[Cider Jim]

And every few pages somebody will suggest going FBS indy, which isn't even allowed.

[Sly Fox]

FCS is dying quickly around us. Frankly FBS Independent status is growing on me everyday. We need to get out at all costs. Pronto. I honestly believe a path to FBS status outside of the current restrictions is coming in the next 12 months. We're not the only one in this predicament.

And you don't have to be a member of the Dark Side to want to win where we are now. Battling to find any place that we can find in FBS and success at FCS are not mutally exclusive as some in this thread pride themselves in pontificating.

[Purple Haize]

FCS is dying quickly around us. Frankly FBS Independent status is growing on me everyday. We need to get out at all costs. Pronto. I honestly believe a path to FBS status outside of the current restrictions is coming in the next 12 months. We're not the only one in this predicament.

And you don't have to be a member of the Dark Side to want to win where we are now. Battling to find any place that we can find in FBS and success at FCS are not mutally exclusive as some in this thread pride themselves in pontificating.

So you are saying that the barriers to being FBS Independent are going to be lifted? If that is the case I would want to take a long hard look at who else is going to make that jump before I come off my complete objection to it.
You also do a good job twisting what people are saying. You have it exactly backwards. No one said anything about mutual exclusivity. The arguments are thus

- Continuing to build our program and facilities so we are successful and have great facilities in FCS will make us more desirable to FBS Conferences

- If we build really top notch facilities we will get FBS looks and success will follow.

[jmmiii]

I honestly believe a path to FBS status outside of the current restrictions is coming in the next 12 months. We're not the only one in this predicament.

Can you elaborate or is this a gut feeling?

[Purple Haize]

I honestly believe a path to FBS status outside of the current restrictions is coming in the next 12 months. We're not the only one in this predicament.

Can you elaborate or is this a gut feeling?

It's his MO of letting you know he knows something but can't tell you what it is he knows

[LUGrad2000]

Current FBS Independents:
BYU
Army
Navy (joining AAC football only)
Norte Dame (has scheduling agreement with ACC

[Sly Fox]

UMass is coming to the list and Idaho is likely joining as well.

jmmiii- Hypothesis based on some non-LU chatter I have been hearing the past couple of months.

[jmmiii]

Interesting, thanks. I'm game.

[Purple Haize]

Idaho
UMass
Army
BYU
LU

The Trans-Continent Conference?

[Sly Fox]

Much more likely to have a scheduling alliance for football with remaining sports in other leagues until a permanent landing place can be located.

[LUminary]

Maybe revive Big West football and play under that existing banner, which wouldn't require formation of a new conference. Geographical guidelines seem to no longer apply these days anyway.

[SuperJon]

Every few weeks the same exact topics cycle back through. We have two options:

1) Play FCS football in a dying league once Coastal leaves
or
2) Sue our way into FBS and further alienate ourselves.

Both options are horrible. But this is the hand we have so buckle up and get used to one or the other.

[Sly Fox]

Those are likely not the only two paths forward. Those are just the two we have within our grasp today. Hang in there.

[LUGrad2000]

Might it look like this as an FBS Independent?

Sept. 5 H Charleston Southern
Sept. 12. @ODU (rotating yearly)
Sept. 19. H Kent St. (Home and home)
Sept. 26. @Michigan St. (One game only)
Oct. 3. @ Georgia Southern (one game only)
Oct. 10 @ UMASS (rotating yearly)
Oct. 17. BYE
Oct. 24. H Idaho (rotating yearly)
Oct. 31. H Jacksonville St. (Rotating yearly)
Nov. 7. H Wake Forest (2 for 1)
Nov. 14 @ N.C. State (one game only)
Nov. 21. BYE
Nov. 28 H JMU (rotating yearly)

[SumItUp]

Might it look like this as an FBS Independent?

Sept. 5 H Charleston Southern
Sept. 12. @ODU (rotating yearly)
Sept. 19. H Kent St. (Home and home)
Sept. 26. @Michigan St. (One game only)
Oct. 3. @ Georgia Southern (one game only)
Oct. 10 @ UMASS (rotating yearly)
Oct. 17. BYE
Oct. 24. H Idaho (rotating yearly)
Oct. 31. H Jacksonville St. (Rotating yearly)
Nov. 7. H Wake Forest (2 for 1)
Nov. 14 @ N.C. State (one game only)
Nov. 21. BYE
Nov. 28 H JMU (rotating yearly)

You need 5 FBS home games each year as an FBS member.

