Time to Welcome Coastal

[97grad]

Unfortunately, academics is not a strong suit of The Belt anyway, so I'm not sure Coastal really moves the needle. The big upside is that we get an Eastern division that actually has a fairly reasonable geographic footprint. Regarding JMU, how many times do they have to say no before people believe it??

[APPdiesel]

To everyone asking "why do we need need a travel partner anyway?" consider this...every team travels on a 2 game road trip. But when they came to Boone, because we didn't have a travel partner, they were on a 1 game road trip...giving them more time to rest, prepare, and scheme. Late in the basketball season that hurt us...bigtime. I think this will help our basketball program in some subtle but very impactful ways.

[asu66]

This is a panicked and desparate move. The City of Richmond and their basketball AND football history is far greater than Myrtle Beach, SC. Virginia is the 10th largest state and Richmond is the Capital. It has an awesome downtown. My point was just to throw out alternatives. I'm not talking about frigggin Kentucky. Can you get past that, please?
But why the heII argue with folks who are excited about schools that have strong golf programs and getting the opportunity to go to Myrtle Beach? It's pointless.
What a joke and a total embarrassment for the Sun Belt.

UofR has no interest in moving up to the FBS and certainly has no interest in moving its basketball from the A10. We were once in the same conference with them and they couldn't get out fast enough. Moreover they are a private school that would be joining a conference of public institutions. Would never happen.

That's a fact. UR strenuously opposed ASU's admission into the SoCon--stating that from the president's office down to the student government ass'n; UR was superior in every way to institutions like Appalachian. The day conference officials voted to admit ASU was the day UR began making plans to leave. In recent years, when the CAA started coming unglued, overtures were made to UR to move back to the SoCon or to become part of a new "east coast super league" that would include institutions like ASU, ECU, Ga South, ODU, JMU and Delaware to name a few. UR said "no thanks" in very clear language. Despite their southern location and history, they identify with the northeast.

[ASUMountaineer]

hold on 91, except for baseball have absolutely no fear of CC, especially when it comes to football for the next 4 or 5 years, my concerns are strictly based on whats best for the SBC. The facts are, this is an untested, unproven athletic program, that, again other than baseball has accomplished very little in terms of national, hell even regional levels.

I disagree about baseball being the exception. They are clearly superior in soccer and golf. And, I wish App had their basketball success. It'd be nice going to the NCAA tournament again, hasn't happened since the turn of the century and twice ever!

[CoastalFan2001]

I'm not thrilled about the move either, to be honest, but I do think some folks here are selling CCU short.

They've had football since 2003, and by 2006, they were in the FCS playoffs (where they might have done pretty well had they not drawn a certain mid-Threepeat team in the first round). They won the Big South 7 times and have been to the playoffs 5 times, reaching the quarters twice. That's not a bad set of accomplishments for a team that's not even a teenager yet.

Joe Moglia is a legitimately interesting coach. As the chairman and former CEO at TD Ameritrade, he has a strategic mind and intriguing connections.

Their stadium is built to expand and the university as a whole has come a LONG way. I graduated from high school in SC 15 years ago and Coastal wasn't on anyone's radar. Now it's a viable option. Its enrollment has doubled (5k to 10k) since 2000 and it's well-positioned to continue growing.

The SBC could do a lot worse.

This guy gets it. I'm not big on us leaving. But you're right, I graduated high school in 2001. Living in Charleston, I had no clue at college was in MB and didn't until 1999 when my cousin graduated from CCU. We've come a long way, and we are more than football. I was at CCU a year before football and the school has exploded with potential and growth. alumni are coming of age and, in the long run, this will be a good move.

Now, if only our mascot wasn't a dumb chicken.

[hapapp]

hold on 91, except for baseball have absolutely no fear of CC, especially when it comes to football for the next 4 or 5 years, my concerns are strictly based on whats best for the SBC. The facts are, this is an untested, unproven athletic program, that, again other than baseball has accomplished very little in terms of national, hell even regional levels.

