Sun Belt ... Where to visit first?

[appgrad]

Mobile (South Alabama) has some good Q at a place called Dreamland BBQ. All three facets (pork, chicken and ribs) are fantastic. As for my first trip, I am thinking New Mexico or Texas State.

Dreamland is out of Tuscaloosa & has 2 locations in Atlanta as well. Pretty good...very original sauce with hints of both vinegar & molasses. I'd be more interested in Mobile for the Seafood!

[Saint3333]

To tell the truth... I'm not interested in any of them...

Bleh... :roll:

I'm glad to be making one more round to our SoCon brothers before moving on. Time to embrace the change and support Appalachian wherever we may go.

[vegattk]

To tell the truth... I'm not interested in any of them...

Bleh...

I'm glad to be making one more round to our SoCon brothers before moving on. Time to embrace the change and support Appalachian wherever we may go.

It would be easy to embrace... if it was easier on the pocketbook... and if I cared in the least about the teams in the new conference.

We've moved from one island of misfit toys... to another. Only this one has a higher cost of living

[JTApps1]

To tell the truth... I'm not interested in any of them...

Bleh...

I'm glad to be making one more round to our SoCon brothers before moving on. Time to embrace the change and support Appalachian wherever we may go.

It would be easy to embrace... if it was easier on the pocketbook... and if I cared in the least about the teams in the new conference.

We've moved from one island of misfit toys... to another. Only this one has a higher cost of living

Why do you care about the teams in the SoCon other than we currently play them. Did you care about Wofford, Elon, and Stamford before they joined? We had basically not history with 2 of them and hadn't played Elon since the 60's. They are all small private schools with little in common with App.

[appgrad]

To tell the truth... I'm not interested in any of them...

Bleh...

I'm glad to be making one more round to our SoCon brothers before moving on. Time to embrace the change and support Appalachian wherever we may go.

It would be easy to embrace... if it was easier on the pocketbook... and if I cared in the least about the teams in the new conference.

We've moved from one island of misfit toys... to another. Only this one has a higher cost of living

Why do you care about the teams in the SoCon other than we currently play them. Did you care about Wofford, Elon, and Stamford before they joined? We had basically not history with 2 of them and hadn't played Elon since the 60's. They are all small private schools with little in common with App.

That's what drives me crazy...nobody is/was excited about playing those teams until they became competitive & there was history. It will happen again with a group of schools we have little info on...other than GSU, maybe JMU- & a handful of games vs. Troy,

[TheMoody1]

To tell the truth... I'm not interested in any of them...

Bleh...

I am sure folks in the SEC feel the same way. If they weren't having a football game who would want to travel to those places either.

[Saint3333]

Sounds like you've more concerned with your personal access to games. From a fan perspective we'd all love to attend more games, but from the university's perspective this move has the potential to help achieve its goals long-term.

I'm miss hopping in the car with my Dad and driving to Wofford and Furman, but this is the right move for the university.

[vegattk]

To tell the truth... I'm not interested in any of them...

Bleh...

I am sure folks in the SEC feel the same way. If they weren't having a football game who would want to travel to those places either.

SEC does not equal Sun Belch.

[vegattk]

Sounds like you've more concerned with your personal access to games. From a fan perspective we'd all love to attend more games, but from the university's perspective this move has the potential to help achieve its goals long-term.

I'm miss hopping in the car with my Dad and driving to Wofford and Furman, but this is the right move for the university.

I certainly am concerned about my personal access to games.. After all, it's my money I'm spending to watch ASU Football.

[vegattk]

To tell the truth... I'm not interested in any of them...

Bleh...

I'm glad to be making one more round to our SoCon brothers before moving on. Time to embrace the change and support Appalachian wherever we may go.

It would be easy to embrace... if it was easier on the pocketbook... and if I cared in the least about the teams in the new conference.

We've moved from one island of misfit toys... to another. Only this one has a higher cost of living

Why do you care about the teams in the SoCon other than we currently play them. Did you care about Wofford, Elon, and Stamford before they joined? We had basically not history with 2 of them and hadn't played Elon since the 60's. They are all small private schools with little in common with App.

Difference in when we went to App I guess. I enjoyed my ASU Football in the late 90's.

I'm part of a generation that never even knew or saw the Marshall Games.. Or ECU. Never even knew they were any kind of rival until I heard about it here on the MMB

[Saint3333]

Sounds like you've more concerned with your personal access to games. From a fan perspective we'd all love to attend more games, but from the university's perspective this move has the potential to help achieve its goals long-term.

I'm miss hopping in the car with my Dad and driving to Wofford and Furman, but this is the right move for the university.

I certainly am concerned about my personal access to games.. After all, it's my money I'm spending to watch ASU Football.

Thank you for admitting it. Some fans will put their desires above that of the university. I'm not saying that is wrong or right, everyone is entitled to their priorities. Family, career, faith, etc. everyone is different.

