MTSU does not belong in 1-A

[RaiderInTheZone]

It's taken some time to realize this, but after this season which ended with our sixth losing season in nine years of 1-A football in a humiliating 45-7 loss to Troy State on ESPN2 last night, I've come to realize that we are not ready for this level.

I'm now disappointed that our adminstration deceived the alumni with this cock-n-bull story that 1-A football could actually work at a directional Tennessee state commuter school. Bullshat! Don't believe it!

MT would go 0-12 against the top 12 teams in 1-AA for sure and would lose to every single one of them by at least 20 points. The administration knows that, and that is why we don't schedule 1-AA teams.

I wonder if there's even a conference with 1-AA football that would consider adding us as a member if we had the gonads to admit our mistake and go back to where we belong.

I just wonder how many more losing seasons and pathetic peformances in the Suck Belt our president and AD are going to allow before they realize that MTSU is not cut out for bigtime college football. It's a mistake.

You guys were right all along about us and the Scum Belch. It's an embarrassing league and it's even more embarrassing when you suck and can't win in such an embarrassment of a football conference.

[dungeonjoe]

It's taken some time to realize this, but after this season which ended with our sixth losing season in nine years of 1-A football in a humiliating 45-7 loss to Troy State on ESPN2 last night, I've come to realize that we are not ready for this level.

I'm now disappointed that our adminstration deceived the alumni with this cock-n-bull story that 1-A football could actually work at a directional Tennessee state commuter school. Bullshat! Don't believe it!

MT would go 0-12 against the top 12 teams in 1-AA for sure and would lose to every single one of them by at least 20 points. The administration knows that, and that is why we don't schedule 1-AA teams.

I wonder if there's even a conference with 1-AA football that would consider adding us as a member if we had the gonads to admit our mistake and go back to where we belong.

I just wonder how many more losing seasons and pathetic peformances in the Suck Belt our president and AD are going to allow before they realize that MTSU is not cut out for bigtime college football. It's a mistake.

You guys were right all along about us and the Scum Belch. It's an embarrassing league and it's even more embarrassing when you suck and can't win in such an embarrassment of a football conference.

I remember your posts earlier in the season---I admire your willingness to come back here and even say those things, when you could have hidden.

Your program deserves better than what and where it is now.

[citdog]

what is this 1-A and 1-AA you speak of?

[andy7171]

It's taken some time to realize this, but after this season which ended with our sixth losing season in nine years of 1-A football in a humiliating 45-7 loss to Troy State on ESPN2 last night, I've come to realize that we are not ready for this level.

I'm now disappointed that our adminstration deceived the alumni with this cock-n-bull story that 1-A football could actually work at a directional Tennessee state commuter school. Bullshat! Don't believe it!

MT would go 0-12 against the top 12 teams in 1-AA for sure and would lose to every single one of them by at least 20 points. The administration knows that, and that is why we don't schedule 1-AA teams.

I wonder if there's even a conference with 1-AA football that would consider adding us as a member if we had the gonads to admit our mistake and go back to where we belong.

I just wonder how many more losing seasons and pathetic peformances in the Suck Belt our president and AD are going to allow before they realize that MTSU is not cut out for bigtime college football. It's a mistake.

You guys were right all along about us and the Scum Belch. It's an embarrassing league and it's even more embarrassing when you suck and can't win in such an embarrassment of a football conference.
Wow. You did a complete 180 this season. It takes a strong man to admit to changing your views so drastically. The game last night was ugly, I don't blame you for being upset.
Heres to MTSU's AD having the same stones as you and doing the right thing.

[BlueHen86]

It's taken some time to realize this, but after this season which ended with our sixth losing season in nine years of 1-A football in a humiliating 45-7 loss to Troy State on ESPN2 last night, I've come to realize that we are not ready for this level.

I'm now disappointed that our adminstration deceived the alumni with this cock-n-bull story that 1-A football could actually work at a directional Tennessee state commuter school. Bullshat! Don't believe it!

