Another Georgia team looking at DI football

[MplsBison]

Jax State, you may get your wish:


http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/stories/2007/05/11/0512westga.html


West Georgia plans to build a 9,000-10,000-seat football stadium, the cornerstone for an eventual move from Division II to Division I.

[TexasTerror]

Where will West Georgia find a home? Is it presumed that they'll go to the OVC?

[Blueandwhitefightfight]

It's not going to happen for quite some time. Word out of there is that they can't get people to go to the games in DII. They are building a stadium so they don't have to play at the local high school. They will move eventually but it will be a while.

[appfan2008]

Georgia has always been under represented in the division 1 ranks and i am glad to see some of these second tier schools "possibly" stepping up and joining the big boys

[Lapper]

Valdosta State will jump before the Wolves will.

[PantherRob82]

I talk to people in Valdosta at work every day.

[BearsCountry]

Get Valdosta and West Georgia to jump at the same time. Let the bidding war begin between the Big South and OVC.

[MplsBison]

Word out of there is that they can't get people to go to the games in DII.

Probably because they don't have a decent on campus stadium.


Build it and they will come:

http://www.westga.edu/~stadium/images/angle1_lg.jpg

http://www.westga.edu/~stadium/images/angle2_lg.jpg


http://www.westga.edu/~stadium/

[DFW HOYA]

Probably because they don't have a decent on campus stadium. Build it and they will come

Sometimes, but not always.

Towson spent $32 million on 11,000 seat Johnny Unitas Stadium, but they're averaging only 4,600 a game.

http://www.towsontigers.com/facilities/

[TexasTerror]

Get Valdosta and West Georgia to jump at the same time. Let the bidding war begin between the Big South and OVC.

SLC will take Delta State.. xnodx

[MplsBison]

Towson spent $32 million on 11,000 seat Johnny Unitas Stadium, but they're averaging only 4,600 a game.

I know you're not comparing Baltimore to Atlanta...

[Eyes of Old Main]

That's a nice looking proposed stadium.

I don't know much about West Georgia but have been to a basketball game there while I was at Wofford (we played them some in our D-II days). That's been a while ago, but unless something has changed, support and facilities were fairly weak.

Obviously the stadium would handle the facilities for football, but others would have to be upgraded for the move to work. My high school had a far better gym than they did back in the early 90's.

[PantherRob82]

Probably because they don't have a decent on campus stadium.


Build it and they will come:

http://www.westga.edu/~stadium/images/angle1_lg.jpg

http://www.westga.edu/~stadium/images/angle2_lg.jpg


http://www.westga.edu/~stadium/

Very nice. xbowx

[JaxSinfonian]

Jax State, you may get your wish:

It would be nice to start beating these guys again. They were our nearest neighbors back in our DII days, back when they were the Braves. 16-0 Jax State, all-time.

Thoughts on why they've never been a big draw: They've only had football since 1981, moved up to DII in '83, and have never built a stadium. Meanwhile, their nearest Gulf South neighbors, JSU and Troy, both went DI and never looked back.

If they're finally getting their act together, I think they could fit in the OVC. Regardless, I expect to see them on future Jax State schedules.

[The Moody1]

Very nice. xbowx

It looks like all their games could be televised by the Cartoon Network.:D

[andy7171]

Sometimes, but not always.
Towson spent $32 million on 11,000 seat Johnny Unitas Stadium, but they're averaging only 4,600 a game.
http://www.towsontigers.com/facilities/
...but thats up from 2,600! xnonono2x


I know you're not comparing Baltimore to Atlanta...
Last I looked, Atlanta was about a third smaller than B'more. xrolleyesx But give us a couple weeks, we can wittle the population down in street murders. xcoolx

Is West Georgia even close to Atlanta?

[ChooChoo]

Carrollton is about 45-50 minutes from Atlanta. With North Georgia's "urban sprawl" it is now considered Metro Atlanta, though most inside the perimeter are propably clueless of it's location. The problem with West Georgia is the same as the rest of the state, we've been programed to root for the big 2 (UGA or Tech). But like Southern, a move to FCS and building a home on campus should do alot towards changing perceptions and retaining fan support.

[89Hen]

Carrollton is about 45-50 minutes from Atlanta. With North Georgia's "urban sprawl" it is now considered Metro Atlanta
I'll have to take your word for that, but around here 45-50 minutes from DC is called West Virginia. xeyebrowx I seriously doubt they'd draw from Atlanta if it's that far away.

