game will be the last Division II game we play for a while.

[Purple Haize]

1) We would probably love to go to the CAA as well. Unfortunately, when you advertise "FBS Ready" and say things like "all we need is an invite and we can go in 48 hours", it doesn't cause a better FCS conference to want you. No one wants a school that will be looking for another conference the moment they join.

2) Coastal can court the CAA all it wants. I am sure we did plenty of courting of the Sun Belt.

3) Do we really want the CAA right now? Richmond is struggling there. They beat us. I don't think many of our fans would be too understanding of a 3-8 season or two while we adjust to a new conference that isn't FBS. Maybe we should focus on winning the Big South instead of acting like we are too good for it.

If we just won the games we currently play, conference affiliation would be moot. Right now the discussion goes like this
The Big South is awful. We need a better Conference
But you can't win the Big South
Which is why we need to go to a better Conference

[comet]

BYD, you bring up good points. If we're stuck in the Big South for the foreseeable future, then I only hope the Big South can add some better teams. Most to the conversation in this thread seems to be about scheduling the front end of the season. I think Barber and Co. have done a decent job at that. We just need to figure out how to avoid scheduling the likes of D2 opponents Kentucky Wesleyan and Brevard. At that point in the season, the majority of FCS teams are playing conference games and may be unavailable.

[Chippy]

What keeps Campbell from joining BSC? They are in all the other sports.

[jimflamesfan]

I think the 1A games are a waste at this point. We've probably played about 20 fbs games since going 1aa (now fcs). We've won 2 of them. I'm not interested in playing two more games in a season that just teach us how to lose. I'm also not interested in playing them because they make the road to the fcs playoffs that much harder.

I think if scheduling FCS teams is that hard, then we should only play 5 home games. 3 of those would be Big South Conference games. Then you add 1 single d2 home game...either for the season opener or homecoming. You then do whatever it takes to get one more home FCS game.

You then have your 3 Big South away games...and then you play 4 more away FCS games. One or two of these away fcs games can be against FCS schools that aren't full 63 scholarship programs...LU could play a road games against St Francis or a Metro conference team. These are included simply for the purpose of learning how to win on the road.

Even if we have to travel far to play FCS games...in the past we've traveled the whole way to CA to play Cal Poly. In this way we have more than one route to the playoffs, and our out of conference prepares us for Big South play, instead of teaching us to be worn down.

[Purple Haize]

I think the 1A games are a waste at this point. We've probably played about 20 fbs games since going 1aa (now fcs). We've won 2 of them. I'm not interested in playing two more games in a season that just teach us how to lose. I'm also not interested in playing them because they make the road to the fcs playoffs that much harder.

I think if scheduling FCS teams is that hard, then we should only play 5 home games. 3 of those would be Big South Conference games. Then you add 1 single d2 home game...either for the season opener or homecoming. You then do whatever it takes to get one more home FCS game.

You then have your 3 Big South away games...and then you play 4 more away FCS games. One or two of these away fcs games can be against FCS schools that aren't full 63 scholarship programs...LU could play a road games against St Francis or a Metro conference team. These are included simply for the purpose of learning how to win on the road.

Even if we have to travel far to play FCS games...in the past we've traveled the whole way to CA to play Cal Poly. In this way we have more than one route to the playoffs, and our out of conference prepares us for Big South play, instead of teaching us to be worn down.

The FBS games are for cash and exposure
The rest of your scheduling thoughts are a recipe for disaster. How can you cheer for a team that you don't get to see? Sure playing D2 is ugly but at least you have butts in YOUR seats and we don't have that problem anymore.
How would you feel as a player knowing you were only going to play 4 home games a yesr How do you build up a fan base?

[jimflamesfan]

5 home games. We did it either last year or two years ago.

3 Big South
1 out of conference FCS
1 d2

How much does the program gain by the late season Brevard game?

Season tickets were the same price whether we have 5 or 7 home games.

[jimflamesfan]

It's a recipe for success and you build up the fan base by learning how to win - and this kind of schedul helps you do that.

[jimflamesfan]

How much cash and exposure do we need? This isn't the cash strapped 90s when paydays were needed. Does loosing to FBS games get us the exposure we want?

[coastalalum]

We play a much harder schedule than Coastal and anyone else in the BSC

Coastal has played football for 11 seasons now. In that time, the Chants have played 7 non D1 opponents. Four of those came in years 1 and 2. In that same time span, Liberty has played a total of 13 non D1s.

