(09-23-2014 02:40 PM)panama Wrote:  

(09-23-2014 02:34 PM)NCeagle Wrote:  At this point most of your fans would be happy with Wofford's history. :-D

...and now you can put your pants back on. Thanks

Wofford is pretty good.

At the end of the day they're all still in a better position at this point and considering the shift is likely over, that's not going to change.

(09-23-2014 01:09 PM)panama Wrote:  

(09-23-2014 12:53 PM)Ole Sleepy Wrote:  

(09-23-2014 11:09 AM)panama Wrote:  

(09-23-2014 10:49 AM)Ole Sleepy Wrote:  

(09-23-2014 09:56 AM)panama Wrote:  This thread is embarrassing, mostly because of the ignorance of G5/Non AQ football history by a few who obviously have never watched. USF was the model and most successful startup in history. Period. For there even be a discussion because they have had a couple down years after a decade plus of stellar ones is ridiculous.

Very true, but when I think of college football, I think about college towns who have grown over the years from a grass roots level, local support effort from winning. No doubt what USF has done, and did in its first few years are amazing, but just not what I think of when I think of college football.

I can appreciate the ECU method more.

What ECU method? ECU was never FCS and isnt a startup. They have been playing forever. No comparisom at all. So obviously there is a bias here where college football shouldnt be played in major cities.

You know, having the involvement of the local community, creating a gameday atmosphere and culture that is attractive to many, climbing up the ladder one W at a time, paying your dues in college football, etc.

Their foundation was slowly built and has been progressively (generally speaking) growing. When you have local die hards, you can sustain the weathering from sub .500 seasons a lot longer than you can in a city where there are tons of other things people would rather do than watch their team lose.

I had a friend who worked for the Kinston Indians (minor league baseball near Greenville) and he invited me up for an ECU game. Out freaking standing gameday experience! I had no clue the fan base they had was so, well, in tune with the team and its history. Everyone I spoke to could speak intelligently (well, maybe a little belligerently) about ECU football. It immediately made me think this is where GS should have been if we would have had a football team all that time, or would have moved up to D1A 20 years ago.

ECU is an anomaly. They are 4 hours from the major population centers of the state as well as from the other universities in the state. Its a very unique situation. Being in a city does not preclude developing a generational fan base. Houston and Memphis have that. What people dont realize is that averaging 50k a game in the G% is unrealistic. The majority of the G5 averages 25k or less.

Your wrong about ECU. ECU is located in Greenville NC. Greenville is 90 miles from Raleigh and Durham. So ECU is 90 miles from NC State, UNC, and DUKE. Drive about another hour and you have Wake Forest. THere are 4 ACC schools within a 2 and a half hour drive from ECU. That is hardly 4 the four hours your narrative is passing off as truth.

I will concede that getting 50,000 in the stands in an outlier for G5 schools. AN outlier however, is not an impossibility. I personally think that schools like Ga Southern , App State and Ark State have tremendous potential and untapped fan potential.

Ga Southern reminds me of ECU in many ways. Strong fan base, nice college town, and strong competitive football. I would actually like to see Ga Southern in the AAC at some point.

(09-24-2014 04:58 PM)baruna falls Wrote:  

(09-23-2014 01:09 PM)panama Wrote:  

(09-23-2014 12:53 PM)Ole Sleepy Wrote:  

(09-23-2014 11:09 AM)panama Wrote:  

(09-23-2014 10:49 AM)Ole Sleepy Wrote:  Very true, but when I think of college football, I think about college towns who have grown over the years from a grass roots level, local support effort from winning. No doubt what USF has done, and did in its first few years are amazing, but just not what I think of when I think of college football.

I can appreciate the ECU method more.

What ECU method? ECU was never FCS and isnt a startup. They have been playing forever. No comparisom at all. So obviously there is a bias here where college football shouldnt be played in major cities.

You know, having the involvement of the local community, creating a gameday atmosphere and culture that is attractive to many, climbing up the ladder one W at a time, paying your dues in college football, etc.

