[Chris Lang]

Gill did not build that football program from the ground up. That was Rocco. Gill didn't walk into a disaster like he did. Karcher had some players, that's obvious. But the program was a dumpster fire when Rocco arrived, and he put it out. Gill walked into a very favorable situation.

[Liberty22]

The argument over on the sunbelt board (not that most on here care because many have said that) is that the Sun Belt does not want Liberty BECAUSE if they did they would have added Liberty. That's stupid. By that Logic than they don't want JMU because they have not added them and they don't want MoSt because they have not added them and they don't want Alabama, Florida etc. well you know. Now does Sun Belt want Liberty, probably not, but the reason why is not simply because we have not been added yet. Rant over.

[JakeP50]

I really hope we get in after reading the Sun Belt boards just once and seeing so much uneducated hate. I just want to whip them up and down the field/court/diamond/track and for the ones that made fun of the academics I want to be their boss one day.

[Yacht Rock]

Being someone's boss has little to do with what school you went to in the long run. That's an urban myth that exists in university circles but isn't as prevalent in the job world.

[Cider Jim]

More JMU conference speculation: https://jamesmadison.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1630564

[JakeP50]

Being someone's boss has little to do with what school you went to in the long run. That's an urban myth that exists in university circles but isn't as prevalent in the job world.

I know that but I'm pretty sure they don't

[Chantzilla]

Where's all the "Coastal to the CAA" speculation coming from???

Just this week, there were people claiming that Winthrop was a shoe-in to get into the Colonial.

[SuperJon]

Where's all the "Coastal to the CAA" speculation coming from???

Just this week, there were people claiming that Winthrop was a shoe-in to get into the Colonial.

I just pulled it out of my butt because it made sense. Then again, a random guy on the internet said it so it must be true.

[JakeP50]

What Jon said

[thepostman]

man JakeP50 really is BJ jr.

[JakeP50]

Well when enough people say something about you, you start to believe it *evil John Ross Ewing smile*

[SuperJon]

man JakeP50 really is BJ jr.

It's eery.

[Sly Fox]

FWIW the JMU writer referenced above is not held the type of esteem that we hold Lang around here. He hasn't worked it near as much as Barber used to in Harrisonburg. That is obviously highly subjective but the JMU posters on their board seem in unison.

Considering the ridiculous buzz around this situation in Harrisonburg, if anything significant occurred at the Board of Visitors meeting yesterday it would have leaked out. The fact that nothing emerged indicates to me it was more of an informational session for the athletics part of the meeting.

[jlread]

I think this Benson statement today clearly rules out Mo state. So JMU says no and LU is in!!!

While Benson would not comment on the school’s identity, it is believed the conference has extended an invitation to James Madison. But James Madison in the past has indicated it is not interested in moving to FBS, indicating that from an academic standpoint it is happy as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association.

Other schools under consideration include Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State and Liberty.

“Our West Division is set,” Benson said. “We need a school to give us six teams in the East Division.”

Click Here for Full Story

[Blessed1]

That just means MSU would play in the east.

That's what it sounds like to me... Conference realignment defies everything we were taught in geography as kids.

I still think Ark St and ULL are on the way out though. The sooner they get out, the better. I say that because the Sun Belt is loaded with western teams and they come in pairs. Therefore, the smaller schools (Ark LR, ULM, UT-Arlington) usually sides with the bigger schools (Art St, ULL, Texas St). Also throw in the fact that New Mexico State and Idaho are so happy to have a football home, they will probably side with the majority anyways...

So in other words, we need to swing either Ark St or ULL to vote for us.

[TH Spangler]

That just means MSU would play in the east.

That article didn't mention MSU at all? It sounds like Benson was very careful to not mention any names while at Georgia Southern. Just said there would be a 12th by June 1st and it will be in the east? He has said for a long time "he" wants at a travel partner for App State. Article mentions JMU Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State and Liberty.

Article hinted that JMU still may not be interested? Maybe this explains why. From a ODU forum.

According to the State of Virginia 2012:

16% of JMU's tuition and fees were allocated to athletics.
Athletics generated less than 26% of the actual revenue needed to cover expenses.

JMU has an endowment on the low side for a university of it's size and geographic location; 66.978 million.

Most of JMU's older alumni are women, who historically are not big athletic donors.

JMU is located in an extremely small population area, which probably precludes a large quantity of corporate donations.

JMU's location is also problematic when it comes to event attendance from locals who otherwise have no connection to the university."

JMU has lost over 8% per year in football attendance since 2011.

While none of the above issues are unique to JMU nor insurmountable, I believe that the "bean counters", and faculty and staff are very concerned about the efficacy of FBS as it relates to money.

A possible example of JMU's financial anxiety:

The proposed new JMU convo, which was approved for bonds by the Virginia legislature in 2011. This has not been acted upon, and is rapidly approaching a time when the $88 million is no longer an accurate number, which could cause the legislative process to have to be revisited.

Indeed, it has been reported that JMU is now looking for private donations for the convo instead.

[jlread]

I think the JMU invite was a required formality. Sorta like when u take your kid to the store and he has $5 dollars to buy a toy and wants the new Ferrari so to appease him u say ok will ask one more time then were done. I also don't think Benson would make the east comment if he had intentions of inviting Mo state.

[VAGolf]

Sorta like when u take your kid to the store and he has $5 dollars to buy a toy and wants the new Ferrari so to appease him u say ok will ask one more time then were done.

Wow

[TH Spangler]

I want to be in the Big East!

$500 million contract with Fox Sports 1, a sum that will rise to $600 million if, as expected, the league expands to 12 members

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/sport ... .html?_r=1&

The Rev. Brian J. Shanley, the president of Providence College, added, “We are rebooting the Big East.”

In a sense, the Big East has been rebooting for years, evolving from a basketball-centric conference to one with a strong football component.

“We never intended to be an all-Catholic conference,” Shanley said, “and we didn’t take Butler to be the token non-Catholic university.”

[alabama24]

I want to be in the Big East! :I chortle audibly.:

$500 million contract with Fox Sports 1, a sum that will rise to $600 million if, as expected, the league expands to 12 members

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/sport ... .html?_r=1&

The Rev. Brian J. Shanley, the president of Providence College, added, “We are rebooting the Big East.”

In a sense, the Big East has been rebooting for years, evolving from a basketball-centric conference to one with a strong football component.

“We never intended to be an all-Catholic conference,” Shanley said, “and we didn’t take Butler to be the token non-Catholic university.”

The article is from last year.

[JakeP50]

And they're a non-football conference. And getting whipped on national television by the likes of Villanova and Creighton every year would be terrible for our basketball team.

[TH Spangler]

I want to be in the Big East! :I chortle audibly.:
The article is from last year.

Any football plans in the future .....

[JakeP50]

There's no way this new Big East will start football they are all basketball first schools, even the few(3 I think) that have football, and they remember that it destroyed the old Big East and I don't think 7 holdovers from the original Big East want to go back down that road.

[TDDance234]

I'd love it if the MAC was an option. I've maintained all along that it is a perfect landing spot for us. I'm wondering if we had eyes for the Sun Belt all along. I'd assume Barber had built significant relationships in the South/Southwest during his time there before coming to Liberty and may have been able to get in easier.

[jbock13]

There's no way this new Big East will start football they are all basketball first schools, even the few(3 I think) that have football, and they remember that it destroyed the old Big East and I don't think 7 holdovers from the original Big East want to go back down that road.

But that should never stop us from using the next few pages to dream up the possibilities.