Will JMU Regret Not Jumping to Sunbelt?

[APPdiesel]

This is absolutely *NOT* an "I want James Madison" post.

I've always heard that Marshall really pushed to have us jump with them in 1997. I've heard plenty of times and from plenty of App State alums that we should have and it sounds a little bit like regret.

I feel like there are some parallels between Marshall::App State and App State::James Madison. Do you think 20 years from now James Madison fans will regret not taking the Sunbelt opportunity when it came?

[T-Dog]

Ten years ago the CAA had them, VCU, Old Dominion and George Mason in the state of Virginia. Now everyone else is gone. And instead, they got Elon and Charleston, which are not peer schools.

The JMU admins seem happy where they are, even if the alums aren't.

[yosef13]

Yes. They held out for CUSA, which is turning out to not be that great of a conference. They have some advantages over the SB, but I don't think it was worth waiting. Also Liberty has moved forward while they sit idle. I would be very discouraged if we would have done the same. I think CUSA and the SB will see geographical realignment in the next decade anyway, in which JMU should be a player. They should make the move then, but may have issues depending where the program is at that time.

[EastHallApp]

If their goal is to be FBS, then they should be regretting it already. Of course the level of success they’ve had the past couple of years in FCS could certainly make them happy where they are. I’m glad we’re in FBS now but also glad we didn’t jump before we won those titles.

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

If their goal is to be FBS, then they should be regretting it already. Of course the level of success they’ve had the past couple of years in FCS could certainly make them happy where they are. I’m glad we’re in FBS now but also glad we didn’t jump before we won those titles.

Yes, either we stayed I-A/FBS even to the point of being Independent like ECU or hang around long enough to win those titles. Those titles have some very good memories for me that I don't want to trade.

[CVAPP]

We really were not ready to move to FBS (D1-a at the time) until the we proved we could be the best where we were. It took a lot of pieces falling into place for us to be ready to make that transition, and I could not be more pleased with how it worked out for us.

JMU looks ready to make it now if and when an opportunity presents itself. From a fan's perspective I am sure it hurts to have seen Coastal get a spot they likely could have have had, and to see Liberty flex their financial strength. Until that opportunity surfaces you could say The Dukes exchanged a walk on part in the war for lead role in a cage, but I don't wish they were here. I just don't like them, and it's not in the same way I don't like the stink. Crepe paper streamers and a we are better than you in every way attitude does not does not endear me to them.

[Michael in Raleigh]

We really were not ready to move to FBS (D1-a at the time) until the we proved we could be the best where we were. It took a lot of pieces falling into place for us to be ready to make that transition, and I could not be more pleased with how it worked out for us.

JMU looks ready to make it now if and when an opportunity presents itself. From a fan's perspective I am sure it hurts to have seen Coastal get a spot they likely could have have had, and to see Liberty flex their financial strength. Until that opportunity surfaces you could say the Dukes exchanged a walk on part in the war for lead role in a cage, but I don't wish they were here. I just don't like them, and it's not in the same way I don't like the stink. Crepe paper streamers and a we are better than you in every way attitude does not does not endear me to them.

I love the Pink Floyd reference.

[Rekdiver]

James Madison was 5' 4" tall and weighed 122lbs. Might explain the need for them to feel superior.

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

How big were Madison's hands?

[Gonzo]

I know a huge JMU fan and booster who is dead set against them moving to the Sun Belt or any other realistic FBS conference. He constantly bashes the Sun Belt as “the worst conference in the FBS” despite conclusive evidence to the contrary.

I get the sense from his hot taeks and personality that his outlook stems from self preservation. He wants to be happy with JMU obviously, so admitting that their leadership is allowing them to flounder in obscurity while their program is ripe for advancement would be a buzz kill.

I wasn’t around back when App decided to go D1-AA, but I always imagined this being a prevailing attitude.

What a shame.

[Stonewall]

East Carolina wanted us to partner with them and leave the SoCon in the 70s and realistically we could have pulled it off. Football had come off the 75 season and Bobby Cremins was coaching basketball. It would have been tough but doable. Unfortunately we had ZERO leadership that could think beyond next week , much less years down the road.There's a lot more to the story but its history now.

