[Hold My Own]

thats a good start...I really believe it would bring the state a lot more money and many other things....

[prototype]

The SoCon has never seriously considered Liberty. whether is is b/c of our academic standards, the fact that we are the school founded by jerry falwell, which both of these arguements have not been made public, but many SoCon presidents feel or have felt this way. The SoCon is still a good conference, much better than the Big South, and i would personally love to see us there, as we could develop some good rivalries. but we are stuck in the big south period. in the big south's defense they are trying to get presbyterian...i know they are DII, but so were other schools before they stepped up.Once we get the sixth member the leagues football members must continue to improve on the field , upgrade their facilities, and then maybe the NCAA will grant a bid. as far as a coastal move.....certainly possible especially if they continue to play well. the key to this is kallander. he must get commitments from the football playing schools to keep the league going, and even map out a 5 year plan for the league. do you think elon is happy about moving?? their football team is dreadful, and really they are a bottom feeder in other sports too. but they love that SoCon name. deep down, they want to be back in the big south. Elon is really the reason that big south football is the way it is.

NOT TRUE

[TallyW]

hahaaa... well, we know where proto stands on all of that information

[PAmedic]

PROTO: which part(s)? please elaborate

[prototype]

We were considered - got to a presidents vote years ago.

I'm not going to go into why we didn't get in, but I will say that one of the reason you mentioned is correct.

The Big South is a good conference for us if we want to compete and have a chance to play in the NCAA tournaments in most sports - the SoCon is good because their is a better profit sharing system. Liberty gets nothing from the Big South. Most teams have to be in a conference - it's a must, unless you are a Notre Dame - it's to expensive to travel and get teams to play you out of conference. The only thing the Big South can do for us at this point is sign a Football school - who cares who they are - but until we have that automatic bid in Football, the Big South serves no purpose for our most important sport.

But I still believe that to Liberty to truly be competitive at the next Level - it is Men's Basketball that will have to take us there. It is the one sport were you can compete in the shortest amount of time and will bring the most attention to the overall program. Can Football accelerate the process? You bet, and I believe Coach Rocco is the guy to do it - But even if he wins 8 games next year - makes the 1-AA tournament, it will do much less for the school compared to going to the Final 64.

The Fighting Christians jumped ship - look what happen to them.

[Rocketfan]

Elon was competitive in the Big South and what are they now? Fodder?
Only thing that is not a lock is 8 wins probably doesn't get us in to the 1-aa tourney.

[bigsmooth]

proto, maybe i should restate my views. when i worked at VMI, they were in the SoCon. at that time they had zero interest in LU, and some presidents were very clear as to why not and it was b/c of dr. falwell and his views. if that has changed then it is news to me, but i certainly do apppreciate you clearing it up. but still the majority of presidents do not want LU in th SoCon.

[bigsmooth]

i personally liked the figthin christians instead of what they are now the phoenix!

[Hold My Own]

yeh, i 2nd Proto, I know it for a fact...I guess it wasnt when you were there, smooth

I actually just spoke to JF about the chances for us to get into another conference tonite

also, great point about BBall and Fball, final 64 is hard to top (not to mention if you can make a splash)

[jimflamesfan]

Elon also changed coaches when they switched to the SoCon. Elon seemed tougher under Seagraves running the wishbone, but when they joined the Southern Conference I believe they left Seagraves go and hired the coach from the now defunked East Tenessee State (or whatever school that was that played games in the indoor "dome").

The Socon is NOT a big enough step forward to waste all the effort...its almost a step sideways. It is a little better overall, and definately better in football...but I'd be happy with some more Big South football schools for the near future, and look for a better option down the road.

It really seems that the Big South scares the SoCon. After the Big South took VMI, the SoCon reacted by taking Elon (out of all the possibilities) so that the Big South might not take a precious at-large football bid away.

Now that it looks like Presbyterian is getting ready to step up, it seems that the SoCon will look to take Coastal to keep the Big South from getting that 6th team.

Bottom line, the Big South has to do a better job at obtaining some solid football members, and keeping current members happy.

[bigsmooth]

does it really matter that we received one presidential vote??? until we get the majority, it will not happen. There is still too much bias in the SoCon.

[Hold My Own]

Elon also changed coaches when they switched to the SoCon. Elon seemed tougher under Seagraves running the wishbone, but when they joined the Southern Conference I believe they left Seagraves go and hired the coach from the now defunked East Tenessee State (or whatever school that was that played games in the indoor "dome").

The Socon is NOT a big enough step forward to waste all the effort...its almost a step sideways. It is a little better overall, and definately better in football...but I'd be happy with some more Big South football schools for the near future, and look for a better option down the road.

It really seems that the Big South scares the SoCon. After the Big South took VMI, the SoCon reacted by taking Elon (out of all the possibilities) so that the Big South might not take a precious at-large football bid away.

Now that it looks like Presbyterian is getting ready to step up, it seems that the SoCon will look to take Coastal to keep the Big South from getting that 6th team.

Bottom line, the Big South has to do a better job at obtaining some solid football members, and keeping current members happy.

I agree with Jim....I just don't see the SoCon as being a life changing experience therefore it really doesn't matter how many presidential votes we get...I dont see the Big South being that far behind the Socon and not to mention I think the Big South can make up what ever little ground there is to make up......I'm still holding out for the VAcon

[WinthropEagleFan]

Speaking of SoCon vs. Big South...I noticed today on http://www.kenpom.com that the Big South has actually moved ahead of the SoCon in men's basketball RPI...