In addition to baseball, they have consistently had nationally ranked mens soccer teams. Name one App State program that can match that. They already spend more on athletics than we do. Overall their Olympic sports are ahead of ours.

[JTApps1]

Would JMU football be better? Absolutely, but they aren't interested. Also compare CCU's other sports to JMU and the chickens are better across the board.

Coastal Carolina football is better than JMU. They just play in a smaller stadium.

I was talking of not only on field performance but also fan support and history. At this time yes CCU has a better on field product though.

[App91]

hold on 91, except for baseball have absolutely no fear of CC, especially when it comes to football for the next 4 or 5 years, my concerns are strictly based on whats best for the SBC. The facts are, this is an untested, unproven athletic program, that, again other than baseball has accomplished very little in terms of national, hell even regional levels.

I Am sorry but you are just not paying attention. Ask Cliff Ellis how the basketball program is going. Baseball, head and shoulders. Golf, ever hear of Dustin Johnson? Womens is very good as well, heck its Myrtle Beach. We MAY be better at T&F, maybe, but overall olympics they are better. They will be formidable, no doubt. No other potential could match their athletic program.

[hotrod2001]

It's not a move I had expected but from a geographic standpoint, I don't mind it. CCU is a good school and will be a good addition.

With them making 12 teams and the look of how an eventual Eastern Division is shaping up, I think we would do really good in the East, on paper though the West looks like the stronger one though but I could be wrong.

In reality if you look at the reports, there was a financial incentive here. CCU has the connections and have openly say they have plans in place to expand the stadium to the required 15,000 capacity and not at the expense of raising tuition fees or other means to get them. It's hard to turn down a team who is willing and has the financial means to make the transition.

[APPdiesel]

I hope at this point that realignment and expansion are done. Honestly, barring a Big 12 takes from AAC takes from C-USA takes from Sunbelt I think we're on pretty solid ground now. Unless a pair of back-to-back home run additions come calling (James Madison and a TBD outlier) I don't see Sunbelt chancellors and presidents voting to move to 14 as it would cut into the $12m ($1m each) NCAA revenue share.

Then again, crazier things have happened...Boise was in the Big East for a minute.

[CVAPP]

It's not a move I had expected but from a geographic standpoint, I don't mind it. CCU is a good school and will be a good addition.

With them making 12 teams and the look of how an eventual Eastern Division is shaping up, I think we would do really good in the East, on paper though the West looks like the stronger one though but I could be wrong.

In reality if you look at the reports, there was a financial incentive here. CCU has the connections and have openly say they have plans in place to expand the stadium to the required 15,000 capacity and not at the expense of raising tuition fees or other means to get them. It's hard to turn down a team who is willing and has the financial means to make the transition.

Welcome to the board! What financial incentive? If they could not afford it they would never have been considered. And yes, you can turn down a school with the money. Ask Liberty.

[YesAppCan]

I'm not thrilled about the move either, to be honest, but I do think some folks here are selling CCU short.

They've had football since 2003, and by 2006, they were in the FCS playoffs (where they might have done pretty well had they not drawn a certain mid-Threepeat team in the first round). They won the Big South 7 times and have been to the playoffs 5 times, reaching the quarters twice. That's not a bad set of accomplishments for a team that's not even a teenager yet.

Joe Moglia is a legitimately interesting coach. As the chairman and former CEO at TD Ameritrade, he has a strategic mind and intriguing connections.

Their stadium is built to expand and the university as a whole has come a LONG way. I graduated from high school in SC 15 years ago and Coastal wasn't on anyone's radar. Now it's a viable option. Its enrollment has doubled (5k to 10k) since 2000 and it's well-positioned to continue growing.

The SBC could do a lot worse.

This guy gets it. I'm not big on us leaving. But you're right, I graduated high school in 2001. Living in Charleston, I had no clue at college was in MB and didn't until 1999 when my cousin graduated from CCU. We've come a long way, and we are more than football. I was at CCU a year before football and the school has exploded with potential and growth. alumni are coming of age and, in the long run, this will be a good move.

