[VAGolf]

Who cares about playing football if you aren't going to challenge yourself? It doesn't take a lot of skill or talent to schedule your way to 9-10 wins. I like the tough schedule.

[SuperJon]

Next season outside of the two FBS games is super soft anyway.

[LUDad]

Next season outside of the two FBS games is super soft anyway.

Someone forgot to tell Monmouth, KSU, GW, & Presbyterian that they were the super soft games this year...

[olldflame]

Next season outside of the two FBS games is super soft anyway.

Someone forgot to tell Monmouth, KSU, GW, & Presbyterian that they were the super soft games this year...

Or someone did, and they decided to do something about it.

Not too many blowouts in the BSC this year. Chuck South had 2, against Monmouth and GW, and Coastal got their first yesterday against GW as well. The combined score of those 2 GW games was 80-0, which really makes me as to how we could have lost to them. No excuse for it. We obviously didn´t come prepared to play.

[thepostman]

Without a doubt the Gardner Webb loss is the worse loss of them all. They are so bad.

[jimflamesfan]

Who cares about playing football if you aren't going to challenge yourself? It doesn't take a lot of skill or talent to schedule your way to 9-10 wins. I like the tough schedule.

There's a BIG difference between challenging yourself and playing teams from a higher division.

How many ten win seasons has Liberty had in it's history? I think 2. Man, I thought you said those were easy to schedule?

You loose a close game to a 1A team...and you don't feel that bad...they have more scholarships. Furthermore, you benefit from teams that overlook you.

I understand why TG wants as many 1A games as possible...there's less pressure. You're not expected to win. I don't think it prepares our team for conference play.

When we win a FBS game, or play close...we lose to an FCS team the following week. (Gardner Webb, Lehigh, etc.) How does this help us?

We don't need the money. Schedule smarter.

[jimflamesfan]

When Rocco was first here, he dropped a game against Rutgers. We weren't ready to play at that level yet.

Karcher had us going on the road for 3 games to start one season, at Bowling Green, Toledo, and JMU, I believe. That worked out rather terribly.

After he had been here a couple of years, Rocco said that he liked to play one 1A school that was of regional interest. We also played at least 1 D2 school. So we had a likely win and loss on each schedule.

I think it's better to play a non-scholarship FCS school than a D2 school for a likely win...because it still counts as an FCS win to the playoff committee.

[SuperJon]

I understand why TG wants as many 1A games as possible...

He doesn't. That's coming from the athletic department. He wants the easy schedule to rack up wins.

[jimflamesfan]

But it seems like Rocco at least had veto power when it came to 1a schools.

When he came in, he wanted the game against Rutgers dropped. And it was.

Now, he may not have wanted to play Montana his last year...but at least that was an FCS school.

TG should at least have veto power, or be able to say that 2 FBS schools is too many.

If he doesn't...then the scheduling problem is with Barber.

[SuperJon]

It's not a scheduling problem.

[jimflamesfan]

In your view it isn't a problem.

In my view, it is. I think it sets LU up for failure.

And I don't understand what you're trying to say...either TG doesn't have the same power over the schedule that Rocco did when he said he didn't want Rutgers and Rutgers was replaced...or TG goes along with having 2 FBS schools a year, because he AGREES with Barber about playing 2 FBS to help the strength of schedule...which goes against what you just said about TG wanting the easiest schedule possible.

[SuperJon]

You're comparing a guy rebuilding a program with not many resources and coming off a 1-10 schedule to a guy who has every resource he could possibly need and is expected to be a top 15 program.

Turner should want to play the schedule he's playing now. A couple years ago he didn't. That's why he wanted three Division II's. I hope his mindset has changed to now because the way we're scheduling FBS teams is absolutely perfect for who we're wanting to be as a program.

You think it sets us up for failure because we lost the game after the FBS win. A great program (which is what we're trying to be) would have no problem being motivated after the big win. That's one of Gill's biggest downfalls as a coach.

It's not a scheduling issue. It's a coaching issue. We shouldn't be making excuses for why we're not going to be in the playoffs. This year's schedule set up perfectly for us to make noise. If we had beaten Gardner-Webb and Monmouth (aka the schools we play every year regardless of how many FBS teams we play), we'd be sitting at #9 in the country this week going to Charleston Southern to play the #8 team in the country. There would be three Big South schools in the top ten.

Our schedule hasn't been our problem.

Our execution has been.

[BJWilliams]

You're comparing a guy rebuilding a program with not many resources and coming off a 1-10 schedule to a guy who has every resource he could possibly need and is expected to be a top 15 program.

Turner should want to play the schedule he's playing now. A couple years ago he didn't. That's why he wanted three Division II's. I hope his mindset has changed to now because the way we're scheduling FBS teams is absolutely perfect for who we're wanting to be as a program.

You think it sets us up for failure because we lost the game after the FBS win. A great program (which is what we're trying to be) would have no problem being motivated after the big win. That's one of Gill's biggest downfalls as a coach.

It's not a scheduling issue. It's a coaching issue. We shouldn't be making excuses for why we're not going to be in the playoffs. This year's schedule set up perfectly for us to make noise. If we had beaten Gardner-Webb and Monmouth (aka the schools we play every year regardless of how many FBS teams we play), we'd be sitting at #9 in the country this week going to Charleston Southern to play the #8 team in the country. There would be three Big South schools in the top ten.

