July 1, 2004

Charleston, SC - Q: Why are we playing two I-A football games this fall?

A: Creating a football schedule is an arduous task. As mentioned previously in this space, East Tennessee State dropped their football program and VMI left the conference, thus creating holes in what used to be an easy schedule to create. Elon's entry into the league helps, and we've always liked to play at least one I-A opponent per season.

The values of I-A games are that the short-term is financial, and the long-term is that it helps build a program. And we plan to do this at least two or three more times this decade.

I am aware of the impact a difficult schedule has on the won-loss record, as we would like to have a more realistic I-AA schedule in order to be successful. Our 2004 slate ranks second nationally with regard to strength of schedule. But we believe this is a long-term investment in our recruiting that will pay huge dividends in four, five or six years down the road. Recruiting-wise, I don't believe there is a college football player in America who doesn't dream of playing against the best and playing in stadiums with capacities of 75,000-to-85,000 fans. The opportunity to play at Auburn this fall will be an experience our players will remember forever. They will also enjoy playing at a great institution like Duke, as well.

We want our coaches to be able to enter a recruit's home and tell him and his parents that in addition to getting a great education in a very disciplined environment, he'll be playing at Ole Miss in 2005, Texas A&M in 2006, and other BCS programs in 2007, '08 and '09.

Coach John Zernhelt, through his vast background, understands this and realizes that playing two I-A games this fall is a tremendous challenge. He also comprehends the difficulty involved, but he knows that we're in this for the long haul, and we plan to give him and his staff ample time to build a solid program.

So what is your definition of a "program," one might ask? Perhaps the best example I can give is The Citadel's baseball program as it has stood the test of time. It is in the race every year, and this past season probably best illustrates my point. A six-game losing streak late in mid-May, a No. 3 seed in the conference tournament and what do they do? They proceeded to become the Southern Conference automatic qualifier in the NCAA Tournament. That is my definition of a "program" and it did not happen overnight or even over a few years.

This is our long-term dream for our football program and for all of our athletic teams. But, frankly, football is the cornerstone of the department. And as in many institutions, the success/failure of the football program can be contagious.

We are planting the seeds that hopefully will help build a solid program that can be a consistent winner year in and year out.