ECU vs APP

[EastHallApp]

I have respect for ECU Football because their part of the state is passionate about them, they have a chip on their shoulder and they get 40,000+ on a regular basis. I want that for us, not just the 10 or 12,000 that really support App Football (as evidenced by only 3500 Yosef members and only 7500 season ticket holders and only 15,000 non students at most games???).

I think that's less a matter of passion than pure numbers - they're a bigger school in a more populous area. ECU has over 15,000 alumni in their home county plus another 12,000 in the adjacent counties; App has 6,000 alumni in Watauga and 7,000 in adjacent NC counties. The Greenville metro area is 175,000 people; Watauga County has a little over 50,000. They have an enrollment of 27,500; ours is 18,000. And of course ECU just has more alumni overall: 111,000 in-state vs. 86,000 for App.

[MtnMan09]

Which really means more...having a G5 beside your name, or selling thousands more season tickets, raising millions more athletic dollars and having a stadium which can seat twice as many fans? Some of our fans need to do a reality check. ECU has a 40-year head start on us, and that advantage can't just be erased overnight. We'll get there, but it won't happen because we play in a G5 conference.

We also won't get there by acting as if them giving us a lesser deal than they've already given other G5 programs, with less pedigree than we currently have, is somehow doing us a favor.

I haven't had time to go back and look at their schedules, who are the lesser pedigree, or even similarly situated, G5 programs that have gotten H&Hs other than ODU?

[appchicago]

I haven't had time to go back and look at their schedules, who are the lesser pedigree, or even similarly situated, G5 programs that have gotten H&Hs other than ODU?

Marshall. The ODU series is '18 and '19 and the Marshall series is '20 and '21.

[EastHallApp]

I haven't had time to go back and look at their schedules, who are the lesser pedigree, or even similarly situated, G5 programs that have gotten H&Hs other than ODU?

Marshall. The ODU series is '18 and '19 and the Marshall series is '20 and '21.

ODU has scheduled H&H with State, UNC and Wake, plus a 2-1 with UVA and 4-for-3 with VT. (An example of where "precedent" doesn't really exist in scheduling, BTW.) If anything ODU was probably the one who had to decide whether to find room in their schedule for ECU.

[MtnMan09]

I haven't had time to go back and look at their schedules, who are the lesser pedigree, or even similarly situated, G5 programs that have gotten H&Hs other than ODU?

Marshall. The ODU series is '18 and '19 and the Marshall series is '20 and '21.

ODU has scheduled H&H with State, UNC and Wake, plus a 2-1 with UVA and 4-for-3 with VT. (An example of where "precedent" doesn't really exist in scheduling, BTW.) If anything ODU was probably the one who had to decide whether to find room in their schedule for ECU.

Simple answer for this is that everyone wants to recruit the Tidewater and playing at ODU is an easy way to get a foot in that door. Unfortunately the high country is not the same hotbed. As much as this pains me to say it, I also would not go as far yet to say we are on the same footing as Marshall, much less that they are lesser pedigree. We will get there but not yet.

[AppfaninCAALand]

I think the important thing is getting an App-ECU multiple game series on the books, whatever it takes. Suppose the arrangement is Charlotte-Greenville-Boone-Greenville. If it is a success (and it will be) before the final game is played, the series will be extended and the next game will be in Boone. 25 years from now, when App and ECU have played a 15 game series spread between the two campuses with a few Charlotte games and have a huge OOC rivalry that excites the state and elevates both programs, no one will care that the first deal to start the series was for more games in G'Ville than Boone.

[EastHallApp]

I haven't had time to go back and look at their schedules, who are the lesser pedigree, or even similarly situated, G5 programs that have gotten H&Hs other than ODU?

Marshall. The ODU series is '18 and '19 and the Marshall series is '20 and '21.

ODU has scheduled H&H with State, UNC and Wake, plus a 2-1 with UVA and 4-for-3 with VT. (An example of where "precedent" doesn't really exist in scheduling, BTW.) If anything ODU was probably the one who had to decide whether to find room in their schedule for ECU.

Simple answer for this is that everyone wants to recruit the Tidewater and playing at ODU is an easy way to get a foot in that door. Unfortunately the high country is not the same hotbed. As much as this pains me to say it, I also would not go as far yet to say we are on the same footing as Marshall, much less that they are lesser pedigree. We will get there but not yet.

Oh I understand about ODU's scheduling. Just referring to the statement earlier that ECU fans were unhappy with that series.

