Liberty making moves, and throwing some loot around...

C-USA rejected Liberty University's generous offer to join the league ... but the Flames ended up as the big winners

"Since Liberty University announced in 2012 its plan to move to the Football Bowl Subdivision, officials worked diligently to find a conference – any conference – willing to accept the Flames.

The NCAA requires a Football Championship Subdivision school to join an FBS league to move. Liberty officials intensely lobbied the two leagues that made geographic sense – Conference USA and the Sun Belt – with no luck.

Liberty even offered to open its checkbook. Sources told me that in 2016, Liberty offered Conference USA millions of dollars more than the usual $2 million admission fee for an invitation.

How many millions more? One source pegged the offer at $24 million. The offer coincidentally came at about the same time C-USA was learning its TV revenue would soon crater, going from paying $1.1 million per school annually to about $200,000."

(09-08-2017 10:03 AM)CoastalJuan Wrote:  Liberty making moves, and throwing some loot around...

C-USA rejected Liberty University's generous offer to join the league ... but the Flames ended up as the big winners

"Since Liberty University announced in 2012 its plan to move to the Football Bowl Subdivision, officials worked diligently to find a conference – any conference – willing to accept the Flames.

The NCAA requires a Football Championship Subdivision school to join an FBS league to move. Liberty officials intensely lobbied the two leagues that made geographic sense – Conference USA and the Sun Belt – with no luck.

Liberty even offered to open its checkbook. Sources told me that in 2016, Liberty offered Conference USA millions of dollars more than the usual $2 million admission fee for an invitation.

How many millions more? One source pegged the offer at $24 million. The offer coincidentally came at about the same time C-USA was learning its TV revenue would soon crater, going from paying $1.1 million per school annually to about $200,000."

They need the money. Just take them and Ashley Madison.

If Liberty wants to pay the AAC $24 Mil annually, I'm all for it...

(09-08-2017 10:16 AM)HuskyU Wrote:  If Liberty wants to pay the AAC $24 Mil annually, I'm all for it...

One time payment. They should get a start in the c-usa. Fcs startup league.

(09-08-2017 10:16 AM)HuskyU Wrote:  If Liberty wants to pay the AAC $24 Mil annually, I'm all for it...

Somebody get Liberty on the phone, please. I'd take a $24 mil payday for a 5 year guarantee that LU is in the AAC. Welcome aboard, Flames!

(09-08-2017 10:28 AM)tigerjamesc Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 10:16 AM)HuskyU Wrote:  If Liberty wants to pay the AAC $24 Mil annually, I'm all for it...

Somebody get Liberty on the phone, please. I'd take a $24 mil payday for a 5 year guarantee that LU is in the AAC. Welcome aboard, Flames!

Per school it would only be $2 million and it would be negative with a tv contract. C-USA only makes $200,000 so revenue share isn't important to them.

(09-08-2017 11:25 AM)KNIGHTTIME Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 10:28 AM)tigerjamesc Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 10:16 AM)HuskyU Wrote:  If Liberty wants to pay the AAC $24 Mil annually, I'm all for it...

Somebody get Liberty on the phone, please. I'd take a $24 mil payday for a 5 year guarantee that LU is in the AAC. Welcome aboard, Flames!

Per school it would only be $2 million and it would be negative with a tv contract. C-USA only makes $200,000 so revenue share isn't important to them.

I'm not so sure about bringing down TV revenue (other than having to split with another school). Maybe they are a net negative as they are transitioning from FCS. However, they have 100k current students including their online diploma mill. In the AAC, they become the BYU of the east drawing in general public fans. I think from a TV contract perspective they help more than ~4+ of the current AAC schools.

Also, if they were willing to dish out $24M for CUSA who knows what they would offer or did offer AAC. Would have a better idea if we knew what they offered the Sunbelt.

(09-08-2017 12:51 PM)DoubleDogDare Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 11:25 AM)KNIGHTTIME Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 10:28 AM)tigerjamesc Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 10:16 AM)HuskyU Wrote:  If Liberty wants to pay the AAC $24 Mil annually, I'm all for it...

Somebody get Liberty on the phone, please. I'd take a $24 mil payday for a 5 year guarantee that LU is in the AAC. Welcome aboard, Flames!

Per school it would only be $2 million and it would be negative with a tv contract. C-USA only makes $200,000 so revenue share isn't important to them.

I'm not so sure about bringing down TV revenue (other than having to split with another school). Maybe they are a net negative as they are transitioning from FCS. However, they have 100k current students including their online diploma mill. In the AAC, they become the BYU of the east drawing in general public fans. I think from a TV contract perspective they help more than ~4+ of the current AAC schools.

Also, if they were willing to dish out $24M for CUSA who knows what they would offer or did offer AAC. Would have a better idea if we knew what they offered the Sunbelt.

You think Sun Belt is worth more or less than CUSA?

Liberty's stadium seats 19,200 and they sold out one game last year. Not sure why people think they've got a huge fan base because they've got a big on-line diploma mill factory. If that meant anything, Southern New Hampshire and Phoenix would be competing with Bama.

