[jbock13]

Welcome to messageboards. You didn't do anything wrong.

I'm well aware of that.

[Sly Fox]

one of Nebraska's big recruits for next year Aaron Green had this reason for picking Neb over a number of schools including his home state Texas

The kid looks like a great player but he probably was going to have to make a position change if he chose UT because the nation's top RB (who happens to be in Green's hometown) had already committed to the Horns. But I digress ...

Bobby Bowden made a killing in recruiting for decades playing the "Christian atmosphere" at FSU while looking the other way as his players did as they pleased. Now every school has a coach who handles the Christian kids (at UT its Major Applewhite).

I look forward to the day when we are the first choice of top Christian athletes. That's not happening very often where we are right now in the Big South.

[logic]

Well said Sly. Obviously the board and I will not agree on the extreme value of big-time major college football in supporting the mission of a university, whatever that mission may be. But back to my original argument with purple; yes Liberty should move up and sooner rather than later for all the aforementioned reasons.

[Purple Haize]

Graceandknowledge is my vote for rookie poster of the year.
JBOK - I have addressed the move to BCS level. Again the question is: What do we bring to a BCS conference? Or even a Non BCS conference? Money is not really a good answer simply b/c no one has said where the money will come from. Are we paying our way into the league? Slipping a little extra to the powers that be?
LOGIC - What above stated reasons? There have been a lot pro and con. There are basically, IMO, three things wrong with your argument.
1. You have a "Jerry said it, I believe it and that is good enough for me". He also said he would see ND and LU play football in his lifetime. Didn't happen.
2. Is it small time thinking to want to build a quality product where we are at before moving up? IMO, having a solid foundation of success greatly increases our chances of success if we move up to the BCS level.
3. You argue that the only/best way to get LU's name out is to play/win the national championship game in football. Really? Yes football is the most popular spectator sport in the US but so what? Even if 30 million watch the game, the population of the US is 300 million. Winning the BCS is not a guarantee to univerisal name recognition. Heck, how many "norma' people can name the last 4 national champs? or even last years?

[jcmanson]

I feel like I've been reading this same thread for 8 years. Oh wait, I have.

[Purple Haize]

I feel like I've been reading this same thread for 8 years. Oh wait, I have.

Just wait till you get older and can say "15 years"!!!!

[kuntryboimike]

I feel like I've been reading this same thread for 8 years. Oh wait, I have.

That's not very encouraging....I hope I'm not reading this same thread in 8 years....I know we've come a long way on and off the field in performance, facilities and finances....But still.....

[jbock13]

JBOK - I have addressed the move to BCS level. Again the question is: What do we bring to a BCS conference? Or even a Non BCS conference? Money is not really a good answer simply b/c no one has said where the money will come from. Are we paying our way into the league? Slipping a little extra to the powers that be?

Once again, I would like to say for the 5,000th time I never said anything about that we should go to FBS now. Secondly, I don't believe money has anything to do with it, and if you didn't catch it the reason I posted "money, money, money, money... money.", I had a little song in my head reading everyone else's post. The O'Jays, "Money, Money, Money, Money... Money"

[Sly Fox]

My generation remembers the hair band version better by the Bullet Boys that I used to play on Z100 back in the day.

For the record, I am ready for us to step up yesterday.

[From the class of 09]

For the record, I am ready for us to step up yesterday.

+1 and money has everything to do with it not sure how that is even an argument.

[phoenix]

I think we should move up the first time a good opportunity presents itself. We also need to be aware that we're not going to be conference champions and playing in a bowl game in our first season.

I can just hear the weeping and wailing on the forum, 5 years from now when our first season in Conference USA ends with a 4-7 record. "We never should have moved up." "The coaching staff didn't prepare our team for the move" "I wish we were back in the Big South -- at least there we could win football games."

[Cider Jim]

"I wish we were back in the Big South"

[jbock13]

Oh that will happen. But we still should move ASAP. Heck, that will happen if we move to a better FCS conference. We should still do that too.

I'd at the bare minimum like to see us move to the SoCon. I see that more likely than us moving to the CAA. Besides, I'd rather be in the SoCon anyway.

[Sly Fox]

To the SoCon, just say no. We have much greater ambitions today. The CAA is a much more complicated situation.

