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Ppfftt and CUSA fans argue NIU should join this conference version of the Titanic? No thanks, at least the MAC is stable...

(06-23-2015 12:40 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  Ppfftt and CUSA fans argue NIU should join this conference version of the Titanic? No thanks, at least the MAC is stable...

Well the only C-USA fan base that probably views it that way is USM. They are the last of the charter members remaining. The majority of current C-USA teams weren't playing FBS football when C-USA started, and a fair number of them weren't playing football at all.

(06-23-2015 01:04 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 12:40 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  Ppfftt and CUSA fans argue NIU should join this conference version of the Titanic? No thanks, at least the MAC is stable...

Well the only C-USA fan base that probably views it that way is USM. They are the last of the charter members remaining. The majority of current C-USA teams weren't playing FBS football when C-USA started, and a fair number of them weren't playing football at all.

Honestly i feel very bad for USM for how things are transpiring for that school. This is all just showing how winning isn't as important as where you are and how many TV sets you bring...
Or when they were the creme de la creme of the mid majors, they would've been outta there forever ago

(06-23-2015 01:06 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 01:04 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 12:40 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  Ppfftt and CUSA fans argue NIU should join this conference version of the Titanic? No thanks, at least the MAC is stable...

Well the only C-USA fan base that probably views it that way is USM. They are the last of the charter members remaining. The majority of current C-USA teams weren't playing FBS football when C-USA started, and a fair number of them weren't playing football at all.

Honestly i feel very bad for USM for how things are transpiring for that school. This is all just showing how winning isn't as important as where you are and how many TV sets you bring...
Or when they were the creme de la creme of the mid majors, they would've been outta there forever ago

Pretty much. If you had dated this article 10 years ago you could have swapped out USM for ECU and little would have changed. ECU was in the midst of the worst run in school history after firing a long time coach in error. C-USA had been picked apart and there wasn't a lot of reason for optimism for long time Pirate fans. Hopefully USM comes out the other side of this soon.

It'd be better for SoMiss (NoILL, and the rest of the MAC), for SoMiss to join the MAC, than for NoILL to join C-USA-III.

I would have been in favor of inviting MTSU, WKU, SoMiss and La-Tech when we parted ways with UMass.
South (and West): SoMiss, La-Tech, MTSU, WKU, Miami(OH), OhioU (or WMU), NoILL, BallSt
North (and East): WMU (or OhioU), CMU, EMU, Toledo, BGSU, Akron, KentSt, Buffalo

(06-23-2015 12:40 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  Ppfftt and CUSA fans argue NIU should join this conference version of the Titanic? No thanks, at least the MAC is stable...

Who the hell's arguing that Northern Illinois should join CUSA? They'd be an island and an awkward fit. Plus CUSA already sits at 14 teams. I don't foresee expansion or replacement unless and until they dip below 12.

In 1994 USM started a streak of winning seasons that ran through 2011.
In 1994 there were 107 FBS schools. This year we will be at 129 counting transitional Charlotte. Of the 22 new schools added since then only four (Boise State, Buffalo, Idaho, UMass) are not either in CUSA or in a state within the CUSA footprint.

So the job has gotten tougher.

But for all the hand-wringing here to me is what is critical.

They had a fast-tempo spread option coach and the average age of the head coach and coordinators was 48 years old. They hired a defensive minded coach, who had one year as head coach that was mediocre at best at then Division II Gardner-Webb and two bad years and a .500 year at The Citadel (historically hard place to recruit). His DC busted as HC at Clemson and couldn't sustain at Memphis. His OC was a run first guy who fizzled at Louisiana Lafayette and the average age of HC and coordinators was just over 58 years old.

The person doing the hiring at USM apparently wanted to start a program from scratch because putting 'tween the tackles Ricky Bustle in charge of a team built for the spread option was made to fail. Now Arkansas did exactly that going from Petrino to Bielema (they are 10-15 and 2-14 SEC since he arrived) but Arkansas has the money to hire really top-notch assistants and tons of TV exposure.

Then after tearing up everything and starting from scratch, they hire Monken to take them back the direction they were headed.

USM is existing in a tougher environment but choosing to (whether the AD realized it or not) scrap the football program and start over was an invitation to disaster.

(06-23-2015 02:17 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 12:40 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  Ppfftt and CUSA fans argue NIU should join this conference version of the Titanic? No thanks, at least the MAC is stable...

