[Liberty22]

Buckle up boys and girls, this is about to get real good for us. Saw on sunbelt board that cusa has a few surprising adds coming up, wku plus more, could be more sunbelt schools or could be big surprises. Also, received a private message last night on sunbelt board asking to keep this hush hush so take it FWIW that he is hearing Benson might be visiting campus soon and that LU is next in line..

[4everfsu]

Buckle up boys and girls, this is about to get real good for us. Saw on sunbelt board that cusa has a few surprising adds coming up, wku plus more, could be more sunbelt schools or could be big surprises. Also, received a private message last night on sunbelt board asking to keep this hush hush so take it FWIW that he is hearing Benson might be visiting campus soon and that LU is next in line..

If it is on the internet it has to be true...

[flamesfilmguy]

Buckle up boys and girls, this is about to get real good for us. Saw on sunbelt board that cusa has a few surprising adds coming up, wku plus more, could be more sunbelt schools or could be big surprises. Also, received a private message last night on sunbelt board asking to keep this hush hush so take it FWIW that he is hearing Benson might be visiting campus soon and that LU is next in line..

If it is on the internet it has to be true...

ditto. i'll believe it when i see it.

[Purple Haize]

Buckle up boys and girls, this is about to get real good for us. Saw on sunbelt board that cusa has a few surprising adds coming up, wku plus more, could be more sunbelt schools or could be big surprises. Also, received a private message last night on sunbelt board asking to keep this hush hush so take it FWIW that he is hearing Benson might be visiting campus soon and that LU is next in line..

If it is on the internet it has to be true...

Bon Jour

[TH Spangler]

Maybe LU to C-USA ......

[Blessed1]

Liberty's next in line? What!

[TH Spangler]

Any chance we hear something by Apr 13, 2013 @ 1:00 PM?

[jbock13]

I think Idaho invite from sunbelt is a bogus rumor.

Would a statement from the Idaho athletic director be satisfactory?

"Idaho, which will play the 2013 season as an independent, plans to join the Sun Belt as a football-only member in 2014, Idaho Athletic Director Rob Spear told the Idaho Statesman on Monday.

"'There's a sense of relief, but we have a lot of work to do to get this program where it needs to be facility-wise. This is a positive step for sure,' Spear said."

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/03/2 ... rylink=cpy

By 'bogus' he meant good. He was using 80's Valley Girl language in much the same way 'sick' is now a good thing. Or so the kids tell me.

That's phat Haize.

[jcrew4]

I just saw on the Catholic 7 board that they may consider adding a Baptist school. Speculation has it that they want to help control the flow of alcohol sales at games. http://www.catholic7conference.com/

[TH Spangler]

FWIW, not much ...

Thoughtful analysis. From some influential Liberty alums I have heard they are “shopping around” to see what interest is available and the best deal they can make but they will make one in the next 9 months I am told.

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.co ... -sun-belt/

[ATrain]

I just saw on the Catholic 7 board that they may consider adding a Baptist school. Speculation has it that they want to help control the flow of alcohol sales at games. http://www.catholic7conference.com/

They'll need two Baptist schools then...just one will drink it all.

[flamesfilmguy]

I just saw on the Catholic 7 board that they may consider adding a Baptist school. Speculation has it that they want to help control the flow of alcohol sales at games. http://www.catholic7conference.com/

They'll need two Baptist schools then...just one will drink it all.

ZING!

[Humble_Opinion]

Guys, it's not looking good. I am not sure it'll happen.

This.

Lol you guys are so negative. I know we've endured 97 pages of hope in this thread and nothing has come to fruition... yet. But at some point it will happen. Competing at the highest level of collegiate athletics has always been a part of the vision for LU. Nearly all of the other pieces of the vision have been, or are in the process of being accomplished at this point. Don't you have faith that it's going to happen for the athletics piece too?

[logic]

When do the Tulsa / fBE / WKU / CUSA dominoes fall? How sure are we that Liberty would be next in line? Sly, where are your contacts?

[logic]

Guys, it's not looking good. I am not sure it'll happen.

This.

I chortle audibly. you guys are so negative. I know we've endured 97 pages of hope in this thread and nothing has come to fruition... yet. But at some point it will happen. Competing at the highest level of collegiate athletics has always been a part of the vision for LU. Virtually all the others have taken place at this point. Don't you have faith that it's going to happen for the athletics piece too?[/quote


They have no vision !

Enter Haize...in 3-2-1...

[Humble_Opinion]

When do the Tulsa / fBE / WKU / CUSA dominoes fall? How sure are we that Liberty would be next in line? Sly, where are your contacts?

Logic - every time I see your posts I think of the dog in the beggin' strips commercials.

[Kolzilla41]

Guys, it's not looking good. I am not sure it'll happen.

This.

I chortle audibly. you guys are so negative. I know we've endured 97 pages of hope in this thread and nothing has come to fruition... yet. But at some point it will happen. Competing at the highest level of collegiate athletics has always been a part of the vision for LU. Nearly all of the other pieces of the vision have been, or are in the process of being accomplished at this point. Don't you have faith that it's going to happen for the athletics piece too?

Negative? The SBC just filled the last two spots. Maybe I have mad math skills, I don't know. The fact is Bensons is willing to take on a member that according to Flames_Nations has the following data:

What was it about Idaho? Perhaps their average attendance of 12,582 this past season? Or maybe their stadium capacity of 16,000? Or maybe their $16.5 million athletic budget? Or maybe it's the fact that they are only 2,000 miles away from the closest current Sun Belt member? Or maybe it's their 40-115 record in football since the turn of the century.

