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Post by aggie2039 on Jan 11, 2021 13:30:41 GMT -5
I saw that too, he is not going to be happy just being the best HBCU!!! You don’t play at the top level of any sport and be content not being the best. Just humor me on this discussion. In football..... 1) Coastal Carolina finished 9th in the FBS (not FCS) final AP poll.....they're in the Sun Belt. 2) Louisiana finished 16th in the final FBS AP poll......they're also in the Sun Belt. Let's move to basketball..... The #1 team in the nation is Gonzaga.....they're in the West Coast Conference. The Sun Belt ain't the SEC in football; the West Coast Conference ain't the PAC-10 in basketball. These schools ain't moving to different conferences to up their brand. They're content in being in their respective conferences and are focused on national prominence......WHERE THEY CURRENTLY ARE. Do I think the Big South has collectively better athletics than the MEAC --- yes I do. Do I believe the Big South will give us more media viewership ---- yes I do. My question still comes down to this ----- will our Big South membership lead to us having a better athletic program, particularly as it concerns our REVENUE-GENERATING SPORTS? How about track and field.....is our nationally-prominent track team gonna get better than it already is by heading to the Big South? I'm just not convinced. I'll continue to support our athletic program, but it bothers me when a school has to conform to the way a new conference does things. A&T has been in the MEAC for 50 years.....to move to the Big South is a huge undertaking. I'm not saying we cannot handle it, but I just don't think it's necessary to improve our brand. If, after 5 years in the Big South, the football team is barely (if at all) in the top 25 of FCS or the basketball team is in the lower half of the league.......are we gonna say, "That's still a good thing because we have more TV exposure?" The conformation process is what bothers me greatly.....we have reached unforeseen heights while capitalizing on our HBCU brand that the MEAC helped cultivate. I'm extremely worried if the Big South is the environment that leads to greater cultivation and further growth of our athletic programs. ....and before anybody says something...I'll say it myself: I MAY END UP BEING WRONG; IF I AM, I HAVE NO PROBLEM SAYING I AM.
I just want A&T to be in an environment that cultivates our growth. I personally have reservations as to whether the Big South will provide that environment for us.... NSS, If the MEAC kept its auto-bid and moved spring championships back a week we would still be in the MEAC. This move is about not giving up and giving our athletes and coaches the best chance possible to compete and win national championships. The decisions the MEAC office and member institutions make is more about saving money than being nationally competitive and winning. You can take a look at the BOT presentation to see the examples.
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Post by aggie2039 on Jan 11, 2021 13:32:38 GMT -5
....but will we win more? I hear you from an operational and support standpoint......but will the football team win more because of this? Will the basketball team win more because of this? Will the track team be better because of this? Winning is what I'm concerned about.....I just don't know if we'll win more in the Big South. After a couple years in the BS we will probably be light years ahead of our MEAC counterparts. You dont get better by playing below avg competition every week... Who wants to be the tallest midget
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Post by neighborhoodsuperstar on Jan 11, 2021 13:46:35 GMT -5
Were we tall midgets (your term, not mine) when we were beating Jacksonville St, Charlotte, ECU, Elon and App St? You are missing my point - I'm not saying the MEAC is the end-all-be-all of conferernces.....it's far from it. However, it still doesn't change the fact that, despite its flaws, we grew within this environment that led us to where we are today.....
The MEAC soil is what cultivated Aggie crops. The Big South soil may have seemingly better nutrients, may be in a more fertile area, etc.....but will the "Aggie crops" grow better and taller?
I'm not convinced........but time will tell.
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Maxell
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Post by Maxell on Jan 11, 2021 13:51:15 GMT -5
Ultimately, YES we will win. I don't think we have to win MORE, we just need to win. I think every team we have will get better on the field.
Football - A 8-3 record in the BS is worth more than in the MEAC. So winning MORE is not necessary, but we will. Football will over achieve in the BS. Basketball - We many initially be a .500 team, but it will ramp up quickly because Hilton will realize the BS is a better brand of basketball and that bodes better for NCAA success. Track - because track is an individual sport, the conference affiliation will have little impact on performance. BUT, the marketing and media arm of the conference will prove more beneficial in highlighting the continued quest for a national championship which the MEAC did not push very hard. Baseball - Our baseball team will get much better because of the competition and make a push towards the College World Series. Coastal Carolina won it all from the Big South. And Yes, they will win more because they will be able to recruit better pitching.