[bluejacket]

Might it look like this as an FBS Independent?

Sept. 5 H Charleston Southern
Sept. 12. @ODU (rotating yearly)
Sept. 19. H Kent St. (Home and home)
Sept. 26. @Michigan St. (One game only)
Oct. 3. @ Georgia Southern (one game only)
Oct. 10 @ UMASS (rotating yearly)
Oct. 17. BYE
Oct. 24. H Idaho (rotating yearly)
Oct. 31. H Jacksonville St. (Rotating yearly)
Nov. 7. H Wake Forest (2 for 1)
Nov. 14 @ N.C. State (one game only)
Nov. 21. BYE
Nov. 28 H JMU (rotating yearly)

https://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/file ... 8%2014.pdf

[LUGrad2000]

JMU and Jacksonville St. Would also be FBS Ind.

[SuperJon]

Might it look like this as an FBS Independent?

Sept. 5 H Charleston Southern
Sept. 12. @ODU (rotating yearly)
Sept. 19. H Kent St. (Home and home)
Sept. 26. @Michigan St. (One game only)
Oct. 3. @ Georgia Southern (one game only)
Oct. 10 @ UMASS (rotating yearly)
Oct. 17. BYE
Oct. 24. H Idaho (rotating yearly)
Oct. 31. H Jacksonville St. (Rotating yearly)
Nov. 7. H Wake Forest (2 for 1)
Nov. 14 @ N.C. State (one game only)
Nov. 21. BYE
Nov. 28 H JMU (rotating yearly)

Let's poke holes in this:

1) It's not possible to move up as an independent.
2) If it were possible to move up as an independent, that means we sued our way to get in and no one would want to associate with us.
3) Why would ODU play us yearly?
4) Jacksonville State is FCS.
5) JMU is FCS.
6) Why would JMU play us yearly?
7) Would our admin actually take 2-for-1's at the FBS level since they won't at the FCS level?
8) Why would an ACC team come to Lynchburg?

So of the 12 games, 3-4 of them couldn't/wouldn't happen without serious changes.

Oh yeah, and it's not possible to move up as an independent.

[LUGrad2000]

1. After NCAA changes rule against Independents
2. See above
3. Previous statement from an article in the Norfolk newspaper. Unlikely, but the AD did at least say they would like us in FBS.
4. Jacksonville st. Would move up with us.
5. JMU would realize they are in same boat as Liberty And move up. How embarrassing for them.
6. You got me on that one.
7. 2 for 1. Heck maybe with some cash to get it done. It is N.C. State though.
8. No bowl games ever for us since all bowls are tied to conferences. We plug away in FBS Indy until we are invited into a conference.
Far from ideal, but FBS.

[SuperJon]

Why would the NCAA change the rule?

[Purple Haize]

......and I doubt JMU would be open to playing us

[SuperJon]

FBS Independent (assuming the rules change and we don't bully our way in and the Big South somehow lets us keep our other sports there which is a different topic all together):

Could we afford it? Probably.

There would be no TV contract so our TV situation doesn't get any better. It's not that we need the money but the exposure is why we move up, right?

Our schedule is still horrible because we have to schedule multiple FCS schools to fill it out for a while. That is unless we take money game after money game and run the program into the ground.

Bowls won't be in play without a conference affiliation.

We won't have access to the playoffs either.

At that point we are just moving divisions for the sake of saying we are FBS and beating our chest about it.

Sounds like a ton of fun each fall!

[LUGrad2000]

......and I doubt JMU would be open to playing us

Agreed...unless they had no choice.

[ATrain]

FBS Independent (assuming the rules change and we don't bully our way in and the Big South somehow lets us keep our other sports there which is a different topic all together):

Could we afford it? Probably.

There would be no TV contract so our TV situation doesn't get any better. It's not that we need the money but the exposure is why we move up, right?

Our schedule is still horrible because we have to schedule multiple FCS schools to fill it out for a while. That is unless we take money game after money game and run the program into the ground.

Bowls won't be in play without a conference affiliation.

We won't have access to the playoffs either.

At that point we are just moving divisions for the sake of saying we are FBS and beating our chest about it.

Sounds like a ton of fun each fall!

Sounds like what we did when we moved to Divsion I...well, our other sports did have a landing spot, but football was indy.

[SuperJon]

And how'd that turn out?