Would like to hear how the new CUSA members from the Sunbelt,Southland etc feel about losing them to the AAC. Include Houston, Memphis,SMU etc. into the mix.

(02-22-2014 02:43 PM)Savacool Wrote:  Would like to hear how the new CUSA members from the Sunbelt,Southland etc feel about losing them to the AAC. Include Houston, Memphis,SMU etc. into the mix.

Only have a few minutes while en route b/t kids' sporting activities. Based on my media feeds (for USM and Memphis), CUSA "national coverage" has taken a nosedive (to be kind) with the exodus of Memphis basketball. TIFWIW.

ODU just got here, but ECU will be sorely missed for what could have been if nothing else. Proximity, all-sports competitiveness, just enough apathy...we had it all for one season.

I don't have any strong sentiments about any of the other defectors.

As a Charlotte fan, losing ECU kinda sucks at least for football. That would have been a good in state rivalry (eventually). It would have been nice to have a a non ACC rivalry in the state. I have a feeling we'll be seeing ECU again eventually as future conference partners. How long that will take is anyone's guess.

For the older, returning CUSA members like USM, UTEP, UAB, Rice and Marshall, the conference will be missed now that it's called the American (minus those schools plus Temple and UConn).

Conference USA will miss UCF and ECU.

The other 5 that have left, or are about to leave, won't be missed.

(02-23-2014 12:06 AM)Native Georgian Wrote:  Conference USA will miss UCF and ECU.

The other 5 that have left, or are about to leave, won't be missed.

Huh?

wether it's the acc, b12, or summit every conference will miss the departed members

wether it's the acc, b12, or summit every conference will miss the departed members

(02-23-2014 12:06 AM)Native Georgian Wrote:  Conference USA will miss UCF and ECU.

The other 5 that have left, or are about to leave, won't be missed.

CUSA 1.0 was the real deal especially there at the end. Charlotte was an original member of CUSA so we are just coming back home. Who knows how long we'll be here this time. Anyway, no need to long for the past. Those others that have left will be missed, but some of them have been gone so I guess "missed" is too strong a word. I grew up in NC so a rivalry with ECU would have been nice.

ECU was a 10 win team last season and always posted impressive attendance numbers. Of course they will be missed. Tulsa fell on hard times last season, and I will miss losing New Orleans more then Tulane. C-USA is replacing the departed with WKU (8-4) and ODU (8-4). I think we will be fine next season. On the field I don't think our departed will be missed near as much as the AAC or Sun Belt will miss their departed.

(02-23-2014 04:50 AM)CougarRed Wrote:  

(02-23-2014 12:06 AM)Native Georgian Wrote:  Conference USA will miss UCF and ECU.

The other 5 that have left, or are about to leave, won't be missed.

Huh?

I agree, Huh... Tulsa has arguably been the best FB program in CUSA. Houston is solidly in the top 5 or 6. Memphis owned CUSA in BB.

CUSA's strategy of going after high quality IAA programs was a good one. Expanding to 14 teams was also a good strategy. So, everything is either new or very young and probably both...so it will take time to play out for CUSA. CUSA's good structure of football bowl games was surprisingly strong. It will be interesting to see how CUSA's tv contract plays out in a couple years. History seems to be repeating itself as doom and gloom were projected for CUSA when Louisville, USF, and Cincy were invited to BE...only to see CUSA expand its tv contract and set up a better schedule of football bowl games. My guess is that CUSA will again continue to surprise in the future.

(02-23-2014 12:06 AM)Native Georgian Wrote:  Conference USA will miss UCF and ECU.

The other 5 that have left, or are about to leave, won't be missed.

This.

Disagree. There is absolutely zero buzz nationally and TV coverage has been reduced in bball (compared to previous years)...not good indicators if you want to be nationally relevant in a sport.

(02-23-2014 01:20 PM)Tallgrass Wrote:  CUSA's strategy of going after high quality IAA programs was a good one. Expanding to 14 teams was also a good strategy. So, everything is either new or very young and probably both...so it will take time to play out for CUSA. CUSA's good structure of football bowl games was surprisingly strong. It will be interesting to see how CUSA's tv contract plays out in a couple years. History seems to be repeating itself as doom and gloom were projected for CUSA when Louisville, USF, and Cincy were invited to BE...only to see CUSA expand its tv contract and set up a better schedule of football bowl games. My guess is that CUSA will again continue to surprise in the future.

I don't know if the strategy was good or bad, but CUSA did what it had to do to keep the TV contract $. I don't know if 14 is better than 12 at the g5 level...diminishing returns and all.

