Natty

[Matt Burglund]

May not be for long, pal. The dude may be going places here in January.

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"No, it's not."

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

"No, it's not."

Thanks for the article. But you kind of expect that sort of coach-speak this time of year. Same as when the owner gives reassurance that his coach is not in danger of losing his job. Or when a politician is mentioned as a possible VP running mate---they all say the same thing in that they are not interested.

Maybe Curt is serious but if a plum D-I school comes calling it may be very difficult to turn that down. Best to strike while the iron his hot if you have a chance to move up to the big time.

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[ShoNuff]

Thanks for the article. But you kind of expect that sort of coach-speak this time of year. Same as when the owner gives reassurance that his coach is not in danger of losing his job. Or when a politician is mentioned as a possible VP running mate---they all say the same thing in that they are not interested.

Maybe Curt is serious but if a plum D-I school comes calling it may be very difficult to turn that down. Best to strike while the iron his hot if you have a chance to move up to the big time.

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I agree with you! The article was written right before the playoffs started. So he had to shut that noise down to keep distractions from his current team. I hope he stays at JMU for a while, but it would not surprise me if he leaves for an FBS job after the end of this season. Only time will tell...

[iupgroundhog]

I just don't see how you can infer "would go D1" from a post about how UWF has a great niche.

They would have to triple their athletic budget.

West Florida has won 10 national championships and has not reclassified. Why is this one different?

I really didn't infer anything. I wasn't sold on the niche thing. So there's only 1 other d2 within a certain radius. Is it possible that all but 2 of the NCAA football schools being D1 is a bigger pull than being 1 of 2 D2's?

This NC is different because it's football. Football is about money. I don't know what their athletics budget is. I have never been to, and probably never will be to, Pensacola, FL. I am only speculating that interest could develop outside of the school itself. I'm not talking about next year or in 2 years but over time if UWF becomes the North Dakota State of D2 football it will definitely be discussed. No team that I know of has had such a meteoric rise through the ranks of D2. 2 NC appearances and one championship in their first 4 years is ridiculous. Nobody knows what their future holds. You can say it is out of the question but you don't know that.

[iupgroundhog]

Another angle for you: IUP seems to have a very competitive men's basketball program, and have come close to winning the natty recently. If IUP were to win the natty in basketball, would you expect IUP to make an immediate move to DI? If not, why would UWF do this because of the football natty?

Well, no, because about 10 years ago IUP conducted a comprehensive feasibility study about a move to D1 for the entire athletics department. It cost too much was the conclusion. Indiana, PA isn't a large enough community to support a D1 program, considering all available resources. I would think that Pensacola FL is big enough to support the move.

Edit: Also, I never suggested anything like an "immediate move to D1."

[EastStroud13]

Of course my post was related to the thread topic in that a former PSAC coach (IUP no less) just advanced his team to the national title game. It's good to offer up an IUP angle on every thread if you want people to remain interested in the thread. Without that---the thread bogs down and interest wanes. Don't go getting a big head just because somebody from your phys ed junior college won the HH. Life goes on and like it or not IUP is at the center of the universe.

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Better to start a new thread than to hijack this one. I see the thread between the topics but it's quite tenuous, aside from the fact that they both regard championships, there's not much to go off of. I would prefer to see threads with more specific purposes, and if certain threads die, they die. Otherwise it becomes hard to remember, "which thread am I in again?"

[GoldenRam94]

There was a UWF poster who came on the PSAC forum last week and assured us that UWF has no interest in moving up to D1.

I have to think that temptation will be hard to resist. Will University of West Florida follow the model of University of Central Florida and University of South Florida?

Pensacola is not Orlando or Tampa; however, I would anticipate a lot of pressure from the community to seek better competition, bring in more people, draw more attention, and, ultimately, bring more $$ into the community.

There is no other collegiate competition for UWF in the local area. I think if they can increase funding and find a conference that's a match they will go sooner or later.

Move up and be what another Sunbelt Conference Team?

