[Sly Fox]

Perhaps this will inspire some more interest in the WAC-East. I doubt it but as long as they hold the exemption then anything is possible.

I think most of us are resigned to the Indy route at this point. I know that would have sounded crazy two years ago. But frankly it is where we are now. The FCS ship is taking on water ... quickly.

[LUGrad2000]

Perhaps this will inspire some more interest in the WAC-East. I doubt it but as long as they hold the exemption then anything is possible.

I think most of us are resigned to the Indy route at this point. I know that would have sounded crazy two years ago. But frankly it is where we are now. The FCS ship is taking on water ... quickly.

1. I thought I read some bylaws that gave the Wac a 2 year exemption, which has expired?

2. Who would be interested in a Wac East?

[LUDad]

Perhaps this will inspire some more interest in the WAC-East. I doubt it but as long as they hold the exemption then anything is possible.

I think most of us are resigned to the Indy route at this point. I know that would have sounded crazy two years ago. But frankly it is where we are now. The FCS ship is taking on water ... quickly.

1. I thought I read some bylaws that gave the Wac a 2 year exemption, which has expired?

2. Who would be interested in a Wac East?

Hey, why not. The Big 10 has 14 teams, Big 12 has 10 teams. I vote for an Eastern division of the Western Athletic Conference

[Purple Haize]

So what are the options now?

1) Do the best we can in FCS and wait (possibly for another generation)
2) Take an active role in attempting to form a new FBS conference
3) Begin to explore what it would take to petition the NCAA for independent status

I'm a big fan of #1 and #2

[SuperJon]

So what are the options now?

1) Do the best we can in FCS and wait (possibly for another generation)
2) Take an active role in attempting to form a new FBS conference
3) Begin to explore what it would take to petition the NCAA for independent status

I would love to do #2. However, there's not enough of an incentive for others to move up to join a conference full of other FCS move ups. The only way it'd be possible (assuming the NCAA allowed us) is for us to split up the $10 million we offered the Sun Belt and give pieces of it to Jax St, EKU, Chattanooga, and anyone else that wants to move up.

[Purple Haize]

But just to clarify, I don't believe that would happen. If we are going FBS in the next decade it's going to be independent.

That sounds an awful lot like a wager to me.

[Purple Haize]

So what are the options now?

1) Do the best we can in FCS and wait (possibly for another generation)
2) Take an active role in attempting to form a new FBS conference
3) Begin to explore what it would take to petition the NCAA for independent status

I would love to do #2. However, there's not enough of an incentive for others to move up to join a conference full of other FCS move ups. The only way it'd be possible (assuming the NCAA allowed us) is for us to split up the $10 million we offered the Sun Belt and give pieces of it to Jax St, EKU, Chattanooga, and anyone else that wants to move up.

IMO, it would be a better use of our time, efforts, energy and resourc sources as opposed to using those same things to pursue Independent status.
But I don't think either will happen

[LUGrad2000]

Whatever the reasons the Sun Belt had for not inviting us, whether it be political, financial, geographic, or whatever, the same issues would likely exist if we tried to put together an East Coast conference. FBS independent status would allow us to have scheduling alliances with schools without the close ties that many may be fearing when it comes to us.

[LUconn]

This thread title needs to be changed. It infers we've officially gone FBS independent

[Purple Haize]

Whatever the reasons the Sun Belt had for not inviting us, whether it be political, financial, geographic, or whatever, the same issues would likely exist if we tried to put together an East Coast conference. FBS independent status would allow us to have scheduling alliances with schools without the close ties that many may be fearing when it comes to us.

You assume scheduling Alliances. If we helped in the formation of a Conference we would no real need for these alliances as we'd already have Conference partner
Heck, if we are dreaming of the near impossible lets at least have a realistic idea of what would happen if it did come to pass.

[SuperJon]

Whatever the reasons the Sun Belt had for not inviting us, whether it be political, financial, geographic, or whatever, the same issues would likely exist if we tried to put together an East Coast conference. FBS independent status would allow us to have scheduling alliances with schools without the close ties that many may be fearing when it comes to us.