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Post by aggie2039 on Jan 11, 2021 13:54:28 GMT -5
Were we tall midgets (your term, not mine) when we were beating Jacksonville St, Charlotte, ECU, Elon and App St? You are missing my point - I'm not saying the MEAC is the end-all-be-all of conferernces.....it's far from it. However, it still doesn't change the fact that, despite its flaws, we grew within this environment that led us to where we are today..... The MEAC soil is what cultivated Aggie crops. The Big South soil may have seemingly better nutrients, may be in a more fertile area, etc.....but will the "Aggie crops" grow better and taller? I'm not convinced........but time will tell. Yes we were the tallest midget. The point is we cant achieve anything more in the MEAC...we cant compete for a National Championship. If the MEAC got its auto-bid back and moved their spring sports championship we would still be in the MEAC.
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Post by neighborhoodsuperstar on Jan 11, 2021 13:54:57 GMT -5
Ask Gonzaga in basketball..... Ask Clemson in football......
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Post by aggie2039 on Jan 11, 2021 13:56:14 GMT -5
Ask Gonzaga in basketball..... Ask Clemson in football...... Again...those schools can compete for National Championships!
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Post by neighborhoodsuperstar on Jan 11, 2021 14:02:47 GMT -5
Were we tall midgets (your term, not mine) when we were beating Jacksonville St, Charlotte, ECU, Elon and App St? You are missing my point - I'm not saying the MEAC is the end-all-be-all of conferernces.....it's far from it. However, it still doesn't change the fact that, despite its flaws, we grew within this environment that led us to where we are today..... The MEAC soil is what cultivated Aggie crops. The Big South soil may have seemingly better nutrients, may be in a more fertile area, etc.....but will the "Aggie crops" grow better and taller? I'm not convinced........but time will tell. Yes we were the tallest midget. The point is we cant achieve anything more in the MEAC...we cant compete for a National Championship. If the MEAC got its auto-bid back and moved their spring sports championship we would still be in the MEAC. What exactly does winning an FCS national championship do for us? Do we get paid for it? We were scheduled to play North Dakota State last year. You're telling me that beating ND State (while still being in the lowly MEAC) wouldn't have increased our profile? The FCS playoffs can barely muster 5000 fans per each round....while teams have to PAY for home games. C'mon man, the FCS playoffs are not high profile...and they damn sure don't pay anything. Outside of college football, the MEAC DOES NOT prevent us from championship aspirations in other sports. The MEAC DOES NOT DEFINE the heights and aspirations A&T has. That's a mindset that some of us have, and it clearly isn't the case.
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Post by aggie2039 on Jan 11, 2021 14:24:19 GMT -5
Yes we were the tallest midget. The point is we cant achieve anything more in the MEAC...we cant compete for a National Championship. If the MEAC got its auto-bid back and moved their spring sports championship we would still be in the MEAC. What exactly does winning an FCS national championship do for us? Do we get paid for it? We were scheduled to play North Dakota State last year. You're telling me that beating ND State (while still being in the lowly MEAC) wouldn't have increased our profile? The FCS playoffs can barely muster 5000 fans per each round....while teams have to PAY for home games. C'mon man, the FCS playoffs are not high profile...and they damn sure don't pay anything. Outside of college football, the MEAC DOES NOT prevent us from championship aspirations in other sports. The MEAC DOES NOT DEFINE the heights and aspirations A&T has. That's a mindset that some of us have, and it clearly isn't the case. Winning a national championship will due great things for our university and HBCUs in general. Yes, our sponsorship dollars will increase and so will the publicity associated with winning the title. Winning a national championship is the pinnacle of all sports competition. If the goal is not to win a National Championship why are we playing sports? We should drop sports all together... The MEAC does not put us in the best position to win a National Championship in any spring sport. The spring sports championships are held a week earlier than any other legitimate Div 1 conference, having a 3 week break between competition is not ideal for our athletes. Post MEAC championship are times are slower at regionals due to that time off. Again, if the MEAC made those changes we would still be in the conf.
