It actually makes me a little sad to see all the angst, disrespect, anger and vitriol that flows between both CUSA and Sun Belt posters.

I completely understand the desire to out perform and one up each others conference. That is just good competition. But it doesn’t have to come at the expense of tearing each other up with personal shots or attacks at each other, universities, or the conferences.

Recognizing the good qualities and accomplishments of others doesn’t take the shine away from our own outstanding play or accomplishments. Nor will it make anything better amidst the struggle or shortfall of our own rooting interest. It just makes one look petty, jealous, angry, arrogant or obnoxious.

The Sun Belt Conference is made up of great member institutions with some pretty good fans. Just this year the SBC has accomplished a lot as many of the posters have pointed out. These are things that should be applauded. JMU had a fantastic season, as well as Troy. The SBC has soooo many bowl qualified teams. There were big wins over P5 schools, more than any other conference. And I think they had the best G5 winning percentage. I give them credit for excelling. It shows the strength and competitiveness of the conference.

Will be cheering for and watching CCU in Hawaii, App St. in the Cure Bowl, Arkansas St. in the Camilla Bowl, Ga. State in the Potatoe Bowl, USA in the 68 Bowl. Hope the other SBC teams have good games.

Of course we’ll get to settle conference and team superiority on the field when ODU vs. WKU and Jax St. vs. Louisiana face off in bowl games. As a CUSA member I will be pulling for our teams, though I won’t be upset too much if ODU wins, as I have followed that program for years. But… Go Tops!

CUSA has had great moments this year too. The further rise of both Liberty and New Mexico St. has been great to see. Liberty earned the G5 NY6 slot and we deserve much credit for that. Beyond that, the conference as a whole gained stability and growth. CUSA, like the SBC, are moving forward and gaining traction on the P5 competitively.

What it boils down to is we don’t have to sink into the muck of insults and belittlement. Rather, we can rise higher, show discipline, class, and, believe it or not, goodwill toward one another.

The responses you are getting on the Sun Belt forum should tell you all you need to know about this conflict. It’s completely one-sided. Sun Belt fans will always hate Conference USA for no other reason than spite. It cracks me up how James Madison fans hate C-USA yet they have no history nor rivalry with any C-USA schools. It’s just a mindset in that conference.

I have no ill will towards the Sun Belt. Makes no difference either way for me if they succeed or not. Louisiana Tech’s issues right now are completely unrelated to Conference alignment. Getting left behind in realignment is a symptom of the problems facing Tech athletics, not the cause.

JMU & Liberty have some history. And our success does not sit well with our neighbors in Harrisonburg.

It seems that most of the venom being spewed is from the SBC newbies after WKU left

(12-03-2023 05:54 PM)RustonBulldog Wrote:  The responses you are getting on the Sun Belt forum should tell you all you need to know about this conflict. It’s completely one-sided. Sun Belt fans will always hate Conference USA for no other reason than spite. It cracks me up how James Madison fans hate C-USA yet they have no history nor rivalry with any C-USA schools. It’s just a mindset in that conference.

I have no ill will towards the Sun Belt. Makes no difference either way for me if they succeed or not. Louisiana Tech’s issues right now are completely unrelated to Conference alignment. Getting left behind in realignment is a symptom of the problems facing Tech athletics, not the cause.

It will take a while for any ill will to dissipate.

- CUSA tried to ruin the SBC in 2012.

- CUSA fans belittled the SBC for many years after that. La Tech fans and even admin were probably the most vocal.

- Then you had the eastern-based CUSA schools who were already getting irritated at the commissioner for favoring western-based schools.

- Southern Miss was already bitter from the get-go because that their old-time rivals Memphis, Tulane, East Carolina, Houston, and Louisville had left them.

So it all has kind of brewed itself into what you see now. Throw in the fact that the SBC, AAC, and CUSA overlap each other geographically... PLUS we're all fighting for the lone bid to the CFP... and it just is what it is.

After a while, it'll settle.

(12-03-2023 05:54 PM)RustonBulldog Wrote:  The responses you are getting on the Sun Belt forum should tell you all you need to know about this conflict. It’s completely one-sided. Sun Belt fans will always hate Conference USA for no other reason than spite. It cracks me up how James Madison fans hate C-USA yet they have no history nor rivalry with any C-USA schools. It’s just a mindset in that conference.

I have no ill will towards the Sun Belt. Makes no difference either way for me if they succeed or not. Louisiana Tech’s issues right now are completely unrelated to Conference alignment. Getting left behind in realignment is a symptom of the problems facing Tech athletics, not the cause.

Yep completely one-sided. I could care less about the SBC but they have belittled besmirch and badmouthed CUSA six ways to Sunday. Every sort of name imaginable the SBC has called CUSA.

Their admin, beat writers especially ODU, Marshall and Southern Miss have consistently bad mouthed CUSA.

Boy the tables have turned, You reap what you sow SBC

SBC fans still waiting on their “2 million” ESPN deal

I give them credit all the time for cheerleading for their conference. Just many get upset when you do not agree.
The cheerleading has probably help them sell their conference as better than it is and many here have agreed.

