(06-04-2015 08:54 AM)Niner National Wrote:  Can we stop pretending that Georgia State is some basketball powerhouse? They had a great team last year and will probably have a pretty good one again, but it's not like they have a long history of success. They have bad facilities and, like the rest of us, are one bad coaching hire away from being awful and irrelevant again. Decisions should never be made from looking at things in a 1-2 year vacuum.

Any decisions we make going forward if we ever expand should be based on support. We don't need more teams in the league with 1000 butts in seats.

We would destroy you with our second team. LOL.

(06-04-2015 11:46 AM)HerdZoned Wrote:  

(06-04-2015 08:26 AM)BoKnows Wrote:  I agree that the Birmingham market will be a great asset to TV negotiations, and CUSA is in a better position now versus last week in regards to television negotiations.
That said, given Banowsky's affinity for the 16 team model, I wonder if we'd be better off (in light of recent events) to jump to 16 SOON.
IMO, Banowsky should approach our television negotiations with just that arrow in his arsenal. The B1G obviously felt that growing the league would help maximize television, and who is to say that the numbers wont come out better for us all (expenditures vs income) if we make the Eastern and Western footprints more dense (allowing for closer rivalries) and basically operate the two divisions as their own leagues that come together at playoff time. With an imaginative branding campaign, I think being the first 16 team football conference since the WAC could set CUSA apart.
Given our headquarters are based there, I think we'd be well served to plant the CUSA flag in Texas and take Texas State (effectively locking out the MWC) and off their tourney success I think we should offer Georgia State to bolster basketball.
Those are two programs that have a world of potential under the CUSA umbrella, shrink our footprints, and give us tons of marketing possibilities. I REALLY like the idea of establishing the brand as the only conference with 5 Texas schools (lets not forget that Texas is a HUGE state, where football is religion... lots of eyes on TV sets).

If you look at the map, they'd fill the two biggest holes in the East and the West. We'd almost be 2 separate bus leagues (and basketball would be better).

The main thing I want to know is: (1) Would the money be better with those 16 - and a greater regional identity? and (2) If the money is not better, are we really going to get that much more per school with 14 vs 16, that outweighs the potential savings on running basically two denser bus league footprints that could play amongst themselves and, then, really make our playoffs that much bigger of an event when the time comes.

I quit reading at Texas State, then I see you have GA State. I don't see this conference getting anymore Texas teams.

And GA State is a sleeping giant about as much as Buffalo is. When Marshall was in the MAC that's all we heard from 1999 till we left in 2004. Well they never woke up in that time and all they have ever done was sleep walk two times. UB has a total of 2 winning seasons since they moved up in 1999 and are 52-137 since becoming IA. GA State will have the same track record. And as far as being a basketball power they lost their only player (Ron Hunter) to do anything to graduation.

Sorry, I was finishing coffee. Did you say something knowledge about MBB? No? *slurp*. Oh OK carry on.

I don't see the problem with adding another Texas program. Are you afraid they'll start voting in a block? Because Texas is roughly the equivalent of 4 states... There isn't a lot of overlap in turf (if any at all)... In fact, adding one more in Texas is very smart because it gives our Texas recruiting even greater appeal - across the board. We'd never have to worry about securing a QB, and CUSA could become an "it" brand as more Texas athletes want to play against their friends. Besides all that, Austin/San Marcos basically gives us access to every market worth a darn. We could start adding hotels on our Monopoly board.

I think Texas State is by far one of the best properties on the board. That said, they need to improve in some key areas (basketball especially... I think they have a good fb coach tho). The gist of my point was we may as well help them improve now, rather than later (if 16 seems like an eventuality).

(06-05-2015 02:02 PM)HeadsetGuy Wrote:  NBCSports had an article saying that GaState may not get Turner Field in the short term, but probably in the 2020's (with that news and the inadequate basketball arena, they truly are a less appealing option).

Link?

The Braves have another year (2016) at Turner, so literally nothing will happen there for another 18 months in any event. Converting that property into a kind of "athletic village" for Georgia State will be a massive undertaking, and I don't think there is any definite time-frame for getting it finished. My honest guess is that the Panthers will be playing football in their own stadium by 2022 or '23. In the meantime, the Sun Belt is the best place for Georgia State athletics. I repeat my earlier point that expanding to 16 makes no sense for C-USA. I hope that doesn't happen, and suspect that the people (presidents, athletic directors, etc.) who will truly make that decision would agree with me on that.

I you could add UGA and South Carolina, yes. If you add 2 sunbelt ... NO

(06-05-2015 07:11 PM)BoKnows Wrote:  I don't see the problem with adding another Texas program. Are you afraid they'll start voting in a block? Because Texas is roughly the equivalent of 4 states... There isn't a lot of overlap in turf (if any at all)... In fact, adding one more in Texas is very smart because it gives our Texas recruiting even greater appeal - across the board. We'd never have to worry about securing a QB, and CUSA could become an "it" brand as more Texas athletes want to play against their friends. Besides all that, Austin/San Marcos basically gives us access to every market worth a darn. We could start adding hotels on our Monopoly board.

