By: Tommy Bowman | Winston-Salem Journal
Published: June 14, 2012

There also has been recent talk of the possibility of the Western Athletic Conference — down to two football-playing members as result of recent conference-membership shuffling — expanding eastward to take in some FCS members trying to move to the FBS.

Cobb said that ASU has been involved in a number of conversations, and is open to possibilities that might occur in continuing restructuring of individual conferences.

"If you look at the FBS — Conference USA, what the Sun Belt might do and the Mid-American Conference is one that has had conversations about possible expansion — and then the WAC (with two football members remaining) has something of value in that it is an FBS league," Cobb said.

"There are a lot of different conversations involving a lot of different scenarios and I don't think any of them have really fleshed themselves out and risen to the level to where a number of interested schools can say there is a solution.… It still needs to evolve."

Cobb said that Appalachian State is active in the exploration process, and that the goal remains to find a reasonable geographic fit that makes sense.

"I've talked to a lot of people," Cobb said. "Of course, (interested) schools don't dictate timelines to conferences. The leagues do."

http://www2.journalnow.com/sports/2012/j...r-2355810/

Doesn't really say that much in that article.

Thought maybe you were going to mention App State being in the top APR's with mainly the Ivy League schools for football:

http://www.goasu.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB...=205438813

There is an old Brenda Lee song (60's) I Want to Be Wanted. That seems to be the tune.

(06-14-2012 07:11 PM)RidgeRunner Wrote:  There is an old Brenda Lee song (60's) I Want to Be Wanted. That seems to be the tune.

I guess you failed to notice that neither post was an App fan. Doesnt surprise me, objectivity doesnt seem to your best quality.

(06-14-2012 07:11 PM)RidgeRunner Wrote:  There is an old Brenda Lee song (60's) I Want to Be Wanted. That seems to be the tune.

Brenda Lee? My Gawd.

If anything, App State would join the WAC just to get the FCS monkey off their back.

Then two years later, be snatched up by a different conference.
IMO, preferably the SunBelt.
Seems like a win-win.
App State gets to go FBS. The WAC exists for a bit longer.

I can see a few schools doing this to avoid the rumoured FCS move-up ban-hammer.

Well it'd take at least six. Liberty, Appalachian, James Madison, Jacksonville State are the three most likely. There may be a run at the door to be honest. My guess is that if this goes to fruition and some schools pass, they'll hear about it.

I still dont see this happening but if it does, I predict some that no one had thought of will be included.

Big risk and a potential big payoff. If this is what they want to do more power to them.

Thing about this scenario, it would eventually split into two separate east west conferences. NDSU, Montana, NMSU probably at the head of one, App, GSU, JMU at the head of the other. The east has big potential. Lots of successful FCS schools that arent your typical "directional U's," makes for easier branding and name recog.

(06-14-2012 07:15 PM)tpopt Wrote:  

(06-14-2012 07:11 PM)RidgeRunner Wrote:  There is an old Brenda Lee song (60's) I Want to Be Wanted. That seems to be the tune.

Brenda Lee? My Gawd.

Man, I'd rather listen to HOT, HOT, HOT

That brought a chuckle.

(06-14-2012 11:40 PM)tpopt Wrote:  That brought a chuckle.

I fail to see App State saying that they are persuing the WAC, just that there is another thing mentioned.

Get over Hot, Hot, Hot - for an old parody, not the worst. Think our band needs to learn to play it and put it up on the video board. Even bad advertising has it's attributes. Makes me a little nuts listening to it.

Talk about Hot, Hot, Hot - Appalachian's first game will be on Fox against East Carolina 9/1/2012 at Noon, it was just announced.
That is going to be one hot game.
Hope the next week's game against Montana in Boone is for later in the day.

(06-15-2012 01:22 AM)GoApps70 Wrote:  I fail to see App State saying that they are persuing the WAC, just that there is another thing mentioned.

Get over Hot, Hot, Hot - for an old parody, not the worst. Think our band needs to learn to play it and put it up on the video board. Even bad advertising has it's attributes. Makes me a little nuts listening to it.

Talk about Hot, Hot, Hot - Appalachian's first game will be on Fox against East Carolina 9/1/2012 at Noon, it was just announced.
That is going to be one hot game.
Hope the next week's game against Montana in Boone is for later in the day.

Is that a fox regional or just fox? I'd like to see that one.

The WAC should just put thier thumb in the eye of the NCAA and invite all comers. Eastern Kentucky would be interested.

(06-14-2012 07:14 PM)Glassonion Wrote:  

(06-14-2012 07:11 PM)RidgeRunner Wrote:  There is an old Brenda Lee song (60's) I Want to Be Wanted. That seems to be the tune.

I guess you failed to notice that neither post was an App fan. Doesnt surprise me, objectivity doesnt seem to your best quality.

