After Getting Slammed by Coastal, EKU AD Floats Idea of FBS

[Lehigh Football Nation]

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130915/SPORTS/309150103/Eastern-Kentucky-football-considers-switch-FBS?nclick_check=1


Eastern Kentucky University, a traditional NCAA FCS power, could be on the move to the FBS.
EKU athletic director Mark Sandy said the university is exploring the opportunity to play at the highest level of NCAA Division I football. Sandy said any potential move would hinge on getting an invitation from an FBS conference. He specifically cited the Sun Belt and Mid-American conferences as possibilities, but added that EKU has had no discussions with either league.
“We have some interest in exploring,” Sandy said. “People know that we have that interest. We would have to have some conference say, ‘Hey, you’re a good geographic fit. We think you could ... compete in our league and we like you.”
Sandy said an FBS move would likely have to be within the next two years. If the Colonels were to announce a move this year, with the two-year transition period the earliest they could be a bowl-eligible FBS member would be 2016.


So in 2016, App State and Georgia Southern will have a new conferencemate. Book it now.

[citdog]

hey lfn it's the season. pretty damn tired of reading the drivel you post about the fbs. GIVE IT A REST.

[Twentysix]

EKU is turrible. Not much of a loss for the FCS. Maybe 20 years ago this would have been a bigger deal...?

Like Youngstown, they do have the stadium for the SB or MAC.

[DSUrocks07]

Maybe the can now chase WKU the same way UND chases NDSU

[dbackjon]

EKU to FBS - that is a new one.

[clenz]

I stopped reading at "traditional FCS power house"

quando omni flunkus moritati

[pike51]

Funny thing is, I mentioned them several times when people were discussing who could possibly make the move. Not saying they would be good or not, they have the facilities and the resources in place to make it happen and they fit the footprint of the SBC and could fill the void left by WKU moving to CUSA. The other one I've thought about was Murray State, but they haven't shown the ability to host high enough attendance levels recently.

[Sandlapper Spike]

9800 fans per game. Of course, that's still better than Georgia State...

[marenlee]

9800 fans per game. Of course, that's still better than Georgia State...

I thought it was 15k/game? xlmaox

But seriously. I wonder how many D2 schools exceed Gstate's actual attendance.

[Cocky]

I thought it was 15k/game? xlmaox

But seriously. I wonder how many D2 schools exceed Gstate's actual attendance.
TUNA

[Lehigh Football Nation]

9800 fans per game. Of course, that's still better than Georgia State...

Looks like I had better start prepping Lehigh's Sun Belt invite then.... xlolx j/k

[Brad82]

Didn't EKU have playoff game a few years ago that drew less than 3k in attendance?

[EKU-n-GSU]

+/- 2,700 fans, 2 days removed from Thanksgiving, against James Madison, 1st round of the 2010 playoffs. The shame of it is that back in the day (late 70's early 80's, their home games were sellouts and SRO. Goes to show you what consistent winning will do for a program. I do like Dean Hood, and think he's done some good things for them. Time will tell....

[dgtw]

I wonder what non-football school will the OVC get to replace Eastern Kentucky?

[Skyhawk71]

I wonder what non-football school will the OVC get to replace Eastern Kentucky?

Lipscomb ;) "Battle of the Boulevard" becomes an all OVC affair-

[Pard4Life]

No conferences available? No discussions with anyone? aka... EKU: "Hey boys, I'm available!"

[ekufbfan]

So what's with all the hate toward EKU. Obviously, lots of things changing in college football and criticism of EKU for looking at alternatives should not bother anyone. As far as the person on here saying EKU is "turrible" ( their phrase not mine ) bad mouthing EKU will not change what we do or make you look any better. Yes, our facilities will need upgrading, we know that and our AD knows that. I have made many trips to WKU and EKU's stadium while needing up grades, is in better shape than WKU's was before they began their improvements for a move.
EKU fans and our administration know this isn't a matter of just saying we want to move, we are aware of the obstacles, but there is no reason we are not as able as any of you to make this move. So get over yourselves!

