(03-24-2017 12:03 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(03-24-2017 10:52 AM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  

(03-24-2017 07:59 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(03-24-2017 03:45 AM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(03-23-2017 12:28 PM)solohawks Wrote:  THis is a pure hypothetical thread is it not? In a logical world splitting would make since. There are many ways to do a CUSA split that makes more sense for all parties involved than what we have now. I understand there are practical reasons for not splitting, which i addressed in my opening post, but in a perfect world, Rice would not be in a conference with Marshal

Why not? The Western Division is a fine collection of schools for Rice, the Eastern Division is a fine collection of schools for Marshall ... including the annual trip to south Florida ... and for most CUSA schools, the schools they could replace the cross-division games with on a home and away contract basis would be similar level schools at similar or greater distances away.

Someone could argue that if seven was the number to be an FBS conference, and the CUSA East and CUSA West each existed as conferences, playing six game round robin schedules in conference, that a merger of those two under-sized conferences would make sense.

Indeed, the whole "fission" proposal rests on the idea that each division more or less makes sense. It then adds the following premise:

Quote: This 14 member behemoth just seems to be too big and unwieldily and sent delivering the kind of tv contract the old line up did.

But that premise is awfully shaky. The fundamental problem that the new CUSA faced was not that it was 14 instead of 12, it was that some of it's highest market value schools were snatched up by the AAC.

For that to be true I think we'd need to go all in to at least 16. At 14 we're big enough to be cumbersome but not big enough to function as two entities. Going to 16 or bigger though would just make the finances and earning championships harder for each school though. I don't think that's the solution.

I think if enough schools are discontent and start putting together a plan to reorganize it could happen when CFP contract is renegotiated. I don't think the rest of the NCAA will put up too much of a fight even if it means another conference is formed with another autobid. I know our AD has talked about regionalization, as has App State's. There's a desire there it's just a matter of logistics.

Getting too regional could be a problem as well. Any conference you look at, other than the MAC, is spread out to some degree. If one wants a bus league, then that's going to be a real difficult thing to create. For one thing there would be a lack of interest beyond the foot print and there would likely be overlapping media coverage that adds little to the conference. The divisions in C-USA address most of the regional issues. Dumping outliers is a possibility to shrink the foot print to a bit more reasonable size. And yes, I realize that would include my favorite school. It may also be a "regional" perception since UTEP and most western fans don't think sending a team 700 miles is unreasonable. Fans of ODU and Charlotte may have a different view.

I don't think a mid-atlantic to FLA conference covering WV, TN, KY, VA, NC, GA, FL, AL would have the problem of being too regional. We would no doubt lose the interest of everybody in TX but doubling down on regional interest might be a smart move considering none of us are the top, second or in some cases even the third dog in our state. Different schools will have a different outlook on being in the same conference as their in-state "peers". I know for a fact that ODU's admin would love to have another VA school. We get pretty good coverage from Richmond eastward but are lacking in the western part of the state. If you asked our leaders if they'd rather increase awareness of Old Dominion in western VA and NC or TX and LA it's a no brainer. I don't think applications are increasing because we're playing UTSA.

No offense to my western conference mates. I've enjoyed learning about those schools and competing against them but if something like this were to happen I'd welcome it.

The real question would be what happens to those Gulf state schools in the middle. From what I gather from fans, UAB and USM lean to the east and La Tech likes the Texas presence.

Realigning with the other conferences doesn't make sense. When you look at the budgets in the other thread:

AAC range 40.4-79.2 middle 9 (Navy NA) 43.0-56.9
MWC range 27.5-46.7 middle 9 (AirF NA) 33.7-42.0
CUSA range 21.7-39.9 middle 10 26.7-32.5
MAC range 23.7-35.1 middle 10 27.2-32.0
SB range 13.1-33.9 middle 8 17.1-27.8

CUSA and MAC are similar, but the G5 are at 4 different levels. 10 of the 11 in the AAC are higher than 10 of the MWC. 10 of the 11 in the MWC are higher than 12 of the CUSA and 11 of the MAC. 12 of the 14 in CUSA and 11 of 12 in MAC are higher than 8 of the SB.

When the CUSA raided the Sun Belt, they pretty much went right down the line in athletic budgets.

