(01-14-2013 10:35 AM)PittsburghBucs Wrote:  And I know that there's been grumbling about the CAA on this board, since Noland is from the DC area and such.

I'd love it. But you have to ask if the schools in the league are a match for ETSU.

If it did happen, I can tell you the northeastern schools would look at ETSU as the hicks from the stick. Now, there's nothing wrong with that, every school has their own identity, and it would make for some pretty fair rivalries.

If we can just pull ourselves from the KSU rivalry that was supposed to be so fierce . . . .

The Colonial sounds good but a major catch in going to that type of conference involves the presidents of those universities voting State in. With the schools acceptance rate as high as it is, academics become a major stumbling block. A huge positive is our medical/pharmacy schools.

I know.

I mean, I dream big. I dream of a conference like the Big East or C-USA in their reorganized state. I just look at the member schools of these conferences and think how it really isn't out of the relm of possibility for ETSU to be playing at that level with just a little more emphasis.

(01-14-2013 10:55 AM)PittsburghBucs Wrote:  I know.

I mean, I dream big. I dream of a conference like the Big East or C-USA in their reorganized state. I just look at the member schools of these conferences and think how it really isn't out of the relm of possibility for ETSU to be playing at that level with just a little more emphasis.

Exactly. I have been dreaming that way since way back in 1988 when I graduated from ETSU....and I am going to continue to dream and hope for these types of conferences.

KSU isn't going anywhere but with ETSU to the SoCon. Mercer can get moved into Charleston's spot with KSU/ETSU coming in to shore up a nice geographical division with Western, UT-C, ETSU, Kennesaw, Mercer, Samford and whichever school they feel needs to move into that group.
The SoCon works, build, win and shoot higher. 85 scholarships, bowl games, chips, dips, chains, whips. One step at a time.

The thing about the SoCon is that Brian Noland went to that basketball tournament. Now, that was a flashing red light Noland had to want a new conference.

Whether or not they were receptive, I don't know.

I'd love the CAA but GoBucsGo made a post last month and said the CAA rejected us, so I don't think that is happening.

Here is the thread. Read the first post.
http://csnbbs.com/showthread.php?tid=606639

(01-14-2013 11:04 AM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  KSU isn't going anywhere but with ETSU to the SoCon. Mercer can get moved into Charleston's spot with KSU/ETSU coming in to shore up a nice geographical division with Western, UT-C, ETSU, Kennesaw, Mercer, Samford and whichever school they feel needs to move into that group.
The SoCon works, build, win and shoot higher. 85 scholarships, bowl games, chips, dips, chains, whips. One step at a time.

The last time we were a member of the SOCON we had to survive on 50 scholarships. With that number we finished mid-pack. With 65 what could we have done....or what could we do?

Oh I know. And we had an idiot head coach who was probably the worst playcaller ever. EVER.

(01-14-2013 10:32 AM)LetsgoBucs Wrote:  Sander has ties that run deep with the CAA. Not saying that is going to happen, but its worth throwing out there.

agree. sanders ties with the caa give us a legitimate seat in the conversation at least. not that it will happen, but TODAY we have a much better shot than YESTERDAY...

(01-14-2013 09:23 AM)ETSUAlumni Wrote:  We are moving....it is a done deal. Everything Atlantic Sun has been removed from the dome.

I don't think there's anything Southern or OVC related either. I don't think that, in itself, necessarily means anything.

I would like to tie ETSU to MTSU. MTSU's facilities crush ETSU at the moment. MTSU is the largest school in the state. They seem to take one step forward and then a step back in building a winning program. When ETSU joined the Southern....Chattanooga was the sponsor. It was a great partnership. With the med and pharmacy school, ETSU has a chance to move to the next level....where MTSU resides. Both schools were founded together. There has to be some financial benefit to working together.... I feel the same way about Appalachian but the Mountaineers are from another state making it less financially beneficial.

