Perhaps this has been brought up before, but I am curious about others' thoughts on how the Sun Belt schedules its rivalries.

All the P5 conferences pretty much have their biggest in-conference (or inter-conference, i.e., FSU-Florida, SC-Clemson, Ga. Tech-Georgia, etc.) rivalry games over Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, the Sun Belt scatters Ga. Southern-App State, Ga. Southern-Ga. State, ULL-ULM, Ark. State-ULL, USA-Troy, etc., on random weekends throughout the year. Plus, the dates change every year. IIRC, the App-Ga. Southern game was in September last year.

I guess that since I like to keep up with college football in general, not just App State and the Sun Belt, I felt like our league is kind of missing out on what is otherwise, IMO, the most compelling weekend of the regular season. The league has the power to change that if it so chooses. The flip side is that what's best for P5 leagues isn't necessarily the best for ours, which maybe is why our rivalry games are spread all over the calendar.

Do you think the SBC should make one big rivalry weekend? If so, should it be Thanksgiving weekend or perhaps the weekend before?

I'd be in favor of the weekend BEFORE Thanksgiving. Attendance suffers for all but the biggest schools with the largest fanbases that weekend, but students are still in town the weekend before. Plus, FWIW, the SEC all but takes a week off that weekend with a lot of FCS games. Might as well put the spotlight on our own rivalries.

I'm thinking these games would work best the weekend before Thanksgiving:

App State-Ga. Southern (let's go with the one with more history over the in-state rivalry)
Ga. State-Coastal (both are fairly new to the conference and aren't too far apart)
USA-Troy
Idaho-New Mexico State

I'll leave it up to fans of stAte, ULL, ULM, and Texas State which games would be the best. I could see ULL-ULM and stAte-Texas State so that the Louisiana schools could face off, or I could see ULL-stAte and ULM-Texas State so that the West's two most prominent programs could play each other.

What are your thoughts?

(12-02-2015 01:59 PM)Michael in Raleigh Wrote:  Perhaps this has been brought up before, but I am curious about others' thoughts on how the Sun Belt schedules its rivalries.

All the P5 conferences pretty much have their biggest in-conference (or inter-conference, i.e., FSU-Florida, SC-Clemson, Ga. Tech-Georgia, etc.) rivalry games over Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, the Sun Belt scatters Ga. Southern-App State, Ga. Southern-Ga. State, ULL-ULM, Ark. State-ULL, USA-Troy, etc., on random weekends throughout the year. Plus, the dates change every year. IIRC, the App-Ga. Southern game was in September last year.

I guess that since I like to keep up with college football in general, not just App State and the Sun Belt, I felt like our league is kind of missing out on what is otherwise, IMO, the most compelling weekend of the regular season. The league has the power to change that if it so chooses. The flip side is that what's best for P5 leagues isn't necessarily the best for ours, which maybe is why our rivalry games are spread all over the calendar.

Do you think the SBC should make one big rivalry weekend? If so, should it be Thanksgiving weekend or perhaps the weekend before?

I'd be in favor of the weekend BEFORE Thanksgiving. Attendance suffers for all but the biggest schools with the largest fanbases that weekend, but students are still in town the weekend before. Plus, FWIW, the SEC all but takes a week off that weekend with a lot of FCS games. Might as well put the spotlight on our own rivalries.

I'm thinking these games would work best the weekend before Thanksgiving:

App State-Ga. Southern (let's go with the one with more history over the in-state rivalry)
Ga. State-Coastal (both are fairly new to the conference and aren't too far apart)
USA-Troy
Idaho-New Mexico State

I'll leave it up to fans of stAte, ULL, ULM, and Texas State which games would be the best. I could see ULL-ULM and stAte-Texas State so that the Louisiana schools could face off, or I could see ULL-stAte and ULM-Texas State so that the West's two most prominent programs could play each other.

What are your thoughts?

