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CAA
Jan 10, 2023 19:49:45 GMT -5
LCACAT likes this
Post by The Cats on Jan 10, 2023 19:49:45 GMT -5
Here's how to play those "tough" conference games only twice, every 8 years...
Maybe the SoCon should consider this. But no, let's keep beating each other up every season and let the MVFC, Big Sky, & now the CAA get all the at-large spots due to their win/loss record (which is based NOT playing each other every year and eliminating each other from at.- large consideration).
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Post by LCACAT on Jan 11, 2023 10:14:29 GMT -5
Here's how to play those "tough" conference games only twice, every 8 years... Maybe the SoCon should consider this. But no, let's keep beating each other up every season and let the MVFC, Big Sky, & now the CAA get all the at-large spots due to their win/loss record (which is based NOT playing each other every year and eliminating each other from at.- large consideration). We missed the boat by not adding NC A&T to the SoCon. The conference should have been more aggressive after App and Ga Southern left.
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Post by The Cats on Jan 11, 2023 15:26:21 GMT -5
Here's how to play those "tough" conference games only twice, every 8 years... Maybe the SoCon should consider this. But no, let's keep beating each other up every season and let the MVFC, Big Sky, & now the CAA get all the at-large spots due to their win/loss record (which is based NOT playing each other every year and eliminating each other from at.- large consideration). We missed the boat by not adding NC A&T to the SoCon. The conference should have been more aggressive after App and Ga Southern left. The SoCon should have added more than NC A&T.
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CAA
Jan 11, 2023 19:28:18 GMT -5
Post by retiredcat on Jan 11, 2023 19:28:18 GMT -5
I'm not sure I understand the rationale of those posters who say the Southern Conference should expand it membership. Our current 10 member makeup (9 for football, 8 for baseball) allows for scheduling that has everyone playing a full conference schedules in all sports. The footprint is better than most other conferences. All members are solid academically, are not integrity questionable and are respected in their respective geographical regions. Several have very significant histories (athletically and otherwise) and well respected nationally. And, teams can travel to their opponents by bus within a sensible amount of time. The SoCon is the epitome of why conferences were initially formed. I don't like it that UNCG does not sponsor football or Chattannoga and Furman do not have baseball. I personally think WCU is fortunate to be a member of the SoCon.
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Post by The Cats on Jan 11, 2023 20:15:39 GMT -5
I'm not sure I understand the rationale of those posters who say the Southern Conference should expand it membership. Our current 10 member makeup (9 for football, 8 for baseball) allows for scheduling that has everyone playing a full conference schedules in all sports. The footprint is better than most other conferences. All members are solid academically, are not integrity questionable and are respected in their respective geographical regions. Several have very significant histories (athletically and otherwise) and well respected nationally. And, teams can travel to their opponents by bus within a sensible amount of time. The SoCon is the epitome of why conferences were initially formed. I don't like it that UNCG does not sponsor football or Chattannoga and Furman do not have baseball. I personally think WCU is fortunate to be a member of the SoCon. If a conference only wants one bid to the NCAA tournament in football, a perfect 9 football members will give you that outcome in most years.- 1 bid - the auto bid, and maybe if you are lucky in some years a second at-large. When most conferences had only 9 or 10 members that was a "good" model. However if your conference desires MORE than the minimum, you add members which will usually result in multiple conference at-large bids (CAA had 5 last season) . Only playing most conference members twice in 8 years, gives the top members of the conference the knowledge they will not knock themselves out of contention by playing a full conference schedule yearly. This is how the MVFC, the Big Sky, & CAA end up with 3 to 5 or 6 at large bids. In the CAA, they will only play 8 of the 15 members, and only play 2 teams yearly. So if you are William and Mary, this give you a hellva advantage at the end of the season when 6 of your 8 conference foes probably came from the bottom 50% of the conference... Works the same in the MVFC and the Big Sky. The NCAA looks at D1 wins to select their at-large bids, they could care less how many of your conference mates you play during the season...
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Post by The Cats on Jan 11, 2023 20:44:51 GMT -5
The footprint is better than most other conferences. All members are solid academically, are not integrity questionable and are respected in their respective geographical regions. Several have very significant histories (athletically and otherwise) and well respected nationally. And, teams can travel to their opponents by bus within a sensible amount of time. The SoCon could have added teams, teams within the current basic footprint and maintained all those things you like about the SoCon. There were several schools that are solid academically, without integrity questions, and respected geographically and nationally, that went elsewhere. The bus schedule could have continued and the best conference teams would not be eliminating each other from consideration for at large bids like we do now, like we eliminated Chattanooga this past season.
