[BCXtreme]

Is anybody else beginning to think that LU made a mistake by pushing so hard for the FBS move? We have completely eliminated any possibility of being considered for membership by the FCS power conferences. If (big "if") the EKU prez is right, I'd say the SBC West is just not interested in private schools and we are off their radar for good. The MAC and the American are ostensibly closed to us. Unless C-USA has a change of heart, or the MWC decides they want to form a new east coast division, it looks like we are out of options among the G5 too. QED we have backed ourselves into a situation where we are stuck in the Big South indefinitely, recruiting in a state that will likely soon have 4 FBS schools.

Maybe I'm panicking too soon, but I really do not like the way all this looks for LU athletics.

[Purple Haize]

Is anybody else beginning to think that LU made a mistake by pushing so hard for the FBS move?

It was one of the founding principles of the

[thepostman]

beginning to think that?? I thought that from the beginning. You shouldn't promote something so hard that you have very little control over.

[Purple Haize]

beginning to think that?? I thought that from the beginning. You shouldn't promote something so hard that you have very little control over.

Or put all your eggs in one basket
Or go for the first invite not the best fit

[BCXtreme]

Is anybody else beginning to think that LU made a mistake by pushing so hard for the FBS move?

It was one of the founding principles of the

beginning to think that?? I thought that from the beginning. You shouldn't promote something so hard that you have very little control over.

Normally I don't agree with the And in fact, I do think LU should be seeking an FBS affiliation. However, I feel like there had to be a way to do it that wouldn't completely preempt an invite from the CAA, SoCon, or OVC.

Or put all your eggs in one basket
Or go for the first invite not the best fit

As far as the G5 goes, I think the Sun Belt is the best fit. But it would seem SBC West strongly disagrees.

[BJWilliams]

Is anybody else beginning to think that LU made a mistake by pushing so hard for the FBS move? We have completely eliminated any possibility of being considered for membership by the FCS power conferences. If (big "if") the EKU prez is right, I'd say the SBC West is just not interested in private schools and we are off their radar for good. The MAC and the American are ostensibly closed to us. Unless C-USA has a change of heart, or the MWC decides they want to form a new east coast division, it looks like we are out of options among the G5 too. QED we have backed ourselves into a situation where we are stuck in the Big South indefinitely, recruiting in a state that will likely soon have 4 FBS schools.

Maybe I'm panicking too soon, but I really do not like the way all this looks for LU athletics.

You need to take a Xanax or something BC...every blogger or message board "insider" with a "inside source" has gone every possible direction at this point, and the Sun Belt board posters practically bend over backwards to suggest anyone but Liberty so I don't take much stock in them at this point, and heck even reporters have gone off board with some speculations too. If we get an invite, praise God and get ready for some new faces coming into Williams Stadium. If we don't, while disappointed, Im not gonna go off the rails and declare doom and destruction to LU athletics or those on its staff.

[BJWilliams]

I will agree to that point Duke...but Im not swinging either way at this point, Im just waiting for official word one way or another. To borrow a term from that grid...I guess you could say Im Lawful Neutral with my stance on the situation

[Purple Haize]

You have to admit though BJ, if we don't get in, it puts our athletic goals in a fairly long term holding pattern. The momentum will be gone.

The feels that if we don't get in, perhaps LU athletics can refocus on being great where you are at.
And we were the first to break JMU's snub of the SBC

[Blessed1]

You want FBS? No problem... You just have to go through the WAC to get it.

May I present to you the new WAC with football...

WAC Football 2016
Liberty
Youngstown State
Eastern Kentucky
Jacksonville State
Missouri State
Lamar
Sam Houston State
Northern Iowa
North Dakota State

WAC West...................WAC East
Seattle........................Liberty
Utah Valley...................Youngstown State
CSU – Bakersfield............Eastern Kentucky
Grand Canyon...............Jacksonville State
UT – Rio Grande Valley.....Chicago St
North Dakota State.........Northern Iowa
Sam Houston State.........Missouri State (Sun Belt 2016?)/ *TBA
Lamar........................UMKC (The Summit?)

Not included:
New Mexico St (Sun Belt 2015?)

[flamehunter]

I say we go back to DII. At least there we might have some reasonable chances for national titles.

[VAGolf]

I say we go back to DII. At least there we might have some reasonable chances for national titles.

We would lose on a blocked FG...

[Purple Haize]

We are reviving WAC-E, this time exclusively with schools that cannot afford FBS with the exception of LU?? Wow.

We are buying a Championship

[jbock13]

You want FBS? No problem... You just have to go through the WAC to get it.

May I present to you the new WAC with football...

