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Post by mavsman53 on Feb 5, 2022 12:15:51 GMT -6
ACUNashville asked for a poll, so here you go. I added an option that ACU will move into the Group of 5, which is not considered FBS, but is a step up from where we are currently. The current group of 5 conferences are the American, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt.
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archsimon
arm chair Grad Assistant
Posts: 241
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Post by archsimon on Feb 5, 2022 13:50:46 GMT -6
Group of 5 'not' considered FBS? Are you certain? I thought the FBS was comprised of the Power Five, Group of Five, plus Army, BYU, Notre Dame, etc.
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Post by wildcatter on Feb 5, 2022 14:00:56 GMT -6
Group of 5 is FBS. I think some of this is also contingent on what direction does the WAC go as a conference. Frankly, college football plus the NIL agreement all seems like a mess. I wish we could just have a power 5 conference and an everyone else conference.
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Post by bucfan on Feb 5, 2022 15:33:17 GMT -6
FCS seems to almost be what D2 was. FBS, besides the power 5, may become what FCS has been recently. If we move up, it will be because FBS has been "watered" down.
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Post by mavsman53 on Feb 5, 2022 17:51:11 GMT -6
Yes, the Group of 5 is FBS. But, let me say this, I think in 5 years, the Power 5 teams will break off and do their own thing. Imo, you will have Power 5 in their own league, Group of 5, in their own league, FCS, in their own league, D2, D3, etc. I would expect many FCS teams to try and move into the Group of 5 if this happens
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Post by TNcatman on Feb 5, 2022 21:00:12 GMT -6
Thanks for the poll, Mavsman. FCS seems like limbo and I think SHSU going FBS has lit a fire under PS. If we are going to do this, we're going to do it sooner than later.
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Post by rc on Feb 5, 2022 21:12:29 GMT -6
Well, if Phil has FBS as a goal, it might happen -- he gets things done.
If Mavsman's P5 plus G5 divisions becomes reality, things start to fall into place for a move. On another topic, Tarleton blows my mind. I used to know them quite well but sort of lost touch and now all I hear is they are trying to become Big Boys. I don't fully understand them but being close to DFW is certainly a factor. However, what are they known for today other than being a fast-growing institution? I guess as athletics and academics continue to drift apart with such things as the portal and NIL, the university scene is changing, and I am out of touch with reality. The future basis and rules of the NCAA are anyone's guess. Maybe the WAC becomes G6???
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archsimon
arm chair Grad Assistant
Posts: 241
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Post by archsimon on Sept 17, 2022 8:24:55 GMT -6
An east coast friend of mine told me he heard a regional studio host last week mention ACU's name as a potential FBS target. The panel said host was part of were discussing recent CUSA and AAC moves, and he offered ACU as a school looking to move up.
This is new news to me and I find it hard to believe. Anyone else hearing similar?
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Post by buckeyecat on Sept 18, 2022 15:51:57 GMT -6
The thing that puzzles me in this discussion are the FBS attendance requirements. My understanding is that an FBS school has to show an average home attendance of 15,000 over a two year period. Has that been changed? I really have a problem with this. Even Sam’s average attendance isn’t this high. I just don’t see us approaching this requirement anytime soon. Our student body and alumni numbers simply are not large enough. I saw the enrollment figures and our Abilene enrollment is not that much greater than the ‘70’s when I was a student. Computer and commuter students typically don’t go to football games. See U of H. Are we rich enough to afford the scholarships? Probably. Can we build onto the stadium? Probably. Can we generate community interest to get there? We have discussed this in great detail elsewhere, but that is the only way we could ever exceed 15,000 attendance. There is another point. The schools that have successfully made the transition and are successful have “State” in their names. Schools like us usually have their notoriety and consistent success in basketball. I would love it if we are some day the exception to this rule, but we have huge hurdles to overcome getting there.
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Post by rc on Sept 18, 2022 17:26:22 GMT -6
Maybe an even bigger question is COST. An FBS program that wants success would likely have to spend multiple times what ACU spends on all athletics. How many universities in FBS are successful with less than, say, 15,000 to 20,000 students? Do we want to spend our resources on NIL? Whatever the answers turn out to be, it will need to be well into the future. ACU is a rising super star university in many ways and our ranking in many areas shows that. I want to see us rise to the upper level in football in a most responsible way, and not rushing something before its time. I understand the thought of someone like Tarleton thinking they will get more TV and bowl money, but I fear they will discover themselves on the losing end of the stick since the majority of FBS schools still do not breakeven, and life as a doormat is not too exciting.
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Post by rc on Sept 18, 2022 18:05:40 GMT -6
Sorry, a multiple post. Please remove this one.
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Post by Cap'n Cattitude on Sept 18, 2022 18:12:13 GMT -6
I think the answer to all this (as if anyone cared what I think) is to play football in an FCS football-only conference. WACASUN, perhaps. The WAC seems perfect for us in all other sports.
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Post by jCat on Sept 18, 2022 19:55:17 GMT -6
I am unsure how to answer this question about whether ACU should attempt to move up, but I can think of one smaller, long-time FBS school with which ACU could compare itself--Wake Forest. This school has an undergrad population of 5,500 (or so), and academically their webpage boasts that Wake "is the only college in the history of the U.S. News rankings to advance from classification as a Regional University to the Top 30 of the National Universities list."
Last season (2021) in their 31,000-seat stadium, they rejoiced that 4,400 students came to the game (about 85% of their total student body).
There are about 245,000 people that live in the Winston-Salem area (and Greensboro is just down 10 minutes down the road with more than 290,000).
If you want to be unrealistic, the plan would be 1) double Abilene's total population, 2) add another 1,000 students to the Abilene campus, and 3) become more academically prestigious. Then, if you combine that with winning games, you can get better than chapel attendance on Saturdays.
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Post by OscarWildeCat, Admin on Oct 5, 2022 8:42:34 GMT -6
I am unsure how to answer this question about whether ACU should attempt to move up, but I can think of one smaller, long-time FBS school with which ACU could compare itself--Wake Forest. This school has an undergrad population of 5,500 (or so), and academically their webpage boasts that Wake "is the only college in the history of the U.S. News rankings to advance from classification as a Regional University to the Top 30 of the National Universities list." Last season (2021) in their 31,000-seat stadium, they rejoiced that 4,400 students came to the game (about 85% of their total student body). There are about 245,000 people that live in the Winston-Salem area (and Greensboro is just down 10 minutes down the road with more than 290,000). If you want to be unrealistic, the plan would be 1) double Abilene's total population, 2) add another 1,000 students to the Abilene campus, and 3) become more academically prestigious. Then, if you combine that with winning games, you can get better than chapel attendance on Saturdays. 4. Double our current endowment. Private schools with less than a billion need not apply.
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Post by Cap'n Cattitude on Oct 6, 2022 12:52:25 GMT -6
jCat May have the secret. Give double chapel credits for game attendance. One credit for the 1st half and one for the second half.
As far as Wake Forest is concerned, UNC, NCST, and Duke are all in the same neighborhood and conference so they play each other in a natural rivalry situation. There are likely as many opposing fans at Wake games. Hardin Simmons, McMurry and Howard Payne aren’t the same, somehow.
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