(01-14-2013 12:49 PM)Mister Jennings Wrote:  I would like to tie ETSU to MTSU. MTSU's facilities crush ETSU at the moment. MTSU is the largest school in the state. They seem to take one step forward and then a step back in building a winning program. When ETSU joined the Southern....Chattanooga was the sponsor. It was a great partnership. With the med and pharmacy school, ETSU has a chance to move to the next level....where MTSU resides. Both schools were founded together. There has to be some financial benefit to working together.... I feel the same way about Appalachian but the Mountaineers are from another state making it less financially beneficial.

I agree! I'd love to see a MTSU ETSU rivalry! Maybe we can do an out of conference game with them each year? I'd also like to see us play UT...heck that'd be worth it just for the money the AD would get from UT!

Money games will happen. There's no reason ETSU/MT shouldn't be playing in basketball, though we'd have gotten blistered the last couple of years.

(01-14-2013 11:14 AM)Bucster Wrote:  I'd love the CAA but GoBucsGo made a post last month and said the CAA rejected us, so I don't think that is happening.

Here is the thread. Read the first post.
http://csnbbs.com/showthread.php?tid=606639

You have to put a lot of stock into an unnamed source to just blindly believe a message board post.

Then again, it's not as if the post wasn't presented properly or wasn't believable.

If the SoCon is on the horizon, I just want to stress that I hope that's not it.

I also want to ask if maybe, just maybe, C of C might be inclined to return.

Because a conference with C of C, Davidson, Chattanooga and, though down, ETSU, plus whoever else from the field that's having a good year, could be a conference that merits two bids to the tourney in future seasons.

I would like to see ETSU with App state, UTC, and Belmont.. I know that these 3 aren't likely to be together in the same conference anytime soon but in all reality they represent our biggest rivalries and most enjoyable to follow.

Belmont was never a big rivalry and I feel sorry for those who thought it was.

(01-14-2013 10:55 AM)PittsburghBucs Wrote:  I know.

I mean, I dream big. I dream of a conference like the Big East or C-USA in their reorganized state. I just look at the member schools of these conferences and think how it really isn't out of the relm of possibility for ETSU to be playing at that level with just a little more emphasis.

You have to crawl before you can walk. ETSU doesn't have minimum requirement for the Sun Belt let alone the BEAST or C-USA.

Hell the BEAST won't be around much longer.

(01-14-2013 08:12 PM)Goldfinger Wrote:  Belmont was never a big rivalry and I feel sorry for those who thought it was.

It depends on what you mean by this. I, for one, never wanted to consider them a rival, but then they kept whipping us over and over. Belmont is a legit mid major program built in a short period of time.

(01-14-2013 08:18 PM)BucNut22 Wrote:  

(01-14-2013 10:55 AM)PittsburghBucs Wrote:  I know.

I mean, I dream big. I dream of a conference like the Big East or C-USA in their reorganized state. I just look at the member schools of these conferences and think how it really isn't out of the relm of possibility for ETSU to be playing at that level with just a little more emphasis.

You have to crawl before you can walk. ETSU doesn't have minimum requirement for the Sun Belt let alone the BEAST or C-USA.

Hell the BEAST won't be around much longer.

Define minimum requirement.

First of all, let's see if we end up in the CAA next year. If I'm wrong, give me all the hell you want.

Second, Belmont is #31 in RPI in a league that's currently 18th in RPI. Pretty solid. They have been as high as 16th in RPI. They weren't a rival, you're right - they kicked our ass on a regular basis. We have to win to make it a rivalry. If they were in the SoCon this year, they would likely not lose a league game.

The interested leagues are the OVC, the SoCon, the Big South. No one else is interested. Period. Why would anyone else be interested?

Now, let's get in the SoCon, start winning again, 5 years after football starts and its winning consistently and we are selling out our 15K seat stadium, then we jump to the Sun Belt with a D1 program.

Sound reasonable? Of course. Pay up. It's going to cost bigger money than anyone thinks we can fund raise. But the Sun Belt is getting a hell of a lot better, and if we're going there, we better be ready to compete at a higher level.