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CAA
Jan 12, 2023 14:03:21 GMT -5
Post by retiredcat on Jan 12, 2023 14:03:21 GMT -5
I like stability (trait of those of us who are getting real old) and knowing who I am dealing with, direction, what to expect, knowing what fellow members are thinking. I agree there are some schools within the SoCon that would good additions. I would have no problem with Elon coming back in and would welcome Gardner-Webb. Both would have to change some of their way of doing business, NC A&T would help balance the public/privates, but not acceptable of it own without a balancing private, Not excited about non-football schools like Winthrop and College of Charleston. The SoCon could have had James Madison along with the return of Richmond and William & Mary (package deal) back in the 80s, but they (all three) had some demands that did not sit well with several members...namely Marshall and Chatty. Sitting in on some of those SoCon meetings with Coach Waters was very interesting. Again, I do not see a movement within the conference to add members.
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CAA
Jan 12, 2023 19:33:29 GMT -5
Post by The Cats on Jan 12, 2023 19:33:29 GMT -5
I like stability (trait of those of us who are getting real old) and knowing who I am dealing with, direction, what to expect, knowing what fellow members are thinking. I agree there are some schools within the SoCon that would good additions. I would have no problem with Elon coming back in and would welcome Gardner-Webb. Both would have to change some of their way of doing business, NC A&T would help balance the public/privates, but not acceptable of it own without a balancing private, Not excited about non-football schools like Winthrop and College of Charleston. The SoCon could have had James Madison along with the return of Richmond and William & Mary (package deal) back in the 80s, but they (all three) had some demands that did not sit well with several members...namely Marshall and Chatty. Sitting in on some of those SoCon meetings with Coach Waters was very interesting. Again, I do not see a movement within the conference to add members. Unfortunately, nor do we. Sadly, the SoCon will continue to be a 1 bid league in both football and basketball as a 10 member league and 9 member league for football. As long as that is what the conference aspires to, that is what the conference will end up with. The MVFC, the CAA, and the Big Sky will not reduce members in the near term, and between the three will reap the lions share of at large bids, yearly, while the remaining leagues with 9 or ten members can look forward to almost always the at-large bid only---- hear that? Big South, ASun, NEC, OVC, Patriot, Pioneer, Southland, WAC. Best we (the SoCon) can hope for, is they go FBS. The big-three not being in the FCS, is the only way the SoCon can hope for more at-large bids in football. As it is, the SoCon members will just continue to maul each other in that "full conference schedule" we currently play, while they play all members only 2 times "every eight years" - there is no way to compete with that.
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CAA
Jan 15, 2023 16:15:51 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by UNCAshevilleAlum on Jan 15, 2023 16:15:51 GMT -5
I like stability (trait of those of us who are getting real old) and knowing who I am dealing with, direction, what to expect, knowing what fellow members are thinking. I agree there are some schools within the SoCon that would good additions. I would have no problem with Elon coming back in and would welcome Gardner-Webb. Both would have to change some of their way of doing business, NC A&T would help balance the public/privates, but not acceptable of it own without a balancing private, Not excited about non-football schools like Winthrop and College of Charleston. The SoCon could have had James Madison along with the return of Richmond and William & Mary (package deal) back in the 80s, but they (all three) had some demands that did not sit well with several members...namely Marshall and Chatty. Sitting in on some of those SoCon meetings with Coach Waters was very interesting. Again, I do not see a movement within the conference to add members. Unfortunately, nor do we. Sadly, the SoCon will continue to be a 1 bid league in both football and basketball as a 10 member league and 9 member league for football. As long as that is what the conference aspires to, that is what the conference will end up with. The MVFC, the CAA, and the Big Sky will not reduce members in the near term, and between the three will reap the lions share of at large bids, yearly, while the remaining leagues with 9 or ten members can look forward to almost always the at-large bid only---- hear that? Big South, ASun, NEC, OVC, Patriot, Pioneer, Southland, WAC. Best we (the SoCon) can hope for, is they go FBS. The big-three not being in the FCS, is the only way the SoCon can hope for more at-large bids in football. As it is, the SoCon members will just continue to maul each other in that "full conference schedule" we currently play, while they play all members only 2 times "every eight years" - there is no way to compete with that. I would agree. The Socon is going to continue to be a 1-bid league, at least in basketball. I don't see that changing any time soon. This year, if Charleston loses in the conference tournament, the CAA would likely for sure be a 2-bid league for 2023. Your point is another reason to add 2 quality basketball schools like UNCA and Winthrop, but the Socon won't do it.
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CAA
Jul 20, 2023 14:42:00 GMT -5
Post by catamountalum04 on Jul 20, 2023 14:42:00 GMT -5
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