(01-19-2013 06:48 PM)ReturnOfMommaBear Wrote:  

(01-19-2013 06:27 PM)Goldfinger Wrote:  

(01-19-2013 06:23 PM)ReturnOfMommaBear Wrote:  

(01-19-2013 05:18 PM)ETSUfan1 Wrote:  Noland says he anticipates by late February or early March "we will have a pretty big announcement."

SoCon and Football.

I fear you will find the Socon in a lesser state than when we left. Still north of the Asun though.

I'm aware of the projected direction of the SoCon. And, yes, the SoCon is a very different place than it was 10 years ago... As anyone with ties older than 10 years can remember, the good old days weren't just good because of Mister Jennings and ETSU basketball... the league played some incredible basketball from Huntington to Chattanooga and points in between.

Football has been "down" but I think it's more of a result of other conferences being very, very proactive in "beating the SoCon" and the fact that the SoCon has done little to nothing to keep the SoCon as the model. When you have SoCon AD's voting to send the National Championship to Texas instead of fighting to keep it in Chattanooga because your school won't be allowed to keep money above and beyond a set amount of tickets sold... you've got problems. Thank you Charlie Cobb for casting that vote, but I digress (as I'm very good at doing).

I think the leadership will be a little more proactive effort on the part of the conference to enhance it's membership in order to keep current members (ASU and JaJa Sutin don't count) and strengthen the base sports of basketball and football. I'd expect more mid-size publics.... Not sure about more privates.... We'll see. So, like you pointed out... Better than the ASux.

I'm still partial to FBS football just for the sake of being able to generate more revenue and at last get football to a more fiscally sustainable model, but I'll take a well-funded FCS team that is allowed to be successful. It just makes sense for football and it makes an incredible amount of sense for basketball given that most FBS leagues are multi-bids instead on one auto-bid. Just my two cents.

If we say it's FCS, we'll be hiring an FCS Coach and y'all can cross off the BCS coordinators off the wish lists. Fine by me, I'm not interested in career wagon jumpers who only want the Head Coach label on a resume and then out the door to the next Head Coach job at a higher level.

(01-19-2013 06:23 PM)ReturnOfMommaBear Wrote:  

(01-19-2013 05:18 PM)ETSUfan1 Wrote:  Noland says he anticipates by late February or early March "we will have a pretty big announcement."

SoCon and Football.

For sure?

This would be the most logical, reasonable, and fiscal realistic path for ETSU to pursue at this time. Let's face it, for ETSU to be able return to the SoCon with a football team would a huge step given the damage that Stanton and Mullins inflicted on the program these past ten years. The Southern Conference is where ETSU belongs. In the old days a school had to hang around and hang around to "pay its dues"". Now days, schools can have a new football program up and running in a hurry, see Old Dominion, for example, and a number of others of course.

came across this on the SoCon thread...the same one where someone had posted that SoCon wasn't going to be adding any teams a few days ago:

"I'm hearing Mercer and ETSU are a done deal.

The SoCon is waiting on North Florida or Kennesaw for the next football member. Coastal is out.

Also hearing the Elon committed to staying because of money."
http://socon.boards.net/index.cgi?board=...thread=758

Coastal has made someone mad. Mercer moving means they would be adding scholarships to their program, or after reading some Sun belt scuttle that Appalachian may have crapped the bed and won't get an invite. It's a wait and see.

(01-19-2013 09:41 PM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  Coastal has made someone mad. Mercer moving means they would be adding scholarships to their program, or after reading some Sun belt scuttle that Appalachian may have crapped the bed and won't get an invite. It's a wait and see.

Buccaneerlover, where do you think we end up? I'm putting my money on SoCon

(01-19-2013 09:41 PM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  Coastal has made someone mad. Mercer moving means they would be adding scholarships to their program, or after reading some Sun belt scuttle that Appalachian may have crapped the bed and won't get an invite. It's a wait and see.

There's been a lot of talk that App isn't desireable due to market and accessibility.

(01-19-2013 09:39 PM)etsudolfan Wrote:  came across this on the SoCon thread...the same one where someone had posted that SoCon wasn't going to be adding any teams a few days ago:

"I'm hearing Mercer and ETSU are a done deal.

The SoCon is waiting on North Florida or Kennesaw for the next football member. Coastal is out.

Also hearing the Elon committed to staying because of money."
http://socon.boards.net/index.cgi?board=...thread=758

LOVE that pic dolfan!

just came across on twitter:

Marcus Brooks ‏@WXBQMarcus
@ETSUfans RT @Lancersblog Hearing today that Big South has interest in ETSU, but interest is not mutual. Bucs looking at SoCon, CAA, or OVC
https://twitter.com/WXBQMarcus

(01-19-2013 11:04 PM)abuc90 Wrote:  

(01-19-2013 09:39 PM)etsudolfan Wrote:  came across this on the SoCon thread...the same one where someone had posted that SoCon wasn't going to be adding any teams a few days ago:

"I'm hearing Mercer and ETSU are a done deal.

The SoCon is waiting on North Florida or Kennesaw for the next football member. Coastal is out.