[ThompsonThe]

Why has EKU's football attendance been so low the last several years?

[ekufbfan]

Why has EKU's football attendance been so low the last several years?

No easy answer to this. However, I think the disinterest in part is the OVC and no regional rivalry. Also, winning. While we have not been " turrible" ( as one poster on here stated) we have not won championships as regularly as we once did. At one time we never lost at home. Being so close to Lexington and UK hurts and this will be the big obstacle to over come, but with a move up, promotion of EKU and most of all winning I think we can get some of the fans who have left back. At least a lot of folks express interest in seeing a change, something more exciting and say that will get hem back. It will be a challenge. But this not idle chatter, we finally have a new president that is progressive, energetic, knows the importance of athletics and he wants this and seems to have the complete support of The Board of Regents. Money is the first challenge, but he was hired because he is great fund raiser. People who had lost interest in EKU because we have been stagnant for so many years due to poor leadership are excited. Will he get this done? I don't know, but this is not our AD blowing off steam.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

No easy answer to this. However, I think the disinterest in part is the OVC and no regional rivalry. Also, winning. While we have not been " turrible" ( as one poster on here stated) we have not won championships as regularly as we once did. At one time we never lost at home. Being so close to Lexington and UK hurts and this will be the big obstacle to over come, but with a move up, promotion of EKU and most of all winning I think we can get some of the fans who have left back. At least a lot of folks express interest in seeing a change, something more exciting and say that will get hem back. It will be a challenge. But this not idle chatter, we finally have a new president that is progressive, energetic, knows the importance of athletics and he wants this and seems to have the complete support of The Board of Regents. Money is the first challenge, but he was hired because he is great fund raiser. People who had lost interest in EKU because we have been stagnant for so many years due to poor leadership are excited. Will he get this done? I don't know, but this is not our AD blowing off steam.

I have no problem with EKU as a school, and they, as ever, have been very strong at the FCS level (and recently, too). Additionally, their big rivals, WKU, are FBS too, so it's somewhat understandable on that level too. The only thing I thought was tough about it was the timing. Couldn't it have been done after a win, not after a fairly significant loss to an FCS Top 25 team?

[JMU2K_DukeDawg]

You bought the game that was supposed to be our home playoff game.

EKU 1 JMU 0

For all the talk of JMU to the FBS, I see EKU making the move faster. People need to forget that it is not about how good/bad a team is. UCONN sucked when they went FBS. Now they are decent. UMass was good, now they are arguably worse than ever. EKU's AD seems to have big visions for the school, so as an alum of a school whose athletic department doesn't seem to have a vision, I admire the comments and applaud his effort in the face of a mountain of adversity ahead.

[The Moody1]

RE: Eastern Kentucky Exploring FBS Football
Eastern Kentucky University, a traditional NCAA FCS power, could be on the move to the FBS.

EKU athletic director Mark Sandy said the university is exploring the opportunity to play at the highest level of NCAA Division I football. Sandy said any potential move would hinge on getting an invitation from an FBS conference. He specifically cited the Sun Belt and Mid-American conferences as possibilities, but added that EKU has had no discussions with either league.

“We have some interest in exploring,” Sandy said. “People know that we have that interest. We would have to have some conference say, ‘Hey, you’re a good geographic fit. We think you could ... compete in our league and we like you.”

Sandy said an FBS move would likely have to be within the next two years. If the Colonels were to announce a move this year, with the two-year transition period the earliest they could be a bowl-eligible FBS member would be 2016.

In FBS, scholarships would increase from a limit of 63 to 85. Sandy said Roy Kidd Stadium would also likely need renovations but would retain its capacity of 20,000. EKU would have to almost double its annual football budget of $3 million. But the Colonels would also be in line for higher payouts for nonconference road games. For example, Western Kentucky received $800,000 for playing at Tennessee this year.

If EKU goes to the FBS, that would mean an end to its longtime affiliation with the Ohio Valley Conference. The Colonels are a charter member, joining at the league’s inception in 1948. They have won more OVC football titles than any other school (21) and won Division I-AA championships in 1979 and 1982.

