New 4 game series with Charlotte

[coffeyman76]

The Charlotte campus is actually pretty amazing. A bit spread out but the changes from my time there to know have been pretty dang impressive. It's right on a major interstate (2 if you count the loop), mass transit, located in one of (actually the) fastest growing metro in the state and 5th in the country - and pretty much has the City to itself including pretty sweet facilities uptown. With 1000 acres of land it is lucky compared to many schools. And Charlotte doesn't set it's enrollment criteria. That decision is made by the Board of Governors and University system among others. I'm pretty sure everyone here recognizes the trend of admissions and "fees" so Charlotte is hardly a trendsetter.

There are thousands upon thousands of apartments directly adjacent to the university. The model of many schools has changed, so instead of focusing on housing and the building costs, management, competition, lack of parking and liability associated with it they've allowed the private marketplace to fill that need. Plus those places include pools, game rooms and the like - almost everyone clamors over themselves to get "off-campus". I still don't see the relevance of counting freshman/sophomore "on-campus" living as relevant to judging the university. But each to their own. Not sure why we are judging wholly different campuses/towns to begin with.

Charlotte jumped to the FBS because they really had to, or at least needed to. Mainly the C-USA realignment allowed us to re-join as a full non-football member with the commitment to be FBS that quickly. So when we talk about the pain and the losses sure, it sucks, but all good things come with time. The early jump and the less than involved AD from 1953 certainly didn't help anything. No one is making excuses, but we consider ourselves "relevant" because we actually exist now. Yes exist. So the potential has a pretty good shelf life Gonzo, considering I've got canned soup that will sit on a shelf longer than we've even been around as a team. Easy to talk about shelf life when you've had a team for what almost 100 years now? It isn't every day that a major university creates a new football program from scratch, builds an expandable new field and facilities and commits to FBS ball. That was the result of hard work by many folks here, so for us it's a win. And yes, even to being sacrificial lambs for the likes of Clemson which is something I'd never thought I'd be able to see when I graduated. Or sitting in Neyland Stadium watching the Niners play one hell of a ball game.

We expect more and we've shown that by killing donations and screaming to whomever will listen until changes were made - namely the AD and now the Coach - both great additions in our minds and along with it history and tradition. Those things take time and yes they even take building in-state rivalries - which currently means going to App to play in one the statistically toughest places in the country to play against what is unquestionably a very good football team/program. Oh yeah, then turning around 2 weeks later to head to Death Valley to take on one of if not the best team in the country. Win. lose or slaughter I'll be at both.

I mean I thought Battle of the Beards was great? Maybe that's "lowbrow", so while I appreciate the offer Saint3333 no need to wish me a safe ride home. We're all just Uber drivers so I'm sure we can manage.

[Appster99]

UNCC has a beautiful sprawling campus in a suburban setting. Appalachian has a beautiful compact campus in an idyllic setting and is the central hub of a community. Therein lies the cultural difference between the two. Its what makes Boone and App a special place.

Many choose App for the location. Many more do not even consider App because of its location. If you don't like cold weather or don't like snow, Boone is not the place for you. Truth is, App was much smaller when I chose to go there. I fell in love with the campus when Watauga hosted the 4A wrestling regionals. My HS wrestling coach was an App grad so he gave us tours and told great stories of his time there. It may not have made my top 5 list had I been a HS student in the past five years. I'm proud of my App education and I love my school. I'm glad it was what it was during my tenure.

[hapapp]

I went to App and have no regrets. Loved it, still do. My wife went to VCU in the middle of Richmond. She loved it and has no regrets. I just don't see the point in the put down of other schools especially based on their location.

[Rekdiver]

I went to App and have no regrets. Loved it, still do. My wife went to VCU in the middle of Richmond. She loved it and has no regrets. I just don't see the point in the put down of other schools especially based on their location.

Happapp we are generous and complimentary compared to UNCC posters on their board.

[AppinVA]

I went to App and have no regrets. Loved it, still do. My wife went to VCU in the middle of Richmond. She loved it and has no regrets. I just don't see the point in the put down of other schools especially based on their location.

Even Statesboro?

[MAD Doctor]

I went to App and have no regrets. Loved it, still do. My wife went to VCU in the middle of Richmond. She loved it and has no regrets. I just don't see the point in the put down of other schools especially based on their location.

