The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(03-13-2016 09:14 AM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote:  Watts and Ingram won't be asked. They will be drug to the finish line. Hatton was at Legacy every day. Sat with me some.

Once we get football back we will be the top candidate and our budget will be in line with the AAC schools when the dust clears.

This is a fluid situation and there will be many moving parts over the next three years.

I could see us and USM in the AAC within the next 3 years but who all would be remaining in the AAC? Cincy or Houston might be gone.

USM and Marshall will be hurt by location. I don't know that the feeling is mutual with them and the AAC. If we had football now we would be at the top of any expansion list. Thanks Ray.

(03-13-2016 08:27 AM)Blazer85 Wrote:  

(03-13-2016 03:15 AM)bladhmadh Wrote:  watts will not promote uab to move up and neither will our ad. we are not going anywhere

Watts supposedly actually cares about basketball. Can't argue that the AAC isn't better in basketball so that might actually motivate him to pursue it.

Watts cares about his $850,000 a year.

(03-13-2016 05:37 AM)rook360 Wrote:  

(03-13-2016 03:15 AM)bladhmadh Wrote:  watts will not promote uab to move up and neither will our ad. we are not going anywhere

People also said Watts wouldn't bring Football back. I say don't loose hope. It's always a possibility of moving to C-USAAC.

Also don't loose heart.

I won't be shocked is southern miss gets left behind in CUSA

(03-12-2016 11:06 PM)ICB Wrote:  

(03-12-2016 11:01 PM)jcduncan13 Wrote:  

(03-12-2016 10:55 PM)Blazer85 Wrote:  

(03-12-2016 08:48 PM)jcduncan13 Wrote:  What's our athletic budget compared to USM?

Don't have the exact numbers in front of me at the moment but UABs is among the biggest athletic budgets of all the names bantered about for a possible AAC move should it arise.

Well that's good.

Not sure if ODU has been mentioned, but they are they only team with a larger budget, when you compare our new budget considering new revenue, its very close.

And they are building a new stadium...

Southern Miss is a good candidate. The violations, academics, and budget are the reasons they're not on the short list, though. They'll eventually recover from the damage done by the penalties, but you don't increase your academic profile overnight or increase your budget in a meaningful capacity in this political climate. They do, however, have history and a loyal fanbase going for them. They're definitely making investments, but is their recruiting in football crowded out because of the rise of programs around them? Will their basketball program be able to compete?

It's not going to be about markets anymore. It's about how many people specifically care about your programs, and Southern Miss has people that will tune in just to watch them play. That's one box checked off, but they have a lot to address before being a sure thing.

As far as our chances to move to another conference, the backstab set us back in a big way, but it's ultimately better for us in the long run. We're missing out on seasons of football, but it help facilitate some movement on the facilities we desperately needed. Now, we're better positioned than we were in the past, but the perceived instability is mark on our brand for the foreseeable future. Going big in the revenue sports is key, but, because of being intentionally gimped for so long, we're not able to punch our ticket for a spot somewhere else in the short run. If anything goes down within the next few years, it won't be because we'd be the one making waves. It'd be because another school or two did and we'd just be caught in the water current for better or worse.

Now, if the grant of rights keep all the realignment low for a good decade then it's different story.

(03-13-2016 09:14 AM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote:  Watts and Ingram won't be asked. They will be drug to the finish line. Hatton was at Legacy every day. Sat with me some.

Once we get football back we will be the top candidate and our budget will be in line with the AAC schools when the dust clears.

This is a fluid situation and there will be many moving parts over the next three years.

If we have that long, I will feel better. However, it looks like things may break this summer which I'm afraid will be too soon for us to be in a good position.

One thing the University presidents care about that's off the radar of the average fan is academic profile. I would think being on the top research universities in the country would be attractive to them.

(03-13-2016 09:24 AM)jcduncan13 Wrote:  

(03-13-2016 09:14 AM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote:  Watts and Ingram won't be asked. They will be drug to the finish line. Hatton was at Legacy every day. Sat with me some.

Once we get football back we will be the top candidate and our budget will be in line with the AAC schools when the dust clears.

This is a fluid situation and there will be many moving parts over the next three years.

I could see us and USM in the AAC within the next 3 years but who all would be remaining in the AAC? Cincy or Houston might be gone.

Current teams:
Memphis
Cincy
Uconn
Tulsa
Smu
Houston
Ucf
Usf
Ecu
Temple
Tulane
Navy football

Either way, take two away, and that's still a better group than we currently have. Their tv deal is also going to be significantly better than what we wind up with. This is like the sun belt-cusa argument. If we get an invite, we go.

IMHO, I think ODU would be the top CUSA candidate for the AAC...

I think ODU would be a top candidate as well. Big market with good fan support, large athletic budget, new football stadium, history of success in basketball. The only thing that may hurt them right now is their football program is so young.

USM has the shoe-stringiest of shoe string budgets. We are in fat city compared to what they spend on athletics. (Never mind how little we have to show for it).

Is there a current list of CUSA's athlegit budgets? I found something from 2013 but nothing current. Where do we rank in the conference?

(03-13-2016 01:14 PM)hooverblazer Wrote:  One thing the University presidents care about that's off the radar of the average fan is academic profile. I would think being on the top research universities in the country would be attractive to them.

Every CUSA president hates Ray Watts more than I do.

We'll have to burn the pumpkin patch, sow it with salt and pave it over with three feet of ferro-concrete to get support from other university presidents.

IMHO, if the AAC must expand,it will look first at growing urban universities like ODU, GA State, Charlotte and such. The local money behind them could tip a balance in their favor. UAB would be considered if the AAC is not put off by the past remote control of its programs from Tuscaloosa and if the local money continues to support it.

(03-13-2016 03:23 PM)58-56 Wrote:  We'll have to burn the pumpkin patch, sow it with salt and pave it over with three feet of ferro-concrete to get support from other university presidents.

Sounds good to me. When do we start?

(03-12-2016 06:20 PM)BlazintheATL Wrote:  Agree with MB. Until there's an official announcement about this new stadium I'll remain skeptically optimistic.

Heck, until I see the contractor hanging steel I won't believe it.

(03-13-2016 01:38 PM)Smaug Wrote:  USM has the shoe-stringiest of shoe string budgets. We are in fat city compared to what they spend on athletics. (Never mind how little we have to show for it).

And they should have ZERO facility debt. My dad attended games at the Rock and at Reed Green in the 60s..

(03-13-2016 01:30 PM)blazers9911 Wrote:  

(03-13-2016 09:24 AM)jcduncan13 Wrote:  

(03-13-2016 09:14 AM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote:  Watts and Ingram won't be asked. They will be drug to the finish line. Hatton was at Legacy every day. Sat with me some.

Once we get football back we will be the top candidate and our budget will be in line with the AAC schools when the dust clears.

This is a fluid situation and there will be many moving parts over the next three years.

I could see us and USM in the AAC within the next 3 years but who all would be remaining in the AAC? Cincy or Houston might be gone.

Current teams:
Memphis
Cincy
Uconn
Tulsa
Smu
Houston
Ucf
Usf
Ecu
Temple
Tulane
Navy football

Either way, take two away, and that's still a better group than we currently have. Their tv deal is also going to be significantly better than what we wind up with. This is like the sun belt-cusa argument. If we get an invite, we go.

Take out Navy, Temple and UConn and you have CUSA again (minus UAB, USM, Marshall ). Weird, and sad but true.