Appalachian State to CUSA?

Keith Fever · October 21, 2011

A co-worker/ App State alumn sent me this article.

http://www.southernpigskin.com/acc/view/app-state-to-conference-usa

"Appalachian State has been looking at moving up to the FBS and it appears Conference USA is listening."

rjmunthe · October 21, 2011

LOL, if Appalachian State moved to FBS it'd be in the Sun Belt, taking our spot; no way they'd jump over our heads to the CUSA. Especially with lackluster facilities and being in the middle of nowhere.

untbowler · October 21, 2011

does not seem to far fetched to me, winning 1-AA National Title can do wonders to ones image, they would make sense in the East if ECU gets picked off, would be travel partner to Marshall.

EdwardRRooney · October 21, 2011

Their facilities are good enough for conference USA. Their avg attendance is over 25,000. I don't think we are in any position to point and lol at anybody.

untbowler · October 21, 2011

Their facilities are good enough for conference USA. Their avg attendance is over 25,000. I don't think we are in any position to point and lol at anybody.

BINGO!!

CMJ · October 21, 2011

The meltdown on this board would be something I don't even wanna imagine if this occurred.

cwb · October 21, 2011

First, they would probably be a replacement for an eastern team ala UCF. While they are in the middle of nowhere, if you are dogging their facilities, you have not seen them.

Speaking of UCF, did anyone watch them blow a game to UAB last night? And also, I thought Alabama did not have a pro baseball team in the playoffs. I know, we should not throw stones, but geezus.

eulessismore · October 21, 2011

My understanding is that they have very good facilities, especially their athletic center, for that level of school, and are the most qualified FCS school in terms of such a move at this time. I have family through marriage in NC and would travel there to see us in an away game if we ever played there.

Check out their facilities on the Appy State website

Yeah, I know, they have a track around their field.

Edited October 21, 2011 by eulessismore

letsgiveacheer · October 21, 2011

"Happy Appy", as it used to be called around here, is the real thing. Students like to attend due to its beautiful location in the Smokey Mountains. I suspect most ACC teams are reluctant to schedule them after speaking with Michigan.

They have two primary problems. First, there is no media-market at all in that part of North Carolina. Second, the closest airport is about 1 1/2 hours away in the Triad region of the state and that is not even a major airport.

Who knows what will happen? A sleeper could be Old Dominion. I've written about them before and their basketball program is as good or better than any CUSA program. Just in their second or third year of football, they are more than holding their own in the tough Colonial Conference. Their advantage is that Tidewater is the largest metropolitan area in the country without a major league sports team.

I do think North Texas gets the invite, however.

El Paso Eagle · October 21, 2011

does not seem to far fetched to me, winning 1-AA National Title can do wonders to ones image, they would make sense in the East if ECU gets picked off, would be travel partner to Marshall.

Didn't WKU win a 1-AA NT right before they started SenBelt play?

Also, it seems like a lot of App's success has come from transfers who were immediately able to play.

NT80 · October 21, 2011

A co-worker/ App State alumn sent me this article.

http://www.southernpigskin.com/acc/view/app-state-to-conference-usa

"Appalachian State has been looking at moving up to the FBS and it appears Conference USA is listening."

Considering this article is 9 months old I'd say this rumor "ain't happenin". But thanks for your interest!

untbowler · October 21, 2011

Didn't WKU win a 1-AA NT right before they started SenBelt play?

Also, it seems like a lot of App's success has come from transfers who were immediately able to play.

Yes they did and outside of CC and Basketball WKY is an embarassment and does not fund their sports or at least recruit well. I somewhat wish the MAC would just take them, but then we would no longer have our whipping boy.

Arkstfan · October 21, 2011

Anything I suppose could happen.

I don't think they are in the hunt though unless #1 Charlotte remains pokey about getting football going. #2 ECU stays. They have been wailing for years about needing a team in their region.

Arkstfan · October 21, 2011

Also, it seems like a lot of App's success has come from transfers who were immediately able to play.

They have two FBS transfers on their current roster and both are placekickers.

PlummMeanGreen · October 21, 2011

Is Jerry Moore still their coach or did he retire?

Keith Fever · October 21, 2011

Not much new info, but more recent.

http://www.theappalachianonline.com/sports/7947-fbs-move-closer-than-ever-for-mountaineers

rjmunthe · October 21, 2011

There's a better chance of hell freezing over than Appalachian State moving to CUSA. They're shoehorned into the FCS because of their location, but if they do move, they'll take whoever will accept them. Last FCS-FBS school...Western Kentucky? Yeah, that worked out well.

Coffee and TV · October 21, 2011

"Happy Appy", as it used to be called around here, is the real thing. Students like to attend due to its beautiful location in the Smokey Mountains.

And the pot.

EdwardRRooney · October 21, 2011

And the pot.

Haha

letsgiveacheer · October 21, 2011

I wasn't going to bring that up but you are absolutely correct about the origins of "Happy Appy".

While we are at it, ECU used to be called Easy U.

EdwardRRooney · October 21, 2011

I wasn't going to bring that up but you are absolutely correct about the origins of "Happy Appy".

While we are at it, ECU used to be called Easy U.

I'd say we have our fair share in Denton, TX

skjellyfetti · October 21, 2011

Just wanted to correct a few things.

First, there is no media-market at all in that part of North Carolina.

We're actually in the Charlotte media market:

Didn't WKU win a 1-AA NT right before they started SenBelt play?

They won a I-AA title in 2002. However, they took a nosedive soon afterwards. Before they started their transition to FBS they were around a .500 team for several years. They hadn't made the playoffs in 5 years when they became FBS.

Also, it seems like a lot of App's success has come from transfers who were immediately able to play.

Not true. None of our major contributors during our championship run were transfers.

EdwardRRooney · October 21, 2011

Just wanted to correct a few things.

We're actually in the Charlotte media market:

They won a I-AA title in 2002. However, they took a nosedive soon afterwards. Before they started their transition to FBS they were around a .500 team for several years. They hadn't made the playoffs in 5 years when they became FBS.

Not true. None of our major contributors during our championship run were transfers.

Haha, didn't take you long to figure out someone was talking about yall. Any info and/or news you can add to this story?

tylermeangreen · October 21, 2011

Is Jerry Moore still their coach or did he retire?

Jerry Moore is still the coach........

jdandrew80 · October 24, 2011

"Happy Appy", as it used to be called around here, is the real thing. Students like to attend due to its beautiful location in the Smokey Mountains. I suspect most ACC teams are reluctant to schedule them after speaking with Michigan.

They have two primary problems. First, there is no media-market at all in that part of North Carolina. Second, the closest airport is about 1 1/2 hours away in the Triad region of the state and that is not even a major airport.

Who knows what will happen? A sleeper could be Old Dominion. I've written about them before and their basketball program is as good or better than any CUSA program. Just in their second or third year of football, they are more than holding their own in the tough Colonial Conference. Their advantage is that Tidewater is the largest metropolitan area in the country without a major league sports team.

I do think North Texas gets the invite, however.

Not to be overly picky, but I just wanted to point out that Boone (and therefore App State) does not reside in the Great Smoky Mountains. They reside in the Blue Ridge Mountains a few hours northeast of the Smokies. It's still a very beautiful area. The Smokies are located in the southwestern part of the state on the border with Tennessee between Bryson City, NC and Gatlinburg, TN, and between the Pigeon River and the Little Tennessee River.