Even Statesboro?

Statesboro? Did somebody say Statesboro?

https://youtu.be/YlWaY9sN0SM

[Afreeman]

I went to App and have no regrets. Loved it, still do. My wife went to VCU in the middle of Richmond. She loved it and has no regrets. I just don't see the point in the put down of other schools especially based on their location.

Even Statesboro?

Yes... Strangely enough there are a few people in this world who enjoy mosquitoes, rotten egg creeks, and bro country.

[WASU 93]

They actually have a captive on campus student base in dorms and apartments. I think that they have a more traditional campus life than Georgia State. They are also the only major football in town.

They actually don't. I know that their alumni will practically throw tantrums claiming they aren't a commuter school anymore, but they're not telling the truth. Here are the numbers (according to US News):

UNCC undergrad student population is 23,914. 24% live on-campus and 76% live off-campus. Thus they have 5,739 students living on campus. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/unc-charlotte-2975

Georgia State, meanwhile has an undergrad student body of 25,970 with 22% living on-campus and 78% off-campus for a total of 5,713 students on campus. Only 20 less than UNCC. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/ge ... rsity-1574

I'm sick of all the myths about Charlotte's "potential". They are nothing but Georgia State with a crappier basketball program.

This just goes to show that you can make stats say anything you want.
Charlotte vs. Georgia State is night and day. Charlotte has a suburban campus that is a real campus with plenty of acreage and all of it's facilities on the main campus. Yes, it's much more of a commuter school than ASU (and I'll knock it for that), but I guarantee that if you look at off-campus students, it's still a lot more like ASU than it is Georgia State.
Georgia State just recently purchased Turner Field to give it some sort of campus at all.

Yes, the college experience in Boone is better and students don't flock from campus as soon as classes are over.

Most importantly, two more road games that are a 10 minute commute and an easy tailgate!

I don’t really understand what you’re refuting here. You’re saying off campus students are better off at UNCC than Ga State? How is being suburban a plus? Especially since UNCC does not market themselves as a suburban university

i am supporting Highlands App who is correct in the quoted statement and refuting the comparison to Georgia State.

Charlotte has (and has had since the 1960's a true college campus. Around that campus are student apartments. Ga. State, until very recently, was a University located in High Rise Buildings. You can put down the Niners if you want, but as Highlands App stated, they do have a traditional campus. "They are nothing but Georgia State...." is an incorrect statement.

[Mjohn1988]

UNCC has a beautiful sprawling campus in a suburban setting. Appalachian has a beautiful compact campus in an idyllic setting and is the central hub of a community. Therein lies the cultural difference between the two. Its what makes Boone and App a special place.

Many choose App for the location. Many more do not even consider App because of its location. If you don't like cold weather or don't like snow, Boone is not the place for you. Truth is, App was much smaller when I chose to go there. I fell in love with the campus when Watauga hosted the 4A wrestling regionals. My HS wrestling coach was an App grad so he gave us tours and told great stories of his time there. It may not have made my top 5 list had I been a HS student in the past five years. I'm proud of my App education and I love my school. I'm glad it was what it was during my tenure.

I loved App because of the location and because Boone was and is still a collage town. During my collage years I visited NCSU a couple of time but the large urban setting just wasn’t the place for me. I am of course very biased but I still think the best collage experience is in a setting where the collage is the town and the town is the collage. That said, to each his or her own. As I mentioned in a earlier post my daughter is a Jr. at UNCC and so far it’s been a great experience for her.

[CornCobPipes]

IMO this is great as long as considered to be our only cupcake game on schedule per year. I want to see us play two P5s per year as things stand or before a significant rift change may happen. Some may say lofty goals but I don't like low sights any longer since we have gotten where we are. If we want slogans like RISE and such then set the targets to RISE!

No more complacency!

[EastHallApp]

When I was visiting campuses in the mid-‘90s, I went to Wake, Asheville, App, Charlotte and UNC. I loved them all except Charlotte- I was ready to leave that tour before it was even over. I enjoy both urban and college-town campuses, but theirs didn’t do it for me.

That said, it’s been almost 25 years, I’m sure much has changed, and the part of their campus I saw when we went to the football game last year was nicer than I remembered.

