2025 Football Schedule updates

[bcoach]

All the polls and publications that I saw had us winning the East if not the conference.

I have asked here and other places what that was based on and never get much of an answer.

[Bootsy]

Given the number of returning players, the strong finish in 2023 and the perceived strength of conference opponents, many people had good reason to expect App would win the East and the SBC crown. So, is it a shock that the coaching staff was talking it up?

Anyways, all of this may as well be ancient history. Let’s move forward, shall we?

[Stonewall]

Those that voted in the polls and wrote the articles would have to answer that question.

[AppSt94]

Going into last season, the biggest question marks were the fronts. Success is earned through solid line play on both sides of the ball. As we saw, injuries and losses along the OL and DL created a worse case scenario event.

[Stonewall]

Same will be true about this season. My opinion.

[AppSt94]

Same will be true about this season. My opinion.

Agree. OL and DL are over valued in the portal/NIL era and until the market stabilizes, it’s going to continue to be an issue.

[Stonewall]

I also think we have two , maybe three QBs we can win with IF we have a line that gets the job done.

[Saint3333]

Two years from now some revisionist historian will claim we entered the season not as the favorites.

This is the Jerry Moore FOIA annual discussion on smaller scale. Then someone will have to remind them.

Vicious cycle.

[T-Dog]

I think we're at a point where certain people on both sides (this includes me) won't change their minds of 2024 expectations and NIL, pay-to-pay, etc.

On the original topic, ESPN is releasing their first 3 week schedule on May 29. Colorado/GaTech got the ESPN slot for Friday night, so the Mayo Game will likely be on ESPN2 or ESPNU, the former more likely IMO.

Boise also releases their entire schedule when the initial TV schedules are announced (they got a special TV deal through the Mountain West), so we should get a kickoff for that one within the next two weeks.

[MAD Doctor]

https://youtu.be/g3i0aWjlXAY?si=--tiaz1BTkRuQI-5

[EastHallApp]

What was even more crazy was all the talk of lock in to Sun Belt champs much less New Years Bowl contender. I don't argue replacing the coach but that bar was a pipedream.

Gillin literally cited competing for a New Years Bowl as a goal in his announcment firing Clark.

I conducted a 2024 Sun Belt preseason fan poll that generated over 120 responses. Even taking out every single App State fan out of the poll, App State was still the overwhelming Sun Belt favorite in 2024. It wasn't just App fans thinking it.

How many were sober? I really would like to know what they were thinking. What did they think they knew that the other 99,9% of Sunbelt fans didn't know.

It wasn't just whatever random fans responded to his poll; we were the overwhelming pick among coaches to win the East: https://sunbeltsports.org/news/2024/7/2 ... -poll.aspx

It's easy to say with hindsight that those picks were way off. But we were coming off a 9-win season in which we finished strong, gave JMU their only loss and beat the MAC champions in a bowl game, and we had a lot of talent returning. Add in that we were a consistent winning program and it's easy to understand why we were a popular pick to have a big year.

[AppWyo]

Those that picked App doing well last season did not anticipate that our running back would go to Missouri either.

[EastHallApp]

Those that picked App doing well last season did not anticipate that our running back would go to Missouri either.

Noel entered the transfer portal before our 2023 season was even over and committed to Mizzou the first week of January '24.

[AppOrange]

I’m told that a handful of Yosef Club season ticket holders have checked out due to the “pay for play” situation. I’m hanging in perhaps being hopeful that a meaningful resolution can be reached. That’s now , subject to change of course.

I'm in the same boat. I've got my season tickets renewed, but really not excited about the coming season, either at App or college sports overall. It's not about us losing - last year's record has little to do with next season anymore. I'm just losing interest in the enterprise, but hoping the coming changes will salvage something like the version I've enjoyed my whole life.

And I do think that's a big factor for people. If it were just about one down year, why didn't we see a dropoff following the 6-6 season a couple years ago?

