TV deal sucks and our "market" teams draw nothing. It would seem to me much wiser to ditch a bunch of the crap in CUSA and form a new, more regional league where fans can travel to games. We've said in the past that tv revenue was a big reason to not do this, but that's irrelevant now.

USM
La Tech
UAB
Rice
USA
ULaLa
Ark State
MTSU
Troy/WKU

With that league, everyone could play everyone once and top 2 play in Championship with best record hosting. Not many games on there fans couldn't go to if they wanted. And some of those schools have shown they can travel better than any of the crap in CUSA can.

Thoughts?

(12-03-2016 07:50 PM)EagNBran Wrote:  TV deal sucks and our "market" teams draw nothing. It would seem to me much wiser to ditch a bunch of the crap in CUSA and form a new, more regional league where fans can travel to games. We've said in the past that tv revenue was a big reason to not do this, but that's irrelevant now.

USM
La Tech
UAB
Rice
USA
ULaLa
Ark State
MTSU
Troy/WKU

With that league, everyone could play everyone once and top 2 play in Championship with best record hosting. Not many games on there fans couldn't go to if they wanted. And some of those schools have shown they can travel better than any of the crap in CUSA can.

Thoughts?

Looks good (and I hate to say THAT) to me..but MTSU and UAB draw less than ODU...

Also...maybe Appy State instead of Arky State?

I say AAC or bust. It's where we belong, historical rivals and such. Anything below that level really doesn't matter much. I guess the league you've put together would be easier travel for fans if the AAC never needs another team. It's definitely no worse than where we are now.

Unfortunately, it's not as easy as just hitting a "reset" button and starting with a clean slate due to NCAA basketball tournament payouts and post-season bids, which are tied to the existing conferences. That current and future revenue is only magnified by the TV revenue going to crap.

The Mountain West was able to be born in an airport meeting because a core group of the schools had been together long enough to retain their rights even if they broke away, and they could then add from there. We're down to UTEP, Rice, UAB, Marshall, and us, and two of them aren't even on the above list. I forget how many schools have to be together for how many years to continue to be recognized as a league by the NCAA, but I'm pretty sure the school number is at least 6.

Any Belt/CUSA re-shuffling is going to require the cooperation of nearly everyone involved or else the numbers won't work and/or lawsuits will hold up the whole thing. The time to do these kinds of moves was before CUSA gutted the Belt and both conferences invited in every Jugdish, Sidney, and Clayton.

(12-03-2016 09:41 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  I say AAC or bust. It's where we belong, historical rivals and such. Anything below that level really doesn't matter much. I guess the league you've put together would be easier travel for fans if the AAC never needs another team. It's definitely no worse than where we are now.

Was sitting in the Blues City Grill on Beal Street just a few minutes ago looking up at the USM flag along with all the old CUSA flags proudly displayed together. The good old days.
Would like to think they know something I don't but....no.....they are just lazy.

(12-04-2016 12:34 AM)SoMs Eagle Wrote:  Would like to think they know something I don't but....no.....they are just lazy.

You can blame "they are lazy" all you want, but it's not that way. "They" want out of C-USA as badly as we do, but that horse left the barn 2 dawdling ADs ago.

(12-03-2016 07:50 PM)EagNBran Wrote:  TV deal sucks and our "market" teams draw nothing. It would seem to me much wiser to ditch a bunch of the crap in CUSA and form a new, more regional league where fans can travel to games. We've said in the past that tv revenue was a big reason to not do this, but that's irrelevant now.

USM
La Tech
UAB
Rice
USA
ULaLa
Ark State
MTSU
Troy/WKU

With that league, everyone could play everyone once and top 2 play in Championship with best record hosting. Not many games on there fans couldn't go to if they wanted. And some of those schools have shown they can travel better than any of the crap in CUSA can.

Thoughts?

Welcome to The Gianinni Conference.

Ace...

I'm not claiming my suggestion would be amazing. I'm saying it couldn't be worse than what we have now and at least fans can travel. Obviously AAC would be better.

Been calling for this for close to a year.

EAST

App
Marshall
WKU
MTSU
Georgia Southern
UAB

WEST

USA
USM
Tech
ULL
Arkansas State
Rice

SUNWACUSA 2.0.

Commissioner Bower at your service.

What part of existing NCAA credits and TV contracts do some of you not understand?

(12-04-2016 02:38 PM)Black Diamond Reb Wrote:  SUNWACUSA 2.0.

