(09-22-2023 11:40 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:36 AM)KJ Eagle Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 10:51 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 09:01 AM)Porcine Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 08:53 AM)GreenBison Wrote:  SBC fans would help with your attendance. You know Marshall, APP, JMU, ODU would bring fans. A whole hell of a lot more than what you'll get now from CUSA6 fans.

SBC fans believe that regional rivalries keep interest up even when they are losing. ECU fans don't believe that would be enough to really matter. That is how I understand it, anyway.

No, it's not that I don't think regional rivalries draw fans, I absolutely do think that it's why I want ECU-App to play every year, it's that I don't think you just create regional rivalries out of thin air. ECU already views App as a rival from history in the SOCON and years of smack talk between the fan bases when we weren't playing, and has a history with Marshall that's obviously special and unique, but both of those things have gone on for decades. It's like you SBC guys get the idea that Charlotte just getting thrown in the AAC isn't going to make ECU fans view them as a rival or care about playing them anytime soon, yet think ECU fans would view ODU/JMU/Coastal any differently. It's not that ECU fans couldn't eventually grow to care about playing those 3, but you are talking about something that would take a long time to get ECU fans to view playing those 3 any differently than playing name your favorite CUSA6 punching bag.

Because Charlotte sucks and has no fans, no history, and no excitement. The others that you listed have all of those things. You don't have to be knock down drag out fight kind of rivals. We have no real beef with JMU, but our close game last year makes me look forward to playing them again this year. I don't see anyone other than Appy and Gag St as a "rivalry" game, but I'm excited about every one of the teams in our conference and want to beat the doors off of them every time we play.

Not to be mean but ODU has existed as a FB program for all of 4 years longer than Charlotte. Coastal started their football program in 2003. If your program was born this century you have no history.

I'll give you ODU, but Coastal's CWS win and their consistent push into the top 25 over the last several years would beg to differ. It doesn't have to be a LONG history to be history.

(09-22-2023 11:55 AM)KJ Eagle Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:40 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:36 AM)KJ Eagle Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 10:51 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 09:01 AM)Porcine Wrote:  SBC fans believe that regional rivalries keep interest up even when they are losing. ECU fans don't believe that would be enough to really matter. That is how I understand it, anyway.

No, it's not that I don't think regional rivalries draw fans, I absolutely do think that it's why I want ECU-App to play every year, it's that I don't think you just create regional rivalries out of thin air. ECU already views App as a rival from history in the SOCON and years of smack talk between the fan bases when we weren't playing, and has a history with Marshall that's obviously special and unique, but both of those things have gone on for decades. It's like you SBC guys get the idea that Charlotte just getting thrown in the AAC isn't going to make ECU fans view them as a rival or care about playing them anytime soon, yet think ECU fans would view ODU/JMU/Coastal any differently. It's not that ECU fans couldn't eventually grow to care about playing those 3, but you are talking about something that would take a long time to get ECU fans to view playing those 3 any differently than playing name your favorite CUSA6 punching bag.

Because Charlotte sucks and has no fans, no history, and no excitement. The others that you listed have all of those things. You don't have to be knock down drag out fight kind of rivals. We have no real beef with JMU, but our close game last year makes me look forward to playing them again this year. I don't see anyone other than Appy and Gag St as a "rivalry" game, but I'm excited about every one of the teams in our conference and want to beat the doors off of them every time we play.

Not to be mean but ODU has existed as a FB program for all of 4 years longer than Charlotte. Coastal started their football program in 2003. If your program was born this century you have no history.

I'll give you ODU, but Coastal's CWS win and their consistent push into the top 25 over the last several years would beg to differ. It doesn't have to be a LONG history to be history.

I mean if you are counting non-FB things as history then Charlotte's history as a basketball program including a final 4 matters. However, this is just about football. I'm 37 years old, by no means some crazy old dude, and if your program is so new I have vivid memories of the time before your program existed you don't have history.

