(10-25-2013 10:42 PM)GE and MTS Wrote:  If I were James Madison's president, I'd wait until the very last second to accept the Sun Belt's offer of an all-sports invite. I just don't think JMU is a natural fit in the Sun Belt, culturally, and that they would much better fit into the MAC. But as they say, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. I wouldn't want to be left behind in the ever declining wasteland of FCS either.

There's no particular reason to conclude that a MAC invite is two birds in the bush. Its not as if JMU has already committed to moving up to FBS and has received a cold shoulder from the MAC. Indeed, unless and until JMU gives a private indication to the MAC that they would likely accept an invitation, there may be MAC Presidents who don't themselves know where they stand on extending an invite to JMU.

I think a lot of MAC fans, if not university presidents, are looking to get UMass out of their hair instead of expand. There's a real danger if the Sun Belt invites Missouri State as their 12th football member, then the MAC will put UMass on the clock to leave or join for all sports. Even if UMass takes the bait, the MAC controls its own destiny with regards to the 14th member - it can take Illinois State out of a much weaker Missouri Valley, James Madison or Delaware out of the CAA, or even a dark horse like North Dakota State or Stony Brook.

I still think UMass has a shot at The American if UConn is still in the league - losing Cincinnati, UCF, and/or USF would be a huge blow, but I think eventually it will happen. There just isn't much left to pick from C-USA aside from replacing any markets lost.

(10-26-2013 12:02 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  I think a lot of MAC fans, if not university presidents, are looking to get UMass out of their hair instead of expand.

Though if not the Presidents, its of no particular relevance. The MAC is a Presidents-driven conference.

Quote: There's a real danger if the Sun Belt invites Missouri State as their 12th football member, then the MAC will put UMass on the clock to leave or join for all sports.

I doubt that anything that Missouri State may do would have any impact on MAC reasoning. Missouri State does not seem to offer the MAC much of anything that the MAC would be looking for, given that the MAC already has a number of schools in areas with slowly growing populations and mediocre football recruiting grounds.

Harrisonburg, Virginia may not be in the middle of a rapidly growing region, but its definitely a lot more convenient to rapidly growing regions than most of the MAC.

If I was JMU I would push for the MAC football only if the Sunbelt it not desired. CAA should be for that as it keeps a core member for all other sports while allowing for football divisions of:

Elon
W&M
Richmond
Towson
Delaware
Villanova

Monmouth or Fordham
Albany
Stony Brook
URI
UNH
Maine

All Sports for CAA would be
Northeastern
Hofstra
Drexel
Delaware
Towson
Albany*

JMU
W&M
Elon
UNCW
CoC
UNCG*

(10-26-2013 01:28 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(10-26-2013 12:02 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  I think a lot of MAC fans, if not university presidents, are looking to get UMass out of their hair instead of expand.

Though if not the Presidents, its of no particular relevance. The MAC is a Presidents-driven conference.

Quote: There's a real danger if the Sun Belt invites Missouri State as their 12th football member, then the MAC will put UMass on the clock to leave or join for all sports.

I doubt that anything that Missouri State may do would have any impact on MAC reasoning. Missouri State does not seem to offer the MAC much of anything that the MAC would be looking for, given that the MAC already has a number of schools in areas with slowly growing populations and mediocre football recruiting grounds.

Harrisonburg, Virginia may not be in the middle of a rapidly growing region, but its definitely a lot more convenient to rapidly growing regions than most of the MAC.

UMass. Stony Brook, and JMU should be MAC additions. Would be an FBS-lite that should garner media interests to make up for the loss of FBS playoff fees. UMass needs some partners.

(10-26-2013 11:35 AM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(10-25-2013 10:42 PM)GE and MTS Wrote:  If I were James Madison's president, I'd wait until the very last second to accept the Sun Belt's offer of an all-sports invite. I just don't think JMU is a natural fit in the Sun Belt, culturally, and that they would much better fit into the MAC. But as they say, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. I wouldn't want to be left behind in the ever declining wasteland of FCS either.

There's no particular reason to conclude that a MAC invite is two birds in the bush. Its not as if JMU has already committed to moving up to FBS and has received a cold shoulder from the MAC. Indeed, unless and until JMU gives a private indication to the MAC that they would likely accept an invitation, there may be MAC Presidents who don't themselves know where they stand on extending an invite to JMU.

