[alabama24]

I think all this talk of moving up if funny. If anything is needed, more teams should be moving DOWN.

[jbock13]

I think all this talk of moving up if funny. If anything is needed, more teams should be moving DOWN.

Amen. Like the MAC and the Sun Belt.

[jcmanson]

I guess I should have saved myself some time by just handling the WVU issue and not going into all the detail in regard to realignment possibilities.

I appreciated the post but haven't had time to comment. You think the CUSA/MWC would be more likely raid the Sunbelt than looking at FCS?

[Sly Fox]

I think it will be a combination. In order to achieve some further penetration into the East Coast they will have to go after some FCS schools IF they chose to go for a mega-league. If this alliance stops at 24 we are likely on the outs. But it is easiest for the MWC & CUSA folks to raid WAC & Sun Belt first with schools to help with travel costs for existing league members. Then they'll likely turn their eyes toward FCS schools to beef up East Coast presence for Marshall & ECU. The list of prospects in this area needed to boost television contract revenue based on media markets is rather sparse. Temple & UMass from the MAC make sense but not much else. That's where we have to find a way to convince the C-USA honks that we bring value.

The best I can ascertain, the Sun Belt Conference exit fees remains at half a million dollars. Not a huge sum but it likely eliminates some schools from bolting (I'm looking at you Louisiana-Monroe).

There is one other factor that hasn't been brought up yet remains an outside possibility. If the MWC-CUSA alliance does raid the WAC it will have no choice between folding or getting creative. The WAC is a full FBS member league and that has definite value. Even after the shifting, we may find an opportunity banding together with others left out of the giant game of musical chairs to join a completely reworked WAC to form a MAC/Sun Belt-esque league. This would obviously not be anyone's first choice. But I am just being honest about all of the possibilities.

[jcmanson]

To be honest, I don't care if we're in the Sunbelt or the WAC or the SEC, I just want out of the Big South ASAP.

Get to FBS then we can worry about where we go from there.

[Sly Fox]

I'm with you. If we can manage to land somewhere in FBS in this go around, by the time the next one arrives we will likely be a considerably larger school and be a more attractive get.

Countdown until someone brings up meaningless bowl in

3 ...

2 ...

1 ...

[jcmanson]

I don't understand that argument though, I'd rather go to the Poinsettia Bowl than keep going 8-3/7-4 in the Big South and missing out on the playoffs. If not just for the simple reason that our ceiling as a program would increase tenfold.

[Sly Fox]

Your're preaching to the choir. Count me in for a week in San Diego in Mid-December hanging with fellow FlameFans. Those who so desperately want playoff success should be shouting for us to slip back down to DII where we could totally dominate.

[NotAJerry]

I agree a move up should happen, and hopefully this time around. I still think we're one realignment cycle from making the FBS move. Despite the sudden public bemoaning of losing "traditional" leagues, movement has been a constant for 30 years now and it's not going to suddenly stop. I would say Sun Belt, MAC, and CUSA, in that order, are the possibilities for now. Here are the current bowl tie-ins for those conferences:

Sun Belt
R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (vs CUSA)
GoDaddy.com Bowl (vs MAC) -- Mobile, AL

MAC
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (vs WAC) -- Boise, ID
Little Caesar's Bowl (vs B1G) -- Detroit, MI
GoDaddy.com Blow (vs Sun Belt) -- Mobile, AL

CUSA
R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (vs Sun Belt)
Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl (vs Big East)
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl (vs WAC -- Hawaii gets preference if Bowl eligible)
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (vs BYU) -- Dallas, TX -- SMU stadium
Auto-Zone Liberty Bowl (vs SEC) -- Memphis, TN
TicketCity Bowl (vs B1G) -- Dallas, TX -- Cotton Bowl

I would be perfectly happy with jumping to the Sun Belt and shooting for a bowl within 5 years, one full recruiting cycle, of arrival. That would seem to be the most realistic option at this point, but I still think that's a couple of years away. As long as the landscape doesn't completely change, I'm thinking that should be the goal the moment the campus is fully done with the expansion to 20k in on-campus housing (maybe a year before). That seems to be a worthwhile, and legitimate goal.

[jbock13]

keep dreaming...

[Sly Fox]

What you call dreaming is what we have learned over the past 40 years is casting a vision.

[alabama24]

Countdown until someone brings up meaningless bowl...

How about the toilet bowl?

Until we can do more than squeak by the "Blue Hose," there should be no serious talk about moving up. Seriously.

[jcmanson]

Countdown until someone brings up meaningless bowl...

How about the toilet bowl?

Until we can do more than squeak by the "Blue Hose," there should be no serious talk about moving up. Seriously.

Umm, no. In fact the more times we "squeak by the BlueHose" the more I want to talk about moving up.

[NotAJerry]

I still think our push right now should be to get into the SoCon in all sports. It would open up some new recruiting areas, it would force us to upgrade the on-field product even further, and would likely do a better job of preparing the program as a whole for a move up to something like the Sun Belt on the FBS level.

