Just a matter of time

[GoAppsGo92]

The CAA is a realistic option IF the door is slammed shut on FBS, meaning another moratorium. Given all the hectic shifting that has been happening, I believe that is a serious possibility. The NCAA wants stability.

Like most of you, I expect that Appalachian will get an FBS invite within the reasonably near future. However, if that does not happen and the NCAA locks the door again, I'd almost be surprised if we didn't go to the CAA. I listed the CAA above MAC/C-USA in terms of likelihood is because the Sun Belt is the only realistic FBS option that I see out there. IMO, getting left out of the FBS all together seems more likely than a C-USA invite at this point.

Even though it would keep us as an FCS football program, I would not see it as lateral. I hate to say it but the Big South would be more of a lateral move than the CAA.

While a moratorium may occur, it is doubtful it will be before most of the chairs have been filled. There is a need for possibly as many as 2-4 more FCS teams to take possible openings in GOF conferences as this next round of shifting occurs. By then, all the serious FBS contenders will be swept up and they can put a lid on additional move-ups. IF we somehow get left off the bus (less than 10% chance IMO) I agree, we have to go CAA. I'd put CAA membership at the same probability as the BE for AppState... possible, but highly unlikely.

[GlassOnion]

The CAA hasn't used divisional play in the past.

Yes they have.

Heres a quick google result:

http://www.caasports.com/fls/8500/suppo ... _82-96.pdf

North and south with an interdivision game.

Not according to their website. The standings on their official website do not break them down by division.
http://www.caasports.com/standings/Stan ... ?SPID=4660

They are not currently. They were and will be again. They had 12 football members. Two 6 team divisions, with an interdivision games on rotation. They currently are at 11, with albany and sb. Umass screwed the divisions up, and now Ga St and ODU. When they get to 12 + again, they'll have divisions again.

[ASUMountaineer]

So you're on record for 2/28 or before, noted.

No, this is what you said:

Don't be surprised if an announcement comes by the end of the month.

Nowhere in that post does it indicate that you wouldn't be surprised.

You then followed that post up with this:

You guys can mock, poke and make fun all you want. I've got a source who has been right on these things a lot more than wrong.

Were you blowing smoke, or are you backpedaling?

Neither. Are you fishing or catching?

Neither. Say you mean, and mean what you say.

I said what I meant and meant what I said.

Gotcha, ASU will get an FBS invite by the end of February. Duly noted.

[GoApps70]

I don't see how the Southern Conference is any where close to a viable option at this point.

If FBS isnt in the cards, it HAS to be CAA. TV deal, Academics, name recognition, better Bball, its a much better fit.

Multiply that by 1000x if GSU leaves the Socon and we're stuck.

That CAA TV deal does NOT pay them any money.
Would mess up being able to play in our recruiting areas tremendously.
CAA is NOT an option to me what so ever.

[kiddbrewer]

I don't see how the Southern Conference is any where close to a viable option at this point.

If FBS isnt in the cards, it HAS to be CAA. TV deal, Academics, name recognition, better Bball, its a much better fit.

Multiply that by 1000x if GSU leaves the Socon and we're stuck.

That CAA TV deal does NOT pay them any money.
Would mess up being able to play in our recruiting areas tremendously.
CAA is NOT an option to me what so ever.

I agree. The cost to get out of the SoCon, although minimal, and the extra travel up north, to me, is not worth it.

[Kgfish]

Gotcha, ASU will get an FBS invite by the end of February. Duly noted.

Nice try but that is not what I said.

[ASUMountaineer]

Gotcha, ASU will get an FBS invite by the end of February. Duly noted.

Nice try but that is not what I said.

Sure.

[appgrouch]

Looking at both the Big East and CUSA... we fit pretty nice into both footprints... just sayin.

We fit pretty nicely into the NFC South footprint....

We would be a descent middle of the NFC East.

[Kgfish]

My original statement was "Don't be surprised if an announcement comes by the end of the month." How some of you take it as a prediction I'll never know. It was based on what I had been told at the time. This a fluid situation and things are constantly changing. I received a call this afternoon and was told not to expect an "official" announcement until after June 30th. The date was moved in order to allow schools to remain eligible for the playoffs. Things are definitely happening behind the scenes and this is proceeding down the path.