(03-24-2017 12:11 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(03-24-2017 12:03 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(03-24-2017 10:52 AM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  

(03-24-2017 07:59 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(03-24-2017 03:45 AM)BruceMcF Wrote:  Why not? The Western Division is a fine collection of schools for Rice, the Eastern Division is a fine collection of schools for Marshall ... including the annual trip to south Florida ... and for most CUSA schools, the schools they could replace the cross-division games with on a home and away contract basis would be similar level schools at similar or greater distances away.

Someone could argue that if seven was the number to be an FBS conference, and the CUSA East and CUSA West each existed as conferences, playing six game round robin schedules in conference, that a merger of those two under-sized conferences would make sense.

Indeed, the whole "fission" proposal rests on the idea that each division more or less makes sense. It then adds the following premise:
But that premise is awfully shaky. The fundamental problem that the new CUSA faced was not that it was 14 instead of 12, it was that some of it's highest market value schools were snatched up by the AAC.

For that to be true I think we'd need to go all in to at least 16. At 14 we're big enough to be cumbersome but not big enough to function as two entities. Going to 16 or bigger though would just make the finances and earning championships harder for each school though. I don't think that's the solution.

I think if enough schools are discontent and start putting together a plan to reorganize it could happen when CFP contract is renegotiated. I don't think the rest of the NCAA will put up too much of a fight even if it means another conference is formed with another autobid. I know our AD has talked about regionalization, as has App State's. There's a desire there it's just a matter of logistics.

Getting too regional could be a problem as well. Any conference you look at, other than the MAC, is spread out to some degree. If one wants a bus league, then that's going to be a real difficult thing to create. For one thing there would be a lack of interest beyond the foot print and there would likely be overlapping media coverage that adds little to the conference. The divisions in C-USA address most of the regional issues. Dumping outliers is a possibility to shrink the foot print to a bit more reasonable size. And yes, I realize that would include my favorite school. It may also be a "regional" perception since UTEP and most western fans don't think sending a team 700 miles is unreasonable. Fans of ODU and Charlotte may have a different view.

I don't think a mid-atlantic to FLA conference covering WV, TN, KY, VA, NC, GA, FL, AL would have the problem of being too regional. We would no doubt lose the interest of everybody in TX but doubling down on regional interest might be a smart move considering none of us are the top, second or in some cases even the third dog in our state. Different schools will have a different outlook on being in the same conference as their in-state "peers". I know for a fact that ODU's admin would love to have another VA school. We get pretty good coverage from Richmond eastward but are lacking in the western part of the state. If you asked our leaders if they'd rather increase awareness of Old Dominion in western VA and NC or TX and LA it's a no brainer. I don't think applications are increasing because we're playing UTSA.

No offense to my western conference mates. I've enjoyed learning about those schools and competing against them but if something like this were to happen I'd welcome it.

The real question would be what happens to those Gulf state schools in the middle. From what I gather from fans, UAB and USM lean to the east and La Tech likes the Texas presence.

Realigning with the other conferences doesn't make sense. When you look at the budgets in the other thread:

AAC range 40.4-79.2 middle 9 (Navy NA) 43.0-56.9
MWC range 27.5-46.7 middle 9 (AirF NA) 33.7-42.0
CUSA range 21.7-39.9 middle 10 26.7-32.5
MAC range 23.7-35.1 middle 10 27.2-32.0
SB range 13.1-33.9 middle 8 17.1-27.8

CUSA and MAC are similar, but the G5 are at 4 different levels. 10 of the 11 in the AAC are higher than 10 of the MWC. 10 of the 11 in the MWC are higher than 12 of the CUSA and 11 of the MAC. 12 of the 14 in CUSA and 11 of 12 in MAC are higher than 8 of the SB.

When the CUSA raided the Sun Belt, they pretty much went right down the line in athletic budgets.

Indeed but if we were to slim down CUSA I sure as **** wouldn't start with the ones with the lowest budget. La Tech and USM I believe.

(03-22-2017 11:04 AM)goofus Wrote:  

(03-22-2017 07:32 AM)ODUDrunkard13 Wrote:  

(03-21-2017 07:43 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(03-21-2017 02:07 PM)ValleyBoy Wrote:  

(03-21-2017 01:38 PM)solohawks Wrote:  If they could both end up with auto bids than absolutely.