[ChooChoo]

An hour's commute in Atlanta is not unusual.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Atlanta

Carroll County (West GA) is the middle one on the far right on the Bama border.

[andy7171]

I'll have to take your word for that, but around here 45-50 minutes from DC is called West Virginia. xeyebrowx I seriously doubt they'd draw from Atlanta if it's that far away.

You can't get to the next exit in 45 minutes in DC!
xrotatehx xrotatehx xrotatehx

[andy7171]

An hour's commute in Atlanta is not unusual.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Atlanta

Carroll County (West GA) is the middle one on the far right on the Bama border.
Do yuppies in Atlanta really want to get that close to Alabama?

[89Hen]

An hour's commute in Atlanta is not unusual.
An hour and a half is not unusual here, but that still doesn't put you in the DC area. I'm just saying that you may as well call West Georgia west Georgia and not Atlanta. I doubt they'd draw from Dekalb, Marietta, etc...

[PantherRob82]

It looks like all their games could be televised by the Cartoon Network.:D

Another channel with football on sounds good to me. ;)

[HensRock]

around here 45-50 minutes from DC is called West Virginia.

Yeah, right!

On a Friday afternoon on the Beltway, 45-50 minutes from DC is called DC!

[JDC325]

I'll have to take your word for that, but around here 45-50 minutes from DC is called West Virginia. xeyebrowx I seriously doubt they'd draw from Atlanta if it's that far away.

UGA is just as far from most places from the ATL and GSU is hours and still is one of the top draws in the FCS. With average commute for metro ATLiens being 45 minutes or more Carrolton in just a quick trip. Carrollton and Carroll county is still not considered apart of the M.S.A last time I checked. I live on the one of the furthest points in the Metro area and could probably get there in about an hour so it would be alot quicker for most of the metro area. W. GA, KSU and GA State all scare me being a GSU fan.

[89Hen]

On a Friday afternoon on the Beltway, 45-50 minutes from DC is called DC!
I'm sure West Georgia is more than 45 minutes on a Friday afternoon too. Atlanta traffic rivals DC. Both are 50ish miles to the city.

[89Hen]

UGA is just as far from most places from the ATL and GSU is hours and still is one of the top draws in the FCS.
UGA is a very different beast than a small I-AA school and I'd question if you are getting a lot of people coming to Statesboro from Atlanta that aren't GSU alums? I just don't see West Georgia being a draw for a casual fan from the metro area.

[SO ILLmatic]

Any chance of Valdosta State and/or North Alabama following West Georgia if they decide to come up to the FCS?

[MplsBison]

http://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/phc-t3/tab01.pdf




Atlanta, GA 4,112,198

Barrow County 46,144
Bartow County 76,019
Carroll County 87,268
Cherokee County 141,903
Clayton County 236,517
Cobb County 607,751
Coweta County 89,215
DeKalb County 665,865
Douglas County 92,174
Fayette County 91,263
Forsyth County 98,407
Fulton County 816,006
Gwinnett County 588,448
Henry County 119,341
Newton County 62,001
Paulding County 81,678
Pickens County 22,983
Rockdale County 70,111
Spalding County 58,417
Walton County 60,687


Baltimore, MD 2,552,994

Anne Arundel County 489,656
Baltimore County 754,292
Carroll County 150,897
Harford County 218,590
Howard County 247,842
Queen Anne's County 40,563
Baltimore city 651,154

[Fresno St. Alum]

Any chance of Valdosta State and/or North Alabama following West Georgia if they decide to come up to the FCS?

I posted about this before, Valdosta St. is not ready for D-I according to most of its fans on the D-II board, but if the Eastern schools break off from the Western schools in the GSC that would boost VSU and UWG into moving to D-I quicker.

N.Alabama is ready but have declined to move to D-I once, the people at UNA said that it would be hard for them to leave since they are the home of the D-II hall of fame.

[PSUVikings]

Jax State, you may get your wish:


http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/stories/2007/05/11/0512westga.html

FBS standards are 15Kxconfusedx

[Husky Alum]

Yeah, right!

On a Friday afternoon on the Beltway, 45-50 minutes from DC is called DC!

