turtle28 Posted September 8, 2021 Author Share Posted September 8, 2021 7 hours ago, Thaiphoon said: Just adding this here. I don't know what I think about a potential move for JMU. They've established themselves as a powerhouse in FCS. And could conceivably continue on in FCS contending for championships. The problem for JMU and for FCS is the ridiculous transfer rules that were enacted where the players don't have to sit out a year. A prospect could go FCS to get playing time for their freshman and sophomore years and then pop smoke and jump to FBS in their final year or two. This leads to FCS teams constantly losing players early that they previously expected to stay. It's a big problem for FCS powers with the new rules and has caused me to reassess my opposition to moving to FBS. So with that in mind, I think they could jump tomorrow to SunBelt. And possibly C-USA if there were interest (which would make sense financially for JMU as travel costs are a big issue). But I'm wondering if maybe AAC or Big 12 might take a look. I doubt the latter (Big 12) but maybe they think of adding JMU given its stadium size, athletic budget (it's football budget is higher than most G5 schools) and it's revenue (again higher than most G5 schools). Dunno. So I ask you. If JMU does jump, where do you think they'd land (no SunBelt answers please, they already said "No" to them once, they'd stay FCS before the went SunBelt)?? https://www.journal-news.net/journal-news/jmu-could-see-better-options-in-further-conference-realignment/article_98950476-7656-5236-9858-8729210538ce.html?fbclid=IwAR0AF02kos6LhLWOGEF_wsxFiJgjrQ_OkkETHhbAwAHVOsErDMyisi86uKA It won’t happen, but I’d like to see them & WVU join the ACC. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT14 Posted September 8, 2021 Share Posted September 8, 2021 3 hours ago, turtle28 said: It won’t happen, but I’d like to see them & WVU join the ACC. WVU sure, but I don't see JMU in the ACC. The idea of C-USA was best, maybe AAC. Liberty would get into the ACC probably before JMU imo. There's still Notre Dame as an option, 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaiphoon Posted September 8, 2021 Share Posted September 8, 2021 5 hours ago, turtle28 said: It won’t happen, but I’d like to see them & WVU join the ACC. That would be great for both in terms of travel expenses, etc... and given that they are only a few hours away from each other it would be a nice fit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaiphoon Posted September 8, 2021 Share Posted September 8, 2021 1 hour ago, MikeT14 said: WVU sure, but I don't see JMU in the ACC. The idea of C-USA was best, maybe AAC. Liberty would get into the ACC probably before JMU imo. There's still Notre Dame as an option, Yeah, I think C-USA is the likely option. Maybe AAC if things shake out right as conferences realign. JMU (if it moves up) will have to prove itself before it gets invited/raided into some of the "better" conferences. Which is a tough road at first because the lure of playing for national championships helps with recruiting at the FCS level for places like JMU. It's just now with the transfer rules we are going to see FCS as a less desirable long-term option to a recruit than before. They have the pedigree. The stadium. The fans that travel. The athletic budget (including a large football budget) already. It may be time to do it and its something I already wrote to the AD about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaiphoon Posted September 8, 2021 Share Posted September 8, 2021 Gonna poke my Hoke brothers here. It's the anniversary of one of the top 2 FCS wins over a ranked FBS team (*). This Hokies were ranked #16 at the time. They started 0-1 after losing the first week to Boise St (IIRC) and then figured to have an FCS patsy in week 2. I had so many arrogant Hokie fans lighting me up all week. They lost 21-16 (**) It wasn't all bad for them. The Hokies finished undefeated in ACC play and ranked #16 and played in the Sugar Bowl IIRC. I don't need to say who that FCS team was, do I? (*) the two biggest FCS wins over ranked opponents are App State over #5 Michigan and JMU over #16 VaTech. I think they are neck and neck as Michigan was severely overrated that year and wound up ranked #18 at season end. At least VaTech ended up ranked higher. (**) they didn't schedule JMU again until recent years where they decided to put us on their schedule (I think we play them in 2022 or 2023) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woz Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 (edited) On 9/6/2021 at 11:11 AM, Thaiphoon said: #20 UW gets beat by Montana. Another FCS team taking out a ranked FBS team. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Montana is traditionally one of the FCS powers, right? Washington should not have been ranked, but props to the not-quite-an-underdog for taking care of business. EDIT: Of course, not all FCS teams triumphed, right, @e16bball? Edited September 9, 2021 by Woz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT14 Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 Yikes, Ravens 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woz Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 10 minutes ago, MikeT14 said: Yikes, Ravens ? The activating Bell for the opener, or something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT14 Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 22 minutes ago, Woz said: ? The activating Bell for the opener, or something else? Gus Edwards and Marcus Peters both likely tore their ACLs today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e16bball Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 A little something to look forward to for when we have to get down to the business of extending Young and Sweat... