Liberty Lining Them Up

[BUTCH1991]

2 for 1 with the Dukies for 2025-2027. 2025 & 2027 in Durham, 2026 in Lynchburg.

[EastHallApp]

No offense but maybe we could consolidate all the Liberty posts? I don't think we need a new post every time they schedule somebody a decade out.

[BUTCH1991]

We could do that with 75% of our threads. Sorry to offend in the Other Schools Athletics folders.

[ASUchipman]

We could do that with 75% of our threads. Sorry to offend in the Other Schools Athletics folders.

You have to be careful if you mention Liberty or UNCC certain people get upset no matter where you mention it.

[EastHallApp]

You didn't offend. I phrased it as politely as I could. We've had numerous threads on their scheduling, their facilities enhancements, etc. lately. Just asking humbly if perhaps we don't need a new one every time they do anything. It would appear the sentiment has some support.

[Yosef10]

I just don't get why anyone on this board should care what Liberty is doing. Especially a 2 for 1 with Duke in football 10 years down the road. Not anything to write home about.

[HkyMtneer]

I just don't get why anyone on this board should care what Liberty is doing. Especially a 2 for 1 with Duke in football 10 years down the road. Not anything to write home about.

Maybe some of us are just football/sports-in-general fans and follow more than just all-things Appalachian, even if we do bleed black & gold. I won't speak for everyone, or even the majority, on the board but I enjoy reading about scheduling, facility enhancements, coaching hires/fires, and even things like university shoe deals...regardless of the school. I like reading about these things even if I don't like the school. When it's a peer institution in the G5 (and whether some like to admit it or not, Liberty now falls into that category, at least athletically) then I'm especially intrigued. A home and home or 2-for-1 with a Power 5 school is of interest to me, if for nothing else than as a standard-setter for scheduling deals we could/should/hope to expect to possibly one day ink with those P5 schools, or schools of similar ilk, should the opportunity arise. And besides, if it's in the correct folder, as almost all of the Liberty posts are...then what does it matter.

[Yosef10]

I just don't get why anyone on this board should care what Liberty is doing. Especially a 2 for 1 with Duke in football 10 years down the road. Not anything to write home about.

Maybe some of us are just football/sports-in-general fans and follow more than just all-things Appalachian, even if we do bleed black & gold. I won't speak for everyone, or even the majority, on the board but I enjoy reading about scheduling, facility enhancements, coaching hires/fires, and even things like university shoe deals...regardless of the school. I like reading about these things even if I don't like the school. When it's a peer institution in the G5 (and whether some like to admit it or not, Liberty now falls into that category, at least athletically) then I'm especially intrigued. A home and home or 2-for-1 with a Power 5 school is of interest to me, if for nothing else than as a standard-setter for scheduling deals we could/should/hope to expect to possibly one day ink with those P5 schools, or schools of similar ilk, should the opportunity arise. And besides, if it's in the correct folder, as almost all of the Liberty posts are...then what does it matter.

Which is fine. There just seems to be a heavy infatuation with Liberty on this board for some for whatever reason. Not such a heavy flow of info in regards to other schools, so I'm just wondering why Liberty seems to pop up here so often.

[BUTCH1991]

Liberty just happens to be the one making news right now. It's like it seems some people have a heavy infatuation with UNCC or UNCCH on this board. Every time something happens in Chapel Hill, we have a 10 page thread. There for a while it was UNCC. I guess there's just a little more Liberty news at this time since they're moving up and they have to schedule more games as an independent than a team with a conference. We also have a bunch of Coastal threads all over the place. I didn't mean to cause an issue, I just figured they're going to be in the same G5 as we are and find the news to be interesting and figure others might too. I have ZERO interest in Liberty other than for the sake of knowledge and comparison. I don't care if they succeed or fall on their faces, all I care is that App rules everything, but I like to keep tabs on the others.

[Gonzo]

Fine, I'll say it: a hand full of App people are obsessed with Liberty because it's a famously right-wing religious school. That's it. They're not in our conference, they are not a potential addition to our conference, and we have no games scheduled against them at this time. It's a purely personal infatuation based on religion and politics. They're extra invested since many others have expressed anti-Liberty sentiments for that same religious and political ethos and it's natural for them to push back to that opposition.

Given its roots, even a football-related Liberty thread on this message board seems to be toing the political discussion line, which as we all know has been categorically eliminated from this forum. Until, god forbid (irony), we schedule LU, we should probably just **** off with the weekly Liberty updates. They have a message board.

Coastal is a Sun Belt Conference member. UNCC and UNC have multiple games scheduled against our 'Neers. They are both in-state and part of the same UNC System. The UNC academic fraud case has massive, direct ramifications for App State.

[HkyMtneer]

I just don't get why anyone on this board should care what Liberty is doing. Especially a 2 for 1 with Duke in football 10 years down the road. Not anything to write home about.

Maybe some of us are just football/sports-in-general fans and follow more than just all-things Appalachian, even if we do bleed black & gold. I won't speak for everyone, or even the majority, on the board but I enjoy reading about scheduling, facility enhancements, coaching hires/fires, and even things like university shoe deals...regardless of the school. I like reading about these things even if I don't like the school. When it's a peer institution in the G5 (and whether some like to admit it or not, Liberty now falls into that category, at least athletically) then I'm especially intrigued. A home and home or 2-for-1 with a Power 5 school is of interest to me, if for nothing else than as a standard-setter for scheduling deals we could/should/hope to expect to possibly one day ink with those P5 schools, or schools of similar ilk, should the opportunity arise. And besides, if it's in the correct folder, as almost all of the Liberty posts are...then what does it matter.

