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#Post#: 1310--------------------------------------------------
2012-2020: Future of SBU Football - Conference Affiliation, FBS
Football, etc
DIR By: ecasadoSBU
Date: February 6, 2012, 11:30 am
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Hello guys. I would like to start this topic so that we as fans
can discuss what should be the path the Athletics Department
should take in regards to our football program.
After a successful 2011 season, and a potential
championship-contending season in 2012 what should be our
direction if we have increased success for the following two
seasons?
I was thinking about the possibilities of SBU moving up on
football and skipping a CAA football move and instead search for
a MAC inclusion. I know this is hypothetical and there is a lot
of "ifs" involved, but as fans we have the right to talk about
these things. There is many different paths that can lead us to
FBS football in the future (our goal) and I think its
interesting to talk about this.
I would surely love Stony Brook joining the Mid-American
Conference East in football and set up rivalries against state
school Massachusetts, Buffalo, Temple, Akron, etc...
Of course, we can also delay are move up and play in the CAA
while we improve and expand our facilities to meet FBS
requirements.
Lets join the talk on the endless possibilities of SBU
Football's future
#Post#: 1312--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2012-2020: Future of Stony Brook Football
DIR By: ry1nik
Date: February 6, 2012, 12:11 pm
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Interesting topic. A few of us have touched on it in other areas
of this forum. I for one don't think FBS football is necessarily
the right goal. The reason colleges field teams is to foster
school spirit and pride (to attract/retain better students and
faculty) and to bring publicity to the university. Of course
there's not a one-to-one relationship between these factors. For
example, Binghamton (no football) has always had a much higher
student satisfaction rating, and places like the the Ivies have
all the publicity they need without big-time football.
I think SBU can work towards both goals without going FBS. A
good argument could be made for moving to the CAA, as SB would
be playing schools that "matter" more. But I think being super
competitive in the FCS is a much better end-state than being
mediocre (at best) in the FBS. FBS-affiliation in football only
matters much if a school has inclusion in a BSC conference. That
ain't gonna happen here. I'd rather keep the stadium on the
smaller side, and accessible. If I wanted to battle traffic and
crowds, I'd to to an NFL game (which I don't). Anyway, my three
cents.
#Post#: 1313--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2012-2020: Future of Stony Brook Football
DIR By: ecasadoSBU
Date: February 6, 2012, 12:54 pm
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You have strong points there. But don't you think Stony Brook
wants to compete with the other National Universities. The
profile of Stony Brook is "a National University oriented in
research and graduate work, member of the AAU, but still
considerably behind its peers in Athletics".
The question would be whether Stony Brook is looking to follow
other peer institutions or would it head in its own direction
away from other AAU institutions that offer athletic programs at
the highest level. Regarding the Ivy league schools, they are a
big-time exception. The "elite" status of Ivy league school
allows them to stay at the FCS level and still get mass
publicity from other areas besides their athletics. Stony Brook
is not an Ivy, and it will never be.
Other peers institution in academics would be Buffalo, UConn,
UMass, Penn State, Albany, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Indiana,
Virginia Tech, Virginia, etc. These are all schools that are
oriented in research and have a "flagship" status as state
universities but with the exception of SUNY Albany all of them
offer Athletics, specifically football, at the highest level.
In my opinion, this is the way to go if you are a National
University outside of the "Ivy League" and other schools like
NYU, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, John Hopkins that do not offer
Division I athletics at all.
The infrastructure issues that you point out are important to
address, but as always, they can be solved with the expansion of
Circle Road and the North, Main, and South Entrances to Nicolls
Road. Of course, the three villages have to be taken into
consideration and traffic must be directed in such a way that
minimally alters the current traffic patterns of the adjacent
towns. While the relation between the University and the towns
are not the best, in some periods of time even hostile, I'm sure
this can be addressed in the best way possible. Traffic would
only be a problem if things are not done properly. The current
state of CR-97 (Nicolls Road) is more than enough to handle
20-60k people attending a football game on a Saturday afternoon.
Considering we have a large commuter student population that
comes in everyday, this wouldn't be much different from the
current traffic patterns.
