If say, Eastern Kentucky gets the golden ticket from the Sun Belt, should the OVC add Central Arkansas?

UCA would go from being the northeasternmost school in the Southland to the southwesternmost in the OVC. In spite of that, most of UCA's conference opponents would be closer in the OVC. The OVC already sponsors FCS football, so no issues there. Arkansas would be a new market for the OVC, and UCA would gain exposure in five states instead of two just in its own conference.

The OVC is also a better basketball conference, and having Murray State and Belmont pay regular visits to Conway would benefit the Bears' program.

From a marketing standpoint isn't it easier to sell the Southland Conference over the OVC.

I know the OVC is a better basketball conference but it seems like an incremental improvement.

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UCA recruits heavily in Texas and Louisiana and considers itself a southern program. Their basketball arena is in very bad need of an upgrade and they are not tearing it up in the Southland in basketball. They are a football oriented program with a new coach and a very good early history in FCS. Unless it meant a huge financial windfall I can't see them moving north.

Isn't Central Arkansas more like North Alabama than it is most FCS programs?

Central Arkansas is a football-first school and any decision they make will be first considered from a football-POV.


The Southland is much much better than the OVC is at football (even with the OVC finally getting some playoff victories recently).


I don't know this for sure, but I'd imagine UCA probably recruits Texas a good bit. Considering that Arkansas as a state is more aligned with Louisiana and Texas than it is with Tennessee and Kentucky --- Southland seems absolutely the way to go. I don't think they'd even consider a move to the OVC.

(07-21-2014 10:41 AM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  Isn't Central Arkansas more like North Alabama than it is most FCS programs?

Not anymore. They've grown a ton since making the move.

Their biggest weakness is that they've had a corrupt administration that they are just no cleaning up, and the campus is completely landlocked, to the point its having to buy property off of locals in order to increase its space.

Football wise though, from what I gather, they like the Southland. Its a lot of free exposure in Texas, and frankly, they have to recruit Texas to have a chance considering Arkansas and Arkansas State get first dibs on instate prospects, and the state's pretty picked clean by the time they are done.

UCA in the OVC is sort of like Arkansas State in the MAC. Sure, it might make some sense both ways, but neither school can make enough off of instate prospects to be able to afford giving up games in a heavily recruited area.

Economically Arkansas is more tied to Texas and Louisiana than the other states that neighbor. Historically UArk has had a Texas league opponent for 88 of the last 100 years and some of the years they didn't have one in league play, they played at least one in non-conference. A-State has had at least one Texas league opponent for the past 51 years.

A-State was a charter member of the Southland so the Ark-La-Tex relationship goes way back.

Central Arkansas needs the SLC for the recruiting exposure and the travel isn't bad at all. If the Sun Belt were to push non-football members out, odds are Ark-Little Rock would go to the Southland giving UCA a league opponent 40 minutes away, and that's an important series for them, they just signed a 5 year contract in hoops.

(07-21-2014 11:38 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(07-21-2014 10:41 AM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  Isn't Central Arkansas more like North Alabama than it is most FCS programs?

Football wise though, from what I gather, they like the Southland. Its a lot of free exposure in Texas, and frankly, they have to recruit Texas to have a chance considering Arkansas and Arkansas State get first dibs on instate prospects, and the state's pretty picked clean by the time they are done.

We do a pretty good job at recruiting Northern Arkansas and Memphis area as well. UCA does have lots of competition in the recruiting area.

(07-21-2014 12:57 PM)NittanyLion Wrote:  Central Arkansas is a football-first school and any decision they make will be first considered from a football-POV.


The Southland is much much better than the OVC is at football (even with the OVC finally getting some playoff victories recently).


I don't know this for sure, but I'd imagine UCA probably recruits Texas a good bit. Considering that Arkansas as a state is more aligned with Louisiana and Texas than it is with Tennessee and Kentucky --- Southland seems absolutely the way to go. I don't think they'd even consider a move to the OVC.

Some playoff victories. Lol. Jax state whupped the s h t out of mcneese state they looked like they never seen football played before.

I think UCA would be a great fit. With North Alabama. In the ovc.

(07-21-2014 09:24 AM)Crump1 Wrote:  UCA recruits heavily in Texas and Louisiana and considers itself a southern program. Their basketball arena is in very bad need of an upgrade and they are not tearing it up in the Southland in basketball. They are a football oriented program with a new coach and a very good early history in FCS. Unless it meant a huge financial windfall I can't see them moving north.

Well they did produce a HOF/top 50 all time basketball player.


This is still the best intro for a basketball team of all time and is honestly the only reason I even know that Pippen played there.

(07-25-2014 03:18 PM)MissouriStateBears Wrote:  

(07-21-2014 11:38 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(07-21-2014 10:41 AM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  Isn't Central Arkansas more like North Alabama than it is most FCS programs?

Football wise though, from what I gather, they like the Southland. Its a lot of free exposure in Texas, and frankly, they have to recruit Texas to have a chance considering Arkansas and Arkansas State get first dibs on instate prospects, and the state's pretty picked clean by the time they are done.

We do a pretty good job at recruiting Northern Arkansas and Memphis area as well. UCA does have lots of competition in the recruiting area.

Yes, but as of right now, Missouri State faces the same issues that UCA does within the Arkansas market. They pretty much get whats leftover after Arkansas and Arkansas State have picked the FBS Prospects clean.

Heck, Arkansas State signs far more Alabama kinds than we do Arkansas in a given year as it is. Talent level is just not as high in state...though its getting better.

(07-25-2014 03:54 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(07-25-2014 03:18 PM)MissouriStateBears Wrote:  

(07-21-2014 11:38 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(07-21-2014 10:41 AM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  Isn't Central Arkansas more like North Alabama than it is most FCS programs?

Football wise though, from what I gather, they like the Southland. Its a lot of free exposure in Texas, and frankly, they have to recruit Texas to have a chance considering Arkansas and Arkansas State get first dibs on instate prospects, and the state's pretty picked clean by the time they are done.

We do a pretty good job at recruiting Northern Arkansas and Memphis area as well. UCA does have lots of competition in the recruiting area.

Yes, but as of right now, Missouri State faces the same issues that UCA does within the Arkansas market. They pretty much get whats leftover after Arkansas and Arkansas State have picked the FBS Prospects clean.

Heck, Arkansas State signs far more Alabama kinds than we do Arkansas in a given year as it is. Talent level is just not as high in state...though its getting better.

That actually alludes to one of the issues AState had in moving to FBS. We made our bread and butter off kids from Arkansas, West Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas by getting quality players who weren't offered a slot in FBS. To be successful in FBS we had to expand the reach of our recruiting. Doing so means we don't take the kids who were projects who projected to be good if things worked out. We built a strong FCS program and moving we left a bit of a void that UCA should be able to exploit.