You're not wrong.

(12-27-2018 07:40 PM)UTEPDallas Wrote:  I don’t have a dog in this fight.

The way I see it as an outsider is that VT has more choices in their neck of the woods. ECU was the only non power school surrounding the states of NC, VA, SC, GA, TN (excluding Memphis) for the longest time. They got good deals with the likes of VT and WVU. They were seen more or less as an equal. The problem I see with ECU and with Southern Miss is that now there’s more G5 competition around them than 10, 15 and 20 years ago. Old Dominion, Charlotte, App State, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky, Liberty and Coastal Carolina starting or moving to FBS is having an effect on ECU. VT can say screw you ECU, I’ll go with ODU or Liberty. Something that was inconceivable ten years ago.

I might be wrong but that’s how I see it.

Also that USM and ECU were located really far from their instate P5 schools so it was possible to throw up a 35,000 seater, get good local support and then schedule in some P5s at home to drive support up even more.

A lot of the new G5's don't have that ability.

(12-27-2018 07:40 PM)UTEPDallas Wrote:  I don’t have a dog in this fight.

The way I see it as an outsider is that VT has more choices in their neck of the woods. ECU was the only non power school surrounding the states of NC, VA, SC, GA, TN (excluding Memphis) for the longest time. They got good deals with the likes of VT and WVU. They were seen more or less as an equal. The problem I see with ECU and with Southern Miss is that now there’s more G5 competition around them than 10, 15 and 20 years ago. Old Dominion, Charlotte, App State, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky, Liberty and Coastal Carolina starting or moving to FBS is having an effect on ECU. VT can say screw you ECU, I’ll go with ODU or Liberty. Something that was inconceivable ten years ago.

I might be wrong but that’s how I see it.

Does VT "need" the series with ECU? No.
Did VT set out to harm ECU - or even to escape the series - before this season happened? I don't think so. However, I think the relationship between VT and ECU had become less valuable over time (as some of you have pointed out), which ultimately meant that the threshold of pain VT was willing to endure to keep the series going had also become lower... ECU exceeded that threshold when they signed up to play NC State instead of VT.

I might be wrong but that’s how I see it.

(12-27-2018 10:32 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(12-27-2018 07:40 PM)UTEPDallas Wrote:  I don’t have a dog in this fight.

The way I see it as an outsider is that VT has more choices in their neck of the woods. ECU was the only non power school surrounding the states of NC, VA, SC, GA, TN (excluding Memphis) for the longest time. They got good deals with the likes of VT and WVU. They were seen more or less as an equal. The problem I see with ECU and with Southern Miss is that now there’s more G5 competition around them than 10, 15 and 20 years ago. Old Dominion, Charlotte, App State, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky, Liberty and Coastal Carolina starting or moving to FBS is having an effect on ECU. VT can say screw you ECU, I’ll go with ODU or Liberty. Something that was inconceivable ten years ago.

I might be wrong but that’s how I see it.

Also that USM and ECU were located really far from their instate P5 schools so it was possible to throw up a 35,000 seater, get good local support and then schedule in some P5s at home to drive support up even more.

A lot of the new G5's don't have that ability.

ECU wasnt far from the ACC NC schools at all. They just were the only NC 1A/FBS school that really prioritized football since the ACC was basketball centric

(12-28-2018 02:48 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  

(12-27-2018 07:40 PM)UTEPDallas Wrote:  I don’t have a dog in this fight.

The way I see it as an outsider is that VT has more choices in their neck of the woods. ECU was the only non power school surrounding the states of NC, VA, SC, GA, TN (excluding Memphis) for the longest time. They got good deals with the likes of VT and WVU. They were seen more or less as an equal. The problem I see with ECU and with Southern Miss is that now there’s more G5 competition around them than 10, 15 and 20 years ago. Old Dominion, Charlotte, App State, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky, Liberty and Coastal Carolina starting or moving to FBS is having an effect on ECU. VT can say screw you ECU, I’ll go with ODU or Liberty. Something that was inconceivable ten years ago.

I might be wrong but that’s how I see it.

Does VT "need" the series with ECU? No.
Did VT set out to harm ECU - or even to escape the series - before this season happened? I don't think so. However, I think the relationship between VT and ECU had become less valuable over time (as some of you have pointed out), which ultimately meant that the threshold of pain VT was willing to endure to keep the series going had also become lower... ECU exceeded that threshold when they signed up to play NC State instead of VT.

I might be wrong but that’s how I see it.

I think the best way to sum it up is "Its nothing personal, just business." ODU and Liberty played the role that ECU used to play so ECU is no longer needed. This was a convenient way out of a series VA Tech wanted to end