Who the hell's arguing that Northern Illinois should join CUSA? They'd be an island and an awkward fit. Plus CUSA already sits at 14 teams. I don't foresee expansion or replacement unless and until they dip below 12.

It's been floated a lot when UAB was potentially being removed (and god knows what's still happening there... stupid politicians)

(06-23-2015 02:23 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 02:17 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 12:40 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  Ppfftt and CUSA fans argue NIU should join this conference version of the Titanic? No thanks, at least the MAC is stable...

Who the hell's arguing that Northern Illinois should join CUSA? They'd be an island and an awkward fit. Plus CUSA already sits at 14 teams. I don't foresee expansion or replacement unless and until they dip below 12.

It's been floated a lot when UAB was potentially being removed (and god knows what's still happening there... stupid politicians)

Maybe in pie-in-the-sky theories posited on this site, but all the legit talk I heard was South Alabama, Louisiana or Arkansas State—or nobody. Nothing against NIU, but you guys are too far away and there's no obvious bridge even if there was mutual interest.

(06-23-2015 02:27 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 02:23 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 02:17 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 12:40 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  Ppfftt and CUSA fans argue NIU should join this conference version of the Titanic? No thanks, at least the MAC is stable...

Who the hell's arguing that Northern Illinois should join CUSA? They'd be an island and an awkward fit. Plus CUSA already sits at 14 teams. I don't foresee expansion or replacement unless and until they dip below 12.

It's been floated a lot when UAB was potentially being removed (and god knows what's still happening there... stupid politicians)

Maybe in pie-in-the-sky theories posited on this site, but all the legit talk I heard was South Alabama, Louisiana or Arkansas State—or nobody. Nothing against NIU, but you guys are too far away and there's no obvious bridge even if there was mutual interest.

I always saw it as a mostly lateral move anyway and travel would've sucked so i was against it from the start.

(06-23-2015 02:17 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 12:40 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  Ppfftt and CUSA fans argue NIU should join this conference version of the Titanic? No thanks, at least the MAC is stable...

Who the hell's arguing that Northern Illinois should join CUSA? They'd be an island and an awkward fit. Plus CUSA already sits at 14 teams. I don't foresee expansion or replacement unless and until they dip below 12.

there have been quite a few threads of CUSA fans wanting to expand to Northern Illinois claiming it would be beneficiary for them.

Also a lot of those same fans thinking the CUSA is in better shape than the AAC too lol.

(06-23-2015 02:28 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 02:27 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 02:23 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 02:17 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 12:40 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  Ppfftt and CUSA fans argue NIU should join this conference version of the Titanic? No thanks, at least the MAC is stable...

Who the hell's arguing that Northern Illinois should join CUSA? They'd be an island and an awkward fit. Plus CUSA already sits at 14 teams. I don't foresee expansion or replacement unless and until they dip below 12.

It's been floated a lot when UAB was potentially being removed (and god knows what's still happening there... stupid politicians)

Maybe in pie-in-the-sky theories posited on this site, but all the legit talk I heard was South Alabama, Louisiana or Arkansas State—or nobody. Nothing against NIU, but you guys are too far away and there's no obvious bridge even if there was mutual interest.

I always saw it as a mostly lateral move anyway and travel would've sucked so i was against it from the start.

Exactly, the MAC and CUSA in its present state are basically peers right now in the hierarchy, except that the MAC is actually stable (outside of NIU and Buffalo being potential AAC expansion/replacement targets).

(06-23-2015 02:29 PM)AntiG Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 02:17 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 12:40 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  Ppfftt and CUSA fans argue NIU should join this conference version of the Titanic? No thanks, at least the MAC is stable...

Who the hell's arguing that Northern Illinois should join CUSA? They'd be an island and an awkward fit. Plus CUSA already sits at 14 teams. I don't foresee expansion or replacement unless and until they dip below 12.

there have been quite a few threads of CUSA fans wanting to expand to Northern Illinois claiming it would be beneficiary for them.

Also a lot of those same fans thinking the CUSA is in better shape than the AAC too lol.

There's a major difference between message board posters and people who actually matter in such decisions. I've never heard anything remotely credible about C-USA and NIU having the slightest interest in each other. Why would they? The travel burden would be huge and the gains would be nominal for both sides.