[jimflamesfan]

On the other hand, we've played way more FBS games than Coastal.

And this is the problem...too many d2s and FBS games on our schedule that don't prepare us for conference play, and at the same time make our road to the playoffs winning the Big South or bust.

[coastalalum]

On the other hand, we've played way more FBS games than Coastal.

as a newcomer to the world of college football, coastal didn't earn enough street cred to play an FBS game until 2008. so let's use that 6 year span from 2008-2013 as our barometer...

coastal --- 7 FBS games with 1 non D1 game
liberty ---- 5 FBS games with 7 non D1 games

[jimflamesfan]

I don't know where you're getting the numbers from. But I would count ODU as an FBS game...so that's ODU, Kent state tgis year.

Wake Forest last year.

NC State the year before that.

Ball State the year before that.

So that's at least 5 in 4 years.

Before that we had Toledo. That would be at least 6.

[coastalalum]

Toledo was 06...

You've got Kent in 13, Wake in 12, NC State in 11, Ball State in 10 and WVU in 09. That's 5.

You can count ODU if it makes you feel better. But like it or not, they are an FCS independent.

[jimflamesfan]

And if you go back in our history...we have more FBS games. Maybe not totally fair since you guys didn't exist. But if you cherry pick years you can make the stats say anything you want.

If you look at this year and next, LU will have 4 FBS schools in 2 years, to me that's crazy.

I know your point is Coastal has just a tough a schedule as LU if not tougher. Look, I hope Coastal does well. I hope Coastal goes far into the playoffs because it's good for our conference. It was awesome that both Coastal and Stoney Brook won playoff games last year.

But my point is this...does Coastal losing to Penn State help Coastal any more that LU losing at NC State help LU? Does this exposure help us? Even the close game you lost to Clemson and the close game we lost to Wake Forest. Do these help our programs?




I think FCS teams shoukd schedule FBS schools only about once every three years.

[jimflamesfan]

Coastalalum...that's what I want your opinion about.

[jimflamesfan]

Let me be cleae I'm not saying that the AD should be fired or the coach should be fired. I'm just saying hypothetically if it was up to me, I'd scheduke one less home game, rather than playing an extra d2.

Ironically, I will still go to the Brevard game and have already paid for flameclub meal passes for the game, so maybe I destroy my own argument. But still.

And I would very rarely scheduke an FBS game. Maybe once every three years...and it would have to be worth it. A game against a regional team from a strong conference. Wake Forest/NC State/North Carolina would be more worth it than Kent State/Bowling Green/Ball Stae...even though LU won the Ball State game.

Am I making sense to anyone?

[jimflamesfan]

Also, the later it gets, the worse my tablet typing becomes. I type k's instead of l's

[Purple Haize]

Let me be cleae I'm not saying that the AD should be fired or the coach should be fired. I'm just saying hypothetically if it was up to me, I'd scheduke one less home game, rather than playing an extra d2.

Ironically, I will still go to the Brevard game and have already paid for flameclub meal passes for the game, so maybe I destroy my own argument. But still.

And I would very rarely scheduke an FBS game. Maybe once every three years...and it would have to be worth it. A game against a regional team from a strong conference. Wake Forest/NC State/North Carolina would be more worth it than Kent State/Bowling Green/Ball Stae...even though LU won the Ball State game.

Am I making sense to anyone?

Well, if you can get past the tipo's
I'm not as adamant about not playing an FBS school. It actually DOES help with recruiting, I know it from first hand experience. Especially when you consider the LEVEL of FBS teams we've played. We've been very fortunate that every team we've played has had an off year. Playing more than I SUB FCS school is pointless I agree and only serves as schedule filler.

[coastalalum]

yea, my original intent wasn't to stir the pot. well, not completely anyways. haha.

I just wanted to clarify that "our schedule is way better than everyone else's" is nowhere near as cut and dried as some would want you to believe.

as far as FBS games....they're about money, plain and simple. your feelings may be a little skewed about them - because quite frankly - liberty doesn't need the big paydays that come with them quite like the rest of us do. chuck south has played some ridiculous games in the last several years. they had no chance to win, all they wanted was the check.

also, coastal has played more regional teams like Clemson, Georgia and will play South Carolina. who knows, those regional games could possibly do some good things for recruiting. for sure they keep the fans a whole lot more interested than the MAC matchups.