[jcmanson]

I still think our push right now should be to get into the SoCon in all sports. It would open up some new recruiting areas, it would force us to upgrade the on-field product even further, and would likely do a better job of preparing the program as a whole for a move up to something like the Sun Belt on the FBS level.

I still think you're wrong.

[BJWilliams]

jc's right...you need those close wins to build a team's resolve and confidence...and sometimes you need a wake up call if the guys seem like they are on autopilot. I mean up until last week we had beaten teams 35-3, 63-27 and 38-16...that's an average of 45.3-15.3. We beat presbyterian 55-19 and 34-24 in the last two meetings, so you had to figure they went in thinking we'd smash them again...but we didnt...our backs were forced against the wall and (to paraphrase something from the video board), we came out fighting and got a win. If youre never challenged, then how on earth are you going to get better?

[NotAJerry]

I still think our push right now should be to get into the SoCon in all sports. It would open up some new recruiting areas, it would force us to upgrade the on-field product even further, and would likely do a better job of preparing the program as a whole for a move up to something like the Sun Belt on the FBS level.

I still think you're wrong.

If there's a legit chance to jump to the Sun Belt/MAC/CUSA, then you take it right now. I doubt there will be, so improving the level of FCS competition/recognition should be the next goal. The Big South needs to be a memory, one way or another, ASAP.

[jcmanson]

I still think our push right now should be to get into the SoCon in all sports. It would open up some new recruiting areas, it would force us to upgrade the on-field product even further, and would likely do a better job of preparing the program as a whole for a move up to something like the Sun Belt on the FBS level.

I still think you're wrong.

If there's a legit chance to jump to the Sun Belt/MAC/CUSA, then you take it right now. I doubt there will be, so improving the level of FCS competition/recognition should be the next goal. The Big South needs to be a memory, one way or another, ASAP.

I agree with your post, but the only FCS league we move to should be the CAA provided JMU, ODU, W&M, Towson (or at least 2-3 of them) are still there.

[Sly Fox]

If there is an opening in the SoCon it is because Appy and/or GSU is gone. What is left of that league is not worth the bother of moving. The ONLY league FCS worth pursuing is CAA and that is only if we can't find a way into any FBS conference.

[Cider Jim]

What you call dreaming is what we have learned over the past 40 years is casting a vision.

Preach it, my Texas brother!

And your other comment above is dead on: an Appy-less SoCon has no benefit to us at all, esp. since Marshall is long gone.

[thepostman]

I am not sure if the time is right to move up or not but the fact we squeaked by the hose or continually go 8-3 in FCS without a playoff bid should not be a reason to hold us back from moving up. Moving up comes with more scholarships which means more quality players. Moving up also means we instantly start getting a little bit more interest then we would right now from players who we would not have gotten interest from previously simply because we are FBS.

The reason I am unsure if this is the right time to move up is because of fan support. Its not like our fan support (student/alumni/local community) is that strong at the moment. It probably needs to be built a bit stronger but then again maybe if we move up that would take care of that, who knows...

I just think its silly to think because we have sort of platued at this level that means we wouldn't be able to compete at the next level for years and years and years...the added scholarships and moving up alone will open up new recruiting opportunities and I believe we have some fantastic recruiters.

Just my 2 cents....

[NotAJerry]

So, let's say App St moves up. You guys really don't think a league with GSU, Wofford, Furman and a wider reach of states to play in isn't an upgrade over the Big South? The Big South, other than Stony Brook and LU, has nothing. The SoCon still would have 1 elite program, a couple of consistently good ones, and a wider footprint where games would be played which should further help recruiting.

Obviously, the CAA would be ideal, but I just don't see them wanting to play ball with LU. The SoCon would be a significant upgrade over the Big South as long as either GSU or App St are still there.

[Sly Fox]

That's a big IF ... both are likely to be gone together. And even if GSU sticks around temporarily, they will be just like us looking to bolt at the first opportunity. If we stick in the Big South we have an easier path to the postseason.

[jcmanson]

The Socon w/o either ASU or GSU is not that much of a step up from the Big South. It wouldn't be worth moving.

[NotAJerry]

The Socon w/o either ASU or GSU is not that much of a step up from the Big South. It wouldn't be worth moving.

I find this thought questionable. If either of them are there, that's a team that is much better than anyone in the Big South. Wofford makes the playoffs on a routine basis and is on pace for their 7th 8+ win season in the last 10, they'll likely be getting their 4th playoff bid in 5 years, and they've already made the quarterfinals twice in that time. Furman is on pace for their 9th winning season in 10 years and seem to be having a bit of a resurgence under a new coach. I'm highly doubtful that Coastal or Stony Brook are better than the 2nd tier of the SoCon.

One random note, the current Sagarin ratings at USA Today have the SoCon rated as not only the best conference in FCS this year but better than the Sun Belt.