[EastHallApp]

IMO this is great as long as considered to be our only cupcake game on schedule per year. I want to see us play two P5s per year as things stand or before a significant rift change may happen. Some may say lofty goals but I don't like low sights any longer since we have gotten where we are. If we want slogans like RISE and such then set the targets to RISE!

No more complacency!

As long as we continue to play P5 “money games,” you can bet we’ll keep playing an FCS game almost every year. Otherwise we’d have to limit our P5 opponents to those who will give us a return game. We’ve had more success scheduling in that regard then many people thought possible, but it would still significantly limit the pool of such opponents.

[Yosef84]

IMO this is great as long as considered to be our only cupcake game on schedule per year. I want to see us play two P5s per year as things stand or before a significant rift change may happen. Some may say lofty goals but I don't like low sights any longer since we have gotten where we are. If we want slogans like RISE and such then set the targets to RISE!

No more complacency!

Charlotte was 5 games last year and has a new coaching staff this year. I think it's safe to assume we're heavily favored but I'm not sure "cupcake" fits. I certainly don't think you can assume they will be cupcakes in 2026. I know that nobody on here seems willing to give Charlotte any credit at all but at some point there should be an adjustment for reality if they continue to improve.

[MAD Doctor]

“I know that nobody on here seems willing to give Charlotte any credit at all but at some point there should be an adjustment for reality if they continue to improve.”

The reality is they’ve been terrible and when Judy could no longer protect them from us we dominated them on the field and in their stands. Much of the disdain for them on this board is because of the attitudes of their delusional handful of posters and trolls who still discredit everything single we’ve done as a football program and university. I hope they see their “potential” and become a worthy rival, but for now, they are far back in our rear view.

[EastHallApp]

IMO this is great as long as considered to be our only cupcake game on schedule per year. I want to see us play two P5s per year as things stand or before a significant rift change may happen. Some may say lofty goals but I don't like low sights any longer since we have gotten where we are. If we want slogans like RISE and such then set the targets to RISE!

No more complacency!

Charlotte was 5 games last year and has a new coaching staff this year. I think it's safe to assume we're heavily favored but I'm not sure "cupcake" fits. I certainly don't think you can assume they will be cupcakes in 2026. I know that nobody on here seems willing to give Charlotte any credit at all but at some point there should be an adjustment for reality if they continue to improve.

No telling whether we’ll be any good by then either. Just because our first FBS coach was a home run doesn’t mean they all will be.

[Rekdiver]

Well my group has got some good parking spaces!!! 85-91 on the roof of the new parking deck!

[coffeyman76]

When I was visiting campuses in the mid-‘90s, I went to Wake, Asheville, App, Charlotte and UNC. I loved them all except Charlotte- I was ready to leave that tour before it was even over. I enjoy both urban and college-town campuses, but theirs didn’t do it for me.

That said, it’s been almost 25 years, I’m sure much has changed, and the part of their campus I saw when we went to the football game last year was nicer than I remembered.

This is true. I wasn't enamored with the campus either but it worked as a solid transfer into the Engineering program so practicality overrode campus feel...which now that I think about it may have been the only thing practical I did at that age.

The campus has changed considerably since then. It's nearly unrecognizable to me save for a few buildings.
It does feel a bit sanitized because of the separation by multiple highways that surround the university and the massive amount of land it has vs. built in and among the town, or the town built around it. The addition of mass transit right into the campus probably won't further the "on-campus" housing numbers but does further tie us to the rest of the City. So yes, it is not a Boone, Clemson, Athens and others...the idyllic "college town". But it is a large modern university with pretty impressive facilities and room to grow including those in the heart of uptown. It fits for some, not for others.

On a side note locked in our 5 parking spaces over the weekend, glad that hunt is over. I'm probably going to be responsible for the tailgate so I'll ask (and I could probably search this here) but what would you all consider as a unique tailgate food for your home games? If there is one - may seem a ridiculous question being that you are just 2 hours away. My preference is to try to include something that might be a local tradition or specialty. Making something for opener but I haven't quite figured out how to incorporate Running Bulldogs into the menu just yet. Although I am excited about Lobsta' Rolls for UMass...

[Rekdiver]

When I was visiting campuses in the mid-‘90s, I went to Wake, Asheville, App, Charlotte and UNC. I loved them all except Charlotte- I was ready to leave that tour before it was even over. I enjoy both urban and college-town campuses, but theirs didn’t do it for me.