Do you assume that JMU would not accept an invitation by the MAC? I have always been under the impression that JMU would only accept a CUSA, MAC, or AAC invite if they weren't invited by a P5 conference (which they obviously wouldn't be). I would fear for JMU that they could hold out for an invitation that wasn't coming. If JMU was serious about moving up I would hope they let some conferences know to keep them on the radar.

(10-26-2013 05:39 PM)GE and MTS Wrote:  Do you assume that JMU would not accept an invitation by the MAC?

I don't know one way or another, but I was just referring to the process.

Quote: I have always been under the impression that JMU would only accept a CUSA, MAC, or AAC invite if they weren't invited by a P5 conference.

I recall earlier references to CUSA, but that was just loose talk, when the process of formally investigating whether it would make sense to move up was just getting started.

Quote: I would fear for JMU that they could hold out for an invitation that wasn't coming.

If they decide they may want to move up, they'd flag to the conferences they'd be interested in, in turn, until they provoke an invitation or run out of conferences they want to join.

(10-26-2013 02:14 PM)solohawks Wrote:  If I was JMU I would push for the MAC football only if the Sunbelt it not desired.

That depends on whether the MAC is interested in settling on 12 full members, 2 FB-only members.

Have not followed JMU in a while - have they upgraded their stadium to qualify?

(10-26-2013 05:47 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(10-26-2013 02:14 PM)solohawks Wrote:  If I was JMU I would push for the MAC football only if the Sunbelt it not desired.

That depends on whether the MAC is interested in settling on 12 full members, 2 FB-only members.

I would actually be ok with JMU football only if it comes with another large buyout fee if JMU/UMass leave for another conference.

(10-26-2013 01:28 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(10-26-2013 12:02 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  I think a lot of MAC fans, if not university presidents, are looking to get UMass out of their hair instead of expand.

Though if not the Presidents, its of no particular relevance. The MAC is a Presidents-driven conference.

Quote: There's a real danger if the Sun Belt invites Missouri State as their 12th football member, then the MAC will put UMass on the clock to leave or join for all sports.

I doubt that anything that Missouri State may do would have any impact on MAC reasoning. Missouri State does not seem to offer the MAC much of anything that the MAC would be looking for, given that the MAC already has a number of schools in areas with slowly growing populations and mediocre football recruiting grounds.

Harrisonburg, Virginia may not be in the middle of a rapidly growing region, but its definitely a lot more convenient to rapidly growing regions than most of the MAC.

Uhh.....

Ohio (Columbus)
Miami (Butler County)
Indianapolis (Ball State)
Kent State/Akron (Cleveland Suburbs)
Northern Illinois (Chicago Suburbs)

These schools are all closer to growing areas than what JMU is to DC.

(10-26-2013 03:45 PM)NoDak Wrote:  

(10-26-2013 01:28 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(10-26-2013 12:02 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  I think a lot of MAC fans, if not university presidents, are looking to get UMass out of their hair instead of expand.

Though if not the Presidents, its of no particular relevance. The MAC is a Presidents-driven conference.

Quote: There's a real danger if the Sun Belt invites Missouri State as their 12th football member, then the MAC will put UMass on the clock to leave or join for all sports.

I doubt that anything that Missouri State may do would have any impact on MAC reasoning. Missouri State does not seem to offer the MAC much of anything that the MAC would be looking for, given that the MAC already has a number of schools in areas with slowly growing populations and mediocre football recruiting grounds.

Harrisonburg, Virginia may not be in the middle of a rapidly growing region, but its definitely a lot more convenient to rapidly growing regions than most of the MAC.

UMass. Stony Brook, and JMU should be MAC additions. Would be an FBS-lite that should garner media interests to make up for the loss of FBS playoff fees. UMass needs some partners.

Stony Brook has always ranked very high on MAC expansion lists because of its AAU status and NYC market.

(10-27-2013 01:25 PM)dcCid Wrote:  Have not followed JMU in a while - have they upgraded their stadium to qualify?

Absolutely! Bridgeforth stadium was renovated and expanded a few years ago and now seats around 25,000. It can be expanded further in the future (at this point, way in the future) if necessary.

http://sites.jmu.edu/walkingtours/files/.../today.jpg

(10-27-2013 02:08 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  Ohio (Columbus)
Northern Illinois (Chicago Suburbs)

These schools are all closer to growing areas than what JMU is to DC.

