(07-22-2015 09:03 AM)MJG Wrote:  

(07-22-2015 08:24 AM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(07-21-2015 02:17 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  If they do a traditional FBS schedule, I'd guess they'd start with two FCS teams. Perhaps even three, if they can get a waiver (would they need a waiver?)

8 CUSA games satisfies number of FBS games, and 4 of 5 FBS home games, so AFAICT, if one of the FCS home games satisfies the FCS exemption (90%+ of FCS scholarship limit), they could play all four out of conference games against FCS schools.

They could play home and home with the FCS teams to save costs.
No way to be bowl eligible but it could pay off and save money vs a money game

Yes, and they could have 4 FCS schools H/H their first year on a full FBS schedule, then 2 each of the following two years to complete the contracts. Buy FCS home games are normally to balance a buy away game with a P5 school.

(07-22-2015 08:24 AM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(07-21-2015 02:17 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  If they do a traditional FBS schedule, I'd guess they'd start with two FCS teams. Perhaps even three, if they can get a waiver (would they need a waiver?)

8 CUSA games satisfies number of FBS games, and 4 of 5 FBS home games, so AFAICT, if one of the FCS home games satisfies the FCS exemption (90%+ of FCS scholarship limit), they could play all four out of conference games against FCS schools.

So UAB 2017 games

FBS

Division - FIU, FAU, Marshall, Middle Tennesse, Old Dominion, Western Kentucky
Outside Division - Louisiana Tech and Southern Mississippi

FCS - Alabama State, Alabama A&M, Jacksonville State, and Samford

That would build some hype and bring visiting team fans to Birmingham.

No direct to FBS is allowed. You can't be FBS without FCS first.

NCAA is treating UAB as an existing program that just hit the pause button rather than being "new".

I just skimmed the NCAA rule book. The only thing suggesting an FCS requirement that I see is this:

Before a Football Championship Subdivision institution
may apply for reclassification to the Football Bowl Subdivision, the institution must receive a bona fide invitation for membership from a Football Bowl Subdivision conference or a conference that previously met the
definition of a Football Bowl Subdivision conference (see Bylaw 20.02.6). (Adopted: 1/15/11 effective 8/1/11)

Page 341-342

(07-21-2015 02:59 PM)jdgaucho Wrote:  

(07-21-2015 02:56 PM)stever20 Wrote:  I think 1 thing that may happen is they may be forced to make up the games scheduled for them in 2015 and 2016 OOC.

But would they still be (or still are) on the hook financially? IIRC, they were going to pay almost $2.5 million total to Tennessee, Kentucky, Troy, USA and Georgia State.

USA replaced UAB with a pretty good home and home with San Diego State. But they could take the check from UAB to cover their travel bill out to California.

I think USA is willing to schedule UAB OOC again. But I'd be surprised if USA let them off the hook for cancelling the contract...perhaps if UAB agreed to a long term basketball home and home contract with USA then perhaps they could forgive the financial cost

In Nov 2010, Texas St and UTSA joined the WAC.... UTSA hadn't played their 1st FCS game yet even(they started in 2011).

As a result, Texas St was a year ahead of UTSA. UTSA had to play 2 years as FCS(2011,12) before starting the transition in 2013 to FBS. 2014 was the 1st year where UTSA could have gone to a bowl without needing an exception.

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/utsa/2012/1...this-year/
He said Texas State is eligible, potentially, because it is in its second year of reclassification to FBS status.
UTSA isn’t eligible because it is only in its first year of the two-year process.

(07-22-2015 09:41 AM)FloridaJag Wrote:  

(07-22-2015 08:24 AM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(07-21-2015 02:17 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  If they do a traditional FBS schedule, I'd guess they'd start with two FCS teams. Perhaps even three, if they can get a waiver (would they need a waiver?)

8 CUSA games satisfies number of FBS games, and 4 of 5 FBS home games, so AFAICT, if one of the FCS home games satisfies the FCS exemption (90%+ of FCS scholarship limit), they could play all four out of conference games against FCS schools.

So UAB 2017 games

FBS

Division - FIU, FAU, Marshall, Middle Tennesse, Old Dominion, Western Kentucky
Outside Division - Louisiana Tech and Southern Mississippi

FCS - Alabama State, Alabama A&M, Jacksonville State, and Samford

That would build some hype and bring visiting team fans to Birmingham.

That would be a very bad idea for UAB. UAB could actually lose those games (as a greenfield program). But since UAB is 'full FBS', it would be considered a setback if they lost to Samford or another 'local FCS'.

I suggest that UAB's 2017 schedule look something like this...

1) 2 FCS home games against FCS dregs like Nicholls State, Davidson, Elon, VMI, etc.

2) 1 FBS home game (Troy can actually travel in 2017).
3) 1 FBS payday game

Neither Georgia State nor USA have an 'away' OOC slot available in 2017.

(07-21-2015 01:30 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  Brett McMurphy ‏@McMurphyESPN · 5m5 minutes ago
NCAA indicates to UAB it will be classified as FBS program & eligible to play in bowl, if qualifies, in 1st year back



Brett McMurphy ‏@McMurphyESPN · 10m10 minutes ago
UAB announces football program will return in 2017

Congrats to the Blazer fans that saved their program - and gave Alabama a black eye.

(07-22-2015 10:34 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(07-21-2015 02:59 PM)jdgaucho Wrote:  

(07-21-2015 02:56 PM)stever20 Wrote:  I think 1 thing that may happen is they may be forced to make up the games scheduled for them in 2015 and 2016 OOC.

