(07-23-2022 08:08 PM)BlueBird10 Wrote:  Can we drop ULM at some point? Love the rest…

Why? They've been in the Sun Belt a lot longer than GASO.

(07-23-2022 09:48 PM)Troy_Fan_15 Wrote:  I’m going to vote UTSA & UAB since I could see Memphis and ECU end up moving on to an even more depleted Big XII or very depleted ACC.

B12 is looking reasonably strong now, and I don't see the SEC/B1G targeting those schools, they want bigger fish. More likely B12 takes a chunk of the PAC that the SEC/B1G aren't chasing. B12 now seems interested in bigger targets than ECU/Memphis.

ACC may eventually crumble, but this feels like it could take a while (maybe until close to 2035) if the GoR holds as some suggest. That also gives ACC time to strengthen their position.

Just asking but why no USF on the poll. Not that I would necessarily choose them but I figured they’d be here.

I went with two who would actually be interested in joining La Tech and WKU. Lets be real, as much as we'd all love to be able to poach the AAC thats probably not going to happen until some of their members get disgruntled which could happen, but might take awhile.

If I could just pick any two that would be forced to join then it would be UTSA and SMU

Yeah, I’d have probably voted for South Florida. I actually voted for four others—ECU, Memphis, UAB and SMU. Any of these would make good #15 and #16. I don’t think the math works for 18 team conferences schedule wise… you have to go to 20. 20 would just be too big and watered down, but 16 can work.

(07-23-2022 11:12 PM)High Country Student Wrote:  Just asking but why no USF on the poll. Not that I would necessarily choose them but I figured they’d be here.

USF and Temple would potentially be my top picks.

(07-23-2022 10:45 PM)JoeJag Wrote:  

(07-23-2022 08:08 PM)BlueBird10 Wrote:  Can we drop ULM at some point? Love the rest…

Why? They've been in the Sun Belt a lot longer than GASO.

ULM is the Mulkey brothers of the G5, and I mean that in the nicest possible way. They've become probably the only other G5 I will root for in almost any scenario, regardless of opponent.

I went with East Carolina (don't foresee them getting into the Big XII, so I believe that we have a decent shot at them) and Middle Tennessee. Middle Tennessee didn't like the idea of joining with the MAC like WKU did, so I gave them points for that. They also have a rivalry with Troy and they fit the SBC mold very well!!

I highly doubt Memphis, UNT, UTSA, SMU, Tulane, or Rice would even give us the time of day for consideration. UAB might consider us, but they'd probably wind up declining. Charlotte is a very bad idea!!

I did consider Western Kentucky because of their strong hoops which we could use, but their flirtation with the MAC makes me doubt the likelihood of their fit.

Liberty is a choice I would definitely consider if they would give us a second chance!!!

(07-23-2022 05:32 PM)MUther Wrote:  

(07-23-2022 05:24 PM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  I'm with MUther on this one. Unless something just unequivocally falls in our lap that will be worth an add...add no one. I like the current set up, but I think EVENTUALLY we will have to get bigger, but not now. If, say, after year one of SBCp (present) that an ECU, UAB, USF, or someone like that shows interest, okay, lets sit down and have a good heart-to-heart. No to Jack (insert ending) State/University, FCS, Mizzou St..

Nein nein nein nein nein nein nein nein nein nein!!!!!

They must make the pie bigger, not the slice smaller. And they must give us an at-large shot at least once in three years at 16-18 teams to offset the basketball money.

The other problem with 16 to 18 is never seeing the other division. That leads to talk of each division becoming it's own conference and splitting into two conferences. That, we don't want. Especially if there's 3-4 teams leftover in the east or west that are attractive to 8 or 9 members of that divisions. Split off and add them. 14 is a big as you can get and remain stable without P5 money. I'd rather not have to prove that.

Every bit of this.

The only schools possibly worth adding aren’t going to be available for a while, so can we please just stop talking about it for 10 minutes?

And ffs, no, neither TxSt nor ULM are going anywhere barring a meteor or a heretofore undetected volcano wiping out their campus.

I took the comment about ULM leaving the GaSo poster did as sarcastic. Because there’s always someone asking it. Maybe I took it wrong and he was serious.

I hope ULM gets and stays good and stays in the conference. Not my place to ask anyone to leave. The only way it would ever happen (to any of us IMO), would be self-imposed. As in, if we all raised our budgets, facilities, coaching salaries, number of sponsored sports to keep up with the FBS changes potentially coming, and they weren’t able to. That’s up to them to increase from where they’re at at $15M. And I imaging they’d be the first to tell you that.

This league is heading up. And hopefully everyone of us puts in the money and effort.

