I know we all think football drives the expansion bus, but the more I think about it, the choice of Coastal Carolina seems to have been driven by baseball (and maybe even to a lesser extent, soccer). I understand the SBC has prided it self on its baseball but has struggled some since re-alignment. Coastal's football is questionable and their basketball has been good at the Big South level but they aren't really world beaters. It seems to me that with Coastal, the SBC has immediately returned to its place as a quality baseball league.

(09-01-2015 06:53 AM)AppfanInCAAland Wrote:  I know we all think football drives the expansion bus, but the more I think about it, the choice of Coastal Carolina seems to have been driven by baseball (and maybe even to a lesser extent, soccer). I understand the SBC has prided it self on its baseball but has struggled some since re-alignment. Coastal's football is questionable and their basketball has been good at the Big South level but they aren't really world beaters. It seems to me that with Coastal, the SBC has immediately returned to its place as a quality baseball league.

They've recently hosted a super regional which is no easy task to accomplish. Heck, just making it to a super regional is no easy task.

I see some very good days ahead for SunBelt baseball.

I doubt it was driven by baseball or soccer, but being strong in those sports certainly didn't hurt.

yep, that's what I thinks happening, if the plan is to bring in all sports except football, and then bring it in 2 or 3 years, I guess, that's okay. But it would be idiotic to bring football in now, they are not ready to play, or support FBS football,

It was driven mostly by oly sports and the fact they have the funding to compete in football down the road.

(09-01-2015 07:22 AM)moehler Wrote:  yep, that's exactly whats happening, hope the SBC isn't stupid enough to bring football in along with the other sports, need to wait 2 or 3 years, they aren't ready to play and support FBS football.

I don't think Coastal would have made this move unless football was part of the deal.

There would be very little in it for us unless the FBS football was part of the deal.

With entry fees and exit fees, not getting the FBS football piece would be a bad move for Coastal.

Also, I highly doubt we would have scheduled a "historic announcement" just to say that football is staying FCS.

I have no doubt football was part of the deal.

(09-01-2015 06:53 AM)AppfanInCAAland Wrote:  Coastal's football is questionable ….

I disagree with that…Coastal is a legit top-10 FCS team. And they aren't really a flash in the pan either….they have recruited legit talent for a while.

In that respect they are ahead of a lot of teams that moved up when they moved up.

(09-01-2015 07:32 AM)EigenEagle Wrote:  

(09-01-2015 06:53 AM)AppfanInCAAland Wrote:  Coastal's football is questionable ….

I disagree with that…Coastal is a legit top-10 FCS team. And they aren't really a flash in the pan either….they have recruited legit talent for a while.

In that respect they are ahead of a lot of teams that moved up when they moved up.

You are correct, by questionable I meant attendance and the like. There was a time not long ago where they had like one of best all-time winning percentage in football. Kind like ODU, they haven't really ever had a bad season, they just haven't had that many seasons in total.

(09-01-2015 07:43 AM)AppfanInCAAland Wrote:  

(09-01-2015 07:32 AM)EigenEagle Wrote:  

(09-01-2015 06:53 AM)AppfanInCAAland Wrote:  Coastal's football is questionable ….

I disagree with that…Coastal is a legit top-10 FCS team. And they aren't really a flash in the pan either….they have recruited legit talent for a while.

In that respect they are ahead of a lot of teams that moved up when they moved up.

You are correct, by questionable I meant attendance and the like. There was a time not long ago where they had like one of best all-time winning percentage in football. Kind like ODU, they haven't really ever had a bad season, they just haven't had that many seasons in total.

I want to agree with this, but I don't. I feel our football program (Today) will not fair well with the Top 8 in the Funbelt. I do feel next season our Soccer Team (cough soccer) and baseball teams will have immediate success within the conference.

Just glad Sun Belt realignment is over for a while now we can all focus on getting better.

It was driven by the process of elimination.

Coastal's basketball is no joke. Cliff Ellis took USA to a couple of NCAA tounament appearances and 3 of our Sun Belt championships (back when the Sun Belt was good too) when he was with us. The guy is a class act and outstanding coach.

(09-01-2015 09:02 AM)USAJag2011 Wrote:  Coastal's basketball is no joke. Cliff Ellis took USA to a couple of NCAA tounament appearances and 3 of our Sun Belt championships (back when the Sun Belt was good too) when he was with us. The guy is a class act and outstanding coach.

I'm pretty confident EKU would be better in basketball than CCU. We have competed for the OVC the last few years. Murray State almost, should of, made the OVC a 2 team conference last season.

The quality in the Big South for basketball is not that good.

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(09-01-2015 07:23 AM)statefanatic Wrote:  It was driven mostly by oly sports and the fact they have the funding to compete in football down the road.

That's it in a nutshell. Football has great potential and likely wouldn't have been added without some quality. But it was the fact that CCU was a well-rounded athletic program, with several Olympic sports being nationally recognized along with their geography that made the difference. Their non-football total attendance would have ranked third in the SBC last year as well (http://csnbbs.com/thread-744431-page-3.html).

(09-01-2015 09:02 AM)USAJag2011 Wrote:  Coastal's basketball is no joke. Cliff Ellis took USA to a couple of NCAA tounament appearances and 3 of our Sun Belt championships (back when the Sun Belt was good too) when he was with us. The guy is a class act and outstanding coach.

I seem to remember him having a few good years at Auburn as well.

We have ourselves a good, if not great, little baseball conference now. I'm looking forward to a weekend trip to North Myrtle where I will stay in the least sticky hotel I can afford, sit on the beach or watch some baseball. Knowing my luck, that series will be played in February.

What I can say is that Coastal's overall athletics are first rate. Our soccer team is currently ranked 11th in the nation. We've already beaten VCU and Old Dominian on the road. Our basketball team hosts and beats SEC teams pretty often and held their own pretty well against Virginia and Wisconsin in the tournament the last two years. Baseball speaks for itself. We beat Clemson, South Carolina, Georgia Tech, UNC, NC State, and Wake Forest last year. You won't find many other schools that are this dominant across the board. So I thoroughly expect us to strengthen the Sun Belt all around.

^I do too as well. Glad to have y'all aboard.

They lack the tradition that we are accustomed to for a football program, but they have a good squad and excellent programs outside of football.

Having another premier baseball team is great for the SBC. I think it is excellent for Georgia Southern to have a close opponent who can make their program better from the competition. Also the exposure that CCU brings in baseball is what's BEST FOR BUSINESS for the SBC!

There are already a number of schools in Division I with better home attendance for baseball than men's basketball - I'm not suggesting that needs to be the case in the Sun Belt, but it would not be inconceivable to think that baseball could be self-supporting at many Sun Belt institutions.