Huge scheduling news coming

[AppState89]

Didn't realize until last night watching the Ball State game that their coach and much of his staff came from Elon... Wonder if Ball State might be the MAC team???

[luvyosef]

Didn't realize until last night watching the Ball State game that their coach and much of his staff came from Elon... Wonder if Ball State might be the MAC team???

If so, we'd better load up on knee pads.

[Goapps15]

When FBS schools in the Sun Belt, MAC, and C-USA play a FCS school it usually is not someone who they could possibly lose to. They usually play borderline D-2/lower-tier FCS teams that they will for sure beat and get them closer to bowl eligibility.

They need those wins over FCS schools to get them to bowl games and to just have another home game. It sure as heck beats playing 4 at home and 8 games on the road. We have to do what we have to do to get 5-6 home games a year.

In the future I bet you we will have better FCS competition than Cambell coming to Boone. Cobb has said he wants to continue to be associated with some of the teams in the SoCon. Cambell 2014 is an anomaly that happened because we cancelled with a top notch FCS program. I doubt anybody is excited about it or thinks it is a good thing just to get a win.

Agreed completely with you. They will get better but do not expect them to be FCS level teams that are above middle of the pack. Lower-tier SOCON, CAA, Big South, etc is more likely. I would not be shocked to be playing Mercer (Bobby Lamb) or East Tennessee State in 2015 or 2016.

Campbell is an anomaly like you said because of the timing. There weren't many teams with openings and it was a simple add based on the fact we play Michigan the week before Campbell. Playing the extra home game against FCS schools makes us more money in the long-term and allows our fans 5-6 weekends a fall in Boone.

[GoAppsGo92]

Could someone remind us (me) which SB teams we have home/away next season ---

Home: GASt, ULM, USA & Idaho
Away: Troy, GSU, ULL, ASU

Don't play NMSU or TX St. The conference did App no favors with the scheduling in the inaugural Sun Belt schedule. GSU got a much more favorable schedule as they get to avoid both ASU and ULL.

If this teams finishes .500 or better next season in conference, I'd be ecstatic! IMO, no easy road games with really only GSU being winnable at this point which means this team needs to go 3-1 at home with ULM being the only loss.

I don't know about that. Looks to me that 3 SBC home games are winnable, and one road game (GSU).

[asutrnr81]

So you don't think there's any potential recruiting benefit to bringing our product into Charlotte-area recruits' backyard? You don't think there's any benefit in terms of media exposure and fan interest in playing a game in North Carolina's largest media market, and the county that is home to more ASU alumni than any other?

I'm new on the board, so forgive me if this is an old debate. But I see that you have been pretty vehement about not wanting to play UNCC. Mind if I ask why? I assume it must go beyond just not wanting to "schedule down."

Welcome to the board....There is some lingering, somewhat misguided, lamenting of UNC-KonKord. They got to CUSA before APP, announced prior to APP, and they have said they would not schedule APP. Frankly I do not care if we play them or not....but your argument is exactly why we need to play them and why we practiced in Charlotte last spring. ANYTHING we can do to get more of and KEEP the Charlotte market is good for ASU. Heck I'd take a 10Mil. check from some well to do donor who didn't even go to APP and put their name somewhere important!

[fjblair]

Huge? Really?

[midlandchip]

I have been hoping for a one and one with Central Michigan for some time. Maybe one of these years.

[TheMoody1]

Huge? Really?

The first ever FBS home game in App history. Nah, no big deal.

[moonshine]

I don't know about that. Looks to me that 3 SBC home games are winnable, and one road game (GSU).

Don't know about...??? Sounds like you parakeeted what I said back to me.

Interested to know which programs you guys would be in favor of giving a 2 for 1 deal? Is there any program(s) that our fan base would be willing to do a 2 for 1 where App's home game is played in Charlotte?

[GoAppsGo92]

I don't know about that. Looks to me that 3 SBC home games are winnable, and one road game (GSU).

Don't know about...??? Sounds like you parakeeted what I said back to me.

Interested to know which programs you guys would be in favor of giving a 2 for 1 deal? Is there any program(s) that our fan base would be willing to do a 2 for 1 where App's home game is played in Charlotte?

You said the Sun Belt didn't do us any favors, and I think the schedule is fine, with what's looking like a home slate that we should win a majority of, and the more challenging home games coming in year 2. As for your second question, I wouldn't do a 2-1 with the "home game" in Charlotte with anyone not currently ranked in the top 10.

[ASUMountaineer]

I don't know about that. Looks to me that 3 SBC home games are winnable, and one road game (GSU).

Don't know about...??? Sounds like you parakeeted what I said back to me.

Interested to know which programs you guys would be in favor of giving a 2 for 1 deal? Is there any program(s) that our fan base would be willing to do a 2 for 1 where App's home game is played in Charlotte?

Only local P5 schools--USC, Clemson, UNC, VT. Not for a G5 school.

[Saint3333]

Only if they paid us ,racket price for their home games and we split the revenue for the game in CLT.

[Saint3333]

Only P5 schools and only if they paid us market price for their home games and we split the revenue for the game in CLT.

[WVAPPeer]

This is not meant to belittle any school or any fan --- I would say the huge majority of our fans who attend games would not know the difference or really care if we had home games with Central Michigan or LA-Lafayette, Ohio or New Hampshire or Delaware, Buffalo or Akron or Towson. Texas St or Sam Houston ---
We all know the teams who will excite our home crowd ---

[appbio91]

This is not meant to belittle any school or any fan --- I would say the huge majority of our fans who attend games would not know the difference or really care if we had home games with Central Michigan or LA-Lafayette, Ohio or New Hampshire or Delaware, Buffalo or Akron or Towson. Texas St or Sam Houston ---
We all know the teams who will excite our home crowd ---

I agree, it is going to take some time for fans to adjust. If we could get a big name to come to Boone next year we will pack it out otherwise I am afraid we are going to deal with some crowds like last week until fans figure out the Sun Belt teams. Frankly the game I am looking most forward to as I have slowly accepted where we are is ULL coming to Boone. Those guys are the real deal. I just hope we don't lose them to another expansion. Does anyone know if any of the Sun Belt teams travel well? It would be cool to have a game where the visiting teams brought a big crowd with them.

