A Sea Of Red

As you can see in our Future Schedules post, that locks up the 5th and final non-conference game of the 2024 schedule. The other seven slots are filled up Judy Jeep and the CUSA office.

2029 is sizing up to be fun with a season opener at VT and Coastal coming to Williams Stadium in addition to the ECU roadie.

It sucks that the marshall series is reportedly canceled but this might be an improvement.

I like this one!

Sly Fox wrote: ↑January 17th, 2023, 3:01 pm

As you can see in our Future Schedules post, that locks up the 5th and final non-conference game of the 2024 schedule. The other seven slots are filled up Judy Jeep and the CUSA office.

2029 is sizing up to be fun with a season opener at VT and Coastal coming to Williams Stadium in addition to the ECU roadie.

4 non con - u forgot to take off Marshall.

I don't believe that the Herd cancellation has been formally announced. Then again I may have missed it. That leads me to believe that they might wind up re-working some later dates.

But yes, we will have four non-conference games once the dust settles.

I am a fan of having ECU on our schedule.

I've been wanting this series for a while. It's disappointing that Marshall had to drop for this to happen and that our return game to Greenville isn't until 2029. At least they're coming to Lynchburg first. Hopefully, we reschedule Marshall and add some P5's to improve our OOC games until 2027.

The Marshall series is done as we've reported on the Rumor Mill and yesterday. It won't be rescheduled. This series basically replaced it. Marshall has now backed out of a home and home with the football and men's hoops team in recent months. They don't want to play us.

https://www.aseaofred.com/liberty-east- ... ll-series/

A Sea of Red wrote: ↑January 18th, 2023, 9:05 am The Marshall series is done as we've reported on the Rumor Mill and yesterday. It won't be rescheduled. This series basically replaced it. Marshall has now backed out of a home and home with the football and men's hoops team in recent months. They don't want to play us.

https://www.aseaofred.com/liberty-east- ... ll-series/

That stinks. Wonder what happened within the last couple of years, from our loose conference alliance to them not wanting to play us.

Thanks for the clarification on the Herd. CJ may be in mourning for awhile.

That is a complete 180 from just two years ago when they saw us an attractive partner. But the new leadership in Huntington obviously sees things idfferently.

LUOrange wrote: ↑January 18th, 2023, 9:44 am

A Sea of Red wrote: ↑January 18th, 2023, 9:05 am The Marshall series is done as we've reported on the Rumor Mill and yesterday. It won't be rescheduled. This series basically replaced it. Marshall has now backed out of a home and home with the football and men's hoops team in recent months. They don't want to play us.

https://www.aseaofred.com/liberty-east- ... ll-series/

That stinks. Wonder what happened within the last couple of years, from our loose conference alliance to them not wanting to play us.

I imagine their new liberal AD may have had a small role in that.

LUOrange wrote:

A Sea of Red wrote: ↑January 18th, 2023, 9:05 am The Marshall series is done as we've reported on the Rumor Mill and yesterday. It won't be rescheduled. This series basically replaced it. Marshall has now backed out of a home and home with the football and men's hoops team in recent months. They don't want to play us.

https://www.aseaofred.com/liberty-east- ... ll-series/

That stinks. Wonder what happened within the last couple of years, from our loose conference alliance to them not wanting to play us.

They joined the Sun Belt and that conference hates us. Make no mistake about it. The AAC is a much better get for us anyways at this point. If there's any conference to try and make a "jump" to, that's the most logical next step for us. We will never be in the SBC though, so screw them. Were I Ian McCaw I'd give coaches a bonus for every win the rack up against an SBC opponent.

Humble_Opinion wrote: ↑January 18th, 2023, 9:52 am

LUOrange wrote:

A Sea of Red wrote: ↑January 18th, 2023, 9:05 am The Marshall series is done as we've reported on the Rumor Mill and yesterday. It won't be rescheduled. This series basically replaced it. Marshall has now backed out of a home and home with the football and men's hoops team in recent months. They don't want to play us.

https://www.aseaofred.com/liberty-east- ... ll-series/

That stinks. Wonder what happened within the last couple of years, from our loose conference alliance to them not wanting to play us.