Also hearing the Elon committed to staying because of money."
http://socon.boards.net/index.cgi?board=...thread=758

LOVE that pic dolfan!

thanks...I borrowed it from ETSU's flickr page :)

(01-19-2013 11:08 PM)etsudolfan Wrote:  just came across on twitter:

Marcus Brooks ‏@WXBQMarcus
@ETSUfans RT @Lancersblog Hearing today that Big South has interest in ETSU, but interest is not mutual. Bucs looking at SoCon, CAA, or OVC
https://twitter.com/WXBQMarcus

Good. I want no part of the Big South.

(01-19-2013 11:11 PM)Bucster Wrote:  

(01-19-2013 11:08 PM)etsudolfan Wrote:  just came across on twitter:

Marcus Brooks ‏@WXBQMarcus
@ETSUfans RT @Lancersblog Hearing today that Big South has interest in ETSU, but interest is not mutual. Bucs looking at SoCon, CAA, or OVC
https://twitter.com/WXBQMarcus

Good. I want no part of the Big South.

yeah I agree..it seems like it would be almost a lateral move from the ASun

(01-19-2013 09:41 PM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  Coastal has made someone mad. Mercer moving means they would be adding scholarships to their program, or after reading some Sun belt scuttle that Appalachian may have crapped the bed and won't get an invite. It's a wait and see.

Coastal is the red-headed stepchild of FCS football for some reason. I'd say the main reason: Academics. They pretty much have no standards.... Get them in and do what you will to keep them. Furman and Wofford would spit nails.

Coastal makes ETSU look like Princeton.

(01-19-2013 09:41 PM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  Mercer moving means they would be adding scholarships to their program, or after reading some Sun belt scuttle that Appalachian may have crapped the bed and won't get an invite. It's a wait and see.

Remember, the SoCon needs a non football school since CofC is leaving. I guess ETSU would fill that need for a couple of years, but after they they would need someone.

Personally, I'd like to use a conference as a stepping stone for a change. Get us in the SoCon, stabilize the football program with a new stadium, then bolt for FBS. A school with our size and history should be playing FBS ball.

(01-20-2013 07:02 AM)etsualumni00 Wrote:  Personally, I'd like to use a conference as a stepping stone for a change. Get us in the SoCon, stabilize the football program with a new stadium, then bolt for FBS. A school with our size and history should be playing FBS ball.

I would love to see us playing FBS too, but I'm sure if we go to the SoCon they will want a detailed plan and assurance that we are going to stay there for a while (not saying your suggestion is a bad idea, but with all of the conference shuffling, makes me wonder if buyouts won't start increasing)

(01-20-2013 06:14 AM)ETSUfan1 Wrote:  

(01-19-2013 09:41 PM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  Mercer moving means they would be adding scholarships to their program, or after reading some Sun belt scuttle that Appalachian may have crapped the bed and won't get an invite. It's a wait and see.

Remember, the SoCon needs a non football school since CofC is leaving. I guess ETSU would fill that need for a couple of years, but after they they would need someone.

Well we won't be joining them in the next year for sure, I'm pretty sure of that unless things change. The SoCon Commish made a statement in that regard:
http://catamountsportsblog.blogspot.com/...acing.html

I saw that article. They do need someone for next year though, or things will be unbalanced.

(01-20-2013 08:52 AM)etsudolfan Wrote:  

(01-20-2013 06:14 AM)ETSUfan1 Wrote:  

(01-19-2013 09:41 PM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  Mercer moving means they would be adding scholarships to their program, or after reading some Sun belt scuttle that Appalachian may have crapped the bed and won't get an invite. It's a wait and see.

Remember, the SoCon needs a non football school since CofC is leaving. I guess ETSU would fill that need for a couple of years, but after they they would need someone.

Well we won't be joining them in the next year for sure, I'm pretty sure of that unless things change. The SoCon Commish made a statement in that regard:
http://catamountsportsblog.blogspot.com/...acing.html

This is inconsistent with what I've been told. I was told we would be in the SoCon by next August. Also, I was told the big announcement was supposed to come by 2/15. Oh well - may have changed.

(01-19-2013 05:22 PM)Goldfinger Wrote:  

(01-19-2013 05:14 PM)ETSUfan1 Wrote:  For the first time, someone affiliated with the university, in a public interview, admitted that fan support dropped when football was dropped. Dr Sander said it was no secret. According to Mullins, everything was great!

Vindication! Vindication, mike white! Vindication, gobucsgo. Vindication, sloppy white. Vindication. Your regime is no more!

You feel vindicated? Based on what? Like a child, you ran off to be a "fan" of Kennesaw, and not surprisingly, now you're back. You picked up your ball & went home. Stay home.

(01-20-2013 08:52 AM)etsudolfan Wrote:  

(01-20-2013 06:14 AM)ETSUfan1 Wrote:  

(01-19-2013 09:41 PM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  Mercer moving means they would be adding scholarships to their program, or after reading some Sun belt scuttle that Appalachian may have crapped the bed and won't get an invite. It's a wait and see.

Remember, the SoCon needs a non football school since CofC is leaving. I guess ETSU would fill that need for a couple of years, but after they they would need someone.

Well we won't be joining them in the next year for sure, I'm pretty sure of that unless things change. The SoCon Commish made a statement in that regard:
http://catamountsportsblog.blogspot.com/...acing.html

That was a whole month ago :-)