SunBelt is a JOKE

[WVAPPeer]

This must be the general feeling in the FBS. And you know what, I am in agreement at this point in time. A team goes 12-1 and beats two P5s on the road and gets nothing "extra". I honestly believe we could have gone 13-0 and still been going to NOLA again. We would not have passed Memphis at 12-1. The AAC is the chosen one and I don't think that will change unless their highest ranked team has at least 2 losses and maybe not then dependent upon who else has a better record - and it will have to be a much better record.

Look, I am too old and too poor to go any bowl game so the location makes no difference to me. I have been to NOLA a few times years ago and it is a great place for fans to go.

My point is that this conference has a team ranked in the top 20 at 12-1 and UAB is the best they could do - THAT IS A JOKE - I have absolutely no disrespect for UAB - the coach, players and staff have done a miracle job to be so good after dropping football completely just a couple of years ago.

I don't want to hear some of you say stuff like "you want to go back to the SoCon, etc." because this is not about that. It is about the respect APP STATE deserves at this point in time.

Remember what C.Cobb said a number of years ago about the SunBelt - "It is a glorified FCS conference" - He was not wrong. We have dominated the SB much more than we did the SoCon.
NO, I don't want to go back!!! - What I want is a conference with a commissioner who goes to the wall for its elite program - WE DON'T HAVE THAT !!!
Edit - changed the 2nd work from "much" to "must"

[ASU2012]

Not wrong. Being in the Sunbelt sucks. Don’t give me the “but remember Toledo fans?” rant either. I hope we beat the piss out of UAB but this is still a huge disappointment.

Drink has to look at this closely as well when considering his future. What more can he do? He has to have a literal flawless season to even have a chance at something better then a bowl game in New Orleans. That’s just not realistic in this game. As long as we remain in the Sunbelt, we’re just a shiny stepping stone for up and coming coaches careers. Hate me for saying it out loud, but it’s true

#BeatUAB

[appgrad95&97]

I agree with much of what you say. I would simply point out the Sunbelt was the only offer we got. CUSA didn't want us. And it is not like the AAC is knocking on our door now. Appalachian just isn't that big a deal. Until things change, we should be proud of what we've accomplished. Very proud of this team. And support them in New Orleans.

[BeauFoster]

As much as I hate to think about “being passed over”, we have to grow our brand - and that includes growing our conference and it’s credibility within the college football landscape. If the Belt is to be our long term home (long term being relative), all we can do is play our hand as well as possible. We need to pressure the conference to be active in promoting all members, get the leadership on the radio and TV, get other ADs to promote themselves and each other. It’s the only way we can make this dump livable. Slap some lipstick on this pig and keep beating P5 schools, it’s all we got.

[CoachRob]

We are only 6 years old from a FBS perspective. Dues need to paid. If we keep doing what we're doing we get there.

If we don't choke vs our rival, we are in the Cotton Bowl. If Boise and WM can do it, so can we. Lets continue to get better and support this program.

[Deano]

I have been a fan of the Sun Belt until now. I would have been fine with playing Marshall cause that would have garnered a little interest since we have a history with them. 90 % of fans have no idea who UAB is and hence will not make the trip. I'll be there for the destination and a chance to see our guys play one more time.

[appbio91]

“I honestly believe we could have gone 13-0 and still been going to NOLA again”.

This is most likely a factual statement based on last weeks CFP poll.

[HighPointApp]

We moved up to the Sunbelt 5 years and 5 months ago. Imagine what we will accomplish in the next 5 years and 5 moths?

We have to fight and get respect on the field. Every. Single. Day.

[bigdaddyg]

As much as I hate to think about “being passed over”, we have to grow our brand - and that includes growing our conference and it’s credibility within the college football landscape. If the Belt is to be our long term home (long term being relative), all we can do is play our hand as well as possible. We need to pressure the conference to be active in promoting all members, get the leadership on the radio and TV, get other ADs to promote themselves and each other. It’s the only way we can make this dump livable. Slap some lipstick on this pig and keep beating P5 schools, it’s all we got.

Please don’t take this as a dig to what you say- it’s all true but I get sick of “growing our brand”. Personally I think that has grown old and tired. We gained a huge amount of respect by virtue of the ranking. I pointed out on another thread that theoretically we could have lost all 4 non-conference games, still lost to Stink, gone 7-5 in the regular season, still won the East and yesterday and been in exactly the same bowl. There is a huge gap between that result and what we actually did yet here we are playing probably the same opponent we would have gotten! Guys say we need to stomp them so that it will carry over to next season. Will it really? Watch, a couple of 6-6 or 7-5 P5’s will rank ahead of us next preseason. Guaranteed!