But would they still be (or still are) on the hook financially? IIRC, they were going to pay almost $2.5 million total to Tennessee, Kentucky, Troy, USA and Georgia State.

USA replaced UAB with a pretty good home and home with San Diego State. But they could take the check from UAB to cover their travel bill out to California.

I think USA is willing to schedule UAB OOC again. But I'd be surprised if USA let them off the hook for cancelling the contract...perhaps if UAB agreed to a long term basketball home and home contract with USA then perhaps they could forgive the financial cost

We will give you our president and call it even.

(07-22-2015 09:41 AM)FloridaJag Wrote:  

(07-22-2015 08:24 AM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(07-21-2015 02:17 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  If they do a traditional FBS schedule, I'd guess they'd start with two FCS teams. Perhaps even three, if they can get a waiver (would they need a waiver?)

8 CUSA games satisfies number of FBS games, and 4 of 5 FBS home games, so AFAICT, if one of the FCS home games satisfies the FCS exemption (90%+ of FCS scholarship limit), they could play all four out of conference games against FCS schools.

So UAB 2017 games

FBS

Division - FIU, FAU, Marshall, Middle Tennesse, Old Dominion, Western Kentucky
Outside Division - Louisiana Tech and Southern Mississippi

FCS - Alabama State, Alabama A&M, Jacksonville State, and Samford

That would build some hype and bring visiting team fans to Birmingham.

UAB will be in the west when they return

Unless of course, there is more expansion-related carnage upstream of C-USA.

Very possible between now and 2017.

(07-22-2015 12:29 PM)HawkeyeCoug Wrote:  

(07-21-2015 01:30 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  Brett McMurphy ‏@McMurphyESPN · 5m5 minutes ago
NCAA indicates to UAB it will be classified as FBS program & eligible to play in bowl, if qualifies, in 1st year back



Brett McMurphy ‏@McMurphyESPN · 10m10 minutes ago
UAB announces football program will return in 2017

Congrats to the Blazer fans that saved their program - and gave Alabama a black eye.

Thanks Hawkeye. Lot of sore sore throats from protest yelling at games and rallies and tired fingers from typing emails. A lot of us gave up 6 months of our lives to this fight. The fight to take down the BOT is just warming up. Next up though, our rogue presidnt has to be out by the end of the year. All signs are this will happen.

anytime you can stick up a middle finger and land a punch to the gut of that BOT, it's a good day

(07-22-2015 09:41 AM)FloridaJag Wrote:  So UAB 2017 games

FBS

Division - FIU, FAU, Marshall, Middle Tennesse, Old Dominion, Western Kentucky
Outside Division - Louisiana Tech and Southern Mississippi

FCS - Alabama State, Alabama A&M, Jacksonville State, and Samford

That would build some hype and bring visiting team fans to Birmingham.

Playing the 4 instate FCS teams would definitely be my advice for 2017. But UAB may feel like that is beneath them. We'll see what happens.

The C-USA schedule will be very different because UAB will be in the Western Division not the Eastern (provided no further realignment occurs). So the list of 2017 conference opponents would be like:

All 6 of the following: Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Rice, Southern Miss, UTEP, UTSA

Plus 2 of the following 7:
Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, Old Dominion, Western Kentucky

I read on the CUSA board that the plan is to have TV negotiations done in the mid 2016 timeframe. CUSA's TV deal is up June 30th 2016.

That will minimize the damage over the UAB temporary football drop since they will only be a year away from getting back on board for any new TV deal. It doesn't hurt that UAB also has one of the best basketball reputations of any CUSA school so their absence for one year on the football side doesn't hurt value too much. UAB has made a total of 6 NCAA appearances as a CUSA school.

Could CUSA decide to grow to 15 or 16 this winter in an attempt to get stronger going into TV negotiations? I could see where Georgia Southern would add nice strategic balance in the CUSA East division with upstarts Charlotte/ODU and FAU/FIU.

CUSA East: ODU, Charlotte, Georgia Southern, FAU, FIU
CUSA Central: Marshall, WKU, MTSU, UAB, Southern Miss
CUSA West: LaTech, North Texas, Rice, UTSA, UTEP

15 team setup with the two highest ranked division winners playing for the CUSA title. This a format I could see FOX and NBC getting more excited about with a more compelling conference race.

(07-22-2015 09:56 PM)Native Georgian Wrote:  

(07-22-2015 09:41 AM)FloridaJag Wrote:  So UAB 2017 games

FBS

Division - FIU, FAU, Marshall, Middle Tennesse, Old Dominion, Western Kentucky
Outside Division - Louisiana Tech and Southern Mississippi

FCS - Alabama State, Alabama A&M, Jacksonville State, and Samford

That would build some hype and bring visiting team fans to Birmingham.

Playing the 4 instate FCS teams would definitely be my advice for 2017. But UAB may feel like that is beneath them. We'll see what happens.

If they would play 2-1 contracts, two home and two away in 2017 and one home and one away in each of 2018 and 2019 would set UAB up for a free FCS home game for each of the next four years.

Quote: The C-USA schedule will be very different because UAB will be in the Western Division not the Eastern (provided no further realignment occurs). So the list of 2017 conference opponents would be like:

All 6 of the following: Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Rice, Southern Miss, UTEP, UTSA

Plus 2 of the following 7:
Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, Old Dominion, Western Kentucky

Still more reason to want to economize on travel in their OOC schedule.

Kittonhead's idea would make scheduling much easier, but I don't think anybody within C-USA is interested in expansion.