This is similar to the path at WKU. The Hilltoppers started the transition from the FCS to the FBS in 2007 and became bowl-eligible in the Sun Belt Conference in 2009. (They are leaving for Conference USA next year.) Since the transition, WKU football has gained a higher national profile, reaching a bowl game in December and hiring coach Bobby Petrino.

Sandy said one potential added benefit of moving to the FBS is that it would allow EKU and WKU to renew their annual series. The teams haven’t played since 2008.
“FBS football is changing,” Sandy said. “The window of opportunity is now.”

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2...ck_check=1 (http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130915/SPORTS/309150103/Eastern-Kentucky-football-considers-switch-FBS?gcheck=1&nclick_check=1)

[MarkyMark]

Which is better for a university: To be mediocre FCS team or a bad FBS team?

[ASUMountaineer]

RE: Eastern Kentucky Exploring FBS Football
Eastern Kentucky University, a traditional NCAA FCS power, could be on the move to the FBS.

EKU athletic director Mark Sandy said the university is exploring the opportunity to play at the highest level of NCAA Division I football. Sandy said any potential move would hinge on getting an invitation from an FBS conference. He specifically cited the Sun Belt and Mid-American conferences as possibilities, but added that EKU has had no discussions with either league.

“We have some interest in exploring,” Sandy said. “People know that we have that interest. We would have to have some conference say, ‘Hey, you’re a good geographic fit. We think you could ... compete in our league and we like you.”

Sandy said an FBS move would likely have to be within the next two years. If the Colonels were to announce a move this year, with the two-year transition period the earliest they could be a bowl-eligible FBS member would be 2016.

In FBS, scholarships would increase from a limit of 63 to 85. Sandy said Roy Kidd Stadium would also likely need renovations but would retain its capacity of 20,000. EKU would have to almost double its annual football budget of $3 million. But the Colonels would also be in line for higher payouts for nonconference road games. For example, Western Kentucky received $800,000 for playing at Tennessee this year.

If EKU goes to the FBS, that would mean an end to its longtime affiliation with the Ohio Valley Conference. The Colonels are a charter member, joining at the league’s inception in 1948. They have won more OVC football titles than any other school (21) and won Division I-AA championships in 1979 and 1982.

This is similar to the path at WKU. The Hilltoppers started the transition from the FCS to the FBS in 2007 and became bowl-eligible in the Sun Belt Conference in 2009. (They are leaving for Conference USA next year.) Since the transition, WKU football has gained a higher national profile, reaching a bowl game in December and hiring coach Bobby Petrino.

Sandy said one potential added benefit of moving to the FBS is that it would allow EKU and WKU to renew their annual series. The teams haven’t played since 2008.
“FBS football is changing,” Sandy said. “The window of opportunity is now.”

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2...ck_check=1 (http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130915/SPORTS/309150103/Eastern-Kentucky-football-considers-switch-FBS?gcheck=1&nclick_check=1)


Cue LFN in 5...4...3...

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Cue LFN in 5...4...3...

You're 24 hours late.

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?140266-After-Getting-Slammed-by-Coastal-EKU-AD-Floats-Idea-of-FBS

I've already chalked them in as App's and Georgia Southern's Sun Belt conferencemates for decades, starting in 2016.

[Cocky]

Which is better for a university: To be mediocre FCS team or a bad FBS team?

Unfortunately bad FBS

[Skyhawk71]

bump- it's so exciting let's roll both threads to the top of the page..........

[ASUMountaineer]

You're 24 hours late.

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?140266-After-Getting-Slammed-by-Coastal-EKU-AD-Floats-Idea-of-FBS

I've already chalked them in as App's and Georgia Southern's Sun Belt conferencemates for decades, starting in 2016.

I don't live for bashing other schools, so yeah...I'm a little late.

I bet you had to change pants afterwards. xcoffeex

[ASUMountaineer]

hey lfn it's the season. pretty damn tired of reading the drivel you post about the fbs. GIVE IT A REST.

xoutofrepx

[ekufbfan]

I have no problem with EKU as a school, and they, as ever, have been very strong at the FCS level (and recently, too). Additionally, their big rivals, WKU, are FBS too, so it's somewhat understandable on that level too. The only thing I thought was tough about it was the timing. Couldn't it have been done after a win, not after a fairly significant loss to an FCS Top 25 team?

