IT'S WAKE FOREST.... 2017

[bigdaddyg]

Some of us older guys (not ancient but older) can really appreciate success and embrace the movement to big boy football. The uptick in competition for all sports is great but let's be honest, football is driving this bus. I was at App in the early to mid 80's. If memory serves our first year coach my freshman year was Mack Brown. He brought us a big time vibe. He got everyone excited with visions of dominate seasons. Well he lasted one year and I think we might have gone 6-5 that year. Sparky Woods followed Brown and we ran off a series of great seasons. Again, if I remember correctly we began a string of seasons where we had some close losses to a few big boys (South Carolina), rarely lost at home, and had a huge win against Marshall complete with tearing down goal posts- yes that win was that big! Jerry Moore brought us three straight NC's. We will look back at those years with good memories but we will also chuckle and think that it was really little boy football. The cool aspect of the playoffs for me was the win and advance piece. I didn't have the opportunity to go to Chatty for any of the three games but watched each with great pride. We may never reach the level of the current National Championship guys and a marquee season might be a late December crappy bowl game but we still made the right decision and years from now all of this discussion will be just a faint memory.

[Gonzo]

We may never reach the level of the current National Championship guys and a marquee season might be a late December crappy bowl game

A late December crappy bowl game?

One adjective dismantled your entire post. These inevitable bowl games carry more prestige than an FCS national championship appearance, as exciting as the FCS playoffs can be. I was around for the last NC and I traveled all over the place during our subsequent deep playoff runs. Those were incredible experiences. But let's not let the fun we had distort the reality of the situation.

Bowl games are a bigger deal. One day we will have similar memories of pride, stiff drink, and good, exciting football as we watch the Apps win bowl games.

It is possible to fondly reflect without disparaging the current/future situation.

[App91]

Just so some of you non-FBS'ers can gain a little perspective. As a student I have not had a cent increase in student fees since the move was announced, so strike that off the list. Also as a student I can tell you other students actually talk about the program with enthusiasm now as if we are at UNC or ECU or NCSU and a lot of that had to do with not playing the furmans and samfords of the world. And this whole TV thing is ridiculous, I can watch every game now and it's actually respectable programming, which I couldn't say about PBS or any of the sites we had to stream off previously. The move is a definite win, it's embarrassing that all don't feel the same

I'm glad to read your perspective on this and I am glad the students are excited but I am not sure you have the background to say it is embarrassing for anyone not to feel the same as you --- If you were at the 3 National Championship Games in Chattanooga then you saw the total joy and pride the students and fans showed, or if you were at Michigan, or if you were at the Furman semi-final game on the way to the first Championship and saw the goal posts carried around town, the students jumping into Duck Pond, etc., Many people remember those days with smiles on their faces --- Yes, it was time to move on and personally I am glad we have, but I'm not sure I remember anyone saying in the last couple of years that he/she would really miss the SoCon - the SoCon as we all remember it is gone - BUT, many like myself have made the point that we will miss the Playoffs and the chance to win National Championships --- Should we go back? - Hell NO, - Should we move forward with all we have? - Absolutely --- Those of us who have been around awhile and have experienced years and years of LIFE are just not as quick to cut loose the past and totally embrace the future - As with the football team, some fans will need some time to make the transition ---

Perfectly said Dub! Sums it up in a nutshell. I will miss the playoff vibe, but it is/was surely time to move on. I think about this like moving. You sit in the old house and think about all the good times you had and memories made, then get in the car and drive to the new place with excitement to see what is ahead!

[bigdaddyg]

I will give you that. Crappy is probably not a great adjective to use. I guess it all comes down to interpretation. I always said that if I were a UNC or NCSU fan, if my team wasn't in the NC mix I would want them to play in Atlanta, Florida or Charlotte so that I could make a an easy trip to see them. Not a great deal of appeal with the Idaho Potatoe Bowl or the Motor City Bowl in Detroit. Even the Hawaii Bowl (although great for the players) has to be incredibly expensive and offers little to no recruiting benefit. The whole "reward for a good season" thing is silly especially if the team goes 6-6.

At any rate, once App reaches that point and gets that first bowl bid, not matter what it may be, I will be just as excited as the next guy- baby steps. I sometimes compare us to Boise St. I wonder what their first bowl game was?

