Sly Fox wrote:We are on par with everybody else that was in the league this year including the departing Western Kentucky who had what was really a neutral site game in Nashville to pump up their numbers.
The scheduling of Brevard was obviously a mistake on multiple levels.
This was more of the point that I was trying to make in terms of numbers.
Someone made the argument that our lack of at-large playoff bids should prove that we aren't going to receive a bowl bid. For one, playoff bids versus bowl bids are different. Your team receives a playoff bid based on your resume, not necessarily your attractiveness or numbers. On the contrary, because bowl games are simply one game and ironically meant for T.V. ratings rather than a competitive match-up, bowl games will generally favor the attraction of a team more-so than the competitiveness. Obviously, there are exceptions to both of these rules, but I don't believe there will be any correlation to our lack of at-large playoff bids to our at-large bowl births.
As to Haize's point about competitiveness. I do agree to an extent. I agree that we should do everything we can do to compete now, in the Big South. We need to win the conference out-right and be competitive in playoffs. Considering Co-Big South champions as an accomplishment should be abandoned, it's completely embarrassing.
However, where I disagree with Haize is on if we were to receive an invite, we should decline. FBS invites are fairly common now, but I believe they will be scarce in say 10 years. If we want to go FBS, we need to do it now rather than later. At some point in the future, the NCAA likely will block FCS teams from moving up to FBS. Even if they don't, I believe that FBS conferences are actively trying to phase-out the SunBelt. Fewer conferences = more bowl bids for the current conferences. We saw what happened to the WAC. Once that happens, I don't think you'll see any invites for a while.
I think the best course for Liberty to take would be to accept an invitation from the Sun Belt, while hoping that the C-USA or American conference offer. Even if they don't offer, and even if the Sun Belt were to phase out, I think we could succeed as an independent. Some of you worry about scheduling issues but I think because of the fantastic local FCS schools, we could put together some solid schedules. A 12 game schedule with 2 FCS schools (say W&M and Richmond), wouldn't be a bad deal.
I understand the point your trying to make Haize, and when you consider some of the crazies on this board, it is well appreciated. But I do disagree with it. I just see way to many advantages to playing any type of FBS football versus any type of FCS football.
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