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Charlotte 49ers vs. Appalachian State: A new local football rivalry?


By David Scott
dscott@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Wednesday, Jul. 17, 2013
The news Monday that Old Dominion has pulled out of its football game at Charlotte in 2014 seems to have reignited discussion about the chances of the 49ers and Appalachian State establishing a series, possibly beginning in 2014 in the scheduling spot left open by the Monarchs’ departure.

It’s a rivalry that makes too much sense not to happen. And it will. It’s just a matter of when, not if.

Charlotte 49ers athletics director Judy Rose told the Observer recently that the two schools continue to discuss scheduling a football series. Mountaineers spokesman Mike Flynn said Monday that Appalachian State athletics director Charlie Cobb and football coach Scott Satterfield would love to play Charlotte and that 2014 wouldn’t be too soon.

“Down the road, we will play them,” Rose said. “We’re in discussions with them. They’d like it to be a longer-team arrangement, and we’re not willing to do that, because we just don’t know what our conference schedules are going to be like. We’ve got to be careful in how far out we schedule.”

Here are a few factors, as they relate to a potential 2014 game and any others in the future:

• Appalachian State, which moves up to the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision’s Sun Belt Conference in 2014, has just two of four non-conference games scheduled for that season now – at Michigan and at home against Campbell from the Football Championship Subdivision. The Mountaineers need another nonconference home game that season against an FBS team and the 49ers wouldn’t fill that need anyway since they will still be an FCS program then. So the Mountaineers theoretically could come to Charlotte.

Could it be in Boone? Charlotte obviously would hesitate to give up a home game: losing the ODU game leaves the 49ers with five at Richardson Stadium (Johnson C. Smith, Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina, Wesley College, Morehead State).

• One potential problem, though, is the Oct. 25, 2014 date, which presumably will be right in the middle of the Sun Belt Conference schedule.

• What about other years? Charlotte’s nonconference schedules are almost completely set through 2016. Charlotte has just one available schedule slot now in 2014 and one non-Conference USA opening in 2015. The 49ers’ nonconference schedule is full in 2016. All those schedules, though, are subject to change.

Aside from the 2014 games against Michigan and Campbell, the Mountaineers have no non-conference games set past 2013.

• Another factor working against a 2014 game might be whether Charlotte feels it’s yet ready to compete with Appalachian State on the field that quickly after starting its program in 2013. But with games already scheduled that season against established BCS programs from the Big South (Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb and Coastal Carolina) and the Southern Conference (The Citadel, Western Carolina and Elon) – not to mention Old Dominion before it agreed to pay $60,000 to back out – the 49ers have already made a statement that they are.

Scott: 704-358-5889; Twitter: @davidscott14

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I wouldn't even think of scheduling a game with them until at least 2017. No way App should travel to an FCS in 2014.

I thought when we moved up to FBS we wouldn't be scheduling the likes of Campbell.

agree with Moody, scheduling conflicts, Charlottle's lack of desire to play us until they can field a solid FBS team, and egos will keep us from playing until atleast 2017.

I am so sick of reading that Cobb, Satterfield, or anyone else in our admin is trying to play them. I get that the financial benefit of a series or rivalry with them could be a good thing but, other than that, I simply do not get the desire, at all, to get any kind of series going with them. There is not one thing that is appealing. I certainly hope that Cobb and Co. are using more energy to get something going with ECU, or similar, than they are trying to get this going. A series with UNCC is not what I've had in mind all these years hoping for the FBS move.

ASUDieHard wrote:I am so sick of reading that Cobb, Satterfield, or anyone else in our admin is trying to play them. A series with UNCC is not what I've had in mind all these years hoping for the FBS move.

I couldn't agree more. Their AD makes it sound like we are begging to get them on the schedule. I know it will eventually happen but personally I couldn't care less if App ever plays them in any sport.

I'm all for playing them in 2014. Whether it is home or away. It would be a good home game for them with a sold out crowd. Yes I understand that they are not FBS yet. However, its still a transitional year for us. If we beat them in Charlotte I can only imagine it'll help us with recruiting as well.

not going to play them in 2014, Charlotte wants nothing to do with us for the next 3 years, and we sure as hell are not going to play the first game in Charlotte.

Reports are that uncc has signed to play jmu in 2013. Also uncc has cancelled 2014 game with odu.

Dmanuhone wrote:Reports are that uncc has signed to play jmu in 2013. Also uncc has cancelled 2014 game with odu.

They cancelled 2014, not us. We just returned the favor.

moehler wrote:not going to play them in 2014, Charlotte wants nothing to do with us for the next 3 years, and we sure as hell are not going to play the first game in Charlotte.

