(01-20-2013 05:24 PM)Louis Kitton Wrote:  The Sun Belt may just get a break here with New Mexico State backfiling Tulsa in CUSA West.

CUSA West: NMSU, UTEP, UTSA, Rice, UNT, La Tech, So Miss
CUSA East: UAB, MTSU, Marshall, Charlotte, ODU, FAU, FIU

The strategy here might be to convince UTEP to stay with a travel partner and prevent the SBC from upgrading too many SBC teams.

Southern Miss is kind of screwed here not being a good fit in either the East or West division. As to Southern Miss in the Big East would they accept a football only?

This would fly in the face of the Conference-USA "big market" media strategy. Have you ever been to Las Cruces, New Mexico????????

(01-20-2013 05:24 PM)Louis Kitton Wrote:  The Sun Belt may just get a break here with New Mexico State backfiling Tulsa in CUSA West.

CUSA West: NMSU, UTEP, UTSA, Rice, UNT, La Tech, So Miss
CUSA East: UAB, MTSU, Marshall, Charlotte, ODU, FAU, FIU

The strategy here might be to convince UTEP to stay with a travel partner and prevent the SBC from upgrading too many SBC teams.

Southern Miss is kind of screwed here not being a good fit in either the East or West division. As to Southern Miss in the Big East would they accept a football only?

Doesn't sound like that's going to be the case, with Tulsa possibly joining the Big East.

(01-20-2013 05:29 PM)Turnberry79 Wrote:  

(01-20-2013 05:24 PM)Louis Kitton Wrote:  The Sun Belt may just get a break here with New Mexico State backfiling Tulsa in CUSA West.

CUSA West: NMSU, UTEP, UTSA, Rice, UNT, La Tech, So Miss
CUSA East: UAB, MTSU, Marshall, Charlotte, ODU, FAU, FIU

The strategy here might be to convince UTEP to stay with a travel partner and prevent the SBC from upgrading too many SBC teams.

Southern Miss is kind of screwed here not being a good fit in either the East or West division. As to Southern Miss in the Big East would they accept a football only?

This would fly in the face of the Conference-USA "big market" media strategy. Have you ever been to Las Cruces, New Mexico????????

If I'm UTEP I go ahead and pay the increased travel costs and nix that idea quick. I think UTEP fans would agree.

Plus if you are CUSA and UTEP does go to the MWC at some point then you suddenly have a not very appealing outlier.

Have you ever been to Ruston, Lousiana?

(01-20-2013 05:33 PM)warhawk09 Wrote:  Have you ever been to Ruston, Lousiana?

Ruston, LA is a lot closer that Las Cruces, NM and they play better football there.

(01-20-2013 05:25 PM)Turnberry79 Wrote:  Not this will ever happen.......because it won't.......Terry Holland said that if he had his way he would want East Carolina to play in the same league as Appalachian as this past season the ASU ticket office sold over 3,500 tickets to the game in Greenville........many times more than any other Conference-USA school had ever bought for a game in Greenville. If the truth were know it is probably more than all the tickets sold by Conference-USA schools playing at ECU in any season ever.

Read that quote from Terry Holland again. He was recorded at an ECU meeting as saying that App State bought at least 7,500 tickets for our game with them, and probably bought and brought over 10,000 to their home game.

(01-20-2013 05:33 PM)warhawk09 Wrote:  Have you ever been to Ruston, Lousiana?

No joke......I have been to Ruston to see a game.......and I fully understand what you are saying. But at least Tech wins games and are not stuck out in the middle of nowhere in a desert. Monroe is an oasis compared to El Paso.

(01-20-2013 05:36 PM)GoApps70 Wrote:  

(01-20-2013 05:25 PM)Turnberry79 Wrote:  Not this will ever happen.......because it won't.......Terry Holland said that if he had his way he would want East Carolina to play in the same league as Appalachian as this past season the ASU ticket office sold over 3,500 tickets to the game in Greenville........many times more than any other Conference-USA school had ever bought for a game in Greenville. If the truth were know it is probably more than all the tickets sold by Conference-USA schools playing at ECU in any season ever.

Read that quote from Terry Holland again. He was recorded at an ECU meeting as saying that App State bought at least 7,500 tickets for our game with them, and probably bought and brought over 10,000 to their home game.

Thanks for the correction!!!! Even better.

(01-20-2013 05:24 PM)Louis Kitton Wrote:  The Sun Belt may just get a break here with New Mexico State backfiling Tulsa in CUSA West.