Were new to the debate but it does get old listening to how great they are and how bad CUSA is based on little to zero. Liberty has been berated by several as underserving as playing no one. Liberty has played as difficult of a conference schedule as anyone in SBC, AAC, MAC or MWC. Liberty would have most likely of had the same conference schedule results in any other G5 league. The other conference teams would have most likely fared about the same in CUSA.

Now we have the NY6 game and the best P2 win in G5.
Liberty should do well again Oregon as long as the OL and QB stay healthy.

All this trash talk makes the bowls between CUSA and the Belt more interesting. Bragging rights, ya know.

(12-03-2023 07:27 PM)Tech80 Wrote:  All this trash talk makes the bowls between CUSA and the Belt more interesting. Bragging rights, ya know.

It does and I assume most, if not everyone, on here will just drink at the bar and not play. But were all damn good at running our mouths.

A CUSA team has made a NY6 bowl game and the SBC has never had a team in a NY6 bowl game. SBC is not so much better than CUSA as these SBC fans will try to make you think.

(12-03-2023 07:28 PM)jones682 Wrote:  A CUSA team has made a NY6 bowl game and the SBC has never had a team in a NY6 bowl game. SBC is not so much better than CUSA as these SBC fans will try to make you think.

They are not any better. They are looking up at CUSA today.

(12-03-2023 05:54 PM)RustonBulldog Wrote:  The responses you are getting on the Sun Belt forum should tell you all you need to know about this conflict. It’s completely one-sided. Sun Belt fans will always hate Conference USA for no other reason than spite. It cracks me up how James Madison fans hate C-USA yet they have no history nor rivalry with any C-USA schools. It’s just a mindset in that conference.

I have no ill will towards the Sun Belt. Makes no difference either way for me if they succeed or not. Louisiana Tech’s issues right now are completely unrelated to Conference alignment. Getting left behind in realignment is a symptom of the problems facing Tech athletics, not the cause.

The irony there is that originally JMwho wanted no part of The Sun Belt. They were all hoping for a CUSA invite.

Funny how things work out.

The SBC is pure class!

It is actually pretty sad the jealousy and envy coming out of the SBC right now. Negativity and toxicity is off the chart. So glad we are in CUSA

As angry as the SBC backers are about Liberty, would it really have made them less angry if SMU would have been selected? After all, would it not have somewhat cemented that impression in the media that the AAC is the best G5 conference?

I think in the long run it benefits the image of SBC, CUSA, MAC, and MWC that SMU didn't get the NY6 bowl.

(12-03-2023 07:51 PM)JackedUp Wrote:  The SBC is pure class!

It is actually pretty sad the jealousy and envy coming out of the SBC right now. Negativity and toxicity is off the chart. So glad we are in CUSA

Truly believe the most upseting thing to them is not everyone is believing what they are believing. Like a cult member and you dont understand their logic.

I personally do not care about the Sun Belt. Nothing personal, I feel exactly the same for the MAC. The only G5 other than C-USA I kinda keep up with is the MWC because UTEP plays those schools in OOC and there’s a shared WAC history that goes back decades with some of them.

I think Texas State is the only SBC school that’s on our future OOC and it’s for obvious reasons.Other than that there’s no interest on our side and I’m sure the feeling is mutual on their side.

Only team I don’t care for in the Sun Belt is Troy but honestly our last game against them was three years before I even started going to Jax State. Honestly I see Kennesaw as our biggest rival and in my time Chattanooga was always a good game.

I grew up by ODU so I have a bunch of friends who went there and 99% of my cousins went to James Madison so I’ve always paid attention to those two teams.

Then I hear some of the former CUSA teams complaints and can understand what they may be upset about. Trust me we were in the OVC where Jax State could win a football game 45-0 over a ranked team and the OVC website and social media would have a story about “Belmont Water Polo wins”. The OVC even took Southern Illinois Evansville a non football playing university over Northern Alabama so I get it when Marshall fans say they begged for a closer rival and get a Texas team. The TV contract thing about leaving ESPN from what I read though was due to Memphis pushing hard to leave ESPN this may not be true but it seems a lot of the teams the old CUSA teams have issues with aren’t even in CUSA anymore.

I’m also family friends with some members of the Coastal Carolina board had a lot of fun at our game there this year (outside of the one idiot who kept yelling “what’s a gamecock” at us similar to “ducks can’t fly” girl)

I’m very happy to be in CUSA I wish the Sun Belt the best but my concern is I want Jax State to keep getting better

(12-03-2023 07:30 PM)Gemofthehills Wrote:  

(12-03-2023 07:28 PM)jones682 Wrote:  A CUSA team has made a NY6 bowl game and the SBC has never had a team in a NY6 bowl game. SBC is not so much better than CUSA as these SBC fans will try to make you think.

They are not any better. They are looking up at CUSA today.

It is crazy that you don't hear a peep out of them. SBC fans are annoying and they are making their conference look bad. They are still living on that COVID year.

I am not sure everyone was excited about the current CUSA but I do believe a lot are coming around