From reading the above, its obvious I support a move up to FBS,
I see it as our destiny even though I'm sure many would
disagree. I visualize Stony Brook competing for championships
with the top universities of the US, fostering regional
rivalries with UConn, UMass, Buffalo, Temple, etc (in football
that is)
#Post#: 1314--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2012-2020: Future of Stony Brook Football
DIR By: ecasadoSBU
Date: February 6, 2012, 1:22 pm
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Also, let me add one more point:
With the current instability of the College Football world, and
the effects that it will have on the FCS. We will likely see in
the future more teams move up to the FBS. Unfortunately the FCS
is not economically viable. Its not sustainable due to the lack
of revenue it produces for over 90% of its teams. With the
exception of a maybe 2-10 schools that have strong fan bases,
everyone else looses money by having an FCS program. We have
seen what has happened to to other universities having Football
programs at the FCS level. They either disappear (like in the
case of cross-island rival Hofstra) or they are choosing to move
up (like UMass which is currently completing its transition).
The more FCS teams that move up to the FBS, the more the talent
level suffers, and that will also take more fans away from the
FCS.
If Stony Brook already made the commitment to offer 65
full-scholarship funding in football, then FBS football would be
the next logical step
#Post#: 1315--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2012-2020: Future of Stony Brook Football
DIR By: sbufan
Date: February 6, 2012, 1:29 pm
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EDIT
#Post#: 1316--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2012-2020: Future of Stony Brook Football
DIR By: ecasadoSBU
Date: February 6, 2012, 1:43 pm
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I didn't wanna say it, but that's the perception I get also. It
might take 10-15-20 or even 30 years but we will eventually end
up in something like the Big East or ACC. That's if we follow
the path of universities like Uconn. Consider UConn 20 years
ago. They were A10 football members and quickly rose to the BCS
by means of the Big East. Now they enjoy 40,000 attendance
levels, something no one would've thought back then. UConn is
now outnumbering Boston College in terms of fans, while BC has
been the traditional BCS team of New England. That jump was
fast, and its makes me think that SBU is on the same path.
I don't want to sound like I'm getting carried away, but I'm
sure back in 1995 no one expected Stony Brook to have a fully
funded Division I-AA football program with an 8k seat stadium
and competing for Conference championships and potentially for
FCS championship this upcoming season. Who ever said that back
then would've been considered crazy or something. Get what I
mean? We are growing extremely fast, its no joke.
Add to that the constant donations that we are getting from
alumni, we're an attractive school, no way you can deny that...
#Post#: 1317--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2012-2020: Future of Stony Brook Football
DIR By: sbufan
Date: February 6, 2012, 1:53 pm
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Another example is USF who went from a D1aa start up to the Big
East in 8 years. Now, they have a huge benefit of having NFL
stadium play their games in on saturdays, but they're not as
attractive from an market or academics perspective.
I think in as few as 10 years Stony Brook could be playing in an
FBS conference.
#Post#: 1318--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2012-2020: Future of Stony Brook Football
DIR By: ry1nik
Date: February 6, 2012, 2:08 pm
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Good people can disagree on this issue, but I still contend that
SBU can rise in the ranks of national publics without going BCS.
William and Mary, UC San Diego, Davis, Santa Barbara,
Irvine...all Top 20 publics by any number of measures without
having BCS football (or even any football at all). Prez Stanley
seems to think that the Simons gift will help propel SBU into
the Top 20. I don't think BCS football is necessary for that. If
you think it would be more fun to cheer on a BCS team, I can
understand that (though it could be a hassle on game day). But
it's hardly necessary for acheiving comparable academic status
of the top publics. Athletics is one of few means to an end. The
end is adding value to our degrees.
#Post#: 1319--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2012-2020: Future of Stony Brook Football
DIR By: ecasadoSBU
Date: February 6, 2012, 2:08 pm
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I wouldn't say 10. The infrastructure requirements are huge. We
need a large stadium and a lot of community support to have a
BCS team in the island. something that can hold us back for
10-20 years. But I do see the FBS as the logical next step in
the next decade. This can be accelerated by on-the-field success
or delayed so its going to be interesting to see what happens in
the next few years.
We can see whats going on in other areas of the campus right
now, improvements everywhere. its amazes me to see that (hotel,
Rec center, more dorms on the way, a renovated arena, a
renovated Union or an entirely new one coming up soon, and of
course more research investment).
#Post#: 1320--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2012-2020: Future of Stony Brook Football
DIR By: ecasadoSBU
Date: February 6, 2012, 2:13 pm
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ry1nik, I definitely agree with you. this is not the way that
Stony Brook "must" go in order to improve academics, they can
take other directions to get to the same end . Its just the way
that I, and many other fans, may want it to achieve that. I am
sure some don't share the same enthusiasm with the idea of FBS
or even BCS football, but me? I would love to see Stony Brook
competing in the highest level of college football.
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