Candidate distances
If online rumors are to be believed (and why shouldn't they?) we are down to three solid candidates (UMass, Missouri State, and Tarleton State) for the remaining CUSA slot(s), plus an additional two dark horses (EKU and SFA) who are high on some fans' personal wish lists.
I'm including all five here, only because there's always a chance that internet message board fan chatter could be wrong (like that ever happens), and EKU and SFA could actually be the leading contenders.
When discussing realignment, it's sometimes hard to remember which schools are nearby. Just because the schools are in neighboring states doesn't mean they're close, natural rivals. A prime example is FIU, which is not at all near JSU and KSU, despite being in a neighboring state. Our Texas fans are also intimately familiar with this, without even having to cross a state line, as UTEP is as far away from SHSU as Kennesaw State is from Delaware.
I arbitrarily chose 600 miles as the threshold for "nearby" distance. We're a national conference, not a bus league, so the scale should reflect that. I don't usually consider a game "within driving distance" unless it's within about 300 miles, but you can make a 600-mile drive in one day, with a few well-planned meal and bathroom breaks. Get much above that, and you're probably going to be looking at a two-day trip with a hotel stay along the way.
Of the leading candidates, Missouri State leads the way, with five current CUSA schools within 600 miles, along with fellow candidate Tarleton:
La Tech (380 mi)
WKU (440 mi)
MTSU (465 mi)
* Tarleton St (520 mi)
SHSU (585 mi)
Jax St (590 mi)
Tarleton State drops the schools in the center of the footprint, but picks up the far western schools, for a total of four current CUSA schools:
SHSU (220 mi)
La Tech (360 mi)
* Mo State (520 mi)
UTEP (550 mi)
NMSU (590 mi)
Finally, UMass isn't close to very many, but they do give the far eastern schools some company:
Delaware (300 mi)
Liberty (570 mi)
Of the dark horse candidates, it's easy to see why Eastern Kentucky is a popular choice for those favoring a more regional approach to expansion, with six CUSA schools within the threshold:
WKU (165 mi)
MTSU (210 mi)
Kennesaw St (330 mi)
Jax St (345 mi)
Liberty (400 mi)
Delaware (595 mi)
Lastly, Stephen F. Austin comes in with two CUSA schools and two fellow candidates under the 600-mile threshold. In fairness to the Lumberjacks, they're crazy close to both of the CUSA schools, and have three additional schools just over the 600-mile threshold, with Jax State at 615 miles, and MTSU and WKU about 50-75 miles beyond that:
SHSU (95 mi)
La Tech (160 mi)
* Tarleton State (240 mi)
* Mo State (495 mi)
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