(12-14-2022 10:45 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(12-14-2022 12:08 AM)Hilltop75 Wrote:  WKU’s record of championships in Conference USA
Should have made us first choice to go to the AAC
But we were not invited.

Two championships from seven and eight years ago?

“Lighten up, Francis.”
I was talking about total all sports championships.

(12-14-2022 12:15 PM)Hilltop75 Wrote:  

(12-14-2022 10:45 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(12-14-2022 12:08 AM)Hilltop75 Wrote:  WKU’s record of championships in Conference USA
Should have made us first choice to go to the AAC
But we were not invited.

Two championships from seven and eight years ago?

“Lighten up, Francis.”
I was talking about total all sports championships.

What's this "all sports" nonsense?

(12-14-2022 01:21 PM)whupemall Wrote:  

(12-14-2022 12:15 PM)Hilltop75 Wrote:  

(12-14-2022 10:45 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(12-14-2022 12:08 AM)Hilltop75 Wrote:  WKU’s record of championships in Conference USA
Should have made us first choice to go to the AAC
But we were not invited.

Two championships from seven and eight years ago?

“Lighten up, Francis.”
I was talking about total all sports championships.

What's this "all sports" nonsense?

You know, the other sports that no one really cares about. Soccer, Softball, Baseball, Track and Field, Volleyball, Golf, etc.

(12-14-2022 12:15 PM)Hilltop75 Wrote:  

(12-14-2022 10:45 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(12-14-2022 12:08 AM)Hilltop75 Wrote:  WKU’s record of championships in Conference USA
Should have made us first choice to go to the AAC
But we were not invited.

Two championships from seven and eight years ago?

“Lighten up, Francis.”
I was talking about total all sports championships.

Are you under the impression that championships in sports other than football matter in conference realignment?

(12-14-2022 02:33 PM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(12-14-2022 12:15 PM)Hilltop75 Wrote:  

(12-14-2022 10:45 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(12-14-2022 12:08 AM)Hilltop75 Wrote:  WKU’s record of championships in Conference USA
Should have made us first choice to go to the AAC
But we were not invited.

Two championships from seven and eight years ago?

“Lighten up, Francis.”
I was talking about total all sports championships.

Are you under the impression that championships in sports other than football matter in conference realignment?

Championships, regardless of sport, has no real impact on conference realignment. We've all seen that evidence multiple times. Money and market size and sometimes academic prestige, altho to a lesser degree, are the primary factors.

(12-14-2022 02:41 PM)WKUApollo Wrote:  

(12-14-2022 02:33 PM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(12-14-2022 12:15 PM)Hilltop75 Wrote:  

(12-14-2022 10:45 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(12-14-2022 12:08 AM)Hilltop75 Wrote:  WKU’s record of championships in Conference USA
Should have made us first choice to go to the AAC
But we were not invited.

Two championships from seven and eight years ago?

“Lighten up, Francis.”
I was talking about total all sports championships.

Are you under the impression that championships in sports other than football matter in conference realignment?

Championships, regardless of sport, has no real impact on conference realignment. We've all seen that evidence multiple times. Money and market size and sometimes academic prestige, altho to a lesser degree, are the primary factors.

Football success/potential isn't the only factor, but it's the only sport that factors.

Another factor can be if you have a couple of stronger, influential schools "campaigning" for OR against your addition. Still-- that is just one component.

(12-14-2022 05:53 PM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote:  Another factor can be if you have a couple of stronger, influential schools "campaigning" for OR against your addition. Still-- that is just one component.

IMHO, several of you have it (in no particular order):

Other schools' influence

Like-minded institutions

BUDGET

Adequate facilities (or the commitment to get the facilities up to par with a plan in place).

In the footprint

Academics (to a lesser extent in the G5)

These schools have not seen a FCS playoff game let alone been to one and they want to move to FBS. Plus there budget is 8M. NOT GOING TO CUT IT

Part II of the series: What Sam Houston's FBS move means for rivalry with Stephen F. Austin; does not mention any movement by SFA to elevate in level.

Quote:"I tell our coaches all the time that we need to be playing them as much as we can in every sport," Ivey said. "In fact, Bobby and I have talked about potentially having a department-wide contract for every sport outside of football. I hate to use the term force, but maybe position our coaches and everyone to make sure that they're playing as much as they can.

"I think when you leave it to coaches, god bless them, they have their own thoughts and agendas sometimes on schedules,” Ivey continued. "I think this is maybe something Bobby and I are potentially looking at handling on the athletics directors level, just to help guide those actions. ... It makes a lot of sense, and I'd like to play them as much as we can in everything that we can."

Houston Chronicle

They're simply not ready (yet)--but are Not as far behind as some posters seem to think.

--made the FCS playoff in 2021

-- 23 million in athletic revenue (ahead of EKU, Chatty)

-- Big Money and support from the UT system and the PUF as of Sept. 1st

-- only 90 minutes from SHSU and 2.5hrs from La Tech, 2H 15m to Houston and 2H 40m to DFW

Overall--ahead of Tarleton, Abilene Christian, UTRGV in Texas and also ahead of AP and UCA in athletic and ticket revenue.

Sure-- they're Not going to talk about FBS--they know they're not ready--plus don't want to make waves in their current conference.

(07-03-2023 11:27 PM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote:  They're simply not ready (yet)--but are Not as far behind as some posters seem to think.

--made the FCS playoff in 2021

-- 23 million in athletic revenue (ahead of EKU, Chatty)

-- Big Money and support from the UT system and the PUF as of Sept. 1st

-- only 90 minutes from SHSU and 2.5hrs from La Tech, 2H 15m to Houston and 2H 40m to DFW

Overall--ahead of Tarleton, Abilene Christian, UTRGV in Texas and also ahead of AP and UCA in athletic and ticket revenue.

Sure-- they're Not going to talk about FBS--they know they're not ready--plus don't want to make waves in their current conference.

SFA is probably only 2 or 3 years from being ready, if they really want fbs. Their admin has stated that they don't want to go fbs before they are ready and suffer with bad football seasons for the first few years. Makes sense.

(07-04-2023 12:45 PM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  SFA is probably only 2 or 3 years from being ready, if they really want fbs. Their admin has stated that they don't want to go fbs before they are ready and suffer with bad football seasons for the first few years. Makes sense.

It may take 2-3 years for them to stabilize the “house”. Between new leadership (system switch & new president), they’ve had a lot of changes all at once for an institution that went through it’s fair share of turmoil in the governance department which is a) what brought them to the change and b) what created a significant separation between what was pretty “level” Sam Houston and SFA about two decades ago (not talking athletically as much as academically, enrollment, etc.)

May wind up being four or five years---But I see no other team(s) in the WEST (except maybe Tarleton) who bear strong consideration.

Who knows? Someone NEW may come on the scene in future years---but right now-- I see no one else.

We have come to the bottom of the barrel (out WEST).

It will be very interesting to see what happen at UTRGV. The Valley will remain a higher priority for the UT system than Nacogdoches. I could see the Vaqueros quickly building a strong fanbase in South Texas. With nearly triple the enrollment of SFA, UTRGV is has the strength and resources to be a force quickly if they can follow their sister school UTSA's model.