The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Article from the ODU side. Some good stuff here.

http://hamptonroads.com/2014/12/football...am-league#

CUSA should protect itself and make staying extremely punitive for UAB. Of course then, Bolton (our resident mathlete) would proclaim it a huge financial success and we would then go to work on bleeding out the rest of Athletics.

What we need is for the other President to vocally call Watts out on his stupidity of his actions and not consulting the rest of the conference presidents before making "his" decision.

Quote:UAB has asked the school to change its bylaws, which require members to have a Football Bowl Subdivision program, so that it can remain a member. UAB officials will be given the chance to make their case at the January meeting, sources said.

What's the over/under on how long it takes them to laugh us out of the room?

(12-26-2014 12:18 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

Quote:UAB has asked the school to change its bylaws, which require members to have a Football Bowl Subdivision program, so that it can remain a member. UAB officials will be given the chance to make their case at the January meeting, sources said.

What's the over/under on how long it takes them to laugh us out of the room?

Laugh Watts out the room and embarrass the crap out of him.

(12-26-2014 12:36 PM)rook360 Wrote:  

(12-26-2014 12:18 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

Quote:UAB has asked the school to change its bylaws, which require members to have a Football Bowl Subdivision program, so that it can remain a member. UAB officials will be given the chance to make their case at the January meeting, sources said.

What's the over/under on how long it takes them to laugh us out of the room?

Laugh Watts out the room and embarrass the crap out of him.

I'd be surprised if Ray bothered to make the trip. It'll be interim AD Ealy who'll have that dubious honor.

The article says that they are unlikely to fill it quickly, if only because of the need to give notice to the conference of the team chosen.

I think we still have a window of time before they chuck us out. We need to strap an ejection seat under Watts and get him out of there and start to set things straight.

Changing the by-laws is something they'd want to avoid on the premise that it's not only unfair to the schools that had to leave because of it previously, but it also sets up the opportunity for the conference to be weakened in the future. More than that why not stay at thirteen, collect more money, and just wait the whole thing out? If a school shows a tremendous amount of promise then C-USA can make the decision at their leisure. They don't have to do UAB any favors. When the conference alignment stuff was happening, we didn't stay because of unfaltering love for the conference. We just weren't good enough in the premier sports. For Dr. Watts to go on record as basically trying to spin that fact and lobbying for them to change the rules and keep us despite not even informing them the football team was ending was an insult to the conference.

We still have some time before they officially decide to give us the boot, but I also believe that Dr. Watts last hurrah is going to be to stall long enough to ensure we can't reinstate the teams in that window. The only positive that I can really hope for is that the conference opts to see what's really going on. If the conference makes a severe statement against the president and the administration and grants UAB a stay long enough to reinstate the teams, it'd be a big help going forward. Otherwise we'd probably be independent for a moment and tumble into a lower conference.

(12-26-2014 12:39 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

(12-26-2014 12:36 PM)rook360 Wrote:  

(12-26-2014 12:18 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

Quote:UAB has asked the school to change its bylaws, which require members to have a Football Bowl Subdivision program, so that it can remain a member. UAB officials will be given the chance to make their case at the January meeting, sources said.

What's the over/under on how long it takes them to laugh us out of the room?

Laugh Watts out the room and embarrass the crap out of him.

I'd be surprised if Ray bothered to make the trip. It'll be interim AD Ealy who'll have that dubious honor.

I know that it's the AD's job to handle this, but it specifically stated a meeting of the Conference Presidents. If he doesn't bother to show it just drives a nail further that this was not about finance or the well being of UAB, but a BOT Agenda.

(12-26-2014 01:02 PM)rook360 Wrote:  

(12-26-2014 12:39 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

(12-26-2014 12:36 PM)rook360 Wrote:  

(12-26-2014 12:18 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

Quote:UAB has asked the school to change its bylaws, which require members to have a Football Bowl Subdivision program, so that it can remain a member. UAB officials will be given the chance to make their case at the January meeting, sources said.

What's the over/under on how long it takes them to laugh us out of the room?

Laugh Watts out the room and embarrass the crap out of him.

