(04-12-2022 09:55 AM)esayem Wrote:  EKU makes no sense. That low recruiting area is already oversaturated and they won’t be able to compete with established MAC programs to the north and southern squads.

Yeah. EKU is just too close to Lexington. And they've historically been really bad in basketball.

CUSA is best off taking a wait and see approach. 9 members works pretty well, allowing an 8 game conference schedule and 16 game conference basketball schedule. UMass will be available as a football only addition if CUSA ever needs one. In the meantime, any potential FCS move up can develop a business plan for moving up to support a later application.

Waiting makes sense, but how long will the leadership of the schools be OK with a round robin conference from El Paso to Miami to Virginia?

I would think they would want divisions sooner than later

Unless Tennessee State fixes their production big time I never want to be in a conference with them again. Watching JSU play them at TN State was horrible in every sport. Football games looked like they were filmed on an old razor phone. Basketball they would have the camera on the opposite end from were the action was. Also they don’t play full time at the Titans stadium the majority of their games are at a stadium that makes my local high schools stadium look like a future Super Bowl site (at least from what I can tell from the razor phone footage). Also TN State over the last 20 years has never been a real threat to win the OVC at football, or basketball. Murray State and Tennessee Martin have put up better threats. I just don’t see how adding TN ST would benefit CUSA at all.

If CUSA goes with a HBCU I’d much rather have NC A&T who would provide a travel partner for Liberty and has shown more of a commitment to football than TN State has over the last 20 years.

(04-12-2022 09:53 AM)CarlSmithCenter Wrote:  I know Western Kentucky and Louisiana Tech have a tremendous amount of bad blood with the Sun Belt and it’s members, but is the same true for MTSU? If the smoke about Missouri State to the Belt is true, and knowing that MTSU torpedoed the WKU move to the MAC, could Middle go with Missouri State to the Belt, thereby giving C-USA room to add 4 like, say, 2 HBCUs in Tennessee State and NC A&T, both of whom are in biggish Southern cities and have voiced interest in FBS ball, as well as Eastern Kentucky and one of McNeese, SFA, or Tarleton?

East: Liberty, NC A&T, FIU, EKU, WKU, Tennessee State.
West: NMSU, UTEP, SHSU, (insert one of McNeese, SFA, or Tarleton), Louisiana Tech, Jacksonville State.

Alternatively, if Missouri State leaves the MVC/MVFC, would Tennessee State be a candidate to replace them in those leagues?

MTSU is probably on worse terms with the SBC than WKU. They were part of the original exodus, we followed the year after and fulfilled all exit commitments including keeping the SBC commissioner apprised of our intentions. The bad blood was mostly with Louisiana and Arkansas State and was over perceived bowl game snubs. The SBC had limited bowl tie-ins at the time. The conference champion was guaranteed a bowl and the rest was the wild west. Lots of rumors of back door deals and things of that nature preventing WKU (and MTSU) from bowling. After we departed, Louisiana and Arkansas State wanted to schedule OOC matchups and both WKU and MTSU athletic departments were less than receptive given the history. There has been a fair amount of turnover at all programs involved since then, so I don't know that hurt feelings on either side would be enough to prevent future conference realignment.

(04-12-2022 10:46 AM)Hradmiralsfan Wrote:  Unless Tennessee State fixes their production big time I never want to be in a conference with them again. Watching JSU play them at TN State was horrible in every sport. Football games looked like they were filmed on an old razor phone. Basketball they would have the camera on the opposite end from were the action was. Also they don’t play full time at the Titans stadium the majority of their games are at a stadium that makes my local high schools stadium look like a future Super Bowl site (at least from what I can tell from the razor phone footage). Also TN State over the last 20 years has never been a real threat to win the OVC at football, or basketball. Murray State and Tennessee Martin have put up better threats. I just don’t see how adding TN ST would benefit CUSA at all.

If CUSA goes with a HBCU I’d much rather have NC A&T who would provide a travel partner for Liberty and has shown more of a commitment to football than TN State has over the last 20 years.

I imagine if TSU committed to moving up they’d move the majority of their games back to the Coliseum.

A&T would be expanding the footprint into a state that already has seven FBS programs. I still can’t believe that statement.