MT would go 0-12 against the top 12 teams in 1-AA for sure and would lose to every single one of them by at least 20 points. The administration knows that, and that is why we don't schedule 1-AA teams.

I wonder if there's even a conference with 1-AA football that would consider adding us as a member if we had the gonads to admit our mistake and go back to where we belong.

I just wonder how many more losing seasons and pathetic peformances in the Suck Belt our president and AD are going to allow before they realize that MTSU is not cut out for bigtime college football. It's a mistake.

You guys were right all along about us and the Scum Belch. It's an embarrassing league and it's even more embarrassing when you suck and can't win in such an embarrassment of a football conference.

Nice post Raider. I'm sure that wasn't easy considering your optimism earlier this season.
You seem like a loyal fan, you deserve better from your program.

[89Hen]

Wow. You did a complete 180 this season. It takes a strong man to admit to changing your views so drastically. The game last night was ugly, I don't blame you for being upset.
Heres to MTSU's AD having the same stones as you and doing the right thing.
xnodx xnodx xnodx

[RaiderInTheZone]

Some things I could point out:

1.) MTSU as a 1-A team has losing records against North Texas, Troy State, Florida Atlantic, and Louisiana-Lafayette.

2.) MTSU is winless on national television since going 1-A and lost by scores of 45-7 (Troy State '07), 58-42 (Louisville '07), 31-14 (Central Michigan '06), and 44-17 (Louisville '06) in every ESPN and ESPN2 televised game in the past two seasons.

3.) MTSU since going to 1-A has a record of 4-29 in games where there are 20,000 or more in attendance. MTSU has a record of 3-4 against 1-AA teams since going 1-A.

4.) MTSU has no realistic chance of winning any national title

5.) MTSU plays in Division 1-A's worst conference against teams the fans could not possibly give a rat's behind about unlike Tennessee State, UTC, and Tennessee Tech which are schools the fans long for us to play again.

If you guys have a bunch of your fans that talk about moving up to 1-A all the time, they need to really evaluate their reasonings. I do believe it would work for a school located in a state rich with talented high school athletes like Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Texas, but Tennessee is not loaded with high school talent and what very few there is will wind up going to SEC schools.

It would probably also work for a state flagship ship school like Delaware, Massachusetts, or Texas State. It does not work for directional commuter schools.

MTSU 1-A football is a failure, and I'm ashamed that we have fans that are too proud to admit the university was wrong--wrong to abandon long-time OVC rivals for the mess we are in right now.

[Franks Tanks]

Wow Raider it sounds like someone hacked your account. I can understand your frustration, after a decade or so you expect to see some progress. The real problem with the Sun Belt is only a few regional rivalries exist It reminds me of when Army joined conference USA. They though they were off to bigger and better things, but they ended up getting killed by schools much better than them and whom there fans didnt care about. You have to ensure you are playing teams your fans relate and care about. Army is better off playing some of there old rivals rather than Memphis or Houston, and it sounds like many of your fans are coming to these conclusion as well.

[jstate83]

There are a lot of team's that have no business competing in 1-A football. xnodx

No matter how hard they try, they will alway's be homecomming bait for top tier and middle of the pack teams, TOP 60, and just a so-so team playing likewise competition.

What's the point of wasting resources at that level just to get your skull cracked week after week. xconfusedx

[RaiderInTheZone]

Wow Raider it sounds like someone hacked your account. I can understand your frustration, after a decade or so you expect to see some progress. The real problem with the Sun Belt is only a few regional rivalries exist It reminds me of when Army joined conference USA. They though they were off to bigger and better things, but they ended up getting killed by schools much better than them and whom there fans didnt care about. You have to ensure you are playing teams your fans relate and care about. Army is better off playing some of there old rivals rather than Memphis or Houston, and it sounds like many of your fans are coming to these conclusion as well.

No, I'm pretty much alone on this. We have too many fans that look at things through rose-colored glasses. They'd rather us finish winless 20 years over in 1-A then admit the university was wrong about moving up.