(09-22-2023 12:07 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:55 AM)KJ Eagle Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:40 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:36 AM)KJ Eagle Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 10:51 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  No, it's not that I don't think regional rivalries draw fans, I absolutely do think that it's why I want ECU-App to play every year, it's that I don't think you just create regional rivalries out of thin air. ECU already views App as a rival from history in the SOCON and years of smack talk between the fan bases when we weren't playing, and has a history with Marshall that's obviously special and unique, but both of those things have gone on for decades. It's like you SBC guys get the idea that Charlotte just getting thrown in the AAC isn't going to make ECU fans view them as a rival or care about playing them anytime soon, yet think ECU fans would view ODU/JMU/Coastal any differently. It's not that ECU fans couldn't eventually grow to care about playing those 3, but you are talking about something that would take a long time to get ECU fans to view playing those 3 any differently than playing name your favorite CUSA6 punching bag.

Because Charlotte sucks and has no fans, no history, and no excitement. The others that you listed have all of those things. You don't have to be knock down drag out fight kind of rivals. We have no real beef with JMU, but our close game last year makes me look forward to playing them again this year. I don't see anyone other than Appy and Gag St as a "rivalry" game, but I'm excited about every one of the teams in our conference and want to beat the doors off of them every time we play.

Not to be mean but ODU has existed as a FB program for all of 4 years longer than Charlotte. Coastal started their football program in 2003. If your program was born this century you have no history.

I'll give you ODU, but Coastal's CWS win and their consistent push into the top 25 over the last several years would beg to differ. It doesn't have to be a LONG history to be history.

I mean if you are counting non-FB things as history then Charlotte's history as a basketball program including a final 4 matters. However, this is just about football. I'm 37 years old, by no means some crazy old dude, and if your program is so new I have vivid memories of the time before your program existed you don't have history.

Charlotte and UTSA both are less than 12 years old for football.

(09-22-2023 12:07 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:55 AM)KJ Eagle Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:40 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:36 AM)KJ Eagle Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 10:51 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  No, it's not that I don't think regional rivalries draw fans, I absolutely do think that it's why I want ECU-App to play every year, it's that I don't think you just create regional rivalries out of thin air. ECU already views App as a rival from history in the SOCON and years of smack talk between the fan bases when we weren't playing, and has a history with Marshall that's obviously special and unique, but both of those things have gone on for decades. It's like you SBC guys get the idea that Charlotte just getting thrown in the AAC isn't going to make ECU fans view them as a rival or care about playing them anytime soon, yet think ECU fans would view ODU/JMU/Coastal any differently. It's not that ECU fans couldn't eventually grow to care about playing those 3, but you are talking about something that would take a long time to get ECU fans to view playing those 3 any differently than playing name your favorite CUSA6 punching bag.

Because Charlotte sucks and has no fans, no history, and no excitement. The others that you listed have all of those things. You don't have to be knock down drag out fight kind of rivals. We have no real beef with JMU, but our close game last year makes me look forward to playing them again this year. I don't see anyone other than Appy and Gag St as a "rivalry" game, but I'm excited about every one of the teams in our conference and want to beat the doors off of them every time we play.

Not to be mean but ODU has existed as a FB program for all of 4 years longer than Charlotte. Coastal started their football program in 2003. If your program was born this century you have no history.

I'll give you ODU, but Coastal's CWS win and their consistent push into the top 25 over the last several years would beg to differ. It doesn't have to be a LONG history to be history.

I mean if you are counting non-FB things as history then Charlotte's history as a basketball program including a final 4 matters. However, this is just about football. I'm 37 years old, by no means some crazy old dude, and if your program is so new I have vivid memories of the time before your program existed you don't have history.

You can argue all you want. I really don't care what conference you are in. But it's a joke to see how much some of your fans try to trumpet that you are in such a far superior conference with far superior teams and rivalries. The reality is that the AAC of yesteryear is gone and is being replaced each year with new teams that you not only have no history with, but have no regional or geographic reason to consider them as rivals. Charlotte is the only one even remotely close to you and they don't move the meter at all now and won't anytime soon. Your memories of times when some teams didn't exist is not going to amount to much when these "new" teams are passing (or have already passed) many of your conference brethren by. What would your fans rather - having to have plane tickets to every away game or playing teams that you can actually drive to see you play against?

