UAB has a history and tradition. When in 15 years you go back and look, there will be a one year gap in football for them. Will their record for the next 3 to 5 years reflect the initial lost? Probably. The really hard part for us as a conference is going to be that having weaker conference teams on our schedule affects any Access Bowl contender from a SOS standpoint.

(03-23-2015 12:02 PM)pilot172000 Wrote:  UAB has a history and tradition. When in 15 years you go back and look, there will be a one year gap in football for them. Will their record for the next 3 to 5 years reflect the initial lost? Probably. The really hard part for us as a conference is going to be that having weaker conference teams on our schedule affects any Access Bowl contender from a SOS standpoint.

The same can be said for basketball if we let them go and replace them with a strong football/weak basketball program.

Awesome. Finally some good news coming out of B'ham other than the first round win. Go Blazers!! Fire friggin watts

(03-23-2015 12:02 PM)pilot172000 Wrote:  UAB has a history and tradition. When in 15 years you go back and look, there will be a one year gap in football for them. Will their record for the next 3 to 5 years reflect the initial lost? Probably. The really hard part for us as a conference is going to be that having weaker conference teams on our schedule affects any Access Bowl contender from a SOS standpoint.

I agree. There's no disagreeing that if UAB football it will be pretty bad for at least 3 years. However, Head Coach Bill Clark is STILL in Birmingham waiting to see what happens. As long a solid line of coaches are in place and some commitment to facilities is made, which will happen if football is reinstated, then UAB football would be at least mediocre in CUSA within a couple of years.

There are zero players that will be around when UAB gets back to playing FB in CUSA. There will be no team next year. Then they have two transition years of playing FCS. Someone on here said there is a NCAA rule that if FB is dropped a school has to sit out five years (this may or may not be the case) but I am 99% sure about having to play FCS for a couple of years. Therefore, 2018 is the absolute earliest they will be eligible and it might be longer than this.

(03-23-2015 10:41 AM)jowisema Wrote:  I don't think they will necessarily start from scratch. I think they'll recruit a bit better by telling their story and their fans will be reinvigorated. The university is also gonna go on an apology tour that includes an on campus stadium. Not to mention the money their alumni are gonna dump in. This was the worst/best thing that could have happened to UAB.

Agree completely. UAB is about to bring back football and see donations like they've never seen before. They'll get their on-campus stadium. Anyone who stands in the way will be tarred and feathered.

(03-23-2015 11:46 AM)pilot172000 Wrote:  

(03-23-2015 11:13 AM)ThreeifbyLightning Wrote:  

(03-23-2015 11:09 AM)monarx Wrote:  I think it may help UAB in the long run. They did well this season, but the program could use some reinvigoration, and this may be the catalyst for that.

Key word bolded. Short term is going to be a blood bath for them to restart unless they are either forced or volunarily elect to go through a transition phase.

Since they won't play in '15, does the break service mean the NCAA would force them to "start over" and be forced to go through the development and transition periods like Charlotte just went through?

A start up UAB is much better than any of the other alternatives out there. Charlotte and ODU all brought something to the table that CUSA needed and others didn't have. Just because they started or restarted football a little late doesn't mean they aren't quality programs that will strengthen CUSA in the LONG RUN.

+1. And given the uniqueness of the situation, I wouldn't be surprised if the NCAA gave them a waiver to start on the FBS level.

(03-23-2015 12:53 PM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  There are zero players that will be around when UAB gets back to playing FB in CUSA. There will be no team next year. Then they have two transition years of playing FCS. Someone on here said there is a NCAA rule that if FB is dropped a school has to sit out five years (this may or may not be the case) but I am 99% sure about having to play FCS for a couple of years. Therefore, 2018 is the absolute earliest they will be eligible and it might be longer than this.

I'm thinking given the unique circumstances here UAB may be able to petition the NCAA regarding rejoining Fbs at an accelerated pace. I have no idea if that would work, but I would think it is at least something to consider. Every guy on the team who remained is still on scholarship, so that is also something interesting to consider.
i have no clue how this will play out, but it is definitely a unique case if UAB finds a way to restore the program.

I would be very surprised at a waiver from the NCAA.

It's a bad situation, but people authorized to make the call made the call.

It really does stink (or will stink) if/when fans/players/coaches have to deal with the repercussions, but I think that the NCAA (and to a lesser degree CUSA) still have to view it that way.

I would put UAB starting over on the same level as Marshall (no Marshall fans I'm not comparing the death of your players to the death of UAB's program in the same sense) and whil;e UAB doesn't have the level of tradition on it's side the amount of media coverage today can make up for that....

