[spencers777]

Might be in the wrong place but they interviewed football players for the article.
Hope the link works
Thanks to Lang for tweeting link.
At Liberty, FBS dreams and a high-resource reality

A robust online degree program has led to a huge athletic expansion on campus.

Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/1oOVfIg

[PAmedic]

Still not real comfy with us bragging about all our cash

And sounds like we didn't have as much sun belt support as we thought

Nice piece tho

[Kiwon]

Hmmm..........

I have to wonder a little when an 1,846-word piece on LU pops up in a national publication.

Some Calvinists would say that it's predestined. I would be interested if some more humanly sources guided Dan Wolken to this project.

Very, very nice article though. Plus Dan Wolken was impressed with the renovated cafeteria.

@DanWolken
By the way, Liberty's new campus dining facility for all students is the best I've ever seen. Looks like the buffet at Caesars Palace.

[jcmanson]

Surprised there hasn't been more discussion on this article on here yet...

Thoughts on this statement:

But at the league's spring meetings, the Sun Belt voted against adding another school until at least 2015. According to a person with direct knowledge of the Sun Belt's expansion plans, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the dialogue was supposed to be private, there wasn't much support for inviting Liberty this time around.

"They have a lot of resources, but does anybody even know they're Division I?" the person said. "If we're going to add a 12th, we want someone people are going to recognize and raise the profile of the conference. I just don't think Liberty adds anything to our profile."

[SuperJon]

Still not real comfy with us bragging about all our cash

And sounds like we didn't have as much sun belt support as we thought

Nice piece tho

I'm torn. On one hand, the amount of money we have scares off Sun Belt and MAC level schools. On the other hand, with paying players and autonomy popping up more and more, we're showing the bigger conferences we can afford these things so when _____ realizes they can't afford it and decides to drop down, we are there ready and waiting. It'll still be a long shot for us to get invited, but we're at least making ourselves available.

[Kiwon]

Surprised there hasn't been more discussion on this article on here yet...

Thoughts on this statement:

But at the league's spring meetings, the Sun Belt voted against adding another school until at least 2015. According to a person with direct knowledge of the Sun Belt's expansion plans, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the dialogue was supposed to be private, there wasn't much support for inviting Liberty this time around.

"They have a lot of resources, but does anybody even know they're Division I?" the person said. "If we're going to add a 12th, we want someone people are going to recognize and raise the profile of the conference. I just don't think Liberty adds anything to our profile."

Here may be the key quote in addition to those above, "Especially in these times, where some FBS schools may be weeded out on finances alone, Liberty's future is likely to be evaluated strictly on its athletic merits."

Did the writer, Dan Wolken, come up with this sentiment on his own or is this what his Big South source indicated? Seems like the thoughts of another to me.

The bottom line is that LU needs to win championships or do well in high profile games to raise its national stature. Nothing succeeds like success.

[Chris Lang]

That was piggybacking off the comment from the Sun Belt official saying that LU's religious profile had little to do with its exclusion from the Sun Belt. If LU had the football success Appalachian State or Georgia Southern has had in the past, it might be FBS right now. I'm coming around to that line of thinking, at least in terms of that particular conference.

[ballcoach15]

Good article.

LU should have been invited to FBS conference well ahead of some of the schools that were.

[PAmedic]

certainly doesnt hurt to have our name out there. positive press may change a mind or two.

I still read stuff with inane quotes like "tiny Liberty University" and "small christian college"

oddly enough any description is usually followed by "founded by the late Jerry Falwell, known for his conservative political... "

whatevs

[Bigsouthking]

Great article, it goes back to making the football playoffs a "few times" or a deep NCAA tournament run.

When a school has aggressive forward growth on campus, why can't it get aggressive forward moving coaches?

[Kiwon]

That was piggybacking off the comment from the Sun Belt official saying that LU's religious profile had little to do with its exclusion from the Sun Belt. If LU had the football success Appalachian State or Georgia Southern has had in the past, it might be FBS right now. I'm coming around to that line of thinking, at least in terms of that particular conference.

Yet, still, while not a direct quote, I wonder if Dan Wolken came up with that conclusion on his own or was he echoing what someone else said (possibly his Big South contact?).

In any case, at this point in time, I think it's an accurate assessment.

In a "Tortoise or Hare" sense, even with the delays, Liberty could come out a big winner as Bill Carr intimated.

[Chris Lang]

That's a natural conclusion on his part given the points he laid out earlier. I talked to Dan when he was in town writing the story, just so he could have more of an outside perspective on LU since he was hearing everything from the inside. Some of what we talked about was referenced in the piece.

[PAmedic]

that can't possibly be true LANG... everyone knows you're on the LU payroll... its the only explanation for the Maserati in your driveway

[SuperJon]

That's a natural conclusion on his part given the points he laid out earlier. I talked to Dan when he was in town writing the story, just so he could have more of an outside perspective on LU since he was hearing everything from the inside. Some of what we talked about was referenced in the piece.

And that's why the leash on Gill may be a little shorter than people expect as well.

[bluejacket]

That was piggybacking off the comment from the Sun Belt official saying that LU's religious profile had little to do with its exclusion from the Sun Belt. If LU had the football success Appalachian State or Georgia Southern has had in the past, it might be FBS right now.

YES. Which is why we need to win now.

[bluejacket]

And that's why the leash on Gill may be a little shorter than people expect as well.

Its still not very short.

[Chris Lang]

There's more concern about keeping the current staff together than there is about Gill facing a make-or-break year in terms of his job.

[bluejacket]

There's more concern about keeping the current staff together than there is about Gill facing a make-or-break year in terms of his job.

Yes.