They joined the Sun Belt and that conference hates us. Make no mistake about it. The AAC is a much better get for us anyways at this point. If there's any conference to try and make a "jump" to, that's the most logical next step for us. We will never be in the SBC though, so screw them. Were I Ian McCaw I'd give coaches a bonus for every win the rack up against an SBC opponent.

I'm not sure Liberty and the SBC were ever a fit anyways, even from Liberty's side. Don't get me wrong, the SBC has an excellent footprint and Liberty (at least, the present version of Liberty) would fit in well athletically. But the SBC is comprised of public schools who, by nature, have to deal with government funding and all the restrictions and inefficiencies associated with that. A large endowment, growth-focused school like Liberty would be the odd duck in the SBC and is probably better off expanding their research footprint and hoping to land with schools who are more similarly situated in the future.

AATL wrote: ↑January 18th, 2023, 10:14 am
I'm not sure Liberty and the SBC were ever a fit anyways, even from Liberty's side. Don't get me wrong, the SBC has an excellent footprint and Liberty (at least, the present version of Liberty) would fit in well athletically. But the SBC is comprised of public schools who, by nature, have to deal with government funding and all the restrictions and inefficiencies associated with that. A large endowment, growth-focused school like Liberty would be the odd duck in the SBC and is probably better off expanding their research footprint and hoping to land with schools who are more similarly situated in the future.

I agree. If I'm the sunbelt commissioner why would I take Liberty who is going to nearly double everyone's budget and leave the conference as soon as something better comes along? Chadwell was the second highest paid sunbelt coach and we just quadrupled his salary without batting an eye. A conference with higher aspirations like the AAC or MWC might tolerate that but the sunbelt is essentially the southern MAC where uniformity is the goal.

I hope this signals a shift to playing more AAC schools. If we are going to mostly play G5s I would rather it be against the better ones.

I’m reminded of what an AD told me years ago: “I don’t want LU in my conference. Every time my coaches go there, they come back asking for more!”

I heard the same thing from an ASUN AD just a couple of years ago. He was even so brave to offer to help us move to another league. In jest, of course.

Honestly the Sun Belt footprint would have been perfect for us getting us into the markets we desire from an overall university perspective. But it is correct that we would have been an institutional outlier more so in the Belt than most other G5 leagues aside from the MAC.

Scoring P5 dates moving forward is going to be extremely difficult unless we fall off on the field. And with the schedules we will have the next few years, I don't see that happening.

Sly Fox wrote: ↑January 18th, 2023, 1:16 pm I heard the same thing from an ASUN AD just a couple of years ago. He was even so brave to offer to help us move to another league. In jest, of course.

Honestly the Sun Belt footprint would have been perfect for us getting us into the markets we desire from an overall university perspective. But it is correct that we would have been an institutional outlier more so in the Belt than most other G5 leagues aside from the MAC.

Scoring P5 dates moving forward is going to be extremely difficult unless we fall off on the field. And with the schedules we will have the next few years, I don't see that happening.

So I guess Tulane, App St., Coastal, Marshall, Troy,Ga Southern will never be able to schedule a P5 again...As history repeatedly shows, every time a G5 beats a P5 - they are black balled for life. ( biggest myth in CFB ).

It is not a myth, Every time an upset occurs that school typically has to a wait a few years before P5s view guarantee games as guaranteed. I have heard this directly from the lips of P5 & G5 ADs over the years here in Texas.

On the flip side, G5s will likely be lining up to schedule us as we are viewed now as a quality win as they try to earn that G5 playoff spot.

Of course everything could change later this year as we start hearing more about the new look NCAA.