Their foundation was slowly built and has been progressively (generally speaking) growing. When you have local die hards, you can sustain the weathering from sub .500 seasons a lot longer than you can in a city where there are tons of other things people would rather do than watch their team lose.

I had a friend who worked for the Kinston Indians (minor league baseball near Greenville) and he invited me up for an ECU game. Out freaking standing gameday experience! I had no clue the fan base they had was so, well, in tune with the team and its history. Everyone I spoke to could speak intelligently (well, maybe a little belligerently) about ECU football. It immediately made me think this is where GS should have been if we would have had a football team all that time, or would have moved up to D1A 20 years ago.

ECU is an anomaly. They are 4 hours from the major population centers of the state as well as from the other universities in the state. Its a very unique situation. Being in a city does not preclude developing a generational fan base. Houston and Memphis have that. What people dont realize is that averaging 50k a game in the G% is unrealistic. The majority of the G5 averages 25k or less.

Your wrong about ECU. ECU is located in Greenville NC. Greenville is 90 miles from Raleigh and Durham. So ECU is 90 miles from NC State, UNC, and DUKE. Drive about another hour and you have Wake Forest. THere are 4 ACC schools within a 2 and a half hour drive from ECU. That is hardly 4 the four hours your narrative is passing off as truth.

I will concede that getting 50,000 in the stands in an outlier for G5 schools. AN outlier however, is not an impossibility. I personally think that schools like Ga Southern , App State and Ark State have tremendous potential and untapped fan potential.

Ga Southern reminds me of ECU in many ways. Strong fan base, nice college town, and strong competitive football. I would actually like to see Ga Southern in the AAC at some point.

I'd add Texas St to that potential. Attractive college town. VERY large student population (35K+) churning out lots of alums. San Marcos is within an hour of not one, but TWO major cities. A third major city is 3 hours away. They have a ton alumni stock piled in those cities. They are new to FBS football. They just need a big season. Football success will be the catalyst to get those nearby alumni interested in returning home to bask in the glory.

(09-24-2014 04:58 PM)baruna falls Wrote:  

(09-23-2014 01:09 PM)panama Wrote:  

(09-23-2014 12:53 PM)Ole Sleepy Wrote:  

(09-23-2014 11:09 AM)panama Wrote:  

(09-23-2014 10:49 AM)Ole Sleepy Wrote:  Very true, but when I think of college football, I think about college towns who have grown over the years from a grass roots level, local support effort from winning. No doubt what USF has done, and did in its first few years are amazing, but just not what I think of when I think of college football.

I can appreciate the ECU method more.

What ECU method? ECU was never FCS and isnt a startup. They have been playing forever. No comparisom at all. So obviously there is a bias here where college football shouldnt be played in major cities.

You know, having the involvement of the local community, creating a gameday atmosphere and culture that is attractive to many, climbing up the ladder one W at a time, paying your dues in college football, etc.

Their foundation was slowly built and has been progressively (generally speaking) growing. When you have local die hards, you can sustain the weathering from sub .500 seasons a lot longer than you can in a city where there are tons of other things people would rather do than watch their team lose.

I had a friend who worked for the Kinston Indians (minor league baseball near Greenville) and he invited me up for an ECU game. Out freaking standing gameday experience! I had no clue the fan base they had was so, well, in tune with the team and its history. Everyone I spoke to could speak intelligently (well, maybe a little belligerently) about ECU football. It immediately made me think this is where GS should have been if we would have had a football team all that time, or would have moved up to D1A 20 years ago.

ECU is an anomaly. They are 4 hours from the major population centers of the state as well as from the other universities in the state. Its a very unique situation. Being in a city does not preclude developing a generational fan base. Houston and Memphis have that. What people dont realize is that averaging 50k a game in the G% is unrealistic. The majority of the G5 averages 25k or less.

