(02-21-2015 03:27 PM)ken d Wrote: (02-21-2015 03:12 PM)Attackcoog Wrote: I have no idea what UConn has in mind, so I'll just comment generally. I think that indy could be an appealing option for some FBS team if you can get to a situation where there are at least 6-8 other G5 independents. You need a critical mass of independent teams in order to make scheduling late season games viable. If there are at least 6-8 indy FBS school, assuming these teams are smart enough to cooperate with one another in sort of a loosely grouped coalition, then football independence could be very viable. Such a coalition could group together to negotiate TV agreements, bowl ties, and a scheduling agreement to keep every member covered for late season games (when it is very difficult for indy teams to get games at all, much less home games). The upside is that a G5 team could in theory fashion a near P5 quality schedule---something that is impossible for a G5 conference member. Ideally, an indy team would thus be able to overcome the inherent SOS issue that virtually bars any G5 team from EVER making the playoff.
The other factor in going independent is the availability of a viable olympic sports option. You would need a decent place to put your Olympic sports. In UConn's case, there is a great option. Schools along the eastern seaboard in general seem to have pretty decent options to honest (A-10, CAA, etc). For a school like mine (Houston), finding a decent Olympic sports home might be a serious problem. The Southland Conference is about the only option---that's quite a step down. That would make indy a long shot for some schools despite there being an indy coalition to ease the difficulty.
Some are independent in football by choice. Notre Dame and BYU each have a national following large enough to pull it off. Others are indy because no conference seems to want them. The question is, does anybody else have what it takes to make being a football indy pay off financially?
But is it even possible for a school to have a strong enough national cachet in hoops to make independence possible in that sport? To even consider it, you would need to consider your current football conference affiliation worth very little to you, and your prospects for finding a better conference slim. Does any of that describe UConn? Does it describe anybody else?
The schools that come to mind first when I think of possible football independence are Boise State, Rice, UTEP and Southern Miss. Since the Olympics sports all have a pathway to a title built into their system, any of those schools could park their Olympic sports in any conference and they wouldn't lose anything in national standing (although Rice and USM would have to consider their baseball programs). So the question relates to their viability as football independents as I believe none have much chance of being elevated beyond their current level of conference.
I agree that a few more football independents would ease scheduling, but I don't believe the national following is a necessity. Yes, the guaranteed TV money would be less for these schools, but it's not like any of them are getting rich in their current conference deals. One good bowl game in which they don't have to share their take with a dozen conference mates would be a boon to any of these programs.
From a scheduling standpoint, each of those schools could improve their slate to a level in which they would be considered de facto P5 schools. While P5s generally begin conference play in late September to early October, open dates dot the schedule. It should be relatively simple for USM, for example, to arrange as many as six-seven P5 games to start the season and one SEC game in the week prior to rivalry week. Schedule a couple of the independents, an in-state SWAC game and I think they could come up with a pretty good schedule that can never be rivaled by CUSA.
Possible schedule
Last Aug. Thu./Sat. -- Florida State/Louisville/Memphis/ECU
Week two -- Alcorn State/Jackson State
Week three -- Auburn
Week four -- Alabama
Week five -- TCU/Baylor/Oklahoma State
Week six -- LSU/Texas A&M
Week seven -- Rice
Week eight -- UTEP
Week nine -- Boise State
Week ten -- Ole Miss
Week eleven -- Mississippi State
Week twelve -- Tulane
To me, a four/five game home schedule with those names listed beats the heck out of a CUSA schedule + Alabama, Mississippi State and a decent OOC. It would re-energize their fan base, which seems almost insurmountable given how quickly the program has fallen from respectability. And before people start criticizing the number of SEC games on this example, it is just an example. But they have had that many SEC teams on their schedule before and they have had relationships with every school I listed above, except Baylor IIRC.
You tell me. Would you rather your favorite G5 school remain in its current holding pattern in G5 purgatory or roll the dice with some bold moves? This example might not be the one, but running it place doesn't seem like a good idea to me if all of the other runners are already ahead of you.