[Yosef84]

I have serious doubts that App would have had a smooth road, had we decided to move to (or remain) D1a in the 70's or in the 90's. Our product on the field has been strong for a long time with only brief "down" periods. I don't think that is the issue. Financially and in terms of fan support / identity, we were nowhere near ready. We simply didn't have the infrastructure in place to make that move and would have run into major budget issues.

Even in 1997, App rarely filled our 16K stadium. Based purely on memory, I think we probably averaged about 12K at games during that period. We really needed the momentum created by our championship era to grease the wheels for this move. My only regret is that, because of the moratorium, we couldn't move up in 2008 or 2009 while that momentum was still really at its peak. That would have allowed us to join either a CUSA that still included ECU or a Sunbelt that still had MTSU and WKU (names we knew). Overall, it's really hard to complain with how things worked out....GS moving up with us, GSU improving and becoming another ready made rival, and success on the field.

JMU fans will probably hate it until they finally make some sort of move, but who knows what is in the future. Right now, they're enjoying some time in the sun of their smaller system.

[NattyBumppo'sRevenge]

We really were not ready to move to FBS (D1-a at the time) until the we proved we could be the best where we were. It took a lot of pieces falling into place for us to be ready to make that transition, and I could not be more pleased with how it worked out for us.

JMU looks ready to make it now if and when an opportunity presents itself. From a fan's perspective I am sure it hurts to have seen Coastal get a spot they likely could have have had, and to see Liberty flex their financial strength. Until that opportunity surfaces you could say the Dukes exchanged a walk on part in the war for lead role in a cage, but I don't wish they were here. I just don't like them, and it's not in the same way I don't like the stink. Crepe paper streamers and a we are better than you in every way attitude does not does not endear me to them.

I love the Pink Floyd reference.

So, do you think JMU views Coastal and Liberty as two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl?

[Boone Goon]

As a parent of a student at JMU, they're NOT yearning for a FBS call. Gonzo's friend is the majority not the minority. And their administration is extremely comfortable being the big fish in their little pond. Their administration is committed to being a national brand, but they believe they can do it as an FCS program in tandem with their academic profile. They've got multiple capital campaigns underway, new Business building, new (on campus) basketball arena, and much more. Unlike our knucklehead chancellor, theirs embraces athletics and alumni sports fans. He has actively lobbied for ESPN Game Day to come to Harrisonburg and recognizes the national exposure it provides to the school. CE by contrast, fights to make it harder for fans and students to get to Thursday night games. The alumni loyalty at JMU is extremely strong. For this reason, we should be very nervous if they ever do make the jump. They are a sleeping giant less than 4 hours from Boone and they pose much more of a threat to our on the field successes than UNCConcord, Liberty, ODU or any other "local" FBS/G5 program.

[Boone Goon]

JMU's new basketball arena yet to break ground

New College of Business

Here's two examples of the construction going on at JMU. Unlike Boone, Harrisonburg has a lot of land available to JMU for expansion and logical planning purposes. For that reason, their athletics teams have some great facilities even for their 'olympic sports'.

[Apps03]

Gameday shows up in Harrisonburg because the executive producer is an alum. There is no other reason.

[Boone Goon]

Gameday shows up in Harrisonburg because the executive producer is an alum. There is no other reason.

“No other reason”?? ...and NDSU because...?

Regardless, you’re missing the point if you dismiss it as a friend of a friend excuse! The point is their administration views athletics as a part of the university’s mission not an obstacle to deal with like CE does. They are fan/alumni centric.

I’ve been to 2 games in H-burg this season and can confidently say they have a better tailgating experience for students and fans than we do in Boone. Their in game traditions are better than what our students are doing at this point. Forget the streamers. The cheers are infinitely better than what our students are doing at kick-off!

...sleep on them at your own risk.

[NattyBumppo'sRevenge]

When it's all said and done, I'd like to thank JMU for that gift on the 9 yard line that helped us complete our 3 peat of National Championships, and gave us a boost heading into FBS adding to the foundation of our current success.

[Stonewall]

I never indicated that we would have had "a smooth transition" , it would have been difficult , as was ECU's , frankly a bit more. The transition we ultimately undertook as you will recall ,has not been without its challenges. The decision made in 1980 was based on a lot of factors , none of which were insurmountable. We simply took the easy road...

[Saint3333]

Measuring success because GameDay comes to your campus. Glad we don't have to resort to that as a measuring stick.