[Ship69]

Well, no, because about 10 years ago IUP conducted a comprehensive feasibility study about a move to D1 for the entire athletics department. It cost too much was the conclusion. Indiana, PA isn't a large enough community to support a D1 program, considering all available resources. I would think that Pensacola FL is big enough to support the move.

Edit: Also, I never suggested anything like an "immediate move to D1."

And being a lower-level Division I basketball program is not necessarily a wonderful thing. Mount St. Mary's, located near me in Emmitsburg, Md., used to be a powerful small-college program under long-time coach Jim "Bow Tie" Phelan. They won a national title in 1962 and were national runner-up in the early '80s. But eventually many of their traditional opponents joined conferences and either went down to Division III or up a level. Caught in the middle, the Mount joined the lower-level Division I Northeast Conference. They've made the NCAA tourney a couple of times, but usually get fed as cannon fodder to programs such as Kentucky. And when they get exceptional players, as they did a couple of seasons ago, they often get raided by more powerful Division I schools.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

To reiterate factual history, IUP explored the move. Based on their findings, it was determined not be a fit. Not sure why this is being discussed?

[IUPNation]

Another angle for you: IUP seems to have a very competitive men's basketball program, and have come close to winning the natty recently. If IUP were to win the natty in basketball, would you expect IUP to make an immediate move to DI? If not, why would UWF do this because of the football natty?

[IUPNation]

May not be for long, pal. The dude may be going places here in January.

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[iupgroundhog]

Move up and be what another Sunbelt Conference Team?

Yes.

Look at the history of those schools. Look at the geography of those schools. I see a fit there. But, look, it's down the road, ok?

[iupgroundhog]

Well, we're in the offseason again. No more conference games to talk about. And I see the same thing happening as we had before this season started.

Why all the judging about whether a post is worthy? Or a topic should be discussed? Or, if a post is somewhat off track from the initial thread topic?

Personally, I just like the free flow of ideas that the PSAC Forum has always had. This is why other conference threads have 15 posts about games their teams are in and the PSAC Forum has 800 posts about games where we aren't even represented.

Is it due to an influx of younger posters who are less tolerant, more linear thinking?

I don't understand the reason but I would like to see people just let other posters talk about what they want to talk about and not worry about whether it's appropriate or totally in line with the thread topic.

Just sayin'. That's how I believe this works best.

[EastStroud13]

Well, we're in the offseason again. No more conference games to talk about. And I see the same thing happening as we had before this season started.

Why all the judging about whether a post is worthy? Or a topic should be discussed? Or, if a post is somewhat off track from the initial thread topic?

Personally, I just like the free flow of ideas that the PSAC Forum has always had. This is why other conference threads have 15 posts about games their teams are in and the PSAC Forum has 800 posts about games where we aren't even represented.

Is it due to an influx of younger posters who are less tolerant, more linear thinking?

I don't understand the reason but I would like to see people just let other posters talk about what they want to talk about and not worry about whether it's appropriate or totally in line with the thread topic.

Just sayin'. That's how I believe this works best.

I've been on other forums and there's a balance to be found. You don't want to over-moderate a forum because you're right, the natural flow is critical to a forum's health. However, it's not ideal to have threads go completely off track, because you want thread titles to be at least somewhat representative of the conversation. I'm not talking about "somewhat off track" here, I'm talking completely off the rails.

Again, for the most part, the forum is fine. But it's not out of line to think it'd be beneficial if new discussion topics got their own thread. Let different discussions get to their full depth without any conflict with other ongoing discussions.

[IUPNation]

Yes.

Look at the history of those schools. Look at the geography of those schools. I see a fit there. But, look, it's down the road, ok?

West Florida would only want to go up to FCS if they do move up.

But then they will sacrifice their other sports because none of them would have a shot at Natty's playing against Power 5 schools.

I'm glad IUP realized going up would be a disaster. I'd rather be the big fish in the regular pond and have our foosball and basketball teams nationally ranked in D2.

Who the hell cares that your basketball team made the tournament as a 16 seed as fodder.

The NCAA really needs to overhaul their division levels...maybe another tier for D1 basketball like it does for Foosball?