[asucrutch23]

I sometimes compare us to Boise St. I wonder what their first bowl game was?

FWIW, Those Humanitarian Bowls were on their home field

[AppinVA]

I sometimes compare us to Boise St. I wonder what their first bowl game was?

FWIW, Those Humanitarian Bowls were on their home field

Hmmm...Wonder if we can host the High Country Bowl?

[bigdaddyg]

or the "oh my god it is freaking cold" Bowl.

[WVAPPeer]

I will give you that. Crappy is probably not a great adjective to use. I guess it all comes down to interpretation. I always said that if I were a UNC or NCSU fan, if my team wasn't in the NC mix I would want them to play in Atlanta, Florida or Charlotte so that I could make a an easy trip to see them. Not a great deal of appeal with the Idaho Potatoe Bowl or the Motor City Bowl in Detroit. Even the Hawaii Bowl (although great for the players) has to be incredibly expensive and offers little to no recruiting benefit. The whole "reward for a good season" thing is silly especially if the team goes 6-6.

At any rate, once App reaches that point and gets that first bowl bid, not matter what it may be, I will be just as excited as the next guy- baby steps. I sometimes compare us to Boise St. I wonder what their first bowl game was?

Yeah I agree "crappy" was the wrong word but I did understand where you were coming from - maybe a "no-name" bowl might work and by that I mean a bowl most fans have never heard of --- hope that day is not too far off ---

[bcoach]

I sometimes compare us to Boise St. I wonder what their first bowl game was?

FWIW, Those Humanitarian Bowls were on their home field

Now that would make them great bowls. Outside of a NC game nothing can beat a game at THE ROCK

[EastHallApp]

Just so some of you non-FBS'ers can gain a little perspective. As a student I have not had a cent increase in student fees since the move was announced, so strike that off the list. Also as a student I can tell you other students actually talk about the program with enthusiasm now as if we are at UNC or ECU or NCSU and a lot of that had to do with not playing the furmans and samfords of the world. And this whole TV thing is ridiculous, I can watch every game now and it's actually respectable programming, which I couldn't say about PBS or any of the sites we had to stream off previously. The move is a definite win, it's embarrassing that all don't feel the same

I'm glad to read your perspective on this and I am glad the students are excited but I am not sure you have the background to say it is embarrassing for anyone not to feel the same as you --- If you were at the 3 National Championship Games in Chattanooga then you saw the total joy and pride the students and fans showed, or if you were at Michigan, or if you were at the Furman semi-final game on the way to the first Championship and saw the goal posts carried around town, the students jumping into Duck Pond, etc., Many people remember those days with smiles on their faces --- Yes, it was time to move on and personally I am glad we have, but I'm not sure I remember anyone saying in the last couple of years that he/she would really miss the SoCon - the SoCon as we all remember it is gone - BUT, many like myself have made the point that we will miss the Playoffs and the chance to win National Championships --- Should we go back? - Hell NO, - Should we move forward with all we have? - Absolutely --- Those of us who have been around awhile and have experienced years and years of LIFE are just not as quick to cut loose the past and totally embrace the future - As with the football team, some fans will need some time to make the transition ---

Great post and a breath of fresh air. It tends to get lost in the over-the-top message board discussions, but no matter which side of the fence you are on, the people on the other side are not idiots just because they have different priorities than you. You're not an idiot for wanting App to play nearby rivals and compete for national titles any more than you are for wanting us to play more TV games and higher-profile opponents. There were pros and cons either way. And I say "were" because the move is done and the debate is just rehashing history now.

[EastHallApp]

I will give you that. Crappy is probably not a great adjective to use. I guess it all comes down to interpretation. I always said that if I were a UNC or NCSU fan, if my team wasn't in the NC mix I would want them to play in Atlanta, Florida or Charlotte so that I could make a an easy trip to see them. Not a great deal of appeal with the Idaho Potatoe Bowl or the Motor City Bowl in Detroit. Even the Hawaii Bowl (although great for the players) has to be incredibly expensive and offers little to no recruiting benefit. The whole "reward for a good season" thing is silly especially if the team goes 6-6.

At any rate, once App reaches that point and gets that first bowl bid, not matter what it may be, I will be just as excited as the next guy- baby steps. I sometimes compare us to Boise St. I wonder what their first bowl game was?

