Football or Basketball School? SoCon Edition

by Matt Waldman

Sports debates can bring out the passion in a fanbase, especially college fans. Is the SEC or Big Ten better at football? Is Duke or UNC the better basketball program in the state of North Carolina? Fans will argue their points to death and stick by them through thick or thin. One debate that rages on across conferences is which schools are better at football versus basketball. Kentucky is a basketball school, while Alabama is a football school. However, I am not here to debate the SEC today. Rather, as an alumnus of a Southern Conference institution, I am ready to let all SoCon fanbases know exactly where their precious programs stand in both sports over the last two decades. Debate me if you want, but numbers don’t lie.

The ten schools in the Southern Conference were scored based on a rubric that took into account championships, postseason appearances and success, along with individual honors over the past 20 years. This includes titles and awards won as members of other conferences. Football accolades were scored with a positive score, while basketball accolades were scored negatively to create a net score. The higher the score, the more likely it is that it is a football school. Without further ado, here are the verdicts.

Football Schools

Furman Paladins

Football Score: 906

Basketball Score: -115

Net Score: 791

There really is not much of an argument to be made here. The bottom line is that Furman’s success on the basketball has been little to none in the last 20 years. The Paladins have just four postseason appearances and five individual honors to show for during that time span in hoops.

Meanwhile, the football team has shared four SoCon titles and earned 15 individual awards. Furthermore, the Paladins have made nine FCS playoff appearances with eight wins. Furman has seen lots of great players come and go, with 172 all-conference selections and 28 AP All-Americans. While a 20-year compilation shows that Furman is better at football, recent history suggests that the basketball program may finally break through their NCAA Tournament drought.

Samford Bulldogs

Football Score: 538

Basketball Score: -67

Net Score: 471

Samford follows Furman’s path with a 20-year basketball history that is nothing to write home about. They made the NCAA Tournament as a member of the Atlantic Sun in 2000, making it their only notable basketball accomplishment. Meanwhile, on the gridiron, a large part of Samford’s score is comprised of individual player success. The Bulldogs have shared just one regular-season title in any of the conferences they have been a member of since 2000. However, they have had 12 individual honors, including eight players of the year. That includes quarterback Devlin Hodges (below), who took home the national player of the year honor in 2018. They have also had 115 all-conference selections and 20 AP All-Americans.

Essentially, Samford football is a tale of great player success without great team success, having made just three FCS playoff appearances with no wins in the past two decades. 

 Wofford Terriers

Football Score: 818

Basketball Score: -359

Net Score: 459

If you try to examine Wofford with recency bias, you might assume that the Terriers could be argued as both a football and basketball school. However, the football program has been more consistent since 2000 than the basketball program. The 2018-19 basketball team will be remembered for its historic season, and the program as a whole has been one of the best in the past decade in the league. However, the success was not there during the 2000s.

On the other hand, the football program has earned at least a share of seven titles since 2000 and appeared in 10 FCS playoff brackets, winning nine playoff games. The gridiron Terriers made it to the FCS semifinals in 2003, culminating with Mike Ayers taking home the national coach of the year honor. There have been 13 individual awards taken home by football players as well as 141 members of the all-conference team and 20 AP All-Americans. The basketball program is closing the gap, but football still rules in Spartanburg. 

Chattanooga Mocs

Football Score: 636

Basketball Score: -288

Net Score: 348

Chattanooga is another school that has seen a high number of individual football honors help boost the score. The Mocs basketball program holds its own, making three NCAA appearances since 2000 and capturing six regular-season titles. However, while the football program has less titles (three), they have raked up the player honors. Chattanooga football has had 23 individual awards given to them by the conference, including 15 player of the year accolades. This number was boosted by Jacob Huesman (below) and Davis Tull bringing home back-to-back honors in the early 2010s. The Mocs have also had 129 all-conference players and 15 AP All-Americans. Still, with all of the great players, Chatt has just three FCS appearances and three wins to brag about since 2000. 

