CSNbbs

No.

The first conferences were grouped around train travel time -- how far can a team travel leaving Friday by train and be back in class on Monday. That is also why the original bowl games were played during the holidays and in warm weather locations. Buses were and are still often used by teams of more frugal schools for the really short trips.

Once a team must be put on a modern jet airplane, the distances within the lower 48 are not much of a cost factor. It is the charter plane and its ground and air crews that are expensive, not the additional fuel. A 767 flying from Atlanta to Norfolk is probably not all that much cheaper than a 767 flying Atlanta to Moscow (ID).

If you are talking fan expense, you get into the median income of your fan base and whether many can afford ANY distant game in the regular season. Many G5 school's fans don't (can't?) travel to any game to which they can't drive on a week end.

with the lack of tv money and the fb playoff money capped at 1 million per team up to ten teams it makes sense to downsize. with the decline in football money its important to try and increase the focus on basketball as much as practical. the real problem is that between the sunbelt and cusa there is not much to choose from. members should have easy access by interstate and air if possible and markets do matter just not to the extent that they used to.

ODU
UNCC
WKU
MTSU
UAB
GA ST
USM
USA
FAU
FIU

this would give each team a travel partner. All members are located in places you can get to. You play a nine game football conference schedule and home and home in basketball. You can still have a football championship game if desired. All members are east of the Mississippi. florida is important

They are all crappy teams. Doesn't really matter which ones you play.

(12-01-2016 08:49 AM)Memphis Blazer Wrote: [ -> ]They are all crappy teams. Doesn't really matter which ones you play.

Right now UAB is just part of that crowd. That group puts five schools less than a four hour drive away. Uncc is a six hour drive. That's a huge savings budget wise.

At this point it really doesn't matter who UAB is in a conference with but traveling to games that are closer to Birmingham would be a great plus. This is why I not all that excited about UAB being in the AAC. Competition wise it may be an improvement but those teams aren't going to travel to Birmingham (say Memphis and ECU) and the payout isn't going to be that much more significant in my opinion.

Now my mind would change about the AAC if the payout per team sees a significant increase.

Lets not forget about the enormous costs in dollars and time for sports of ther than football and men's basketball. Baseball, golf, bowling, track, etc all have to travel and not usually by plane. Having hundreds of athletes going from Bham to El Paso is a real chore (or really for any team outside of Texas). I think it may all come down to the next TV contract. Unless things change for CUSA or the SunBelt some decisions will have to be made.

(12-01-2016 11:57 AM)WesternBlazer Wrote: [ -> ]Lets not forget about the enormous costs in dollars and time for sports of ther than football and men's basketball. Baseball, golf, bowling, track, etc all have to travel and not usually by plane. Having hundreds of athletes going from Bham to El Paso is a real chore (or really for any team outside of Texas). I think it may all come down to the next TV contract. Unless things change for CUSA or the SunBelt some decisions will have to be made.

Yup. The MAC and MWC do not have the geographical issues CUSA and the Sun Belt has. CUSA needs to become a tighter fit geographically to survive in FBS. The days of us thumbing our noses at Troy and South Alabama and vice versa has long since past.

(12-01-2016 12:04 PM)BamaScorpio69 Wrote: [ -> ]

(12-01-2016 11:57 AM)WesternBlazer Wrote: [ -> ]Lets not forget about the enormous costs in dollars and time for sports of ther than football and men's basketball. Baseball, golf, bowling, track, etc all have to travel and not usually by plane. Having hundreds of athletes going from Bham to El Paso is a real chore (or really for any team outside of Texas). I think it may all come down to the next TV contract. Unless things change for CUSA or the SunBelt some decisions will have to be made.

Yup. The MAC and MWC do not have the geographical issues CUSA and the Sun Belt has. CUSA needs to become a tighter fit geographically to survive in FBS. The days of us thumbing our noses at Troy and South Alabama and vice versa has long since past.

That's why I picked the teams I did. Other than the ODU UNCC paring all teams have a travel partner within a two hour drive

Bloggers, writers, people with no life, etc. all have too much time on their hands.

(12-01-2016 01:13 PM)bladhmadh Wrote: [ -> ]

(12-01-2016 12:04 PM)BamaScorpio69 Wrote: [ -> ]

(12-01-2016 11:57 AM)WesternBlazer Wrote: [ -> ]Lets not forget about the enormous costs in dollars and time for sports of ther than football and men's basketball. Baseball, golf, bowling, track, etc all have to travel and not usually by plane. Having hundreds of athletes going from Bham to El Paso is a real chore (or really for any team outside of Texas). I think it may all come down to the next TV contract. Unless things change for CUSA or the SunBelt some decisions will have to be made.

Yup. The MAC and MWC do not have the geographical issues CUSA and the Sun Belt has. CUSA needs to become a tighter fit geographically to survive in FBS. The days of us thumbing our noses at Troy and South Alabama and vice versa has long since past.

That's why I picked the teams I did. Other than the ODU UNCC paring all teams have a travel partner within a two hour drive

Personally, I would rather the F_U's go to the Sun Belt.