Your point is well-taken. Replace "crappy" with "lower-tier" if you want, but the point is the same.

Whatever their relative prestige, dozens of teams around the country (and their fans) begin the season with an FCS national championship as their goal. I wonder how many open practice dreaming of winning the GoDaddy.com Bowl?

Now that's where we are, so of course I am looking forward to App appearing in bowl games soon. But no matter what level you are, if you don't win the national title, everything else is ultimately a consolation prize. And I will miss that feeling of seeing App achieve that ultimate goal, regardless of how much fans of other teams cared or didn't care.

Does that mean we shouldn't have moved up? No. It just means that with the move up came sacrifices. To argue otherwise is to ignore reality.

[Appsolutely]

Anyone who looks at the current membership in the SoCon and bemoans our departure has a far different set of expectations for our athletic programs than I do.

[WVAPPeer]

Anyone who looks at the current membership in the SoCon and bemoans our departure has a far different set of expectations for our athletic programs than I do.

Again, can you show me anyone who bemoans not being in the current SoCon? I'm guessing you have read the earlier posts? Personally, I don't remember anyone saying that?

[Gonzo]

Anyone who looks at the current membership in the SoCon and bemoans our departure has a far different set of expectations for our athletic programs than I do.

Again, can you show me anyone who bemoans not being in the current SoCon? I'm guessing you have read the earlier posts? Personally, I don't remember anyone saying that?

memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=278

[IM4ASU]

"I used to worry about all the FBS naysayers of my age 60-up that I know who professed great love of playing Furman and Western Carolina, etc. and predicted gloom and doom. I don't worry any more when I realized none of them had been to a game in years, weren't in Yosef or making contributions to the Foundation, and hadn't spent a dollar in Boone since graduation. I know this is not true on a blanket basis, but with some of my older friends it is."

Please don't put me in that category as there are posters on this board that know I have spent 32 long agonizing years dealing with our demotion to lower tier football. 1975 spoiled me as I was naive enough to think that we were on our way to big time football. You can imagine my relief last year when the announcement was made that we were moving up to FBS and no longer having to play the likes of ccc, waffle, etc. on a weekly basis. 32 years is a long time to be depressed.

Go Apps

[WVAPPeer]

Anyone who looks at the current membership in the SoCon and bemoans our departure has a far different set of expectations for our athletic programs than I do.

Again, can you show me anyone who bemoans not being in the current SoCon? I'm guessing you have read the earlier posts? Personally, I don't remember anyone saying that?

memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=278

yeah I remember he was not enthused with the move but I don't remember even him wishing we were still in today's SoCon - I could be wrong

[WVAPPeer]

"I used to worry about all the FBS naysayers of my age 60-up that I know who professed great love of playing Furman and Western Carolina, etc. and predicted gloom and doom. I don't worry any more when I realized none of them had been to a game in years, weren't in Yosef or making contributions to the Foundation, and hadn't spent a dollar in Boone since graduation. I know this is not true on a blanket basis, but with some of my older friends it is."

Please don't put me in that category as there are posters on this board that know I have spent 32 long agonizing years dealing with our demotion to lower tier football. 1975 spoiled me as I was naive enough to think that we were on our way to big time football. You can imagine my relief last year when the announcement was made that we were moving up to FBS and no longer having to play the likes of ccc, waffle, etc. on a weekly basis. 32 years is a long time to be depressed.

Go Apps

HOORAY --- Another fellow old-fart ---

[App91]

Yep.

Brings another question, my tv is a smart tv (smarter than I am!) and has netflix on it, can I watch thru netflix?

[TheMoody1]

Yep.

Brings another question, my tv is a smart tv (smarter than I am!) and has netflix on it, can I watch thru netflix?

Not quite sure I am following you. With the Netflix app on your smart TV the only thing you can watch is netflix. Now, if your smart TV has a Watch ESPN app you would be set. Otherwise, get the Chromecast and you can stream to your smart TV using your PC, smart phone, or tablet via the watch ESPN app.

[NewApp]

Anyone who looks at the current membership in the SoCon and bemoans our departure has a far different set of expectations for our athletic programs than I do.

Who does that? Can you be specific?