Which is fine. There just seems to be a heavy infatuation with Liberty on this board for some for whatever reason. Not such a heavy flow of info in regards to other schools, so I'm just wondering why Liberty seems to pop up here so often.

Frankly, it's primarily because of the fact that Liberty is confrontational. Anything that gives people the chance to speak to their views (be those political, religious, athletic interests, etc.) is going to get viewers and thus commenters. Some like Liberty, others hate Liberty. Some have no wood in the fire but just like to see the burn.

Throw in the fact that Liberty is geographically close to us and growing rapidly athletically, and doing so with enormously deep pockets (another area of contention based on the whole "online diploma mill" vs. "traditional campus with a huge online presence" debate) and you've got the perfect set-up for interest.

Also, Liberty IS an emerging national brand. Yes, it may have to do more with the aforementioned "online diploma mill" aspect but I've seen cars in rural Iowa, middle-of-nowhere South Dakota, the middle of NYC, and parked beachside in Palm Beach with "LU" decals...residents of those locales mind you.

The Liberty base, due to the religious aspects of the school, combined with the explosion of the physical campus, and the enormous reach of their online programs and marketing budget and you've got a lot more "random" folks around the country who know of Liberty than know of Appalachian. Just a fact.

My girlfriend's Aunt in Michigan could tell you 10 things about Liberty (from watching Old Time Gospel Hour back in the day, having had a few students from her church matriculate to Lynchburg, to seeing Liberty commercials all over the dial) but still cannot pronounce Appalachian correctly. It does not matter how many times I've informed her of the correct way to do it doesn't stick and she couldn't tell you anything about the school, other than "they beat the Wolverines one year".

Many see Liberty, and specifically the Flames athletic programs, as a threat, while others see them as a joke. Either way, they get people talking and they are now promoting and pushing and marketing their brand as well as anyone in the country. Frankly, although Old Dominion or UNCC or Marshall are equally our peer, and more so in many regards, no one REALLY cares or has an opinion on those schools, other than "blah girls", "bland campus", "it's nothing but a damn commuter school", "who'd want to live in freaking Huntington", etc. The exception being when one of those schools beats us out for a recruit, but that care generally subsides quite quickly.

[bcoach]

I really would not put a lot of stock in their future schedules. I am sure they will be having to make a lot of changes when they join a conference.

[EastHallApp]

Liberty just happens to be the one making news right now. It's like it seems some people have a heavy infatuation with UNCC or UNCCH on this board. Every time something happens in Chapel Hill, we have a 10 page thread. There for a while it was UNCC. I guess there's just a little more Liberty news at this time since they're moving up and they have to schedule more games as an independent than a team with a conference. We also have a bunch of Coastal threads all over the place. I didn't mean to cause an issue, I just figured they're going to be in the same G5 as we are and find the news to be interesting and figure others might too. I have ZERO interest in Liberty other than for the sake of knowledge and comparison. I don't care if they succeed or fall on their faces, all I care is that App rules everything, but I like to keep tabs on the others.

It's fine - I didn't really mean to start a huge debate either. I replied on your thread but it could have been on any of the others. NBD

[AppinVA]

I'm actually a little surprised we haven't inked anything with them yet. Maybe they're going to get as many P5s as they can first, but they're going to have to balance some of those with G5s at some point. They can only do but so many 2-for1 deals.

[CVAPP]

I'm actually a little surprised we haven't inked anything with them yet. Maybe they're going to get as many P5s as they can first, but they're going to have to balance some of those with G5s at some point. They can only do but so many 2-for1 deals.

I agree with you. We most likely will see Liberty on our schedule sooner rather than later. There's precedent there, and despite many of our posters' intolerance for them, college football is business.

[Yosef84]

I would like to play them at least one more time just to clear the air for the 2015 fiasco. I'm not a fan of Liberty (theologically or athletically), but the knee jerk hatred towards them is definitely excessive.

[T-Dog]

For those wondering why Liberty is getting all these games, Marshall's press release of scheduling them in 2023/24 sheds a light on why.

Marshall is getting $500,000 for going to Lynchburg. Liberty gets nada for going to Huntington.

If Marshall is getting half a million, imagine how much other schools are getting. Liberty is throwing out millions to fill their schedule.

[AppinVA]

For those wondering why Liberty is getting all these games, Marshall's press release of scheduling them in 2023/24 sheds a light on why.

Marshall is getting $500,000 for going to Lynchburg. Liberty gets nada for going to Huntington.

If Marshall is getting half a million, imagine how much other schools are getting. Liberty is throwing out millions to fill their schedule.

Even more of a reason to schedule a home-and-home with them. Let's hold out for 600K just to mess with the Marsha folks, though.

[T-Dog]

For those wondering why Liberty is getting all these games, Marshall's press release of scheduling them in 2023/24 sheds a light on why.

Marshall is getting $500,000 for going to Lynchburg. Liberty gets nada for going to Huntington.

If Marshall is getting half a million, imagine how much other schools are getting. Liberty is throwing out millions to fill their schedule.

Even more of a reason to schedule a home-and-home with them. Let's hold out for 600K just to mess with the Marshall folks, though.

Just because of their AD, I want nothing to do with that school.

[Yosef84]

Must be nice to have the deep pockets and be able to pay "peer" G5 teams to play a home and home. Picking up $500K for a quick trip and probably win would be hard to turn down.