[Hold My Own]

Well there we go....I thought it was Ken Porn....i was like ohh jeez...lol

[PAmedic]

provided by a CCU poster: http://coastalfans.com/forum/posting.ph ... te&p=13737

Think about this. Every person you know who backs our University, or even attends games on a regular basis, has something to say about the SoCon. Why do you think this is? CCU is the next team in the SoCon. We are expanding at a phenomenal rate, and out athletics are second to none...

[bigsmooth]

athletics second to none??? FUNNY!!!

[PAmedic]

SJ- don't hold this against me!

You'd think these guys had actually WON something.

http://www.coastalfans.com/forum/viewto ... 6&start=60

In my opinion, if we join the SoCon, which I'm heavily in favor of, the local interest of CCU sports will skyrocket (not that it hasn't increased in popularity).

Season ticket sales would increase. Stadium expansions would almost be mandatory. Not to mention the regional/potentially nationwide press we'd receive.

Be honest...Wouldn't you rather see Coastal play Furman, The Citadel, Wofford, etc. on a yearly basis as opposed to Gardner-Webb & Liberty.

No offense to those last two teams, but the prestige of almost every SoCon school outweighs that of our current conference foes. And yes, Coastal would struggle in its infant years in the SoCon. But, we'd adjust quickly.

Basically, if we want to make it to the "big-time", a switch is needed. It's a "no-brainer." Now, it's just a waiting game of when the switch will occur.

[PAmedic]

SJ help me understand this mentality please.

These guys have absolutely no concept of the fact that, north of Charlottesville- NO ONE has a clue what the difference is between the Southland, Southern, or Big South Conferences.

National exposure, are you kidding me? due to moving from the BSOUTH to the SoCon? This gets more bizarre by the month. People need to get out a little. I love LU, but am realistic about the amount of exposure ANYONE other than the BCS schools will EVER get. Talk to me when our schools are named Penn State, Texas, Michigan or USC (The REAL one in Cali! )

[SuperJon]

Their version of National Exposure would mean better shot at the playoffs, which are covered nationally, with the automatic bid. The SoCon also has at least one weekly basketball game on national tv. That's the exposure they're talking about.

[A.G.]

The SoCon is a MUCH bigger, better, and prestigeous conference than the Big South. Any school that can bail and better itself should explore the options.

[jimflamesfan]

The SoCon is a side-step from the Big South and is not worth the effort for any school in the Big South...in fact, as stated before, it looks like the Big South is starting to surpass the SoCon in all sports except football.

If the Big South could pick up some MEAC schools, football might be a wash as well.

People have heard of the SoCon, sure...but VA Tech and Alabama, and others aren't there anymore. It's a bunch of leftovers that are scared that the Big South will get 6 football schools.

[jimflamesfan]

...Coastal might be an exception, just because they fit so geographically well in the SoCon.

But not because they would get "National Exposure" in the SoCon as compared to the Big South. If national exposure is one baseball game a week...Coastal get's "national" exposure in basketball when they play LU at the vines, I can see it on SkyAngel, and so can my relatives in PA.

[SuperJon]

The Big South is nowhere near the SoCon in football and won't be for AT LEAST another 5-10 years. A sixth team will not get the Big South an auto bid. It will take at least 8 teams for an autobid in football. Coastal gets "national" exposure when they play at the Vines. Right. That's once a year. If you're the top basketball team in the SoCon you're going to play on Comcast or ESPNU probably 3-4 times a year, if not more. There's generally one SoCon football game on Fox Sports South EVERY week. Competition wise, it's a lateral move in baseball probably. This year was the first year in a LONG time that the BSC was better in basketball, so it's probably a lateral move there too, competition wise. However, Coastal can make more money, and save more money, by going to the SoCon. Let's look at the difference, geography wise, between the two conferences, as it pertains to Coastal:

SoCon
CofC: 98 miles
El Cid: 98 miles
UNCG: 189 miles
Wofford: 227 miles
Davidson: 232 miles
Furman: 233 miles
Elon: 246 miles
Georgia Southern: 269 miles
App St: 306 miles
WCU: 333 miles
UTC: 464 miles

Average: 223 miles (w/o UTC), 245 miles (w/ UTC)

Big South
Chuck South: 98 miles
Winthrop: 188 miles
High Point: 190 miles
UNCA: 290 miles
Liberty: 304 miles
Radford: 318 miles
VMI: 347 miles
BSC: 493 miles

Average: 247 miles (w/o BSC), 276 miles (w/ BSC)

Now, what does that mean? Not only is the travel time down for players, but more fans from the opposing schools can come to games. That means a bigger payout. The schools in the SoCon have more tradition (in most sports) and travel better than most schools in the Big South.

Better competition
+
Bigger payout
+
More time on tv
=
Good thing.

[PAmedic]

good explanation SJ, thanks.

it may well be a good fit four our friends in Myrtle.

[Sly Fox]

Frankly I don't see where the mileage is significantly different based on those numbers. Frankly I was expecting it to be more pronounced. You throw out Birmingham Southern and UTC and it is a wash (no fans travel to either anyway).

Since CCU is already scheduling CofC and El Cid as non-conference matchups, the move provides even less allure. But hey, that's just this biased LU alum hoping the Chants stay where they are.