VCU moving up?

[PalmTreeSpidUR]

Will VCU jump to another conference? Ryan Odom's contract suggests a move could be possible.

In an age of ever-increasing conference mobility across the college athletics landscape, universities around the country are constantly evaluating realignment options.

richmond.com

Can't happen soon enough in my view.

Or, was this our grand plan all along? Invite them into our web, get totally dominated for years, let them move up, have them invite us along, and then totally dominate them on the bigger stage

 

[Spiders4ever]

Will VCU jump to another conference? Ryan Odom's contract suggests a move could be possible.

In an age of ever-increasing conference mobility across the college athletics landscape, universities around the country are constantly evaluating realignment options.

richmond.com

Can't happen soon enough in my view.

Or, was this our grand plan all along? Invite them into our web, get totally dominated for years, let them move up, have them invite us along, and then totally dominate them on the bigger stage

Yes

 

[32counter]

Puff piece by AD.Did you see their OOC?

 

[Ferrum Spider]

That's a pretty ambiguous take from contract language, slow time of season I suppose. One thing for sure is if they ever do get some sort of AAC-esque invite, they will not be bringing us along for the ride as we did for them. I don't envision them ever getting a BE invite unless they return to their old form during the Smart days. Football significantly limits their attractiveness to another conference but that new mega athletics complex will be a boost to the non revenue sports.

As far as I am concerned we need to worry less about them and take care of the mess we have in house administratively speaking. Maybe then, well be able to actually call it a rivalry and feel confident about the future. They are in a far better position with their new mega complex and marketability than we will be should conference expansion get rolling again. Knowing our history we would write a letter of recommendation for VCU to join the BE. The A10 is a corpse of itself thanks to the portal and NIL, so it'll be even more important to invest in ourselves as we can't rely on the league to deliver us auto bids anymore.

Our only true advantage over them is football, which we've shown an unwillingness to invest in and are actively apathetic in improving. I wish wed have the stones to convince some of the established CAA schools to go FBS now that they scrapped the attendance requirement since FCS is fledging as well.

Maybe when our main qualification for AD is that your kid went to school here and was roommates with the daughters of the schools sugar daddy, we'll get our vision in order.

 

[SpiderTrap]

VCU has the recent history to make a move up, but I think a lot will depend on how they do the next year or two and how much more expansion takes place across the football landscape. The whole changing conference and expansion of conferences right now is driven 100% by football and without football - the only league that VCU or UR (if it every came up again) could move to is the Big East.

And I don't know if the Big East would be looking to expand anymore as it currently has 11 teams - so maybe they add 1 or 3 to get to 12 or 14, but I think they had 5 teams make the NCAA tourney last year - so thats a good percentage of conference moving on.

Maybe UR would be more attractive to some lower level leagues - like an American Athletic as our football team could move up to that, but I don't think UR is in the business for moving up in football.

 

[urmite]

VCU has the recent history to make a move up, but I think a lot will depend on how they do the next year or two and how much more expansion takes place across the football landscape. The whole changing conference and expansion of conferences right now is driven 100% by football and without football - the only league that VCU or UR (if it every came up again) could move to is the Big East.

And I don't know if the Big East would be looking to expand anymore as it currently has 11 teams - so maybe they add 1 or 3 to get to 12 or 14, but I think they had 5 teams make the NCAA tourney last year - so thats a good percentage of conference moving on.

Maybe UR would be more attractive to some lower level leagues - like an American Athletic as our football team could move up to that, but I don't think UR is in the business for moving up in football.

Not sure we could hang with 2021 AAC football, but 2023?

2023 Football Standings

The official 2023 Football Standings for

theamerican.org

 

[KE Spider]

Spiders aren't going anywhere. If you assert you want to win Championships, but bus the FB team 7-10 hours to a game, how seriously devoted is the Administration to the stated goal? Speaks volumes.

As to MBB, if the best is 55% where we are, why even consider moving up?

 

[GKiller]

Maybe UR would be more attractive to some lower level leagues - like an American Athletic as our football team could move up to that, but I don't think UR is in the business for moving up in football.

Unfortunately we're more likely to drop football than move up a division.

 

[KE Spider]

Follow up - If Spiders had VCU's MBB record over last decade as a small private university rather than a huge public one, UR would likely already be in the BE.

 

[AnnapSpider]

Spiders aren't going anywhere. If you assert you want to win Championships, but bus the FB team 7-10 hours to a game, how seriously devoted is the Administration to the stated goal? Speaks volumes.

As to MBB, if the best is 55% where we are, why even consider moving up?

When did we bus a football team 7-10 hours?

 

[KE Spider]

Stony Brook. September 23 this year. How we have traveled there before. Assume same this year.

Yet, we are 100% committed to winning Championships. Calling PR BS.

 

[32counter]

When did we bus a football team 7-10 hours?

St Francis Hurricane change of venue-8 hours

Stony Brook-UR always bus rides
8 hours on Fridays,at least

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Q6zH6kR8ggwk8xUeA?g_st=im

Fordham-7 hours on Fridays-bus ride-lost game

https://maps.app.goo.gl/8Xy7vT9QmNpvWoVp6?g_st=im

 

[SpiderTrap]

I agree - I don't think the administrations has the commitment needed to move up as evidenced by a lot of examples displayed and discussed already. Nor do I think they would want to move up any further - as that would be a headline for athletics and possibly move athletics to the forefront of the University - something I also don't think they want to happen.

They like UR being known for one of the best campuses in the country and best academic schools of the south where all the northeast kids come for 4 years. They don't want to be known as a Big East basketball school going for an NCAA bid.

 

[MrTbone]

I agree - I don't think the administrations has the commitment needed to move up as evidenced by a lot of examples displayed and discussed already. Nor do I think they would want to move up any further - as that would be a headline for athletics and possibly move athletics to the forefront of the University - something I also don't think they want to happen.

They like UR being known for one of the best campuses in the country and best academic schools of the south where all the northeast kids come for 4 years. They don't want to be known as a Big East basketball school going for an NCAA bid.

Basketball definitely ruined Dukes reputation. It’s a cautionary tale…

I’m not saying I disagree with your assessment, but that anyone would think like that is just absurd.

 

[DTSpider]

Just because it is absurd doesn’t mean it’s not how the board is thinking. Seems like a spot on assessment to me.

 

[AnnapSpider]

St Francis Hurricane change of venue-8 hours

Stony Brook-UR always bus rides
8 hours on Fridays,at least

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Q6zH6kR8ggwk8xUeA?g_st=im

Fordham-7 hours on Fridays-bus ride-lost game

https://maps.app.goo.gl/8Xy7vT9QmNpvWoVp6?g_st=im

But was/is this due to unforeseen circumstances? I can’t imagine that we don’t fly to
most long distant games.

 

[32counter]

But was/is this due to unforeseen circumstances? I can’t imagine that we don’t fly to
most long distant games.

Fordham and Stonybrook were intentional bus rides.

 

[Spiders4ever]

Well, UConn might be moving out, so you never know

 

[urmite]

Well, UConn might be moving out, so you never know

The Husky Hokey Pokey continues?


You put one foot in the Big East, you put one foot out, you put one foot in, you put one foot out…