Hi everyone,

This is my first post to the C-USA board. I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I cannot find any threads about how the league may be divided for the 2015 season with Charlotte football coming on board.

A few questions: When does the league office plan on making an announcement? A quick Google search on 2015 C-USA division doesn't pull anything other than AAC divisions and 2014 C-USA divisions.

Are there any hints about how divisions may go? Does anyone besides UAB have a strong preference as to which division it will wind up in (preferring east instead of west)? Are UAB, MTSU, and WKU the only candidates to be in the West, or could someone else like a Florida school or even Charlotte wind up there? Could one of the current West teams actually get placed in the east, such as Southern Miss in the East with MTSU and WKU in the West?

I honestly have no idea which way the divisions would go and am curious about others' thoughts.

As an alternative, would a division-free structure be a possibility, where each team has three annual opponents while playing five of the remaining ten teams for two years, then the other five years for the two years after that?

For example, UTEP could play UTSA, Rice, and North Texas every year; FIU, Charlotte, ODU, UAB, and La. Tech in 2015 and 2016; and FAU, Marshall, MTSU, WKU, and Southern Miss in 2017 and 2018. Every team would be played at least twice every four years, and every stadium would be visited.

I think UAB is going West. Thats about it. The dvision free structure sounds interesting, but The Championship game is too important to throw away.

(10-31-2014 12:22 PM)Michael in Raleigh Wrote:  Hi everyone,

This is my first post to the C-USA board. I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I cannot find any threads about how the league may be divided for the 2015 season with Charlotte football coming on board.

A few questions: When does the league office plan on making an announcement? A quick Google search on 2015 C-USA division doesn't pull anything other than AAC divisions and 2014 C-USA divisions.

Are there any hints about how divisions may go? Does anyone besides UAB have a strong preference as to which division it will wind up in (preferring east instead of west)? Are UAB, MTSU, and WKU the only candidates to be in the West, or could someone else like a Florida school or even Charlotte wind up there? Could one of the current West teams actually get placed in the east, such as Southern Miss in the East with MTSU and WKU in the West?

I honestly have no idea which way the divisions would go and am curious about others' thoughts.

As an alternative, would a division-free structure be a possibility, where each team has three annual opponents while playing five of the remaining ten teams for two years, then the other five years for the two years after that?

For example, UTEP could play UTSA, Rice, and North Texas every year; FIU, Charlotte, ODU, UAB, and La. Tech in 2015 and 2016; and FAU, Marshall, MTSU, WKU, and Southern Miss in 2017 and 2018. Every team would be played at least twice every four years, and every stadium would be visited.

Most believe that the divisions will be as they are now but with UAB moving to the west when Charlotte comes in to join the east. I don't believe anything official has been released by the conference office.

Until the ncaa decides on the champ game/division issue, I doubt we could go forward without divisions but it's an interesting idea.

OK, just for discussion sake, who would be your three permanant teams? I would want, RICE, UNT, USM.

2015 football schedule will be released in February. We'll definitely know by then.

(10-31-2014 12:42 PM)pilot172000 Wrote:  OK, just for discussions sake, who would be your three permanant teams? I would want, RICE, UNT, USM.

MT
UAB
Probably marshall

Three permanent teams, assuming a hypothetical divisionless?

1. WKU
2. UAB
3. Marshall

Not realistic since I don't think we plan on expanding soon, but I always thought a pod system would be interesting if you had a 16 team conference.

Group 4 pods of 4 teams that always stay together but rotate divisions every year (since there's no rule against that) by combining different pods.

For example, 2015 would have a division with pods A and B and another division with pods C and D. Then in 2016, combine A and C versus B and D. 2017 has A and D versus B and C. 2018 back to the original with home and away flipped.

That way, you keep a few close rivals to play every single year and get to play everybody else more than once every several years.

(10-31-2014 01:17 PM)keebler645 Wrote:  Not realistic since I don't think we plan on expanding soon, but I always thought a pod system would be interesting if you had a 16 team conference.

Group 4 pods of 4 teams that always stay together but rotate divisions every year (since there's no rule against that) by combining different pods.

For example, 2015 would have a division with pods A and B and another division with pods C and D. Then in 2016, combine A and C versus B and D. 2017 has A and D versus B and C. 2018 back to the original with home and away flipped.

That way, you keep a few close rivals to play every single year and get to play everybody else more than once every several years.

The WAC model for a while when UTEP was there.

Permanent teams for UAB:
1) Southern Miss
2) MTSU
3) WKU

I think most of the fanbase would agree on this.

(10-31-2014 03:44 PM)HSV_BLAZER Wrote:  Permanent teams for UAB:
1) Southern Miss
2) MTSU
3) WKU

I think most of the fanbase would agree on this.

I would agree. We have a great history with WKU and USM and i think MT could become a great rival for us due to proximity.

I've heard some chatter that we might put our foot down as a charter member & say hell no we won't go, go ph*** some newbie we've got seniority. I 'm open one way or the other though I do prefer east as there's more teams we have some kind of history w/ in the past & better travel for fans to/from. I kinda like the idea of the no divisions & permanent crossover games w/ a few teams w/ others rotating in-out.

Southern Miss & UAB in the East and move Charlotte and Old Dominion to the West.

Zipper format?

UAB/Charlotte
FAU/FIU
WKU/Middle Tennessee
Rice/UTSA
UTEP/UNT
ODU/Marshall
USM/La Tech

(10-31-2014 03:55 PM)blazerwkr Wrote:  I've heard some chatter that we might put our foot down as a charter member & say hell no we won't go, go ph*** some newbie we've got seniority. I 'm open one way or the other though I do prefer east as there's more teams we have some kind of history w/ in the past & better travel for fans to/from. I kinda like the idea of the no divisions & permanent crossover games w/ a few teams w/ others rotating in-out.

Add Arkansas St and ULL to the west and leave UAB in the east.

(10-31-2014 01:08 PM)wkuhilltopperfan Wrote:  

(10-31-2014 12:42 PM)pilot172000 Wrote:  OK, just for discussions sake, who would be your three permanant teams? I would want, RICE, UNT, USM.

MT
UAB
Probably marshall

Agreed.

For me: Southern Miss.

Don't really care who the other two would be.

Will the 2015 season have only 13 weeks? Sept 5, 12, 19, 26; Oct 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; and Nov 7, 14, 21 ,28...if so, there would only be ONE bye week per team...then MTSU may have their bye week, week 1 since they have @Bama, @Ball State, @Indiana and Vanderbilt in consecutive weeks Sept 12-Oct 3. Several teams will be playing conference games in September if these assumptions are correct.

(11-01-2014 06:40 AM)MU ATO Wrote:  Southern Miss & UAB in the East and move Charlotte and Old Dominion to the West.

I'll throw a fit like a three-year-old in the cereal aisle.

UAB is going west. As much as I hate the idea, it's the most logical solution.