CUSA East splits and takes UAB and Ga St

CUSA East
Marshall, ODU, Charlotte, WKU, MTSU, FIU, FAU, Ga St, UAB

CUSA West takes NMSU, Texas St, Ark St. ULL

CUSA West
NMSU, UTEP, UTSA, Texas St, Rice, N Texas, La Tech, Ark St., ULL, USM

Sunbelt could cobble up the rest and have to find upgrades/independents
ULM, Troy, USA, Coastal, App, Ga Southern
(Liberty, EKU, Lamar, JMU, etc)

I just have to laugh when reading how CUSA will split into 2 different conferences and by doing so be able to pick off SunBelt members in the process.

And there's no particular reason for either UAB or for ULL or Arkansas State to want to move from the SBC for "their" half of CUSA. A conference can't "take" a school, it has to invite it, and the school has to want to accept the invitation.

FWIW, UAB is a CUSA school already.

Until they pull the plug again. CUSA should have dumped UAB when they dropped football the first time. Only a matter of time until they drop football again.

You certainly have the correct username

(03-24-2017 12:11 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(03-24-2017 12:03 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(03-24-2017 10:52 AM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  

(03-24-2017 07:59 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(03-24-2017 03:45 AM)BruceMcF Wrote:  Why not? The Western Division is a fine collection of schools for Rice, the Eastern Division is a fine collection of schools for Marshall ... including the annual trip to south Florida ... and for most CUSA schools, the schools they could replace the cross-division games with on a home and away contract basis would be similar level schools at similar or greater distances away.

Someone could argue that if seven was the number to be an FBS conference, and the CUSA East and CUSA West each existed as conferences, playing six game round robin schedules in conference, that a merger of those two under-sized conferences would make sense.

Indeed, the whole "fission" proposal rests on the idea that each division more or less makes sense. It then adds the following premise:
But that premise is awfully shaky. The fundamental problem that the new CUSA faced was not that it was 14 instead of 12, it was that some of it's highest market value schools were snatched up by the AAC.

For that to be true I think we'd need to go all in to at least 16. At 14 we're big enough to be cumbersome but not big enough to function as two entities. Going to 16 or bigger though would just make the finances and earning championships harder for each school though. I don't think that's the solution.

I think if enough schools are discontent and start putting together a plan to reorganize it could happen when CFP contract is renegotiated. I don't think the rest of the NCAA will put up too much of a fight even if it means another conference is formed with another autobid. I know our AD has talked about regionalization, as has App State's. There's a desire there it's just a matter of logistics.

Getting too regional could be a problem as well. Any conference you look at, other than the MAC, is spread out to some degree. If one wants a bus league, then that's going to be a real difficult thing to create. For one thing there would be a lack of interest beyond the foot print and there would likely be overlapping media coverage that adds little to the conference. The divisions in C-USA address most of the regional issues. Dumping outliers is a possibility to shrink the foot print to a bit more reasonable size. And yes, I realize that would include my favorite school. It may also be a "regional" perception since UTEP and most western fans don't think sending a team 700 miles is unreasonable. Fans of ODU and Charlotte may have a different view.

I don't think a mid-atlantic to FLA conference covering WV, TN, KY, VA, NC, GA, FL, AL would have the problem of being too regional. We would no doubt lose the interest of everybody in TX but doubling down on regional interest might be a smart move considering none of us are the top, second or in some cases even the third dog in our state. Different schools will have a different outlook on being in the same conference as their in-state "peers". I know for a fact that ODU's admin would love to have another VA school. We get pretty good coverage from Richmond eastward but are lacking in the western part of the state. If you asked our leaders if they'd rather increase awareness of Old Dominion in western VA and NC or TX and LA it's a no brainer. I don't think applications are increasing because we're playing UTSA.

No offense to my western conference mates. I've enjoyed learning about those schools and competing against them but if something like this were to happen I'd welcome it.

The real question would be what happens to those Gulf state schools in the middle. From what I gather from fans, UAB and USM lean to the east and La Tech likes the Texas presence.

