Which of these teams do you fear losing to Conference USA if they can successfully expand and take from the Belt?

- North Texas
- FAU
- FIU
- Arkansas State
- MTSU
- Troy
- Western Kentucky
- Louisiana-Lafayette
- Louisiana-Monroe

South Alabama...

Another poll to be biased and vote for your school!

(02-07-2012 09:17 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  South Alabama...

Not until 2013 will they even be considered a full member of the Sun Belt.

(02-07-2012 09:30 PM)SkullyMaroo Wrote:  Another poll to be biased and vote for your school!

Lol. I noticed that too. After the first 3 or 4 voted for their own school I thought I'd do the same.

(02-07-2012 09:31 PM)TampaKnight Wrote:  

(02-07-2012 09:17 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  South Alabama...

Not until 2013 will they even be considered a full member of the Sun Belt.

They are a full member right now. Have always been. Football is D1 next year with a full conference schedule and can become bowl eligible in 2013.

(02-07-2012 09:40 PM)WKUApollo Wrote:  

(02-07-2012 09:30 PM)SkullyMaroo Wrote:  Another poll to be biased and vote for your school!

Lol. I noticed that too. After the first 3 or 4 voted for their own school I thought I'd do the same.

I voted for ASU because I dont think I could stand leaving the belt...I like you guys too much...

(02-07-2012 09:31 PM)TampaKnight Wrote:  

(02-07-2012 09:17 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  South Alabama...

Not until 2013 will they even be considered a full member of the Sun Belt.

South Alabama is a founding member of the conference, dummy.

(02-07-2012 09:51 PM)USACoN2012 Wrote:  

(02-07-2012 09:31 PM)TampaKnight Wrote:  

(02-07-2012 09:17 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  South Alabama...

Not until 2013 will they even be considered a full member of the Sun Belt.

South Alabama is a founding member of the conference, dummy.

Are they Division I-A football this season?

(02-07-2012 09:55 PM)TampaKnight Wrote:  

(02-07-2012 09:51 PM)USACoN2012 Wrote:  

(02-07-2012 09:31 PM)TampaKnight Wrote:  

(02-07-2012 09:17 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  South Alabama...

Not until 2013 will they even be considered a full member of the Sun Belt.

South Alabama is a founding member of the conference, dummy.

Are they Division I-A football this season?

They will be in 2013, the first season any of us would be entering CUSA, so I don't see how their football status is relevant.

(02-07-2012 09:42 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(02-07-2012 09:40 PM)WKUApollo Wrote:  

(02-07-2012 09:30 PM)SkullyMaroo Wrote:  Another poll to be biased and vote for your school!

Lol. I noticed that too. After the first 3 or 4 voted for their own school I thought I'd do the same.

I voted for ASU because I dont think I could stand leaving the belt...I like you guys too much...

To be perfectly honest, I don't want any of us to "move up". Fortify the existing schools and make others want to join us!

Ignorant OP.

on topic, I agree with MTSUfan.

I voted for north Texas because I fear that they could be the first to go because of market value now that Huston is gone.....but really I don't fear losing any team. I think WKU leaving would hurt the sunbelt more than any other team since it had been considered the rock/ glue for so many years..such as memphis has been to USA or the Zags to the WAC. But with football being the driving force it's hard to say what team would be the worse loss

I would love to build the sunbelt and add some FBS teams (LA Tech, NM State, etc.)...maybe a Texas team. I wouldn't be opposed to a name change. Third Coast Conference? (Not serious about the TCC, but I would like to rebrand the Sun Belt)

(02-07-2012 11:19 PM)MeanGreenFan123 Wrote:  I would love to build the sunbelt and add some FBS teams (LA Tech, NM State, etc.)...maybe a Texas team. I wouldn't be opposed to a name change. Third Coast Conference? (Not serious about the TCC, but I would like to rebrand the Sun Belt)

SBC is an established conference. IMO, changing the name of the conference wouldn't really help that much. I mean, what are the benefits? Getting the "Sun Belt" name to be understood as a pretty good conference is better than "TCC" and "Who's that?".

(02-07-2012 10:51 PM)wkuhilltopperfan Wrote:  I voted for north Texas because I fear that they could be the first to go because of market value now that Huston is gone.....but really I don't fear losing any team. I think WKU leaving would hurt the sunbelt more than any other team since it had been considered the rock/ glue for so many years..such as memphis has been to USA or the Zags to the WAC. But with football being the driving force it's hard to say what team would be the worse loss

Okay guy...

I don't hold any particular "fear".

If I were guessing, I'd expect the Alliance to go forward.

Probably as an 18/16 alignment with Utah State going full member west and Temple football only in the east.

If they go 20/18 then they add USU to the west, and either add SJSU to the west or slide UTEP over. Then they add Temple football only and FIU and if UTEP goes west they add UNT east.

If they go 22/20 USU, SJSU, UTEP to the west, Temple football only FIU and UNT to the east with probably La.Tech.

First scenario gives us a shot at taking them on as the best of the non-wealthy leagues and we likely go to 12 with La.Tech and take your pick of Texas teams. Second we lose one or two but La.Tech addition makes us stronger as a 10 or 9 team league. Third scenario we lose some ground against them but still have 8 with two Texas schools and NMSU beating on the door.

Only scenario that worries me is if ECU and USM wake up and realize that a merged Alliance is weaker than CUSA on its own, especially a CUSA that skims four or five out of the Sun Belt.

Didn't know that WKU was the rock/glue of the league, nice to know.

I think about every one's answer would be any team other then theirs. Worse case is for the top 2 or 3 teams (you pick them) to go to another conference and your team be left with a diminished conference. The football Belt has never lost a team that didn't want to, and having to go back in fill mode would not be good.

From an NT view, I guess most would not want to lose ULL and/or Ark State and be even more isolated in the West. Those hoping for the Belt to expand with teams from CUSA or smoking something, although it would make perfect sense for the conferences to work together, not going to happen. They rather combine with the MWC which make little sense geographically or now even prestige wise.

(02-07-2012 11:32 PM)Grandgreen Wrote:  Didn't know that WKU was the rock/glue of the league, nice to know.

Yeah, really like to know who considers WKU the glue, outside of Topper fans sniffing glue themselves.

What argument could there possibly be?

South Alabama has been a member longer and won more all sports trophies.

MT has been in the league half as long and won more all sports trophies.

If we're talking public perception, it's likely Troy as they're the only program to have consistently gotten good pub in football over the past five years or so. I guarantee you there are tons of casual football fans that have no idea how bad Troy was this season and if you took a poll of casual football fans who didn't know who won the Sun Belt in 2011(and could actually name the majority of programs)I'd bet an overwhelming majority would guess Troy.

I vote nada.

Conference USA fans don't seem to understand that ECU, Marshall, UAB, and USM is not a league. When they lost Memphis the TV contract will be lost, basketball is forever damaged, and the last big market team on the east coast was lost.

It is only a matter of time before UTEP, Rice, Tulsa, and Tulane just bolt to the MWC and form a solid 12 team western league that won't have fear of being raided for a long time.

Even if you went with the delusional model the spurned conference USA fans of ECU and Marshall want it will eventually be subject to more Big East and Big Ten raiding.