I'd be surprised if Ray bothered to make the trip. It'll be interim AD Ealy who'll have that dubious honor.

I know that it's the AD's job to handle this, but it specifically stated a meeting of the Conference Presidents. If he doesn't bother to show it just drives a nail further that this was not about finance or the well being of UAB, but a BOT Agenda.

I can't agree more with this. I think CUSA will have a really good idea on this issue during the mid January meeting.

C-USA has no perceptible immediate need to decide about UAB since schedules for all spring sports that include UAB are probably already set. This will give them time to evaluate any and all possible courses of action including replacement schools, and I'm sure there are several interested in joining C-USA.

What imperatives UAB might have though are a different matter. UAB may need time to make changes if C-USA decides to go on without us. I presume our interim AD is making informal enquiries of several conferences to ascertain their attitude toward UAB should we need to move on.

BTW, I suggest we consider a new mascot when we field a new FB team -- a fire breathing phoenix since we would be rising from our own ashes.

Watts' plan is to stay in CUSA.

It's a stupid plan, but there it is.

(12-26-2014 01:34 PM)BandGrad Wrote:  

(12-26-2014 01:02 PM)rook360 Wrote:  

(12-26-2014 12:39 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

(12-26-2014 12:36 PM)rook360 Wrote:  

(12-26-2014 12:18 PM)Smaug Wrote:  What's the over/under on how long it takes them to laugh us out of the room?

Laugh Watts out the room and embarrass the crap out of him.

I'd be surprised if Ray bothered to make the trip. It'll be interim AD Ealy who'll have that dubious honor.

I know that it's the AD's job to handle this, but it specifically stated a meeting of the Conference Presidents. If he doesn't bother to show it just drives a nail further that this was not about finance or the well being of UAB, but a BOT Agenda.

I can't agree more with this. I think CUSA will have a really good idea on this issue during the mid January meeting.

Don't forget these are college presidents who deal with the types of issues that, according to Watts, is why the program was shut down. They see it as the crock it is...

(12-26-2014 01:53 PM)WesternBlazer Wrote:  

(12-26-2014 01:34 PM)BandGrad Wrote:  

(12-26-2014 01:02 PM)rook360 Wrote:  

(12-26-2014 12:39 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

(12-26-2014 12:36 PM)rook360 Wrote:  Laugh Watts out the room and embarrass the crap out of him.

I'd be surprised if Ray bothered to make the trip. It'll be interim AD Ealy who'll have that dubious honor.

I know that it's the AD's job to handle this, but it specifically stated a meeting of the Conference Presidents. If he doesn't bother to show it just drives a nail further that this was not about finance or the well being of UAB, but a BOT Agenda.

I can't agree more with this. I think CUSA will have a really good idea on this issue during the mid January meeting.

Don't forget these are college presidents who deal with the types of issues that, according to Watts, is why the program was shut down. They see it as the crock it is...

And maybe a slap at their management skills, since the all knowing Watts is saying one of the founding member cannot afford to fund football.
He would be to a shame, scratch that gutless to show his face

UAB Athletics is not a priority for Watts. Even had he not closed down football, he wouldn't have wasted his valuable time going to those meetings.

I say stick with Blaze. The Phoenix dies on a regular basis and is reborn after burning up. Dragons never really die.

(12-26-2014 10:37 PM)blzrclub80 Wrote:  I say stick with Blaze. The Phoenix dies on a regular basis and is reborn after burning up. Dragons never really die.

Blaze is the name of whatever mascot we choose (Blaze was also the name of the Viking). A dragon and a phoenix are both equally mythical so we can have one of our choosing -- or like Auburn has the tiger and the eagle, we could have both.

Why on earth would we even consider changing mascots? That's just nuts! We have one of the coolest mascots there is, and there is no reason whatsoever to give him up.

(12-26-2014 10:37 PM)blzrclub80 Wrote:  I say stick with Blaze. The Phoenix dies on a regular basis and is reborn after burning up. Dragons never really die.

A future homecoming theme for when we finally do get football back could be Blaze riding in on a phoenix!