(12-17-2011 10:00 AM)Usajags Wrote:  

(12-17-2011 08:19 AM)JagOfClubs Wrote:  

(12-16-2011 07:15 PM)EAGLEJAG65 Wrote:  A wish only.

Because we are a partner to the Sun Belt. To move anywhere else would cause us to have to go through what TA&M and M are having to do. To become FBS we entered a contract with the Belt.

Without that contract, we would be in the same boat as GaState.

I'm not sure if there would be a financial payout problem in our persuing that wish.

However, without an established history to support any movement, it probably wouldn't happen.

Understood. But I'll still wish for better. It's really not as bad in football as it is in basketball, but basketball doesn't get much worse than the SBC.

The SBC really isn't that far behind C-USA in basketball, only we don't have Memphis. That them out of the that league and there is no one else, they have been a one bid league for the last 3 years or so. As far as football, I think the SBC is only a good couple of season from passing what is left of the WAC, MWC and C-USA. I think we are already even with the MAC. Things are not as bad as they used to be, and with all this conference realignment still going on, those other conferences will continue to lose their better programs and none of them are interested, currently, in dropping so low as to add an SBC team. Even though that will leave our conference more stable and stronger.

Wow, we're drinking different Kool-aid, my friend. As of today, the SBC is 56-67, C-USA is 65-41. SBC has 3 teams with winning records, C-USA has 8. C-USA RPI is 11th, SBC is 15th.
But these are simply opinions, and this is a football post, so my point is more about the teams I would prefer to see week in and week out, rather than the strength or weakness of the SBC. Personally, in any sport, I would prefer to see us have in-conference games against Tulane, Southern Miss, Rice, UAB, SMU, Houston, Memphis, etc., rather than games with the two Floridas (Atlantic and International), the two Arkansas's (State and Little Rock), or the two Louisiana's (Monroe and Lafayette). I will make one exception, however. SBC foe Denver has an awesome curling team, so I would prefer them over anyone in C-USA.

I was talking about what will be left in the MWC, WAC and C-USA after all the expansion is done. I agree I would perfer to see those teams as well but let's face it, UAB, Memphis and Tulane are quite possibly the 3 worst teams in football right now. Southern Miss would be fun to play, and SMU, Houston and UCF are all headed to the big east. It will be interesting to see how the conferences all look in 3 years and how they shake out in the power rankings.

And I'm not saying that as this all goes down we stay in the SBC or that the SBC doesn't add some left out teams of other conferences. There is no telling how all this will end up.

Yes. I agree with you about the in conference games against the CUSA's nucleus of teams being more exciting and bigger fan draws. However, right now they don't seem to want to have us join them in competitive atheletics. We're without a long history in football, and that is the sport that controls in the conference alignment wars. (They want to forget about our outstanding history in Tennis, Golf, Track, Basketball and Baseball etc. .....along with our accompaning women's programs)

So, the potential rivalries that would naturally exit between Tulane, USM, Memphis and UAB are left to be only a part of our wishful thinking. The good points of our affiliation with them is deminished by this one shortcoming.

The only wish that remains would be that they would properly analyse what we have to offer them in making a solid sports conference otherwise.

And, our strength in football will become more visible in the short term.

Great Post, EJ65!

(12-17-2011 04:18 PM)Usajags Wrote:  I was talking about what will be left in the MWC, WAC and C-USA after all the expansion is done. I agree I would perfer to see those teams as well but let's face it, UAB, Memphis and Tulane are quite possibly the 3 worst teams in football right now. Southern Miss would be fun to play, and SMU, Houston and UCF are all headed to the big east. It will be interesting to see how the conferences all look in 3 years and how they shake out in the power rankings.

And I'm not saying that as this all goes down we stay in the SBC or that the SBC doesn't add some left out teams of other conferences. There is no telling how all this will end up.

Gotcha, and agree. I'm not offering any revolutionary ideas here. These wishes go back to the days when we watched VCU, South Florida, UNCC, and UAB leave us behind in the SBC. Other than Troy, I just don't feel any particular sense of rivalry with our current SBC opponents. Others may. I don't.

I'm just ready for this conference realigment to hurry up and conclude. I'm tired of wondering where everyone is going to land and what the landscape will look like when it's done.

Well, I can wait.

The reason I can is that the time for us to establish ourselves may be very important in the determination of where we might end up.... and with whom we will be partnered.

And, I want the best future for South. We have a lot to offer any (other) conference.....or, the Belt, regardless of our final destination. We certainly have exhibited our loyalty over the years....possibly to a fault.