Going to 16 probably results in 3-6-6 or 3-5-5 (with the 2 extra teams tacked on in third year) scheduling model in football.

Which cuts down on geographic rivalries and increases travel. Basically the opposite of why our divisions were formed.

(07-24-2022 08:31 AM)MUsince96 Wrote:  Going to 16 probably results in 3-6-6 or 3-5-5 (with the 2 extra teams tacked on in third year) scheduling model in football.

Which cuts down on geographic rivalries and increases travel. Basically the opposite of why our divisions were formed.

I think if we went to 16 we would have to increase our conference schedule to 9 games to keep 2 cross divisional games and rotate through everyone in 4 years.

(07-23-2022 11:12 PM)High Country Student Wrote:  Just asking but why no USF on the poll. Not that I would necessarily choose them but I figured they’d be here.

I just didn't see them as a geographical fit. Same with Utep. No reason to stretch the map. I dont see them as along term quality add. Im aware of some of their football success. Many on this list are not quality adds, but fit geographically better. But yes, I def could have added them and considered it. Prob some holdover angst of them coming out of nowhere as a complete nobody to leapfrog Usm to better things, simply bc of their geography, several years back.

Looking back the last 100 or so years, every time a conference hits 16 teams there's an eventual split.

Add ECU and a western team (UAB probably), split the conference down the middle into two 8-team conferences and fill around the edges (USF to the new East Coast Conference).

After the P2/3/whatever leave, the G5 and the left-behinds are likely going to form an actual playoff with autobids, and when you have autobids, larger conferences are NOT an advantage.

Just remember that when you add team #16, a conference split is coming.

No to any school or town with *jack* in the name

Hell no to La Tech

(07-24-2022 09:38 AM)Klak Wrote:  Looking back the last 100 or so years, every time a conference hits 16 teams there's an eventual split.

Add ECU and a western team (UAB probably), split the conference down the middle into two 8-team conferences and fill around the edges (USF to the new East Coast Conference).

After the P2/3/whatever leave, the G5 and the left-behinds are likely going to form an actual playoff with autobids, and when you have autobids, larger conferences are NOT an advantage.

Just remember that when you add team #16, a conference split is coming.

They split because they wanted to split, anyway. Having that many just made it easier.

ECU would be a perfect fit in SBC-East, but the AAC would have to get picked apart for them to consider jumping ship. Wouldn't mind Temple too, but they'd be an outlier and might complicate things.

We really don't need to expand right now, or any time soon. I voted ECU and UAB, but we don't need to do anything. Let's be honest, a lot of those options would immediately start looking for a way out. They're all used to chasing something else instead of building what they have.

We chose the four best candidates. I'm fine with leaving things as they are for a while.

(07-24-2022 11:08 AM)Porcine Wrote:  

(07-24-2022 09:38 AM)Klak Wrote:  Looking back the last 100 or so years, every time a conference hits 16 teams there's an eventual split.

Add ECU and a western team (UAB probably), split the conference down the middle into two 8-team conferences and fill around the edges (USF to the new East Coast Conference).

After the P2/3/whatever leave, the G5 and the left-behinds are likely going to form an actual playoff with autobids, and when you have autobids, larger conferences are NOT an advantage.

Just remember that when you add team #16, a conference split is coming.

They split because they wanted to split, anyway. Having that many just made it easier.

Indeed. App, GS, GaSt, Coastal, and I think ODU and JMU were all exploring an East Coast Conference 10 years ago but abandoned it due to issues involving moving an entire conference from FCS to FBS. Now Marshall, ODU, and JMU are all in the fold as FBS teams.

arkstfan can correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure 6 members have to play together for 2 years to qualify for autobids to NCAA postseason tournaments (NCAA 31.3.4.2). So in 2024, the SBC East could form its own conference, complete with NCAA basketball access. The main hold up is the CFP money wouldn't go to that new conference, but the CFP contract is up in 2025 (and the CFP is liable to blow up anyway).

I'm not saying that's what's going to happen, or even if that's what any of those members want anymore... but the more teams play exclusively in their own divisions and lose familiarity with the other division, the easier it's going to be for that E/W split to happen.

EDIT: I honestly see future conference splits as psuedo-splits. SBC East and SBC West could be 2 different conferences under the same conference leadership umbrella. Same leadership, member list, and TV contracts, but now with 2 autobids in every sport.

My actual choice would be none.

Gun to my head, Memphis and East Carolina. One west team and one east team.

MT and WKU can both suck it, they flipped the bird and farted as they left room and there's no way I'm letting them back in just to be nice. It boggles my mind that anyone would.