I appreciate all the honesty on this post, its good for everyone to understand how this is affecting some of the most passionate fans with decades of of experiences and total passion for the program. It pained me to do it after almost 2 decades of driving from Raleigh for every game, but I cannot justify what has become of major college sports. I still support YOSEF and will watch every game, but I cant justify the time/financial commitment of something that irks me so much. I don't blame App, the players, coaches, boosters, etc. I blame the NCAA with their lack of leadership and foresight to see this coming. We missed a huge opportunity to take this money and actually help a lot of students who need it by focusing too much on getting people rich. Its shameful. Much more kids will suffer long term now chasing a dream that will never materialize and getting scrap money that wont last a few years with nothing to show for it on the backside, including a degree. Sorry for the rant.

Yeah...I don't believe you guys.

Maybe it's completely subconscious and implicit, or maybe you knew you were full of it when you typed this, but if we were coming off a 2019-level season there's simply no way you'd be jumping ship.

It's been several years since I checked this message board frequently, but ~15 years ago when I was on here every day I distinctly remember grouchy older dudes posting about how they've had it with our uppity program and they were taking their business elsewhere, et al. For every crotchety curmudgeon who takes their ball and goes home, there are 10 young grads who probably make more money at 24 years old than these types made in their prime.

I hate to see anyone go, but give it a rest already. App will continue to thrive through this unpredictable landscape, frustrating as it can be, with or without any of us.

We've chatted it up at away games, even had a beer together. I've not always agreed with your position on things, but enjoyed hearing the opposing view point that is typically smart in its logic. Your response above is lazy and simply a bad take. You don't know my disdain for the current (unprecedented) state of college sports and to dismiss my position because you don't like it is in bad form. I've been here though the rough years as well as the good and always made the 6.5 hour trips either way. I occasionally post out of frustration, but have never been the doom and gloom fire them all guy, ever. This is a totally different situation we are dealing with, its double and triple A football, and its not as compelling to me as it used to be . . . not to mention the big social miss with what these huge bucks could have helped with. Since we sell out of season tickets, my in person support will likely not be missed, but I will still make a game or two and always watch on TV. Unless something changes overall, I now just choose to take more of my entertainment dollar and time elsewhere. I would think you, of all people on here, would be more open to different viewpoints then just your own. Dismissing mine and going with the fair weather fan argument after a rough season simply is a wild hunch that has no merit considering all the time and effort I have given as an App Fan of 30 years (the good and the bad). Maybe I'm not the only one here "full of it".

[AppWyo]

Those that picked App doing well last season did not anticipate that our running back would go to Missouri either.

Noel entered the transfer portal before our 2023 season was even over and committed to Mizzou the first week of January '24.

Maybe the experts did not take that into account. Regardless, I am excited about the new season ahead of us and imagine great things for Appalachian in the future. Life is all about how you rap your mind around things that happen. When you cannot do that effectively whatever happens causes you problems good and bad.

[Stonewall]

We had running backs. We didn’t have much of a line.

[AppSt94]

We had running backs. We didn’t have much of a line.

On either side of the ball.

[Stonewall]

Yes. Both sides.

[AppinVA]

We had running backs. We didn’t have much of a line.

On either side of the ball.

If we had running backs on defense, I think I can pinpoint one of our problems.

[AtlAppMan]

Regarding the "expectations" that the media and other coaches picked App to finish well after a "good not great" previous year were, IMO, just assuming that the coaching staff had things under control and would do a good job of coaching up the team that had? At our level, folks don't dig too deep into all the details so on the surface it probably seemed reasonable.

Personally, I hoped we would do well and those were seemingly reasonable expectations due to the returning QB and skill players. However, I was concerned because I observed a gradual downward trend with our program under that staff ever since they took over in 2020. I didn't know all the details as to why (they likely were a combination of many in retrospect) but I knew I didn't have any confidence in that staff as a result of the historical trend. The staff just seemed like they didn't have a good handle themselves on the cause and effect of their actions. Reality is we ended up doing worse than I even envisioned. But, if we were going to end up where we did then it was better to find out sooner rather than later.

The new world of college football is vastly different than many years ago so you have adapt to survive. All we I can do now is hope that the new staff has a better handle on it and can be more successful than our peers.