Your wrong about ECU. ECU is located in Greenville NC. Greenville is 90 miles from Raleigh and Durham. So ECU is 90 miles from NC State, UNC, and DUKE. Drive about another hour and you have Wake Forest. THere are 4 ACC schools within a 2 and a half hour drive from ECU. That is hardly 4 the four hours your narrative is passing off as truth.

I will concede that getting 50,000 in the stands in an outlier for G5 schools. AN outlier however, is not an impossibility. I personally think that schools like Ga Southern , App State and Ark State have tremendous potential and untapped fan potential.

Ga Southern reminds me of ECU in many ways. Strong fan base, nice college town, and strong competitive football. I would actually like to see Ga Southern in the AAC at some point.

On a sports talk show out of Clemson several weeks back the hosts were discussing how big city college football programs have built in issues. There is no "college atmosphere" to draw alumni back to a campus located in the heart of a large city. Athletic teams compete with numerous other entertainment options and a large majority of the population has little to no connection with the school so support from the masses is fickle. Most students attending these schools are commuter type students who only seek a degree and not to experience college life. There are obvious exceptions to the rule, but schools with the most passionate fan bases are most often found in rural locations.

(09-23-2014 01:09 PM)panama Wrote:  

(09-23-2014 12:53 PM)Ole Sleepy Wrote:  

(09-23-2014 11:09 AM)panama Wrote:  

(09-23-2014 10:49 AM)Ole Sleepy Wrote:  

(09-23-2014 09:56 AM)panama Wrote:  This thread is embarrassing, mostly because of the ignorance of G5/Non AQ football history by a few who obviously have never watched. USF was the model and most successful startup in history. Period. For there even be a discussion because they have had a couple down years after a decade plus of stellar ones is ridiculous.

Very true, but when I think of college football, I think about college towns who have grown over the years from a grass roots level, local support effort from winning. No doubt what USF has done, and did in its first few years are amazing, but just not what I think of when I think of college football.

I can appreciate the ECU method more.

What ECU method? ECU was never FCS and isnt a startup. They have been playing forever. No comparisom at all. So obviously there is a bias here where college football shouldnt be played in major cities.

You know, having the involvement of the local community, creating a gameday atmosphere and culture that is attractive to many, climbing up the ladder one W at a time, paying your dues in college football, etc.

Their foundation was slowly built and has been progressively (generally speaking) growing. When you have local die hards, you can sustain the weathering from sub .500 seasons a lot longer than you can in a city where there are tons of other things people would rather do than watch their team lose.

I had a friend who worked for the Kinston Indians (minor league baseball near Greenville) and he invited me up for an ECU game. Out freaking standing gameday experience! I had no clue the fan base they had was so, well, in tune with the team and its history. Everyone I spoke to could speak intelligently (well, maybe a little belligerently) about ECU football. It immediately made me think this is where GS should have been if we would have had a football team all that time, or would have moved up to D1A 20 years ago.

ECU is an anomaly. They are 4 hours from the major population centers of the state as well as from the other universities in the state. Its a very unique situation. Being in a city does not preclude developing a generational fan base. Houston and Memphis have that. What people dont realize is that averaging 50k a game in the G% is unrealistic. The majority of the G5 averages 25k or less.

Greenville is about 1 hour and 20 minutes from Raleigh. Their fan base is spread throughout NC. It is the most passionate fan base in the state. I've seen 500+ show up for a early season baseball game at Elon. Their administration has cultivated an us vs them mentality (mainly towards unc-ch and nc state) that began in the 70's when those two tried to stop ECU from receiving funding for a med school. I am somewhat envious how they support ALL their sports teams. I do see a lot of similarities in App fans, we just need to get a few things straightened out (basketball in particular) and we'll be nipping at their heels. I find it funny that people from big city schools think schools like App can't draw big numbers. The thing they don't understand is a trip to Boone for us is like a mini vacation. We love going back to campus. The majority of our fans drive between 1 and 3 hours to the games. Unlike the big city schools where fans head to the stadium 30 minutes before kickoff. With the right schedule App would easily average 40K per game.

