The MWC went to 10.

The Alliance is basically going to 14 pending #14/ ODU.

That puts them at the 24 often mentioned about by both sides officials.

I wonder if that 24 was looking at 12-12 and basically each "conference" a "division".

Now that CUSA went to 14 and I doubt they do 7-7, and have 6 divisional games and 6 OOC games or 6 divisional +2 OoD games + 4 OoC games.

There what I am setting up to say here is CUSA with a lot of "candidates" in the east could be entertaining doing their own thing @ 16/18. Then, CUSA and the MWC can work out OoC games between the entities for TV games and leverage CUSA games, MWC games, and both together games and get a good overall tv coverage kind of deal.

My opinion, negative and cynical as I am about mid-major college football, is that the Alliance project has completely collapsed, and MWC to 10, CUSA to 14 is the official confirmation.

Dissolving the leagues and hitting the market for a huge TV payday? Off the table. (Officially, "delayed indefinitely", but with the pace of change in college athletics, a pinky-promise to do something in a couple of years is worthless.)

A four team playoff for a superconference championship and a BCS bid? Don't tell He1nous, but that's off the table too.

A scheduling alliance, where every MWC team plays a C-USA team for inter-regional matchups selected by TV? The networks shrugged instead of drooled.

So there's really not a lot left.

MWC and C-USA could arrange for their champs to play in a bowl game (Armed Forces Bowl?), and/or make a deal to share bowl bids, but I don't think there's game-changing money in that either.

IMO what is going to happen is either CUSA or the MWC is going to become a non-football conference in a few years with the 24 football teams merging under one umbrella. The way things have transpired the past couple weeks is a final "FU" to the schools departing for the BE. In a couple years those schools can't call foul about the departure fees and by joining together only for football nothing happens to the bball units.

FIU
Charlotte
ODU
ECU
Marshall
UAB

USM
La Tech
Tulane
UNT
Rice
Tulsa

UTEP
UTSA
CSU
AFA?
UNM
Wyoming

Utah State
Hawaii
UNLV
Nevada
Fresno State
SJSU

I somehow don't think this will happen.

Did anyone actually read the statements of both CUSA & the MWC on Friday ? Both conferences had their new team's have press conferences on the same day, many of them on both sides at exactly the same time.
They said they did this on purpose to reinforce that these additions were made in concert with each other.

It sounds like the latest plan may be to keep everyone in CUSA & MWC as they are until 2015 & then have UTEP & one other school (UNT, UTSA or Tulsa) move to the MWC as part of the alliance. That would give a 12 & 12 setup on either side.

I'm not thrilled with any of the announcements from Friday (I'd have rather not added anyone on either side yet), but it was very clear Banowsky & Thompson syncronized these moves & then announced very similar statements.

(05-05-2012 05:40 PM)USM@FTL Wrote:  FIU
Charlotte
ODU
ECU
Marshall
UAB

USM
La Tech
Tulane
UNT
Rice
Tulsa

UTEP
UTSA
CSU
AFA?
UNM
Wyoming

Utah State
Hawaii
UNLV
Nevada
Fresno State
SJSU

I somehow don't think this will happen.

Actually, I think that could be quite close, at least to what they are trying to do. That would explain Charlotte and ODU as all sports members until 2015 when they would move their football programs over to C-USA. UTEP and UTSA going west makes sense bc of the previous rumors of UTEP sliding west and UTSA getting an invite to both the MWC and C-USA. IF everything goes to plan that keeps the numbers even until a full merge. Whether or not that that happens is to be seen.

I know that this merger is not the most popular thing, but I do think that it is the beginning of a shift in college athletics. It is so much better than doing nothing, because teams and non-BCS conferences have already tried that. It only breeds more of the same. That's why I hope that the MWC and C-USA have the balls to see this thing through. Either it becomes a solution to the problem or forces officials up top to say, " this is ridiculous, enough is enough."

No one ever fixed a problem by sitting back and hoping it got better.

I could see possibly UTEP and 2 other Texas schools moving to the Mountain West if the Mountain West has one more departure (i.e. Air Force), because it would guarantee UTEP a conference road game in football in the state of Texas every year. C-USA has an ample pool from the FBS and FCS levels to provide replacements for UTEP and 2 of UNT/UTSA/Rice. Essentially, the Mountain West gets the southern part of Texas, C-USA gets the northern part of Texas (to which even Louisiana Tech and Tulsa likely contribute something).

Pacific - Hawaii (football only)/Seattle (all other sports), Utah State, San Jose State, Fresno State, Nevada, UNLV
Mountain - Wyoming, Colorado State, New Mexico, UTEP, UTSA, Rice (Air Force to Big East)
Central - Tulsa, North Texas, Louisiana Tech, Tulane, Southern Miss, UAB
Atlantic - Florida International, Georgia State (from Sun Belt), East Carolina, Charlotte, Marshall, Old Dominion

It also keeps the Mountain West from having to add New Mexico State (too close to UTEP) and Idaho (too close to Washington State, lacks the resume of Boise State) in the near future.

the mwc is waiting to see if boise will back out of the big east. if that happens sdsu will do so as well and the mwc will be at 12. if not i think utep moves to the mwc along with usta in 2015 when uncc and odu are ready to move up. that leaves both conferences with 12 teams. cusa then hits the sunbelt again and takes fau, georgia state, mtsu, and wku to go to 16.