WAC Football 2016
Liberty
Youngstown State
Eastern Kentucky
Jacksonville State
Missouri State
Lamar
Sam Houston State
Northern Iowa
North Dakota State

WAC West...................WAC East
Seattle........................Liberty
Utah Valley...................Youngstown State
CSU – Bakersfield............Eastern Kentucky
Grand Canyon...............Jacksonville State
UT – Rio Grande Valley.....Chicago St
North Dakota State.........Northern Iowa
Sam Houston State.........Missouri State (Sun Belt 2016?)/ *TBA
Lamar........................UMKC (The Summit?)

Not included:
New Mexico St (Sun Belt 2015?)

No.

[Rooster Cogburn]

Buncha Ninnies. Calm down Chicken Little. A. We are not out yet. B. If we don't get in right now, we will be disappointed but we will be just fine n FCS for the short term. More movement to come for sure.

[Rooster Cogburn]

No doubt it would have an impact, but it would be short term. OH, things and people might change, but we would eventually thrive either way.

[BCXtreme]

Oh I don't think we are out yet. However, I do think that not getting in would have greater implications in the developing environment than you think.

I agree. The other potential FBS move-ups are all in strong conferences, AFAIK. Liberty, however, is in the Big South, where a conference loss in almost any sport is devastating, and we have to be pretty much perfect in-conference to have any shot at anything regional or national. Plus, it seems like nothing we can do in the Big South is the least bit impressive to the FBS (if winning 1/2 the conference championships in one season doesn't do it, what will?). That's why I really hope our admin has a "plan B."

You need to take a Xanax or something BC...every blogger or message board "insider" with a "inside source" has gone every possible direction at this point, and the Sun Belt board posters practically bend over backwards to suggest anyone but Liberty so I don't take much stock in them at this point, and heck even reporters have gone off board with some speculations too. If we get an invite, praise God and get ready for some new faces coming into Williams Stadium. If we don't, while disappointed, Im not gonna go off the rails and declare doom and destruction to LU athletics or those on its staff.

I wouldn't call it "doom and destruction," just "utter stagnation." And in all honesty, I should probably be taking Xanax on a regimen, not just with this.

[Purple Haize]

Oh I don't think we are out yet. However, I do think that not getting in would have greater implications in the developing environment than you think.

This. We have built our future on moving to FBS. If that doesn't happen we will take 2 steps back. Which would hopefully focus our attention to dominating where we are at.

[jimflamesfan]

The main reason I trasferred to LU back in the day was because it was a Christian school that had football, band, and hockey.

When I went to Pitt-Johnstown, it seemed like the only thing to do was go to parties and drink. I felt like an outcast.

When I looked at other Christian schools it seemed like there weren't many sports other than club soccer, etc. They just looked boring.

So I will contine to go to LU games regardless whether the field says Big South or Sunbelt. Liberty is unique in being a Christian school with all kinds of majors and oppertunities for interaction.

Having said this...I so badly hope that the Sunbelt gives LU a chance. But if not, it hurts, but it's not the end of the world.

[BCXtreme]

Oh I don't think we are out yet. However, I do think that not getting in would have greater implications in the developing environment than you think.

This. We have built our future on moving to FBS. If that doesn't happen we will take 2 steps back. Which would hopefully focus our attention to dominating where we are at.

I'm curious, Purple: in what ways do you think LU could dominate more in the Big South? Even if we reach the point of winning the Big South Championship outright every year, I somehow doubt that would impress the FBS, and we will still have difficulty getting quality opponents to Williams Stadium because they still won't want to risk the shame of losing to a Big South team. Forgive me for asking a question that I'm sure only a new member like me doesn't know the answer to: what exactly does the think necessary to take LU athletics to the next level?

On a side note, I should point out that there is one other way LU could gain ground, and that is if the Big South as a whole improves. Supposedly the Big South actually made a good showing in football last year. If the other members of the Big South improve, then our wins against them will become more meaningful, and they will bring us more respect. Since this is a general realignment thread, does anyone care to offer ideas for what the Big South could do to get overall program competitiveness out of the gutter?

EDIT: Just FYI I do stand by my previous statement: I am not totally ruling out the Sun Belt until some reputable sources outside EKU confirm they are no longer interested in us. I just think, from the way things sound, it might be an appropriate time to start talking about what other options we have for improving our athletics.

[Purple Haize]

Forgive me for asking a question that I'm sure only a new member like me doesn't know the answer to: what exactly does the think necessary to take LU athletics to the next level?

No apology necessary Those who seek find the a place of refuge and knowledge.