The reason this hasn't worked out is because of television. ESPN is so tied up televising those P5 rivalry games the week before Thanksgiving, that G5 games that week get overlooked. If we want an App State/GS game to be on television, it has to be played where ESPN wants it to be played.

(12-02-2015 01:59 PM)Michael in Raleigh Wrote:  Perhaps this has been brought up before, but I am curious about others' thoughts on how the Sun Belt schedules its rivalries.

All the P5 conferences pretty much have their biggest in-conference (or inter-conference, i.e., FSU-Florida, SC-Clemson, Ga. Tech-Georgia, etc.) rivalry games over Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, the Sun Belt scatters Ga. Southern-App State, Ga. Southern-Ga. State, ULL-ULM, Ark. State-ULL, USA-Troy, etc., on random weekends throughout the year. Plus, the dates change every year. IIRC, the App-Ga. Southern game was in September last year.

I guess that since I like to keep up with college football in general, not just App State and the Sun Belt, I felt like our league is kind of missing out on what is otherwise, IMO, the most compelling weekend of the regular season. The league has the power to change that if it so chooses. The flip side is that what's best for P5 leagues isn't necessarily the best for ours, which maybe is why our rivalry games are spread all over the calendar.

Do you think the SBC should make one big rivalry weekend? If so, should it be Thanksgiving weekend or perhaps the weekend before?

I'd be in favor of the weekend BEFORE Thanksgiving. Attendance suffers for all but the biggest schools with the largest fanbases that weekend, but students are still in town the weekend before. Plus, FWIW, the SEC all but takes a week off that weekend with a lot of FCS games. Might as well put the spotlight on our own rivalries.

I'm thinking these games would work best the weekend before Thanksgiving:

App State-Ga. Southern (let's go with the one with more history over the in-state rivalry)
Ga. State-Coastal (both are fairly new to the conference and aren't too far apart)
USA-Troy
Idaho-New Mexico State

I'll leave it up to fans of stAte, ULL, ULM, and Texas State which games would be the best. I could see ULL-ULM and stAte-Texas State so that the Louisiana schools could face off, or I could see ULL-stAte and ULM-Texas State so that the West's two most prominent programs could play each other.

What are your thoughts?

I'd love it if we got in on rivalry week, but we're a conference short on actual rivalries, I'm afraid. App V GS, GS V GSU, stAte V ULL, ULM V ULL, ULM V stAte (kinda), and USA V Troy (sorta) is really it for us. Since football doesn't have double headers, that's 3 games total.

I absolutely think ULL/stAte and App/GS should play on rivalry weekend, if only for being the higher profile teams in the conference.

(12-02-2015 02:08 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(12-02-2015 01:59 PM)Michael in Raleigh Wrote:  Perhaps this has been brought up before, but I am curious about others' thoughts on how the Sun Belt schedules its rivalries.

All the P5 conferences pretty much have their biggest in-conference (or inter-conference, i.e., FSU-Florida, SC-Clemson, Ga. Tech-Georgia, etc.) rivalry games over Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, the Sun Belt scatters Ga. Southern-App State, Ga. Southern-Ga. State, ULL-ULM, Ark. State-ULL, USA-Troy, etc., on random weekends throughout the year. Plus, the dates change every year. IIRC, the App-Ga. Southern game was in September last year.

I guess that since I like to keep up with college football in general, not just App State and the Sun Belt, I felt like our league is kind of missing out on what is otherwise, IMO, the most compelling weekend of the regular season. The league has the power to change that if it so chooses. The flip side is that what's best for P5 leagues isn't necessarily the best for ours, which maybe is why our rivalry games are spread all over the calendar.

Do you think the SBC should make one big rivalry weekend? If so, should it be Thanksgiving weekend or perhaps the weekend before?