(12-01-2016 08:10 AM)bladhmadh Wrote: [ -> ]with the lack of tv money and the fb playoff money capped at 1 million per team up to ten teams it makes sense to downsize. with the decline in football money its important to try and increase the focus on basketball as much as practical. the real problem is that between the sunbelt and cusa there is not much to choose from. members should have easy access by interstate and air if possible and markets do matter just not to the extent that they used to.

ODU Appalachian St.
UNCC
WKU
MTSU
UAB
GA ST
USM
USA
FAU Troy
FIU La Tech

this would give each team a travel partner. All members are located in places you can get to. You play a nine game football conference schedule and home and home in basketball. You can still have a football championship game if desired. All members are east of the Mississippi. florida is important

Still have travel partners and makes the conference geographically tighter. And this is better football conference in my opinion.

UNCC/App St.
WKU/MTSU
UAB/Ga. St
USA/Troy
USM/La Tech

(12-01-2016 03:28 PM)BamaScorpio69 Wrote: [ -> ]

(12-01-2016 08:10 AM)bladhmadh Wrote: [ -> ]with the lack of tv money and the fb playoff money capped at 1 million per team up to ten teams it makes sense to downsize. with the decline in football money its important to try and increase the focus on basketball as much as practical. the real problem is that between the sunbelt and cusa there is not much to choose from. members should have easy access by interstate and air if possible and markets do matter just not to the extent that they used to.

ODU Appalachian St.
UNCC
WKU
MTSU
UAB
GA ST
USM
USA
FAU Troy
FIU La Tech

this would give each team a travel partner. All members are located in places you can get to. You play a nine game football conference schedule and home and home in basketball. You can still have a football championship game if desired. All members are east of the Mississippi. florida is important

Still have travel partners and makes the conference geographically tighter. And this is better football conference in my opinion.

UNCC/App St.
WKU/MTSU
UAB/Ga. St
USA/Troy
USM/La Tech

South Florida is important for recruiting. Being able to tell recruits they will get to play at home once a year helps. Playing a game in South Florida every year and being in the news so local players recognize our name helps in recruiting. FAU and FIU won't suck forever. You can't get to Troy or app state and basketball matters.

(12-01-2016 04:11 PM)bladhmadh Wrote: [ -> ]

(12-01-2016 03:28 PM)BamaScorpio69 Wrote: [ -> ]

(12-01-2016 08:10 AM)bladhmadh Wrote: [ -> ]with the lack of tv money and the fb playoff money capped at 1 million per team up to ten teams it makes sense to downsize. with the decline in football money its important to try and increase the focus on basketball as much as practical. the real problem is that between the sunbelt and cusa there is not much to choose from. members should have easy access by interstate and air if possible and markets do matter just not to the extent that they used to.

ODU Appalachian St.
UNCC
WKU
MTSU
UAB
GA ST
USM
USA
FAU Troy
FIU La Tech

this would give each team a travel partner. All members are located in places you can get to. You play a nine game football conference schedule and home and home in basketball. You can still have a football championship game if desired. All members are east of the Mississippi. florida is important

Still have travel partners and makes the conference geographically tighter. And this is better football conference in my opinion.

UNCC/App St.
WKU/MTSU
UAB/Ga. St
USA/Troy
USM/La Tech

South Florida is important for recruiting. Being able to tell recruits they will get to play at home once a year helps. Playing a game in South Florida every year and being in the news so local players recognize our name helps in recruiting. FAU and FIU won't suck forever. You can't get to Troy or app state and basketball matters.

If basketball matters FAU or FIU makes no sense.Basketball hasn't mattered for awhile now but you still say no to the F_U's. You can't get to Troy or App St? Seriously??? You can get there by automobile in less than 5 hours which makes it easy for visiting fans to attend. South Florida isn't that important for recruiting in the bigger picture. Just my opinion.

(12-01-2016 01:13 PM)bladhmadh Wrote: [ -> ]Yup. The MAC and MWC do not have the geographical issues CUSA and the Sun Belt has. CUSA needs to become a tighter fit geographically to survive in FBS. The days of us thumbing our noses at Troy and South Alabama and vice versa has long since past.

That's why I picked the teams I did. Other than the ODU UNCC paring all teams have a travel partner within a two hour drive
[/quote]

The travel partner is irrelevant in Football , not sure how it affects sports other than basketball, where it does seem to be of some help since most basketball games are twice a week.

(12-01-2016 05:31 PM)BlzrDawg Wrote: [ -> ]

(12-01-2016 01:13 PM)bladhmadh Wrote: [ -> ]Yup. The MAC and MWC do not have the geographical issues CUSA and the Sun Belt has. CUSA needs to become a tighter fit geographically to survive in FBS. The days of us thumbing our noses at Troy and South Alabama and vice versa has long since past.

That's why I picked the teams I did. Other than the ODU UNCC paring all teams have a travel partner within a two hour drive

The travel partner is irrelevant in Football , not sure how it affects sports other than basketball, where it does seem to be of some help since most basketball games are twice a week.
[/quote]

Travel partners matter for the non revenue sports.