(12-10-2014 03:53 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  If I were commissioner of CUSA...

I'd do a straw poll of the presidents and if the result is likely negative on the matter of keeping them before the January meeting, I'd ask the presidents to hold off voting until the meeting at the basketball tournament. I would announce that is a serious decision that require thoughtful consideration and time for UAB to be to provide answers to the questions that the membership may have about the program's plans going forward.

Then once we get the tournament out of the way, I'd call for the vote.

That buys me three more months to work on the TV deal and three more months to have TV look at potential models (13, 14, 16) and three more months to see if the Big XII expansion jabber has any legs.

Get the tournament in Birmingham out of the way

I like the move of waiting until after the CUSA tournament in Birmingham but with the CUSA TV deal ending June 2016 you would want to select a school almost immediately after as a replacement to get them on board for 2016-17.

B12 isn't making a move, and if it did the chances of impacting CUSA is only 50-50.

I think that CUSA will want to either get to 12 or 14. I would expect them to announce a 14th school by the end of the year (June 30th) so that they are proactive instead of reactive. That is unless the Big 12 adds two (or more) schools before then to start a ripple effect. I don't expect the Big 12 to start adding schools unless they can get a home run (another P5 school; I don't think they can). It would be very shortsighted in my opinion to hand out memberships based on such a small body of work for the new playoff committee. Heck, I wouldn't even add a pair of schools just to get the conference championship game. I'd add schools to expand the footprint and value of the brand for the long haul and take some turf back that the Big Ten, SEC, and to a lesser extent the ACC have been taking. I'd hope like heck that UCF can turn into a power along with someone like Tulane, Memphis, Cincinnati, or another eastern school (relative to the current Big 12).

(12-10-2014 10:09 PM)GE and MTS Wrote:  I think that CUSA will want to either get to 12 or 14. I would expect them to announce a 14th school by the end of the year (June 30th) so that they are proactive instead of reactive. That is unless the Big 12 adds two (or more) schools before then to start a ripple effect. I don't expect the Big 12 to start adding schools unless they can get a home run (another P5 school; I don't think they can). It would be very shortsighted in my opinion to hand out memberships based on such a small body of work for the new playoff committee. Heck, I wouldn't even add a pair of schools just to get the conference championship game. I'd add schools to expand the footprint and value of the brand for the long haul and take some turf back that the Big Ten, SEC, and to a lesser extent the ACC have been taking. I'd hope like heck that UCF can turn into a power along with someone like Tulane, Memphis, Cincinnati, or another eastern school (relative to the current Big 12).

Tulane will never be a serious candidate for a Big12 spot. They don't have the stadium nor do they have the fan support to ever be considered serious. The only "real" players for the Big12 inclusion right now is Cinci, Memphis, BYU and possibly Colorado State.

And you are wrong. They will be added for academics.

(12-10-2014 10:26 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  And you are wrong. They will be added for academics.

Tulane? I can't believe that is who they picked.

Oh just wait until you hear #4 in May

(12-10-2014 10:26 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  And you are wrong. They will be added for academics.

No, I'm not wrong. What would you like to bet on that? This entire expansion possibility is not driven by academics. It's driven on football strength and TV market dollars. Besides, the Big12 is not picking 4. They are picking 2.

I will bet big money and I am not a rich man

The on,y way that SMU or Tulane is in the Big XII is if the Longhorns are long gone.

SMU will never be in the BIg 12

(12-10-2014 11:14 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  

(12-10-2014 10:26 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  And you are wrong. They will be added for academics.

No, I'm not wrong. What would you like to bet on that? This entire expansion possibility is not driven by academics. It's driven on football strength and TV market dollars. Besides, the Big12 is not picking 4. They are picking 2.

New Orleans High school vs Texas or OU would result in a crowd of over 40,000. Attendance is all about how the event is perceived, not who is actually playing. Your foolish if you think every single person at an LSU game is an LSU fan.

The Big 12 does not necessarily need stronger teams. They have Baylor, West Virginia, TCU, OSU, OU, Texas, and Kansas State. You could argue that adding some bad teams may actually help them because it would equal more wins for those teams and give two of the best teams an extra shot at each other.

Not to mention even a slice of NO is a valuable piece of pie.

It would certainly benefit Tulane to stop being terrible but they no doubt have sleeping giant potential. Especially considering that if they ever hired the right coach they are literally sitting on a crap load of talent.

(12-10-2014 06:17 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(12-10-2014 04:22 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  I must say....I dont think the Sunbelt conference can make it longterm. I will be surprised if the Sunbelt exists 10 years from now.

How so?

CUSA isn't taking the entire Sun Belt, and no one in the league is even considering dropping football.

Out of the current Sun Belt, Arkansas State, UL Monroe, Troy, and App State are not going anywhere. They are in small markets, or are blocked by teams in other leagues.

Literally, the only way the Sun Belt dies is if there is another MWC situation where teams form their own league Otherwise the league will always have time to backfill from FCS or FBS Independents.