Side note, I remember back in the day A&T was one of the first schools to get a Jordan deal.

(04-12-2022 11:14 AM)esayem Wrote:  

(04-12-2022 10:46 AM)Hradmiralsfan Wrote:  Unless Tennessee State fixes their production big time I never want to be in a conference with them again. Watching JSU play them at TN State was horrible in every sport. Football games looked like they were filmed on an old razor phone. Basketball they would have the camera on the opposite end from were the action was. Also they don’t play full time at the Titans stadium the majority of their games are at a stadium that makes my local high schools stadium look like a future Super Bowl site (at least from what I can tell from the razor phone footage). Also TN State over the last 20 years has never been a real threat to win the OVC at football, or basketball. Murray State and Tennessee Martin have put up better threats. I just don’t see how adding TN ST would benefit CUSA at all.

If CUSA goes with a HBCU I’d much rather have NC A&T who would provide a travel partner for Liberty and has shown more of a commitment to football than TN State has over the last 20 years.

I imagine if TSU committed to moving up they’d move the majority of their games back to the Coliseum.

A&T would be expanding the footprint into a state that already has seven FBS programs. I still can’t believe that statement.

Side note, I remember back in the day A&T was one of the first schools to get a Jordan deal.

Does it matter where they play? They had 3 games with less than 3,000 last year. 3,000 looks a lot better in a high school stadium than a Nfl stadium.

(04-12-2022 08:55 AM)inutech Wrote:  I hate all of that, but the UConn football thing is the most baffling.

What in the world is the advantage of that? I can think of literally no upside to adding UConn football. Gross.

Because UCONN and UMASS at the very least have name recognition. Most fans aren't as knowledgeable about college football as the FANatics on message boards. Your average fan and fair weather fans want to play schools they've heard of. These schools being thrown around.. your average fan probably doesn't even know where those schools are located. Hell I know people that still don't know there's a difference between FIU and FAU.

(04-12-2022 09:35 AM)esayem Wrote:  Yikes. McNeese State is about the only one I’d look at from that group.

Only real reason for McNeese would be that ULL wouldn't like it. They certainly deserve their own ULM, but you have to balance that with the whole idea of whether it's worth cutting off your nose to spite your face. I guess the geography would be ok for two of us.

(04-12-2022 11:26 AM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(04-12-2022 08:55 AM)inutech Wrote:  I hate all of that, but the UConn football thing is the most baffling.

What in the world is the advantage of that? I can think of literally no upside to adding UConn football. Gross.

Because UCONN and UMASS at the very least have name recognition. Most fans aren't as knowledgeable about college football as the FANatics on message boards. Your average fan and fair weather fans want to play schools they've heard of. These schools being thrown around.. your average fan probably doesn't even know where those schools are. Hell I know people that still don't know there's a difference between FIU and FAU and still get confused with UTSA and UTEP and Kent State and Akron.

I don't think UMass or UConn football helps with that (or to the degree in which it might it would be so vanishingly small that it wouldn't come close to overcoming the many many things on the "con" side of that ledger).

(04-12-2022 11:26 AM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(04-12-2022 08:55 AM)inutech Wrote:  I hate all of that, but the UConn football thing is the most baffling.

What in the world is the advantage of that? I can think of literally no upside to adding UConn football. Gross.

Because UCONN and UMASS at the very least have name recognition. Most fans aren't as knowledgeable about college football as the FANatics on message boards. Your average fan and fair weather fans want to play schools they've heard of. These schools being thrown around.. your average fan probably doesn't even know where those schools are. Hell I know people that still don't know there's a difference between FIU and FAU and still get confused with UTSA and UTEP and Kent State and Akron.

These people that don’t know the difference between the F_U and state of Texas schools, are going to watch UConn football games? If you don’t know the difference between the G5 schools, why would you watch a UConn game versus one of these schools?

(04-12-2022 09:55 AM)HerdFanGuest Wrote:  That conference is a hot mess, they need to figure something out soon. IF they're going to add, they should act sooner than later to look like they're aggressively trying to improve and not adding as an act of survival.

Why? You reckon it's act now or Tarrleton State will be off the table in five years? Or if they are, that SFA isn't more or less the same? There are no slam dunks here. No "can't miss" opportunities.