Realigning with the other conferences doesn't make sense. When you look at the budgets in the other thread:

AAC range 40.4-79.2 middle 9 (Navy NA) 43.0-56.9
MWC range 27.5-46.7 middle 9 (AirF NA) 33.7-42.0
CUSA range 21.7-39.9 middle 10 26.7-32.5
MAC range 23.7-35.1 middle 10 27.2-32.0
SB range 13.1-33.9 middle 8 17.1-27.8

CUSA and MAC are similar, but the G5 are at 4 different levels. 10 of the 11 in the AAC are higher than 10 of the MWC. 10 of the 11 in the MWC are higher than 12 of the CUSA and 11 of the MAC. 12 of the 14 in CUSA and 11 of 12 in MAC are higher than 8 of the SB.

When the CUSA raided the Sun Belt, they pretty much went right down the line in athletic budgets.

Old Dominion belongs in the AAC. They are spending money up there at the NAVY level.

(03-24-2017 11:48 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  With FCOAs and all the expense, plus the P5 getting greedy with taken all the tv money that gives the smaller conferences with hardly nothing. A regional league might be the best answer. someone mentioned FCS schools involved. I could say some D2 schools with the stadiums that are FBS types could also helped out like West Texas A&M. Several D2 schools are not that far off from expanding their stadiums to reach 15,000 like North Alabama, Central Oklahoma and Azusa Pacific are a few examples.

To borrow a line from NCIS: New Orleans, "learn things". North Alabama and Azusa Pacific do not own the stadiums they play in so they do not have control of any stadium modifications. Braly Municipal Stadium belongs to the city of Florence. Citrus Stadium belongs to Citrus Community College which is across the street from Azusa Pacific.

Would C-USA be better off splitting up? No.

Go ahead and close the thread.

(03-24-2017 03:46 PM)panama Wrote:  

(03-22-2017 11:04 AM)goofus Wrote:  

(03-22-2017 07:32 AM)ODUDrunkard13 Wrote:  

(03-21-2017 07:43 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(03-21-2017 02:07 PM)ValleyBoy Wrote:  I just have to laugh when reading how CUSA will split into 2 different conferences and by doing so be able to pick off SunBelt members in the process.

And there's no particular reason for either UAB or for ULL or Arkansas State to want to move from the SBC for "their" half of CUSA. A conference can't "take" a school, it has to invite it, and the school has to want to accept the invitation.

FWIW, UAB is a CUSA school already.

Until they pull the plug again. CUSA should have dumped UAB when they dropped football the first time. Only a matter of time until they drop football again.

You certainly have the correct username

Could split CUSA and SBC along geographic lines:

CUSA - Eastern based conference
North Division
Marshall, WKU, MT, ODU, Charlotte, App State
South Division
FIU, FAU, UAB, GA State, GA Southern, Coastal Carolina

SBC - Western based conference
East Division
Ark State, LA Tech, S. Miss, Louisiana, Troy, S. Alabama
West Division
N. Texas, Rice, TX State, UTSA, UTEP, NMSU

Appy State
Charlotte
Old Dominion
Marshall
Western Kentucky
Middle Tennessee

Georgia Southern
Georgia State
Florida Atlantic
Florida International
South Alabama
Troy

ULaLa
ULaMo
UAB
USM
Louisiana Tech
Arkansas State

Rice
North Texas
Texas-San Antonio
Texas-El Paso
Texas State
NMSU

(03-27-2017 03:12 PM)HoustonCajun Wrote:  

(03-24-2017 03:46 PM)panama Wrote:  

(03-22-2017 11:04 AM)goofus Wrote:  

(03-22-2017 07:32 AM)ODUDrunkard13 Wrote:  

(03-21-2017 07:43 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  And there's no particular reason for either UAB or for ULL or Arkansas State to want to move from the SBC for "their" half of CUSA. A conference can't "take" a school, it has to invite it, and the school has to want to accept the invitation.

FWIW, UAB is a CUSA school already.

Until they pull the plug again. CUSA should have dumped UAB when they dropped football the first time. Only a matter of time until they drop football again.

