[Ill flame]

My definition of up north is anything from the southern boundary of Richmond northward. I would like to see us build a wall from that point north to the VA border, across the northern line of Kentucky and on west to the Mississippi River.
Here in NC, we have been invaded from the North and I see no upside. They have brought all of their problems, and haughty attitudes with them. We could make a few exceptions, ie. PA Medic, but they should have to get prior approval.
Build the wall.

Is it the northerners or the city folk that you have a problem with? I find rural people from up North tend to have more in common with Southerners than with people from nearby cities.

[ballcoach15]

A friend of mine visited up north, NY and Vermont, I think. He said when you get way out in the countryside, people are same as they are in the south.

[flameshaw]

Most of the invaders from the north, seem to think it gives them some sort of street cred to say, "I am from XXXXXXXX and we do it this way up there" Then go back where you came from and do it that way up there. They automatically think that they are smarter than anyone from the South. In our HOA, (that is another story) it is run mostly by transplants. The thought process (and I am being kind), is beyond belief. They all want lower dues each month, but increased services. I can't wait until there is not enough reserves in the account and it comes time for major repairs.
There are a few invaders who are nice enough, thoughtful and make a solid effort to assimilate. God bless them.

[Sly Fox]

Sounds like Texas but with our Cali invaders.

[TH Spangler]

Sounds like Texas but with our Cali invaders.

I believe Trumps building the wall on the wrong TX border.

[BlueBlood]

Made the mistake earlier this year of referring to VA as “up North”. It didn’t go over well. Rookie mistake.

In my defense, it was after a 750-mile northbound drive.

[Cider Jim]

Made the mistake earlier this year of referring to VA as “up North”. It didn’t go over well.

When my Ole Miss classmates saw me a Yankee living "up North" in Virginia, I quickly reminded them that the capitol of the Confederacy was in Richmond, VIRGINIA, not Jackson or Vicksburg, MS.

[ballcoach15]

An old guy down in south Georgia was asked, "have you ever been up North", he replied, "yeah I went to Atlanta one time"

[bigsmooth]

I'm just fine with being independent, but my ten team league was as follows just for fun.
LU
ODU
Marshall
Appalachain
Coastal
Georgia Southern
Georgia State
UAB
FAU
FIU

[Sly Fox]

I see you working, smoothie. I think a more likely scenario would swap out UAB and the Florida schools for East Carolina, Charlotte and perhaps a called up JMU. That would make a great bus league.

[tyndal23]

Ok Class of 20 and Purple - it has been over 3O days so here is another rant...

Watching every game on YouTube of upcoming opponents ( again ) and scratching my head when I even started watching MTSU vs UAB and wondering how the stadium is empty for the Conference USA Championship Game 2018 played at highest seed home stadium.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/c ... 844192002/

Yea - let’s spend two decades of “winning” and trying to get to UAB status of being a conference G5 champ (after we somehow get invited ) UAB did it in 2 years after shutting program completely down. OR let’s take what we already know - we can get a top 20 coach, have faith that we can recruit P5 talent nationally if we announce, budget and schedule to be a P5 level team. I want to hear JR say it. Winning 5 low end bowl games with 3 different head coaches won’t put us any closer to a P5 team than it does Boise/ App St ( golf clap for the also ran and top 25 annual pat on the back ). And Yes I am super impressed with the App St wins over USC and NC ( only thing I am impressed with ) but it doesn’t cloud my view that App St could go .500 vs 9 game P5 schedule. They have a definite ceiling that will be the same for decades unless they bust through to ACC ( think Marshall ).

[Purple Haize]

Ok Class of 20 and Purple - it has been over 3O days so here is another rant...