Well I've no idea who blocks who but AState's market is larger than WKU's despite the hilarious way the market lines are drawn. Seriously the Memphis market is 11 miles from our stadium and Little Rock market starts four miles from the ABC affiliate transmitter. If the map represented actually viewable by antenna most larger markets would smaller and many small markets larger.

Pony94 is correct. Tulane has a strong possibility of being selected if the Big XII expands. Tulane has always been mentioned in expansion and the Big XII.

Baylor and TCU were the the dregs of college football and the Southwest Conference for many years. BCS money, for Baylor, and TCU's incredible run through 4 conferences have helped the athletic departments grow.

Also remember that Tulane, along The University of the South and Georgia Tech were part of the SEC. Tulane and Georgia Tech may have left for academic reasons. The University of the South could not compete effectively.

(12-10-2014 07:35 PM)chess Wrote:  Having Massachusetts step into UAB's football conference schedule for 2015 makes sense. It may give C-USA a year to find the right replacement and solve UMass's football scheduling issues. http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa-15/mid-a...hedule.php

I'm sorry but if UMass wouldn't go all in for the MAC, why would that magically change for a CUSA invite?

(12-10-2014 10:36 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  Oh just wait until you hear #4 in May

New Mexico. Jeeez. I have my doubts.

(12-10-2014 10:36 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  Oh just wait until you hear #4 in May

Does that school start with an R? Dear god it can't be.

(12-10-2014 11:58 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(12-10-2014 06:17 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(12-10-2014 04:22 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  I must say....I dont think the Sunbelt conference can make it longterm. I will be surprised if the Sunbelt exists 10 years from now.

How so?

CUSA isn't taking the entire Sun Belt, and no one in the league is even considering dropping football.

Out of the current Sun Belt, Arkansas State, UL Monroe, Troy, and App State are not going anywhere. They are in small markets, or are blocked by teams in other leagues.

Literally, the only way the Sun Belt dies is if there is another MWC situation where teams form their own league Otherwise the league will always have time to backfill from FCS or FBS Independents.

Well I've no idea who blocks who but AState's market is larger than WKU's despite the hilarious way the market lines are drawn. Seriously the Memphis market is 11 miles from our stadium and Little Rock market starts four miles from the ABC affiliate transmitter. If the map represented actually viewable by antenna most larger markets would smaller and many small markets larger.

Two can play that game. If you want to go by what you can pick up with an antenna, from BG you can pick up Louisville, Nashville, and Evansville. The BG Metro area is also more populous than Jonesboro's. BG is closer to Nashville than Jonesboro is to Memphis, and closer to both Evansville and Louisville than Jonesville is to Little Rock.

Pissing contests like this are easy to cherry pick whatever data you'd like. I personally have no issues with adding stAte if C-USA goes that route. I don't really give to craps about markets and value on the field performance much more (which stAte has in spades). Let's not getting into the market mess, because any of us can pull numbers that make us sound appealing, but very few of us (WKU included) command much attention in the markets we are trying to us to pump ourselves up.

(12-10-2014 11:35 AM)AppManDG Wrote:  Does CUSA wait to see what the Big XII does before moving to replace UAB? With the understanding the FBS playoff payout to G5 conferences based on a 12 team conference. IF the Big XII takes Cincinnati and BYU and the AAC responds by taking someone from CUSA, do the CUSA Presidents elect to remain at 12 schools?

Just looking for opinions and perspectives.

no. the B12 will do nothing that affects c-usa

(12-11-2014 09:32 AM)runamuck Wrote:  

(12-10-2014 11:35 AM)AppManDG Wrote:  Does CUSA wait to see what the Big XII does before moving to replace UAB? With the understanding the FBS playoff payout to G5 conferences based on a 12 team conference. IF the Big XII takes Cincinnati and BYU and the AAC responds by taking someone from CUSA, do the CUSA Presidents elect to remain at 12 schools?

Just looking for opinions and perspectives.

no. the B12 will do nothing that affects c-usa

Ok, good. Glad that's settled. No AAC or MWC teams to the Big 12 resulting in another raid on C-USA. Good to know. You should have chipped in much earlier in this thread and saved everyone a lot of time and effort in speculation.

(12-11-2014 01:26 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(12-10-2014 10:36 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  Oh just wait until you hear #4 in May

New Mexico. Jeeez. I have my doubts.

Top 50 TV market and growing, academically compatible, mountain time zone grants some schedule flexibility, serves as a bridge should Colorado State or BYU become future targets.

With Memphis and Cincinnati ups the hoops credibility, though I still think you don't get maximum value out of hoops without your own network.

Memphis, Cincinnati, and New Orleans bring extra dollars to the league simply by making the bidding for the basketball tournament more competitive. Memphis, New Orleans and Albuquerque would likely all be serious bidders for the baseball tournament.

I tend to think Big XII may be too dysfunctional to expand without a clear home run ball.