Now, if only our mascot wasn't a dumb chicken.

And I thought that thing was a rooster! Seriously, welcome to the Sun Belt!

[hotrod2001]

It's not a move I had expected but from a geographic standpoint, I don't mind it. CCU is a good school and will be a good addition.

With them making 12 teams and the look of how an eventual Eastern Division is shaping up, I think we would do really good in the East, on paper though the West looks like the stronger one though but I could be wrong.

In reality if you look at the reports, there was a financial incentive here. CCU has the connections and have openly say they have plans in place to expand the stadium to the required 15,000 capacity and not at the expense of raising tuition fees or other means to get them. It's hard to turn down a team who is willing and has the financial means to make the transition.

Welcome to the board! What financial incentive? If they could not afford it they would never have been considered. And yes, you can turn down a school with the money. Ask Liberty.

Thanks for the welcome...

Maybe financial incentive is the wrong word...I guess what I meant is that from all of the reports I have seen, CCU won't go broke by moving up to FBS, and that they have planned for and budgeted for this move for some time now and have the resources at their disposal for the move to make sense unlike some other schools who have made the move never recovered from their transitional phase. Having the head of TD Ameritrade as a HC doesn't hurt...I'm sure his connections have helped the school out immensely.

As for Liberty, I see it like comparing apples to oranges. It's a private, evangelical college whose been a political and ideological lightning rod for for decades. So I can see why any conference is reluctant to bring them into the fold. CCU for the most part keeps its head down, has built a team and a school up from pretty much nothing over the last 15 years and probably has aspirations to be the #3 school in the Palmetto State behind USC and Clemson.

[CoastalFan2001]

I'm not thrilled about the move either, to be honest, but I do think some folks here are selling CCU short.

They've had football since 2003, and by 2006, they were in the FCS playoffs (where they might have done pretty well had they not drawn a certain mid-Threepeat team in the first round). They won the Big South 7 times and have been to the playoffs 5 times, reaching the quarters twice. That's not a bad set of accomplishments for a team that's not even a teenager yet.

Joe Moglia is a legitimately interesting coach. As the chairman and former CEO at TD Ameritrade, he has a strategic mind and intriguing connections.

Their stadium is built to expand and the university as a whole has come a LONG way. I graduated from high school in SC 15 years ago and Coastal wasn't on anyone's radar. Now it's a viable option. Its enrollment has doubled (5k to 10k) since 2000 and it's well-positioned to continue growing.

The SBC could do a lot worse.

This guy gets it. I'm not big on us leaving. But you're right, I graduated high school in 2001. Living in Charleston, I had no clue at college was in MB and didn't until 1999 when my cousin graduated from CCU. We've come a long way, and we are more than football. I was at CCU a year before football and the school has exploded with potential and growth. alumni are coming of age and, in the long run, this will be a good move.

Now, if only our mascot wasn't a dumb chicken.

And I thought that thing was a rooster! Seriously, welcome to the Sun Belt!

It has nuts on its chin not betwix its legs.

[APPdiesel]

It's interesting, I haven't heard or read a single dissenting opinion from CCU fans. Not like when we moved.

Excited to see what CCU puts together for stadium expansion. They move fast...I wouldn't be surprised to get see a preliminary design within weeks.

[T-Dog]

When App was looking to move up, the G5 teams weren't making the paydays they are now. Also, as much as we rag on the SoCon, it's still a step up from the Big South. Coastal made $90,000 from their piece of the Big South pie last academic year. Ninety thousand. They'll easily surpass a million just in CFB Playoff money from the Sun Belt.

App's move came after a peak not just in football, but many sports. Coastal is still going up.

[SayYesToTheRock]

In honor of Coastal Carolina moving on up-

No more "meows" for you, Coastal. You're with the "dogs" now!

[Saint3333]

One more important aspect of adding CCU is another vote on matters that will likely vote with App.