Watching every game on YouTube of upcoming opponents ( again ) and scratching my head when I even started watching MTSU vs UAB and wondering how the stadium is empty for the Conference USA Championship Game 2018 played at highest seed home stadium.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/c ... 844192002/

Yea - let’s spend two decades of “winning” and trying to get to UAB status of being a conference G5 champ (after we somehow get invited ) UAB did it in 2 years after shutting program completely down. OR let’s take what we already know - we can get a top 20 coach, have faith that we can recruit P5 talent nationally if we announce, budget and schedule to be a P5 level team. I want to hear JR say it. Winning 5 low end bowl games with 3 different head coaches won’t put us any closer to a P5 team than it does Boise/ App St ( golf clap for the also ran and top 25 annual pat on the back ). And Yes I am super impressed with the App St wins over USC and NC ( only thing I am impressed with ) but it doesn’t cloud my view that App St could go .500 vs 9 game P5 schedule. They have a definite ceiling that will be the same for decades unless they bust through to ACC ( think Marshall ).

Go home. You’re drunk.

[JK37]

Too many assumed premises in your rant to posit a coherent argument for/against.

Two decades...
...somehow get invited...
What we know...have faith (those are opposites!)

The reality is that LU doesn’t have complete control over its status. Saying one is P5, or wants to be, doesn’t make it so. Budgeting and scheduling “like” a P5 doesn’t make you a P5 — it makes you a G5 Indy that overpays for what it is getting in return. And that’s a bad money strategy.

If you can prove that you have the resources in your coffers to make the jump when the opportunity comes, hold onto it until it’s time to spend it all. Invest heavily in stadium and coach, be careful about budget but not stingy. And above all else...WIN! You can’t declare P5 intentions and then lose to G5 because recruiting wasn’t given time to build up. If you bite off more than you can chew, you’ll choke. What happens to the programs that choke? They die!

[ballcoach15]

As I have posted before, LU can bring something to the table in most every sport, unlike most schools on these lists. In recent seasons we have a bowl game, NCAA tournament appearances in baseball, basketball and softball

[Ill flame]

Since we are restarting this debate here is something to think about. This is last year's average attendance

Liberty- 18,272
BYU-59,547
AAC- 29,496
MWC-23,232
C-USA- 18,929
Sunbelt- 18,342
MAC- 15,530

How is liberty supposed to be p5 equivalent if their average attendance is below almost every g5 conferences average attendance? It doesn't matter how many acc teams we beat if we are averaging 18,000 fans.

[tyndal23]

Too many assumed premises in your rant to posit a coherent argument for/against.

Two decades...
...somehow get invited...
What we know...have faith (those are opposites!)

The reality is that LU doesn’t have complete control over its status. Saying one is P5, or wants to be, doesn’t make it so. Budgeting and scheduling “like” a P5 doesn’t make you a P5 — it makes you a G5 Indy that overpays for what it is getting in return. And that’s a bad money strategy.

If you can prove that you have the resources in your coffers to make the jump when the opportunity comes, hold onto it until it’s time to spend it all. Invest heavily in stadium and coach, be careful about budget but not stingy. And above all else...WIN! You can’t declare P5 intentions and then lose to G5 because recruiting wasn’t given time to build up. If you bite off more than you can chew, you’ll choke. What happens to the programs that choke? They die!

SEVEN YEARS !!!! How much more time do u need and how many staffs do you want to go through?

2 decades at least if you take the Approach of G5 build to become a P5 - what program has done that in the past 50 years that is remotely like LU? Let’s get in line behind 10 bigger P5 Schools and hope it all works out down the road. LU isn’t ever going to be more than a Wake Forest attendance wise based on alumni location - that is the one thing we can’t control - but TV $ surpasses live attendance for all but top 5 or 10 programs and butts in seats is dropping nationally and now dramatically after Covid. The budget and schedule we can control. NO ONE CARES about G5 - even their own fans are out after 1st loss for 98 percent of the G5.

[thepostman]

Since we are restarting this debate here is something to think about. This is last year's average attendance

Liberty- 18,272
BYU-59,547
AAC- 29,496
MWC-23,232
C-USA- 18,929
Sunbelt- 18,342
MAC- 15,530

How is liberty supposed to be p5 equivalent if their average attendance is below almost every g5 conferences average attendance? It doesn't matter how many acc teams we beat if we are averaging 18,000 fans.

