(02-13-2017 05:48 PM)AppManDG Wrote:  

(02-12-2017 11:41 PM)Michael in Raleigh Wrote:  

(02-12-2017 10:13 AM)AppManDG Wrote:  The CUSA folks may not say it publicly, but that conference is in turmoil. Nobody is happy with the alignment of schools and everyone is bleeding money thanks to the new TV deal. A lot of those schools are looking for a ticket out of town.

I don't have a whole lot of sympathy for them IF they believe the only acceptable alternatives are the AAC, the MWC, or a P5 invitation.

AppManDG, would you say the Sun Belt is in similar turmoil? C-USA is farther flung, with extreme western Texas, southern Florida, southeast Virginia, and West Virginia serving as four widespread, three time zone, multi climate corners. The Sun Belt, though, is still farther spread out East to West than the SEC, with maybe 1% of the TV payout. Texas State, just in the eastern half of Texas, is still a long way from Boone and Conway. Neither league is bringing in revenue.

Do you think C-USA members/fans are unhappy because they once made more money playing against bigger names, and now they don't? Are Sun Belt fans/members less agitated because they never had that revenue or higher names in the league to begin with?

Or are fans/members of both league's both just irritated and ready to say, "What the Heck are we doing? As long as we are not going to make much money, let's align ourselves to play schools our students and fans know something about."

It makes so much more sense in a P5 league. Nobody had to explain to Florida or Georgia fans who Texas A&M was because even though they're about 1000 miles or so apart, the Aggies are known. Oh, and there's money to help justify the league being so spread out. But let's face it: people at Texas State or ULM have to be told which state App State is in, and People at Coastal Carolina have to be explained why they're playing games against schools from 4 states away.

It's not that I don't want App to play Sun Belt schools. Shoot, I think App vs. stAte would be worth continuing even if they end up in separate league's. Same for any other school that would end up in a western based league.

No way I can speak for others, but it seems to me most everyone is relatively content with the Sunbelt. You have to feel for long time CUSA members like Rice, So Miss, UTEP and Marshall because the conference they joined no longer exists. It's also easy to understand their anger. Banowsky sold those schools the security of big TV revenues based on a pipe dream. Then used millions of dollars in exit fees to maintain the illusion those TV dollars were still there. Not hard to imagine the shock when the truth came out with the new TV deal.

Sunbelt teams have learned to make do with less. The guys who bolted for what they thought were greener pastures are now are back down on the ground floor lapping up a big dish of humble pie. The big dollars vanished, but not all those travel costs. Sucks for them, but they gulped down the bait and have to live with the consequences. Some Sunbelt folks might be a little more sympathetic about their plight had there not been as much boasting while they were going out the door. Look who's laughing now.

Although the Sunbelt definitely has a better model, neither conference is sustainable in its current configuration, especially on the non revenue sport side. App and GA Southern fans can't fully appreciate the extent of betrayal the rest of our conference mates feel towards the former schools. Whether or not bruised egos and hard feeling can be overcome is anybody's guess.

TXST AD is content in the SBC. I don't mind it but understand why a lot of our fans want CUSA (more local rivals) or MWC (better perception).