On an overcast Tuesday afternoon in May when the Red Sox are home 45-50 minutes from Boston is called stuck on Storrow Drive!

[JaxSinfonian]

Carrollton and Carroll county is still not considered apart of the M.S.A last time I checked.

Check again. http://www.bls.gov/oes/2003/may/msa_def.htm#0520

Carroll County has long been a part of the MSA. One of the prime identifying features of metro Atlanta is that it sprawls so far, there really is no real center or pervasive sense of community. People who live on the edge of the MSA in any direction probably all have their own ideas of what Atlanta's "borders" are, and little clue (or care) about what's on the other side. Atlanta itself is in reality not a large city at all, and what most people think of as Atlanta is really just a giant mishmash of suburbs.

Andy7171 - No, most people in Atlanta wouldn't want to think of being close to Alabama, mostly because they know nothing about it. It might as well be Africa, as far as most of them are concerned. In reality, many metro residents could be on the campus of Jax State in the time it takes them to make their regular morning commute. For what it's worth, two Alabama counties on the border are considered by TV networks to be in "the Atlanta market."

Expecting West Georgia (or GSU or KSU) to "bring the Atlanta market" is about as laughable as expecting Samford to bring the Birmingham market. Not gonna happen. Media in major markets have their minds made up about FCS - it's beneath them. All we can really hope for from schools in or near those markets is that they'll use their host cities' growth to grow as institutions, put a quality product on the field and make strong enough connections with their students and alumni that they'll be able to fill a stadium.

[ChooChoo]

Check again. http://www.bls.gov/oes/2003/may/msa_def.htm#0520

Expecting West Georgia (or GSU or KSU) to "bring the Atlanta market" is about as laughable as expecting Samford to bring the Birmingham market. Not gonna happen. Media in major markets have their minds made up about FCS - it's beneath them. All we can really hope for from schools in or near those markets is that they'll use their host cities' growth to grow as institutions, put a quality product on the field and make strong enough connections with their students and alumni that they'll be able to fill a stadium.

Well said. Even with Georgia State being smack dab in the heart of downtown (if not THE heart), we have to approach the market the same way. Build a strong program, gain fan support, and win. Hopefully being 3 blocks from the AJC (the town's only major paper) will finally pay off when we get these 3 goals achieved.

[andy7171]

http://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/phc-t3/tab01.pdf

Now listen, that's an awefully big net used to encompass Metro Atlanta. If you use the same geographic area here you would include DC, NoVA and WV like your source does.

Washington-Baltimore DC-MD-VA-WV PMSA 7,608,070

[89Hen]

Now listen, that's an awefully big net used to encompass Metro Atlanta. If you use the same geographic area here you would include DC, NoVA and WV like your source does.

Washington-Baltimore DC-MD-VA-WV PMSA 7,608,070
xnodx That many counties in "Atlanta" is silly, whether people commute or not. People live in Baltimore and commute to Washington and vice versa. Shoot, there's 1,000,000+ in my county and I go the O's games, the Aquarium, Inner Harbor... so you may want to throw me in with "Baltimore".

[JDC325]

UGA is a very different beast than a small I-AA school and I'd question if you are getting a lot of people coming to Statesboro from Atlanta that aren't GSU alums? I just don't see West Georgia being a draw for a casual fan from the metro area.

Not initially no that is a no brainer but only time would tell. However you were speaking about the distance which would not be a major factor for W. GA. I have family out that way and it is no big deal going out there especially on a Saturday.

[JDC325]

Check again. http://www.bls.gov/oes/2003/may/msa_def.htm#0520

Carroll County has long been a part of the MSA. One of the prime identifying features of metro Atlanta is that it sprawls so far, there really is no real center or pervasive sense of community. People who live on the edge of the MSA in any direction probably all have their own ideas of what Atlanta's "borders" are, and little clue (or care) about what's on the other side. Atlanta itself is in reality not a large city at all, and what most people think of as Atlanta is really just a giant mishmash of suburbs.

Andy7171 - No, most people in Atlanta wouldn't want to think of being close to Alabama, mostly because they know nothing about it. It might as well be Africa, as far as most of them are concerned. In reality, many metro residents could be on the campus of Jax State in the time it takes them to make their regular morning commute. For what it's worth, two Alabama counties on the border are considered by TV networks to be in "the Atlanta market."

