"HURST OUT OF PSAC?

[Fightingscot82]

Hold on, I never knew Duquesne was any good in football. Are they?

They've done well since the NEC went scholarship and eventually lifted their scholarship cap. They've benefited greatly from the NEC defections.

[EastStroud13]

Hold on, I never knew Duquesne was any good in football. Are they?

They're not. Think more "tallest midget".

[IUPNation]

They're not. Think more "tallest midget".

..or thinnest kid at fat camp.

[iupgroundhog]

Hold on, I never knew Duquesne was any good in football. Are they?

Just because they are at the top of that list doesn't mean much. They have the same rating as St. Francis (PA)..

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Hold on, I never knew Duquesne was any good in football. Are they?

They'll look great playing West Virginia Wesleyan in Week 3.


Lol. Amazing an FCS team would schedule one of the worst D2 teams in the country.

[Ram040506]

They'll look great playing West Virginia Wesleyan in Week 3.


Lol. Amazing an FCS team would schedule one of the worst D2 teams in the country.

Wesleyan goes out of their way to grab one of those every year. For the life of me I don't understand why anyone would go to school there to play football. Football stadium is horrendous, the tuition is expensive, the product has been awful for nearly 20 years now. Joke of a program.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Wesleyan goes out of their way to grab one of those every year. For the life of me I don't understand why anyone would go to school there to play football. Football stadium is horrendous, the tuition is expensive, the product has been awful for nearly 20 years now. Joke of a program.

Fortunately for them, there are lots of parents who want little Johnny to say he played college football, and the money isn't a big issue.

WVW seems like a perfect fit in D3.

[Iupgh]

Realistically, the answer is that nobody in the NEC is good in bball. After Merrimack and Sacred Heart leave, Wagner and FDU are the closest they have to being "top dogs" but both are about #250 in KenPom on a good year. Hurst was not very good this past year, but the Hurst team of the previous few years was probably good enough to finish mid-pack in the current NEC.

Football, different story. Considering how bad they've been, the smart move is probably to just drop football altogether. It's tough to remake an entire football program, even tougher when you're trying to reclassify every sport to the D1 level.

The coaching salary and number of fulltime coaches is also a budget buster from what there use to. Manchel wss basically a one man band with one poorly paid local assistant coach that would change yearly. Looking at a NEC school and probably top team like FDU they have 3 fulltime assistants and 1 DBO guy. Big difference financially. Correct on attendance on hoops and especially football. Nobody in Erie cares to watch Merrimack or Chicago St. The locals thrived on GU, Boro and SRU/ IUP games. The later 2 would bring fans to the football games if weather cooperated. Those NEC football games will be a ghost town. They also are not going to attract a home non league game with that middle school stadium.

[Brandon]

It’s political in a sense as well. These university presidents and administrations want to put it on their resume that they led their schools to the “big time.” They don’t care about the long-term implications because it’s about them while they’re there.

With so many in politics and positions of power making decisions solely to benefit themselves, it makes one really appreciate men like Danny Hale.

[EastStroud13]

Fortunately for them, there are lots of parents who want little Johnny to say he played college football, and the money isn't a big issue.

WVW seems like a perfect fit in D3.

A perfect fit in every way except for geography... unfortunate for them that most of WV is a deadzone when it comes to D3, because all the programs are D2 instead.

[IUPNation]

A perfect fit in every way except for geography... unfortunate for them that most of WV is a deadzone when it comes to D3, because all the programs are D2 instead.

The MEC is on borrowed time. I can see how all of these small WV schools can keep operating. Shepherd is probably the most well off front in the affluent part of the state and drawing from a growing DC suburban area. They’ll be fine and they made the right call to bolt to the Pee Sack. Fairmont is probably a fall back school for those who can’t get into WVU which seems impossible to do but I’m sure it happens. West Liberty is probably okay and don’t they have a Sugar Daddy? I’m not sure the rest can survive long term.

[EyeoftheHawk]

With so many in politics and positions of power making decisions solely to benefit themselves, it makes one really appreciate men like Danny Hale.

Indeed!

[IUPHawks24]

The coaching salary and number of fulltime coaches is also a budget buster from what they’re use to. Manchel wss basically a one man band with one poorly paid local assistant coach that would change yearly. Looking at a NEC school and probably top team like FDU they have 3 fulltime assistants and 1 DBO guy. Big difference financially. Correct on attendance on hoops and especially football. Nobody in Erie cares to watch Merrimack or Chicago St. The locals thrived on GU, Boro and SRU/ IUP games. The later 2 would bring fans to the football games if weather cooperated. Those NEC football games will be a ghost town. They also are not going to attract a home non league game with that middle school stadium.

That’s not accurate at all. Every PSAC school has a fulltime assistant as far as I know. And most of them are actually paid OK- you just have to keep moving to advance your career. I’m sure Hurst, Gannon, IUP all have had some continuity at some point. And most of them have some part time help too. Gannon supposedly has two FT assistants.

[ctrabs74]

A perfect fit in every way except for geography... unfortunate for them that most of WV is a deadzone when it comes to D3, because all the programs are D2 instead.

The only D3 school in West Virginia is Bethany, which is along WV 88 in the middle of the Northern Panhandle (north of West Liberty) and who compete in the mostly Pittsburgh/Western PA-centered Presidents Athletic Conference. So, options are kinda limited for WVW if they were to consider dropping down from D2.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The only D3 school in West Virginia is Bethany, which is along WV 88 in the middle of the Northern Panhandle (north of West Liberty) and who compete in the mostly Pittsburgh/Western PA-centered Presidents Athletic Conference. So, options are kinda limited for WVW if they were to consider dropping down from D2.

Has Bethany ever toyed with moving up? They have football. Can't be much worse than WVW.