Western Carolina Catamounts

Football Score: 366

Basketball Score: -110

Net Score: 256

Calling Western Carolina a football school might be a slight stretch. However, the program has produced some quality players, resulting in 110 all-conference selections and four AP All-Americans. However, the basketball program did earn a share of two regular-season titles when the SoCon was split up by divisions. Both the football and basketball programs are split evenly with four individual honors apiece since 2000. The basketball team has also made two postseason appearances, once each in the CIT and CBI. The difference for the Catamounts’ score ultimately lies in all-conference selections. Otherwise, it is more likely that WCU does not fall into either category.

The Citadel Bulldogs

Football Score: 240

Basketball Score: -43

Net Score: 197

The Citadel ends up being a football school by default. The basketball Bulldogs have just three individual honors, nine all-conference players and one postseason appearance (2009 CIT) since 2000. They fall on the dubious list of basketball programs that have never made the NCAA Tournament since the NCAA split into divisions decades ago.

As far as the football field is concerned, The Citadel has a little more to boast about. The Bulldogs have two titles and two FCS appearances, including one playoff victory. From an individual standpoint, El Cid has seen five honors, 46 first-team all-conference selections, and seven AP All-Americans. All of that is enough to classify the Bulldogs as a football school, though this one was pretty easy even with an official scoring rubric.

Basketball Schools

East Tennessee State Buccaneers 

Football Score: 132

Basketball Score: -386

Net Score: -254

East Tennessee State’s numbers may seem skewed by some since the football program went on hiatus for 12 years during the stretch being analyzed. However, even if football had been around for the full 20 years, basketball still may have reigned.  The Bucs has captured seven regular-season titles and appeared in six NCAA Tournaments. Add in one NIT appearance and four appearances in the CIT/CBI brackets, and the basketball Bucs have made 11 postseason tournaments. Furthermore, they have seen 11 individual honors handed out, 34 all-conference selections, and three AP All-Americans.

In its short window, the football team has shared one SoCon title and made the FCS playoffs once. Give it some time and the gap may shrink here.

UNC Greensboro Spartans

Football Score: 0

Basketball Score: -252

Net Score: -252

UNCG was the easiest decision to make on this list, as the Spartans are the only current Southern Conference member that does not sponsor football. Do not let that fool you into thinking that the basketball program has not earned its title. UNCG has won four regular-season titles since 2000 and made two NCAA Tournament appearances. They have also appeared in three NITs and the CBI in 2016. The program has had 11 individual honors handed to them, including Isaiah Miller taking home player and defensive player of the year this past season. The basketball program is alive and well in Greensboro, continuing to compete in the top tier over the last five years.

Mercer Bears

Football Score: 85

Basketball Score: -205

Net Score: -120

Mercer joins ETSU as another school that only recently brought football back in 2013. However, again, do not assume that Mercer earns the basketball school title by default. The Bears join Wofford as the only other current SoCon school to have an NCAA Tournament win since 2000, with their memorable upset of Duke six years ago. The basketball program has three regular-season titles during that time frame, all in the Atlantic Sun. Including NIT and CIT/CBI appearances, Mercer has played in the postseason six times. They have also had 27 all-conference selections, one AP All-American, and four individual honors bestowed to them.

In football’s short existence, they have had 27 all-conference players and one individual accolade. While the football program continues to build, basketball rules in Macon.

Neither

VMI Keydets

Football Score: 109

Basketball Score: 110

Net Score: -1

This may seem harsh, but VMI has just not been good in either sport since 2000. Neither sport has any titles to speak of, and they have one postseason appearance combined, with the basketball team playing in the 2014 CIT, reaching the semifinals.

Football has just four individual honors in 20 years, while the basketball team has had eight, with most of them coming as a Big South member. The Keydets football score only accounts for first-team all-conference selections, as that was all that could be found. However, it does not change the lack of success the football program has had. VMI football seemed to be improved this past season, but until both programs see more consistency, the Keydets will remain the SoCon’s punching bag.

Matt writes for lastwordonprobasketball.com and cbbreview.com, focusing on mid-major college basketball. He’s also a proud Wofford alum and educator of young minds.