You assume scheduling Alliances. If we helped in the formation of a Conference we would no real need for these alliances as we'd already have Conference partner
Heck, if we are dreaming of the near impossible lets at least have a realistic idea of what would happen if it did come to pass.

If the cool kids won't let you in their club, go start your own, right?

As much as I hate it, the only plausible scenario is independent. I can't imagine we'd throw millions at a lawsuit to be able to start our own conference and then throw millions at other schools to get them to come play with us. I know we have money coming in faster than we can spend it, but that'd be totally irresponsible.

That means we will likely go that route.

[Purple Haize]

Whatever the reasons the Sun Belt had for not inviting us, whether it be political, financial, geographic, or whatever, the same issues would likely exist if we tried to put together an East Coast conference. FBS independent status would allow us to have scheduling alliances with schools without the close ties that many may be fearing when it comes to us.

You assume scheduling Alliances. If we helped in the formation of a Conference we would no real need for these alliances as we'd already have Conference partner
Heck, if we are dreaming of the near impossible lets at least have a realistic idea of what would happen if it did come to pass.

If the cool kids won't let you in their club, go start your own, right?

As much as I hate it, the only plausible scenario is independent. I can't imagine we'd throw millions at a lawsuit to be able to start our own conference and then throw millions at other schools to get them to come play with us. I know we have money coming in faster than we can spend it, but that'd be totally irresponsible.

That means we will likely go that route.

If the SBC are 'The Cool Kids' I'm glad I didn't go to your school.

But to use your analogy, if the cool kids don't let you hang out with them, I do say find the people that do want to hang out with them. Your solution is to go tell the teacher and the Principal that the cool kids are being mean, and then go sit at a table next to the cool kids all by yourself and HOPE some of them will want to sit next to you

[SuperJon]

I'm past trying to defend what I think we should do. At this point I'm just trying to figure out anything that's possible because we will likely do the worst version of that.

[Purple Haize]

I'm past trying to defend what I think we should do. At this point I'm just trying to figure out anything that's possible because we will likely do the worst version of that.

Which is suing to be Independent.

Wouldn't a better effort be forming a Conference (which is as feasible as going Independent) that becomes BETTER than the booger eating syphillatic one?

[rhezick]

I'm past trying to defend what I think we should do. At this point I'm just trying to figure out anything that's possible because we will likely do the worst version of that.

Which is suing to be Independent.

Wouldn't a better effort be forming a Conference (which is as feasible as going Independent) that becomes BETTER than the booger eating syphillatic one?

I'm thoroughly enjoying this cross thread metaphor. Since we won't need the beat coastal tshirts, maybe some theme along the line of the booger eating prom date could stand in it's place.

[flameshaw]

I believe that going independent is a big mistake. No bowl tie-in, no scheduling stability, etc. Getting other schools together to form another conference doesn't seem real plausible either.
We are only 40+ years old as a university, we have made tremendous progress in the last 40 years. The face of college athletics will continue to change and we will eventually get an invite to a FBS conference.(Hopefully before I assume room temperature). It will not be as soon as we want it to happen, but I believe we will.
In the mean time, we need to secure another school or two for the BSC (which means we probably need a replacement for the useless KK), and just dominate at the FCS level.

[Sly Fox]

The FCS may cease to exist in just a few years. Patience solves none of our problems. Positioning ourselves for survival needs to be our priority.

[flameshaw]

The FCS may cease to exist in just a few years. Patience solves none of our problems. Positioning ourselves for survival needs to be our priority.

I am sure you know more about the FCS future than I do. If they do not exist in a few years, could that help our situation? There are a lot of schools in the CAA and SoCon that are more than ready to make the step up to FBS, based on the CCU example. Seems like that would throw realignment wide open again.
I am retired, so I don't have a lot of patience, but I just don't see going independent as a viable option right now. We can always do that if the FCS fall apart couldn't we?
What is your take on what will happen if the FCS fails to exist?