To save our future schedules, Ian McCaw must do two things. Most of this relate to 2025 and 2026:

1. Dropping ETSU in 2025 and replacing it with a 2025 and 2030 home and home series with the following teams, in terms of preference (SMU, App. St, JMU, Charlotte, GA. State, Arkansas State)

2. Adding a Power Five road game in 2026, in terms of preference (Virginia, Miami, Ga. Tech, Pittsburgh, Duke, Boston College, Vanderbilt, Rutgers, Northwestern

You just cannot have ETSU and UMass as your 2025 home out of conference schedule. These teams all fit. You also can't have players going 2023-2026 without one Power Five road game.

I get the frustration, but they're also two easy wins toward bowl eligibility.

jbock13 wrote: ↑February 22nd, 2023, 7:52 am I get the frustration, but they're also two easy wins toward bowl eligibility.

And at the end of the day that’s Priority #1

Purple Haize wrote: ↑February 22nd, 2023, 9:01 am

jbock13 wrote: ↑February 22nd, 2023, 7:52 am I get the frustration, but they're also two easy wins toward bowl eligibility.

And at the end of the day that’s Priority #1

I thought our newCUSA goals were championships and Playoff spots - not hedging our bets to be bowl eligible if we lose 5 conference games...

Purple Haize wrote: ↑February 22nd, 2023, 9:01 am

jbock13 wrote: ↑February 22nd, 2023, 7:52 am I get the frustration, but they're also two easy wins toward bowl eligibility.

And at the end of the day that’s Priority #1

I thought our new goals were Conference Championships and Playoff Berths - not hedging our bets for “bowl eligibility” if we lose 5 CUSA games...I believe Ian will evaluate 24 season on - If a 13-0 season with that schedule would beat out a 10-2 AAC champ with a P5 loss ( or win ). However - trying to last minute schedule a G5 in Sunbelt or AAC to come to LU and risk a loss - tell me how that is harder than a P5 2 for 1 now that expanded playoffs are in the mix.

The new goal is conference championships and playoff berths which means there is less incentive to schedule tougher games. No undefeated team has ever been passed up for a NY6 slot since the access bowl was created and the AAC is significantly weaker than ever.

If we were still independent and our goal is a bowl berth against a mediocre G5 then it would make more sense to schedule as many difficult games as possible without risking losing more than 6 games. There's really not much harm in losing a game or two in that scenario but the upside of beating an Arkansas was worth the risk.

I hate to say it but until we are in a tougher conference or the CFP expands again to allow more autobids and one loss doesn't sink our CFP goals then we should schedule as weak as possible while still keeping fans interested. Our 2029 schedule (@ Virginia Tech, @ East Carolina, Coastal Carolina, FCS school) should be the way forward for the foreseeable future. It makes too much sense to have the easy home win against FCS schools.

Ill flame wrote: ↑February 22nd, 2023, 11:52 am The new goal is conference championships and playoff berths which means there is less incentive to schedule tougher games. No undefeated team has ever been passed up for a NY6 slot since the access bowl was created and the AAC is significantly weaker than ever.

If we were still independent and our goal is a bowl berth against a mediocre G5 then it would make more sense to schedule as many difficult games as possible without risking losing more than 6 games. There's really not much harm in losing a game or two in that scenario but the upside of beating an Arkansas was worth the risk.

I hate to say it but until we are in a tougher conference or the CFP expands again to allow more autobids and one loss doesn't sink our CFP goals then we should schedule as weak as possible while still keeping fans interested. Our 2029 schedule (@ Virginia Tech, @ East Carolina, Coastal Carolina, FCS school) should be the way forward for the foreseeable future. It makes too much sense to have the easy home win against FCS schools.

NY6 Bowl has nothing to do with Playoff Berth. Committee detests weak SOS. The difference between AP/Coaches Poll vs CFP is significant. If 2nd highest rated G5 team is the goal to make a NY6 bowl that will have little meaning in a 12 team Playoff era - then by all means - schedule 2 FCS...( and restate our goals so we all know what we are striving for ).