Unfortunate time to be picked up by the media, but this has been on the new president's agenda even before he took office in August. The western folk have been whining about it on Hilltopper Haven for a month. There are 4 pages on their message board moaning and groaning about it. Evidently word got out to the media in Lexington and Louisville last week when it was then reported in both newspapers with a interview of the AD. Then of course picked up on messages boards this week, but this was not announced on Monday after a loss to CCU. But agree it sure was bad timing!

[dgtw]

No easy answer to this. However, I think the disinterest in part is the OVC and no regional rivalry. Also, winning. While we have not been " turrible" ( as one poster on here stated) we have not won championships as regularly as we once did. At one time we never lost at home. Being so close to Lexington and UK hurts and this will be the big obstacle to over come, but with a move up, promotion of EKU and most of all winning I think we can get some of the fans who have left back. At least a lot of folks express interest in seeing a change, something more exciting and say that will get hem back. It will be a challenge. But this not idle chatter, we finally have a new president that is progressive, energetic, knows the importance of athletics and he wants this and seems to have the complete support of The Board of Regents. Money is the first challenge, but he was hired because he is great fund raiser. People who had lost interest in EKU because we have been stagnant for so many years due to poor leadership are excited. Will he get this done? I don't know, but this is not our AD blowing off steam.

Is it tough being a football school in a basketball conference and a basketball state?

[ekufbfan]

Is it tough being a football school in a basketball conference and a basketball state?

Lol, yes. Even tougher being so close to Lexingon and uk. But that's how it is so we have to deal with it.

[Jazzman1522]

I just want to state for the record (And the guys on our board know this real well) that I don't want this. At all. Call me negative, but I just don't think it will work. We're 30 minutes from UK in a state that almost single-mindedly supports UK with a rabidness and ignorance that is unrivaled. Moving to FBS is not going to draw any of those fans back to Roy Kidd Stadium because they wouldn't know an Arkansas State from a Tennessee State from a hole in the wall. Yes, we have the facilities, but it seems like they haven't touched said facilities in 20 years and they're going to need a serious upgrade. I don't know where those will come from. The university released plans for a new baseball stadium that was supposed to be built in 2008 and nothing ever happened with it and no official word was given on why. My assumption is they couldn't raise the money. Obviously football and baseball are two different things, but my point remains. They've been hiking tuition costs consistently for the last several years, so I'd be curious as to where they're going to get the money for 20 extra scholarships per year, facility upgrades, etc. and whether or not other sports will be affected due to Title IX/the need for scholarship money.

Literally, the only reason I want us to move to FBS is that it'll piss off the Western fans.

People might think I'm a bad fan or too negative or want to hold the university back, or some other outlandish claim, but, sorry, I don't think it'll work and I like FCS. I'm tired of the notion that FCS serves as a stepping stone to FBS. This isn't European soccer. The reason there are separate divisions and subdivisions in college sports is because not every school has the resources, or is in a position, to compete with every other school. That doesn't have to be a bad thing.

[Western_101]

Moving from FCS(63 scholy) to FBS (85 scholy) would require an increase of 44 scholys due to title IX. One could argue that to keep things even one could slash 22 scholarships somewhere else in men's sports but in all reality, moving up to a conference with FBS football typically mandates that participating schools have a minimum number of ncaa school sponsored sports. Typically the FBS conferences would require at least a couple more team sports than what the OVC requires for a minimum for conference membership.

[WestCoastAggie]

Funny thing is, I mentioned them several times when people were discussing who could possibly make the move. Not saying they would be good or not, they have the facilities and the resources in place to make it happen and they fit the footprint of the SBC and could fill the void left by WKU moving to CUSA. The other one I've thought about was Murray State, but they haven't shown the ability to host high enough attendance levels recently.

we don't have the budget nor take football seriously enough for FBS.