[mountaineerman]

Has anyone heard from the initial guy who posted this rumor lol

[bh2oson]

If this rumor is true, it does not bother me (providing App gets the gate from the Charlotte game). It reminds me of when Duke moved a home game in Durham against Florida State to Jacksonville,Fl. Duke ended up making more money than if they had played in Durham. In our case most of our fans would still be able to go.

[Rekdiver]

It is a coup for us to play in Charlotte. The largest city in our footprint home to upstart UNCC and home to the ACC official newspaper the Charlotte Disturber. We will tailgate strong and I predict 30,000 App fans (hopefully we can get the students there free. I'm pumped.

[CornCobPipes]

Besides........We need to disprove the misnomer and prove to the nation that we really are in the Charlotte TV market!!!!!

KICK ASS!!!!

[MtnDevil95]

True, if we take the Charlotte game as an opportunity to prove ourselves as a fan base that will support neutral site games, it will give the program better bowl options (help consideration when we get to the conversation of a New Year's 6) and help scheduling future regular season neutral site games against P5 teams.

If it is to be Charlotte then we, as a fan base, must accept what is scheduled and turn BofA stadium into The Rock of Charlotte and out sell the Pirates!

[AppDawg]

True, if we take the Charlotte game as an opportunity to prove ourselves as a fan base that will support neutral site games, it will give the program better bowl options (help consideration when we get to the conversation of a New Year's 6) and help scheduling future regular season neutral site games against P5 teams.

If it is to be Charlotte then we, as a fan base, must accept what is scheduled and turn BofA stadium into The Rock of Charlotte and out sell the Pirates!

A good starting point to make this happen is include tickets to this game as part of the season ticket package as if it were a game played in Boone. Many schools treat this as an away game "revenue generator" regardless of their team being designated as home. If we leave it to individual game purchase, like away games currently, we may be limiting the large crowd possibility.

[Yosef10]

Has anyone heard from the initial guy who posted this rumor lol

What's up?

[mountaineerman]

Just wondering since you were the only known source of rumor if anything else had been said that's all?

[Yosef10]

Just wondering since you were the only known source of rumor if anything else had been said that's all?

I got this info from their 247 site beat writer. Nothing else has been said but he's pretty reliable and doesn't post things like this without a very good chance of it being true. He did say the sites of the games were unconfirmed as of yet.

[bcoach]

Who said you can't do 7 pages on an unconfirmed rumor?

[appst89]

I've had some time to sit back and digest this a little. While I am still not completely comfortable with the appearance of an uneven series, simply because it has not been done between G5 schools before, there are undeniable benefits to this series, and if, as Saint mentioned a few posts back, the game in Charlotte is our idea, then it becomes easier to take. Also, our current athletic administration has proven to be very adept at maneuvering into the best possible situation for App. If we're willing to do this deal, knowing that nothing like it has been done before, then I have to believe they have a good reason for doing it. There is no question that we benefit, and I believe ECU also benefits, from rekindling this rivalry. The long-term positives can be greater for us than the short-term negatives.

[Yosef]

I haven't weighed in on this yet and like many, am not jumping up and down thinking that a game in Boone, a game in Charlotte, and two in Greenville is a big win for us, but I do think it's a lot better than what many App fans are claiming as completely bogus. The more I think about this, the more I think there is plenty of positive to focus on, not to mention I agree with 89 in that the administration has thus far proven to put us in good situations. Home and home with Miami anyone?

Only two years ago we were CLAMORING for a game with ECU at BoA in Charlotte. It makes a lot of sense, especially as we are attempting to defend our market share from close upstart UNCC (they'll always be UNCC to me...). We need to engage the massive amount of alumni in Charlotte. This is an easy drive for anyone in Atlanta, Columbia, the triangle, etc. We should be able to bring 30,000+ to Charlotte while ECU does the same, making it likely the largest or second largest crowd we will play in front of all year.

In addition to all of that, anything we can do to build a rivalry with ECU would be to our advantage. We all enjoyed the rivalry with WCU, but it was pretty mundane for the last two decades. Building one with ECU, going to work and constantly telling every Pirate you know how much they suck would be extremely helpful for us to re-engage alumni who have chosen to follow a tobacco road school. Seeing others jaw and jab at each other will bring out that Appalachian pride. It will take time, but an in-state rivalry is extremely important and I would much rather it be with ECU than with UNCC. If it takes a 1-1-2 to get us there - so be it. As 89 said - let's try and look at the long term potential of this deal as opposed to focusing on the short term.

[bcoach]

Ok I have been thinking it over also. Would you ( any of you ) give up a game in Boone for it? Five home games? Not positive where I stand on that one. I really am very much a believer that every game should be on the campus of one of the teams playing. I really don't like neutral sites. Do I make an exception for this? I don't know.