If you were in the SBC East, the FURTHEST divisional team from you (GS) would be 6 hours away. As of now, outside of Charlotte, the CLOSEST team to you is Temple at almost 8 hours and UAB is next at 9 hours.

I don't have a dog in the hunt, Do what you want to do. But it's not us that are on an AAC message board. You're the one on an SBC board.

(09-22-2023 12:46 PM)KJ Eagle Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 12:07 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:55 AM)KJ Eagle Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:40 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:36 AM)KJ Eagle Wrote:  Because Charlotte sucks and has no fans, no history, and no excitement. The others that you listed have all of those things. You don't have to be knock down drag out fight kind of rivals. We have no real beef with JMU, but our close game last year makes me look forward to playing them again this year. I don't see anyone other than Appy and Gag St as a "rivalry" game, but I'm excited about every one of the teams in our conference and want to beat the doors off of them every time we play.

Not to be mean but ODU has existed as a FB program for all of 4 years longer than Charlotte. Coastal started their football program in 2003. If your program was born this century you have no history.

I'll give you ODU, but Coastal's CWS win and their consistent push into the top 25 over the last several years would beg to differ. It doesn't have to be a LONG history to be history.

I mean if you are counting non-FB things as history then Charlotte's history as a basketball program including a final 4 matters. However, this is just about football. I'm 37 years old, by no means some crazy old dude, and if your program is so new I have vivid memories of the time before your program existed you don't have history.

You can argue all you want. I really don't care what conference you are in. But it's a joke to see how much some of your fans try to trumpet that you are in such a far superior conference with far superior teams and rivalries. The reality is that the AAC of yesteryear is gone and is being replaced each year with new teams that you not only have no history with, but have no regional or geographic reason to consider them as rivals. Charlotte is the only one even remotely close to you and they don't move the meter at all now and won't anytime soon. Your memories of times when some teams didn't exist is not going to amount to much when these "new" teams are passing (or have already passed) many of your conference brethren by. What would your fans rather - having to have plane tickets to every away game or playing teams that you can actually drive to see you play against?

If you were in the SBC East, the FURTHEST divisional team from you (GS) would be 6 hours away. As of now, outside of Charlotte, the CLOSEST team to you is Temple at almost 8 hours and UAB is next at 9 hours.

I don't have a dog in the hunt, Do what you want to do. But it's not us that are on an AAC message board. You're the one on an SBC board.

They are pretty civil while over here, I welcome their views.

(09-22-2023 09:13 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 08:53 AM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 08:49 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-21-2023 08:35 AM)b2b Wrote:  

(09-20-2023 05:23 PM)ericsaid Wrote:  ECU fans don't care about winning, they care about who they are playing.

I can assure you that ECU fans care way more about winning. We've drawn 40K plus crowds against WCU, NC Central, Towson, UTEP, UAB, Tulsa, USM, ODU, UTEP, Houston, Marshall, Tulane, etc.... in other words against basically every CUSA opponent / FCS opponent at least once in the past 10-15 years. The difference now is that it looks like we're on our way to losing in 7 out of our last 9 seasons. Our idiotic "leadership" essentially nuked our program in 2015. Attendance really started falling off a cliff in 2017, Scottie Montgomery's 2nd season. I'm convinced what when Ruff was fired we lost probably 5,000 paying customers permanently.

Yep, when we had essentially a decade of averaging around 8 wins a year in C-USA 2.0 we drew over 40k every single year. When we've essentially now had a decade of averaging around 4 wins a year it's dropped off. Sustained losing crushes your fan base, and it's going to take sustained winning no matter the conference to solve it. Playing in the Sun-Belt and losing won't solve any of ECU's attendance issues. Would ECU draw better in the Sun-Belt if they went on a decade run of averaging 8 wins a year vs doing that in the new AAC? That's a fair question, but my suspicion is attendance would be relatively similar overall except for home games against App which I do think would draw more.

SBC fans would help with your attendance. You know Marshall, APP, JMU, ODU would bring fans. A whole hell of a lot more than what you'll get now from CUSA6 fans.

My man, we've been in a league with Marshall for a decade, we know how many fans you consistently bring, around 1k or so. It's not nothing, but that's not solving ECU's attendance problems. App is the only one on that list who would consistently bring a really move the needle amount of fans, which is why I want ECU to play App every year. I've never been to Marshall but I'm guessing ECU never consistently brought more than 1-2k tops.