I'd be in favor of the weekend BEFORE Thanksgiving. Attendance suffers for all but the biggest schools with the largest fanbases that weekend, but students are still in town the weekend before. Plus, FWIW, the SEC all but takes a week off that weekend with a lot of FCS games. Might as well put the spotlight on our own rivalries.

I'm thinking these games would work best the weekend before Thanksgiving:

App State-Ga. Southern (let's go with the one with more history over the in-state rivalry)
Ga. State-Coastal (both are fairly new to the conference and aren't too far apart)
USA-Troy
Idaho-New Mexico State

I'll leave it up to fans of stAte, ULL, ULM, and Texas State which games would be the best. I could see ULL-ULM and stAte-Texas State so that the Louisiana schools could face off, or I could see ULL-stAte and ULM-Texas State so that the West's two most prominent programs could play each other.

What are your thoughts?

The reason this hasn't worked out is because of television. ESPN is so tied up televising those P5 rivalry games the week before Thanksgiving, that G5 games that week get overlooked. If we want an App State/GS game to be on television, it has to be played where ESPN wants it to be played.

I need one of those dumb smilies where a hand smacks its own face. That makes perfect sense, chiefsfan.

Wivalwy Week.

I was actually thinking about this the other day. I really don't understand when it comes to Georgia Southern/App State & Georgia State/Georgia Southern there isn't a set weekend.
Alabama-Tennessee is 3rd Saturday of October. Georgia-Florida is the end of October. Georgia-Auburn is two weekends prior to the last.

I will say typically it is in state that plays on Thanksgiving weekend. UNC-Virginia are bigger/older rivals but UNC - NC State plays on Thanksgiving weekend. Same thing with GT/UGA with UGA/Auburn being the older rivalry. Probably the underlying reason for that is what you said about attendance and students. Shorter distance. Time off. More likely more travel will take place to compensate for students being off.

At the end of the day, I don't care when it would happen. I would just rather it be set.

(12-02-2015 02:32 PM)StanMolsonMan Wrote:  I was actually thinking about this the other day. I really don't understand when it comes to Georgia Southern/App State & Georgia State/Georgia Southern there isn't a set weekend.
Alabama-Tennessee is 3rd Saturday of October. Georgia-Florida is the end of October. Georgia-Auburn is two weekends prior to the last.

I will say typically it is in state that plays on Thanksgiving weekend. UNC-Virginia are bigger/older rivals but UNC - NC State plays on Thanksgiving weekend. Same thing with GT/UGA with UGA/Auburn being the older rivalry. Probably the underlying reason for that is what you said about attendance and students. Shorter distance. Time off. More likely more travel will take place to compensate for students being off.

At the end of the day, I don't care when it would happen. I would just rather it be set.

---
Bingo. I believe this would be the way to go too. I would love to have set weekends where you know who you're playing before the schedule even comes out.

GS-App State is going to be a game ESPN chooses to show on a weekday for the foreseeable future, so if you put it on rivalry week you're talking about a game on Thanksgiving day or right before it.

Now as long as we don't have a championship game I'm all for a rivalry week on the week of the conference Championship games.

There has been talk about GS/App being played around the traditional "Rivalry Weekends" in the past. I think the problem is-Boone in late November, if there is a snow or ice storm not only could it affect travel getting to the game, but it also turns it into even more of a certain App win than just playing up there on a regular day.

I could see us and GAST playing that weekend, I think Ben Moore (and possibly others) have tried to get the name "Dirty-New Fashioned Hate" or something similar (as opposed to GT-UGA "Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate") if we could play it on the same weekend, it might pick up some steam. IDK.

When we were in the SoCon, App/GS was usually the last weekend in October or the first in November. Last year was the earliest I ever remember it being played.

(12-02-2015 03:14 PM)bullitt_60 Wrote:  When we were in the SoCon, App/GS was usually the last weekend in October or the first in November. Last year was the earliest I ever remember it being played.

i dont ever remember an app game in nov. it was always mid oct or thereabouts. could be wrong.

