The head football coaches at FAMU and South Carolina State, the two top ranked teams in the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference, are both solidly against the idea of giving up the conference’s automatic berth to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs in order to participate in "Legacy Bowl." But, many of their rivals are open to the idea.The Sports Network recently interviewed FAMU’s Joe Taylor, SCSU’s Buddy Pough, and others to find out where they stood on the issue.
According to published reports, the proposed "Legacy Bowl" would feature the MEAC’s champion versus the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s (SWAC) champion on Dec 17, 2011. It would air on ESPN and the conferences would share a $3M payment.
Taylor thinks that giving up the automatic berth would hurt recruitment. He also believes that the MEAC is becoming a better competitor in the national championship race.
"South Carolina State (which fell at Appalachian State, 20-13, in last year's first round) showed that this conference has probably made the biggest gains in terms of quality play as a conference," Taylor said.
The head coaches of Norfolk State, Morgan State, and Delaware State are all warm to the Legacy Bowl proposal.
"When you talk about going into a bowl game," Morgan State coach Donald Hill-Eley said, "it gives our young men an opportunity to experience that atmosphere of the bowl games, it gives them an opportunity to compete against another conference, to be able to go and spend three or four days away and be representation of your conference."
A final decision will be made by a majority vote of the presidents and chancellors in the MEAC. Conference Commissioner Dennis Thomas expects the vote to take place no later than this fall.
I know times are hard out here and that most MEAC athletic programs are in the red. That being said, this bowl game is a bad idea if it means the top teams have to forfeit a playoff bid.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if a team can decline a Legacy Bowl offer. If that is written into the contract, I would be okay with the Bowl's existence.
This Legacy Bowl deal is a bad idea because all the strides HBCUs have made to get a seat at the table to turn it down for another Black College game - then why be in the NCAA at all???
ReplyDeleteWe aren't making any effort to schedule PWC I-AA schools to help our strength of schedule, we're so strapped for cash we're forced to schedule money games.
The fact that we are even throwing away a shot at a championship for perhaps as little as $80,000 (each conference office will get $750,000 and the rest will be divided among the league members: $#750,000 divided by nine (9) or 11 football (if you count Savannjah and N.C. Central) schools, shows how bad our financial situation is.
With all the state cuts coming over the next year, maybe this Legacy Bowl issue has come at the perfect time - time for the Rattler Nation to determine what kind of future they want for FAMU - and how athletics figures into that future.
I fully support Dr. Ammons and Coach Taylor's (FAMU's) position on this one: No to the Legacy Bowl. If the MEAC insists that all schools must participate in that proposed bowl, we need to begin our search for another conference.
ReplyDeleteYou see that the "warm" comments are all from the loser coaches right? They can continue to field piss poor teams, and still reap a reward at the end of the season! That's why they don't care either way. As long as they can continue (YES! continue because the bulk of the ESPN tv contract revenue is attached to the FL Classic) to leach off the top programs without having to put forth any semblance of a competitive squad, then they are perfectly content. The Legacy Bowl is the wrong name of this thing. They need to call it the Welfare Bowl.
ReplyDeletePartisans of the Rattler Nation have been nearly unified in wanting to keep open the playoff option, believing that FAMU can catch lightning in a bottle again given their postseason history – a history that includes the first-ever FCS (I-AA) national title in 1978; a spot in the national semifinals in 1999; a second round appearance in 1998, plus a respectable 5-6 record all-time in NCAA postseason play.
ReplyDeleteIronically, the 2010 season will also see the NCAA expand its’ FCS playoff bracket from 16 teams to 20 teams, possibly affording the MEAC an opportunity to get a second team in as an at-large or wild card entry for the first time since the years 1997 through 1999, when FAMU went that route into the postseason.
The Legacy Bowl issue has only served to rekindle feelings in the Rattler Nation that FAMU should determine its’ own athletic destiny, and that all options for the program’s future should be put on the table for consideration.
In fact, it was during the Rattlers’ I-A football experience in 2003 and 2004 that FAMUans began to consider a future in a non-traditional HBCU setting conference-wise – seeking membership in a league more in tune with the institution’s stated long-range aspirations for high-end academic status and one which might provide greater national exposure and financial rewards for athletics.
So FAMU must now consider what impact the potential loss of NCAA playoff opportunities due to the Legacy Bowl – perceived by some as a “retreat” from the college sports mainstream – will have not only on football, but on the school’s 17 other sports as well, especially in the area of recruiting – the lifeblood of any sports program.
The time has come for all parties in the Rattler Nation – university administration, Board of Trustees, faculty and staff, coaches, students, alumni, boosters and fans – to come together and determine the best direction for FAMU Athletics – then work towards that end with the proverbial “all deliberate speed.”
That would be the surest way to preserve Florida A&M’s own sports “legacy.”
I agree...as long as a team can opt out without affect, then I'm all for it! FAMU and South Carolina State are the only two schools in the MEAC that are respectable and competitive enough to compete on a national level...both schools have their eyes on a bigger prize with a much greater impact on the school's athletic programs. The Legacy aka Heritage Bowl is a big step backwards. If such a move negates our chances to compete on a national level, then yes, we should definitely consider another conference...keeping the Atlanta and Florida Classic games on the schedule.
ReplyDeleteThe last time the MEAC had multiple teams in the D1AA playoffs was in 2003 - NCAT (auto) and BCC (at large).
ReplyDeleteExpect two MEAC teams in the playoff this year.
ReplyDeleteThe Legacy Bowl will do more harm than good in the long term. It does not address the real issue= of getting more fans to pay for home games. One bowl game of a rumored 3 million split between two conferences just isn't much at all. The FAMU-BCC Classic does that by itself! Also, keep in mind that the 3 million dollar figure comes by way of rumors and we've heard absolutely nothing from ESPN or any other sponsor for what matters.