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaiphoon Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 2 hours ago, Woz said: Correct me if I'm wrong, but Montana is traditionally one of the FCS powers, right? Washington should not have been ranked, but props to the not-quite-an-underdog for taking care of business. EDIT: Of course, not all FCS teams triumphed, right, @e16bball? It has been. But the previous 4 or 5 years it was not a factor in FCS. Last year it made some noise and this year has definitely made some noise. Yeah, it will remain to be seen if UW stays ranked all year like Michigan did after App State and VaTech did after JMU Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woz Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 1 hour ago, MikeT14 said: Gus Edwards and Marcus Peters both likely tore their ACLs today Ah, hence why they activating Bell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woz Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 On 9/7/2021 at 8:04 PM, Thaiphoon said: Just adding this here. I don't know what I think about a potential move for JMU. They've established themselves as a powerhouse in FCS. And could conceivably continue on in FCS contending for championships. The problem for JMU and for FCS is the ridiculous transfer rules that were enacted where the players don't have to sit out a year. A prospect could go FCS to get playing time for their freshman and sophomore years and then pop smoke and jump to FBS in their final year or two. This leads to FCS teams constantly losing players early that they previously expected to stay. It's a big problem for FCS powers with the new rules and has caused me to reassess my opposition to moving to FBS. So with that in mind, I think they could jump tomorrow to SunBelt. And possibly C-USA if there were interest (which would make sense financially for JMU as travel costs are a big issue). But I'm wondering if maybe AAC or Big 12 might take a look. I doubt the latter (Big 12) but maybe they think of adding JMU given its stadium size, athletic budget (it's football budget is higher than most G5 schools) and it's revenue (again higher than most G5 schools). Dunno. So I ask you. If JMU does jump, where do you think they'd land (no SunBelt answers please, they already said "No" to them once, they'd stay FCS before the went SunBelt)?? https://www.journal-news.net/journal-news/jmu-could-see-better-options-in-further-conference-realignment/article_98950476-7656-5236-9858-8729210538ce.html?fbclid=IwAR0AF02kos6LhLWOGEF_wsxFiJgjrQ_OkkETHhbAwAHVOsErDMyisi86uKA So, it will partly depend on the shakedown with the AAC and the Big XII. Per this Kansas City Star article, it looks like the Big XII is going to try to follow the Big East's plan: raid teams from the "best" non-Power 5 conference in an attempt to stay relevant. Their targets are apparently going to be UCF, Cincinnati, and Houston, all from the American Athletic Conference, plus BYU, which was an independent. This means that the AAC will be at 8 teams, which is the bare minimum for a valid conference. That being said, you have to think that the AAC will do their own swiping of teams. That, in part, will dictate what options JMU has. Assuming the American wants to grow, they're going to go raid someone else. The Mountain West is going to be too far to make it work (and with the American getting raided, the MWC is arguably the strongest G5 conference so why would one of their teams "step downwards?"). The Mid-American is sort of a "noble gas" of a conference: stable and highly unlikely to interact with others one way or the other. There's a possibility of the American picking up either Army, Liberty, or both as they are independents, but each has a question mark. Would both Army and Navy give up having the Army-Navy game on its own weekend? Would the AAC want to add a very religious institution (only SMU is a non-secular institution)? That leaves the two conferences JMU would look to join: Conference USA and the Sunbelt Conference. Who gets "picked up" may influence where JMU can/will go. Travel costs are going to be a bit of a problem for either conference. Below is the travel distance per DuckDuckGo from Harrisonburg to the city in question Sun Belt teams EAST Appalachian State (Boone, NC) -- 270 mi Coastal Carolina (Myrtle Beach, SC) -- 406 mi Georgia Southern (Statesboro, GA) -- 537 mi Georgia State (Atlanta, GA) -- 533 mi Troy (Troy, AL) -- 750 mi WEST Arkansas State (Jonesboro, AR) -- 816 mi Louisiana (Lafayette, LA) -- 1066 mi Louisiana-Monroe (Monroe, LA) -- 965 mi South Alabama (Mobile, AL) -- 865 mi Texas State (San Marcos, TX) -- 1423 mi Conference USA teams EAST Charlotte (Charlotte, NC) -- 298 mi Florida Atlantic (Boca Raton, FL) -- 986 mi Florida International (Miami, FL) -- 1021 mi Marshall (Huntington, WV) -- 292 mi Middle Tennessee State (Murfreesboro, TN) -- 536 mi Old Dominion (Norfolk, VA) -- 224 mi Western Kentucky (Bowling Green, KY) -- 566 mi WEST Louisiana Tech (Ruston, LA) -- 997 mi North Texas (Denton, TX) -- 1233 mi Rice (Houston, TX) -- 1278 mi Southern Miss (Hattiesburg, MS) -- 845 mi UAB (Birminghan, AL) -- 613 mi UTEP (El Paso, TX) -- 1832 mi UTSA (San Antonio, TX) -- 1472 mi The upside for CUSA is that half of the Eastern conference teams are within 500 miles driving (and MTSU is 538 and WKU is 566). Only Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina are for the Sunbelt (but Georgia State and Georgia Southern are just over that threshold). The downside of CUSA is the Western teams are much further west than the Sunbelt's. Given the larger size of C-USA, though, you have to think you will only do one or two western teams per year as you would play everyone on your side of the division every year. But that also means you play the two Florida teams so maybe that cancels out. There's also the possibility that Coastal Carolina could be one of the teams picked up by the American, which would remove a "near" option for JMU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woz Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 On 9/8/2021 at 4:02 AM, turtle28 said: It won’t happen, but I’d like to see them & WVU join the ACC. No chance. The ACC has absolutely zero interest in WVU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woz Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 On 9/8/2021 at 7:58 AM, MikeT14 said: WVU sure, but I don't see JMU in the ACC. The idea of C-USA was best, maybe AAC. Liberty would get into the ACC probably before JMU imo. There's still Notre Dame as an option, Also, no chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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