So we want nothing to do with App but we are willing to schedule ODU and JMU?

Don't make sense does it, but those are the facts.

JMU is trying to make friends in CUSA I see.

We moved to the FBS so we wouldn't have to play in tiny venues against no name teams. A free recruiting trip to the QC and a chance to shut up the most arrogant fanbase on the Internet would be fun, but otherwise it doesn't help us.

If they want to come to The Rock for their beating, fine.

Gonzo wrote:We moved to the FBS so we wouldn't have to play in tiny venues against no name teams. A free recruiting trip to the QC and a chance to shut up the most arrogant fanbase on the Internet would be fun, but otherwise it doesn't help us.

If they want to come to The Rock for their beating, fine.

Have fun traveling to Idaho, NMSU, and Georgia State. I'm sure your head won't explode.

yep, JMU is trying to get the attention of USA if/when they start talking expansion again, good way to do that is play teams in that conference. We get nothing out of playing UNCC in the next few years, if we kick their asses, than everyone, including UNCC fans said we had 35 year headstart and we should beat them if we somehow lose or if the game is semi close.... then all hell breaks loose. In the present and the near future, it doesn't appear UNCC is having much of an effect on our recruiting, we have already landed some great recruits, as of this moment we have the top recruiting class in the SBC, UNCC has not taken one recruit from us, and in fact, their top recruit last year, the wide receiver, and from all accounts, already their best player, has transfered to App. Yes, eventually, they might because a problem and a rival, but, for the next few years, Im not too worried about them.

moehler wrote:yep, JMU is trying to get the attention of USA if/when they start talking expansion again, good way to do that is play teams in that conference. We get nothing out of playing UNCC in the next few years, if we kick their asses, than everyone, including UNCC fans said we had 35 year headstart and we should beat them if we somehow lose or if the game is semi close.... then all hell breaks loose. In the present and the near future, it doesn't appear UNCC is having much of an effect on our recruiting, we have already landed some great recruits, as of this moment we have the top recruiting class in the SBC, UNCC has not taken one recruit from us, and in fact, their top recruit last year, the wide receiver, and from all accounts, already their best player, has transfered to App. Yes, eventually, they might because a problem and a rival, but, for the next few years, Im not too worried about them.

Pimping recruiting classess in July, priceless. I bet all those guys signed their LOIs huh? As for Capel, if he didn't want to be at Charlotte then he shouldn't be there. Wish him the best at App and I love how you designated him our best player when he hasn't even seen the field.

We want to be in the big time but we are crying over not playing uncc right away. Please make up your mind. Do you want to move up or do you want to play uncc. We want a long term deal with a school that has never played a game. Don't even get me started on playing Campbell. As much as I want as many games as possible an open date would be better than Campbell. Just keep trying to sell me this better competition story because after ECU I have not heard of any other school we are dying to play other than the uncc team that has never played a game.

afinerniner wrote:

moehler wrote:not going to play them in 2014, Charlotte wants nothing to do with us for the next 3 years, and we sure as hell are not going to play the first game in Charlotte.

So we want nothing to do with App but we are willing to schedule ODU and JMU?

So, you're saying that losing to ODU or JMU wouldn't be any worse than losing to us? Really?
Ask your fellow alumni, and I believe you will find that you are wrong. They'd probably rather lose to Ashemore Business Academy than lose to us. Actually, you've already scheduled Chowan, so adding ABA wouldn't be that much of a stretch.

afinerniner wrote:

Gonzo wrote:We moved to the FBS so we wouldn't have to play in tiny venues against no name teams. A free recruiting trip to the QC and a chance to shut up the most arrogant fanbase on the Internet would be fun, but otherwise it doesn't help us.

If they want to come to The Rock for their beating, fine.

Have fun traveling to Idaho, NMSU, and Georgia State. I'm sure your head won't explode.

afinerniner wrote:

moehler wrote:not going to play them in 2014, Charlotte wants nothing to do with us for the next 3 years, and we sure as hell are not going to play the first game in Charlotte.

So we want nothing to do with App but we are willing to schedule ODU and JMU?

Scheduling ODU in the first 2 years was a huge mistake. You got out of it, and now are getting right back into trouble.

The average person does not know the difference between Campbell and Old Dominion. You should have just scheduled a bunch of Campbells and lower tier fcs teams the first two years.

ODU might have hung a hundred on you, now you are asking James Madison to do it.

Schedule the game in 2017 when it can be competitive. If App schedules UNCC before then, it would be like a 15 year old beating up his brother who is in first grade. It might be fun to do, but it is just wrong.