You certainly have the correct username

Could split CUSA and SBC along geographic lines:

CUSA - Eastern based conference
North Division
Marshall, WKU, MT, ODU, Charlotte, App State
South Division
FIU, FAU, UAB, GA State, GA Southern, Coastal Carolina

SBC - Western based conference
East Division
Ark State, LA Tech, S. Miss, Louisiana, Troy, S. Alabama
West Division
N. Texas, Rice, TX State, UTSA, UTEP, NMSU

That's looks good but you didn't include Belch member Louisiana Monroe. Was that on purpose? I know they have the smallest budget in FBS at 13 million. Maybe you think they should drop football? I would move NM St out of the SBC West and slide over Arky St so that Monroe can play in the East with its brothers LT and Louisiana Lafayette

(03-27-2017 06:05 PM)USM@FTL Wrote:  Appy State
Charlotte
Old Dominion
Marshall
Western Kentucky
Middle Tennessee

Georgia Southern
Georgia State
Florida Atlantic
Florida International
South Alabama
Troy

ULaLa
ULaMo
UAB
USM
Louisiana Tech
Arkansas State

Rice
North Texas
Texas-San Antonio
Texas-El Paso
Texas State
NMSU

Yours looks good as well but you omitted Coastal Carolina of the Belch for NM St.

(03-28-2017 11:54 AM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(03-27-2017 06:05 PM)USM@FTL Wrote:  Appy State
Charlotte
Old Dominion
Marshall
Western Kentucky
Middle Tennessee

Georgia Southern
Georgia State
Florida Atlantic
Florida International
South Alabama
Troy

ULaLa
ULaMo
UAB
USM
Louisiana Tech
Arkansas State

Rice
North Texas
Texas-San Antonio
Texas-El Paso
Texas State
NMSU

Yours looks good as well but you omitted Coastal Carolina of the Belch for NM St.

I included both Coastal and NMSU. The realignment as indicated has 12 teams in each conference, as an All Sports conference (left out UALR and UTA). I didn't include ULM for 2 reasons. ULM is the odd team out primarily because their budget ($12M) will not sustain them in the long run in FBS and LA Tech would not be in a conference with them (won't even play them in any sport).

(03-18-2017 08:48 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  This 14 member behemoth just seems to be too big and unwieldily and sent delivering the kind of tv contract the old line up did. I think it's time to consider splitting the east and west apart and having each side pick up 3 additional members to create two 10 member leagues.

Possible additions
WEST: UL Lafayette, Arkansas St, Texas St (others include NMSU and S Alabama)
EAST: James Madison, Georgia St, Georgia Southern, App St, S Alabama

i don't think the current continuity rules would prohibit both sides from autobids.

Ok...Lets go through this.

1) CUSA cannot split into two conferences and have both conferences retain bids without waivers.
2) Any split must be approved by a 2/3rds majority of all CUSA members. Basically everyone must be happy. This is the bigger problem. How do you split it up? Remember the rules. UAB wants to stay with USM. La Tech wants to stay with USM. MTSU and WKU need to stay together. Marshall needs to stay with at least one Florida school and both Florida schools need to stay together. So you'd get the following best case scenario for a split.

MTSU, WKU, Marshall, UNCC ODU, FIU, FAU. and UAB, Rice, LTU, UTEP, UTSA, UNT, and USM. I suppose its possible, but MTSU and WKU recruit the West and USM might not like it either.

And then who would join either of those conferences? James Madison? Maybe. Texas State? Maybe. Beyond that, I'm not seeing a whole lot of interest. There'd be no more money in it.

And then there's the problem that the two new conferences would be a LOT more at risk than they are together. What does the "East" conference look like if WKU and MTSU try to return to the Belt. What happens if USM or Rice get called to the AAC?

(03-29-2017 10:55 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(03-18-2017 08:48 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  This 14 member behemoth just seems to be too big and unwieldily and sent delivering the kind of tv contract the old line up did. I think it's time to consider splitting the east and west apart and having each side pick up 3 additional members to create two 10 member leagues.

Possible additions
WEST: UL Lafayette, Arkansas St, Texas St (others include NMSU and S Alabama)
EAST: James Madison, Georgia St, Georgia Southern, App St, S Alabama

i don't think the current continuity rules would prohibit both sides from autobids.

Ok...Lets go through this.