At least we've gotten to the bottom of some peoples' issue with the move, and I understand that position.

Do remember we still get 6 homes games every year, GSU, GA St. and maybe JMU are all drivable. Also remember we went from ZERO TV games to 1-3 a year with the move. Fan access will be better from that perspective.

[Gonzo]

To tell the truth... I'm not interested in any of them...

Bleh...

I'm glad to be making one more round to our SoCon brothers before moving on. Time to embrace the change and support Appalachian wherever we may go.

It would be easy to embrace... if it was easier on the pocketbook... and if I cared in the least about the teams in the new conference.

We've moved from one island of misfit toys... to another. Only this one has a higher cost of living

Give it a rest already. The Sun Belt is an improvement on essentially every front. I realize it isn't the SEC, but to deny that the Sun Belt is a better conference for Appalachian than the SoCon is to deny your own intelligence.

[vegattk]

Sounds like you've more concerned with your personal access to games. From a fan perspective we'd all love to attend more games, but from the university's perspective this move has the potential to help achieve its goals long-term.

I'm miss hopping in the car with my Dad and driving to Wofford and Furman, but this is the right move for the university.

I certainly am concerned about my personal access to games.. After all, it's my money I'm spending to watch ASU Football.

Thank you for admitting it. Some fans will put their desires above that of the university. I'm not saying that is wrong or right, everyone is entitled to their priorities. Family, career, faith, etc. everyone is different.

At least we've gotten to the bottom of some peoples' issue with the move, and I understand that position.

Do remember we still get 6 homes games every year, GSU, GA St. and maybe JMU are all drivable. Also remember we went from ZERO TV games to 1-3 a year with the move. Fan access will be better from that perspective.

Also don't forget that we're losing the possibility of several home games that we could have had in a playoff system.

AND.. is it better to be able to see the games in person... or on TV?

[vegattk]

To tell the truth... I'm not interested in any of them...

Bleh...

I'm glad to be making one more round to our SoCon brothers before moving on. Time to embrace the change and support Appalachian wherever we may go.

It would be easy to embrace... if it was easier on the pocketbook... and if I cared in the least about the teams in the new conference.

We've moved from one island of misfit toys... to another. Only this one has a higher cost of living

Give it a rest already. The Sun Belt is an improvement on essentially every front. I realize it isn't the SEC, but to deny that the Sun Belt is a better conference for Appalachian than the SoCon is to deny your own intelligence.

Oh how wrong you are Gonzo..

Higher Transportation Costs
Worse Post-Season
Lesser Known Opponents
Laughing Stock of an FBS Conference (you do realize that the Sun Belch is basically the Big South of the FBS?)
Games spread throughout the continental US
Less Ability to go to Away Games
Less Home Games per Season

Seems to me the move was made to stroke the egos of those in charge AND placate wealthy donors.

[Gonzo]

Sounds like you've more concerned with your personal access to games.

Exactly!

Here is my main observation about the few App fans left that aren't embracing our recent institutional progress:

There are three characteristics. Every single anti-progress App fan I have observed exhibits one or more of the followings

1. Secondary allegiance to another FBS school.
2. General ignorance about Appalachian Athletics and the nature of conference realignment.
3. Selfish reasons, ie not wanting to pay more for a stadium parking pass, not wanting to travel farther, ect.

[vegattk]

Sounds like you've more concerned with your personal access to games.

Exactly!

Here is my main observation about the few App fans left that aren't embracing our recent institutional progress:

There are three characteristics. Every single anti-progress App fan I have observed exhibits one or more of the followings

1. Secondary allegiance to another FBS school.
2. General ignorance about Appalachian Athletics and the nature of conference realignment.
3. Selfish reasons, ie not wanting to pay more for a stadium parking pass, not wanting to travel farther, ect.

Enlighten me Gonzo...

How does this help our school? Show me the ways?

[Gonzo]

Higher Transportation Costs Outweighed by countless advantages
Worse Post-Season Subjective. App State playoff attendance demonstrates how much this fanbase cares about the FCS playoffs and the sharply declining media coverage of the playoffs demonstrates how much America cares about the FCS playoffs
Lesser Known Opponents Flat out fallacy. App and Georgia Southern were the only SoCon programs that could possibly compete with the SBC schools as brands.
Laughing Stock of an FBS Conference (you do realize that the Sun Belch is basically the Big South of the FBS?) Relative to the the Sunbelt, the SoCon is the Carolinas Conference. Lets keep this comparison consistent, can we?
Games spread throughout the continental US Outweighed by countless advantages
Less Ability to go to Away Games Outweighed by countless advantages
Less Home Games per Season Outweighed by countless advantages


Countless Advantages:
-FBS homegames, in/out of conference.
-Better OOC schedule.
-Makes scheduling easier.
-Escaping the dying FCS.
-Better exposure.
-More revenue.
-Facility upgrades.
-More media coverage.