You’re completely missing the point. Regional rivals bring out more of YOUR fans. Interesting when they care.

(09-22-2023 01:19 PM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 12:46 PM)KJ Eagle Wrote:  I don't have a dog in the hunt, Do what you want to do. But it's not us that are on an AAC message board. You're the one on an SBC board.

They are pretty civil while over here, I welcome their views.

Bonds talks a lot of **** on their 247 board but keeps it civil here. I'd prefer consistency and less duplicity, but one of the best things about the SunBelt board compared to others is it's *relatively* inviting to outside posters.

We all need to relax with the "get off our lawn" stuff.

(09-22-2023 11:40 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:36 AM)KJ Eagle Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 10:51 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 09:01 AM)Porcine Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 08:53 AM)GreenBison Wrote:  SBC fans would help with your attendance. You know Marshall, APP, JMU, ODU would bring fans. A whole hell of a lot more than what you'll get now from CUSA6 fans.

SBC fans believe that regional rivalries keep interest up even when they are losing. ECU fans don't believe that would be enough to really matter. That is how I understand it, anyway.

No, it's not that I don't think regional rivalries draw fans, I absolutely do think that it's why I want ECU-App to play every year, it's that I don't think you just create regional rivalries out of thin air. ECU already views App as a rival from history in the SOCON and years of smack talk between the fan bases when we weren't playing, and has a history with Marshall that's obviously special and unique, but both of those things have gone on for decades. It's like you SBC guys get the idea that Charlotte just getting thrown in the AAC isn't going to make ECU fans view them as a rival or care about playing them anytime soon, yet think ECU fans would view ODU/JMU/Coastal any differently. It's not that ECU fans couldn't eventually grow to care about playing those 3, but you are talking about something that would take a long time to get ECU fans to view playing those 3 any differently than playing name your favorite CUSA6 punching bag.

Because Charlotte sucks and has no fans, no history, and no excitement. The others that you listed have all of those things. You don't have to be knock down drag out fight kind of rivals. We have no real beef with JMU, but our close game last year makes me look forward to playing them again this year. I don't see anyone other than Appy and Gag St as a "rivalry" game, but I'm excited about every one of the teams in our conference and want to beat the doors off of them every time we play.

Not to be mean but ODU has existed as a FB program for all of 4 years longer than Charlotte. Coastal started their football program in 2003. If your program was born this century you have no history.

I can assure you through experience that the fans of these mARKETz schools will consider ECU to have no history either. Enjoy your time with the idiots.

(09-22-2023 08:11 AM)b2b Wrote:  

(09-21-2023 03:59 PM)OsageJ Wrote:  

(09-21-2023 08:35 AM)b2b Wrote:  

(09-20-2023 05:23 PM)ericsaid Wrote:  ECU fans don't care about winning, they care about who they are playing.

I can assure you that ECU fans care way more about winning. We've drawn 40K plus crowds against WCU, NC Central, Towson, UTEP, UAB, Tulsa, USM, ODU, UTEP, Houston, Marshall, Tulane, etc.... in other words against basically every CUSA opponent / FCS opponent at least once in the past 10-15 years. The difference now is that it looks like we're on our way to losing in 7 out of our last 9 seasons. Our idiotic "leadership" essentially nuked our program in 2015. Attendance really started falling off a cliff in 2017, Scottie Montgomery's 2nd season. I'm convinced what when Ruff was fired we lost probably 5,000 paying customers permanently.

Why was he fired?

We were actually the 1st CFP ranked program believe it or not.

I remember....we were right behind you and then we were first. Then we lost to wku by one point in in OT and got leapfrogged by 2-loss Boise for the access. That was the year we obliged Louisville in moving our game to 2016 so they could make room for ACC schedule, so we had no P5 on the schedule and they dinged us hard for that with probably our second best team, ever, in Marshall football history. Same team that spanked your a$$ on the way out the year before, 2013.