1) CUSA cannot split into two conferences and have both conferences retain bids without waivers.
2) Any split must be approved by a 2/3rds majority of all CUSA members. Basically everyone must be happy. This is the bigger problem. How do you split it up? Remember the rules. UAB wants to stay with USM. La Tech wants to stay with USM. MTSU and WKU need to stay together. Marshall needs to stay with at least one Florida school and both Florida schools need to stay together. So you'd get the following best case scenario for a split.

MTSU, WKU, Marshall, UNCC ODU, FIU, FAU. and UAB, Rice, LTU, UTEP, UTSA, UNT, and USM. I suppose its possible, but MTSU and WKU recruit the West and USM might not like it either.

And then who would join either of those conferences? James Madison? Maybe. Texas State? Maybe. Beyond that, I'm not seeing a whole lot of interest. There'd be no more money in it.

And then there's the problem that the two new conferences would be a LOT more at risk than they are together. What does the "East" conference look like if WKU and MTSU try to return to the Belt. What happens if USM or Rice get called to the AAC?

Why would Western & MT rejoin the SB? App St jumping ship would be much more probable.

(03-29-2017 11:03 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(03-29-2017 10:55 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(03-18-2017 08:48 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  This 14 member behemoth just seems to be too big and unwieldily and sent delivering the kind of tv contract the old line up did. I think it's time to consider splitting the east and west apart and having each side pick up 3 additional members to create two 10 member leagues.

Possible additions
WEST: UL Lafayette, Arkansas St, Texas St (others include NMSU and S Alabama)
EAST: James Madison, Georgia St, Georgia Southern, App St, S Alabama

i don't think the current continuity rules would prohibit both sides from autobids.

Ok...Lets go through this.

1) CUSA cannot split into two conferences and have both conferences retain bids without waivers.
2) Any split must be approved by a 2/3rds majority of all CUSA members. Basically everyone must be happy. This is the bigger problem. How do you split it up? Remember the rules. UAB wants to stay with USM. La Tech wants to stay with USM. MTSU and WKU need to stay together. Marshall needs to stay with at least one Florida school and both Florida schools need to stay together. So you'd get the following best case scenario for a split.

MTSU, WKU, Marshall, UNCC ODU, FIU, FAU. and UAB, Rice, LTU, UTEP, UTSA, UNT, and USM. I suppose its possible, but MTSU and WKU recruit the West and USM might not like it either.

And then who would join either of those conferences? James Madison? Maybe. Texas State? Maybe. Beyond that, I'm not seeing a whole lot of interest. There'd be no more money in it.

And then there's the problem that the two new conferences would be a LOT more at risk than they are together. What does the "East" conference look like if WKU and MTSU try to return to the Belt. What happens if USM or Rice get called to the AAC?

Why would Western & MT rejoin the SB? App St jumping ship would be much more probable.

If they lose access to the Gulf Coast, and La Tech, USM, and Rice....and the Belt stays together...then why not rejoin?

(03-29-2017 11:09 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(03-29-2017 11:03 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(03-29-2017 10:55 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(03-18-2017 08:48 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  This 14 member behemoth just seems to be too big and unwieldily and sent delivering the kind of tv contract the old line up did. I think it's time to consider splitting the east and west apart and having each side pick up 3 additional members to create two 10 member leagues.

Possible additions
WEST: UL Lafayette, Arkansas St, Texas St (others include NMSU and S Alabama)
EAST: James Madison, Georgia St, Georgia Southern, App St, S Alabama

i don't think the current continuity rules would prohibit both sides from autobids.

Ok...Lets go through this.

1) CUSA cannot split into two conferences and have both conferences retain bids without waivers.
2) Any split must be approved by a 2/3rds majority of all CUSA members. Basically everyone must be happy. This is the bigger problem. How do you split it up? Remember the rules. UAB wants to stay with USM. La Tech wants to stay with USM. MTSU and WKU need to stay together. Marshall needs to stay with at least one Florida school and both Florida schools need to stay together. So you'd get the following best case scenario for a split.

MTSU, WKU, Marshall, UNCC ODU, FIU, FAU. and UAB, Rice, LTU, UTEP, UTSA, UNT, and USM. I suppose its possible, but MTSU and WKU recruit the West and USM might not like it either.

And then who would join either of those conferences? James Madison? Maybe. Texas State? Maybe. Beyond that, I'm not seeing a whole lot of interest. There'd be no more money in it.

