Should We Play The Dukes?

[mojo-spider]

With Sun Belt On Horizon, JMU Still Open To Playing CAA Teams

On Friday, James Madison will leave the Colonial Athletic Association behind forever. Well, kind of.

www.dnronline.com

See link above. JMU AD Bourne says he's open to the possibility of playing some of the CAA FCS schools the powerful Dukes left behind with their move to FBS July 1. He specifically mentions the Spiders and W&M in the news report at the link.

Until 2018 the JMU/UR rivalry was one of the best in FCS football, bitter, filled with animosity and passion. It was a battle. Our Spiders held their own against difficult odds versus the Pukes.

They finally figured out how to leverage their tremendous advantages, shedding their reputation of doing less with more, thus the move up to FBS, It'll be interesting to see how the programs stuck in FBS fare as college football continues to evolve.

Do you think we should play the Dukes again if Bourne wishes to schedule a game? I would, but only if the Dukes are willing to pay the BCS price which I think has risen to about $400K per game. I'd go to Turkey Town and pay to see it too!

I don't think it'll ever happen, but never say never....

Go Spiders!

 

[KE Spider]

For $400K, I'm in at the aluminum palace.

 

[Ferrum Spider]

Dukes are going to have to figure out how to beat programs that spend as much as they do now. Just paying a lot more money to lose more games moving up to FBS. Last time we played a Sun Belt team we beat them.

 

[SFspidur]

Yep, zero reason to play them unless they can pay as much as the teams we're already matching up with.

 

[SpiderFan]

I'd like to keep playing them. It's always been a good rivalry.

 

[spider fan]

Pay us and we will play.............otherwise what is the point?

 

[SFspidur]

Exactly...it's been a relatively one-sided rivalry for the past decade and would likely only tilt further in their favor with the FBS advantages. So why go take the OOC L unless it's for a big paycheck.

 

[KE Spider]

Dillweed Dollars are required for us to play them for sure.

 

[AnnapSpider]

Money,money, money. Show me the money!

 

[SpiderRick]

I'd like to keep playing them. It's always been a good rivalry.

Good for whom?
It hasn't been a rivalry since Huesman arrived here.

 

[AnnapSpider]

Good for whom?
It hasn't been a rivalry since Huesman arrived here.

When the “Ex “ Delaware coach, left us with the cupboard bare , and JMU was focusing on moving on up, we had an
uphill battle.

 

[wr70beh]

Whatever UVA pays us to play us in their building, that's the starting point with Purple. Purple is dead to me. Irrelevant in hoops, irrelevant in everything else.

 

[712_VT]

Jmu will regret moving up. They already don’t get great fan engagement or involvement and just wait until they’re playing Tuesday night games where the best they can do is get to the dollar tree bowl. Odu is a good example for me to look at; you would have thought they’d do fine at the fbs level but they’ve been terrible for the most part. If odu can’t do it I don’t see jmu being able to.

 

[Ferrum Spider]

When the “Ex “ Delaware coach, left us with the cupboard bare , and JMU was focusing on moving on up, we had an
uphill battle.

I agree with the back end of the statement, but didn't we have 17 returning starters and a future NFL draft pick at QB the year after Rocco left? I would hardly call that leaving the cupboard bare. Did our administration not just sit idly by and let our primary rivals JMU take our D-coordinator? Then the following year allowed that same coach and staff to walk to their other rival Delaware. Then Fontel Mines our best recruiter we have had in some time defected to JMU as well. I agree that we had an uphill battle, but a ton of that was self inflicted by our administration in addition to Rocco burning bridges on the way out. Then we hire an assistant coach that was fired for incompetence at JMU as our OC.

I do like the new OC Huesman has brought in and think were in ok shape going forward, but feel the last 5 years could of been avoided with strong/sound leadership. The last 5 years we have essentially 2 losses baked into our schedule with FBS + JMU. That leaves little margin of error when trying to secure a playoff berth.

 

[AnnapSpider]

I agree with the back end of the statement, but didn't we have 17 returning starters and a future NFL draft pick at QB the year after Rocco left? I would hardly call that leaving the cupboard bare. Did our administration not just sit idly by and let our primary rivals JMU take our D-coordinator? Then the following year allowed that same coach and staff to walk to their other rival Delaware. Then Fontel Mines our best recruiter we have had in some time defected to JMU as well. I agree that we had an uphill battle, but a ton of that was self inflicted by our administration in addition to Rocco burning bridges on the way out. Then we hire an assistant coach that was fired for incompetence at JMU as our OC.

I do like the new OC Huesman has brought in and think were in ok shape going forward, but feel the last 5 years could of been avoided with strong/sound leadership. The last 5 years we have essentially 2 losses baked into our schedule with FBS + JMU. That leaves little margin of error when trying to secure a playoff berth.

I suppose you are right, but bitterness warps my thinking.

 

[SpiderRick]

Bitter at Rocco for leaving, or bitter at our administration for chasing him away?

Blaming Rocco for last year's problems is like blaming former "politicians" for current problems.

 

[AnnapSpider]

Bitter at Rocco for leaving, or bitter at our administration for chasing him away?

Blaming Rocco for last year's problems is like blaming former "politicians" for current problems.

I think I’ll spread it around. It takes two in any divorce.