Expecting West Georgia (or GSU or KSU) to "bring the Atlanta market" is about as laughable as expecting Samford to bring the Birmingham market. Not gonna happen. Media in major markets have their minds made up about FCS - it's beneath them. All we can really hope for from schools in or near those markets is that they'll use their host cities' growth to grow as institutions, put a quality product on the field and make strong enough connections with their students and alumni that they'll be able to fill a stadium.

Atlanta the city defined by the city limits is not small unless you consider millions small. Have you ever been downtown? As a real estate appraiser trust me there is nothing small about Atlanta.

[89Hen]

Not initially no that is a no brainer but only time would tell. However you were speaking about the distance which would not be a major factor for W. GA. I have family out that way and it is no big deal going out there especially on a Saturday.
Distance IS a factor. If you really wanted to go, the distance is not a factor. I have to go 100 miles for Delaware games, but that is not a factor in me going. We're talking about 'drawing' from Atlanta... you really think a football fan in Marietta is going to say "Honey, you know what, let's go to a West Georgia football game this weekend, after all, it's only a 45 minute drive." Teams like Towson have trouble drawing and they are IN the city limits of Baltimore, that's why they were used as an example. I-AA teams actually IN major cities (not 45 minutes away)...

Richmond (IN Richmond) - 7,263
Towson (IN Baltimore) - 4,592
Columbia (IN NYC) - 4,612
Howard (IN DC) - 4,057
Fordham (IN NYC) - 3,723
Northeastern (IN Boston) - 3,256
Jacksonville (IN Jax) - 2,496
Georgetown (IN DC) - 2,016
Duquesne (IN Pittsburgh) - 1,843

West Georgia will NOT draw casual football fans from Atlanta.

[Cobblestone]

Probably because they don't have a decent on campus stadium.


Build it and they will come:

http://www.westga.edu/~stadium/images/angle1_lg.jpg

http://www.westga.edu/~stadium/images/angle2_lg.jpg


http://www.westga.edu/~stadium/


Looks good, I hope they make the move.

[andy7171]

Distance IS a factor. If you really wanted to go, the distance is not a factor. I have to go 100 miles for Delaware games, but that is not a factor in me going. We're talking about 'drawing' from Atlanta... you really think a football fan in Marietta is going to say "Honey, you know what, let's go to a West Georgia football game this weekend, after all, it's only a 45 minute drive." Teams like Towson have trouble drawing and they are IN the city limits of Baltimore, that's why they were used as an example. I-AA teams actually IN major cities (not 45 minutes away)...

Richmond (IN Richmond) - 7,263
Towson (IN Baltimore) - 4,592
Columbia (IN NYC) - 4,612
Howard (IN DC) - 4,057
Fordham (IN NYC) - 3,723
Northeastern (IN Boston) - 3,256
Jacksonville (IN Jax) - 2,496
Georgetown (IN DC) - 2,016
Duquesne (IN Pittsburgh) - 1,843

West Georgia will NOT draw casual football fans from Atlanta.
I agree with your post, but...
Towson isn't inside Baltimore City, but a mile North. Towson is the County Seat of Baltimore County. Baltimore County has more people that the City, something like 765,000 to 655,000. When you put the two together that's alot of people in a small area.
The problem is, if people in Baltimore want to go to a college football game, they drive 40 minutes South to College Park or to Annapolis.

[89Hen]

Towson isn't inside Baltimore City, but a mile North.

The problem is, if people in Baltimore want to go to a college football game, they drive 40 minutes South to College Park or to Annapolis.
:o OK, you're inside the Balitmore beltway... close enough. Your last point is dead on. If Joe Average in Atlanta wants to go to a football game they're going to go to GT or UGA (if they can get tix).

[JDC325]

Distance IS a factor. If you really wanted to go, the distance is not a factor. I have to go 100 miles for Delaware games, but that is not a factor in me going. We're talking about 'drawing' from Atlanta... you really think a football fan in Marietta is going to say "Honey, you know what, let's go to a West Georgia football game this weekend, after all, it's only a 45 minute drive." Teams like Towson have trouble drawing and they are IN the city limits of Baltimore, that's why they were used as an example. I-AA teams actually IN major cities (not 45 minutes away)...

