Native Georgian Wrote:All well and good, but it doesn't really answer the question:

Native Georgian Wrote:if not C-USA, then where?

You sound like our chancellor. He talks about finding the right conference & bowl game money but seems to expect the landscape to remain the same forever. It's too rigid and pretty foolhardy. Football should be there to protect the school in case another shakeup occurs, IMO.

Take USF, for instance. They took the field as a IAA independent (later a IA independent) in 1997. They did not join C-USA until 2003. The whole reason they started football was because they were terrified that they would end up somewhere like the Big South. They thought ahead, prepared themselves, and came out smelling like a rose. UAB was also IAA/IA independent from 1991-1998.

Charlotte has been studying football since January, 2007 and likely won't stop studying until at least September of this year. Then it will wait 5 years to prepare to be a FCS football school. Charlotte could be looking at they years 2017-18 to finally become a FBS independent. Do you really think it would be wise to look at the present day Conference USA to determine whether or not to start-up football? Who knows what the future holds?

IMO, if the school concentrates on building football up the right way, the school will be able to adapt to however the conference picture falls into place. Patience.