2020 Schedule

[sluggo]

In my opinion, whether or not we should keep D1 scholarship football should depend upon the predicted overall net financial and educational impacts upon the university, if “we keep it” versus “if we move to Pioneer League or make some other similar change”. It’s not just attendance. It’s not just football direct costs and direct benefits. What are indirect costs and indirect benefits?

I agree with that.

If FBS away games and TV/cable money is good then small crowds don't matter anyway.

[FUBeAR]

CAA does have their schedules announced already, and they are generally very decent OOC schedules. SoCon schools are still searching for games and some of the OOC’s will be not so decent.

Not really true that SoCon schools are still searching for games. There are only 3 OOC games in the whole league that are unknown. FU, MU and ETSU have one unknown game each. The SoCon conference schedule is also done, it's just up to the schools when they want to announce it.
Here are the 2020 SoCon OOC schedules:
Chattanooga: @Western Ky., @James Madison, N. Alabama
Citadel: Elon, CSU @Clempson-has annouced SoCon schedule also
ETSU: @Georgia @Austin Peay, Unknown
Furman: @Tennessee, @CSU(not confimed), Unknown
Mercer: @Vanderbilt, @Campbell, Charleston Southern 11/14
Samford: Tenn. Tech, @Kennesaw St., @Florida St.
Western: @E. Kentucky, Gardner-Webb, @Liberty
Wofford: SC State, @Gardner-Webb, @South Carolina
I would bet the 3 unknown games are already scheduled.
[/quote]
FUBeAR knows 1 of them

[Affirm]

CAA does have their schedules announced already, and they are generally very decent OOC schedules. SoCon schools are still searching for games and some of the OOC’s will be not so decent.

Not really true that SoCon schools are still searching for games. There are only 3 OOC games in the whole league that are unknown. FU, MU and ETSU have one unknown game each. The SoCon conference schedule is also done, it's just up to the schools when they want to announce it.
Here are the 2020 SoCon OOC schedules:
Chattanooga: @Western Ky., @James Madison, N. Alabama
Citadel: Elon, CSU @Clempson-has annouced SoCon schedule also
ETSU: @Georgia @Austin Peay, Unknown
Furman: @Tennessee, @CSU(not confimed), Unknown
Mercer: @Vanderbilt, @Campbell, Charleston Southern 11/14
Samford: Tenn. Tech, @Kennesaw St., @Florida St.
Western: @E. Kentucky, Gardner-Webb, @Liberty
Wofford: SC State, @Gardner-Webb, @South Carolina
I would bet the 3 unknown games are already scheduled.

FUBeAR knows 1 of them
[/quote]
Very well.
With all respect, I hope we do not play an NAIA or D2, and Also I hope we don’t go much longer not knowing our schedule while many other “decent programs” already have their schedules posted.

[Affirm]

There is no “if we keep” DI football. There is no debate aside from you thinking out loud on this board. Thankfully.

Anything is possible.
Never say never.
Not everyones priorities are identical.
Have to face reality and respond wisely.

[The Jackal]

There is no “if we keep” DI football. There is no debate aside from you thinking out loud on this board. Thankfully.

Anything is possible.
Never say never.
Not everyones priorities are identical.
Have to face reality and respond wisely.

It is my observation that everyone on this forum believes that they - and they alone - are the realist.

[Yadkin]

Interesting how perspectives and dynamics change over time. Thirty years ago we played basketball downtown in a 6,000-seat facility that averaged 40-45 percent occupancy when the Paladins stepped on the court (late 80s attendance averages). We build Timmons with 5,500 seats and over time slash the basketball capacity to 2,500 that, in the few times it’s been filled, sends some folks into bare-chest thumping mode. Now apply that same perspective to football. Thirty years ago we averaged 11,000-12,000 per game in a 16,000-seat stadium. If we slashed capacity to 7,500 (rough equivalent of GMA to Timmons capacity cut), how would that look with our 6,500-7,000 crowds? Bottom line is PS and its 12,900 capacity (expanded to 16,000 seats) was built for a different time, which is gone, just as was the GMA era. There is a reason Elon, with twice as many students, has a football stadium capacity of approximately 10,000. Richmond with a bigger student body has a 9,000-seat stadium. Samford with twice as many students as FU plays in a 5,500 seat stadium. Expectations for football need to recalibrated to the times.

And to the resident Pioneer League advocate...that is not the answer.

[paladinfan12]

Agreed with above,

Despite the money suck D1 football might be on the university, to try and drop down to a lower division would be short-sited and greatly reduce exposure, especially after we sunk 12 million into a brand new facility a few years ago.

[gofurman]

Why on earth wouldn't we go to CSU?

FCS program. Finished 3rd in Big South. In state.

Not about the team, but it's facility. 1,500 seats on home side. Visitors side is recreation field bleachers.

Without question...the worst facilities in FCS. But I'll still take it over any game vs. an NAIA or DII opponent.