Here we have another condescending ASU/GS fan that once again fails completely to understand what is being done and said. But it remains that you guys are hoping to find someone who wants you. To date you have not been successful with all of your flags and years of FCS success, FBS is just a dream.

Sorry about the old old early R&R but it is the only tune I could come up with.

(06-15-2012 06:41 AM)RidgeRunner Wrote:  

(06-14-2012 07:14 PM)Glassonion Wrote:  

(06-14-2012 07:11 PM)RidgeRunner Wrote:  There is an old Brenda Lee song (60's) I Want to Be Wanted. That seems to be the tune.

I guess you failed to notice that neither post was an App fan. Doesnt surprise me, objectivity doesnt seem to your best quality.

Here we have another condescending ASU/GS fan that once again fails completely to understand what is being done and said. But it remains that you guys are hoping to find someone who wants you. To date you have not been successful with all of your flags and years of FCS success, FBS is just a dream.

Sorry about the old old early R&R but it is the only tune I could come up with.

Soon, you will find out the conferences need quality athletic programs not just media markets. ESPN etc will want to show good football, not just downtown Atlanta during commercials. You can have your fun since you are FBS for now and we aren't. But the fact is, we bring conference championships with us in mutliple sports not just football. Divisions 1 Sports. Media markets will only take you so far and I believe you have reached your limit.

(06-15-2012 08:12 AM)Tennessee_Eagle Wrote:  

(06-15-2012 06:41 AM)RidgeRunner Wrote:  

(06-14-2012 07:14 PM)Glassonion Wrote:  

(06-14-2012 07:11 PM)RidgeRunner Wrote:  There is an old Brenda Lee song (60's) I Want to Be Wanted. That seems to be the tune.

I guess you failed to notice that neither post was an App fan. Doesnt surprise me, objectivity doesnt seem to your best quality.

Here we have another condescending ASU/GS fan that once again fails completely to understand what is being done and said. But it remains that you guys are hoping to find someone who wants you. To date you have not been successful with all of your flags and years of FCS success, FBS is just a dream.

Sorry about the old old early R&R but it is the only tune I could come up with.

Soon, you will find out the conferences need quality athletic programs not just media markets. ESPN etc will want to show good football, not just downtown Atlanta during commercials. You can have your fun since you are FBS for now and we aren't. But the fact is, we bring conference championships with us in mutliple sports not just football. Divisions 1 Sports. Media markets will only take you so far and I believe you have reached your limit.

Conference championships in non-FBS conferences don't mean as much - in ANY sport. The fact remains that it is easier to build and maintain a better overall athletics program in a major market and in an FBS conference.

I would be very surprised if the WAC East comes to pass. I do think that reviving the WAC by moving up with James Madison, Liberty, Georgia Southern, Jacksonville State and other regional FCS programs with strong fan support and FBS aspirations would be a great way to get our feet wet at the FBS level. However, it seems like a real long shot to get all those athletic departments on the same timeline to move up and make the financial commitment. Plus, in that case, the two remaining WAC football members would be extreme geographic outliers. If it is an all sports conference, would the eastern teams really be able to afford to fly all their non-revenue sports to Idaho and New Mexico and vice versa? The logistics seem like a real problem but who knows. If a moratorium seems like a real possibility, all these schools will do what they have to do.

(06-15-2012 12:01 AM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  

(06-14-2012 11:40 PM)tpopt Wrote:  That brought a chuckle.

and that took the chuckle away.

(06-15-2012 08:45 AM)Panthersville Wrote:  Conference championships in non-FBS conferences don't mean as much - in ANY sport. The fact remains that it is easier to build and maintain a better overall athletics program in a major market and in an FBS conference.

I disagree. I don't think you can say UCF and USF have successful athletic programs. Matter of fact, are there any athletic programs in major markets that are really successful? When I ask that, I am not just referring to football. Stanford maybe? Is Palo Alto considered a major market?

(06-15-2012 11:10 AM)Tennessee_Eagle Wrote:  

(06-15-2012 08:45 AM)Panthersville Wrote:  Conference championships in non-FBS conferences don't mean as much - in ANY sport. The fact remains that it is easier to build and maintain a better overall athletics program in a major market and in an FBS conference.

I disagree. I don't think you can say UCF and USF have successful athletic programs. Matter of fact, are there any athletic programs in major markets that are really successful? When I ask that, I am not just referring to football. Stanford maybe? Is Palo Alto considered a major market?

You cannot disagree with facts.

You CAN fix a school's sport with better facilities and a new coaching staff.

You CANNOT create a sizeable market where none exist.


You snidely refer to markets vs. product not realizing or caring that Statesboro is also a market, just not a large one. FBS Conferences are a business and that mean revenue producing in in football and basketball and that means TV dollars followed by ticket sales. You may not like that dynamic but that IS the dynamic.

It is easier to fix a sport by building facilities and hiring a new coach than it is to create a market. Stop taking your non-inclusion personally.