ESPN2 is picking up Troy at Georgia Southern and Arkansas State at Texas State on December 3.

First intra-conference Saturday telecasts on ESPN or ESPN2 for the Sun Belt in football.

Sure there is going to be some thought given to not going to a title game if ESPN were to guarantee multiple appearances on championship Saturday.

(11-21-2016 04:43 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  ESPN2 is picking up Troy at Georgia Southern and Arkansas State at Texas State on December 3.

First intra-conference Saturday telecasts on ESPN or ESPN2 for the Sun Belt in football.

Sure there is going to be some thought given to not going to a title game if ESPN were to guarantee multiple appearances on championship Saturday.

Picking up two SB games this year doesn't mean they will pick up two next year. And we'd also have to know how much the SB is getting paid for these two games compared to what a CCG would bring in.

Well it probably does. Because they are doing so because of lack of other games. They may get more with the big 12 moving to a title game, leaving I believe the sunbelt as the only conference without a title game, and thus the ones who'd need to fill in the rest of the time slots.

Fly everyone out for a neutral-site conference game in Hawaii. You'd get a true round robin, no one has five true away games, everyone gets a 13th game, and everyone could play in Week 0.


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(11-21-2016 05:22 PM)adcorbett Wrote:  Well it probably does. Because they are doing so because of lack of other games. They may get more with the big 12 moving to a title game, leaving I believe the sunbelt as the only conference without a title game, and thus the ones who'd need to fill in the rest of the time slots.

That's right. Next year, there will only be 9 games besides Sunbelt contests that weekend. That leaves a lot of timeslots to be filled. And, frankly, on that weekend I doubt that a Sunbelt championship game against that competition would draw a significantly bigger audience than a regular season game would. Counting Friday night, you could do better with three regular season telecasts than one CCG.

I am surprised the aren't showing NDSU's game on ESPN.
They have received more attention from the network than the Sun Belt.
A first round FCS playoff game or two to build interest is an option.

Sunbelt should not have a title game for this reason. People will watch because it's on, not because it's a title game.

Just match up the best teams as best as you can and try to get ESPN to pick up a few

Wait until the SBC has a year where they are snubbed from an access bowl.

Hasn't happened yet but with the trajectory it on it could in the next couple of years.

I hope they dont add one. They are the last conference with a traditional set-up (co-champs, no CCG), but am guessing they do add one.

Perhaps if/when UTA restarts football they'll add a 12th team and then start a championship game. That's assuming they don't lose another team before then as well though.

As long as they are at 10 teams I don't see a need for them to play a championship game. Only way I'd add the game is if they split into 5 team divisions and played a 7 game conference schedule. With that setup, every team could play an FCS opponent in effort to try to get more teams bowl eligible. However you could also have some pretty lean years if multiple schools went 0-5 or 1-4 in non-conference play.

With how well that Chattanooga played against Alabama Saturday? Are they rethinking what if they did accept the invite to the SBC, and got some better players? Could they have pulled off an upset against Alabama? Alabama have lost to a SBC team in the past.

(11-22-2016 03:36 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  With how well that Chattanooga played against Alabama Saturday? Are they rethinking what if they did accept the invite to the SBC, and got some better players? Could they have pulled off an upset against Alabama? Alabama have lost to a SBC team in the past.

How well they played? Why, because they scored first? They had seven first downs the rest of the game after the first drive. Have we set the bar this low?

Why did I even open your post?

(11-21-2016 08:35 PM)Gamecock Wrote:  Sunbelt should not have a title game for this reason. People will watch because it's on, not because it's a title game.

Just match up the best teams as best as you can and try to get ESPN to pick up a few

.....What lol?

(11-21-2016 08:31 PM)MJG Wrote:  I am surprised the aren't showing NDSU's game on ESPN.
They have received more attention from the network than the Sun Belt.
A first round FCS playoff game or two to build interest is an option.

NDSU didn't get promoted by ESPN Gameday being in Fargo this year, so I'm not surprised. NDSU also doesn't have a playoff game this week, they have a bye. But I think ESPN will cover FCS from the semi-finals on.

(11-21-2016 10:21 PM)ohio1317 Wrote:  I hope they dont add one. They are the last conference with a traditional set-up (co-champs, no CCG), but am guessing they do add one.

If the Big 12 had held out, I'd agree. But now the Big 12 is going to do the #1 vs #2 rematch thing, so I think the Sun Belt will follow.

I'm assuming many SBC teams have a hard time with attendance for the thanksgiving week game - so this could give them some flexibility and schedule an extra bye during that week.

That's the case now. With a CCG in week 14, instead of regular season games, I don't think any SB teams would be having byes on week 13.

(11-22-2016 08:57 AM)adcorbett Wrote:  

(11-22-2016 03:36 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  With how well that Chattanooga played against Alabama Saturday? Are they rethinking what if they did accept the invite to the SBC, and got some better players? Could they have pulled off an upset against Alabama? Alabama have lost to a SBC team in the past.

How well they played? Why, because they scored first? They had seven first downs the rest of the game after the first drive. Have we set the bar this low?

Why did I even open your post?

It was not a blow out win. They could have played South Carolina State instead, and be 66 to 0 in that game.

(11-22-2016 11:45 AM)MplsBison Wrote:  

(11-21-2016 08:31 PM)MJG Wrote:  I am surprised the aren't showing NDSU's game on ESPN.
They have received more attention from the network than the Sun Belt.
A first round FCS playoff game or two to build interest is an option.

NDSU didn't get promoted by ESPN Gameday being in Fargo this year, so I'm not surprised. NDSU also doesn't have a playoff game this week, they have a bye. But I think ESPN will cover FCS from the semi-finals on.

(11-21-2016 10:21 PM)ohio1317 Wrote:  I hope they dont add one. They are the last conference with a traditional set-up (co-champs, no CCG), but am guessing they do add one.

If the Big 12 had held out, I'd agree. But now the Big 12 is going to do the #1 vs #2 rematch thing, so I think the Sun Belt will follow.

I thought the date was December 3rd for some reason.

(11-22-2016 08:57 AM)adcorbett Wrote:  

(11-22-2016 03:36 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  With how well that Chattanooga played against Alabama Saturday? Are they rethinking what if they did accept the invite to the SBC, and got some better players? Could they have pulled off an upset against Alabama? Alabama have lost to a SBC team in the past.

How well they played? Why, because they scored first? They had seven first downs the rest of the game after the first drive. Have we set the bar this low?

Why did I even open your post?

He's just foolish. He loves caring about small schools that ko one cares about.

Sun Belt has already said they will start a title game in 2018 pitting the winners of two five team divisions.
But if ESPN were willing to guarantee multiple exposures on the first Saturday of December it would be worth considering ditching the idea.