That will be dismissed by the weak home schedule we play but we couldn't even sell out the Bill for a Syracuse team that was ranked in the top 25 at the time. That was a huge eye opener to me that we still have a long ways to go as a fanbase.

[Ill flame]

Since we are restarting this debate here is something to think about. This is last year's average attendance

Liberty- 18,272
BYU-59,547
AAC- 29,496
MWC-23,232
C-USA- 18,929
Sunbelt- 18,342
MAC- 15,530

How is liberty supposed to be p5 equivalent if their average attendance is below almost every g5 conferences average attendance? It doesn't matter how many acc teams we beat if we are averaging 18,000 fans.

That will be dismissed by the weak home schedule we play but we couldn't even sell out the Bill for a Syracuse team that was ranked in the top 25 at the time. That was a huge eye opener to me that we still have a long ways to go as a fanbase.

The lack of a fan base will be the biggest thing that holds us back from making any real progress. It doesn't seem like we are traveling well either considering our game @ virginia was their lowest attended game of the season by far. P5 teams are going to be much less likely to schedule us in the future if we have a chance of beating them and we also don't travel well.

[Cider Jim]

It doesn't seem like we are traveling well either considering our game @ virginia was their lowest attended game of the season by far.

I blame that on BALLCOACH. He refuses to give UVa any money for an away ticket unless it's softball, and he doesn't even like to eat in Charlottesville.

[ballcoach15]

I think had we played any Power 5 team, other than Syracuse, our attendance would have been better. Syracuse doesn't move the needle much in Virginia, regardless of where they are ranked. They're just another northern Big East team. (former Big East). They probably have very few fans, if any, south of Maryland-DC area.

[ballcoach15]

It doesn't seem like we are traveling well either considering our game @ virginia was their lowest attended game of the season by far.

I blame that on BALLCOACH. He refuses to give UVa any money for an away ticket unless it's softball, and he doesn't even like to eat in Charlottesville.

If one think LU basketball has parking problems, they have never been to a UVA football game. I want to say it's a 2 mile walk from public lots to the field. (I refrain from calling it a stadium.)

UVA softball doesn't charge for admission.

[Purple Haize]

Yeah, having fans who actually care enough to go to actual games is something that gets noticed by other Leagues when looking to expand. Why would a League be interested in a team when their fans aren’t?

[Purple Haize]

I think had we played any Power 5 team, other than Syracuse, our attendance would have been better. Syracuse doesn't move the needle much in Virginia, regardless of where they are ranked. They're just another northern Big East team. (former Big East). They probably have very few fans, if any, south of Maryland-DC area.

Here’s the problem with your theory. Syracuse was a Top 25 team. They were getting lots of love from the National Media. LU was entering a “Hugh” Era in their Football journey. And all that could not garner a sellout. Then you have a game IN Charlottesville but LU fans aren’t interested enough to make the journey and you have one of the lowest turnouts for a game at UVA for the year
Those two things point to a systemic issue holding LU back from reaching a P5 level

[ballcoach15]

PH, I will admit, LU fans need to get off their couch and go to the games.

(for the record, I have only missed 4 or 5 home games, in past 13 seasons. I was in Alabama those 4 or 5 dates)

[thepostman]

I think had we played any Power 5 team, other than Syracuse, our attendance would have been better. Syracuse doesn't move the needle much in Virginia, regardless of where they are ranked. They're just another northern Big East team. (former Big East). They probably have very few fans, if any, south of Maryland-DC area.

You have said this a lot but it is missing the point of this discussion. People claim we are ready to be at the P5 level but we can't even sell out our 25k stadium for a top 25 ACC school. It says our fan base isn't ready to be at the P5 level despite what many may say. It was eye opening for me as I thought it would easily sell out regardless of the turnout from Syracuse fans.