Commissioner Bower at your service.

Each year these mighty teams will battle it out on the gridiron for the Gianninni Cup.

(12-03-2016 09:41 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  I say AAC or bust.

You do realize that WKU, Marshall, UTSA, Rice, ODU, Charlotte and several others are ahead of us in the pecking order for the AAC right?

(12-05-2016 02:34 AM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  

(12-03-2016 09:41 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  I say AAC or bust.

You do realize that WKU, Marshall, UTSA, Rice, ODU, Charlotte and several others are ahead of us in the pecking order for the AAC right?

Completely untrue.

(12-05-2016 02:34 AM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  

(12-03-2016 09:41 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  I say AAC or bust.

You do realize that WKU, Marshall, UTSA, Rice, ODU, Charlotte and several others are ahead of us in the pecking order for the AAC right?

Pretty sure we were next up if the Big XII would've expanded this year. Didn't hear of any other AD's schmoozing it up at AAC events other than McGillis. The media seemed to think we were in. But I guess I actually know as much as you do.

(12-03-2016 09:41 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  I say AAC or bust. It's where we belong, historical rivals and such. Anything below that level really doesn't matter much. I guess the league you've put together would be easier travel for fans if the AAC never needs another team. It's definitely no worse than where we are now.

I agree. And even though it's no worse than where we are now, if our next move is not UP (even if by only a small margin), then I'd just rather close the doors and discuss our 100 years of history. This chronic illness and slow death just sucks for those of us who were around since the 80's. Reggie, Lipps, the real "nasty bunch" and all those that followed deserve better than this.

(12-05-2016 09:44 AM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  

(12-05-2016 02:34 AM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  

(12-03-2016 09:41 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  I say AAC or bust.

You do realize that WKU, Marshall, UTSA, Rice, ODU, Charlotte and several others are ahead of us in the pecking order for the AAC right?

Pretty sure we were next up if the Big XII would've expanded this year.

(12-05-2016 09:46 AM)Up2stuff Wrote:  

(12-03-2016 09:41 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  I say AAC or bust. It's where we belong, historical rivals and such. Anything below that level really doesn't matter much. I guess the league you've put together would be easier travel for fans if the AAC never needs another team. It's definitely no worse than where we are now.

I agree. And even though it's no worse than where we are now, if our next move is not UP (even if by only a small margin), then I'd just rather close the doors and discuss our 100 years of history. This chronic illness and slow death just sucks for those of us who were around since the 80's. Reggie, Lipps, the real "nasty bunch" and all those that followed deserve better than this.

We do deserve better. It's sad. I don't agree with closing the doors, but it's getting harder to be excited at the release of our home schedule each year.

(12-05-2016 09:58 AM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  

(12-05-2016 09:46 AM)Up2stuff Wrote:  

(12-03-2016 09:41 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  I say AAC or bust. It's where we belong, historical rivals and such. Anything below that level really doesn't matter much. I guess the league you've put together would be easier travel for fans if the AAC never needs another team. It's definitely no worse than where we are now.

I agree. And even though it's no worse than where we are now, if our next move is not UP (even if by only a small margin), then I'd just rather close the doors and discuss our 100 years of history. This chronic illness and slow death just sucks for those of us who were around since the 80's. Reggie, Lipps, the real "nasty bunch" and all those that followed deserve better than this.

We do deserve better. It's sad. I don't agree with closing the doors, but it's getting harder to be excited at the release of our home schedule each year.

(12-05-2016 09:44 AM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  

(12-05-2016 02:34 AM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  

(12-03-2016 09:41 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  I say AAC or bust.

You do realize that WKU, Marshall, UTSA, Rice, ODU, Charlotte and several others are ahead of us in the pecking order for the AAC right?

Pretty sure we were next up if the Big XII would've expanded this year. Didn't hear of any other AD's schmoozing it up at AAC events other than McGillis. The media seemed to think we were in. But I guess I actually know as much as you do.

McGillis is a friend of Aresco as well as several other former Big East/current AAC ADs and was invited to the AAC basketball tournament last year to discuss possibilities of USM to the AAC if the XII expanded.

Nobody from "WKU, Marshall, UTSA, Rice, ODU, Charlotte and several others" was invited. But by all means, let's keep up the gloom and doom. It's as much a part of this site as rooting against Sadler and worshiping Tyndall and Jay Ladner.