[HeffnerIV]

This is not meant to belittle any school or any fan --- I would say the huge majority of our fans who attend games would not know the difference or really care if we had home games with Central Michigan or LA-Lafayette, Ohio or New Hampshire or Delaware, Buffalo or Akron or Towson. Texas St or Sam Houston ---
We all know the teams who will excite our home crowd ---

I agree, it is going to take some time for fans to adjust. If we could get a big name to come to Boone next year we will pack it out otherwise I am afraid we are going to deal with some crowds like last week until fans figure out the Sun Belt teams. Frankly the game I am looking most forward to as I have slowly accepted where we are is ULL coming to Boone. Those guys are the real deal. I just hope we don't lose them to another expansion. Does anyone know if any of the Sun Belt teams travel well? It would be cool to have a game where the visiting teams brought a big crowd with them.

I can see your point, but I think those people that showed last week will know who we're playing and would be there no matter who it was anyway. Those that weren't there last week, generally speaking, will come no matter who we're playing as long as we're winning.

[moonshine]

Only local P5 schools--USC, Clemson, UNC, VT. Not for a G5 school.

I can definitely agree with this sentiment. How about ECU? The reason I ask about the Pirates is because I doubt they'll come until KBS gets expanded.

Who will be the "Black Saturday" promotion opponent opposite Southern? I would've thought Troy prior to the schedule being released.

[ASUDieHard]

The two teams that I would most like to see us schedule would be Marshall and Charlotte. The Sun Belt doesn't provide any name opponents or geographical rivals (outside of GSU), so I think both of those would generate a lot of fan interest.

There's nothing compelling about UNCC as far as their "name" goes. Geography and QC exposure are the selling points when it comes to incentives to play them.

Right, didn't mean to imply that they are a name program. Just that there are reasons why a series with them would be advantageous for App and appealing to many App fans.

There is only one reason that a series with uncc is advantageous to ASU and that would be the cost benefit of such a close game. Relatively speaking, we would have nothing to gain and everything to lose in a series with uncc. As I've mentioned before, surely we didn't wait all this time for FBS only to schedule uncc (at least I know I didn't), especially when there are so many other attractive teams that we should be trying to work with. It would be like taking one step forward and two steps back.

So you don't think there's any potential recruiting benefit to bringing our product into Charlotte-area recruits' backyard? You don't think there's any benefit in terms of media exposure and fan interest in playing a game in North Carolina's largest media market, and the county that is home to more ASU alumni than any other?

I'm new on the board, so forgive me if this is an old debate. But I see that you have been pretty vehement about not wanting to play UNCC. Mind if I ask why? I assume it must go beyond just not wanting to "schedule down."

No problem but I’ll have to make it a condensed version. Like many others, I’ve waited a long time for ASU to be FBS. During those years, I’ve envisioned lots of things once we got there. Reestablishing our rivalry with ECU; renewing our annual game with Wake; starting series with other regional schools with a football tradition. I hold ASU in high regard and I believe we should shoot for the best. No, I don’t believe ECU and Wake are the best teams out there or that we can start a rivalry with Alabama, so please don’t start with the hyperbole. However, I do believe we can schedule games with lower level BCS teams and start series with top tier Go5 teams. I believe in aiming high. No, I don’t have any interest in playing Uncc. None at all. And after the way they turned their noses up at us the way they did, any soft spot that may have existed in my heart for an interstate rivalry with them quickly vanished.

Is it beneficial to have more visibility in Charlotte? Absolutely. However, I believe we can do that better by playing bigger name teams in Charlotte in BofA Stadium. That may be a long shot, I don't know, but they do seem to have an appetite for hosting college games. I’ve long been an advocate of trying to get ECU to play us in BofA Stadium. I know others will disagree but I, for one, would give up a home game in Boone to play a game in Charlotte every year (at least the first few years of FBS) against teams that initially won't come to Boone. That would do much more for recruiting in the area than marching in to Richardson Stadium would.

[ASUMountaineer]

Only local P5 schools--USC, Clemson, UNC, VT. Not for a G5 school.

I can definitely agree with this sentiment. How about ECU? The reason I ask about the Pirates is because I doubt they'll come until KBS gets expanded.

Who will be the "Black Saturday" promotion opponent opposite Southern? I would've thought Troy prior to the schedule being released.

I don't know. I really want to start up a series with ECU, but I taking a 2-for-1 with them tells them that we're below them. We'll, for the most part, be on equal footing. I don't like the idea even for ECU.

As for "Black Saturday," I'm not sure. I was actually thinking about that the other day. I also thought it would be Troy...maybe the other GSU or the other ASU?

[EastHallApp]

This is not meant to belittle any school or any fan --- I would say the huge majority of our fans who attend games would not know the difference or really care if we had home games with Central Michigan or LA-Lafayette, Ohio or New Hampshire or Delaware, Buffalo or Akron or Towson. Texas St or Sam Houston ---
We all know the teams who will excite our home crowd ---

Agreed, and I count myself among that group.

I understand that some of those teams are much better than others. But to your point, none of them are nationally relevant (or even regionally relevant, really), none are geographically close to ASU, and none have any sort of historical rivalry with us. Those are the things that build fan interest. Otherwise, who really cares if we"re playing the 50th-best team in the country, the 100th-best, or the 150th?