Sometimes it's nice to gain some perspective from an outside. A reporter from North Dakota came out to Harrisonburg for the weekend to experience JMU Football and has written a number of nice features on our program over the last couple of days. Just the fact that North Dakota State is sending reporters out our way says something about how impressed they are with our program and our fan support.

@MikeMcFeelyWDAY

One article in particular deals with the popular FCS or FBS subject and has quotes from Alger and Bourne.

http://www.inforum.com/sports/football/4...cE.twitter

This quote stuck out to me:

"One conference might be attractive enough to lure JMU. The AAC includes Central Florida, Cincinnati, Houston and South Florida in a 12-team, two-division league and views itself a notch above leagues like the Sun Belt and Conference USA. The Dukes would fit nicely into the East Division with Cincinnati, Central Florida, South Florida, East Carolina, Temple and Connecticut.

If the AAC called, "I think we'd probably give them a call back," Bourne said."

As fans/alumni/boosters we need to ensure that Jeff Bourne is doing everything that he can to push this agenda. I'm sure it's just posturing for the article but not only do we have to be ready to answer the phone when the AAC calls but we should be calling them daily.

Guys, coincidentally I have been working on a blog to push this agenda.

Here is a link. I will continue to add compelling evidence as to why JMU should join the AAC and why the AAC should seek to add JMU as a member. Please feel free to share and submit posts to this blog.

https://jmu2aac.tumblr.com/

Would love to see it, though currently seems a stretch for us to be extended an invite. Maybe if our hoops make some NCAA appearances it would help.

Also, this is something that JMU would need to initiate. AAC admin isn't going to just wake up one day and say "lets call JMU." We need to be talking to their schools and ADs, and discussing scenarios that way.

Not sure our AAC wins are the best talking point, existing schools may not want a new member to come in and immediately challenge for the title. Other things like alumni base, attendance, media exposure, and market region matter more in terms of potential benefits for the conference. They want to grow their revenue and potential.

We've discussed this ad nausea, but I really do think our hoops program would have to show big improvement before the AAC schools would consider us. The new building is a great step in that direction, but it'll take some on the court results also.

Bourne would "probably" answer if the AAC called. Really, after a decade of this topic, lies about conference invites and countless internet fights among jmu alum, Bourne still refuses to show interest inteven the ####### AAC. Mind boggling.

that article was a freebee platform to market JMU conference potential and we said no thanks...If initiative on the part of JMU is required to make a conference move it is CAA4LYF for a school that no longer belongs in the CAA.

I feel like my donations to the DC enable JMU anchor the CAA.

Quote:"It's a financial model that doesn't work," said Dukes booster Larry Caudle, past president of the JMU Alumni Association. "It's purgatory, going somewhere like the Sun Belt Conference. That's what I call it. Frankly, we'd go bankrupt and we'd lose the momentum we've built in our program."

Sure, okay.

I say this with a straight face. I don't miss the FCS playoffs.

Someone should tell him the Sun Belt just got a new TV deal worth 3-times its old one.

(10-06-2018 04:35 PM)buryyourduke Wrote:  Maybe Elon will be a good travel partner in the AAC.

For who, Old Dominion or Appalachian State?

(10-06-2018 03:35 PM)T-Dog Wrote:  Someone should tell him the Sun Belt just got a new TV deal worth 3-times its old one.

Huh? Virtually all Sun Belt events are behind the ESPN+ paywall, super cool, great “increased exposure.”

Show your work on “worth 3 times it’s old one.” Hint, extending the overall length of the deal doesn’t increase its per annum value.

History has taught me that when an AD says publicly that he would return a call from a conference, he is publicly letting that conference know he is interested in membership. This sort of public communication has been a starting point for other schools in the past. Conferences don’t like to invite schools and then be turned down.

I have no idea if JMU has a shot at the AAC but I do see our AD being more vocal about moving up this year than at any time in the past.

(10-06-2018 10:02 PM)bjk3047 Wrote:  

(10-06-2018 03:35 PM)T-Dog Wrote:  Someone should tell him the Sun Belt just got a new TV deal worth 3-times its old one.

Huh? Virtually all Sun Belt events are behind the ESPN+ paywall, super cool, great “increased exposure.”

Show your work on “worth 3 times it’s old one.” Hint, extending the overall length of the deal doesn’t increase its per annum value.

Yeah that was an awfully large amount of spin. Tuesday through Thursday night games on ESPNU and all others behind the ESPN+ paywall isn’t exactly earth shattering for the FBS level. The MEAC, SWAC and Ivy all have comparable coverage and are only FCS.

The AAC isn’t adding an FCS program. We should’ve joined CUSA or SBC and waited our turn. That’s how real life works.

(10-06-2018 02:19 PM)Purplehazed Wrote:  Bourne would "probably" answer if the AAC called. Really, after a decade of this topic, lies about conference invites and countless internet fights among jmu alum, Bourne still refuses to show interest inteven the ####### AAC. Mind boggling.

that article was a freebee platform to market JMU conference potential and we said no thanks...If initiative on the part of JMU is required to make a conference move it is CAA4LYF for a school that no longer belongs in the CAA.

I feel like my donations to the DC enable JMU anchor the CAA.

You're smarter than this. Everyone knows that Bourne was saying "Of course we'd go to the AAC." He was asked the question and he answered it and you don't have to read much between the lines there. It's really simple, honestly. JMU sees no value in going to the MAC, CUSA, or the Sun Belt but they'll go to the AAC if they can. There's no gray area.