(09-22-2023 12:07 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:55 AM)KJ Eagle Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:40 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:36 AM)KJ Eagle Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 10:51 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  No, it's not that I don't think regional rivalries draw fans, I absolutely do think that it's why I want ECU-App to play every year, it's that I don't think you just create regional rivalries out of thin air. ECU already views App as a rival from history in the SOCON and years of smack talk between the fan bases when we weren't playing, and has a history with Marshall that's obviously special and unique, but both of those things have gone on for decades. It's like you SBC guys get the idea that Charlotte just getting thrown in the AAC isn't going to make ECU fans view them as a rival or care about playing them anytime soon, yet think ECU fans would view ODU/JMU/Coastal any differently. It's not that ECU fans couldn't eventually grow to care about playing those 3, but you are talking about something that would take a long time to get ECU fans to view playing those 3 any differently than playing name your favorite CUSA6 punching bag.

Because Charlotte sucks and has no fans, no history, and no excitement. The others that you listed have all of those things. You don't have to be knock down drag out fight kind of rivals. We have no real beef with JMU, but our close game last year makes me look forward to playing them again this year. I don't see anyone other than Appy and Gag St as a "rivalry" game, but I'm excited about every one of the teams in our conference and want to beat the doors off of them every time we play.

Not to be mean but ODU has existed as a FB program for all of 4 years longer than Charlotte. Coastal started their football program in 2003. If your program was born this century you have no history.

I'll give you ODU, but Coastal's CWS win and their consistent push into the top 25 over the last several years would beg to differ. It doesn't have to be a LONG history to be history.

I mean if you are counting non-FB things as history then Charlotte's history as a basketball program including a final 4 matters. However, this is just about football. I'm 37 years old, by no means some crazy old dude, and if your program is so new I have vivid memories of the time before your program existed you don't have history.

At 54, I could say the same thing about your conference.

(09-22-2023 02:47 PM)MUther Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 12:07 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:55 AM)KJ Eagle Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:40 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  [quote='KJ Eagle' pid='19163437' dateline='1695400597']

Because Charlotte sucks and has no fans, no history, and no excitement. The others that you listed have all of those things. You don't have to be knock down drag out fight kind of rivals. We have no real beef with JMU, but our close game last year makes me look forward to playing them again this year. I don't see anyone other than Appy and Gag St as a "rivalry" game, but I'm excited about every one of the teams in our conference and want to beat the doors off of them every time we play.

Not to be mean but ODU has existed as a FB program for all of 4 years longer than Charlotte. Coastal started their football program in 2003. If your program was born this century you have no history.

I'll give you ODU, but Coastal's CWS win and their consistent push into the top 25 over the last several years would beg to differ. It doesn't have to be a LONG history to be history.

I'm by no means some crazy old dude...

Unfortunately I am...

(09-22-2023 02:47 PM)MUther Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 12:07 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:55 AM)KJ Eagle Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:40 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:36 AM)KJ Eagle Wrote:  Because Charlotte sucks and has no fans, no history, and no excitement. The others that you listed have all of those things. You don't have to be knock down drag out fight kind of rivals. We have no real beef with JMU, but our close game last year makes me look forward to playing them again this year. I don't see anyone other than Appy and Gag St as a "rivalry" game, but I'm excited about every one of the teams in our conference and want to beat the doors off of them every time we play.

Not to be mean but ODU has existed as a FB program for all of 4 years longer than Charlotte. Coastal started their football program in 2003. If your program was born this century you have no history.

I'll give you ODU, but Coastal's CWS win and their consistent push into the top 25 over the last several years would beg to differ. It doesn't have to be a LONG history to be history.

I mean if you are counting non-FB things as history then Charlotte's history as a basketball program including a final 4 matters. However, this is just about football. I'm 37 years old, by no means some crazy old dude, and if your program is so new I have vivid memories of the time before your program existed you don't have history.

At 54, I could say the same thing about your conference.

You're not old

(09-22-2023 12:46 PM)KJ Eagle Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 12:07 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:55 AM)KJ Eagle Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:40 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 11:36 AM)KJ Eagle Wrote:  Because Charlotte sucks and has no fans, no history, and no excitement. The others that you listed have all of those things. You don't have to be knock down drag out fight kind of rivals. We have no real beef with JMU, but our close game last year makes me look forward to playing them again this year. I don't see anyone other than Appy and Gag St as a "rivalry" game, but I'm excited about every one of the teams in our conference and want to beat the doors off of them every time we play.