Our schedule hasn't been our problem.

Our execution has been.

QFT well said Jon

[jimflamesfan]

SJ, That is a very good explanation. At least now I understand what you're trying to say. That is true.

But BJ, I still disagree with it!

I'm still of the opinion if I'm the AD, I want to game the system as much as possible. I want the easiest path to the playoffs. 1 FBS game. 3 games from either MEAC/SWAC/NEC. And then home & homes with a couple of schools from either the Socon or CAA...plus the conference.

It's not as challenging...but I think you have more built in wiggle room. And I think playing FBS teams doesn't help us learn how to execute when we need to. We loose to Georgia State...and the sky doesn't fall. But we loose out of conference to Lehigh, or St. Francis...and the coach can get the kids attention before conference play.

Just a difference of opinion.

[jimflamesfan]

Furthermore, Gill wasn't the only one with that problem. Under Rocco we Beat Ball State...then we went on the road and lost to Lehigh I believe it was...

To me it seems to be a hard thing to do. If anyone wants to look it up...I think there were 7 FCS wins vs. FBS teams...I'd like to know their records in the next game. I might be insane enough to try and look it up.

[thepostman]

BJ disagrees with SJ too. Nothing he has ever posted independent from this indicates it is what he believes. He just has an SJ man crush. I'm kind of jealous.

[jimflamesfan]

Haha!

Anyway, I looked up this year's data...and it seems to support SJ's assumption.

Although I will still contend, since we are LU...we're not quite there yet...and both Rocco and Gill have had a hard time in the game after an FBS win.

So here it is...in 2015, there have been 7 other FCS teams that beat FBS teams.

In the following game...6 of the 7 won it. The only other team other than us this year to lose the next game after winning an FBS game is Fordham...they beat Army and then lost to Villanova.

All of the others took care of business.

[SuperJon]

I want the easiest path to the playoffs.

If we weren't in the Big South and had a conference with 4-5 tough games in it, I'd agree with you.

Or if we had 7-8 conference games.

But we have six.

That leaves 5-6 non-conference games. If we schedule like you suggest, we become a team like Coastal who racks up wins but everyone (including their own fans) knows you're not as good as your ranking.

In the playoff system we have where 24 teams make the playoffs, I'd rather be battle tested going into the playoffs and risk missing them due to a great schedule than make it every year and not be prepared.

Making the playoffs isn't the goal.

Winning in the playoffs is.

[BJWilliams]

SJ, That is a very good explanation. At least now I understand what you're trying to say. That is true.

But BJ, I still disagree with it!

I'm still of the opinion if I'm the AD, I want to game the system as much as possible. I want the easiest path to the playoffs. 1 FBS game. 3 games from either MEAC/SWAC/NEC. And then home & homes with a couple of schools from either the Socon or CAA...plus the conference.

It's not as challenging...but I think you have more built in wiggle room. And I think playing FBS teams doesn't help us learn how to execute when we need to. We loose to Georgia State...and the sky doesn't fall. But we loose out of conference to Lehigh, or St. Francis...and the coach can get the kids attention before conference play.

Just a difference of opinion.

As is your want because a) this is a message board and b) this is a free country where its perfectly fine to disagree with another person's opinion

[BJWilliams]

BJ disagrees with SJ too. Nothing he has ever posted independent from this indicates it is what he believes. He just has an SJ man crush. I'm kind of jealous.

I do disagree with SJ but as has been said before, this is a message board so that is bound to happen. In this case, I actually do agree with him

[alabama24]

Just a difference of opinion.

Yeah, but your opinion is nuts. You should always want to play the best competition possible. If not, give it up.

[Purple Haize]

Just a difference of opinion.

Yeah, but your opinion is nuts. You should always want to play the best competition possible. If not, give it up.

Says who? Making the Playoffs is the goal. I don't have the Coastal crush SJ does, but they seem to have done alright. Better than LU has.

[alabama24]

Just a difference of opinion.

Yeah, but your opinion is nuts. You should always want to play the best competition possible. If not, give it up.

Says who? Making the Playoffs is the goal.

Says me. First, "making the playoffs" should never "be the goal." Playing the best football possible and being the best team should always come before "making the playoffs." Furthermore, "making the playoffs is a STUPID LOSER goal. WINNING the playoffs should be the objective. You don't do that by having cupcake opponents.

I don't have the Coastal crush SJ does, but they seem to have done alright. Better than LU has.

I am embarrassed by the You should know better than that. There are plenty of reasons which have NOTHING to do with football that make Coastal the

The whole "we should schedule easier" pile of poo is like the difference between android and iOS. We <should> be striving for excellence. If a coach thinks otherwise, it's because the coach wants job security. If a "Big 12" team fails to make the playoff, it is because of strength of schedule.

Most schools schedule cupcakes to start their season. Nick Saban always looks for a good team from the "power 5" to launch things off. Additionally, he has routinely called for ADDITIONAL SEC games, not less. He wants to drop games like Charleston Southern and pick up an additional game against, say, Florida.

Speaking of Charleston Southern... Which game do you think will be the most anticipated of the season for those players? (Hint, they will be playing in Tuscaloosa).

[Purple Haize]

At this stage of the LU program, making the Play Offs should be the goal. Once that is consistently done you go for the 'excellence' thing.

[SuperJon]

Making the playoffs isn't the goal. Winning in the playoffs is.