(10-07-2018 07:43 AM)Potomac Wrote:  The AAC isn’t adding an FCS program. We should’ve joined CUSA or SBC and waited our turn. That’s how real life works.

That is pretty much it. The AAC is trying to position themselves as part of the Prig6. They are better than the rest of the Great5 in most athletics but they are still G5 in football. No way they would bring in an FCS team before looking at an existing Great5 school.

Personally I wish JMU and App, along with some of the CUSA schools and SB schools could all be in a conference together. Cheaper travel, less time out of school, more fans visiting away games. Win-Win-Win.

That would require JMU to move up and be willing to lower themselves to the likes of App State (and some would say it would require others to lower themselves to accept JMU) but it would make for some great games for the fans.

Maybe someday, but at some point the number of schools at the FBS level is going to max out and it may have already happened, though I hope not for JMU's sake. Except for the outcome I had a great time at JMU in 2008 and would love to go back.

(10-07-2018 08:05 AM)DoubleDDuke Wrote:  

(10-06-2018 02:19 PM)Purplehazed Wrote:  Bourne would "probably" answer if the AAC called. Really, after a decade of this topic, lies about conference invites and countless internet fights among jmu alum, Bourne still refuses to show interest inteven the ####### AAC. Mind boggling.

that article was a freebee platform to market JMU conference potential and we said no thanks...If initiative on the part of JMU is required to make a conference move it is CAA4LYF for a school that no longer belongs in the CAA.

I feel like my donations to the DC enable JMU anchor the CAA.

You're smarter than this. Everyone knows that Bourne was saying "Of course we'd go to the AAC." He was asked the question and he answered it and you don't have to read much between the lines there. It's really simple, honestly. JMU sees no value in going to the MAC, CUSA, or the Sun Belt but they'll go to the AAC if they can. There's no gray area.

Bourne is quoted in an article yesterday (I believe attached above) stating that JMU has drawings of a 40,000 seat BFS to compete at the fcs level. JMU won't accept Sunbelt, MAC or CUSA (we have been told otherwise about CUSA for years by many on this board). There is no other G5 and the AAC is not going to take a fcs program. If there is evidence to the contrary, some transparency would be much appreciated by many fans and alum that have been pushing and pulling 25K Strong for a long time.

We were told to read between the lines a decade ago and had the the rug pulled (CUSA), we are saying read between the lines again. Why did JB add "to compete at the fcs level" above? Is JMU outbuilding the entire fcs, G5 and the AAC to be a fcs dynasty (wink-wink)? Does that seem insane, yes, but then why will JMU not be transparent? If we don't know where JMU will land, we may very well be outbuilding everybody no filter.

I do love when we built and it is done well.

The article in which JB speaks of a 40,000 seat BFS built for fcs championships is called James Madison built for a Dynasty, just like NDSU written by Mike McFeely.

McFeely writes about JMU a lot. He has addressed that much of the reason NDSU remains fcs is that NDSU is in Canada and there are no fbs conferences.

(10-07-2018 07:43 AM)Potomac Wrote:  The AAC isn’t adding an FCS program. We should’ve joined CUSA or SBC and waited our turn. That’s how real life works.

This is the correct answer. App State took the entry level grunt work/internship position to prove itself worthy (because it lowers the prestige of a conference to add an FCS team).


JMU is collecting unemployment holding out for a management position.

CAA 4 Lyfe

If we actually built the program to be where we're winning 6 out of 7 FCS titles and have 40,000 seats in the house, I could see AAC giving JMU a look if and when they ever needed to add a school or two. Can we get there, though? And how many years would it take?

I think if NDSU were located in Harrisonburg, VA, and didn't have a stupid 19,000 seat dome, AAC might have already called.

I think with our ability to closely monitor the ever changing landscape of college athletics we could possibly see some movement in the next 18-24 months which would certainly increase engagement and allow us to continue to be the national model for blah blah blah.

(10-06-2018 11:46 AM)NJDuke97 Wrote:  Sometimes it's nice to gain some perspective from an outside. A reporter from North Dakota came out to Harrisonburg for the weekend to experience JMU Football and has written a number of nice features on our program over the last couple of days. Just the fact that North Dakota State is sending reporters out our way says something about how impressed they are with our program and our fan support.

@MikeMcFeelyWDAY

One article in particular deals with the popular FCS or FBS subject and has quotes from Alger and Bourne.

http://www.inforum.com/sports/football/4...cE.twitter

This quote stuck out to me:

"One conference might be attractive enough to lure JMU. The AAC includes Central Florida, Cincinnati, Houston and South Florida in a 12-team, two-division league and views itself a notch above leagues like the Sun Belt and Conference USA. The Dukes would fit nicely into the East Division with Cincinnati, Central Florida, South Florida, East Carolina, Temple and Connecticut.

If the AAC called, "I think we'd probably give them a call back," Bourne said."

As fans/alumni/boosters we need to ensure that Jeff Bourne is doing everything that he can to push this agenda. I'm sure it's just posturing for the article but not only do we have to be ready to answer the phone when the AAC calls but we should be calling them daily.

Which would be lovely for everything except women's basketball. Can you imagine having to deal with Geno Auriemma all the time? I think the Women could handle the other schools pretty well, but a three times a year drubbing by UConn, and Geno crowing about it, might be a bit much.

Also, forget about MBB. They would languish in the cellar permanently.

no...we'd have a chance to get better...iron sharpens iron and all that...but also, better recruiting ops to say "you are great, ride the pine at uconn, or come to JMU and play them and have a chance to beat them"