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

I feel like I've heard this before...


But if it sticks, good for UAB

UAB will also reintroduce rifle competition this year and bowling in 2016. Said football coach Bill Clark: "Like our fans, I wanted to light the scoreboard much sooner, but doing it right is more important than doing it fast, and this was our best option. We want a program that is here to stay."

So CUSA will be 13 in next 2 years for football, then 14 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

Interesting. Wonder if they'll try to play a full FBS schedule that first season or if the NCAA will allow them to schedule more FCS schools. Hitting the ground running with a full FBS slate after two years of dormancy is going to be tricky.

(07-21-2015 01:33 PM)Cyniclone 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

Interesting. Wonder if they'll try to play a full FBS schedule that first season or if the NCAA will allow them to schedule more FCS schools. Hitting the ground running with a full FBS slate after two years of dormancy is going to be tricky.

Well, 8 of the 12 games will be CUSA games. 9th would be a natural FCS game if you will. The other 3 will be interesting. Some teams already play 2 FCS games(just 1 allowed to count to go to a bowl)- Boston College doing it this year with Maine and Howard. So could do that for game #10. There's always the UMass option for a game. That's 11.

So basically the death penalty. They probably wont win more than 1 or 2 games for several years.

(07-21-2015 01:39 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  So basically the death penalty. They probably wont win more than 1 or 2 games for several years.

I actually disagree. The talent level is a lot thinner now than it was with SMU. And look at SMU. Playing in a 11 game environment, with being in the SWC the 1st 7 years- they won 29 games the 1st 10 years back. Average of nearly 3.

(07-21-2015 01:39 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  So basically the death penalty. They probably wont win more than 1 or 2 games for several years.

They actually had their first full commit announced, signed a scholarship and everything. Transfer from Memphis. Now the conference is spirally downward, but that isn't UAB's biggest concerns yet

(07-21-2015 01:38 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(07-21-2015 01:33 PM)Cyniclone 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

Interesting. Wonder if they'll try to play a full FBS schedule that first season or if the NCAA will allow them to schedule more FCS schools. Hitting the ground running with a full FBS slate after two years of dormancy is going to be tricky.

Well, 8 of the 12 games will be CUSA games. 9th would be a natural FCS game if you will. The other 3 will be interesting. Some teams already play 2 FCS games(just 1 allowed to count to go to a bowl)- Boston College doing it this year with Maine and Howard. So could do that for game #10. There's always the UMass option for a game. That's 11.

Has anyone said whether UAB is definitely playing a CUSA schedule in 2017? For their sake, it may be better to play as an independent in 17 and then return to CUSA in 18. But that option may not be available.

Full league schedule for UAB is not yet certain for 2017. Banowsky said if UAB feels it is best, then that is what the league will work towards.

(07-21-2015 01:39 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  So basically the death penalty. They probably wont win more than 1 or 2 games for several years.

Maybe they'll win a few more than that if they are smart about scheduling, and play 2 FCS teams plus 2 struggling FBS teams each year. Also, CUSA football in 2017 is not going to be as strong as SWC football in 1989, so UAB might be more competitive in conference games in 2017 than SMU was in 1989.

(07-21-2015 01:45 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(07-21-2015 01:38 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(07-21-2015 01:33 PM)Cyniclone 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

Interesting. Wonder if they'll try to play a full FBS schedule that first season or if the NCAA will allow them to schedule more FCS schools. Hitting the ground running with a full FBS slate after two years of dormancy is going to be tricky.

Well, 8 of the 12 games will be CUSA games. 9th would be a natural FCS game if you will. The other 3 will be interesting. Some teams already play 2 FCS games(just 1 allowed to count to go to a bowl)- Boston College doing it this year with Maine and Howard. So could do that for game #10. There's always the UMass option for a game. That's 11.

Has anyone said whether UAB is definitely playing a CUSA schedule in 2017? For their sake, it may be better to play as an independent in 17 and then return to CUSA in 18. But that option may not be available.

Since the NCAA stated they are FBS, they'll be on the CUSA schedule and will have to probably to keep the FBS status.

Random FCS
@UMass
Ga.St.
@Troy

Wouldn't be a bad first OOC schedule. All 4 games would be very winnable, with Troy and Ga St. being regional

just looking 2017- UMass has 5 home 5 away games. Given that 2018 has right now 3 home, 4 away games for UMass, I could see UMass wanting to play on the road for 2017 and then home for 2018 to help their 5 home game requirement. If they do that, they would be set for 2018 because 5th one could be a FCS game.

(07-21-2015 02:00 PM)mufanatehc Wrote:  Random FCS
@UMass
Ga.St.
@Troy

Wouldn't be a bad first OOC schedule. All 4 games would be very winnable, with Troy and Ga St. being regional

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?)

But it's going to be tough. Some of us were worried that Charlotte would have a really difficult transition because they're going from two seasons filled mostly with tomato cans to CUSA this season. Going from a standing start to, say, Marshall or Louisiana Tech in Week 5 has the makings of ugly.

That said, more power to them. After the crap they've had to take this year, if they want to open the season @Alabama, good on them. Anything to get back on the field.

No matter what, the most important part about this whole thing is that the people behind the scenes that forced this decision had to lose out, in the end.

Rich, old, white men, who think they can control everything in that state, had to get it shoved up their rears.

That makes me very happy.

(07-21-2015 02:07 PM)stever20 Wrote:  just looking 2017- UMass has 5 home 5 away games. Given that 2018 has right now 3 home, 4 away games for UMass, I could see UMass wanting to play on the road for 2017 and then home for 2018 to help their 5 home game requirement. If they do that, they would be set for 2018 because 5th one could be a FCS game.

That sounds good, but might be reading too much into this from Bob McGovern's interview with AD Ryan Bamford. Perhaps a conference home will be be made in the next 9 months.

Quote:At some point during the next nine months, it should become more clear where the university with home future games, according to Bamford.

http://umass.247sports.com/Article/Bamfo...k-38138709

Anyhow, this is about UAB and wish them the very best and stever20 idea is a good one.

(07-21-2015 01:38 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(07-21-2015 01:33 PM)Cyniclone 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

Interesting. Wonder if they'll try to play a full FBS schedule that first season or if the NCAA will allow them to schedule more FCS schools. Hitting the ground running with a full FBS slate after two years of dormancy is going to be tricky.

Well, 8 of the 12 games will be CUSA games. 9th would be a natural FCS game if you will. The other 3 will be interesting. Some teams already play 2 FCS games(just 1 allowed to count to go to a bowl)- Boston College doing it this year with Maine and Howard. So could do that for game #10. There's always the UMass option for a game. That's 11.

They won't qualify for a bowl. They might as well schedule 4 FCS the first year.

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.

(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.