So is CSU a sure thing? . Saw some back and forth on here

Not a sure thing. I'm sure they'll get better under their new coach. But I would think we would be favored, and favored by at least 2 scores. You gotta win it if you want to do anything at all.

fanatic, I think GF was asking if at CSU is a sure thing on the schedule nrxt year, not if they are a sure win, lol. I could be wrong. BTW, Citadel plays CSU the next 3 years, all at the Citadel. I think Citadel played at CSU a few years ago and apparently told CSU, never again.

Lol. Good point. Completely read that one wrong.

FUfanatic, Yeah, I meant is CSU a "sure thing" as in are we sure that is on our schedule. I guess they are ??? Anyone know? I didn't mean a sure win. Or a "sure thing" in other ways .

[Flagman]

Yes, they are on our schedule. I have it from a reliable source.

[apaladin]

FYBear, please tell us Mercer’s unknown game . We need to know. We all promise not to tell anyone.

[FUBeAR]

FYBear, please tell us Mercer’s unknown game . We need to know. We all promise not to tell anyone.

Mercer: @Vanderbilt, @Campbell, Charleston Southern 11/14

[purplehorse]

For at least 4 years in the not-too-distant past (two different AD) I would get the Furman football schedule at least a month or two before it was released to the public because I let the athletic director know it would be helpful for me to know because of setting up my work schedule (home vs away games etc.). I never leaked it to anyone and would enjoy the speculation here about the upcoming schedule. As I remember it was usually a complete schedule. So that would tell me that most of the time our schedule is done earlier than it is released. I often wondered why they did not make it public earlier but I always appreciated them helping me out. And I never had any special connection at all other than being an alum and big Furman fan. Maybe things have changed in the last two years in terms of getting that last OOC game.

[fufanatic]

CAA does have their schedules announced already, and they are generally very decent OOC schedules. SoCon schools are still searching for games and some of the OOC’s will be not so decent.

Not really true that SoCon schools are still searching for games. There are only 3 OOC games in the whole league that are unknown. FU, MU and ETSU have one unknown game each. The SoCon conference schedule is also done, it's just up to the schools when they want to announce it.
Here are the 2020 SoCon OOC schedules:
Chattanooga: @Western Ky., @James Madison, N. Alabama
Citadel: Elon, CSU @Clempson-has annouced SoCon schedule also
ETSU: @Georgia @Austin Peay, Unknown
Furman: @Tennessee, @CSU(not confimed), Unknown
Mercer: @Vanderbilt, @Campbell, Unknown
Samford: Tenn. Tech, @Kennesaw St., @Florida St.
Western: @E. Kentucky, Gardner-Webb, @Liberty
Wofford: SC State, @Gardner-Webb, @South Carolina
I would bet the 3 unknown games are already scheduled.
[/quote]

I’m not sure if I could be more impressed with the out of conference schedule for SoCon teams next year. It’s clear that the league decided as a whole to get better, and it shows. I would be happy with any one of those schedules as long as we don’t screw it up with a non-D1 game.

[apaladin]

FYBear, please tell us Mercer’s unknown game . We need to know. We all promise not to tell anyone.

Mercer: @Vanderbilt, @Campbell, Charleston Southern 11/14

Didn’t see that you edited my OP. Thanks for the info. Looks like CSU’s ooc is 3 SoCon teams.

[sluggo]

Interesting how perspectives and dynamics change over time. Thirty years ago we played basketball downtown in a 6,000-seat facility that averaged 40-45 percent occupancy when the Paladins stepped on the court (late 80s attendance averages). We build Timmons with 5,500 seats and over time slash the basketball capacity to 2,500 that, in the few times it’s been filled, sends some folks into bare-chest thumping mode. Now apply that same perspective to football. Thirty years ago we averaged 11,000-12,000 per game in a 16,000-seat stadium. If we slashed capacity to 7,500 (rough equivalent of GMA to Timmons capacity cut), how would that look with our 6,500-7,000 crowds? Bottom line is PS and its 12,900 capacity (expanded to 16,000 seats) was built for a different time, which is gone, just as was the GMA era. There is a reason Elon, with twice as many students, has a football stadium capacity of approximately 10,000. Richmond with a bigger student body has a 9,000-seat stadium. Samford with twice as many students as FU plays in a 5,500 seat stadium. Expectations for football need to recalibrated to the times.

And to the resident Pioneer League advocate...that is not the answer.

100% accurate you are.

But (and you knew there would be one. lol)

Football, just like everything else in the world, is simply in the midst of "survival of the fittest".
There will be winners and losers.

Declaring football in the decline because we've had low numbers is wrongfully placing us at the center of the universe.
The reality is that we fell off the edge because of inaction in promotion and investment.
We "rested on our laurels" when we had a "captured audience" whose alternate choices for entertainment
was limited to 3 TV stations that featured fishing, bowling for dollars, bingo and gospel music bands on the
weekend.
Soon came cable TV, video games, home computers and smartphones.
And those things proved to be more "fit" than rundown stadiums with seats smaller than the average person's butt.

Winning more games will not change these things.
Other "moves" will have to happen.

In college football there will simply be 3 things :
1. winners
2. losers
3. Whiners (people who don't do a damn thing about being losers)


Here are the FCS and D2 winners