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Post by A&T AGGIE 96 on Jan 11, 2021 14:31:10 GMT -5
....but will we win more? I hear you from an operational and support standpoint......but will the football team win more because of this? Will the basketball team win more because of this? Will the track team be better because of this? Winning is what I'm concerned about.....I just don't know if we'll win more in the Big South. After a couple years in the BS we will probably be light years ahead of our MEAC counterparts. You dont get better by playing below avg competition every week... Who wants to be the tallest midget 2039, You say that as if the Big South is some huge step up in competition...light years ahead of the MEAC, that's a stretch to say the least. I think the Big South gives A&T a shot at greater viewership...and I think the Big South is a better run conference. That said...the history, heritage, and connections we had in the MEAC will be hard to be replace. Hell, our in state conference rivals in football are now Garner Web and Campbell...just let that sink in for a second. I think this move will be what we make it...do we take advantage of the opportunities the move presents, or we do expect our new conference affiliation to some how advance our cause. Being A&T meant a lot in the MEAC and in HBCU circles...in the BS, not so much. We have to make the name A&T carry just as much weight as it did in the MEAC all while taking advantage of what the Big South has to offer. Time will tell, five years or more at least. I used to try to compare this move to those that went before us, but this is really a different experiment compared to TSU and Hampton.
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Maxell
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Post by Maxell on Jan 11, 2021 14:33:26 GMT -5
Let's have this discussion in June after the Big South welcomes A&T as a full member. That first day will be more telling than we think. Right now we're just flapping our gums IMHO.
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Post by aggie2039 on Jan 11, 2021 14:34:47 GMT -5
Let's have this discussion in June after the Big South welcomes A&T as a full member. That first day will be more telling than we think. Right now we're just flapping our gums IMHO. How will the first day be telling? Please educate me...
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Maxell
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Post by Maxell on Jan 11, 2021 14:55:20 GMT -5
Let's have this discussion in June after the Big South welcomes A&T as a full member. That first day will be more telling than we think. Right now we're just flapping our gums IMHO. How will the first day be telling? Please educate me... On that day there will be presentations by the key stakeholders similar to last year with one difference. It would now be official. With that, I anticipate more specific expectations to be talked about, not just the conventional platitudes. It will be more forward looking and real. I would expect more sponsorships to be hinted at or announced, social media presence to improve, a push for more donations for specific reasons, etc. Certainly, it is conjecture on my part but I expect a flurry of announcements that day or that week that will give us as fans a peek into what athletics will look like in the near future. Just a GUT feeling.
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Post by neighborhoodsuperstar on Jan 11, 2021 14:58:10 GMT -5
I'm gonna have to push back as well on that statement, Maxell. Day one in the Big South really doesn't tell me much. Again, if we're thriving in year 5 of the Big South, then I'll be the first to say I was wrong. I have zero doubts that the operation the Big South runs is FAR superior to the MEAC......but again, does that translate into Aggie athletics being better or garnering any national championships? I (nor we) just don't know.....
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Post by saabman on Jan 11, 2021 15:28:49 GMT -5
What exactly does winning an FCS national championship do for us? Do we get paid for it? We were scheduled to play North Dakota State last year. You're telling me that beating ND State (while still being in the lowly MEAC) wouldn't have increased our profile? The FCS playoffs can barely muster 5000 fans per each round....while teams have to PAY for home games. C'mon man, the FCS playoffs are not high profile...and they damn sure don't pay anything. Outside of college football, the MEAC DOES NOT prevent us from championship aspirations in other sports. The MEAC DOES NOT DEFINE the heights and aspirations A&T has. That's a mindset that some of us have, and it clearly isn't the case. Winning a national championship will due great things for our university and HBCUs in general. Yes, our sponsorship dollars will increase and so will the publicity associated with winning the title. Winning a national championship is the pinnacle of all sports competition. If the goal is not to win a National Championship why are we playing sports? We should drop sports all together... The MEAC does not put us in the best position to win a National Championship in any spring sport. The spring sports championships are held a week earlier than any other legitimate Div 1 conference, having a 3 week break between competition is not ideal for our athletes. Post MEAC championship are times are slower at regionals due to that time off. Again, if the MEAC made those changes we would still be in the conf. "Post MEAC championship are times are slower at regionals due to that time off " WTF are you talking about . A&T's times have been exceptional in Regionals . The MEAC is not the only conference that have the two week break before Nationals because that gives your Athletes that won the conference but there time did not meet the USTFCCCA standards, it gives them at least two opportunities to make the qualifiers standards . Also as far as T&F is concerned the BS is by far a weaker conference then the MEAC . And if the MEAC is so weak tell me How many Drafted Football players or players period have they sent to the NFL and Pro Track and Field in the past 10 years. I for one do not hold the Big South in such high regard but as the saying goes time will tell .
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