Whereas, the University at Buffalo has announced it is dropping men's soccer, which pushes the MAC to only 5 soccer members - Akron, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, Western Michigan, and West Virginia, below the number required for automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament.

Whereas, Akron is a recent national champion, and finished in the Top 25 last year just below CUSA member Kentucky.

Whereas, WVU opened up a solid facility about a decade ago and would make another nice geographic rival for the Marshall, ODU, and Kentucky men's soccer programs in the CUSA.

Therefore, adding these two would continue to push CUSA men's soccer as a power conference in that sport. Adding two would allow for a balanced 10 game conference schedule. I, thereby, proclaim an opportunity for CUSA.

I would like this.

These would be solid adds and I think our conference leadership would be foolish not to invite WVU and Akron

Charlotte's powerhouse program should make it attractive option for WVU and Akron.

It makes sense. There really aren't any attractive expansion possibilities for the MAC, and the orphans aren't likely to be interested in the alternatives (Horizon? SoCon? Sun Belt?) Akron and West Virginia would surely see all of those options as beneath them. So sure, bring 'em on!

RPI Rank 2016
1 Atlantic Coast Conference 0.5709
2 Pacific-12 Conference 0.5708
3 America East Conference 0.5450
4 Big Ten Conference 0.5323
5 Big East Conference 0.5289
6 Conference USA 0.5277
7 West Coast Conference 0.5172
8 American Athletic Conference 0.5114
9 Mid-American Conference 0.5057

If CUSA added Akron and WVU (who had an RPI last year of 27 and 49, respectively), it looks like we could jump to 4th behind the ACC, Pac-12, and America East, and ahead of the Big Ten and Big East.

Do it

I'm not a big soccer fan but I understand it is the fastest growing sport in the US and has been for about 10 years or so. This would be a good move on CUSA part if they were to invite Akron and WVU and they accept. As CoachMaclid said if we had those two in the conference this year we would have been the 4th best rated conference.

I don't think Akron could leave conference unless they stop sponsoring the sport. Go after WV and make it harder for them to continue then pick up Akron if they disband.

(04-03-2017 10:26 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  I don't think Akron could leave conference unless they stop sponsoring the sport. Go after WV and make it harder for them to continue then pick up Akron if they disband.

With Buffalo dropping soccer the MAC is down to 5 schools now and don't have enough schools to be in compliance with the NCAA who requires 6 schools to have a soccer conference.

UB just didn't drop soccer they also dropped Men's Swimming and Diving, Baseball and Rowing.

Title IX at its finest. This happened to wku also. Even though our men's program wasn't bad we couldn't drop the girls (which at the time weren't very good) because we had an even number and also we were adding too many scholarships for 1a football. I knew some
Soccer players and they were devastated to see their program go out from underneath them.

Yes to WVU & Akron. Soccer is the future.

(04-03-2017 10:54 PM)HerdZoned Wrote:  

(04-03-2017 10:26 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  I don't think Akron could leave conference unless they stop sponsoring the sport. Go after WV and make it harder for them to continue then pick up Akron if they disband.

With Buffalo dropping soccer the MAC is down to 5 schools now and don't have enough schools to be in compliance with the NCAA who requires 6 schools to have a soccer conference.

UB just didn't drop soccer they also dropped Men's Swimming and Diving, Baseball and Rowing.

I understand that. I would think that the MAC tries to find another affiliate member though and as I understand it since the MAC is Akron's "home" conference they can't play soccer in CUSA as long as the MAC is sponsoring the sport. WVU is free to leave though so if we lure them away the MAC would have to replace two and make survival even harder. Then Akron could come into play.

(04-04-2017 08:13 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(04-03-2017 10:54 PM)HerdZoned Wrote:  

(04-03-2017 10:26 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  I don't think Akron could leave conference unless they stop sponsoring the sport. Go after WV and make it harder for them to continue then pick up Akron if they disband.

With Buffalo dropping soccer the MAC is down to 5 schools now and don't have enough schools to be in compliance with the NCAA who requires 6 schools to have a soccer conference.

UB just didn't drop soccer they also dropped Men's Swimming and Diving, Baseball and Rowing.

I understand that. I would think that the MAC tries to find another affiliate member though and as I understand it since the MAC is Akron's "home" conference they can't play soccer in CUSA as long as the MAC is sponsoring the sport. WVU is free to leave though so if we lure them away the MAC would have to replace two and make survival even harder. Then Akron could come into play.

They don't really have a lot of expansion options even if they stay at five. The Horizon will have no affiliate members now that Belmont is moving its program to the SoCon. The Sun Belt doesn't have anyone worth poaching. I guess they could try to get SIU Edwardsville or Central Arkansas out of the MVC but why leave a relatively stable and regional conference for one that may quickly lose West Virginia and be back in this mess?

And as you point out, West Virginia is the tentpole because they can leave. If they do, the MAC either merges with the Horizon or MVC, or quits sponsoring the sport entirely.

(04-04-2017 08:13 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  I understand that. I would think that the MAC tries to find another affiliate member though and as I understand it since the MAC is Akron's "home" conference they can't play soccer in CUSA as long as the MAC is sponsoring the sport. WVU is free to leave though so if we lure them away the MAC would have to replace two and make survival even harder. Then Akron could come into play.

There really isn't an expansion candidate out there. There are 3 programs in the Horizon League they could go after in Wright State, Valpo and NKU that are regional. The question then becomes why would you leave your primary conference just for soccer. The MVC has Bradley, Drake and Evansville regionally, but the MVC only has 6 members, so again why leave your primary conference.

At the very least this provides an opportunity to scoop up WVU soccer

C-USA had a similar opportunity the first time the Big East football conference almost imploded, but our former commish decided to wait to see how things played out rather than be proactive and invite the schools that were left behind and panicking...we all know how that turned out.

C-USA will likely do nothing and Kentucky will move over to become the MAC's needed 6th Men's Soccer member if history is any indication.

(04-05-2017 11:45 AM)blazerjay Wrote:  C-USA had a similar opportunity the first time the Big East football conference almost imploded, but our former commish decided to wait to see how things played out rather than be proactive and invite the schools that were left behind and panicking...we all know how that turned out.

C-USA will likely do nothing and Kentucky will move over to become the MAC's needed 6th Men's Soccer member if history is any indication.

But why would Kentucky move back to the MAC? For that matter, why did Kentucky leave the MAC for CUSA in the mid-2000s in the first place?

(04-05-2017 11:45 AM)blazerjay Wrote:  C-USA will likely do nothing and Kentucky will move over to become the MAC's needed 6th Men's Soccer member if history is any indication.

And ditch their conference mate USC for a league worse than us in soccer? I don't see any reason why that would happen.