[chrisattsu]

It would probably also work for a state flagship ship school like Delaware, Massachusetts, or Texas State. It does not work for directional commuter schools.

Texas State is only 4 years distant from being a multi-directional school(formerly known as Southwest Texas State). In addition to this, we are not a state flagship (much as some of our fans would like).

That being said, we are a popular school in a talent-rich state. Maybe it could work, or maybe we would just into another UNT.

[wkuhillhound]

Some things I could point out:

1.) MTSU as a 1-A team has losing records against North Texas, Troy State, Florida Atlantic, and Louisiana-Lafayette.

2.) MTSU is winless on national television since going 1-A and lost by scores of 45-7 (Troy State '07), 58-42 (Louisville '07), 31-14 (Central Michigan '06), and 44-17 (Louisville '06) in every ESPN and ESPN2 televised game in the past two seasons.

3.) MTSU since going to 1-A has a record of 4-29 in games where there are 20,000 or more in attendance. MTSU has a record of 3-4 against 1-AA teams since going 1-A.

4.) MTSU has no realistic chance of winning any national title

5.) MTSU plays in Division 1-A's worst conference against teams the fans could not possibly give a rat's behind about unlike Tennessee State, UTC, and Tennessee Tech which are schools the fans long for us to play again.

If you guys have a bunch of your fans that talk about moving up to 1-A all the time, they need to really evaluate their reasonings. I do believe it would work for a school located in a state rich with talented high school athletes like Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Texas, but Tennessee is not loaded with high school talent and what very few there is will wind up going to SEC schools.

It would probably also work for a state flagship ship school like Delaware, Massachusetts, or Texas State. It does not work for directional commuter schools.

MTSU 1-A football is a failure, and I'm ashamed that we have fans that are too proud to admit the university was wrong--wrong to abandon long-time OVC rivals for the mess we are in right now.

You even lost to WKU. xcoffeex Sorry had to do it.

[SU Jag]

Add UAB to that list!xnodx

[RaiderInTheZone]

You even lost to WKU. xcoffeex Sorry had to do it.


After season home-opening losses to SEMO in '02 and FAU in '03 when they were 1-AA, is anyone really surprised? 1-AA teams have a recruiting edge over us. Who wants to play for a Suck Belt team that gets blown out on national television by Troy State?

If MT signs anyone in the offseason I seriously doubt any of them will be at the top of our wish list even if the wish list consists of 2-, 1-, and 0-star recruits.

[JohnStOnge]

I don't think any program in the Sun Belt really belongs in FBS. Troy is borderline because it has a Sugar Daddy that pumps a bunch of money into the program. But the only reason it wins more than it loses is because it plays most of its games against other programs that don't belong in FBS.

Since the Trojans joined the Sun Belt they are a spectacular 4 - 13 in nonconference play and one of the wins was against another former I-AA (a 6-6 Marshall squad). Over the past two years, when they've had their best teams as a Sun Belt program, they're 2 -7. The best teams they've beaten, if evaluated objectively in the context of FBS, are "average." This year's Oklahoma State team is probably the best, and that's a 6-5 team right now (5-5 against other FBS teams) that could very well finish with a losing record (at Oklahoma next week then presumably a bowl since more than half the teams in FBS go to bowls now). Troy has no realistic shot at actually becoming a factor in FBS.

As I said to somebody calling them a "good" team earlier this year, I think it's more accurate to call them one of the better "bad" teams. That's if you're brutally objective about it and ask yourself how they would do in any major conference: My answer is they'd get killed and finish at or near the bottom of the league.

I realize it's a theoretical because if they were in a major conference they'd probably get more talent. But I think that if you put them into any major conference playing major conference teams week after week with the team they have right now they'd get killed and would have almost no shot to get bowl eligible.

This year, for the first time, one might make the argument that they're an "average" FBS team but there are FCS squads that are at that level during any given year too. Whether Troy can be as "good" as it is this year on anything approaching a consistent basis over the long term remains to be seen.