The list goes on.

"He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery."
Harold Wilson

[vegattk]

Higher Transportation Costs Outweighed by countless advantages

Subjective.

Worse Post-Season Subjective. App State playoff attendance demonstrates how much this fanbase cares about the FCS playoffs and the sharply declining media coverage of the playoffs demonstrates how much America cares about the FCS playoffs

So does that count out the fans that actually prefer the playoffs? Seems to me there were a people sitting in the stands rather enjoying the playoff games.

Lesser Known Opponents Flat out fallacy. App and Georgia Southern were the only SoCon programs that could possibly compete with the SBC schools as brands.
I'm willing to be that, if you went up to a regular App student they wouldn't be able to tell you where Alabama State was located.

Laughing Stock of an FBS Conference (you do realize that the Sun Belch is basically the Big South of the FBS?) Relative to the the Sunbelt, the SoCon is the Carolinas Conference. Lets keep this comparison consistent, can we?
Please explain further. After all... I have no idea the last time the Sun Belch was even talked about on Sportscenter in detail.

Games spread throughout the continental US Outweighed by countless advantages
You keep mentioning countless advantages, but have no real proof to back it up.
Less Ability to go to Away Games Outweighed by countless advantages
You keep mentioning countless advantages, but have no real proof to back it up.
Less Home Games per Season Outweighed by countless advantages
You keep mentioning countless advantages, but have no real proof to back it up.


Countless Advantages:
-FBS homegames, in/out of conference.
Myself... Along with many other ASU fans love games... Seems to me it's YOU who care more about WHO we play rather than when and where we play.
-Better OOC schedule.
Where's the proof? Again, seems to me like you're more excited about the opponent than the home team? Does that make you a better fan? hmmmm....
-Makes scheduling easier. [
i]How?[/i]
-Escaping the dying FCS.
Seems to me that ASU games were pretty darn packed in the FCS. Didn't seem like a dying fanbase/system to me and my 25,000+ friends on a gameday.
-Better exposure.
This is a laughable argument. When was the last time that you say the Sun Belch really talked about on ESPN or any other news channel/newspaper?
-More revenue.
I hope you're not an accountant. Football budget goes up 3 million... but expected revenue is supposed to increase by a little over 1. Math doesn't add up.
-Facility upgrades.
Ummm.... Have you seen the locker room? The rock was built in the FCS from fans that came to watch FCS games... Although I suppose the coaches will get new desks since they can demand higher salaries.
-More media coverage.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... Really?? HAHAHAHAHAHA... Maybe in the Watauga Democat.

The list goes on.

[appst89]

The main thing we get from this move is positioning for the future. I am confident that we will build rivalries with Sun Belt schools as we get to know them, but the most important thing for us, at this time, was to get out of FCS. As you all know, I prefer the playoff system and I detest the minor bowls that do nothing but lose money for the participants, but the landscape of college football is changing rapidly and this move had to be made. FCS schools are losing their big money games against BC$ opponents, there are serious discussions about cutting FCS scholarships down to 45-50. FCS simply is no longer a viable vehicle for ASU football. The Power 5 conferences are less than 10 years away from taking their ball and going home. When that happens, we have to be positioned to remain in the second tier. That is when the regional conferences are going to come together. We could not sit in FCS and wait for that to happen. The Sun Belt is not ideal, for sure, but it had some big wins last years and was ranked ahead of both CUSA and the MAC, and it is definitely better than where we were going if we didn't move.

[vegattk]

The main thing we get from this move is positioning for the future. I am confident that we will build rivalries with Sun Belt schools as we get to know them, but the most important thing for us, at this time, was to get out of FCS. As you all know, I prefer the playoff system and I detest the minor bowls that do nothing but lose money for the participants, but the landscape of college football is changing rapidly and this move had to be made. FCS schools are losing their big money games against BC$ opponents, there are serious discussions about cutting FCS scholarships down to 45-50. FCS simply is no longer a viable vehicle for ASU football. The Power 5 conferences are less than 10 years away from taking their ball and going home. When that happens, we have to be positioned to remain in the second tier. That is when the regional conferences are going to come together. We could not sit in FCS and wait for that to happen. The Sun Belt is not ideal, for sure, but it had some big wins last years and was ranked ahead of both CUSA and the MAC, and it is definitely better than where we were going if we didn't move.

I guess that just worries folks like myself that are worried that this prediction doesn't come true and we get stuck in the Belch for the foreseeable future.

And one good year does not make the Belch consistently better than the MAC/CUSA.

In any case... This whole thread was about "Where to visit first?" I just wanted to point out that there are a few disenfranchised fans out there that could care less about the Belch, that see this move as a bad thing and it's hard to see the folks on here following an emperor with no clothes on into the FBS.

You all may get back to your regularly scheduled Belch fest at this time.