(09-08-2017 03:28 PM)CornellCoog Wrote:  Liberty's stadium seats 19,200 and they sold out one game last year. Not sure why people think they've got a huge fan base because they've got a big on-line diploma mill factory. If that meant anything, Southern New Hampshire and Phoenix would be competing with Bama.

You think Bama players don't take online courses. You really think its all that different?

Interesting

(09-08-2017 03:32 PM)shere khan Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 03:28 PM)CornellCoog Wrote:  Liberty's stadium seats 19,200 and they sold out one game last year. Not sure why people think they've got a huge fan base because they've got a big on-line diploma mill factory. If that meant anything, Southern New Hampshire and Phoenix would be competing with Bama.

You think Bama players don't take online courses. You really think its all that different?

Interesting

Bama players know where the UA campus is. LU students don't know what state LU is in. Big difference.

(09-08-2017 04:05 PM)va-eagle Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 03:32 PM)shere khan Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 03:28 PM)CornellCoog Wrote:  Liberty's stadium seats 19,200 and they sold out one game last year. Not sure why people think they've got a huge fan base because they've got a big on-line diploma mill factory. If that meant anything, Southern New Hampshire and Phoenix would be competing with Bama.

You think Bama players don't take online courses. You really think its all that different?

Interesting

Bama players know where the UA campus is. LU students don't know what state LU is in. Big difference.

I wouldn't bet the price of a cup of coffee that a 'Bama player could point to Alabama on a map.....

Liberty has a *billion* dollar plus endowment, 20 fully funded athletic programs --- with *full cost of attendance* with each, a new expandable stadium, and 15000 resident students. And all of that is just what I quickly recall. I say invite 'em.

(09-08-2017 03:32 PM)shere khan Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 03:28 PM)CornellCoog Wrote:  Liberty's stadium seats 19,200 and they sold out one game last year. Not sure why people think they've got a huge fan base because they've got a big on-line diploma mill factory. If that meant anything, Southern New Hampshire and Phoenix would be competing with Bama.

You think Bama players don't take online courses. You really think its all that different?

Interesting

Yes it's different.

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(09-08-2017 05:03 PM)TIGERCITY Wrote:  Liberty has a *billion* dollar plus endowment, 20 fully funded athletic programs --- with *full cost of attendance* with each, a new expandable stadium, and 15000 resident students. And all of that is just what I quickly recall. I say invite 'em.

They do not have a $1B endowment. Not by the definition of university endowment.

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(09-08-2017 05:03 PM)TIGERCITY Wrote:  Liberty has a *billion* dollar plus endowment, 20 fully funded athletic programs --- with *full cost of attendance* with each, a new expandable stadium, and 15000 resident students. And all of that is just what I quickly recall. I say invite 'em.

I'd be all for adding Liberty if they were truly the BYU of the east coast. If they can't get 20K to a football game, they are not there. They can build up from the C-USA or Sunbelt.

Cusa is in desperate need for $$$, we already know... If the $24 million offer to cusa was close to even been true we wouldn't be having this conversation.

LOL... They're so full of themselves... Not buying it

(09-08-2017 05:13 PM)panama Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 05:03 PM)TIGERCITY Wrote:  Liberty has a *billion* dollar plus endowment, 20 fully funded athletic programs --- with *full cost of attendance* with each, a new expandable stadium, and 15000 resident students. And all of that is just what I quickly recall. I say invite 'em.

They do not have a $1B endowment. Not by the definition of university endowment.

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All you have to do is google ' Liberty University endowment' and you'll see that they do --- and you'll see it reported as such at a number of sites.

(09-08-2017 05:17 PM)KNIGHTTIME Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 05:03 PM)TIGERCITY Wrote:  Liberty has a *billion* dollar plus endowment, 20 fully funded athletic programs --- with *full cost of attendance* with each, a new expandable stadium, and 15000 resident students. And all of that is just what I quickly recall. I say invite 'em.

I'd be all for adding Liberty if they were truly the BYU of the east coast. If they can't get 20K to a football game, they are not there. They can build up from the C-USA or Sunbelt.

Their present stadium only seats 19,000. Probably why they 'can't get to 20K.' Liberty's stadium will be expanded to 30,000 and can be expanded to 60,000.

(09-08-2017 09:59 PM)TIGERCITY Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 05:17 PM)KNIGHTTIME Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 05:03 PM)TIGERCITY Wrote:  Liberty has a *billion* dollar plus endowment, 20 fully funded athletic programs --- with *full cost of attendance* with each, a new expandable stadium, and 15000 resident students. And all of that is just what I quickly recall. I say invite 'em.

I'd be all for adding Liberty if they were truly the BYU of the east coast. If they can't get 20K to a football game, they are not there. They can build up from the C-USA or Sunbelt.

Their present stadium only seats 19,000. Probably why they 'can't get to 20K.' Liberty's stadium will be expanded to 30,000 and can be expanded to 60,000.

that is fine...I want to see them draw over 30K on a regular basis. Then with an AAC schedule they could draw 40K. We have 12 members so expansion would take something really special like BYU or Army.