And then there's the problem that the two new conferences would be a LOT more at risk than they are together. What does the "East" conference look like if WKU and MTSU try to return to the Belt. What happens if USM or Rice get called to the AAC?

Why would Western & MT rejoin the SB? App St jumping ship would be much more probable.

If they lose access to the Gulf Coast, and La Tech, USM, and Rice....and the Belt stays together...then why not rejoin?

I'm not sure they really need access to the Gulf Coast but in reality UAB & USM would both likely want to be in the east. And if there is a split of CUSA, it'll coincide with a "split" of the Sun Belt. TxSt would jump with the TX schools in a NY minute and like I said App would likely rather be with other midatlantic schools. The Sun Belt is in a good place relative to CUSA now but if a regionalization happens plenty of SB schools would be seeing greener pastures in these new conferences.

(03-29-2017 11:32 AM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(03-29-2017 10:03 AM)HoustonCajun Wrote:  

(03-28-2017 11:54 AM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(03-27-2017 06:05 PM)USM@FTL Wrote:  Appy State
Charlotte
Old Dominion
Marshall
Western Kentucky
Middle Tennessee

Georgia Southern
Georgia State
Florida Atlantic
Florida International
South Alabama
Troy

ULaLa
ULaMo
UAB
USM
Louisiana Tech
Arkansas State

Rice
North Texas
Texas-San Antonio
Texas-El Paso
Texas State
NMSU

Yours looks good as well but you omitted Coastal Carolina of the Belch for NM St.

I included both Coastal and NMSU. The realignment as indicated has 12 teams in each conference, as an All Sports conference (left out UALR and UTA). I didn't include ULM for 2 reasons. ULM is the odd team out primarily because their budget ($12M) will not sustain them in the long run in FBS and LA Tech would not be in a conference with them (won't even play them in any sport).

I didn't realize LT won't play Monroe in any sport....

(03-29-2017 11:17 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(03-29-2017 11:09 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(03-29-2017 11:03 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(03-29-2017 10:55 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(03-18-2017 08:48 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  This 14 member behemoth just seems to be too big and unwieldily and sent delivering the kind of tv contract the old line up did. I think it's time to consider splitting the east and west apart and having each side pick up 3 additional members to create two 10 member leagues.

Possible additions
WEST: UL Lafayette, Arkansas St, Texas St (others include NMSU and S Alabama)
EAST: James Madison, Georgia St, Georgia Southern, App St, S Alabama

i don't think the current continuity rules would prohibit both sides from autobids.

Ok...Lets go through this.

1) CUSA cannot split into two conferences and have both conferences retain bids without waivers.
2) Any split must be approved by a 2/3rds majority of all CUSA members. Basically everyone must be happy. This is the bigger problem. How do you split it up? Remember the rules. UAB wants to stay with USM. La Tech wants to stay with USM. MTSU and WKU need to stay together. Marshall needs to stay with at least one Florida school and both Florida schools need to stay together. So you'd get the following best case scenario for a split.

MTSU, WKU, Marshall, UNCC ODU, FIU, FAU. and UAB, Rice, LTU, UTEP, UTSA, UNT, and USM. I suppose its possible, but MTSU and WKU recruit the West and USM might not like it either.

And then who would join either of those conferences? James Madison? Maybe. Texas State? Maybe. Beyond that, I'm not seeing a whole lot of interest. There'd be no more money in it.

And then there's the problem that the two new conferences would be a LOT more at risk than they are together. What does the "East" conference look like if WKU and MTSU try to return to the Belt. What happens if USM or Rice get called to the AAC?

Why would Western & MT rejoin the SB? App St jumping ship would be much more probable.

If they lose access to the Gulf Coast, and La Tech, USM, and Rice....and the Belt stays together...then why not rejoin?

I'm not sure they really need access to the Gulf Coast but in reality UAB & USM would both likely want to be in the east. And if there is a split of CUSA, it'll coincide with a "split" of the Sun Belt. TxSt would jump with the TX schools in a NY minute and like I said App would likely rather be with other midatlantic schools. The Sun Belt is in a good place relative to CUSA now but if a regionalization happens plenty of SB schools would be seeing greener pastures in these new conferences.