(12-02-2015 01:59 PM)Michael in Raleigh Wrote:  What are your thoughts?

When's baseball season start?

The only thing about doing GS/GAST on this weekend is that it will have to either be a different weekend in Atlanta or on a Thursday/Friday due to the SEC championship game. Plus if Turner does happen and we do it that weekend, good luck getting hotel rooms in town for a decent price. All $200+ for all in town minus the airport or outside 285.

(12-02-2015 03:13 PM)boroeagle2 Wrote:  I could see us and GAST playing that weekend, I think Ben Moore (and possibly others) have tried to get the name "Dirty-New Fashioned Hate" or something similar (as opposed to GT-UGA "Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate") if we could play it on the same weekend, it might pick up some steam. IDK.

I think Modern Day Hate or something. I don't know. It is like that damn trophy. Play long enough and the right name/trophy will present itself. Don't need a think tank for it.

(12-02-2015 03:35 PM)StanMolsonMan Wrote:  

(12-02-2015 03:13 PM)boroeagle2 Wrote:  I could see us and GAST playing that weekend, I think Ben Moore (and possibly others) have tried to get the name "Dirty-New Fashioned Hate" or something similar (as opposed to GT-UGA "Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate") if we could play it on the same weekend, it might pick up some steam. IDK.

I think Modern Day Hate or something. I don't know. It is like that damn trophy. Play long enough and the right name/trophy will present itself. Don't need a think tank for it.

I'm thinking just a chrome plated "U"

I've been droning on about a solution for the GS/GSU game for two years now.

Without stirring up too much trash talk, the biggest attendance problem for each school is that A.) GS has a huge number of students/alumni who call ATL home and don't want to cut Thanksgiving break short or use up more vacation time to get to Statesboro two days after Thanksgiving. AND B.) Georgia State has attendance problems, no matter the circumstance.

If the Panthers end up moving into Turner Field, I'd be all for an annual Friday afternoon/night game in the Falcons' new stadium. It avoids the conflict of the next day's GT/UGA game and all of the Georgia Southern fans who are at home can make the game without altering too many plans. If the teams split the revenue each year, both would come out ahead. Georgia Southern wouldn't have to worry about coaxing people back early during a holiday weekend while Georgia State gets a guaranteed stellar crowd once per year.

As for GS/App, it should be the first Saturday of October every year. They don't want to melt and we don't want to freeze.

(12-02-2015 08:08 PM)CC Eagle Wrote:  I've been droning on about a solution for the GS/GSU game for two years now.

Without stirring up too much trash talk, the biggest attendance problem for each school is that A.) GS has a huge number of students/alumni who call ATL home and don't want to cut Thanksgiving break short or use up more vacation time to get to Statesboro two days after Thanksgiving. AND B.) Georgia State has attendance problems, no matter the circumstance.

If the Panthers end up moving into Turner Field, I'd be all for an annual Friday afternoon/night game in the Falcons' new stadium. It avoids the conflict of the next day's GT/UGA game and all of the Georgia Southern fans who are at home can make the game without altering too many plans. If the teams split the revenue each year, both would come out ahead. Georgia Southern wouldn't have to worry about coaxing people back early during a holiday weekend while Georgia State gets a guaranteed stellar crowd once per year.

As for GS/App, it should be the first Saturday of October every year. They don't want to melt and we don't want to freeze.

I can see the conference keeping GS/GSU late in the year and scheduling App/CCU then too.

We did sort of have a rivalry week this year. the App/GS game and the AState/ULL game were both during the same week.

Ultimately, these games will be held when ESPN wants them to be held. That's just how it is right now, and will be until our next TV contract comes into play.

(12-02-2015 11:36 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Ultimately, these games will be held when ESPN wants them to be held. That's just how it is right now, and will be until our next TV contract comes into play.

With the troubles ESPN is having I don't expect much out of the next one either.