Compare all those numbers to Liberty: average attendance of 16,318 in 2012, stadium capacity of 19,200, $19.5 million athletic budget, 1,300 miles to the FURTHEST current Sun Belt member, 74-71 football record since the turn of the century.

Numbers don't lie.

[flamesfilmguy]

Guys, it's not looking good. I am not sure it'll happen.

I chortle audibly. you guys are so negative. I know we've endured 97 pages of hope in this thread and nothing has come to fruition... yet. But at some point it will happen. Competing at the highest level of collegiate athletics has always been a part of the vision for LU. Virtually all the others have taken place at this point. Don't you have faith that it's going to happen for the athletics piece too?

They have no vision !

Enter Haize...in 3-2-1...

What i see spans a whole lot more than athletics at liberty. I REALLY don't want to get into a changing culture discussion but after sitting on the AGS and CSNBBS boards for the past few days I have come to realize just how much our stance as an institution hurts us in the athletics and academic worlds more than i suspected. I would'nt trade where we stand as a school (christian faith values,etc) for an invite to the SEC much less the Sun Belt but i do think it is going to get us passed over. I hope i'm wrong. I will gladly eat crow if we make it. my faith in humanity, not my savior, is a little shaken.

[TallyW]

It's going to happen guys. I honestly believe that the invitation is the hardest part of fulfilling the vision of competing with the biggest schools in the nation. We'll get in somewhere. Until we have 4 mega conferences I think we'll continue to see plenty of movement.

[LUconn]

I think an invitation to the SBC is going to be a bitter sweet moment if it ever comes. It seems like just about a year ago, it was looking better than CUSA. It is a mess at this point. But it's our golden ticket I guess.

[LUaddict]

What i see spans a whole lot more than athletics at liberty. I REALLY don't want to get into a changing culture discussion but after sitting on the AGS and CSNBBS boards for the past few days I have come to realize just how much our stance as an institution hurts us in the athletics and academic worlds more than i suspected. I would'nt trade where we stand as a school (christian faith values,etc) for an invite to the SEC much less the Sun Belt but i do think it is going to get us passed over. I hope i'm wrong. I will gladly eat crow if we make it. my faith in humanity, not my savior, is a little shaken.

I'm with FFG, and that is what I have been saying all along,

No on wants us not because we're Christian, our values, and beliefs. It has been our past statements , actions, and our low academic profile. Believe it or not, it's true, it's clear to everyone else but some people are finally having that realization within LU. It has rubbed people the wrong way to put it lightly people do not have have short memories. That's what I holding us back. It's one thin for people to respect us, or even like us, but we are not even tolerated, because we are viewed by others as intolerant. Say what you will, by perception I reality.

If we get called by the SBC, it just to 12 members with the impending departure of WKU. If we don't get the call, we shouldn't wonder why we were on outside of the looking glass. I will gladly eat crow as well and happy for my alma mater, if we don't, it will suck, and we might ever get the FBS call.

[TallyW]

It would be nice to see a thread that talks about all of the times when our school had an obstacle in our way that most people said could not be overcome. My undergrad was between 96-2000. During that time I remember praying with Dr. Falwell for a 50 million dollar blessing because the school was basically broke. I also remember walking across the bridge over 460 when Dr. Falwell talked about moving TRBC to the mountain. There was nothing but trees and some tape marking off the corners of the building. Little did we know that everyone was facing the wrong way and that the vision would come to pass behind us at the Ericsson property. One thing that JR deserves at this point is our confidence. Everything that has been done to put our University on solid footing is preparing us for so much more. I remember the stories of how students were invited to Liberty with pictures of nice buildings on a mountain but when they arrived it was a wooded and muddy mess. The vision has been to compete at the highest levels. We will. We don't need the entire world to agree with our past statements or even regret the stands we've made. We shouldn't run from them and we should chart the course forward with a little confidence. It'll happen.

[Sly Fox]

I feel like I am surrounded by Chicken Littles. This is a fluid process and yesterday's news actually increased our chances of joining by moving the football threshhold up to 12.

Think of it this way, we are more of an all-sport option than a football affiliate candidate. If we were viewed by the SBC as an affiliate we would have likely been voted in ahead of the Vandals. But we make more sense as a replacement for WKU. And also last one in is just as much of a member as a school who helped found a league.

Hang tight, guys. This is far from over.

[jimflamesfan]

I love TallyW's last post. I am proud that LU is an evangelical Christian School. Right now we can simply pray that the dominoes fall the right way.

If they don't right now, our administration will have to look at the next best options - SoCon, CAA, etc. and keep pounding sand until the FBS invite happens.

LU shouldn't be shy about being an Evangelical Christian school just to get into the Sunbelt. I think the best LU can do from a PR standpoint is make it clear that it is not a mean-spirited institution.

One thing that bothers me...I am not sure about Liberty Counsel's relationship to the lawschool.

It would seem nice if those could be two separate entities...so a person in one role as the dean of the lawschool can stick to that role...and if another person wants to send out emails that Liberty Counsel supports such and such, that could be totally separate from the lawschool...It could have a separate office and a name that didn't contain the word Liberty...and maybe not have the dean of the school be the head of the Counsel, it seems like a conflict of interest.

[Liberty22]

They have no vision !

Enter Haize...in 3-2-1...

I got this Haize... "where there is no vision, the people perish." Proverbs 29:18