FIFY. I said "rapidly growing". I'm from Central Ohio, went to school at MiamiU and live in Northeast Ohio ~ no way you can slide that one past me. If all three of the Columbus Area, Cincinnati Area and Cleveland Area were "rapidly growing" areas, Ohio wouldn't have lost Congressional Districts in the last census.

(10-27-2013 02:56 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(10-27-2013 02:08 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  Ohio (Columbus)
Northern Illinois (Chicago Suburbs)

These schools are all closer to growing areas than what JMU is to DC.

FIFY. I said "rapidly growing". I'm from Central Ohio, went to school at MiamiU and live in Northeast Ohio ~ no way you can slide that one past me. If all three of the Columbus Area, Cincinnati Area and Cleveland Area were "rapidly growing" areas, Ohio wouldn't have lost Congressional Districts in the last census.

Delaware County,OH (90 miles from Athens,OH)
1980 53,840
1990 66,929
2000 109,989
2010 174,214

Franklin County,OH (60 miles from Athens,OH)
1980 869,132
1990 961,437
2000 1,068,978
2010 1,163,114

Fairfield County,OH (35 miles from Athens,OH)
1980 93,678
1990 103,461
2000 122,759
2010 146,156

Central Ohio is clearly a growing region. Athens where Ohio University is located is on the edge of this region.

US has gone from 231 million to 318 million in that same 1980-2010 time period.

(10-26-2013 10:16 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(10-26-2013 12:28 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(10-25-2013 10:42 PM)GE and MTS Wrote:  As for my school, I'd most certainly accept an invite to the Sun Belt immediately. The Sun Belt is a growing conference in a growing part of the nation where a lot of Liberty's alumni come from. There's a ton of potential there and it would be great to expand our boundaries and become peers with the institutions in the Sun Belt.

I'm not entirely sure why the SBC has been so cold toward Liberty because they have the facilities the SBC wants and gets them into Virginia. As long as Liberty obeys constitutional rights and isn't the subject of an NCAA boycott.

James Madison may end up like Montana accepting they'll be in the CAA until the perfect league situation happens.

WAIT!

In this thread you argue Arkansas State has reached its max level because of academics and then turn around and can't understand why a university that requires a statement from its professors and instructors affirming they believe in young earth creation and has student code standards that violate most university diversity statements cannot find a new conference home?

There's no particular reason to waste time responding to his ridiculous posts.

(10-27-2013 02:56 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(10-27-2013 02:08 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  Ohio (Columbus)
Northern Illinois (Chicago Suburbs)

These schools are all closer to growing areas than what JMU is to DC.

FIFY. I said "rapidly growing". I'm from Central Ohio, went to school at MiamiU and live in Northeast Ohio ~ no way you can slide that one past me. If all three of the Columbus Area, Cincinnati Area and Cleveland Area were "rapidly growing" areas, Ohio wouldn't have lost Congressional Districts in the last census.

Lots of the Chicago suburbs are rapidly growing as well. In fact, the growth has naturally moved west, northwest, and southwest. Towards DeKalb, generally.

(10-27-2013 02:10 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(10-26-2013 03:45 PM)NoDak Wrote:  

(10-26-2013 01:28 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(10-26-2013 12:02 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  I think a lot of MAC fans, if not university presidents, are looking to get UMass out of their hair instead of expand.

Though if not the Presidents, its of no particular relevance. The MAC is a Presidents-driven conference.

Quote: There's a real danger if the Sun Belt invites Missouri State as their 12th football member, then the MAC will put UMass on the clock to leave or join for all sports.

I doubt that anything that Missouri State may do would have any impact on MAC reasoning. Missouri State does not seem to offer the MAC much of anything that the MAC would be looking for, given that the MAC already has a number of schools in areas with slowly growing populations and mediocre football recruiting grounds.

Harrisonburg, Virginia may not be in the middle of a rapidly growing region, but its definitely a lot more convenient to rapidly growing regions than most of the MAC.

UMass. Stony Brook, and JMU should be MAC additions. Would be an FBS-lite that should garner media interests to make up for the loss of FBS playoff fees. UMass needs some partners.

Stony Brook has always ranked very high on MAC expansion lists because of its AAU status and NYC market.

How about Fordham?

one point on JMU- we may not hear about them moving quite frankly until April. I think a big reason would be the CAA who would take them out of the conference championships.

Wasn't this the same excuse used last year?