I know if UAB ever does a protest march ...it would be good for other school fans to join in wearing their school shirts with a FREE UAB sticker on it! I would be there standing with you and I also know a handful of other Topper fans would also.

I think we would absolutely see a waiver. The NCAA has taken so many PR hits over the years, that they would relent just to make the story go away.

This is a unique situation, I would hope the NCAA would make the right decision and let UAB back in as soon as they are ready...

I think everyone pretty much suspected this new info was the truth all along, but it's still pretty disgusting to read exactly how they went about it.

(03-23-2015 01:10 PM)pilot172000 Wrote:  I think we would absolutely see a waiver. The NCAA has taken so many PR hits over the years, that they would relent just to make the story go away.

(03-23-2015 01:19 PM)WKUFan518 Wrote:  This is a unique situation, I would hope the NCAA would make the right decision and let UAB back in as soon as they are ready...

Are we talking about the same NCAA?

It'd be nice for CUSA (and Louisiana Tech) if UAB chooses to (and is allowed to) bring football back to FBS as soon as possible.

But I bet the NCAA makes them jump through all the hoops (if only to make it clear to everyone else what a big decision this kind of thing is).

(03-23-2015 01:50 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(03-23-2015 01:10 PM)pilot172000 Wrote:  I think we would absolutely see a waiver. The NCAA has taken so many PR hits over the years, that they would relent just to make the story go away.

(03-23-2015 01:19 PM)WKUFan518 Wrote:  This is a unique situation, I would hope the NCAA would make the right decision and let UAB back in as soon as they are ready...

Are we talking about the same NCAA?

It'd be nice for CUSA (and Louisiana Tech) if UAB chooses to (and is allowed to) bring football back to FBS as soon as possible.

But I bet the NCAA makes them jump through all the hoops (if only to make it clear to everyone else what a big decision this kind of thing is).

I didn't say they would, just hoped they would...And yes I would not count on the NCAA using any common sense...

This thing is going to burn someone's house down, if not a whole subdivision.

I still wonder what would have happened had UAB had more fans in the stands for football over the years. I wonder if the measures UAB did try for to help boost football that got shot down would have come into place would you guys be where you are at? In other words would success at the gate and on the field made football "politically protected"--its harder to kill of something doing well than something not doing well.

I think the NCAA enforces the "at least 2 years in FCS" rule to protect teams from their own ambitions. If you cannot successfully field a team in FCS with respect to finances and facilities then you have no shot at making it in FBS. The graduated approach probably prevents some athletic department implosions, and stabilizes conference and divisions in the NCAA. UAB is different. They have been there, and they know what it takes to run the program. If the state of Alabama rescinds all of this mess, and even better if they give UAB control of UAB, then I am betting the NCAA signs off on letting them pick right back up where they left off. Especially if they have the support of the conference. Why not? Of course there are things that cannot be undone, like the transfer of players, but I do not think the NCAA is the hurdle they need to worry about.

(03-23-2015 02:24 PM)Nugget49er Wrote:  If the state of Alabama rescinds all of this mess, and even better if they give UAB control of UAB, then I am betting the NCAA signs off on letting them pick right back up where they left off. Especially if they have the support of the conference. Why not? Of course there are things that cannot be undone, like the transfer of players, but I do not think the NCAA is the hurdle they need to worry about.

I think you may be thinking of some other organization called the NCAA if you think they're going to take a measured or nuanced approach to a rule without a huge battle.

I hope you're right, but I don't think you will be if it comes to that.

I do agree that the NCAA is not the first hurdle here. None of this matters unless they decide to reinstate football.

If UAB gets the green light to have football in 2016, the ncaa should allow them to recruit as many as they need to be at 85 scholarships that year instead of the normal 25 max. Play fbs right out of the gate and bowl eligible with 6 wins. None of this fcs purgatory crap after what they've been through.

(03-23-2015 02:12 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  This thing is going to burn someone's house down, if not a whole subdivision.

I still wonder what would have happened had UAB had more fans in the stands for football over the years. I wonder if the measures UAB did try for to help boost football that got shot down would have come into place would you guys be where you are at? In other words would success at the gate and on the field made football "politically protected"--its harder to kill of something doing well than something not doing well.

I think that is a major reason they had a foot on the throat for so many years. Not long after Bartow passed is when they set their final plan in motion.

If there is a silver lining when the smoke clears we may be as

Free. Just as free as well ever be. Free. a little Zac Brown thrown in.