[boonetown1]

I was ok with the sun belt when benson ran the show, but have zero confidence in the new guy.

[AppinVA]

I was ok with the sun belt when benson ran the show, but have zero confidence in the new guy.

Benson would’ve gone to bat for us. He may have struck out, but he would’ve gone down swinging.

[ASU2012]

We moved up to the Sunbelt 5 years and 5 months ago. Imagine what we will accomplish in the next 5 years and 5 moths?

We have to fight and get respect on the field. Every. Single. Day.

We could go 60-5 over that time, that’ll give us 5 more trips to New Orleans.

[ah59396]

When we joined this conference, all the present members warned us that “this wasn’t the FCS” and that this was “big boy football”.

I initially believed them and i get being humble, but let’s be honest, we are more dominant here than we were in the SOCON.

With as much respect as I can give, it’s becoming very apparent that we are surrounded by a bunch of have-nots and left-behinds. And as a conference we are treated accordingly. Unfortunately I don’t think there’s anywhere we can go so we just need to win and hopefully elevate the conference.

[appgrad95&97]

I was ok with the sun belt when benson ran the show, but have zero confidence in the new guy.

Benson would’ve gone to bat for us. He may have struck out, but he would’ve gone down swinging.

This is a serious question. I am NOT making a point, but really want to know: What did Gillin do? I never saw him making the case aboit how special this season was for the Sunbelt. Maybe he really advocated for us. I just didn't see much.

[AppinVA]

I was ok with the sun belt when benson ran the show, but have zero confidence in the new guy.

Benson would’ve gone to bat for us. He may have struck out, but he would’ve gone down swinging.

This is a serious question. I am NOT making a point, but really want to know: What did Gillin do? I never saw him making the case aboit how special this season was for the Sunbelt. Maybe he really advocated for us. I just didn't see much.

I don’t think it’s his place to do so. His place is to put the pieces of the puzzle together to do what we did. It will be interesting to see what comes out and who said what in the days and hours leading up to the bowl announcements.

[HighPointApp]

We moved up to the Sunbelt 5 years and 5 months ago. Imagine what we will accomplish in the next 5 years and 5 moths?

We have to fight and get respect on the field. Every. Single. Day.

We could go 60-5 over that time, that’ll give us 5 more trips to New Orleans.

Would you rather us go 5-60 and go nowhere? Would you rather us be unsuccessful rather than successful? It’s all in a person’s mindset.

[ericsaid]

I agree with much of what you say. I would simply point out the Sunbelt was the only offer we got. CUSA didn't want us. And it is not like the AAC is knocking on our door now. Appalachian just isn't that big a deal. Until things change, we should be proud of what we've accomplished. Very proud of this team. And support them in New Orleans.

They need two chips to carry around now. Not only might these guys believe themselves to be slighted on a personal level, they now get to contend with being slighted as a team. There should be no need to get up for this game based solely on the fact that you have 5-0, a ranking, and being overlooked on the line.

Memphis gets Penn State, a team App took to OT in 2018. Boise State gets Washington and Cincinnati is going to Birmingham, likely against a P5 of some kind. Though they may end up getting slighted as well with the SEC teams being short.

That could've been an opportunity for the Belt to get App in.

No one feels App is truly above UAB or NOLA, as program, but rather that the Sun Belt didn't do enough politicking, which is what other G5 conferences have done in years past.

[ericsaid]

Two years running the Sun Belt has had at least two 10 win teams. Last year there were 3. That would be 20% and 30% of Sun Belt teams won 10 games.

The Sun Belt needs to leverage some of this into better tie-ins. Sure it comes down to money but if you put App in the AAC and they are getting $6.5 million more per year from TV alone, what does that do to the program?

Inject money into a place like App, Georgia Southern, or Louisiana and see what can happen.

[Mjohn1988]

For as long as the Sunbelt is or home we need to lift the conference up. No doubt the perception of the Sunbelt affected our chances to get into the NY6 game but so did the fact that we’ve only been playing FBS ball for 5 years. Like it or not it takes time to earn the respect needed to get that game. Saying our conference is a joke doesn’t help our case at all. The other thing that can help us is our out of conference schedule. I say we need to find a way to get Memphis, Cincinnati, Navy and UCF on the schedule. So I’ll ask this, how would our fans accept playing any of those teams in place of say ECU or Wake? I’ll keep saying this, I just can’t find a way to be disappointed in this season. Its been awesome. Let’s finish strong.

[fjblair]

Seriously? We just won another conference title, there is nothing else. The entire bowl game lottery is a bloated old joke. These are exhibition games. Just show up and play the next team on the schedule. Nobody other than the most hard core fan could even name the location or the opponent of the last bowl game. This is FBS football.

Just win and the rest will sort it's way out.