To answer your question,we need to look beyond the narrow world of Kyle K's little fiefdom. Our teams that dominate Kyle's Kingdom do only that and nothing more. Yes, there are some Olympic Sport exception but as a whole we fail outside the Conference. It's well documented that football has never made the playoffs, but look deeper and realize it hasn't had a significant OOC win since the 90's. Combine those 2 facts and you see that there is a lot of room for growth.
WBB had a nice Sweet 16 run.....9 years ago. Take Reeves and Greens Tournament Winning Percentage and it's historically bad. (2-15 I believe). They have beaten UVA but so has MBB (see later) but other OOC signature wins are lacking. So room for improvement there.
MBB has been a dumpster fire for over a decade. We have made 2 NCAA Tournament appearances but one of those was a fluke. There is so much room for improvement here just to be competitive in the BSC
Baseball finally has shown some life. Good run last year and having a very very good season this year. The on field results are looking good. And we appear to be able to sustain it year over year, a novelty in the athletic dept.
All is not doom and gloom. I like Gill as the FB coach and have confidence he can get the job done. WBB is apparently addressing their needs and if so should bode well for them. MBB.....well.....
So as you can see in The Big Four we have a lot of work to do in order to be dominate at our level.

[alabama24]

if winning 1/2 the conference championships in one season doesn't do it, what will?

<timeout to quit laughing>

Ok, well first...

<another timeout to quit laughing>
<gaining composure>

First, I don't agree that we have to win to be desirable to the Sun Belt... But it certainly doesn't hurt.

Secondly, if the Sunbelt DID want a "successful" FCS program, here is what we would need to do in our current circumstances:

1. Actually win a WHOLE BS championship. Winning half of a championship? Really?
2. We would need to DOMINATE our conference.
3. Make it to the playoff's and WIN.

I enjoy going to our football games. Football has improved greatly from 10 years ago... But we don't have any significant accomplishments to brag about.

[Purple Haize]

if winning 1/2 the conference championships in one season doesn't do it, what will?

<timeout to quit laughing>

Ok, well first...

<another timeout to quit laughing>
<gaining composure>

First, I don't agree that we have to win to be desirable to the Sun Belt... But it certainly doesn't hurt.

Secondly, if the Sunbelt DID want a "successful" FCS program, here is what we would need to do in our current circumstances:

1. Actually win a WHOLE BS championship. Winning half of a championship? Really?
2. We would need to DOMINATE our conference.
3. Make it to the playoff's and WIN.

I enjoy going to our football games. Football has improved greatly from 10 years ago... But we don't have any significant accomplishments to brag about.

To be fair, I think they were addressing ALL sports in the BS Conference. But your point stands

[alabama24]

Conference realignment is ONLY about football.

[ATrain]

Conference realignment is ONLY about football.

And media markets.

[BCXtreme]

if winning 1/2 the conference championships in one season doesn't do it, what will?

<timeout to quit laughing>

Ok, well first...

<another timeout to quit laughing>
<gaining composure>

[...]

1. Actually win a WHOLE BS championship. Winning half of a championship? Really?

To be fair, I think they were addressing ALL sports in the BS Conference. But your point stands

Purple is correct. I was not referring to our irritating habit of splitting the conference title in football. I was referring to the fact that the Big South sponsors 19 sports, and last season we won the conference title in 10 of them. I was also referring to the fact that the Big South title is apparently worth nothing outside the Big South, half of nothing is still nothing (as evidenced by our six shared titles that nobody cares about) and 10 times nothing is still nothing (as evidenced by last year's conference domination).

No apology necessary Those who seek find the a place of refuge and knowledge. [...]

[truncated for readability]

To be fair, we had some nice OOC wins in the Rocco era (e.g., two ranked opponents in 2008, Ball State in 2010, etc.). However, I think a big part of our problem in that sport is our apparent inability to play anyone of caliber in Lynchburg, which I attribute to the following in no particular order: (a) we don't allow alcohol/tobacco at tailgates on campus, a decision with which I agree, but acknowledge that it creates an immediate negative for other teams as far as getting their fans here; (b) we historically do much better at home than on the road, and most good teams won't risk coming here and losing to a Big South team; (c) even if a good team wins against us, it does nothing for them as, again, we are a Big South team. Dominating on the road is not easy, especially when your home slate is largely teams you could crush in your sleep, the margin of error is so small that one bad loss ruins any chance of making the postseason. We have Richmond at home this year, but that's it. Wins against Brevard and Bryant are useless postseason-wise. Now if instead of Brevard and Bryant, we had Delaware and Furman, we might be able to pull off some quality wins in front of a large LU crowd that's not yawning. But how do we get them to come here? That's why I would support a move to the SoCon or CAA: it would give us more quality opponents both at home and on the road.

As far as WBB, they do frequently win the Big South at least. Definitely room for improvement, but not so much that I see it being an issue with conference realignment. But MBB ... that one does matter, and I'll agree there is no excuse for that program. Something radical needs to be done there, and IMO it needs to be done ASAP. That's not a conference issue, it's a program issue.

Baseball is all kinds of awesome right now. Sustaining that permanently, with regular regional appearances (at least; really hoping for supers this year), will do very good things for us.

Conference realignment is ONLY about football.

I disagree, especially at the FCS level. If conference realignment is only about football, then why is there such a thing as "football-only" associate memberships, why do conferences give them, and why do schools take them? Sounds to me like most conferences want to excel in as many sports as possible, and most schools want all their sports to excel.