[asumike83]

That CAA TV deal does NOT pay them any money.
Would mess up being able to play in our recruiting areas tremendously.
CAA is NOT an option to me what so ever.

Just to be clear before I say this, I am NOT advocating that we give up on FBS to go CAA. However, I think that if the door is shut, the CAA is our best option. The TV deal does not pay them money but it provides exposure. We would have basketball and football games televised outside of just our region, which is something that will never happen as long as we're in the SoCon.

If GSU were to leave the SoCon, the CAA would be stronger in football and is already stronger in basketball. George Mason and Drexel are having extremely poor seasons by their standards and an ODU program that you can typically pencil in for 20+ wins is 3-23. Even so, they are still 2 spots above the SoCon in the RPI. GMU and Drexel will bounce back and Charleston's move will hurt the SoCon, help the CAA and the gap will widen once again over the next couple years.

Baseball is the one sport where the SoCon has a decided advantage but if GSU leaves along with Charleston, that hurts the SoCon and once again helps the CAA. It would probably still be behind the SoCon but UNCW, Charleston and us would be a nice top three and the move would not hinder our progress on the diamond.

It is not optimal and I hope it does not come to it but if our long-term options are the SoCon or the CAA, I'll take the CAA. More exposure, better basketball, better football and a rivalry with JMU that would be better than anything the SoCon could offer without GSU.

Just my $.02. Let's hope we don't have to go down that road.

[ASUMountaineer]

My original statement was "Don't be surprised if an announcement comes by the end of the month." How some of you take it as a prediction I'll never know. It was based on what I had been told at the time. This a fluid situation and things are constantly changing. I received a call this afternoon and was told not to expect an "official" announcement until after June 30th. The date was moved in order to allow schools to remain eligible for the playoffs. Things are definitely happening behind the scenes and this is proceeding down the path.

A combination of these two statements makes it quite clear.

Don't be surprised if an announcement comes by the end of the month.

You guys can mock, poke and make fun all you want. I've got a source who has been right on these things a lot more than wrong.

You indicate that you have a source telling you this, then you say it was simply a personal opinion. I don't see how that can't be a prediction, even if it is simply information you had been told. You could have simply said, "I have heard that the invite could come by the end of the month," but you chose not to.

BTW, I know it's really not that important, but it's something to banter about to kill the time during the work day.

[firemoose]

Take it for what it's worth but the same source that told me that there was movement in the Maryland legal case, which I talked about in another thread, and which he was correct about, also said pretty much the same thing that Kgfish posted. Also said chances were greater than 3 in 4 that an invite would come but nothing offical would be filed until after the deadline that allows us to compete in the playoffs this year.

As a sidebar I was also told that several recruits were told that they would have a shot at a NC before we moved. I can personally back this up because myself and 78' read twitter posts from some of our recruits that said the same thing. Several said things like, "one shot at NC" "A shot at a NC before moving" "FBS by sophomore year" "transition to FBS by second year". I saw all these myself when I was digging for recruiting info these past few months. I am also keeping in mind that Malachi Jones' coach said the same thing last year in a newspaper interview about us moving to CUSA.

Now, all that being said I am NOT holding my breath and will not believe anything until INK IS PUT TO PAPER. This situation is changing by the day and as I said in two or three other threads, what is happening today will not be the same tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year. One announcement could change everything again just like happened last year (playoff announcement) and this year (Maryland and Rutgers). One more pop like that and all bets are off, no matter what is happening right now. I'm as tired of the rollercoaster ride as any of us are and will be relieved when we finally know something and can then concentrate on the upcoming season. That day can't come soon enough, if you ask me.

[JCline0429]

My original statement was "Don't be surprised if an announcement comes by the end of the month." How some of you take it as a prediction I'll never know. It was based on what I had been told at the time. This a fluid situation and things are constantly changing. I received a call this afternoon and was told not to expect an "official" announcement until after June 30th. The date was moved in order to allow schools to remain eligible for the playoffs. Things are definitely happening behind the scenes and this is proceeding down the path.

