Div. I-A football a logical step for UD?

[dbackjon]

Stupid ass columnist can't get terminology right...

Bernard Muir had heard all the code words when he was interviewing for the athletic director position at the University of Delaware.

He had heard how the program was described as "a sleeping giant," that there is a "vision for the future" and that the athletic program needs "to build upon the foundation already in place."

In many ways, that is all a euphemism for moving the football program up to Division I-A.

Why else would UD hire Muir as athletic director Monday, knowing that it needs to undertake a massive fundraising effort to build new facilities, improve the current ones, all while keeping athletics competitive?

"Our aspirations are pretty clear," Delaware president Patrick Harker said. "We want to be viewed as one of the very impactful public institutions in America. And athletics is a part of that. We want to attract the best in everything we do, including athletics."

That doesn't happen without I-A football, which drives every successful athletic program.

Neither Harker nor Muir would address the possibility of moving football to I-A, but they wouldn't discount it either. This, of course, is a drastic change from the past, when UD was always content to be a big fish in a small pond, rather than try to become a big fish in a big pond.

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/2 ... 002/SPORTS

[AZGrizFan]

Don't go all "Ralph" on us and obsess about I-A versus FCS/FBS, yada yada yada....

[dbackjon]

Don't go all "Ralph" on us and obsess about I-A versus FCS/FBS, yada yada yada....

No obsession, just an observation, poindexter

[93henfan]

Don't go all "Ralph" on us and obsess about I-A versus FCS/FBS, yada yada yada....

No obsession, just an observation, poindexter

He's right though. Even if the power of forgiveness overcame my body seconds before meeting Ralph in person for the first time, I'd still slap the living shit out of him the first time he corrected me for saying I-AA.

[BlueHen86]

No obsession, just an observation, poindexter

He's right though. Even if the power of forgiveness overcame my body seconds before meeting Ralph in person for the first time, I'd still slap the living shit out of him the first time he corrected me for saying I-AA.

Just remember, Delaware has 6 NC's, even though only one of them 1-AA

[93henfan]

He's right though. Even if the power of forgiveness overcame my body seconds before meeting Ralph in person for the first time, I'd still slap the living **** out of him the first time he corrected me for saying I-AA.

Just remember, Delaware has 6 NC's, even though only one of them 1-AA

That's correct. In fact, only two schools have ever won an FCS championship. Congrats to Richmond and App State on being the only two schools to ever win a championship "at this level".

[putter]

No obsession, just an observation, poindexter

He's right though. Even if the power of forgiveness overcame my body seconds before meeting Ralph in person for the first time, I'd still slap the living **** out of him the first time he corrected me for saying I-AA.

Now that is one funny visual

[bench]

This story and all the others just like it about CAA and SoCon schools going to the bowl series must be filler for sports pages on slow news days. That's the only possible explanation for speculation about schools moving up when they have no place to go.

Until the Big East blows up again and the fallout frags every conference on the east coast, Delaware and JMU don't have any real options. Appalachian and Georgia Southern have exactly one option, the Sun Belt, which we all know doesn't count...unless you're just fucking stupid.

[ChickenMan]

A move up makes no sense for UD unless they were moving into a BCS league.. and that isn't happening. I would have zero interest in a move to the MAC or any other mid or lower level FBS conference.. a better alternative.. possibly be down the road a few years.. would be the formation of a new FBS league comprised of current FCS schools..

UD
JMU
Old Dominion
Georgia St
GSU
ASU
The Citadel

but I don't see that happening either.. so staying with the FCS and the CAA is fine with me.

[GoApps70]

I wonder about The Cidadel (El Cid) going FBS. Never heard any real indication. Wonder if they miss being on the same basis as Navy and Army.

I always heard that one thing that hurt El Cid was their summer basic training and other military tasks....hard for their linemen to keep their weight up for football season. I might have heard wrong on that.

They had probably the 2nd best FCS win, after Appalachian's victory at Michigan of course, a few years ago by beating Arkansas. Believe the Arkansas coach quit or was fired right after that.

They probably would do well in FBS.