CUSA West: NMSU, UTEP, UTSA, Rice, UNT, La Tech, So Miss
CUSA East: UAB, MTSU, Marshall, Charlotte, ODU, FAU, FIU

The strategy here might be to convince UTEP to stay with a travel partner and prevent the SBC from upgrading too many SBC teams.

Southern Miss is kind of screwed here not being a good fit in either the East or West division. As to Southern Miss in the Big East would they accept a football only?

UTEP fans are saying that UTEP negotiations with MWC must be finalized or nearly so for their move to MWC because CUSA wouldn't dare bring NMSU to CUSA with them still being in CUSA. (Well, actually they say enema,U, but that is their name for NMSU). So don't count on UTEP being in CUSA if they are inviting NMSU.

CUSA must want to live up to the USA part, because like you said about them taking NMSU - we figured yesterday that NMSU had won 0-2 wins per years for about 1/2 their football history. No winning record since 2002, and four winning seasons since 1968.

(01-20-2013 05:47 PM)GoApps70 Wrote:  

(01-20-2013 05:24 PM)Louis Kitton Wrote:  The Sun Belt may just get a break here with New Mexico State backfiling Tulsa in CUSA West.

CUSA West: NMSU, UTEP, UTSA, Rice, UNT, La Tech, So Miss
CUSA East: UAB, MTSU, Marshall, Charlotte, ODU, FAU, FIU

The strategy here might be to convince UTEP to stay with a travel partner and prevent the SBC from upgrading too many SBC teams.

Southern Miss is kind of screwed here not being a good fit in either the East or West division. As to Southern Miss in the Big East would they accept a football only?

UTEP fans are saying that UTEP negotiations with MWC must be finalized or nearly so for their move to MWC because CUSA wouldn't dare bring NMSU to CUSA with them still being in CUSA. (Well, actually they say enema,U, but that is their name for NMSU). So don't count on UTEP being in CUSA if they are inviting NMSU.

CUSA must want to live up to the USA part, because like you said about them taking NMSU - we figured yesterday that NMSU had won 0-2 wins per years for about 1/2 their football history. No winning record since 2002, and four winning seasons since 1968.

Having lived in ABQ for about 10 years and living out West for most of my adult life . . I would be very surprised if you ever see UNM in the same conference with NMSU . . I would be even more surprised if you ever see UTEP in the same conference with NMSU.

NMSU tried for 30 years to get into the WAC and soon after they joined the WAC . . UTEP left for CUSA.

I can see why UTEP fans feel as if they have a done deal with MWC then. Those two schools must really not like NMSU.

(01-20-2013 03:34 PM)GoApps70 Wrote:  Thought it interesting discussion about the possibility of C-USA going to an 18 team conference so that they would have two divisions of 9 teams, causing the end to the Sun Belt. Sounds like war.
Since it is past time today when C-USA schools were going to get on the telephone about realignment, wonder if we will hear anything this afternoon.

The SBC will survive for a long time, mainly because there are so many FCS teams that will need an invite from a FBS conference to make the ascension.

And why would CUSA bother trying to kill it when it can just use the SBC as a "proving ground" for viability at the FBS level for teams it MIGHT be interested in?

Think about it... They like what App State COULD bring to the table, but don't know. Why take that risk, when you can let them go to little brother, knowing full well that any time you want, you can make an offer, and App State will jump at the chance?

It sucks, but that's the way it's shaking out.

(01-20-2013 06:14 PM)TheRevSWT Wrote:  

(01-20-2013 03:34 PM)GoApps70 Wrote:  Thought it interesting discussion about the possibility of C-USA going to an 18 team conference so that they would have two divisions of 9 teams, causing the end to the Sun Belt. Sounds like war.
Since it is past time today when C-USA schools were going to get on the telephone about realignment, wonder if we will hear anything this afternoon.

The SBC will survive for a long time, mainly because there are so many FCS teams that will need an invite from a FBS conference to make the ascension.

And why would CUSA bother trying to kill it when it can just use the SBC as a "proving ground" for viability at the FBS level for teams it MIGHT be interested in?

Think about it... They like what App State COULD bring to the table, but don't know. Why take that risk, when you can let them go to little brother, knowing full well that any time you want, you can make an offer, and App State will jump at the chance?

It sucks, but that's the way it's shaking out.