[jmmiii]

The FCS may cease to exist in just a few years.

Well that escalated quickly.

[Purple Haize]

The FCS may cease to exist in just a few years. Patience solves none of our problems. Positioning ourselves for survival needs to be our priority.

What's next? You'll predict the end of the World while encouraging us to drink Wylers?

The landscape of FB and college athletics will change dramatically over the next decade. Do you really think that all the FCS teams are just going to dry up and go away? Terms like FCS or FBS may not even be relevant. I would say we are very well positioned for whatever happens, especially if we keep having on field success.
Gee whiz fella's take a step back and relax. Xanax is generic now so it's like $4 if you need it

[jimflamesfan]

I have to vent!! Conferences do not want us, and it is not about winning.

Realize this,

We've been surpassed by Elon twice.
Remember when Elon was in the Big South.
We wanted into the SoCon...and Elon was added.
Then Elon was added to the CAA.

How about VMI? VMI did terrible in the Big South, so the SoCon takes them back.

Stony Brook joins the Big South, and keeps us out of the playoffs with a last minute bomb...and now they are in the CAA.

Coastal tries to get into the SoCon, gets rejected and is picked up by the Sunbelt.

My hope is that the Big South adds a couple of football schools at the end of the year.

[flameshaw]

I have to vent!! Conferences do not want us, and it is not about winning.

Realize this,

We've been surpassed by Elon twice.
Remember when Elon was in the Big South.
We wanted into the SoCon...and Elon was added.
Then Elon was added to the CAA.

How about VMI? VMI did terrible in the Big South, so the SoCon takes them back.

Stony Brook joins the Big South, and keeps us out of the playoffs with a last minute bomb...and now they are in the CAA.

Coastal tries to get into the SoCon, gets rejected and is picked up by the Sunbelt.

My hope is that the Big South adds a couple of football schools at the end of the year.

Your post got me to thinking about Elon's situation. In reality and 20/20 hindsight, Elon would be better off in the BSC right now that the CAA. They will never be in the top half of that conference as an overall athletic program. They did make a good move going to the SoCon, when they did, but the SoCon has greatly diminished in the last several years.
This is what I think is going to happen to CCU. They are making too big of a jump right now and do not see long-term success for them in FBS. UMass learned the hard way, I expect CCU will as well.

[Purple Haize]

I have to vent!! Conferences do not want us, and it is not about winning.

Realize this,

We've been surpassed by Elon twice.
Remember when Elon was in the Big South.
We wanted into the SoCon...and Elon was added.
Then Elon was added to the CAA.

How about VMI? VMI did terrible in the Big South, so the SoCon takes them back.

Stony Brook joins the Big South, and keeps us out of the playoffs with a last minute bomb...and now they are in the CAA.

Coastal tries to get into the SoCon, gets rejected and is picked up by the Sunbelt.

My hope is that the Big South adds a couple of football schools at the end of the year.

Your post got me to thinking about Elon's situation. In reality and 20/20 hindsight, Elon would be better off in the BSC right now that the CAA. They will never be in the top half of that conference as an overall athletic program. They did make a good move going to the SoCon, when they did, but the SoCon has greatly diminished in the last several years.
This is what I think is going to happen to CCU. They are making too big of a jump right now and do not see long-term success for them in FBS. UMass learned the hard way, I expect CCU will as well.

I'm not sure the VMI move was about money or being athletically competitive More about 'tradition'

[ballcoach15]

I look for Big South to die as a conference, especially in football. There are too many non football playing schools in conference. Sometimes I think it would be good if all the BSC football schools left the conference.

[Chris Lang]

This talk of the FCS dying is completely overstated and, quite frankly, unfounded. Coastal Carolina moving is not some sort of apocalyptic moment. More than 120 schools play at the FCS level, and probably no more than a dozen have any intentions of trying to play at the FBS level. There will always be a place for it as long as the current Division I model exists. For the doomsday scenario to happen, you'd have to have the power 5 split completely from the NCAA, and I just don't see that happening.