I think Texas State is by far one of the best properties on the board. That said, they need to improve in some key areas (basketball especially... I think they have a good fb coach tho). The gist of my point was we may as well help them improve now, rather than later (if 16 seems like an eventuality).

(06-05-2015 07:43 PM)Native Georgian Wrote:  

(06-05-2015 02:02 PM)HeadsetGuy Wrote:  NBCSports had an article saying that GaState may not get Turner Field in the short term, but probably in the 2020's (with that news and the inadequate basketball arena, they truly are a less appealing option).

Link?

The Braves have another year (2016) at Turner, so literally nothing will happen there for another 18 months in any event. Converting that property into a kind of "athletic village" for Georgia State will be a massive undertaking, and I don't think there is any definite time-frame for getting it finished. My honest guess is that the Panthers will be playing football in their own stadium by 2022 or '23. In the meantime, the Sun Belt is the best place for Georgia State athletics. I repeat my earlier point that expanding to 16 makes no sense for C-USA. I hope that doesn't happen, and suspect that the people (presidents, athletic directors, etc.) who will truly make that decision would agree with me on that.

That is a guess based on no info

here is the NBCsports article
http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com...ut-on-ice/

Thanks for the link Headset

Panama when do you think it will happen?

(06-05-2015 07:11 PM)BoKnows Wrote:  I don't see the problem with adding another Texas program. Are you afraid they'll start voting in a block? Because Texas is roughly the equivalent of 4 states... There isn't a lot of overlap in turf (if any at all)... In fact, adding one more in Texas is very smart because it gives our Texas recruiting even greater appeal - across the board. We'd never have to worry about securing a QB, and CUSA could become an "it" brand as more Texas athletes want to play against their friends. Besides all that, Austin/San Marcos basically gives us access to every market worth a darn. We could start adding hotels on our Monopoly board.

I think Texas State is by far one of the best properties on the board. That said, they need to improve in some key areas (basketball especially... I think they have a good fb coach tho). The gist of my point was we may as well help them improve now, rather than later (if 16 seems like an eventuality).

. . . You one smart cookie . .. .

(06-07-2015 08:15 AM)Native Georgian Wrote:  Thanks for the link Headset

Panama when do you think it will happen?

Braves must make announcement of intent by 12/31/15. Once they make the announcement the property can be sold. The stakeholders will push for this to happen as quickly as possible. Since the Braves will exit in Sept/Oct. of 2017 I cannot imagine it will take 3 to 4 years to reconfigure the Ted for football.

(06-07-2015 07:50 AM)HeadsetGuy Wrote:  here is the NBCsports article
http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com...ut-on-ice/

Just read that. I dont know who Kevin McGuire is but I am guessing he doesnt live in Atlanta.A lot of misinformation there. A couple of quick things about the area surrounding Turner Field to put things in perspective. There are 1600 empty single family homes within a one mile radius of the stadium. There is no grocery store within a 4 mile radius. The other proposed projects for the area included casinos and an industrial park.The GSU plan is the only viable plan. And people waiting for some pipe dream of single family housing and the area looking like a Buckhead or Midtown neighborhood overnight are delusional. Midtown as we know it took 25 years to turn into what it is today. Also, Carter is playing nice nice in getting neighborhood input. But this project is happening. Period.

(06-08-2015 07:23 PM)panama Wrote:  Since the Braves will exit in Sept/Oct. of 2017 I cannot imagine it will take 3 to 4 years to reconfigure the Ted for football.

1. Do you think the Braves will play 2017 downtown? I though 2016 would be their last season there.
2. Reconfiguring the Ted doesn't have to take 3 to 4 years, necessarily… but I can definitely "imagine" that happening. There's a lot of moving parts here. A lot of politics involved, and a lot of racial politics, at that. This won't be quick and easy.

(06-08-2015 07:42 PM)panama Wrote:  And people waiting for some pipe dream of single family housing and the area [around the Ted] looking like a Buckhead or Midtown neighborhood overnight are delusional. Midtown as we know it took 25 years to turn into what it is today.

All true.

Quote:Also, Carter is playing nice nice in getting neighborhood input. But this project is happening. Period.

Agree it will happen. It's the timeframe that I think has not been worked out yet. And getting it worked out is going to be a huge political headache all by itself, quite aside from the actual construction.

I would love two add two so we could stay in the east but it needs to be the right two and if we do it the league needs to go to pod system in football 4 team divisions to cut down on travel. I just don't see it happening right now but within ten years leagues will start going to 16 to make a playoff nice and neat.

We don't need to expand just to expand but it will happen one day. It has to be two programs that enhance TV market and the two big sports.

Not happening tomorrow.

Add four more from Texas

Ace...

(06-09-2015 11:20 AM)Ace Barker Wrote:  Add four more from Texas

Ace...

Texas, Texas Tech, TCU & Baylor have standing invitations. Their announcing on Tuesday