Not to be mean but ODU has existed as a FB program for all of 4 years longer than Charlotte. Coastal started their football program in 2003. If your program was born this century you have no history.

I'll give you ODU, but Coastal's CWS win and their consistent push into the top 25 over the last several years would beg to differ. It doesn't have to be a LONG history to be history.

I mean if you are counting non-FB things as history then Charlotte's history as a basketball program including a final 4 matters. However, this is just about football. I'm 37 years old, by no means some crazy old dude, and if your program is so new I have vivid memories of the time before your program existed you don't have history.

You can argue all you want. I really don't care what conference you are in. But it's a joke to see how much some of your fans try to trumpet that you are in such a far superior conference with far superior teams and rivalries. The reality is that the AAC of yesteryear is gone and is being replaced each year with new teams that you not only have no history with, but have no regional or geographic reason to consider them as rivals. Charlotte is the only one even remotely close to you and they don't move the meter at all now and won't anytime soon. Your memories of times when some teams didn't exist is not going to amount to much when these "new" teams are passing (or have already passed) many of your conference brethren by. What would your fans rather - having to have plane tickets to every away game or playing teams that you can actually drive to see you play against?

If you were in the SBC East, the FURTHEST divisional team from you (GS) would be 6 hours away. As of now, outside of Charlotte, the CLOSEST team to you is Temple at almost 8 hours and UAB is next at 9 hours.

I don't have a dog in the hunt, Do what you want to do. But it's not us that are on an AAC message board. You're the one on an SBC board.

you'd be hard pressed to find an ECU fan that says we have any true conference rivals or that thinks the AAC is some kind of superior league on the field. Financially it's superior and the TV exposure is better so until that changes there's not much sense in moving.

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

(09-22-2023 02:06 PM)Was SoMs Eagle Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 09:13 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 08:53 AM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(09-22-2023 08:49 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-21-2023 08:35 AM)b2b Wrote:  I can assure you that ECU fans care way more about winning. We've drawn 40K plus crowds against WCU, NC Central, Towson, UTEP, UAB, Tulsa, USM, ODU, UTEP, Houston, Marshall, Tulane, etc.... in other words against basically every CUSA opponent / FCS opponent at least once in the past 10-15 years. The difference now is that it looks like we're on our way to losing in 7 out of our last 9 seasons. Our idiotic "leadership" essentially nuked our program in 2015. Attendance really started falling off a cliff in 2017, Scottie Montgomery's 2nd season. I'm convinced what when Ruff was fired we lost probably 5,000 paying customers permanently.

Yep, when we had essentially a decade of averaging around 8 wins a year in C-USA 2.0 we drew over 40k every single year. When we've essentially now had a decade of averaging around 4 wins a year it's dropped off. Sustained losing crushes your fan base, and it's going to take sustained winning no matter the conference to solve it. Playing in the Sun-Belt and losing won't solve any of ECU's attendance issues. Would ECU draw better in the Sun-Belt if they went on a decade run of averaging 8 wins a year vs doing that in the new AAC? That's a fair question, but my suspicion is attendance would be relatively similar overall except for home games against App which I do think would draw more.

SBC fans would help with your attendance. You know Marshall, APP, JMU, ODU would bring fans. A whole hell of a lot more than what you'll get now from CUSA6 fans.

My man, we've been in a league with Marshall for a decade, we know how many fans you consistently bring, around 1k or so. It's not nothing, but that's not solving ECU's attendance problems. App is the only one on that list who would consistently bring a really move the needle amount of fans, which is why I want ECU to play App every year. I've never been to Marshall but I'm guessing ECU never consistently brought more than 1-2k tops.

You’re completely missing the point. Regional rivals bring out more of YOUR fans. Interesting when they care.

Except they don't. All this realignment the last few years reminds of when Arkansas high schools went from 5 to 7 classifications after consolidating a lot of small schools. The highest and lowest classifications hardly changed, but the middle was awful.