Not sure about the doom and gloom. I never read anything about CUSA going the way of the WAC...now that's doom and gloom! CUSA will be fine, but I suspect bowls will be an issue...5 yearly slots for 14 teams seems a bit shy as compared to 6 for 12 in CUSA 2. One of the knocks on the SB was bowl eligible teams either sweating it out at the end of the season or sitting at home. With the increased number of bowls, it probably won't be an issue most years, but it's still not a guarantee. Truly, the only g5s to upgrade or strengthen their bowl situations were the MAC and SB.

(02-23-2014 01:20 PM)Tallgrass Wrote:  CUSA's strategy of going after high quality IAA programs was a good one. Expanding to 14 teams was also a good strategy. So, everything is either new or very young and probably both...so it will take time to play out for CUSA. CUSA's good structure of football bowl games was surprisingly strong. It will be interesting to see how CUSA's tv contract plays out in a couple years. History seems to be repeating itself as doom and gloom were projected for CUSA when Louisville, USF, and Cincy were invited to BE...only to see CUSA expand its tv contract and set up a better schedule of football bowl games. My guess is that CUSA will again continue to surprise in the future.

Your insane if you think the scenario of losing Cincy/USF/UL even compares to what is happening right now. When that happened CUSA still had many proven programs with strong history in football such as Houston, ECU, SMU, and Tulane (They won the SEC three times and won CUSA in 1998). Then you had Tulsa who arguably dominated CUSA football in recent memory. Of course CUSA was going to be fine when they had those five teams to step up let alone a home run addition in a UCF team that has no competition in Orlando. Now your expecting five Sun Belt teams and three FCS level programs with pretty much no history to be able to replicate the success.

On the basketball side when those teams you mentioned left CUSA was pretty much Memphis and everyone else. In the first season Memphis left CUSA has become a shell of its former self with sixteen teams and predicted to be a one bid league. And it's going to be even worse when it losses a Tulsa program who has been one of the best basketball programs in the conference since they joined.

I don't think CUSA will ever go the way of the WAC but the old CUSA is officially going to be dead when ECU, Tulane, and Tulsa leave.

(02-23-2014 09:11 PM)gulfcoastgal Wrote:  Disagree. There is absolutely zero buzz nationally and TV coverage has been reduced in bball (compared to previous years)...not good indicators if you want to be nationally relevant in a sport.

Of course you do, you left. Congrats.

No doubt Memphis will be missed, but only for bball. You guys WERE CUSA basketball. The new teams will take some time, but CUSA has risen from conference shake ups before and will again.

Best of luck in the AAC.

(02-24-2014 12:50 AM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  

(02-23-2014 01:20 PM)Tallgrass Wrote:  CUSA's strategy of going after high quality IAA programs was a good one. Expanding to 14 teams was also a good strategy. So, everything is either new or very young and probably both...so it will take time to play out for CUSA. CUSA's good structure of football bowl games was surprisingly strong. It will be interesting to see how CUSA's tv contract plays out in a couple years. History seems to be repeating itself as doom and gloom were projected for CUSA when Louisville, USF, and Cincy were invited to BE...only to see CUSA expand its tv contract and set up a better schedule of football bowl games. My guess is that CUSA will again continue to surprise in the future.

Your insane if you think the scenario of losing Cincy/USF/UL even compares to what is happening right now. When that happened CUSA still had many proven programs with strong history in football such as Houston, ECU, SMU, and Tulane (They won the SEC three times and won CUSA in 1998). Then you had Tulsa who arguably dominated CUSA football in recent memory. Of course CUSA was going to be fine when they had those five teams to step up let alone a home run addition in a UCF team that has no competition in Orlando. Now your expecting five Sun Belt teams and three FCS level programs with pretty much no history to be able to replicate the success.

On the basketball side when those teams you mentioned left CUSA was pretty much Memphis and everyone else. In the first season Memphis left CUSA has become a shell of its former self with sixteen teams and predicted to be a one bid league. And it's going to be even worse when it losses a Tulsa program who has been one of the best basketball programs in the conference since they joined.

I don't think CUSA will ever go the way of the WAC but the old CUSA is officially going to be dead when ECU, Tulane, and Tulsa leave.

ECU got bombed by Marshall and both Tulane and Tulsa lost to CUSA west teams. If that's "dead," then it appears CUSA is already in good shape.

I see you are a Troy fan. Is Troy being left out of CUSA what drives your posts?

The AAC cherry-picked who they wanted from C-USA, but the only things that will be missed are tradition, name recognition, academic prestige and large media markets.