A combination of these two statements makes it quite clear.

Don't be surprised if an announcement comes by the end of the month.

You guys can mock, poke and make fun all you want. I've got a source who has been right on these things a lot more than wrong.

You indicate that you have a source telling you this, then you say it was simply a personal opinion. I don't see how that can't be a prediction, even if it is simply information you had been told. You could have simply said, "I have heard that the invite could come by the end of the month," but you chose not to.

BTW, I know it's really not that important, but it's something to banter about to kill the time during the work day.

Working is a good way to kill the time.

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

My original statement was "Don't be surprised if an announcement comes by the end of the month." How some of you take it as a prediction I'll never know. It was based on what I had been told at the time. This a fluid situation and things are constantly changing. I received a call this afternoon and was told not to expect an "official" announcement until after June 30th. The date was moved in order to allow schools to remain eligible for the playoffs. Things are definitely happening behind the scenes and this is proceeding down the path.

A combination of these two statements makes it quite clear.

Don't be surprised if an announcement comes by the end of the month.

You guys can mock, poke and make fun all you want. I've got a source who has been right on these things a lot more than wrong.

You indicate that you have a source telling you this, then you say it was simply a personal opinion. I don't see how that can't be a prediction, even if it is simply information you had been told. You could have simply said, "I have heard that the invite could come by the end of the month," but you chose not to.

BTW, I know it's really not that important, but it's something to banter about to kill the time during the work day.

Working is a good way to kill the time.

This is the JCline post of the year. I laughed so hard reading this.

[BeauFoster]

Working is a good way to kill the time.

This is the JCline post of the year. I laughed so hard reading this.

Zing, +1, dayum and rep points to you!

[AppGrad78]

With all due respect to asumike83, I think a move to the CAA would be a terrible idea.

Irrespective of the FBS/FCS discussion, we need to be in a conference that fits us and that we fit. We are a southern university that draws a vast majority of its students from North Carolina. We occasionally pull students and athletes from South Carolina and Georgia and every once in a while Virginia, but mostly we're Ol' North State born and bred. We speak with a southern drawl and make no apologies for it. That's not going to change.

The CAA is a wonderful athletic conference but it is not something people in these parts care about. We need to be in a conference with rivals we can talk smack to, get pissed off with. We need to be in the same conference with that jackass UNC-Charlotte alum who sits two cubicles down, or that obnoxious East Carolina neighbor, or even that old buddy who took a wrong turn in life and ended up at Western Carolina. If there were more UNC-Wilmingtons and College of Charlestons, well, then maybe. But unfortunately those Georgia boys we're so fond of recruiting for football aren't going to care one bit that we have a big game against William & Mary or Towson or Maine. That's not going to move the needle for them. Their parents aren't going to see it on television and we're not going to travel in any great numbers to those games. Georgia State? Hell yeah. Elon? We're there. Georgia Southern? You bet. Villanova? Not so much.

The recipe to success is good rivalries that are in close proximity. Just ask the boys on Tobacco road. Being an outlier in the wrong conference -- even one with a quality reputation like the CAA -- won't work.

[appsfan]

My original statement was "Don't be surprised if an announcement comes by the end of the month." How some of you take it as a prediction I'll never know. It was based on what I had been told at the time. This a fluid situation and things are constantly changing. I received a call this afternoon and was told not to expect an "official" announcement until after June 30th. The date was moved in order to allow schools to remain eligible for the playoffs. Things are definitely happening behind the scenes and this is proceeding down the path.

A combination of these two statements makes it quite clear.

Don't be surprised if an announcement comes by the end of the month.

You guys can mock, poke and make fun all you want. I've got a source who has been right on these things a lot more than wrong.

You indicate that you have a source telling you this, then you say it was simply a personal opinion. I don't see how that can't be a prediction, even if it is simply information you had been told. You could have simply said, "I have heard that the invite could come by the end of the month," but you chose not to.

BTW, I know it's really not that important, but it's something to banter about to kill the time during the work day.

