While UAB football has suffered from a lack of support for much of its time in the conference, the school's departure would be a blow for C-USA.

The 2015 men's and women's basketball tournaments will take place in Birmingham in March.

With Memphis now in the American Athletic Conference, UAB became the centrally located C-USA school with a good-sized market. The Blazers' influence in the conference has grown in the last couple of years.

If UAB drops football, Conference USA will almost certainly drop the school as a member. The conference dropped basketball-only schools in 2005 when the league went through major defections like Cincinnati and Louisville.

From that point forward, C-USA has required that schools be full members, playing both basketball and football.

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2014/11/30/5944...rylink=cpy

(11-30-2014 09:37 PM)Southern Miss Alum Wrote:  While UAB football has suffered from a lack of support for much of its time in the conference, the school's departure would be a blow for C-USA.

The 2015 men's and women's basketball tournaments will take place in Birmingham in March.

With Memphis now in the American Athletic Conference, UAB became the centrally located C-USA school with a good-sized market. The Blazers' influence in the conference has grown in the last couple of years.

If UAB drops football, Conference USA will almost certainly drop the school as a member. The conference dropped basketball-only schools in 2005 when the league went through major defections like Cincinnati and Louisville.

From that point forward, C-USA has required that schools be full members, playing both basketball and football.

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2014/11/30/5944...rylink=cpy

Hate to see this for UAB & C-USA...terrible situation.

Really need to add Arkansas state. It sucks for UAB. But if everyone is honest. How many FBS programs did people think the state of Alabama could support? What is it 5 or 6. Something was eventually going to happen.

(11-30-2014 11:06 PM)hawghiggs Wrote:  Really need to add Arkansas state. It sucks for UAB. But if everyone is honest. How many FBS programs did people think the state of Alabama could support? What is it 5 or 6. Something was eventually going to happen.

Louisiana has 5 teams, with a lower population than Alabama. And Louisiana has a NFL team too.

(12-01-2014 12:13 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 11:06 PM)hawghiggs Wrote:  Really need to add Arkansas state. It sucks for UAB. But if everyone is honest. How many FBS programs did people think the state of Alabama could support? What is it 5 or 6. Something was eventually going to happen.

Louisiana has 5 teams, with a lower population than Alabama. And Louisiana has a NFL team too.

Wonder what their budget concerns are?

(11-30-2014 11:06 PM)hawghiggs Wrote:  Really need to add Arkansas state. It sucks for UAB. But if everyone is honest. How many FBS programs did people think the state of Alabama could support? What is it 5 or 6. Something was eventually going to happen.

Yes, that something being Paul Bryant Jr turning 70, having to retire from the BOT and deciding wee on Gene Bartow's grave and legacy before he is forced to step down in February.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/...ing_f.html

Quote:Filler doesn't believe the study will have any impact on whether the program folds or not. Instead, he says, its fate was sealed as far back as 1991 when former UAB coach and athletic director Gene Bartow advised the NCAA to investigate Alabama's basketball program. In the letter to the NCAA, published by The Los Angeles Times in 1993, Bartow wrote that several former Alabama football coaches had been penalized by the NCAA and that they were "trained" by legendary Alabama coach Bear Bryant.

Filler believes Paul Bryant Jr., the son of Bear Bryant and a member of the Board of Trustees, has been trying to kill UAB's program for years as a "vendetta" for Bartow's letter. Filler has battled Bryant Jr. and the rest of the board for years to try to get UAB a new football stadium with little success.

"Coach Bartow was a dear, close friend of mine. He said this (would) happen," Filler said. "He said it two weeks before he passed that they wanted to kill UAB athletics. My good friend and dear man was 100 percent right."

Bartow passed away in 2012. Bryant Jr., a big booster for the University of Alabama, has never publicly commented about the letter.

(12-01-2014 04:46 PM)hawghiggs Wrote:  

(12-01-2014 12:13 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 11:06 PM)hawghiggs Wrote:  Really need to add Arkansas state. It sucks for UAB. But if everyone is honest. How many FBS programs did people think the state of Alabama could support? What is it 5 or 6. Something was eventually going to happen.

Louisiana has 5 teams, with a lower population than Alabama. And Louisiana has a NFL team too.

Wonder what their budget concerns are?

Not about budget

(12-01-2014 04:46 PM)hawghiggs Wrote:  

(12-01-2014 12:13 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 11:06 PM)hawghiggs Wrote:  Really need to add Arkansas state. It sucks for UAB. But if everyone is honest. How many FBS programs did people think the state of Alabama could support? What is it 5 or 6. Something was eventually going to happen.

Louisiana has 5 teams, with a lower population than Alabama. And Louisiana has a NFL team too.

Wonder what their budget concerns are?

Our budget is growing rapidly and projected to top the $30 million mark in 5 years. That is without student athletic fees. If the students pass a reasonable fee we would top $30 million in less than that.

(12-01-2014 05:22 PM)geauxcajuns Wrote:  

(12-01-2014 04:46 PM)hawghiggs Wrote:  

(12-01-2014 12:13 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(11-30-2014 11:06 PM)hawghiggs Wrote:  Really need to add Arkansas state. It sucks for UAB. But if everyone is honest. How many FBS programs did people think the state of Alabama could support? What is it 5 or 6. Something was eventually going to happen.

Louisiana has 5 teams, with a lower population than Alabama. And Louisiana has a NFL team too.

Wonder what their budget concerns are?

Our budget is growing rapidly and projected to top the $30 million mark in 5 years. That is without student athletic fees. If the students pass a reasonable fee we would top $30 million in less than that.

That's good. It really shows support for the athletic program. Not every program has that.