IMO this is probably what CUSA and the MWC planned and in a couple of years I think that there will be a merger or some kind of consolidation between the two conferences. In the mean time it kind of looks like both conferences expect the Big East to get raided again pretty shortly, which may trigger Boise State and San Diego State's returning to the MWC; putting them back at 12.

I think that CUSA may lose two teams at some point, by either UTEP and UTSA moving into the MWC if Boise and SDSU stay in the Big East; or by another Big East raid, which would CUSA back at 12. The addition of suprise candidates like ODU and Charlotte over programs like MTSU and Arkansas State, shows what market CUSA wants to shore up in case of defection.

(05-05-2012 11:07 PM)PirateMarv Wrote:  The addition of suprise candidates like ODU and Charlotte over programs like MTSU and Arkansas State, shows what market CUSA wants to shore up in case of defection.

CUSA needed more schools in the eastern time zone. Really their next wave of expansion, if there is one, ought to be exclusively, or almost exclusively, in the eastern time zone as well.

The Big 12 also ought to be looking east for new members if they expand to 12.

Why? Because that's where the people are. About 47% of the U.S. population lives in the eastern time zone, 33 in the central, 5 in the mountain and 14 in the pacific.

The Mountain West boards all seem to think Tulsa and UTEP are coming over to the MW. I cant see that. First, with 3 Texas rivals, why would UTEP want to leave? Secondly, why on earth would CUSA want to drop two of its better western programs. I dont see that happening unless a true merger (at least in football) becomes a reality.

(05-06-2012 01:08 AM)attackfrog Wrote:  The Mountain West boards all seem to think Tulsa and UTEP are coming over to the MW. I cant see that. First, with 3 Texas rivals, why would UTEP want to leave? Secondly, why on earth would CUSA want to drop two of its better western programs. I dont see that happening unless a true merger (at least in football) becomes a reality.

It would only happen in a full merger or just for fb if it ends up being a fb only alliance and it would be UTEP and UTSA.

What alliance? Forget it, I seriously doubt it's going to happen.

(05-06-2012 12:49 AM)Wedge Wrote:  

(05-05-2012 11:07 PM)PirateMarv Wrote:  The addition of suprise candidates like ODU and Charlotte over programs like MTSU and Arkansas State, shows what market CUSA wants to shore up in case of defection.

CUSA needed more schools in the eastern time zone. Really their next wave of expansion, if there is one, ought to be exclusively, or almost exclusively, in the eastern time zone as well.

The Big 12 also ought to be looking east for new members if they expand to 12.

Why? Because that's where the people are. About 47% of the U.S. population lives in the eastern time zone, 33 in the central, 5 in the mountain and 14 in the pacific.

We will see about this pretty soon, because CUSA's core after Louisville was always Texascentric. The fact that CUSA took on so many eastern expansion schools (two of which are basically start ups), rather than with more established programs like MTSU, Ark. State or even WKU might be a sign of a pending loss. Let's not forget that CUSA had not been open to moving east before, no matter how much ECU pushed for it. And now out of the blue they are willing to double up?

(05-06-2012 10:07 AM)PirateMarv Wrote:  

(05-06-2012 12:49 AM)Wedge Wrote:  

(05-05-2012 11:07 PM)PirateMarv Wrote:  The addition of suprise candidates like ODU and Charlotte over programs like MTSU and Arkansas State, shows what market CUSA wants to shore up in case of defection.

CUSA needed more schools in the eastern time zone. Really their next wave of expansion, if there is one, ought to be exclusively, or almost exclusively, in the eastern time zone as well.

The Big 12 also ought to be looking east for new members if they expand to 12.

Why? Because that's where the people are. About 47% of the U.S. population lives in the eastern time zone, 33 in the central, 5 in the mountain and 14 in the pacific.

We will see about this pretty soon, because CUSA's core after Louisville was always Texascentric. The fact that CUSA took on so many eastern expansion schools (two of which are basically start ups), rather than with more established programs like MTSU, Ark. State or even WKU might be a sign of a pending loss. Let's not forget that CUSA had not been open to moving east before, no matter how much ECU pushed for it. And now out of the blue they are willing to double up?

I think it's more that WKU, "Middle Tennessee" and Ark State aren't that attractive. They've been FBS schools for a while. Maybe they've hit their ceiling, and it's not that high.

C-USA not wanting to move East? UNC-Charlotte was a founding member. Marshall isn't as far east as ODU, but it's pretty far east.

Ahhh damn it, I have been referenced. This could mean that the Alliance idea is bust but if it was bust why would the MWC and CUSA bother with the charade of parading around as if they are still getting married? They did plan their announcements together and they are set up so that an easy movement of two teams from CUSA to MWC gets the 12/12 set up. I suppose that does leave the door open to BSU and SDSU for a limited time. I personally do not think those two will come back but as the Alliance if your planning stage has had to be lengthened you might as well leave the door open until you absolutely have to close it.

The reason why I do not think it is dead is because the money is there for that conference post season. If in the end the MWC and CUSA cannot make it work due to other contractual obligations then CUSA just moves to 16 and gets the NCAA vote that was waiting on the Alliance. I just wish I knew what the time table was. It has definitely been lengthened.

when uncc and odu move up in football utep and utsa will go to the mwc or cusa stays at 17