Richmond (IN Richmond) - 7,263
Towson (IN Baltimore) - 4,592
Columbia (IN NYC) - 4,612
Howard (IN DC) - 4,057
Fordham (IN NYC) - 3,723
Northeastern (IN Boston) - 3,256
Jacksonville (IN Jax) - 2,496
Georgetown (IN DC) - 2,016
Duquesne (IN Pittsburgh) - 1,843

West Georgia will NOT draw casual football fans from Atlanta.

It will NOT be because of distance more to do with anything under the FBS does not draw average joes period. Product not place.

[andy7171]

It will NOT be because of distance more to do with anything under the FBS does not draw average joes period. Product not place.
Well yes and no. If the FCS school is in your backyard, you might be inclined to check it out on your own more so if the school is an hour away.

[89Hen]

It will NOT be because of distance more to do with anything under the FBS does not draw average joes period. Product not place.
I think we're getting a little disjointed in this discussion. Mpls implied that because it is near Atlanta, they should be able to draw. I disagreed and disagree....


An hour and a half is not unusual here, but that still doesn't put you in the DC area. I'm just saying that you may as well call West Georgia west Georgia and not Atlanta. I doubt they'd draw from Dekalb, Marietta, etc...


UGA is just as far from most places from the ATL and GSU is hours and still is one of the top draws in the FCS. With average commute for metro ATLiens being 45 minutes or more Carrolton in just a quick trip. Carrollton and Carroll county is still not considered apart of the M.S.A last time I checked. I live on the one of the furthest points in the Metro area and could probably get there in about an hour so it would be alot quicker for most of the metro area. W. GA, KSU and GA State all scare me being a GSU fan.

It seemed that you too were thinking they would draw from Atlanta. They will not.

[JDC325]

I think we're getting a little disjointed in this discussion. Mpls implied that because it is near Atlanta, they should be able to draw. I disagreed and disagree....





It seemed that you too were thinking they would draw from Atlanta. They will not.

They will if that is where most of their alumni are currently residing but I agree as in most cases in the FCS they will not draw average joes but NOT because of distance but because FCS in MOST cases only draws current students and alumni for the vast majority of attendance. I know there are exceptions for flagship universities but it is the FCS product that will not draw the average joe shmo college football fan and definately not distance or the place. A 45 minute drive for entertainment is a joke for the average ATLien.

[ChooChoo]

I Agree. Most alum live in metro Atlanta, and its from there they will pull. But they'll need more than a passing interest to pull them away from their TV on Saturdays. A move up could potentially do that.

[MplsBison]

that's an awefully big net used to encompass Metro Atlanta.

Not my net, the government defined it.


Washington-Baltimore DC-MD-VA-WV PMSA 7,608,070

This is a CMSA, actually. Stands for Combined MSA. They took Washington, Baltimore and Hagerstown and made a label for all three, if you wanted to consider them as one.

But they're still three separate MSAs.


If you really wanted, you could go Richmond-Washington-Baltimore-Philadelphia-New York-Hartford-Boston and it wouldn't be terribly off.

[JaxSinfonian]

Atlanta the city defined by the city limits is not small unless you consider millions small. Have you ever been downtown? As a real estate appraiser trust me there is nothing small about Atlanta.

Dude, you're wrong again. The population within the city limits is in the millions only if you consider a few hundred thousand to be millions.

The Cenus Bureau's 2005 estimate for the population inside the Atlanta city limits is 470,688. Click here (http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=ChangeGeoContext&geo_id=16000US1304000&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=atlanta&_cityTown=atlanta&_state=04000US13&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=) to get it from the horse's mouth. Compared to the other major cities in the United States, that's a relatively small proportion of the 5.1 million people in the MSA living within the limits of the core city. Atlanta's just the 34th-largest city in the U.S. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_population), though its metro area is the 9th largest (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta-Sandy_Springs-Marietta%2C_GA_MSA), and fastest growing. Only about 9 percent of the people who might say they live "in Atlanta" actually live in the city itself.

Yes, Atlanta is the largest city in Georgia, and is easily bigger than anything in Alabama. While the metro area is packed, no, the city itself isn't huge.

And yes, I visit downtown Atlanta frequently. It's about a 90-minute drive from Jacksonville.

[MplsBison]

Atlanta is also the 9th largest TV market in the US.

[andy7171]

Atlanta is also the 9th largest TV market in the US.

COOL! How many games is West Georgia going to be on???