No reason to add another school until you have to (and I do think CUSA will have to at some point). Assuming future departures give the full two year notice (which is really important, and unfortunately can't be assumed, can it?) you'd have time for an FCS to FBS transition.

Some solid leadership would be great. No arguments with that as a general rule.

It isn't that complicated to understand why CUSA would be interested in adding UConn. UConn is one of the tiny number of non P5 schools that can *regularly* secure P5 home and homes, thanks to their location, facilities, and overall athletic brand. Obviously, that number goes down if they join CUSA (they won't have as much schedule inventory), but a Maryland at UConn game or a Boston College at UConn come in September instantly becomes one of the most valuable games in the entire CUSA television contract.

Their conference inventory sucks. Adding UConn is a play to acquire a few more higher quality non-con games to bolster the value of their media rights deal.

And UConn doesn't want to do it.

(04-12-2022 11:33 AM)MattBrownEP Wrote:  It isn't that complicated to understand why CUSA would be interested in adding UConn. UConn is one of the tiny number of non P5 schools that can *regularly* secure P5 home and homes, thanks to their location, facilities, and overall athletic brand. Obviously, that number goes down if they join CUSA (they won't have as much schedule inventory), but a Maryland at UConn game or a Boston College at UConn come in September instantly becomes one of the most valuable games in the entire CUSA television contract.

Their conference inventory sucks. Adding UConn is a play to acquire a few more higher quality non-con games to bolster the value of their media rights deal.

And UConn doesn't want to do it.

That is a reasonable reason.

If CUSA could get more per school by owning some UConn vs. Syracuse games that makes sense.

Is that really going to improve the media deal by more than the cost of splitting the media deal another way? Is Stadium or whoever so interested in UConn vs. Duke that they'd pay 1.1 times what they'd otherwise give the CUSA 9? It'd actually need to be more than that to break even because of extra travel. Plus you'd have to play UConn yourself (which would suck because they're no kind of home draw and far from everyone).


The argument above makes logical sense and certainly you (and the conference) would know more than me about the actual math and what works or doesn't.

But as a fan of a CUSA school I am VERY much on the side of the UConn officials expressing no interest here.

(04-12-2022 11:32 AM)inutech Wrote:  

(04-12-2022 09:55 AM)HerdFanGuest Wrote:  That conference is a hot mess, they need to figure something out soon. IF they're going to add, they should act sooner than later to look like they're aggressively trying to improve and not adding as an act of survival.

Why? You reckon it's act now or Tarrleton State will be off the table in five years? Or if they are, that SFA isn't more or less the same? There are no slam dunks here. No "can't miss" opportunities.

No reason to add another school until you have to (and I do think CUSA will have to at some point). Assuming future departures give the full two year notice (which is really important, and unfortunately can't be assumed, can it?) you'd have time for an FCS to FBS transition.

Some solid leadership would be great. No arguments with that as a general rule.

It's not necessarily act or X team will be off the table. IF (and that's a big if) they plan on expanding more in say the next 5 years, from an optics perspective, an aggressive act looks better than waiting on other conferences to act.

(04-12-2022 11:33 AM)MattBrownEP Wrote:  It isn't that complicated to understand why CUSA would be interested in adding UConn. UConn is one of the tiny number of non P5 schools that can *regularly* secure P5 home and homes, thanks to their location, facilities, and overall athletic brand. Obviously, that number goes down if they join CUSA (they won't have as much schedule inventory), but a Maryland at UConn game or a Boston College at UConn come in September instantly becomes one of the most valuable games in the entire CUSA television contract.

Their conference inventory sucks. Adding UConn is a play to acquire a few more higher quality non-con games to bolster the value of their media rights deal.

And UConn doesn't want to do it.

Matt is correct. UConn would also be valuable to the MAC as a football affiliate with WKU to get to 14.

(04-12-2022 11:28 AM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(04-12-2022 11:26 AM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(04-12-2022 08:55 AM)inutech Wrote:  I hate all of that, but the UConn football thing is the most baffling.

What in the world is the advantage of that? I can think of literally no upside to adding UConn football. Gross.