Working is a good way to kill the time.

Busted, ha!

[ASUMountaineer]

My original statement was "Don't be surprised if an announcement comes by the end of the month." How some of you take it as a prediction I'll never know. It was based on what I had been told at the time. This a fluid situation and things are constantly changing. I received a call this afternoon and was told not to expect an "official" announcement until after June 30th. The date was moved in order to allow schools to remain eligible for the playoffs. Things are definitely happening behind the scenes and this is proceeding down the path.

A combination of these two statements makes it quite clear.

Don't be surprised if an announcement comes by the end of the month.

You guys can mock, poke and make fun all you want. I've got a source who has been right on these things a lot more than wrong.

You indicate that you have a source telling you this, then you say it was simply a personal opinion. I don't see how that can't be a prediction, even if it is simply information you had been told. You could have simply said, "I have heard that the invite could come by the end of the month," but you chose not to.

BTW, I know it's really not that important, but it's something to banter about to kill the time during the work day.

Working is a good way to kill the time.

Cline does have a sense of humor. Who knew?

That was, perhaps, your best post ever. Congrats!

[proasu89]

One more vote for Post of the Year for JC!

[asumike83]

With all due respect to asumike83, I think a move to the CAA would be a terrible idea.

Irrespective of the FBS/FCS discussion, we need to be in a conference that fits us and that we fit. We are a southern university that draws a vast majority of its students from North Carolina. We occasionally pull students and athletes from South Carolina and Georgia and every once in a while Virginia, but mostly we're Ol' North State born and bred. We speak with a southern drawl and make no apologies for it. That's not going to change.

The CAA is a wonderful athletic conference but it is not something people in these parts care about. We need to be in a conference with rivals we can talk smack to, get pissed off with. We need to be in the same conference with that jackass UNC-Charlotte alum who sits two cubicles down, or that obnoxious East Carolina neighbor, or even that old buddy who took a wrong turn in life and ended up at Western Carolina. If there were more UNC-Wilmingtons and College of Charlestons, well, then maybe. But unfortunately those Georgia boys we're so fond of recruiting for football aren't going to care one bit that we have a big game against William & Mary or Towson or Maine. That's not going to move the needle for them. Their parents aren't going to see it on television and we're not going to travel in any great numbers to those games. Georgia State? Hell yeah. Elon? We're there. Georgia Southern? You bet. Villanova? Not so much.

Good rivalries in close proximity are the recipe to success. Just ask the boys on Tobacco road. Being an outlier in the wrong conference -- even one with a quality reputation like the CAA -- won't work.

I agree with a ton of what you're saying. There would be some serious drawbacks to the CAA, which is why I hope we are not faced with deciding which FCS conference we should be in long-term. Honestly, I'm just not sure there is an FCS conference in which we are a very good fit right now.

As far as recruiting, I could be off base but I take a different view. I think we have such an established pipeline into SC/GA and an impressive pedigree of producing NFL players that we will continue to get players from that area and a CAA move could potentially expand our recruiting grounds, opening us up to all the great talent in VA, DC and MD. Regardless of who is on the schedule, I think these kids are attracted to our university, fans, facilities and the potential to play pro football. We would need to make sure our OOC schedule is concentrated in the Southeast, though.

The biggest drawback, which you mentioned, is the fact that we (the fans) would not be able to make nearly as many road games. I'd hit the road every time we played JMU, W&M and Richmond but I can't honestly say that I'd foot the bill for trips to Maine, New Hampshire, Delaware or Philly every season.

In even mentioning the idea of going CAA, I am acting under the assumption that GSU is out of the SoCon and JMU stays in the CAA. If both of those are not true, it is off the table in my mind. If so, I think the better hoops, better exposure and chance for a 'next level' type of rivalry with JMU outweigh the negatives, particularly if the next wave of SoCon members is some combination of Mercer, Kennesaw State, Presbyterian or Gardner-Webb.

There is no way around it: being left out of the FBS and having to choose between FCS conferences would be very bad for Appalachian at this point, regardless of which conference. We've gone way too far to turn around.