(09-24-2014 06:21 PM)AppManDG Wrote:  Greenville is about 1 hour and 20 minutes from Raleigh. Their fan base is spread throughout NC. It is the most passionate fan base in the state. I've seen 500+ show up for a early season baseball game at Elon. Their administration has cultivated an us vs them mentality (mainly towards unc-ch and nc state) that began in the 70's when those two tried to stop ECU from receiving funding for a med school. I am somewhat envious how they support ALL their sports teams. I do see a lot of similarities in App fans, we just need to get a few things straightened out (basketball in particular) and we'll be nipping at their heels. I find it funny that people from big city schools think schools like App can't draw big numbers. The thing they don't understand is a trip to Boone for us is like a mini vacation. We love going back to campus. The majority of our fans drive between 1 and 3 hours to the games. Unlike the big city schools where fans head to the stadium 30 minutes before kickoff. With the right schedule App would easily average 40K per game.

Who says that?

(09-25-2014 09:29 AM)Pounce FTW Wrote:  

(09-24-2014 06:21 PM)AppManDG Wrote:  Greenville is about 1 hour and 20 minutes from Raleigh. Their fan base is spread throughout NC. It is the most passionate fan base in the state. I've seen 500+ show up for a early season baseball game at Elon. Their administration has cultivated an us vs them mentality (mainly towards unc-ch and nc state) that began in the 70's when those two tried to stop ECU from receiving funding for a med school. I am somewhat envious how they support ALL their sports teams. I do see a lot of similarities in App fans, we just need to get a few things straightened out (basketball in particular) and we'll be nipping at their heels. I find it funny that people from big city schools think schools like App can't draw big numbers. The thing they don't understand is a trip to Boone for us is like a mini vacation. We love going back to campus. The majority of our fans drive between 1 and 3 hours to the games. Unlike the big city schools where fans head to the stadium 30 minutes before kickoff. With the right schedule App would easily average 40K per game.

Who says that?

One is the CUSA Conference office.

(09-22-2014 01:20 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(09-20-2014 09:19 AM)gasoutherneagle Wrote:  

(09-20-2014 09:12 AM)AppinVA Wrote:  MARKETS!!!

EXACTLY!!!

You folks starting to learn that big media markets don't mean ShEEt yet?
It's not where the school is. It's how big and loyal (with growth potential) is your fan base!

DOLLARS!!!!!

Someday some of you will understand this! like when you are trying to keep a coach or get rid of a coach because he can't win and can't do either...

because you can't afford to pay to keep or get rid of him. It's another reason most of us can't be decent in more than one sport..

basketball or football

Butts in the seats DON'T BUILD your program it's the DOLLARS...not TV dollars but Dollars off tickets sold and the donation that goes along with it.

You are comparing FCS budgets to a team that has been playing FBS football for 13 years and was in a BCS conference? Ok in 13 years lets compare the numbers again so it makes sense....

We should jack our student fees to 16M to promote tickets sales I guess...good lawd. The ticket sales are impressive and are counter intuitive considering the play lately. I dont think that holds up if the losing continues combined with being booted from the big boy conference table. Both our ticket sales and contributions are trending up and USF's contributions seem to be flat. I am just going out on a limb but with, better TV contract, better competition, improved stadium, numerous new corporate sponsors coming on board our numbers will continue to trend up like they obviously are. Outside of the insane student fees both App and GS appear to be on track to match and or exceed USF's early FBS numbers. App's 2013 FCS numbers are pretty much on par to USF's FIVE year in FBS numbers. How far does this go back, can we get a link?

(09-25-2014 09:47 AM)AppManDG Wrote:  

(09-25-2014 09:29 AM)Pounce FTW Wrote:  Who says that?

One is the CUSA Conference office.

Well, you referenced "people from big city schools," which doesn't really mean CUSA as an entity. You also realize that shaping a conference in a certain way doesn't mean that someone is making a definitive statement about what affects attendance, right? That would be a convenient way to caricature it, but that's not what school presidents are doing. Otherwise there'd be a pretty simple list they could look at to figure out who they'd want to add or not.