Because UCONN and UMASS at the very least have name recognition. Most fans aren't as knowledgeable about college football as the FANatics on message boards. Your average fan and fair weather fans want to play schools they've heard of. These schools being thrown around.. your average fan probably doesn't even know where those schools are. Hell I know people that still don't know there's a difference between FIU and FAU and still get confused with UTSA and UTEP and Kent State and Akron.

These people that don’t know the difference between the F_U and state of Texas schools, are going to watch UConn football games? If you don’t know the difference between the G5 schools, why would you watch a UConn game versus one of these schools?

Well the more northern teams in CUSA probably would. But as usual, CUSA and their Texas leanings are all they concern themselves with. Who cares about WKU, MTSU and Liberty right?

If they don't know the difference between G5 schools they surely won't know who the FCS schools even are.

There would be more for C-USA to gain by having UConn as a member than for UConn to gain by being a C-USA member. Matt Brown put it well.

For comparison, let's say Army football suffered 10 straight losings seasons and reached out to the AAC for a football-only membership. What do you think would happen? The AAC almost certainly would gladly welcome Army as a member. Now, having UConn for football only would be a vastly different situation for the AAC, as the league clearly and understandable is not interested in that and nor is UConn (though the latter would have more to gain than would the former).

(04-12-2022 11:21 AM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(04-12-2022 11:14 AM)esayem Wrote:  

(04-12-2022 10:46 AM)Hradmiralsfan Wrote:  Unless Tennessee State fixes their production big time I never want to be in a conference with them again. Watching JSU play them at TN State was horrible in every sport. Football games looked like they were filmed on an old razor phone. Basketball they would have the camera on the opposite end from were the action was. Also they don’t play full time at the Titans stadium the majority of their games are at a stadium that makes my local high schools stadium look like a future Super Bowl site (at least from what I can tell from the razor phone footage). Also TN State over the last 20 years has never been a real threat to win the OVC at football, or basketball. Murray State and Tennessee Martin have put up better threats. I just don’t see how adding TN ST would benefit CUSA at all.

If CUSA goes with a HBCU I’d much rather have NC A&T who would provide a travel partner for Liberty and has shown more of a commitment to football than TN State has over the last 20 years.

I imagine if TSU committed to moving up they’d move the majority of their games back to the Coliseum.

A&T would be expanding the footprint into a state that already has seven FBS programs. I still can’t believe that statement.

Side note, I remember back in the day A&T was one of the first schools to get a Jordan deal.

Does it matter where they play? They had 3 games with less than 3,000 last year. 3,000 looks a lot better in a high school stadium than a Nfl stadium.

I’m assuming traveling fanbases around the region MTSU, WKU, LaTech would be interested attending a game in NashVegas? Maybe not Liberty, it’d be too reminiscent of Sodom or Gomorrah. Especially if Bill Dazzle is in attendance sinning rampantly with the ladies.

(04-12-2022 11:48 AM)HerdFanGuest Wrote:  

(04-12-2022 11:32 AM)inutech Wrote:  

(04-12-2022 09:55 AM)HerdFanGuest Wrote:  That conference is a hot mess, they need to figure something out soon. IF they're going to add, they should act sooner than later to look like they're aggressively trying to improve and not adding as an act of survival.

Why? You reckon it's act now or Tarrleton State will be off the table in five years? Or if they are, that SFA isn't more or less the same? There are no slam dunks here. No "can't miss" opportunities.

No reason to add another school until you have to (and I do think CUSA will have to at some point). Assuming future departures give the full two year notice (which is really important, and unfortunately can't be assumed, can it?) you'd have time for an FCS to FBS transition.

Some solid leadership would be great. No arguments with that as a general rule.

It's not necessarily act or X team will be off the table. IF (and that's a big if) they plan on expanding more in say the next 5 years, from an optics perspective, an aggressive act looks better than waiting on other conferences to act.

Oh. Optics.

Cause if we add SFA and EKU now, we come off like heavy hitters. But if two schools leave and we add them later, we look reactive or maybe we come off looking like we're at the bottom of the pecking order?

Maybe someone can FOIA an athletic budget from one of the CUSA schools so we can check for the line item for "optics." I'm curious about what the going rate is.