I submit to you that with all of the professionals the universities have empowered we can network and get better results without compromising the playoffs. Besides, why not have the playoffs and then the bowl game(s) afterwards. If we can generate that kind of money why just one bowl? :) Because we're talking fools gold maybe? I can see the sponsorship dwindle and us practically out of 1AA in the process.
Fools gold!!!
Old Time Rattler
Re:
ReplyDeleteThe Legacy Bowl issue has only served to rekindle feelings in the Rattler Nation that FAMU should determine its’ own athletic destiny, and that all options for the program’s future should be put on the table for consideration ...
... The time has come for all parties in the Rattler Nation – university administration, Board of Trustees, faculty and staff, coaches, students, alumni, boosters and fans – to come together and determine the best direction for FAMU Athletics – then work towards that end with the proverbial “all deliberate speed.”
Question ...
Would any of you be up for setting up some sort of a Breakfast/Roundtable Discussion with our President ... as well as our New AD - & even possibly the Booster & NAA Presidents ... during the morning of the Florida Classic at the Alumni Host Hotel in order to discuss & strategize on JUST that?
With the thousands of us that are all going to be in Orlando that weekend - and on our OWN dimes at that - it seems as though some sort of gathering or discussion - even if just on an informal level to simply meet or be introduced to our new AD - among those of us with some amount of interest in just what the direction of our Programs are headed would be an effecive vehicle if just to bring people up to speed on where we are all indeed headed with all of this.
"Let's face it!" ...
Dr. Ammons & Coach Tayler may have indeed "said" that they're against the Legacy Bowl ...
But the Bottom Line is that if this vote is taken this coming Fall, without US having at least some sort of a Plan B in place, our butts would be playing for it in 2011.
As much as I know we're about to (hopefully) have a new AD in place shortly, I believe it's also time for U$ as the so called beneficiarires & "$hareholders" of the Program to take some sort of initiative in the future decision making as well. No matter what direction we head, WE're the ones who are going to be expected to help foot the bill for it, so we might as well have a greater say in that charting that direction.
As much as I know some of you "claim to be so busy" that weekend, if (some of) you - and especially those of you staying at the FAMU Host Hotel anyway - may indeed be up for meeting up the morning of the FL Classic ... or if you may have an alternative date/location you would suggest/recommend ... your opinion(s) would be mucho appreciated.
"You Probably Gotta Eat Breakfast ANYWAY!" ...
So why not at least get something constructive out of it ... while potentially raise funds for the Athletic Program at the same time?
When will we abandoned this Civil Rights Era mentality? Is this really the best we can do?
ReplyDeleteThe Legacy Bowl is equivalent to the chitlin circuit.
Here we are supposedly a 21st century man, still settling for scraps in the midst of plenty.
Dennis Thomas, MEAC officials, presidents, coaches etc, you'll should bow your heads in shame.
Think Big Rattlers
Folks, let's face it, FAMU Athletics in the MEAC is like the New York Yankees in the major leagues or Michael Jordan in the NBA - admired, envied and hated.
ReplyDeleteAs badly as we handled it in 2003-04, we were had the right idea about going I-A or at least looking for other conference options.
In fact, after we expanded Bragg in 1983, the plan was to bring the Bethune game to Tallahassee every other year, pay them the same guarantee they were getting in Tampa, and let them (B-CU) play it wherever they wanted to when it was their home game.
But they loved FAMU doing all the ground work to put on the Classic every year and getting half the money, so they went to the MEAC which sided against us, penalizing all sports for a year (1983-84) because of one football game.
So fast forward to 2010.
You think the MEAC cares about FAMU and its' sports future?
As Whitney would say "H--- To The No."
Thirteen (13) national titles, 170 conference titles (including 86 in the MEAC - 20 more than the 2nd place school, S.C. State), on and on.
We need to look at options folks, we have outgrown the MEAC!!!
8:51AM, Count me down for attendance @ the "FAMU State of Athletics" Breakfast! Where do we sign up? Who do we need to email about the breakfast details? The Rattler Booster president? NAA president? Athletics marketing (Ms. Suggs)? All of the above?
ReplyDeleteWill Rattler Nation, Big Rattler, and/or Da Rattler please create an poll to survey the Rattler Nation's opinion on attending such a fundraising event to hear what our leadership (Dr. Ammons and new AD Horne) and stakeholders (alumni, financial supporters) have to say about the direction of FAMU football and athletics in the near future? Thanks alot.
Great idea, it should be a series of meetings, multiple locations. Prior to every game! Call it Gameday Breakfast. Its time to explore Rattlers! They've used us with no thanks.
ReplyDeleteI love it! A series of Gameday Breakfasts: pre-ATL Classic, pre-Homecoming, pre-FL Classic! Oh let's do it FAMU Athletics, Dr. Ammons, NAA, and Boosters!
ReplyDeleteHere's a draft/sketch of some items for discussion at those breakfasts:
ReplyDeleteFAMU ATHLETICS STRATEGIC PLAN OUTLINE
-Discuss current state of the program, then determine vision and goals for Athletics.
-Discuss current status of program: financially, competitively, facilities, staffing.
-Agree on desired competition level for program (Division I (I-A, I-AA), etc.).
-Discuss current conference affiliation and options (including independent).
-Discuss reasonable timeline to realize stated vision and achieve short-term and long-term milestones.
This might carry over into lunch or dinner and may be a two-day retreat/conference (LOL), but the future of Rattler Sports hangs in the balance.