(06-23-2015 06:41 PM)LR Eagle Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 02:29 PM)AntiG Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 02:17 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 12:40 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  Ppfftt and CUSA fans argue NIU should join this conference version of the Titanic? No thanks, at least the MAC is stable...

Who the hell's arguing that Northern Illinois should join CUSA? They'd be an island and an awkward fit. Plus CUSA already sits at 14 teams. I don't foresee expansion or replacement unless and until they dip below 12.

there have been quite a few threads of CUSA fans wanting to expand to Northern Illinois claiming it would be beneficiary for them.

Also a lot of those same fans thinking the CUSA is in better shape than the AAC too lol.

There's a major difference between message board posters and people who actually matter in such decisions. I've never heard anything remotely credible about C-USA and NIU having the slightest interest in each other. Why would they? The travel burden would be huge and the gains would be nominal for both sides.

For NIU to move to CUSA I would think there would need to be a group of 3-4 MAC schools moving to CUSA as a block. I doubt CUSA has any interest in getting that large. That said, it would be an interesting move for both conferences. It would allow CUSA to move into a heavily populated region in a very meaningful way while giving the MAC an opportunity to expand its footprint while largely maintaining its MAC identity.

(06-23-2015 06:48 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 06:41 PM)LR Eagle Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 02:29 PM)AntiG Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 02:17 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 12:40 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  Ppfftt and CUSA fans argue NIU should join this conference version of the Titanic? No thanks, at least the MAC is stable...

Who the hell's arguing that Northern Illinois should join CUSA? They'd be an island and an awkward fit. Plus CUSA already sits at 14 teams. I don't foresee expansion or replacement unless and until they dip below 12.

there have been quite a few threads of CUSA fans wanting to expand to Northern Illinois claiming it would be beneficiary for them.

Also a lot of those same fans thinking the CUSA is in better shape than the AAC too lol.

There's a major difference between message board posters and people who actually matter in such decisions. I've never heard anything remotely credible about C-USA and NIU having the slightest interest in each other. Why would they? The travel burden would be huge and the gains would be nominal for both sides.

For NIU to move to CUSA I would think there would need to be a group of 3-4 MAC schools moving to CUSA as a block. I doubt CUSA has any interest in getting that large. That said, it would be an interesting move for both conferences. It would allow CUSA to move into a heavily populated region in a very meaningful way while giving the MAC an opportunity to expand its footprint while largely maintaining its MAC identity.

WAAAYYYY more travel for the same level of competition/respect and no financial bump... no thanks

I think the only way you'll see C-USA and MAC schools together is if C-USA splits. With Western Kentucky and Marshall in the fold it would allow several of the Ohio/Michigan schools and possibly Ball State to move together. The only issue would be is that most of the C-USA schools aren't of the same institutional profile as the MAC schools. If FAU and FIU are in the splinter group, their difference from the rest of the conference becomes more pronounced.

Essentially all G5 conference are near equals with the access bowl.

The "best" G5 conference will most likely rotate yearly.

2014 Results
1) MWC
2) CUSA
3) AAC
4) MAC
5) SB

(06-23-2015 09:36 PM)SApuro Wrote:  Essentially all G5 conference are near equals with the access bowl.

The "best" G5 conference will most likely rotate yearly.

2014 Results
1) MWC
2) CUSA
3) AAC
4) MAC
5) SB

I agree, when you're not G5 it's mostly arguing over who's the tallest midget. Unless you're an AAC fan... then it's mostly deluding yourself into thinking you're not a midget =p

(06-23-2015 01:06 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 01:04 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 12:40 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  Ppfftt and CUSA fans argue NIU should join this conference version of the Titanic? No thanks, at least the MAC is stable...

Well the only C-USA fan base that probably views it that way is USM. They are the last of the charter members remaining. The majority of current C-USA teams weren't playing FBS football when C-USA started, and a fair number of them weren't playing football at all.

Honestly i feel very bad for USM for how things are transpiring for that school. This is all just showing how winning isn't as important as where you are and how many TV sets you bring...
Or when they were the creme de la creme of the mid majors, they would've been outta there forever ago

Any school can make it big in football without big TV markets. See Boise for proof. They had a great program in FCS, made the jump and continued the success in FBS by winning big games and have proven to be more valuable than other MW schools as evidence by their invitation to the big east and separate TV deal. All you have to do is win and win big games.