They're different, and have the right to be different. Whether we like it or not, Liberty has built one hell of a program, with excellent facilities. They got the G5 bid for a Jan. 1 bowl this past season. They are a natural geographic rival in our own state. UVa and Tech play them frequently.

Yes, we should play them, and play them regularly. So set the politics aside and play ball.

(03-11-2024 10:46 AM)bcp_jmu Wrote:  

(03-11-2024 09:08 AM)RamDawg Wrote:  

(03-09-2024 08:53 PM)JMUPride Wrote:  Personally, I don't want anything to do with that corrupt, immoral, disgusting diploma mill.

I would have preferred a series vs almost any other regional G5 (like a Charlotte, Navy, ECU, or MTSU)

Liberty is a wise business decision. Most business decisions aren't based on emotion.

Any info on the finances going on here? It could be that Liberty is throwing us cash (yes yes..i know...don't sell soul to the devil...etc..)

With it being a double home & home wouldn't it be a wash and no money changing hands?

Regardless of the opponent, it's a bit crazy to have 3 games scheduled for 2032 and 1 for 2034? Obviously not specific to JMU, moreso on the whole system. NIL and recruiting rules are changing every month, and they just figured out how this year's playoffs will be structured, but we "know" we are going to Liberty in 3,841 days.

(03-11-2024 12:45 PM)DoubleDogDare Wrote:  Regardless of the opponent, it's a bit crazy to have 3 games scheduled for 2032 and 1 for 2034? Obviously not specific to JMU, moreso on the whole system. NIL and recruiting rules are changing every month, and they just figured out how this year's playoffs will be structured, but we "know" we are going to Liberty in 3,841 days.

As far as I've seen, teams back out on scheduled games more than ever nowadays, so I fully expect some of our future games to be canceled and/or rescheduled.

(03-11-2024 11:28 AM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(03-11-2024 10:46 AM)bcp_jmu Wrote:  

(03-11-2024 09:08 AM)RamDawg Wrote:  

(03-09-2024 08:53 PM)JMUPride Wrote:  Personally, I don't want anything to do with that corrupt, immoral, disgusting diploma mill.

I would have preferred a series vs almost any other regional G5 (like a Charlotte, Navy, ECU, or MTSU)

Liberty is a wise business decision. Most business decisions aren't based on emotion.

Any info on the finances going on here? It could be that Liberty is throwing us cash (yes yes..i know...don't sell soul to the devil...etc..)

With it being a double home & home wouldn't it be a wash and no money changing hands?

Exactly. Unless there's something I'm completely missing, not sure why scheduling the corrupt cult diploma mill is more of a "wise business decision" than scheduling a 6 game series vs ECU or Navy.

(03-11-2024 11:20 AM)Madison 91 Forever Wrote:  They're different, and have the right to be different. Whether we like it or not, Liberty has built one hell of a program, with excellent facilities. They got the G5 bid for a Jan. 1 bowl this past season. They are a natural geographic rival in our own state. UVa and Tech play them frequently.

Yes, we should play them, and play them regularly. So set the politics aside and play ball.

Yep. Plus with Liberty and UD, are there any other OOC G5s that JMU would bring as many fans to, and would bring as many fans to JMU?

(03-11-2024 03:45 PM)BDKJMU Wrote:  

(03-11-2024 11:20 AM)Madison 91 Forever Wrote:  They're different, and have the right to be different. Whether we like it or not, Liberty has built one hell of a program, with excellent facilities. They got the G5 bid for a Jan. 1 bowl this past season. They are a natural geographic rival in our own state. UVa and Tech play them frequently.

Yes, we should play them, and play them regularly. So set the politics aside and play ball.

Yep. Plus with Liberty and UD, are there any other OOC G5s that JMU would bring as many fans to, and would bring as many fans to JMU?

ECU, Navy, Army, MTSU are my guesses.

(03-11-2024 03:45 PM)BDKJMU Wrote:  

(03-11-2024 11:20 AM)Madison 91 Forever Wrote:  They're different, and have the right to be different. Whether we like it or not, Liberty has built one hell of a program, with excellent facilities. They got the G5 bid for a Jan. 1 bowl this past season. They are a natural geographic rival in our own state. UVa and Tech play them frequently.

Yes, we should play them, and play them regularly. So set the politics aside and play ball.

Yep. Plus with Liberty and UD, are there any other OOC G5s that JMU would bring as many fans to, and would bring as many fans to JMU?

We sell out our stadium without away fans, so don't get this point.

