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Post by wcatradio75 on Aug 31, 2018 8:26:35 GMT -5
Based on what I saw through 3 quarters tonight (not waiting to catch the rest of the game after the lightning delay), I think we need to look at scheduling Tennessee Tech. UTC had a pretty slow start, but were up 34-10 at the end of the 3rd quarter. If we need to find another home-and-home type series similar to GWU, why not a Tennessee school that "counts" as an FCS game and that would be a very manageable opponent? Eventually I want it to be measuring-stick games against teams in green from the list that started the thread, but for the near-term I think we need one "green" team and one "yellow" team and we will most likely keep at least 1 FBS game, too. TTU is on the list, but I think we need 1 from each of those categories. The Big South and OVC should become our "partner" conferences. Something like KSU and TTU one year, JSU and GWU the next, etc. Given we have a home-and-home coming up with EKU and a history of games with the Big South, maybe we are already leaning that way? If we are looking for "easy" FCS wins, it could be hard to predict. Thinking of how Charleston Southern and Austin Peay made VERY quick turnarounds in recent history. Two years ago, APSU was 0-11. Last year, 8-4; 7-1 in the OVC and a bid to the playoffs.
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Post by wcugrad95 on Aug 31, 2018 10:58:53 GMT -5
Agree - so I tried to be specific with "manageable" as the word of choice rather than "easy". Try and pickup a measuring-stick game against teams who are good right now (JSU, JMU, KSU, etc.) and one against teams that you expect to be at least OK for the resume and are currently/recently not as successful (Tenn Tech, GWU, etc.). Let's face it - the Big South and OVC are currently filled with a bunch of teams who fall into that latter category. Just like WCU (or APSU), they could turn in basically a single-season into somebody who can have winning seasons. But I'd like my chances to either know we are not playoff-worthy, or have a better playoff argument with any of those teams on the schedule this year versus Newberry.
Again, scheduling is very hard - especially if a team backs out (and more so if they back-out relatively late). I totally get why we are playing Newberry in that we really didn't end up with much of a choice. I'm just thinking about the longer-term strategy. It would be cool to lock-in some agreements well ahead of time, and we could even build some mini-rivalries with a few of the schools.
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Post by wcatradio75 on Aug 31, 2018 11:58:50 GMT -5
...Which is why I'm happy with scheduling home and home Eastern Kentucky again. EKU has traditionally be a good football team, but had some down years. I think they have also won at least one national championship. I'd like (like someone else said) an annual SoCon vs. OVC game. I think overall team for team, they are a stronger conference than Big South. Back in the Waters era, we played OVC schools almost every year. Tennessee Tech, Murray State, UT-Martin (and at the time) Western Kentucky were on our schedule all the time.
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Post by Mountain Boomer on Sept 2, 2018 22:22:24 GMT -5
We never played UT-Martin, but we did play Middle Tennessee. MTSU was in the OVC back then.
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Post by wcatradio75 on Sept 3, 2018 9:39:39 GMT -5
We never played UT-Martin, but we did play Middle Tennessee. MTSU was in the OVC back then. My mistake - I was thinking Morehead State. I just looked at page 112 in this year's media guide that shows all the teams we've ever played and our record. Embarrassingly, we are 2-22 against Georgia Southern with a 19 game losing streak. On the other hand, as bad as we were for 30 years, we have a winning record against ETSU, and 21-3 against VMI with our first ever game with the Keydets in 1978.
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Post by wcugrad95 on Sept 3, 2018 10:53:06 GMT -5
We did play MTSU just a few years ago, but they were FBS (currently in C-USA).
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Post by wcatradio75 on Sept 3, 2018 13:45:28 GMT -5
We did play MTSU just a few years ago, but they were FBS (currently in C-USA). We also split 4 games with them in 73, 75, 80, and 81. I believe they were still OVC then.
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Post by blessed on Sept 3, 2018 13:55:59 GMT -5
As we all are excited about the start of the '18 slate, it got me thinking about future schedules. I don't mind helping out the smaller schools, just as the big boys help us out too. I, like most catamounts, want the playoffs. Newberry just doesn't help that at all. So...I've made a list of FCS teams within a reasonable drive from Cullowhee. I'll kinda sort the list into distance and add reasoning for some of the possible good ones. Ya'll let me know if I missed any, or you have other/additional thoughts. I'm leaving off regulars like GW and Presby, as well as the whole Pioneer. my personal rating - green = big fat yes to a home and home, yellow = maybe, red = no
Close to Close-ish:
Campbell - could be a good replacement for the newberry warm up kinda game
Charleston Southern - recently competitive
Kennesaw St. - good team, not far away
North Alabama NC A&T - good team, not far
NC Central - recently competitive
Savannah St. SC St. Austin Peay - Seems to be on an upward trend
Eastern Kentucky Jacksonville St. - nearly always a ranked team
Tennessee St. Tennessee Tech. - another warm up that's not too far
Alabama A&M James Madison - nuff said
Longer Distance:
UT Martin - another possible upward trending team
Alabama St. William & Mary Richmond - strong program
Norfolk St. Murry St. Hampton
EKU on schedule for a home and away 2020/2021
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Post by Clwee on Sept 5, 2018 23:41:23 GMT -5
I wish the Cats would get a game with Wake Forest. WF plays Elon, Presbyterian, Towaon, etc. on a regular. Why can't we travel to W-S to face the Deacs?
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Post by rapidpulse on Sept 13, 2018 7:04:15 GMT -5
The Cats would benefit from playing between the hedges every year. Would solve many of our financial limitations and is very close to Cullowhee. Won't and realistically can't happen, but the Dogs are paying Middle Tennessee 1.7M to play in Athens this year. What a payday.
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