That said, it’s been almost 25 years, I’m sure much has changed, and the part of their campus I saw when we went to the football game last year was nicer than I remembered.

This is true. I wasn't enamored with the campus either but it worked as a solid transfer into the Engineering program so practicality overrode campus feel...which now that I think about it may have been the only thing practical I did at that age.

The campus has changed considerably since then. It's nearly unrecognizable to me save for a few buildings.
It does feel a bit sanitized because of the separation by multiple highways that surround the university and the massive amount of land it has vs. built in and among the town, or the town built around it. The addition of mass transit right into the campus probably won't further the "on-campus" housing numbers but does further tie us to the rest of the City. So yes, it is not a Boone, Clemson, Athens and others...the idyllic "college town". But it is a large modern university with pretty impressive facilities and room to grow including those in the heart of uptown. It fits for some, not for others.

On a side note locked in our 5 parking spaces over the weekend, glad that hunt is over. I'm probably going to be responsible for the tailgate so I'll ask (and I could probably search this here) but what would you all consider as a unique tailgate food for your home games? If there is one - may seem a ridiculous question being that you are just 2 hours away. My preference is to try to include something that might be a local tradition or specialty. Making something for opener but I haven't quite figured out how to incorporate Running Bulldogs into the menu just yet. Although I am excited about Lobsta' Rolls for UMass...

'Possum fritters of course! You could have found out that on that ninernation forum.

[coffeyman76]

Possum Fritters it is! Great idea, thank you.

I have to say I'm surprised at the level of oppo research for warm up/tune up game or a cupcake team - you being on the Niner forum and all.

I do have to admit, they are a bit silly. We all know you have paved roads, running water and HughesNet at this point. Not sure why it keeps getting brought up.

And I especially like that I can use the emoji. I can even wear green tinted glasses here which is impressive. Although that one is called Uber Geek - how fitting considering past comments.

All in good fun on my end, I'm not here to troll. I genuinely respect your program and appreciate the budding rivalry.

Thanks for the tailgate tip.

[Appftw]

They actually have a captive on campus student base in dorms and apartments. I think that they have a more traditional campus life than Georgia State. They are also the only major football in town.

They actually don't. I know that their alumni will practically throw tantrums claiming they aren't a commuter school anymore, but they're not telling the truth. Here are the numbers (according to US News):

UNCC undergrad student population is 23,914. 24% live on-campus and 76% live off-campus. Thus they have 5,739 students living on campus. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/unc-charlotte-2975

Georgia State, meanwhile has an undergrad student body of 25,970 with 22% living on-campus and 78% off-campus for a total of 5,713 students on campus. Only 20 less than UNCC. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/ge ... rsity-1574

I'm sick of all the myths about Charlotte's "potential". They are nothing but Georgia State with a crappier basketball program.

This just goes to show that you can make stats say anything you want.
Charlotte vs. Georgia State is night and day. Charlotte has a suburban campus that is a real campus with plenty of acreage and all of it's facilities on the main campus. Yes, it's much more of a commuter school than ASU (and I'll knock it for that), but I guarantee that if you look at off-campus students, it's still a lot more like ASU than it is Georgia State.
Georgia State just recently purchased Turner Field to give it some sort of campus at all.

Yes, the college experience in Boone is better and students don't flock from campus as soon as classes are over.

Most importantly, two more road games that are a 10 minute commute and an easy tailgate!

I don’t really understand what you’re refuting here. You’re saying off campus students are better off at UNCC than Ga State? How is being suburban a plus? Especially since UNCC does not market themselves as a suburban university

i am supporting Highlands App who is correct in the quoted statement and refuting the comparison to Georgia State.

Charlotte has (and has had since the 1960's a true college campus. Around that campus are student apartments. Ga. State, until very recently, was a University located in High Rise Buildings. You can put down the Niners if you want, but as Highlands App stated, they do have a traditional campus. "They are nothing but Georgia State...." is an incorrect statement.

A “true college campus” with nothing even close to a college town around it. Remember when Ga State was on the cover of ESPN magazine as the hot new darling of college football with all of the potential in the world? Funny how no one talks about their potential anymore, but the Charlotte media still goes on and on ad nauseum about Charlotte’s “potential”. That’s the only real comparison I was making between the two and still believe that they’re pretty similar to Ga State culturally.