(03-11-2024 07:05 PM)Dukes_Royals Wrote:  

(03-11-2024 03:45 PM)BDKJMU Wrote:  

(03-11-2024 11:20 AM)Madison 91 Forever Wrote:  They're different, and have the right to be different. Whether we like it or not, Liberty has built one hell of a program, with excellent facilities. They got the G5 bid for a Jan. 1 bowl this past season. They are a natural geographic rival in our own state. UVa and Tech play them frequently.

Yes, we should play them, and play them regularly. So set the politics aside and play ball.

Yep. Plus with Liberty and UD, are there any other OOC G5s that JMU would bring as many fans to, and would bring as many fans to JMU?

We sell out our stadium without away fans, so don't get this point.

I was going to say the same thing, but guessing they mean we’ll have a foe we wish to travel to as well.

(03-11-2024 02:25 PM)JMUPride Wrote:  

(03-11-2024 12:45 PM)DoubleDogDare Wrote:  Regardless of the opponent, it's a bit crazy to have 3 games scheduled for 2032 and 1 for 2034? Obviously not specific to JMU, moreso on the whole system. NIL and recruiting rules are changing every month, and they just figured out how this year's playoffs will be structured, but we "know" we are going to Liberty in 3,841 days.

As far as I've seen, teams back out on scheduled games more than ever nowadays, so I fully expect some of our future games to be canceled and/or rescheduled.

Agreed. Which just adds to the silliness of putting the 2033 and 2034 on paper.

(03-11-2024 07:14 PM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(03-11-2024 07:05 PM)Dukes_Royals Wrote:  

(03-11-2024 03:45 PM)BDKJMU Wrote:  

(03-11-2024 11:20 AM)Madison 91 Forever Wrote:  They're different, and have the right to be different. Whether we like it or not, Liberty has built one hell of a program, with excellent facilities. They got the G5 bid for a Jan. 1 bowl this past season. They are a natural geographic rival in our own state. UVa and Tech play them frequently.

Yes, we should play them, and play them regularly. So set the politics aside and play ball.

Yep. Plus with Liberty and UD, are there any other OOC G5s that JMU would bring as many fans to, and would bring as many fans to JMU?

We sell out our stadium without away fans, so don't get this point.

I was going to say the same thing, but guessing they mean we’ll have a foe we wish to travel to as well.

Except I have no wish to ever travel to them. Lynchburg is a great city, but Liberty will never get a penny from me. But I do understand plenty of fans will.

Rather spend my money to go to Huntington, Norfolk or Boone.

I like LU on the schedule. It makes sense.

(03-11-2024 05:11 PM)Xeonon Wrote:  

(03-11-2024 03:45 PM)BDKJMU Wrote:  

(03-11-2024 11:20 AM)Madison 91 Forever Wrote:  They're different, and have the right to be different. Whether we like it or not, Liberty has built one hell of a program, with excellent facilities. They got the G5 bid for a Jan. 1 bowl this past season. They are a natural geographic rival in our own state. UVa and Tech play them frequently.

Yes, we should play them, and play them regularly. So set the politics aside and play ball.

Yep. Plus with Liberty and UD, are there any other OOC G5s that JMU would bring as many fans to, and would bring as many fans to JMU?

ECU, Navy, Army, MTSU are my guesses.

Should have included Navy, as mentioned in a previous post they are the 2nd closest OOC G5 to JMU after Liberty, closer than UD, and would draw a ton from the DC area.

ECU not really. Doable for a day trip from Richmond & Tidewater areas, too far for most from DC and Harrisonburg without an overnight.

MTSU no way- Roughly 8 hours from Harrisonburg, 9 hrs from Richmond, 10 from DC, 11 from Tidewater. More people would fly to Nashville and make the 1/2 hr drive to Murfreesboro. Yeah a lot would make it a 3-4 day weekend staying in Nashville, but not nearly as many as would make a simple day trip to LU or UD.

(03-11-2024 07:05 PM)Dukes_Royals Wrote:  

(03-11-2024 03:45 PM)BDKJMU Wrote:  

(03-11-2024 11:20 AM)Madison 91 Forever Wrote:  They're different, and have the right to be different. Whether we like it or not, Liberty has built one hell of a program, with excellent facilities. They got the G5 bid for a Jan. 1 bowl this past season. They are a natural geographic rival in our own state. UVa and Tech play them frequently.

Yes, we should play them, and play them regularly. So set the politics aside and play ball.

