neon
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Post by neon on Feb 18, 2020 16:50:19 GMT -5
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Maxell
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Post by Maxell on Feb 18, 2020 18:28:58 GMT -5
In what way? That’s a 2016 thread.
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Post by marchingband1969 on Feb 18, 2020 19:42:13 GMT -5
Just sounds like us trying to figure out how to keep their conference going. The only difference is they didn't talk a lot of trash about some of the potential programs. Hey we may not like it but if you're at the FCS level you're always going to be jockeying to find a way to survive and thrive.
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neon
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Post by neon on Feb 19, 2020 12:38:05 GMT -5
Thats kinda my point, in 2016 they realized they needed to improve their conference and explored options... from pulling up d2 teams, to bringing in an HBCU(Hampton). Notwithstanding on my opinion whether we should have left the MEAC, it would have been nice to see years ago the MEAC trying to bolster the league in this manner.
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Post by DOOMS on Feb 19, 2020 12:51:17 GMT -5
The MEAC did, it brought in Savannah State and WSSU and tried to go to a divisional format. It just didn't work out.
Had the conference been more proactive and cut off the Florida schools and Delaware instead I believe us and Hampton would still be a part of the MEAC. It would've been cold-blooded but sometimes you have to cut bait. The conference could've offered to help them join the SWAC east and guaranteed a yearly game with SC Steat or something and offered them a lil change to go quietly. Hanging on to them at all costs when you have conference schools complaining about the travel wasn't the best idea in hindsight.
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Post by thefriscotxaggie on Feb 19, 2020 13:02:44 GMT -5
Do you think WSSU & Sav State may have been able to eek it out with a tighter conference radius without the Florida schools & DeL State ?
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Post by DOOMS on Feb 19, 2020 13:12:18 GMT -5
WSSU yes, but SSU no. Plus SSU was in the radius of the Florida schools and Steat anyways so it wouldn't make any sense for them.
SSU has an endowment under 10 million. They had no business in d-1 not ever. Winston's endowment isn't that far off from ours and they were experiencing decent growth. They could've stayed d-1 with a little more alumni support in athletics and/or several big donors (tobacco, medicine, pharma). They probably cut and ran too quickly, but the conference footprint helped make that decision I'm sure.
If they did the unthinkable and cut Steat along with the Florida schools you have a true mid-eastern athletic conference from NC to MD. That'd help save a bundle on costs if nothing else.
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Post by thefriscotxaggie on Feb 19, 2020 13:32:28 GMT -5
True another potential add would have been VA State creating a tight conference footprint. This is why I am glad our Chancellor / AD made the move they made.
MEAC is like being at your Grandma house back in day....... One good 27 inch color TV on top of the old floor model. Forget cable you lucky to get 5 channels with the rabbit ears. And Grandma just as continent as she can be!!!!
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Post by DOOMS on Feb 19, 2020 13:38:51 GMT -5
Yeah, I talked about how to convince Va State to come and the merits of doing so in another thread.
But in the end the conference is still cool with me. The Aggies didn't always have to be playing for me to catch a MEAC game and still won't. It's just placed in a more difficult position due to the negative connotations associated with being a black conference.
In addition to scaling back the conference's footprint, a required minimum athletic budget probably would've been a good idea.
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oleschoolaggie
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Post by oleschoolaggie on Feb 19, 2020 13:58:50 GMT -5
wssu's biggest problem in the meac was their very "unfavorable" lease agreement with bowman/gray stadium. football is the biggest "money maker" for most football playing hbcu's. but wssu's lease agreement with bowman/gray stadium put a "stranglehold" on their ability to generate significant revenue from their football program. they were making "peanuts" on their home games and didn't even totally control parking and concessions.
that was wssu's biggest reason (not only reason) for dropping back down to the ciaa...
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Post by DOOMS on Feb 19, 2020 14:15:24 GMT -5
That's why it's important to make sure alumni get in political positions and get in good with the powers that be. If you can grease the right wheel you'd be amazed at what you can get.
They should've strong-armed it or built their own stadium. They would only need a large stadium for homecoming and the game against us.
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Post by marchingband1969 on Feb 19, 2020 15:47:03 GMT -5
That's why it's important to make sure alumni get in political positions and get in good with the powers that be. If you can grease the right wheel you'd be amazed at what you can get. They should've strong-armed it or built their own stadium. They would only need a large stadium for homecoming and the game against us. That's what Aggies Do! But not everyone has the backbone to do that. I've always said there were two types of people... sharks and dolphins. For some reason, Aggies just act like sharks. By the way, the dolphin folks hate us for being sharks...except when we are fighting for them. |
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Post by Bornthrilla on Feb 19, 2020 16:35:47 GMT -5
Preach.
You summed it up perfectly.
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Post by thefriscotxaggie on Feb 19, 2020 16:41:33 GMT -5
That's why it's important to make sure alumni get in political positions and get in good with the powers that be. If you can grease the right wheel you'd be amazed at what you can get. They should've strong-armed it or built their own stadium. They would only need a large stadium for homecoming and the game against us. That's what Aggies Do! But not everyone has the backbone to do that. I've always said there were two types of people... sharks and dolphins. For some reason, Aggies just act like sharks. By the way, the dolphin folks hate us for being sharks...except when we are fighting for them. Great analogy......because both sharks & dolphins are really smart but sharks are bold and aggressive at the right time |
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Post by Aggie One on Feb 26, 2020 21:01:54 GMT -5
A foreshadowing of the mass realingment that has begun to occur in the changing FCS landscape which is being fueled by both future ambition and a lot of budget tightening.
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