First, understand that neither conference will provide any more money. And unless 2/3rds of the Belt schools are happy, they'll be an exit fee.

Yes, Texas State is interested in joining the Texas schools. But not at any cost.

Remember that it is CUSA's schools that are more likely to look for the exits.

----

And if UAB and USM are in the East (and La Tech can't be with ULM), then what is the West? UTEP, Rice, UNT, Tex State, ULL, USA, UTSA, ULM, Ark State, and Troy...

What's the point of creating an East conference reaching from close to the Texas border to Norfolk and from the Ohio River to Miami? And a West conference that has massive overlap with the East for 500+ miles?

I think you can put USA, Troy, ULM, ULL, Ark State (and UTA and UALR - who incidentally have full votes in that matter) as firm 'no thanks' for that scenario. The Belt won't have votes to dissolve.

I think that it might be instructive to also understand that unless CUSA can convince App to come along, it will be the Belt that drives any realignment. The Belt doesn't have a problem. There's no need to split apart the Belt as if we're hot garbage. Why not have CUSA merge and split with the MAC instead?

Instead of trying to figure out ways to help CUSA teams, who got themselves into this jam through greedy raids on the Belt, perhaps try to find a way to make 2/3rds of Belt teams happy with the arrangement.

Its not the Belt's problem that CUSA has a massive case of indigestion.

The other problem is that people assume that the Belt is just going to say..."sure...we will vote to disband simply so we can play with some CUSA members". The order of how a vote happens is critical. Is CUSA going to vote to expel its Western members? No. Are half the Belt schools going to vote to disband so they can play with UTSA and UTEP? Are UTA and UALR (who have a full vote) going to vote to go back to the Southland?

I get it. Some people in CUSA would like App. But if the Belt isn't disbanding and CUSA isn't ejecting members, then what CUSA has to offer App is the 15th conference slot where they'll be in a conference with a few local teams in a huge conference that would still be massively unstable, will continue to stretch across three time zones, that has a football, baseball, and basketball product that is no better, and where they'll be no more money, no more TV exposure, and they'll have to pay a million bucks to the Belt as an exit fee. App currently has 3 conference members within 350 miles. Join CUSA, and they'd have 4. Big friggin' whoop.

CUSA had a chance to take App. They picked first and picked UNCC.

If a genie granted everyone one wish, some people would use it for peace on earth, some would use it for unlimited wealth, and CSN board members would use it to geographically realign the Sun Belt and CUSA.

Lets take into account that the Big 12 and the other P5 conferences decides to raid again.

AAC could grab these teams.

UMass.
Old Dominion
Rice
Southern Mississippi
Wichita State all sports including football in the future.
Dayton
VCU

MWC could grab these teams.
UTEP
UTSA
Portland State
Gonzaga
Saint Mary's
Sacramento State
Chaminade to give a travel partner for Hawaii.
Hawaii for all sports
Long Beach State
Cal.-Davis
Cal. Poly
Northern Arizona
Montana
Montana State
either Colorado State-Pueblo or Colorado Mesa down the road if they lose both Colorado State and Air Force.
North Dakota State
South Dakota State

C-USA could split in half.
West:
La. Tech
North Texas
New Mexico State
West Texas A&M (only D2 school that does have a FBS size stadium that is ready to join FBS, and would be a travel partner for New Mexico State as close as they are.)
Northern Illinois?
Arkansas State
Little Rock or they could join the WAC.
La.-Lafayette
Texas State
UTA or they could join the WAC.
Illinois State? Travel partner for Northern Illinois
Missouri State
Northern Iowa
North Dakota
Sam Houston State
SFA
South Dakota

East:
UAB would miss USM.
FAU
FIU
Marshall
Mid. Tennessee State
Charlotte
Western Kentucky
Buffalo
Toledo
Georgia State
South Alabama
James Madison
Delaware
Stony Brook
Towson
Vermont
George Mason
College of Charleston
George Washington
Saint Joseph's

SBC:East:
Appalachian State
Coastal Carolina
Georgia Southern
Troy
Eastern Kentucky
Jacksonville State
Chattanooga
North Florida

SBC WEST:
La.-Monroe
Tenn. State
Central Arkansas
McNeese State
Lamar
Jackson State
UTRGV with football
Drury or UMKC