Yep. Plus with Liberty and UD, are there any other OOC G5s that JMU would bring as many fans to, and would bring as many fans to JMU?

We sell out our stadium without away fans, so don't get this point.

Well considering some of these games are scheduled in the 2030s out to 2034, I would hope Bridgeforth would be expanded to the 35k ballpark or more by then.

Williams is 25k, and their Phase III will expand itnto 30k
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_Stadium

UD was 23k, then 22k, which they use to regularly sell out back in their 1980s-early 2000s I-AA glory days, before they upgraded/modernized but shrunk it to 18.5k right when Covid hit (Unfortunately no more pee walls). I’ve read they have plans to enclose one of their endzones. Not sure what that will get them up to- low to mid 20s k I guess.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaware_Stadium

(03-11-2024 09:41 PM)BDKJMU Wrote:  

(03-11-2024 05:11 PM)Xeonon Wrote:  

(03-11-2024 03:45 PM)BDKJMU Wrote:  Yep. Plus with Liberty and UD, are there any other OOC G5s that JMU would bring as many fans to, and would bring as many fans to JMU?

ECU, Navy, Army, MTSU are my guesses.

Should have included Navy, as mentioned in a previous post they are the 2nd closest OOC G5 to JMU after Liberty, closer than UD, and would draw a ton from the DC area.

ECU not really. Do able for a day trip from Richmond & Tidewater areas, too far for most from DC and Harrisonburg without an overnight.

MTSU no way- Roughly 8 hours from Harrisonburg, 9 hrs from Richmond, 10 from DC, 11 from Tidewater. More people would fly to Nashville and make the 1/2 hr drive to Murfreesboro. Yeah a lot woukd make it a 3-4 say weekend with Nashville, but not nearly as many as would make a simple day trip to LU or UD.

Navy, Army and MTSU were never options. Charlotte and ECU either said no or we are actively negotiating with them.

- Navy has gotten in a pattern of 1 FCS and 3 FBS teams a year. They are under contract with Army and Air Force every year until 2037. Notre Dame is only under contract until 2032 but they have played every non-COVID year since 1927 so let's assume they are extending. There wasn't an opening for JMU.

- Army is joining AAC and have ~50 schedules games the next 10 years that are up in the air. Some of the 50 will move from OCC to AAC games, but they are likely keeping a FCS slot and their contracted Air Force OOC games. So for 2031-2034, they already have 10 contracted OOC FBS teams on the schedule to fill only 8 spots. There wasn't an opening for JMU.

- MTSU has historically played 2 or 3 P5s a year but are scheduled to play 1 FCS, 1 P5, and 2 G5 opponents the next 3 seasons. Even assuming 2 G5s is their new scheduling philosophy and they won't revert to multiple P5s, they are already booked for 2031-2034 with G5 home-and-homes with EMU, GaSo, Troy and Ball St. There wasn't an opening for JMU.

Charlotte and ODU aren't as clear cut but I have faith in Bourne and betting it wasn't our decision.
- Charlotte's OOC has been 1 FCS, 1 G5 and 2 P5's the last 5 seasons and will continue for the next 3. Appears their scheduling preference is 1 G5 a year, and they playing App 2025-2030. They do have openings starting 2031 so it appears to be a possibility. Given JMU and Charlotte already have the 2024 and 2029 games, I'm betting either (1) Charlotte has told us no, or (2) it's in the works for those years, or (3) Liberty presented Bourne a better offer so it got locked faster and/or made JMU back away from Charlotte.

- ECU only has ODU on the schedule for 2031 and nothing for the other 3 seasons. They publicly stated they like regional G5 OOC games. They have 10 games against 4 SBC teams the next 8 years (ODU x5, App St x2, Coastal x2, GaSt x1). Seems like a perfect match, and since it hasn't happen, I'm willing to bet it's similar to Charlotte - ECU said no or it's in the works.

We open up at Charlotte this year so obviously the negotiations have taken place.

(03-12-2024 06:03 AM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  We open up at Charlotte this year so obviously the negotiations have taken place.

The negotiations for the 2024/2029 games were in 2022. At that point, Charlotte already had App St locked in for 2026-2030 but they needed a G5 for 2024. Both team's priority at that time was to get a 2024 opponent, not 2031+ games. I didn't see anything definitive that potential games for 2031-2034 were discussed in 2022.

With that said, by late August 2022 we had announced the Miami (Ohio) 2028/2031 series and the 2033/2034 series with Liberty had been leaked so clearly JMU was ready to talk 2031+.