[Purple Haize]

Now a move to the Colonial would be the BEST option!! We do bring a lot to that conference, chief among them geography. PLENTY of in-state rivalries which in turn boosts attendance which in turn boosts regional noteriety which in turn helps with in state recruiting which in turn helps with scheduling "up" which in turn.........let's just say there are lots of turns, all for the good.
Of course, this obviously makes me a small time, self loathing thinker

[Chris Lang]

If UMass leaves for the MAC, and Villanova leaves for the Big East, there's a ton of talk of Maine and UNH looking to bolt for the Northeast Conference just because of travel concerns. That would be interesting. Which philosophy would win out? Would the Northeast sell its soul to jump to 63 schollies to accomodate the former CAA members? That would probably anger Duquesne and St. Francis, who have no interest (or money) to play that level of football. Or would Maine and UNH be forced to drop to 40 schollies?

If those four leave, your remaining CAA is:

Towson
Richmond
William & Mary
James Madison
Delaware
Old Dominion
Georgia State

Seems like the CAA would have a need at that point ... Obviously, LU fans should keep a keen eye on what goes on with the New England CAA contingent.

[TDDance234]

UMass and 'Nova are locks to move, IMO. Leaving the door open for a Stony Brook/LU move to the CAA.

[Purple Haize]

Having a friend in Maine...
I would say that Maine and UNH would drop to 40 scholy's. Maine is a "hockey" school and ...New Hampshire is.....well........ You also have 2 against the rest of the conference, so majority might rule on that one. Plus, dropping 20 scholy's won't be that big of impact, IMO on those schools b/c of in state tuition breaks and since they will have the same number of scholarships as the rest of the conference. Also, the Fighting Blue Hens may want to jump somewhere else, but I don't think they would want to drop to 40, they REALLY want football to be king.
The only other arguement to be made for bumping everyone else up would be closer geography = greater attendance/media which would offset the costs to those other schools. Not sure it would fly. Buth that is just me.

[Purple Haize]

UMass and 'Nova are locks to move, IMO. Leaving the door open for a Stony Brook/LU move to the CAA.

Self loather. Why shouldn't WE make the jump to the MAC or Big East and let everyone else figure out what THEY are going to do??? ROSE BOWL HERE WE COME!!!

[From the class of 09]

UMass and 'Nova are locks to move, IMO. Leaving the door open for a Stony Brook/LU move to the CAA.

I think Stony would probably go to the NEC but you never know.

[flamesfan30]

BTW heres an example of all the money we have:

Liberty’s strong financial footing in recent years has contributed to the high bond rating. Net assets for the university have increased from $100 million in 2007 to $530 million today. Projections show the university’s net assets will exceed $1 billion by 2014.

http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=18495&MID=24567

[LUconn]

Nova is NOT a lock to move to the Big East. It seems to be still very much in the air. I know it seems like a no brainer to pretty much everybody but I think the culture at villanova is not really accepting of it right now.

[jbock13]

Now a move to the Colonial would be the BEST option!! We do bring a lot to that conference, chief among them geography. PLENTY of in-state rivalries which in turn boosts attendance which in turn boosts regional noteriety which in turn helps with in state recruiting which in turn helps with scheduling "up" which in turn.........let's just say there are lots of turns, all for the good.
Of course, this obviously makes me a small time, self loathing thinker

I might actually agree with you here. Either we move up to CAA, or FBS. My thing is i don't know if we can truly compete at the CAA level yet.

[jbock13]

Well, I don't know anyone with connections to the SoCon...so I don't know where we stand with them. I do know that at the present rate of change in the CAA, they are more likely to need a good football team, and I also know that our name has been mentioned repeatedly in the CAA offices as a possibility...

What I base that on is that it would be geographically the 2nd best choice (of course the first being the CAA). And with a name like Liberty, wouldn't we fit in in the CAA

Bottom line, I don't care how we do it, we need out of the Big South. We'll never be anything here.

[BigAl57]

Now a move to the Colonial would be the BEST option!! We do bring a lot to that conference, chief among them geography. PLENTY of in-state rivalries which in turn boosts attendance which in turn boosts regional noteriety which in turn helps with in state recruiting which in turn helps with scheduling "up" which in turn.........let's just say there are lots of turns, all for the good.
Of course, this obviously makes me a small time, self loathing thinker

I might actually agree with you here. Either we move up to CAA, or FBS. My thing is i don't know if we can truly compete at the CAA level yet.

Last i heard CAA was below FBS.....with that logic if we can't compete in the CAA what makes you think we can compete in the FBS??

BTW. I believe that we can compete at both levels