Good point. Not to mention it is nice having someone below you on the totem poll. Why would current CUSA members allow five more teams to their level and give up the prestige and recruiting advantage?

Same thing was said by the WAC Rev. Then when they got down team number wise to the point that they could not even provide home and home games for teams that might want to join to make it through transition, they could not get any FCS teams to join. So, don't be so certain.
Besides, CUSA took UNCC back into CUSA because they had promised to if and when they started a football program. Marshall wanted ODU in to hurt ECU with recruiting in the Tidewater area. I don't think CUSA was worried at all about App State football, not even for a moment.

Agreed, but if the SBC plays its cards right it could become a much better conference, filling seats and putting an exciting brand of football on the field that attracts television and corporate sponsors. The grass always looks greener on the other side. Conference-USA is taking a major risk with their big market strategy by loading up on teams that appear at first blush unable to attract "in stadium" fan support or television viewers in numbers that will generate profits for television partners. Only time will tell if their strategy works, but if does not attract fans in stadium or viewers on television then you will see media rights fall in the next negotiation. All of the Group of Five think their product is worth more than the value the networks have placed on it.

(01-20-2013 06:19 PM)GoApps70 Wrote:  Same thing was said by the WAC Rev. Then when they got down team number wise to the point that they could not even provide home and home games for teams that might want to join to make it through transition, they could not get any FCS teams to join. So, don't be so certain.
Besides, CUSA took UNCC back into CUSA because they had promised to if and when they started a football program. Marshall wanted ODU in to hurt ECU with recruiting in the Tidewater area. I don't think CUSA was worried at all about App State football, not even for a moment.

They should have been worried. I think that will be clear sooner than later.

(01-20-2013 06:19 PM)GoApps70 Wrote:  Same thing was said by the WAC Rev. Then when they got down team number wise to the point that they could not even provide home and home games for teams that might want to join to make it through transition, they could not get any FCS teams to join. So, don't be so certain.
Besides, CUSA took UNCC back into CUSA because they had promised to if and when they started a football program. Marshall wanted ODU in to hurt ECU with recruiting in the Tidewater area. I don't think CUSA was worried at all about App State football, not even for a moment.

No, the same thing wasn't said by the WAC. Not the conference at least. The individual presidents? Perhaps.

Make no mistake about it, they didn't want to invite us and UTSA. But they needed bodies. They tried first with the Montanas and the California schools, but they told them NO. So, we were next in line to keep the conference viable. Then, the rest of the schools left.

Meanwhile, in the Southeast, you have App State, Georgia... Southern?, Jacksonville State, Liberty, Sam, potentially SFA, Lamar, and from what others are saying the two Florida schools (UNF, FGCU).

The Sun Belt has options that WANT to make the move. The WAC had teams that made sense for the WAC, but the teams weren't wanting to make the move.

HUGE difference.

(01-20-2013 06:24 PM)Turnberry79 Wrote:  Agreed, but if the SBC plays its cards right it could become a much better conference, filling seats and putting an exciting brand of football on the field that attracts television and corporate sponsors. The grass always looks greener on the other side. Conference-USA is taking a major risk with their big market strategy by loading up on teams that appear at first blush unable to attract "in stadium" fan support or television viewers in numbers that will generate profits for television partners. Only time will tell if their strategy works, but if does not attract fans in stadium or viewers on television then you will see media rights fall in the next negotiation. All of the Group of Five think their product is worth more than the value the networks have placed on it.

CUSA is betting on potential. These teams (in theory) COULD be better with more money. The Markets they have mean that they should be able to get a better TV contract, and thus give the teams more money. It's a self-feeding prophecy.

Of course, it can also blow up in their face, if the extra money does not mean more wins.

What if?


The mountain west added two
Cusa went to 16
And the big twelve went to 16.


All of which is possible and could happen quickly whether now or June or next year.

What would the SBC look like then and would some fcs school hold out for a cusa or be invite?

(01-20-2013 07:58 PM)cleburneslim Wrote:  What if?


The mountain west added two
Cusa went to 16
And the big twelve went to 16.


All of which is possible and could happen quickly whether now or June or next year.

What would the SBC look like then and would some fcs school hold out for a cusa or be invite?

Not one single FCS school would hold out for a CUSA invite...that would be foolish to the extreme.

Big 12's 16 would poach from the ACC (SEC wont move) ACC would find itself eaten alive in that likely scenario, and will choose to play with 10 or so teams rather than add teams like Memphis and ECU to get to 12.